Lesson from the Legend[Joint Training Thread, NDE]

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

Taien just smiled as Kyomei savored the rush of the Wind Reiatsu that he had created. It was thrilling, though it was just barely scratching the surface of what could be done with the concept of elemental reiatsu. "Hahaha! Yep, just the first of the five. Now that we have one of them done, lets practice with it to get you used to the feeling and sensation! Come on, up and attem!" Taien helped Kyomei to stand, which was greatly appreciated since Kyomei's legs were a little wobbly from the sheer energy he poured into the technique. In the future, Kyomei would have to tone down the amount of force he put into those orbs, keeping it smaller instead of putting no lid on it and making a giant one.

Taien spun around and walked off a little ways before spinning around again to face Kyomei again. "Right then! Aside from the personal and emotional revelations one can gain from this technique, it does have a practical application! I know you saw what a Sokkatsui explosion looks like from earlier, but here's a quick refresher course-" With that, Taien sent another large orb of blue fire at another boulder strewn on the ground, the explosion of which turned the rock into chunks of smoldering rubble. An impressive show of power and though Kyomei had seen it earlier it didn't hurt to see it again before Taien decided to do whatever it is he was going to do with the Wind reiatsu.

"-, now with that out of the way, what does it look like when we add a bit of elemental wind Reiatsu to the mix?" This was what was going to be truly interesting. It started as a spark of reiatsu churning itself into the familiar blue fire of the Sokkatsui. However, as it reached half of its normal size, the expansion easily tripled in speed becoming a roaring torrent of power. This was easy for Kyomei to understand, seeing as he saw the green color stretch from Taien's hand and mix with the red central nature of the Kidou. The two churned for awhile before settling on a mild swirl of red and green.

It was fascinating, seeing two natures stay so separate yet be so unified. Kyomei could choose to see the situation in two different ways. Either he could see it as a perversion of the True Aura of the Kidou, or a reimagination of what the meaning of True Aura was. Before Taien let it go, Kyomei took a long hard look at the orb in his hand, quickly growing to twice the normal size, and analysed it accordingly. The Wind Reitasu was not encroaching on the natural nature of the Kidou, instead it was coexisting and encouraging the other nature. With the two natures side by side, there was even more power to be found in the Kidou, evident by the increased size and ferocity.

As the Kidou reached it's peak of power from the added nature, Taien let it fly. It flew faster than the first one, streaking red and green behind it as it streaked across the open air towards another boulder. Hitting the boulder dead on, the entire courtyard lit up from the light of the explosion. The natural nature of the Kidou had been increased to the point where the explosion turned every fragment of the rock into dust, burnt that dust, and then scattered the burnt ash everywhere at a seemingly molecular level. The gust of wind that scattered the rock particles was powerful enough to reach all the way to Kyomei fifty feet away, and obviously Taien who was ten feet closer. With his still less than perfectly steady legs, Kyomei decided to flop onto his rear instead of bother with keeping himself upright against the gust.

Kyomei stood up on his own and listened as Taien explained what he had done and what he wanted done now by Kyomei. "Now then, Wind is a tricky element to control, being an element of change and freedom, it won't submit to those who can't understand it or can't handle it. You've gained knowledge of the wind with meditation, nows the time to prove you can handle the power of the wind with your spirit!" Kyomei was ready for it, he didn't feel as though he'd have a real problem with it. After all, the natural nature of Sho was of Wind. All Kyomei was attempting to do was supplement it with a bit more pure wind reiatsu. Though nothing that Taien had instructed Kyomei to do had gone wrong yet, still Kyomei decided that his way was better than Taien's.

Instead of forming a Sho with extra added Wind Reiatsu, Kyomei decided to copy Taien and do it with a Sokkatsui, though he'd never used the technique before. Due to his skill at analyzing things, as well as his natural ability to learn any Kidou on the fly with a bit of persistence, it may take a few tries, but eventually Kyomei would not only get the hang of Sokkatsui but also the Wind Reiatsu. As Taien had done, what was first necessary to do was form the basic Sokkatsui orb. Starting with his hand held upwards towards his shoulder and bent at the elbow, he snapped his arm downwards while snapping his fingers and leaving his fingers slightly curled. This formed a cleft inside his hand to house the spark of flame that Kyomei had formed with the catalyst of the finger snapping.

Nurturing that little spark within his hand, Kyomei started to let it grow by letting the reiatsu flow into it while spreading his fingers out to accomidate the growth. He couldn't go too fast or risk letting it get away from him, and he couldn't go too slow or it'd get stagnant. Through the whole thing, Kyomei kept calm and maintained his inner chant slowly building the imagery for the Wind Reiatsu orb. When the orb that resembeled a Sokkatsui got to the approximate size that he needed it to be, Kyomei used his other hand to try and inject the Wind Reiatsu. The result was an aberration of the true Sokkatsui that Taien had made, but it was at least spherical. Kyomei flung that away from his hand, but that decayed soon and didn't even explode but merely fizzle out, the Wind Reiatsu not bonding to the Sokkatsui at all but only chilling inside it and dissipating just as fast.

As that failed try went so sour, followed by the next miserable failure, the stress of such horrible tries started to frustrate Kyomei. But then, Taien started to chant again with inspiration spurring Kyomei onwards. "Never give up, never surrender. Always push forwards, never back down! Strive, forever onwards! Onwards. . . Towards a brighter future!" Taien started to build up some sort of visible power as he encouraged Kyomei. Kyomei felt so encouraged by the passionate inspiration that he instantly felt his body just moving like clockwork.

