Learning the Kamehameha (Raygin and Hibiki)

It was an exceptionally dull day in the squad four barracks. There was no paperwork to do, no patients to fix, and the random members of the squad weren't causing any trouble. On a day like this, it looked like the only thing to do was go train some. Hibiki knew that Raygin had expressed interest in learning some more powerful Hado after the medic had used a Soren Sokatsui to end their battle. Perhaps teaching him would be a better way to pass the time?

The Fourth Division Vice-Captain sent a hell butterfly to the 3rd's barracks. It bore a message for the newly appointed vice-captain. "Congrats on the promotion. Come learn some moves that'll make it look like you earned it!" If Hibiki knew Ray at all, this would get him over here at something bordering light speed.

Hibiki wasn't sure what the extent of Ray's Kido knowledge was, so he'd have to start by figuring out what he already knew. Once that was established, he could build out from there. He mentally recounted the list of what Bakudo and Hado he knew. He only actually knew a couple of restraining Bakudo, and all of his Hado was of the straight up energy blast type. If Ray knew any Hado that just involve a wave or line of destruction, it shouldn't be hard to build from there.

The medic decided that he should just play it safe and wear his Shihakusho for today. If he was going to be training in the Fourth Squad Barracks, he might as well dress in a way that people won't try to stop him from shooting out giant blasts of reiatsu. People generally knew who he was if he dressed in his rather odd style, but with a vice-captain badge on his arm, no one would stop to question him. After he got dressed, the medic waited for Raygin's arrival in his office.

Reiatsu: 4000/4000

“HIBIKI!! I am here to learn your all powerful Kido!!” It was with these words Raygin came charging in to the Fourth Division Barracks, and attempted to cling onto the medic’s face. Hibiki avoided Raygin’s attempt to facehug him with a step of Shunpo a foot to the side. The last thing that the medic wanted was to get drool all over his face. He hadn’t even registered that Raygin was in Chibi form, but this fact occurred to him as he returned to his seat.

“I am here Hibiki!" You’ve already said that. "What are you gonna teach me? Some original Kido of yours?” I don’t have any original techniques as of yet. The basics are more than sufficient. “What about that big one you used on me!” Was he ever going to stop talking, and did he already forget what Kido that was? “I am here to learn master, teach me your secrets!” We are of equal rank now, why are you calling me master? “You’re not dressed as fancy as you usually do.”

The first couple of remarks were annoying, but the last one sent Hibiki off the edge. Raygin would instantly notice that any trace of lightheartedness vanished from Hibiki’s face the instant that Ray claimed Hibiki’s Shihakusho lacked style. “Do you have any clue how much effort it takes to make something this boring look good Raygin? Do you have any clue how much time I spent trying to find a way to make this dreaded uniform look decent?” It was at this point that Hibiki attempted to grab Raygin’s head, and shove it up to his sleeve. “Can you even see the intricate stitching that I put into this fabric? CAN YOU?”

The medic would release Raygin’s head at this point if he was able to grab it. He then pushed his sunglasses up his nose so that his eyes would be completely hidden and coughed once. “Pardon me, I seem to have gotten carried away with myself. Follow me.” Hibiki walked out of his office, and shut the custom wooden door he had put on it once Ray was outside. The vice-captain’s office opened directly into the middle of the Fourth Division’s barracks, in which was a large open space. It was easily 100 meters on each side, perfectly square. The medic walked out into the middle of this space, and strangely enough, he released his weapon by calling out, “Design, Hitsu!”

From his staff, he pulled out a single sheet of Tattersall, which floated up to roughly 50 meters above the center of the plaza. Hibiki lifted an arm and pointed at the sheet. “Before I begin teaching, I must first see what you know. Cast every single Kido you know at that sheet of Tattersall. If you lack the reiatsu to do so, some rookies could probably use some practice in restoring reiatsu, so worry not about expending your strength here.”


Reiatsu: 3750/4000
-50 for Shunpo
-200 for Shikai

Shikai: 1/10

Sheets Active: 1 Tattersall Sheet

Raygin’s Hado was far from mind boggling, but it also wasn’t terribly weak either. Hibiki estimated that Raygin’s destructive force was around half as great as his own. The only spells they knew in common were Byakurai and Sokatsui, but those two made the difference in power quite clear. If there was any doubt about who had higher Reiatsu Strength, the fact that the Tattersall was floating in the air completely undamaged was a testament to Hibiki’s advantage.

