Zero (solo)

His attempt to stifle the yawn had failed. Now resigned to the action Arawn stretched his arms over his head as he exhaled. It had been grueling day, but rather than rest he had come to his makeshift lab. It was merely an warehouse he had taken as his own to preform his experiments and sometime train. He turned away from the computer. His yawn finished he still continued to flex his arms as if trying to pump more air into his lungs.

Spoiler:

It had taken days to organize the multitude of boxes that filled the area. Now only half area was filled with the wooden crates. In the cleared area he set up his tables and computers with plenty of room to spare. There was a storage closet he had converted into an observation room. Of course it had been quite costly to have the room reinforced. It had come in handy as there had been several explosions in the last few months. Rover was always going wild and testing it from safety was a godsend. Still it all paled in comparison to what the official Research Bureau had at there disposal. Getting a personal lab there was beyond Arawn, but didn't stop his scientific nature. Thus the reason for his coming here. He grinned. It wasn't his officially, but no one bothered him here. No one seemed to notice one of the many warehouses that dotted Seireitei was now a second home. Not like he was living in the huge ceiling building. He worked here.

He yawned again. At this point the day's work had taken it's toll. Arawn knew he wouldn't get anything done at this point. His mind was unfocused and his drive was minimal. He'd been productive enough as it was. All he was doing now was compiling data. Arawn's work on Rover had almost come to a close. He was sure in a month's time he could present the battle droid to the robotics department. Imagine their surprise when they beheld a machine capable of performing a shingami's duties. Even if it wasn't accepted for that purpose, he was certain it would make an ideal training tool for future shinigami as well. Arawn grinned. Who would have thought that a machine sent to kill him might be so useful. Sighing now he let his arms hang limply at his sides and stood up.
"Time to get some rest." he mumbled and pushed the seat against the desk. His finger felt for the power switch and clicked off the monitor. Walking from the desk he retrieved his zanpukto leaning against the wall. He tucked the weapon into his belt. Arawn's right hand lingered on his weapon for a moment. His left hand grasped the sheath as his fingers locked around the handle. In one smooth motion he pulled the weapon free from the metal scabbard. There was a soft chime as the blade came free from it's holder. It felt so light in his hand. He held the blade flat and stared at it's silver surface. With a flip he set the edge facing vertical and looked a the keenness of the blade. Before he knew it he was swinging the sword horizontally. There was a hiss as it cut through the air. Without a second thought he reversed direction and the blade cut through the invisible opponent. Arawn's left hand grabbed the bottom half of the handle as he brought the weapon down in a vertical chop. The silver zanpukto flashed as it passed through the light.

His tiredness was already forgotten as he swung the blade. Maybe it was the energy from within the zanpukto. Arawn held the weapon horizontal before him. With a flick of his wrist he sent it spinning over his hand.
"Drift." the flipped over his fingers as he twisted his hand "Huang Long." the weapon glowed amber and started to change. Instantly the slightly curved weapon bent and lengthened. The tsuba vanished as the handle grew as well. By the time he caught it the katana was gone and now he held a golden kukri blade. He smiled as the energy surged through him. Slowly he gave the new weapon a practice swing. It felt even lighter than the last form, if that was even possible. It was he was holding nothing in his hand at all. Yet he could see the sharp edge the weapon held. Even though it was wider than the previous blade it was just as balanced. Arawn swung it and then curved his arm. The sealed weapon and cut the air, this one seemed to just swim. There was no hiss but it felt like the air moved from the weapon's path. So much ease in using the zanpukto. It almost felt like an extension of his arm, not a piece of metal. He took a step and swung the weapon diagonally towards the ground. Even as he finished that swing he twisted his body going into a spin. The momentum of the first swing into a 360 degree spin. Still not losing momentum he brought the over his head into a larger chop. Arawn misjudged his speed and the distance of his weapon. His zanpukto struck the ground easily cleaving the tiles that made up the floor. It was a shock to say the least. At least six inches of the blade was buried in the ground. When he tried to pull it free the weapon would not budge. With a grunt he tried again this time both hands pulling at the handle. Nothing. For a moment he stared at the weapon. He could still feel the energy bubbling up in his body. Taking a long deep breath he let it go. It came like a flood through his body. His knuckles turned white as tightened his hold on the sword.