His arm snapped forwards and the blue fire sparked again with a snap of his fingers. He sped it onward, not even losing control or efficiency at all. When it grew to the correct size, instead of adding both regular reiatsu and Wind Reiatsu, Kyomei simply twisted his hand to face forwards and let the green reiatsu flow in. The Sokkatsui started to come together like it was meant to, growing in strength until it was ready to be released. Not even thinking about the consequences of his action, Kyomei called out "Hado #33: Sokkatsui!" and pulled the new mixed Aura to the surface of the Kidou. Not only was the Kidou increased in strength by the mixing of the kinds of reiatsu, but Kyomei had increased the size of that base substance to the surface of the Kidou.

As Kyomei thrust his hand forwards, the orb went flying, not as fast as Taien's but this was special for a different reason. Kyomei had aimed for a larger boulder than Taien had cast his unsupported Sokkatsui at, in order to try and show off to the other student who he was quickly seeing as worthy of the great praise and adulation. When Kyomei's orb hit, the explosion would be utterly massive. By pulling on the latent natural energy of the Sokkatsui as well as the newly fused Wind Reiatsu, both the explosive and the gusting effects would be increased. The rock would be obliterated as the truly massive explosion ripped through it.

The power of Kyomei's Sokkatsui was more powerful than Taien's base Sokkatsui, though Taien's addition of the Wind Reiatsu did make his have a technically higher reiatsu strength than Kyomei's. Regardless, it was a massive explosion and a gust of wind that tore through the courtyard. Kyomei smiled at Taien with a wink "I didnt' tell you of -all- my abilities, of course. Well that was truly fun, and I greatly appreciate the assist from your inspiration. Though that power of yours that surrounded you was intriguing, yes yes." Kyomei cracked his knuckles and twisted his neck by himself again and awaited further instruction. This was incredibly fun, after all.

Remaining Reiatsu: 1950/2400

[Taien Hadohou]

Taien watched on in amusement as Kyomei went for trying to learn and use Hadou #33: Sokkatsui. Well Taien never did say he had to use Sho. It was more a suggestion, something that would have been easier for Kyomei to do than what he was attempting. Taien had no doubt that he could do it, it was just going to be a rougher time doing it than Sho. Still though, he was learning at a fairly good rate. If he kept this up, he would be able to use it just fine.

Of course, after a few tries, he seemed to be distraught. That was when Taien began chanting, coaxing his determination out. In one respect, it was just like drawing out the true potential hidden inside Reiatsu and Kidou. As Taien encouraged him on, Kyomei's body stance began to shift. This was the moment of truth, the moment that Taien had been waiting for. This was it, the final act!

The spark that Kyomei-San created roared into a blazing blue ball of fire, shining with an inner light of power. There it was, there was the fire, the blazing determination in his eyes! He mixed Reiatsu with Reiatsu, wind with fire, creating a burning inferno in his hands. As he twisted his hands forwards, Taien knew that he was about to let loose the fires of war. Taien's grin threatened to split his face, and his eyes were ablaze with light and power. Twin fires of blue and red, dancing in the depths of his soul.

Hado #33: Sokkatsui!"

Taien made no move to stop him from doing this. Another instructor might have, but not Taien. Sometimes you just had to trust these things to work out. A lot of times, sure, they might not work out. But this, this was not one of those times. This time, everything was paying off. The ball of fire shot forth from Kyomei's hand, flying straight and true at a large boulder. The ball detonated and suddenly, the surrounding area was bathed in blue light. Taien looked on though, not blinking once, despite the wind and light.

As the gale died down, Kyomei winked at Taien.

"I didnt' tell you of -all- my abilities, of course. Well that was truly fun, and I greatly appreciate the assist from your inspiration. Though that power of yours that surrounded you was intriguing, yes yes."

"Hmm? Ohh, that. I knew about that from the first test we did a while ago. Truth be told, I already knew quite a bit about your power, hearing it from you though helped fill in the cracks. And as for the power. . ."

Taien smilled even wider somehow.

"That was just my Reiatsu."

Taien's Reiatsu was litterally strong enough to be seen even by the weakest of energy sensors. It bordered on a physical pressence actually.

"Now then. We could go on, however, it is best we do not. You may not feel it due to the adrenilin, but you're body is completely exhausted! Using spiritual power is just like using physical power, and after a while it'll take a toll on your body. Right now, from the shaking of your legs, I deduce that you're bearly standing up right now. A small gale like before is all that it will take to knock you down. Fear not though, we'll get started bright and early tommarow when you're recovered."

Taien was still grinning though, as he had something else to say.

"But before we turn in. . . I have one last thing to show you. Since you showed me the extent of your abilities today, I see no harm in showing you a part of my true power. Come on, follow me. You can do Shunpo right?"

Taien sped into a Shunpo a few times, letting Kyomei keep up with him. The final destination was soon revealed, a large open field on the Academy proper. It was built to resemble the Human World, and so there were trees and such around. There was even a lake. What was most interesting was, there was a scale model of a medium sized mountain. Why it was there, no one really knew. Taien had asked around a bit and he still didn't know.

"See the mountain? What I'm about to do is very dangerous. I wouldn't do it if we didn't have this place. Otherwise who knows how much of the Acadamy I would leave in tact?"

Taien turned and faced the mountain, hands cupped.

