"Shiba-sama," You pat Isshin on the shoulder as you depart history class. (This time it was more of a civics lesson).
"Yes, Aizen-sama?" He turns and smiles at you.
"I would like to talk to you regarding last months incident. Also you know you don't have to call me that,"
"You're right it's been long enough, Sosuke-san."
"Oh uh, I guess that's alright," You really did not expect that. Honestly, you were kind of hoping he'd call you senpai. "Anyways, I wanted to ask you about that techique you used during our altercation..."
Isshin's smile fades and he stares at you intensely. "Let's talk about this elsewhere,"
---
Isshin leads you out back past the courtyard, where you practice your morning shunpo, and past that to the grove behind the school. His tone has left you speechless the entire journey there.
"What you're asking of me is to share a Shiba Clan secret technique. One that at a young age I was forbidden to use." He turn from you and faces a tree. Holding his palm out, he spins his arm in the shape of a slight spiral. Then he thrusts it into the bark of the tree and in a flash sand pours from the impact site.
No, you quickly realize. It's not that sand pours from the bark but that a portion of the bark has become sand. Transmutation of reishi is certainly novel by the stands of the kido taught at the academy.
"But why was it forbidden?" You ask hesitantly. Could this spell produce things other than sand? Such as pure spirit energy? What have you stumbled into?
"It was many years ago that I did a terrible thing..." Isshin dejectedly answers. He sits down legs crossed and you join him. "I was a young boy at a shiba family gathering..." Isshin has a heavy look in his eyes. It gives the appearance of a far older man. "My cousin Kukaku wasn't paying attention to me so at dinner I turned her glass into sand and spilled wine all over her dress..."
You chuckle. "That doesn't seem so bad...?"
Isshin seems to stare past you. Then he looks down at the ground. "You wouldn't understand.... the wrath of that woman." He rubs his forehead like an old wound has come back to life. Then he perks up again. "After that the clan elder said I couldn't use it anymore for pranks. So you want to learn it?"
"I... well yes," You answer. That doesn't seem to be a healthy emotional shift.
"What's your proficiency with barrier spells?"
You pause for a moment. "Well zero, I haven't been able to get decent kido practice in as of late so I've focused on Hado. " Hopefully that would change soon with your two month punishment near it's end.
"Alright, first we gotta get that out of the way, but I want one thing in exchange," Isshin answered.
"Wait, didn't you say it was a secret technique?"
"Yeah, but earth magic isn't that big a deal. If you wanted to learn about fireworks though... you'd have to join the family.... say do you want to meet my cousin?" After that description of his family you don't think you would.
"I think it's a bit early to think about marriage arrangements, besides what was it you wanted from me?"
Isshin blinks and you swear you hear an inkling of dejection in his voice. "Oh I wanted you to sign up for the combat art tourney this spring."
"I'll have only been here a year by then competing against those who have been here for four. How far do you expect me to get in the bracket?"
"And two springs from now you'll be in the thirteen divisions!" Isshin pouted. He pauses for a moment as he regards your shock. "I'm just a little worried about you, is all. You're always so inclined to just sit back when was the last time you went hog-wild?"
You think back to the last time you acted in the heat of the moment. You remember with a tinge of satisfaction your spar with Tsunyashiro Kimiya. The catharsis of your intense training finally paying off, and being the subject of everyones gossip for the rest of the day didn't hurt either. Perhaps you could re-capture that moment.... No, you don't want to be that kind of person but then again did not your zanpakuto ask you to be more ambitious? But likewise would she respect a man who chases such base desires?
"Also. all the girls will be watching," Isshin helpfully adds.
You're reminded of your conversation of Sei. You guess that's something you should be doing, and really isn't impressing a woman what you're trying to do to achieve shikai?
Haha, oh dear.
"Perhaps I will give it a shot," You answer. " But are you sure you want to train the man who'll take first place from you?"
Isshin laughs. "Maybe I'll be scared when you can actually cast something more complicated than Sho."
"Why don't you try casting something on me right now?" You smirk and stand up. Before Isshin can reply, you take off flash stepping your way back to the dormitory. Luckily no one is in your room to see you arrive and immediately fall over wheezing for air. You've broken your record for longest distance traveled many times over. You suppose you'll have to break it quite a few more times if you wish to come out victorious in the tourney.
---
"Good news!" Yamada Seinosuke announces as you step onto the track field. "We're not doing practice today!"
What a shame.
Seinosuke lets out a brief yawn and continues. "You can go back to bed. Onabara-sensei has decided you should accompany my class on a training mission to the real world today." What. "Meet us on the roof of the Western Hall an hour after dawn, and bring your zanpakuto." Seinosuke turns from you, and walks off.