Seconds passed as he struggled to pull the weapon free from the stoney confines, but it wouldn't move a single centimeter. Too late did he notice a familiar icy feeling creep through his body. Already his feet were rising from the ground as the anti-gravity effect took over. He was very shocked to say the least, but a second later he realized that was an aspect of the weapon. He had used it before in such a manner in training. Looking over his shoulder he his jaw dropped. The room was a mess, and that saying it nicely. Letting all of his spiritual energy he had made the effect spread exponentially. The wooden crates were now floating. The desk was floating away while the computer and monitor sat tethered to the wall via the electrical outlet. His papers and books weren't so fortunate. Every bit of paper that had littered the desks now fluttered in the air like snowflakes. Books lazily hovered out of the bookcases. He was lucky he didn't have any liquids setting out. If he just cut down the power to the weapon things would come crashing to the floor. The hard stone floor. He groaned then looked at the shining weapon still caught in the tile. Arawn was now floating like the other items that occupied the warehouse. For a moment he took the time to examine the situation. As he thought the building groaned. Arawn's head darted from left to right as the sound repeated. Putting the sound aside he wondered if he could slow reverse the effect of his zanpukto. Normally it just wore off and the affected object fell down. Closing his eyes he focused on the weapon. He could feel the energy that filled the weapon and his own body. Like always he could feel the reiryoku vibrate. He could feel everything in the room it was odd. As the field expanded he so did his consciousness. It was like the field was a part of him. For a moment he was not just Arawn, he was the floor, he was the wooden crates as the hung over his head, he was the books slowly rising higher, he was the desk dragging against the wall. No longer was he confined to the simple flesh. Was it possible to be and not be in the same instant. For that pseudo omnipotent moment Arawn forgot to breathe. He gasped as reason returned to him and he tried to focus his mind and his power.

It happened again. He could feel his thoughts ebb as his hands clasped the handle. Just as the energy flowed into the weapon so did he. The deep connection with the weapon was affecting him greater than he had expected. His very self was being drained. As long as the weapon stayed inside the floor the energy expanded. He looked around as the boxes were already reaching the ceiling. If not for the roof he wondered how high they would go. There was now nothing in the room that wasn't airborne. Gravity optional and everyone had decided to ignore the mighty law. Once again the building groaned. This time he couldn't disregard the sound. If his power was forcing things to the ceiling could it do the same to the structure itself? He didn't want to think of how much worse the situation had become. Arawn stared at the weapon lodged in the floor. Even without his hands on the weapon he could feel his reiryoku pulsating. Strangely enough he didn't feel his own spiritual pressure wane in the slightest. How long had this been going on for? Ten to twenty minutes perhaps. He should feel drained or tired, and yet he was still filled with vigor. Was he always this powerful? Arawn shook his head. It didn't matter that he felt fine now, soon he'd be drained and then everything would come crashing down.

He stood there over the weapon once more his breathing shallow. Finally he grabbed the zanpukto's handle once more. This time he was ready for the feeling of his energy his very soul being drawn into the weapon. Now that he was ready for it the effect was much slower. He was the sword and the floor once again. As this consciousness stretched to the walls, he tried to retract t the energy. It was like trying to reverse a river's flow. He could stop it, but that wasn't his goal.
"Move damn it!" he said to himself as he tugged at his own reiatsu. Struggling mentally was by no means as easy a physically pulling the weapon free. Instead of muscles he needed focus and willpower. Arawn had both, but the method of applying these traits was the hard part. He was trying to do something he didn't know how to do. The longer he tried the weaker both became. He felt himself slipping again. Arawn was being overwritten into nothing. Once more his humanity started to fade as the power overwhelmed his senses. He was merely a part of his own energy. It was consuming him. He felt himself drowning as the surge continued to grow. The river analogy seemed even more appropriate now.
"Huang Long!" he called out as he continued to push against the current. Normally he could hear the dragon's voice in this state. Perhaps he should have done this to begin with. Unfortunately the beast wasn't one to offer his assistance so easily. There was no response. He feared as much. Either he couldn't hear him, or was ignoring him. No, that can't be it. Never had the weapon given him trouble. If anything the zanpukto had boosted his power not hinder him. This was his own doing, he had to reign in the power. Why was this so hard? His training in Sa Shin Mu required finite control of reiatsu, why was it suddenly like climbing a sheer cliff. As he felt himself fade the answer came to him. He latched onto it like a life preserver. Sa Shin Mu wasn't just control it was letting go. Build up and release of energy. Both control and directing the flow. Instead of fighting he released his energy he let the current take him. Although he couldn't see it a golden glow enveloped his body. As more and more reiatsu came from his body the color shifted from gold to a deep crimson. The room trembled once more, but not from the building trying to free itself from the foundations. The spiritual pressure filled the warehouse to the brim. Once again Arawn was the warehouse and all things in it. His energy permeated every bit of the building. And in this small world was his body, and empty vessel. The energy with nowhere to go filled the void. As his reiryoku returned so did his mind. He could think again and yet didn't. The energy simply drove itself back into him. Had he really been overwhelmed by his own power? As he stood there the items were slowly descending from the rafters. Something odd about the whole situation, but he was happy to see it over. In the next minutes his lab was back to normal. Normal being that nothing was floating. That was enough for now. He wasn't in the mood to attempt straightening it up. Arawn made a mental note to come by later to clean it. Perhaps he could get Bryce or Simone to help him. He passed his hand through his hair and paused. His zanpukto was still lodged in the ground. The weapon was no longer transformed it was back to it's sealed state. Arawn's body still felt the slight chill and tingle that accompanied the low gravity. In less than ten steps he stood before the weapon and pulled on the handle. The blade came free with ease. For a long minute he stood there staring at the golden dragon that made the tsuba. It was too easy. Did the spirit have something to do with this? Not like he would get an answer from the beast either way. Arawn sighed suddenly tired of the whole thing. "Til tomorrow." he muttered as he navigated the mess to leave the warehouse.