"The rumors you may have heard of me knowing Kidou that even seated officers don't are true. However, they don't know to what extent. I didn't tell you all of my abilities either. Concider this demonstraition a thanks for a productive and fun day."

And then the magic began. Taien's Reiatsu fluctuated, and gathered into his palms. Lightning began to jump from them, slowly at first, but gaining intensity with each passing second. It continued to leap and dance, flying from his cupped hands and into the sky and ground. Something began to take shape within the confines of his hands. It grew slowly, Taien moving his hands in tandem with the growth. The bigger it got, the wider the space between them.

At last it was revealed, an orb of lightning no bigger than Taien's fist. When it was revealed though, its growth skyrocketed, the very air reverberating with the power of the orb. Lightning danced in an almost constant stream from it, producing wild and brilliant images. The tell-tale signs of elemental infusion were happening as well. Three streams of color, to Kyomei, flowed from Taien's hands. One of green, one of red, and one of blue. All mixing and mingling in the orb, complimenting and enhancing each other, mixing with the Kidou until they were all completely in sync, in perfect harmony with each other.

The orb swelled and grew to the size of a large beach ball. At this point, Taien positioned his hands behind the orb, aiming at the middle of the mountain. The sheer power the orb was giving off was enough to cause strong gales to flow from it, the power distorting the very air around them. Kyomei would have fallen over again, but Taien thought ahead, and had the veil of force around him to help support him.

Taien's eyes shined with light, and he spoke but five words. He wanted this image to be engraved in Kyomei's mind. This was going to be fun!

"Hadou #88: Hiryugekizokushintenraiho!"

SPOILER: Click to show

The orb contracted for a moment, before exploding forwards towards the mountain. It was unlike any other Hadou #88 before it, it seemed to be comprised of four different colors! It was quite a sight to behold. It raced at a breakneck pace, flying towards the mountain faster than anything Taien had used before. More powerful than anything Taien had used before as well.

It impacted the mountain side, and for a moment, everything was consumed in light. Then a deafening explosion rocked the ground, a massive explosion of wind flattening anything close to the mountain. As the two students were far enough away, they weren't harmed by it. The wind did flatten the grass, disturb the lake, and nearly bowl over Taien though. Kyomei still had the veil of force on, so he would be fine.

As the wind died down, and the dust cleared, the students could see what had become of the mountain. There was now a huge crater in the mountain, still smoking and chared from the explosion. Even at this distance you could still see lightning jumping and crackling from it. In fact, residual lightning was still jumping from Taien's outstretched hands. It died down after a few seconds however, and Taien's head turned to Kyomei.

"Concider this a welcoming from one master of Kidou to another."

After that, Taien helped Kyomei back.

Remaining Reiatsu: 325/3000

Hadou #88: Hiryugekizokushintenraiho Strength: 1000

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

Kyomei could feel it just as Taien was saying it. The extensive training that they were doing was exhausting Kyomei to the point where he would need to rest for the night before long. There was just one last thing that Taien wanted to show to Kyomei before they left for the night. It was a bit of work travelling to the empty space where Taien was going to show off, so by the time they got there Kyomei could barely stand. This didn't really matter though, as Taien enveloped him inside that barrier of force from earlier that kept him stable and removed the weight from his legs.

Then Taien began to spin the most wonderful Kidou that Kyomei had ever seen. There were so many colors and in such a pure form as well. This was definitely the strongest Kidou by far that Kyomei had ever witnessed, even without the elemental reiatsu that was being mixed in. Taien fired the Kidou, and the streaks of color that shot into the night were breathtaking. All that Kyomei could think of as he saw the yellow, red, blue, and green streaks was Nyan Nyan Nyan Nyan Nyan Nyan Nyan Nyan Nyan Nyan Nyan Nyan Nyan Nyan... When the mountain erupted in a massive wave of energy, Kyomei was floored, figuratively seeing as the force of Taien's other Kidou kept him afloat.

"Taien-san, that truly was a wonderful gift. Tomorrow I will return to this spot and will train with you even further in the elemental arts. But for now, I must be getting home, and you probably should too. With that amount of effort you just put into that display, you must be tired as well. Both of them, being utterly exhausted, would slowly limp back to their respective dorms and pass out for the night, sleeping away the aches and thinking of an evening of training very well spent. The best part that came out of the training was the beginnings of a great relationship.

---------------------------------------------------------
FIN, for now. Ready for grading of first part.

[Kento Waffles]

+410 TP

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

The next day was bittersweet. Kyomei looked forward to training with Taien later that day, and even had put a little effort into the Wind Reiatsu during Kidou class. It was rash, and it was noticed. There was a visitor to the class that day, the great Sozen Kuchiki, Captain of Squad 6 and Head of the Noble Kuchiki House. With a desire to impress, Kyomei imbued his basic Sho they were supposed to be training with the Wind Reiatsu. The resulting force threw seven students back and sent debris flying. Sozen immediately noticed the level of reiatsu control and strength coming from Kyomei.

That set into motion the events that pulled Kyomei from the Academy that very day. Kyomei had a chance to write a quick letter to Taien, explaining that he wouldn't be able to train that day, and he didn't know when he would be able to train with him again. He had to do this quickly, for before Kyomei realized, he was on his way to the Seireitei proper, to be established as the Sixth Seat of Squad 6, as well as an adopted member of the Kuchiki household. Kyomei had to learn formalities, noble history, as well as his duties as Sixth Seat. With all of this going on, he didn't have time to go back to visit the Academy to train in the Elemental Arts any more. However, every day he thought about Taien and the training, and wished he would have a chance to go back and train again.