“Not used…to using…so many different leveled Kido…at once. How was that though?” The medic smirked a little bit at how quickly Raygin had fired off all the Hado. That at least showed he had some talent, but it also showed a bad attitude towards the use of Kido. “It wasn’t bad, but you made a clear error in your use of Kido there Raygin. By the end, your power was waning considerably. Kido is only useful if you put the entire effort into every attack. Observe.”

Reiatsu began to flood out of the vice-captain in a torrent of white energy. Raygin would feel his knees shake, and his breath would only come in short gasps. Passing unseated officers fell to their knees throughout the plaza, and the weakest ones were completely pinned to the floor. Hibiki chambered his fists on his hips and stepped out into a horse stance, discarding Hitsu in the process. His body began to glow as the power welled up inside him; his fists grew far brighter than anything else. Then he began the incantation.

“Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Trust and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws. Hado number 33: Sokatsui!” In an instant, the gravitational pressure vanished, and the energy all coalesced into Hibiki’s right hand. This hand was then shot into the air above him, and a torrent of reiatsu flew into the sky. The blast was several times larger than Raygin’s own Sokatsui since Hibiki’s reiatsu strength was twice as high AND he had used the incantation. The sheet of Tattersall was ultimately unfazed by the blast of power, since Hibiki couldn’t easily destroy his own shield with such a low level Kido.

“That was only a 30s level Hado, but yet it still destructive power on par with some of your far more powerful Kido. Take a quick breather to regain your strength, and try to cast a Kido with as much destructive force as you can.”

Reiatsu: 3650/4000
-100 for Sokatsui

Shikai: 2/10

Sheets Active: 1 Tattersall

The medic calmly sat back and watched as Raygin fired off his own Sokatsui once more. This time, the blast was far stronger as he actually took the time to build up the proper amount of energy, and he had used the incantation. The result was a Sokatsui that could actually deal serious damage to a foe. Ray’s previous Sokatsui would probably only have inflicted superficial damage, maybe some first degree burns. This one was easily strong enough to deliver some second degree burns over someone’s entire body. It was definitely a step up in power. Yet there was still an element missing. What the attack lacked was an intent to kill.

Hibiki didn’t have any desire to kill anyone at that moment, but he was a master of Kido. Such a thing didn’t hold back his power at all. The healer was also one who looked death in the face every day, but from the side of healing. His killing intent was far more subtle than what he would expect of a true warrior. Raygin, on the other hand, still seemed to be holding back a bit of his power. It was clear that while he had improved, he still had more energy in him. He could still push himself higher and farther. What he needed was motivation… he was far too laid back to exert his full power.

“Ray, that blast wasn’t bad… but you’re still lacking something. What you lack is the resolve to kill. It isn’t fun… for most… but it’s something you need as a Shinigami. If you aren’t prepared to kill with every attack, then it isn’t really an attack now is it? What I want to see you do… is this.” With those last two words, the medic’s voice took on a far darker tone. Once more his pressure would threaten to crush Ray, but this was different. Before, this pressure had not been directed at Raygin. Ray would feel more than just a crushing pressure. He would feel fear. The aura coming off of Hibiki was filled with not just reiatsu, but with the intent to wipe the other man off the face of the Earth.

It was likely that the other man would simply sit there paralyzed in fear. He had already experienced the power of Hibiki’s Kido in person once before, but it had lacked this killing intent. It would be clear that the medic didn’t intend to hold an ounce of his power back. In fact, his power was rising substantially. His spiritual pressure was being channeled into reiatsu strength, increasing the ferocity of the spell that was to come. On top of that, one of his feet was in contact with Hitsu, and he had willed a sheet of Pinstripes to emerge. The sheet wrapped around his body, changing his outfit substantially. Ray would recognize this change from their last fight. These were none other than the Pinstripe Reikiji Bindings. With these, Ray would feel Hibiki’s power rise even further. In fact it had doubled from the amount it had been at after charging his reiatsu strength.