"Wait, don't you have more to say?" You ask. Seinosuke shakes his head and continues walking.
---
Instead of going back to sleep, you sit atop your bed with your zanpakuto on your lap and meditate. You see nothing and lapse into slumber.
---
"Good to see you made it," Seinosuke greets you. His class is slightly smaller than yours it seems.
"Is this the first year prodigy?" A short and stout student your age asks.
"I'm Aizen Sosuke, first year. I suppose I am somewhat of a quick learner..." You bow.
"I heard you can do flash step? Can you release your zanpakuto too?" A purple haired student with a pony tail adds. You find it difficult to meet her gaze and not just because she has a little height on you. You wonder if the girls from your class will look like her too in a few years. Suddenly the things you discussed with Isshin and Sei resonate a lot more with you.
You briefly have second thoughts about joining the tournament.
"Hey dolts, introduce yourselves first," Seinosuke shoves his companions. "This is Kenta and Aki. They'll be following us today as we hunt down the dummies."
"Dummies?"
"Yep, did you think we were going to hunt real hollows?" Aki giggles. "I don't think you're ready for that yet, but I think it'd be fun to see you try."
"Yeah, there's a group of sixth years who set up a kido barrier around the training area. If a hollow actually breached it we'd have to cancel the exercise and run back here." Seinosuke adds.
"Don't worry though, I'll protect you." Aki smiles and you suddenly become very aware of the existence of your beating heart.
You find words out of your grasp at that moment so you just bow again. "I'll be sure not to let you down." You add hurriedly.
Seinosuke grins. "I doubt you'll have trouble. All we'll be facing today is some puppets with their strings being pulled by kido."
---
You exit into the human world in the sky. For a split second, you feel terror as you fall before being grabbed by the collar by Seinosuke who quickly explains the particulars of the human worlds spiritual atmosphere and the art of levitation. You quickly take to it, but you don't think that'll save you from future teasing today.
Below you is a sprawling orange desert adorned with great rocky plateaus. You would assume the area has never been inhabited had it not been for the structures carved into the side of the plateau walls.
Immediately you hear a loud thud to your left and turn to face it.
Off in the distance, you spot your first hollow. You can't make out the fine details of its mask but it's black bulb shaped body, adorned with dull yellow strips, with a massive lance extending from the bottom is quite striking. Your eyes can hardly keep up with the motion of its flickering wings and constantly twitching arms either. Less graceful is the way it constantly bashes itself into the invisible barrier, only made apparent by the flash of light created on impact, haphazardly and impotently.
"Wow, that's a big one, and pretty eager too showing up this early," Seinosuke observes.
"Is this a common occurrence?" You ask. Sweat rolls down your forehead, and you wonder if the rest of the Human World is as hot as this place.
"Yeah, of course. They usually show up once per exercise because of the collective spiritual power of the class," He answers.
"It probably wants to gobble you up," Aki adds and slaps you on the back. You jump a little. "I bet if it took a bite out of you it'd become a menos." She laughs.
"Good, we'll know who to throw at it if it breaks the barrier!" Kenta chuckles. You raise an eyebrow. You can't let this stand... especially not with Aki watching...
"Wouldn't it make more sense to leave the slowest one behind, Kenta-senpai?" You suggest. You really hope he doesn't know how to flashstep.
Kenta eyes tighten. "Why don't we see who in that group it is? Race you to the practice area?" Well damn. You really hope he doesn't make you eat those words. Maybe paralyizing him with your reiatsu would work, but then again the exploits of your spar with Kimiya have spread far across campus.
You don't get to answer as you and the other students turn to face the newly re-appeared door in the sky, the Senkaimon, in response to the large spiritual pressure emitting from it.
Out of the doorway steps a weathered old man, clad in the robes of a shinigami, whose gray hair spots a single streak of black dye down the middle.
"Apologies for the interruption," The man announces and bows, as he does so you note the one on the back. This man is a member of the first division: the elite of the Thirteen Court Guard Divisions. "Carry on with your training, and pay me no heed." The class begins to murmur.
You:
[] Introduce yourself and ask him what has brought him here.
[] Ignore him. The man did ask to be left alone and you just realized the distraction is a perfect opportunity to get a head start on Kenta.
[] Write-in.
Aizen has gained knowledge of Seppa. The technique will automatically be unlocked when his rank in Kido reaches Trained. Aizen has also gained knowledge of GIRLS.
AN: I'm going to give
100xp (to be spent at the end of the arc) to anyone deranged enough to write an omake about Isshin and Aizen going on a date as
@RedYellowBlue suggested earlier. Writing the first half of the update reminded me of that.