[Taien Hadohou]

To be quite frank, Taien had no idea of what happened to Kyomei at first, there was a reason for this however. As Taien was going to the courtyard again, he stumbled across something interesting. The wall. There was something different about this particular wall. So Taien decided to investigate it, looking all over and pushing various places. Eventually he discovered its secret, the wall opened up for him! Intrigued, Taien entered and discovered a large passageway. From that point, Taien explored all over the place and learned the newest secret of the Academy.

There were two parts to it, an above ground passageway within the walls, and a large tunnel system underneath the school. Taien figured out that the tunnels went all over the place, and connected to areas within the Seireitei. He hypothosized that these were escape tunnels, or something like that, that students and Shinigami could use to get around fast in times of trouble. Along with this was the discovery of a few different underground rooms, the "Teachers Lounge", the "Training Arena", and the "Hub". The Teachers Lounge was named so because the teachers of the Academy frequented it. It wasn't off limits to students really, but Taien didn't go there much regardless. The Training Arena was this huge area that was reinforced with Reiatsu to the point that it could survive Ryuujin Jakka for a few moments before melting, which meant it quickly became Taien's newest training ground. The Hub was basicly that, it connected all the tunnels together and a few of the passageways within the walls.

Later Taien learned of what had happened to Kyomei, which prompted Taien to do a little more exploring around the tunnels. Eventually he found one that went directly to the Sixth Division Barraks. It sort of helped that that particular tunnel had the insignia engraved above it though. If Taien was correct, he and Kyomei could use this very nicely. With that done, Taien took the rest of the days to memorize the passageways and tunnels. Soon Taien was popping up everywhere and scarring other students half to death. After a few days of this, Taien made his move.

Taien made his way through the tunnels, grinning all the way. Eventually he reached an iron-wrought ladder, and began to ascend it. He came to a landing, did a bit more walking, and finally reached a wall. After looking around a few moments, there were lanterns thankfully, he found the switch to open it. After pulling it, the wall soundlessly moved aside, revealing the Divison Six Barraks. Taien grinned as he poked his head around to see if there was anyone there.

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

It was a warm sunny day that Kyomei was just wasting away doing work inside the Barracks. Why he was here instead of at the Kuchiki Manor that day was because he didn't feel like getting sneered at again by his adopted family. The room that Kyomei technically owned was getting severely messy by people passing through, so Kyomei would spend occasional days cleaning when he didn't have much better to do. Once again, like he had done just about every day since he had come to be the Sixth Seat of Squad Six, he wished he had the opportunity to go back to the Academy to continue the elemental studies. He had grown in power and in learning since he had come the this squad, but it still didn't compare to the thrill of elemental reiatsu coursing through your veins.

One thing was for certain, because Kyomei had trained so vigorously, and become so much more powerful, he was sure that the next time he got a chance to train under Taien, he would be able to train for much longer. His spiritual reserves had grown in size, and he would be more than able to train for much longer than last time. So many times when Kyomei was alone or bored, he would summon up a small bit of wind reiatsu and let it dance across his fingers. He almost did this now, but he was interrupted from his cleaning by an odd sliding sound elsewhere in the Barracks. No one was around, so who could it be? When Kyomei went to check, he found himself face to face with none other than Taien Hadohou himself!

[Taien Hadohou]

By the time that Kyomei entered the room, Taien was leaning up against the opening and twirling an ice blue fedora in his right hand. That was one of the four items Taien currently had on him. Two were his Ice Guns, concealed within the folds of his Academy Robe, and the other was a seemingly normal black watch with a crimson red and sky blue background for the numbers. As Kyomei entered, Taien noticed him, stopped spinning his hat, turned his head, and grinned at him.

"Oya oya! Kyomei-San, long time no see! Hows being a noble treating you eh? I can't imagine the politics are fun. They never really are. I bet being in the Kuchiki Manor is something to behold though, it looks so beautiful from the outside, I wonder what it looks like from within?"

Taien greeted, asked, and commented all in the same breath. As he finished, he put his hat on his head. It was a really stylish looking hat, and something that Taien recently procured from a certain Geta wearing shop owner. It was more than just a normal hat, but Taien wasn't using its other function. Even to Kyomei, it would look like a normal hat. Taien had plans for it later, which is why he brought it along with him.

"So! Anyone expecting you today? Anything important going on? If not, we can continue with the lessons. This tunnel goes directly to the Shino Academy, and I think theres a switch on this side of the wall somewhere."

Taien continued on.

"I was thinking we go with Water today, how about you?"

This really was Taien. Who else would find a hidden passage/tunnel system, open a wall in the middle of a Barraks, and then proceed to make small talk with the first person he came across? No sane person thats who. But then, Taien wasn't exactly normal, was he? Taien waited for Kyomei to reply, so they could get on with their lessons that had been cut short since Kyomei's departure. It was rather odd that no one had picked Taien out of the Academy yet either, he was stronger than Kyomei at the time, it stood to reason that someone would want him. Then again, Taien really didn't show off that much. Well, when he wasn't teaching someone, anyways.