And the medic was not even done yet. A third sheet of Reikiji had flown out of his weapon. This one was white and had a large Red Cross on it. Ray would not recognize this sheet, for he had been half dead the only time Hibiki had used it around him. This sheet began to slowly fly around the medic until it came between himself and Raygin. It moved with only a tiny fraction of the speed it could, and this gave Hibiki enough time to utter a few words. “Hado number 88: Hiryu Gekizoku Shinten Raihou.” The blast would shoot out just as the sheet of Red Cross positioned itself between the medic and the other Shinigami. The sheet was close to the medic’s hand, so the entire attack went through it.

As the blast emerged from the other side, it would appear to be completely unchanged. The killing intent was still there, and the sheer power of the attack was overwhelming. It had easily expanded to around 20 feet in diameter, and it appeared the blast would surely kill Raygin if it hit. And the attack would hit most likely. Even with his 2 in Lack of Fear, every cell of his brain would be telling him that Hibiki was about to kill him, and that would leave him quaking in fear. He had already experienced a similar sensation once, and this would practically be giving him PTSD-level stress. The only indication that Raygin would not die from this attack was the fact that it was fired through Red Cross, but since he didn’t know what it did, he would have no idea that the attack wouldn’t harm him.

In fact, the attack would heal any wound on his body if he did not avoid it. It would also not damage any of the surroundings, but it would wash over Raygin with comforting warmth. Regardless of whether or not the attack hit, Hibiki then stated, in a much calmer tone devoid of any killing intent, “That is what it means to attack Raygin. It is not something we do to hurt, but rather we do to kill. If that Sokatsui before was your best, then you still have not shown me that you are truly capable of attacking.” The effort of spending that much energy had left him panting heavily, but he had definitely showed Raygin what Kido was supposed to look like.

Reiatsu: 1400/2000
-600 for Hado 88
-200 for Bindings (spent before conversion)
-300 for conversion (spent before conversion)

Shikai: 3/10

New Base Reiatsu Strength: 800
New Reiatsu Strength w/Bindings: 1600
New Spiritual Pressure: 200

Sheets Active: 1 Tattersall, 1 Pinstripe (bindings), 1 Red Cross

Raygin’s words did not stop anything from happening. The blast had enveloped the other man, but it had not harmed him physically. It would appear that the attack had trigged some kind of mental breakdown though. The medic’s first thought was that the Hado had scared him half to death, but he quickly discarded this idea. It had to be something else, or else Ray would have recovered upon realizing he was fine. It could only be one thing. Hibiki must have been right on target with his remarks. That had to be it. His words were what had done the damage, not his Kido. In most cases, the medic would have stopped to comfort Ray, but making him happy was not the goal right now. The goal right now was to teach him to kill.

But how would the medic teach a man to kill, when that man was unwilling to do so? His plan involved a bit of social engineering. He was going to convince Ray that has life was about to end once more, and he would strike fear into his heart first. After a moment of catching his breath, he disappeared in a step of Shunpo. The medic appeared practically on top of Raygin. His hand was on the other man’s right shoulder, and his mouth was at Ray’s ear. “If you can’t learn to kill, then you’ll just let down more people like her. If you die again, she will be sad. You don’t want that do you?” This was a statement that would shake Ray to the core, for even if Hibiki didn’t know it, this one sentence would hit Ray in a place so deep and dark that it would scrape at the very fabric of who he was.

It had been a generic statement, as Hibiki had no clue about the circumstances of Ray’s life, but he had figured this line would be effective. Ray’s mind would interpret it in a very particular way. To him, this sentence would be talking about one of two people. It would either be his mother or his girlfriend from when he was alive. Regardless of what way he took it, the words would devastate him. Hibiki had used his skill in social understanding to deduce a few things about Raygin. If he wasn’t willing to kill, there was a reason why. Most likely, it’s because death was traumatic to him. Chances are this was because either he remembered his own death still, or he had lost a loved one. The fact that Ray hadn’t ever tried to flirt with Hibiki made it clear he was straight, so it was more likely that he had lost an important female in his life. This wasn't actually the case, but the statement would still make Raygin wonder if he was indeed letting down his mother or former lover.

Once these words had sunk in, he whispered a few more words. “It’s time you learned to kill.” Immediately after those words were spoken, a light shot out of the medic’s hand that was resting on Ray’s shoulder. This light was none other than Hado number four: Byakurai. Unless Ray was able to react to it before it even happened, then the Hado would pierce downwards through his shoulder. Mental casting was a difficult trick, but Hibiki was a master of Kido, and he had Byakurai mastered to boot. Such a feat was easy for him. If it hit, the wound would be devastating, and Ray’s right arm would be practically useless now. That Kido would have severed the nerves in his shoulder, and his arm would be hanging on by thin sections of skin on either side of a gaping hole.