SPOILER: Click to show

Stats:

Strength - [30] Points

Speed - [200] Points

Spiritual Pressure - [150] (300) Points

Reiatsu Strength - [400] (800) Points

Light Aura - [100] Points

Dark Aura - [0] Points

Instinct - [50] Points

Senses [50] Points

Energy sensory - [30] Points

Healing Expertise - [0] Points


Total SP: [910] Points


Abilities:

[Master Reiatsu Control] {3}


[Spellweaving (Kidou Fusion)] {3}


[Charisma] {3}


[Learning] {3}


[Analyzing] {3}


Items:

Ice Gun x 2

F.O.R.M Prototype: Overwatch

Cold Hat

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

Kyomei walked into the room, seeing Taien twirling his blue fedora on his finger. In the time that they'd been apart, Kyomei himself had gained some toys that were currently on his hip. The first was a small silver tube with two buttons on it, colored red and green. The second was a sleek black scabbard with a sword inside it. Kyomei let the sword slide out a little to show off its pristine steel and sharp edge. The scabbard and Uchigatana sword were resplendent of his new nobility, and were treated with reiatsu to be as durable as a real Zanpakuto.

"Yeah, the politics suck. Being spit at for being of "unclean blood" by my own adopted family isn't fun, but having people to call family is well worth it. And the Kuchiki are powerful, in more ways than one." Kyomei said the last sentence with a wink. Kyomei had learned Kuchiki secrets that had dramatically increased his ability to be on par with Taien, maybe. Just as Taien could control the path of Kidou, so too could Kyomei with a bit more effort than Taien.

Taien mentioned something about a secret panel somewhere in the barracks, as well as learning the element of Water this time. Kyomei was more than ready to learn under Taien again. Though Kyomei was technically older than Taien, Kyomei felt as though Taien was a very fatherly figure. Taien encouraged him just as a father probably would. Kyomei couldn't remember anything from his life in the Land of the Living, and he didn't have any family here in the Soul Society besides his adopted, mostly spiteful, family. With a gesture, Kyomei motioned for Taien to lead the way to and through the passage.

SPOILER: Click to show

Strength – [50] Points

Speed - [250] Points

Spiritual Pressure - [245 (x3)] 735 Points

Reiatsu Strength - [255 (x3)] 765 Points

Light Aura - 75 Points

Dark Aura - 25 Points

Instinct - [175] Points

Senses [100] Points

Energy sensory - [75] Points

Healing Expertise - 0 Points

Total SP: 1150 Points


[Special skill: Kidou] {3}

[Special Skill: Kidou Combination] {3}

[Calm mind] {3}

[Battle analysis] {2}

[Battle Skills: Other: Acrobatics] {2}

[Street fighting] {2}

Plasma Blade (Yellow) x1
Uchigatana/Scabbard x1

[Taien Hadohou]

"Yeah, the politics suck. Being spit at for being of "unclean blood" by my own adopted family isn't fun, but having people to call family is well worth it. And the Kuchiki are powerful, in more ways than one."

"Ahh yes, family. Never really knew mine, was born in the 65th District of the Rukongai. Didn't die and come here like most people. So the only family I really had was my group of friends that I formed. Sort of essential to surviving in an area like that as well, and we all enjoyed each others company. It helped that after a hundred years or so that we basicly took over the District, made life a lot better for everyone there. I wonder how they're doing now, haven't exactly had time to think about them, what with all the training and wonders the Academy holds."

Taien said with a thoughtful look. He hadn't really thought of his friends in quite some time actually. How were they doing without him? He knew they could still maintain order and all that without him, Hazo-San was a good leader, Taien knew. Though Taien had initially been the one to glue them together, over all the years they spent with each other, they had formed bonds forged from conflict, tragedy, and battle. Truly, the bonds of war, tempered in the fires of conflict, and cooled in the water of tragedy and sadness were bonds of the ultimate calibur.

Taien gestured for Kyomei to come into the opening, and as he did so, Taien hit the switch once more, and the door slid shut with no sound, except for a "snick" at the end. It was going to be a fair distance to where they were headed, so there was plenty of time to chat before they started to train. They reached the ladder since it was fairly close, and Taien slid down it. At the bottom, waiting for Kyomei, Taien went through a few things in his head. Kyomei was undoubtedly much stronger than when he was when he and Taien last met, so perhaps they could get two elements nailed today.

Taien had a definate order of progression for this kind of thing, so he knew exactly what element to do after Water. Fire was what they were going to do next. Wind encouraged and enhanced fire, while Water could douse the flames if it got out of hand. That and Fire enhanced Water, it was odd how the elements worked sometimes, but Taien wasn't one to question it that much. It worked, and it worked well, and Taien knew enough about it to understand how to make it work. Thats all he needed to know really.

It was then that Taien decided to strike up conversation again.

"So! The Kuchiki are powerful yes? And from your statement earlier I can say for sure you don't just mean the massive political power they, and by extension at some point you, wield. So I can guess at a few things, that they have special training for various combat techniques, special techniques known only to them, and perhaps some innate power that members of the Kuchiki Household have naturally. So far so good?"

Taien waited for Kyomei to reply for a moment before continuing.

"So, that means that you've learned, perhaps even mastered, some of said techniques. Probably a mixture of the Kuchiki Fighting styles and/or some of their special skills? I'd guess at those skills being skills that not only enhance spiritual applications, but they most likely have special spells unique to the Kuchiki correct? Which makes me wonder exactly how many special skill subsets the Kuchiki clan must have. I would say that they have one for each of the Shinigami skills, Hoho, Hakuda, Kidou, Zanjutsu and such. But then, it could be the element they represent. Speed, Magic/Spirit, Hand to Hand, and perhaps. . . Sword skills. Perhaps more? Maybe different ones? I'd need more information to guess at that. This has been a very informative look into the Kuchiki Clan, thank you Kyomei-San."

Taien said with a smile as he came to tne end of his analysis. Taien was very, very good at analyzing things, and he was also very good with reasoning as well. Some people might underestimate Taien just because he was happy all the time, which worked out fine for Taien most of the time. The people who actually knew Taien however, like Kyomei, would know exactly how insightful Taien could be. And that the happiness that Taien radiated was indeed real, and not some mask that he kept up. It could be scary at times when one thought about it hard enough, but then, fridge horror popped up everywhere.

"I can imagine not everyone of the Kuchiki Household despises you though. Since you talk with them of fondness as well, I'll say that at least some of them enjoy your company. Which of your family do you enjoy spending time with?"

Taien asked once again. They were getting fairly close to their destination, the Training Arena. This was their location, in favor of their old training grounds. Why? Because it was more or less a fortified bunker where they could train in secret. Taien thought that this was where Captains trained occasionally, or perhaps where the Captain Commander did his training with the other Captains, if not this one then the one before him.

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

After making small talk about family, Taien and Kyomei made their way into the passageway that was quickly and silently opened. The door shut just as quickly and silently as it opened, and they were left mostly in the dark. The only light came from small torches along the sides of the wall, spaced very far apart. If Taien hadn't led the way and slid down the ladder first, Kyomei quite possibly would have just fallen straight down, that is just how dark it was in certain places. With Taien sliding down safely, Kyomei had no reservations in doing the same.

They found themselves in a huge tunnel network, with hallways stretching for seemingly miles in every direction. Taien seemed to know where he was going, so Kyomei just followed him around. Taien began to talk, and Kyomei was amazed at the accuracy of his guesses, though he didn't show it. Taien was spot on in most of his inferences, almost in a scary psychic manner. However, Kyomei kept his calm and just kept walking along, giving no tells either way as to the truth of the statements. That way, he couldn't be held responsible for Taien's knowledge in any way.

Kyomei simply responded with this. "You are either knowledgeable or incredibly good at making up guesses on the fly. Either way, it matters not what I know, but what you can teach me, of course. Growth is more important than power." Kyomei and Taien worked their way through the halls, Kyomei simply listening to Taien. Though Kyomei had grown significantly stronger, he still saw Taien as the more experienced and wiser one. Kyomei would learn from Taien instead of being on equal footing with him. It only seemed natural to do so in this situation. Soon enough, they found themselves in a very large room in which Taien planned for them to train.

[Taien Hadohou]

"You are either knowledgeable or incredibly good at making up guesses on the fly. Either way, it matters not what I know, but what you can teach me, of course. Growth is more important than power."

Taien was grinning as Kyomei spoke, aware that he had been right on at least a majority of the accounts, if not all. This was figured out from the way Kyomei spoke, the way he put up a mask of calm, and switching the subject. His way of phrasing his wording was apperent, he didn't want to spill the Kuchiki secrets after all, and a response as vauge as that was enough to get him off that precarious perch. Of course Kyomei was also right though. They could talk for ages about something but not actually do anything about it, and that wasn't really the point of training was it? Besides, Kyomei was here to learn Taien's technique, not the other way around.

"Right you are, right you are! Experiance is the greatest teacher of all. . . Right, here we are!"

Taien declared. There was a large set of doors in front of them, and by large I mean fourty feet tall and twenty feet wide. Why they were this tall was still lost to Taien, but he had been looking around the place and had drawn a few theories. Taien walked up to the side of the door, tapped the wall, and a panel opened up. A quick series of button presses later, and the doors groaned as they began to open. The first thing anyone would notice was that it was bright. Very bright, especially compared to the tunnels. Taien pulled his hat over his eyes as to shield them.

As the doors swung inwards and finally opened, the room beyond was revealed. It was quite large. In truth, it was a two mile wide, one mile high completely white room. Taien didn't know quite how far they were down, but they must be far, far down for a room as big as this to exist. Taien walked into the room, motioning for Kyomei to do the same after he got over the brightness, unless of course one of those special Kuchiki techniques included something like blindness guard. That seemed a bit situational though.

It was a grand place, and was kept relitively in good repair. The only blemishes to the places structure were a large, black crack in the wall, and an even larger part of the wall that, for lack of a better term, seemed to have melted off. It was a really weird sight. Aside from that, the floor was dotted with structures of white, rectangles, triangles, stuff like that. As the doors began to close, Taien turned around to Kyomei and spoke.

"Welcome to our new training grounds, the Training Arena! If I'm correct, the Captain Commander, if not the current then the previous, used it to train himself and other Captains! Its a really marvelous place that I haven't fully figured out yet, and theres all sorts of little secrets hidden away in here. What do you think?"

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

Soon enough, Taien and Kyomei found themselves in front of a massive pair of doors, awe-inspiringly massive doors. They were easily forty feet tall and half as wide. These doors were made of a rock that seemed even more sturdy than seki seki, if that was even possible. These doors just created an aura of strength and an impervious defense. It was a shining beacon of the power of the Soul Society and its eternal fight against suffering. Who knew how long these doors had stood underneath the Seireitei, becoming a symbol for the few who had been graced by its presence.

While Kyomei stood gawking over the doors, Taien went over and did something alongside the wall. There was a panel with all sorts of flashing buttons, and Taien apparently knew exactly what he was doing as he pressed a bunch of them. Whatever buttons he pushed, they seemed to be the correct ones as the doors started to creak and dust poured from them. A massive flash of light poured from the crack made by the opening doors. Taien looked greatly affected as he squinted in the sudden light, but Kyomei wasn't affected at all. If Taien could see, he would see a pure yellow reiatsu coating his eyes immediately after the light struck it, instinctively keeping himself from any sort of light damage or effect.