If the combination of those words and this Hado couldn’t get Ray to start trying to kill, then he was a lost cause.


Reiatsu: 1325/2000
-50 for Shunpo
-25 for Byakurai

Shikai: 4/10

Sheets Active: 1 Tattersall, 1 Pinstripe (bindings), 1 Red Cross

The shift in Ray’s aura was immediately obvious. This wasn’t the same Shinigami from before. Any trace of Ray’s carefree nature was completely and utterly gone. The thing before Hibiki now was a monster of some sort. This much killing intent simply shouldn’t be able to come out of one person. It was more than a simple killing intent though. This aura seemed to be trying to strangle the medic. It felt like this aura wanted to kill him nice and slowly. Yet the aura wasn’t the worst of it. The look in Ray’s eyes was even more intense. It was like looking into the eyes of a demon! They were filled with such a pure killing intent that it was clear this wasn’t forced. It appeared that Ray actually wanted to kill Hibiki right now.

The medic smirked. He had done what he needed to do. This change was what he had been trying to invoke in Ray. With this willingness to kill, Ray’s power would no longer be held back even by a sliver. While this was indeed Hibiki’s goal, it also meant that he was in a bit of a pickle now. His Byakurai was dealt with, and Ray immediately began an assault on the healer. It was clear that this was an emotionally fueled one, as the attacks that came were punches, not Kido. Hibiki let the blows hit him. Ray was stronger than him, but the medic rolled with the blows. It wasn’t enough to prevent injury, but it greatly reduced the extent of the injuries.

It was only because the medic had chosen to be hit in this fashion that the blows did not do serious damage. Ray was decently strong, but was still within human levels of strength. The blow to the healer’s stomach knocked the wind out of him, and the sweeping punches to the face would leave hefty bruises, but did not break anything. These attacks also forced the medic backwards slightly, and this distance was what gave him the time to react that he needed. The final attack that Raygin prepared was not something that he could take without serious injury. The healer had realized this almost immediately. Ray had spent a good amount of his energy reserves on this next attack, and it was clearly being aimed at the medic. But what could he do?

There was enough distance and time to dodge, but there was a bigger issue. Ray’s attack was going to be putting innocent people in harm’s way! This training session was taking place right in the middle of Squad Four’s Barracks. If the attack went unchecked, there was a good chance it would kill a bystander, possibly several. In the moment that Raygin charged his attack, the medic realized he only had one course of action that would save everyone. At a speed that resembled teleportation, the sheet of Red Cross appeared in front of Ray’s hands. This had been a usage of High-Speed Reikiji Control, which had caused the sheet to move at an almost unfathomable 16,000 speed. As Ray launched his Raikoho, the healer attuned the sheet of Red Cross to Ray’s energy, causing the attack to be turned into a wave of healing.

No explosion occurred, nor did any cloud of dust form. Healing energy wouldn’t create either of those, nor would it damage the barracks. It also meant that the Hibiki was unscathed from the attack, but Ray had still hung his head for a moment. In that instant, the sheet of Red Cross had disappeared from between the two shinigami as the medic had willed his Zanpakuto into a sealed state, and Hibiki had used Shunpo to move through the space between them. The healer was no longer exuding any amount of gravitational pressure, nor was he sending out any killing intent. Instead, his aura was one of kindness. It was clear that he had no desire to harm Raygin at the moment, nor did he want any harm to happen to anyone else either.

The next thing the medic did was to embrace the other shinigami. He wrapped his arms around Ray in a tight hug. Actions speak louder than words they say, and in this case it was quite true. The medic needed no words, for his entire soul had communicated with Ray through this hug. The message it conveyed was this: That was the power you need to keep your loved ones safe. I’m sorry I had to push you so far to find that power, but now I’m confident you can call it forth when you need to. After a moment of holding the other man, Hibiki stepped backwards and spoke a single sentence as he walked over to retrieve and sheath his sword. “There’s nothing more for me to teach you about Hado.”

Reiatsu: 1175/2000
-100 for High-Speed Reikiji Control
-50 for Shunpo

Shikai: Ended