Kyomei helped them both into the room, as the excessive light had severely hindered Taien's ability to see for a few moments. Now that the initial burst of light was gone, the reiatsu would be clear from Kyomei's eyes, so Taien would no longer be able to see that. However, if Taien had picked up on the ability, Kyomei would say absolutely nothing about the Kuchiki secret ability that he had absolutely no control over. It had taken a few days to train his mind to instinctively throw up the reiatsu around his cornea to shield the sensitive organ, and he wasn't allowed to spread the techniques to outsiders, no matter how friendly they be, unfortunately. When they walked into the room, the view was absolutely magnificent.

The massive doors didn't do the room justice. The far side of the room was difficult to see, that's just how massive it was. Their small little entrance seemed to be the side door, for off in the distance was a set of doors that seemed to rival some of Las Noche's grand doorways. The doorway in question was gilded with gold and strangely untarnished silver, though it was clear they were many millenniums old. Sprawled across the doorways were the exploits of no fewer than sixteen of the Captain Commanders, stopping short of the current and Old Lightning by a few leaders. In minor panels were some of the great exploits of famous Captains as well. This pair of doors seemed to be a tribute to the greatest of the great, as if they were watching over this spot.

With his eyes firmly fixed upon the massive pair of doors in the distance that could still be seen as if one was right next to them, Kyomei bowed until his forehead rested upon the ground. The floor was made of rock, but it was polished with extreme care and seemingly with great reverence for the place. Standing up after giving his homage, Kyomei then looked around the rest of the room. There were white buildings dotting the area in common geometric shapes of various sizes. They appeared small, but they could have just been far away. When glancing at the massive walls, the two sole damages could be seen, a black crack extending a good ways up the wall and a large section that appeared to be turned into molten rock for meters upon meters. Who knew what immense power could have done such a thing.

By this time, Taien had recovered from the light and was facing him. "Welcome to our new training grounds, the Training Arena! If I'm correct, the Captain Commander, if not the current then the previous, used it to train himself and other Captains! Its a really marvelous place that I haven't fully figured out yet, and theres all sorts of little secrets hidden away in here. What do you think?" Kyomei chuckled. It was a truly magnificent space, seeming to be far older than Taien had estimated. Either way, it was a place of great respect and power. "I think that I would be honored to train here. What did you have in mind for a way to begin?"

Remaining Reiatsu: 7300/7350

[Taien Hadohou]

"I think that I would be honored to train here. What did you have in mind for a way to begin?"

"An interesting question! One that deserves an interesting answer. As I mentioned before, I can't access all the stuff this place can do. I think it has something to do with not being a Captain, and there are probably features only the Captain Commander can access. You noticed the two damaged spots correct? I was the one who did the crack. That was at full power with my strongest Kidou, and its not even up to the usual level of property damage I do. The melted spot I believe came from Ryuujin Jakka. This means we can train at full power without worrying whether we blow up half the Seireitei or something!"

Taien grinned.

"It makes sense if the Captain Commander trained here. Now, on to starting the lesson. Perhaps a change in scenery is in order eh?"

Taien shot a glance and a wink at Kyomei. What did Taien mean by a change in scenery exactly? They weren't going anywhere. Taien was about to demonstrait one of the functions of the room that he could access. Taien knelt to the ground and touched a particular patch of white flooring. A brief burst of Reiatsu caused the area to start to rise. It folded out and expanded into a keyboard. Taien's hand danced across it, typing in a command. Taien spoke again.

"Boot up training protocall. Activate E-Simulation G-14b. Include E-Feature LL. Add Delayed-W-Condition LR to begin in thirty minutes. Begin simulation start up countdown. Five. . . four. . . three. . . two. . . one. . . engage."

With that, everything began to change. From the farthest corner of the room, a wave of color seemed to eminate. The white floor turned into browns and greens of different hues, the ceiling began to change from white to blue. The figures all around the room changed from rectangles and other shapes into cliff faces and hills, boulders and rocks. Near the two, the ground seemed to sink in, and water began to fill it. It widened and filled more, till there was a large lake right next to them.

"So! What do you say we start eh? Its been a while since we were able to do this!"

Taien grinned widely as he sat down on the green grass. As with before, Taien motioned for Kyomei to sit as well. They were going to begin working with water now.

"Right, as said previously we're working with water today. Water is a bit different than Wind, they are both forces of change but they do it in different ways. The quality of Water is much different than Wind, but you know this already. I had a lake made as to help with the training. Hold all questions you may have till the end. Are you ready? Let us begin then.

Open the eyes of your soul, open the gate to your heart, the door to your mind. . . Let your senses extend beyond your body, your spirit beyond the physical plane. . . "

Taien once again began to speak, as he had done so before during the first training session.

"Feel the calmness of the lake, feel the wetness against your skin. What do you feel? How does the water react? Hear the roaring of the rapids, hear the sound of the rain pouring down. What is the cry of the water? What does the beat of the rain tell you? See the ripples upon the waters surface, see into the depth of the abyss of the ocean. What shapes are made? What do you see in the darkness? Taste the water as it flows through the earth, taste the tang of the water. What lays within the taste? What is flavor of the water? Smell the waters scent as it moves across the world, the salty tang of the sea, the smell of the earthy river, the still pond. What does it tell of the water? What experiances has it seen? Learn from the water, let it into your soul. Let the lessons of the water reside within you. Put it aside, place it into your soul, let your being become one with the flow of the water, as the water becomes one with the pulse of your body."

Taien finished his chanting and slowly opened his eyes, looking across at Kyomei and spoke.

"Now. . . what has the water taught you?"

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

So it was Taien who had cracked the wall, and the original Zanpakutou that had melted it. This was interesting, and very good for Kyomei who had been known to destroy some things with his power as well as Taien probably had. As Shinigami that had every ounce of their strength poured into reiatsu, they often found themselves capable of large scale destruction, though Taien would never know true destruction like Kyomei knew. Though Kyomei had never seen it, the Kuchiki library spoke of the Hana of Destruction, like Kyomei's Hana of Magic. All the books needed to list were battlefields which were now inhospitable wastelands because of the power of the Kuchiki, the most famous of which was the Sahara desert.

As Kyomei pondered over the Kuchiki Way of Destruction, suddenly something that Taien had said earlier, that Kyomei hadn't fully paid attention to, dawned on him. Taien had said that there were features that he couldn't access, however it still sounded like there were features he could access, and the existence of features to the room was also very interesting. Even as Kyomei was having this revelation, Taien was winking and saying that a change in scenery was in order. This meant that the way the room looked wasn't permanent at all. The wonders of the room hadn't yet ceased to amaze Kyomei and it was still just the beginning.

"Boot up training protocall. Activate E-Simulation G-14b. Include E-Feature LL. Add Delayed-W-Condition LR to begin in thirty minutes. Begin simulation start up countdown. Five. . . four. . . three. . . two. . . one. . . engage." Absolutely all of that passed way over Kyomei's head. Obviously Taien had either spent way too much time with this thing in the past months or he had obtained the operating manual or something. Whatever was the case, Taien knew what he was doing and whatever he was doing was going to be spectacular, Kyomei just knew it to be so.

As Taien activated the program, the floor started to shift somehow. It wasn't reiatsu that caused it, or Kyomei would've seen the shifting auras, but rather it was some sort of advanced technology, probably from Squad 12. The white smooth floor was suddenly not white, not smooth, and not even stone any more. There was soft grass and squishy dirt that seemed to be sloping alongside the white shapes from before. There were now hills and rocks, and the ground beneath them started to fill with water and become a lake right next to them. Truly this room was the result of a Shinigami's lifespan of work.

With the room changed to be more comfortable, as well as more conducive to the training in Water that Taien had planned, the exercise was ready to begin. Taien sat down with his superior charismatic smile, as was usual for him. As always, Taien just made the room feel comfortable with his attitude, in a very professorial style of action. Taien was like that teacher in high school that every one wanted to have, the teacher that made whatever subject they taught seem fun, even if it was Calculus. Feeling at home, Kyomei sat down too, ready to learn.

First things first, Kyomei had to be in the proper mindset to learn about Water. It was similar to Wind in that it embodied change, but it was so very different from it as well. After Taien reminded Kyomei that Water also embodied change, but in a different way, and before he was able to continue on his speech, Kyomei stood up. Without a word, he simply stood up and stepped over to the lake. If he was to get in the proper mindset to master water, then he needed to be set inside it, just as he was in the wind as well. Kyomei sat down cross legged in the water, the water barely coming up to the top of his thighs as he did so.

Then, Taien began his chant and Kyomei began his response as it came to him. "Open the eyes of your soul, open the gate to your heart, the door to your mind... Let your senses extend beyond your body, your spirit beyond the physical plane..." Kyomei took a deep breath and settled himself into the cool water. He entered his almost unconscious state, where he could hear Taien, but he would not even be able to see even if his eyes were open. He had effectively pushed his senses inside himself in order to commune with them as if they were friends. It was a perfect state of serenity.

"Feel the calmness of the lake, feel the wetness against your skin. What do you feel? How does the water react?" Kyomei settled into his mind while letting his sense of touch talk to him. The water caressed him as it swirled gently around the area he sat in. If he moved even the slightest, it would move with him, let him move where he wished. The water was cool and it was soothing. From those feelings Kyomei spoke in answer. "I feel the gentle kiss of the water as it moves around me. It moves where it wishes, and lets me move where I wish as it redirects its own desires. The water does not judge, does not object, does not rebel. The gentle caress is calm and soothing."

In his mind, he could feel the water and its fluid movements, shimmering in an unfocused jumble. The next few senses would serve to focus and define it. Hear the roaring of the rapids, hear the sound of the rain pouring down. What is the cry of the water? What does the beat of the rain tell you?" The sense of sound would actually be one of the more difficult ones this time, seeing as the lake was actually pretty calm at this moment. Still, Kyomei could summon up a voice from the lake, even if it was currently meager. He thought about all the times that he had just stood in the rain, feeling it dance across his skin. He thought of all the times he heard the rush of the waves and the rapids and drew a voice out of those times.

The voice was very feminine, as water stereotypically was represented as. This was because the tides were caused by the moon, thus the moon and the seas shared an inner connection, and as everyone knows, the Spirit of the Moon, Luna, is female. The water spoke to Kyomei in the soft, feminine voice. It called out for the change of the tides, a change that is routine and reliable. It called not for the finicky change of the Wind, but for a change that would happen time and time again without fail. Just as the Tides were ordered and on time, so too was water in its very nature.

Then the rain spoke, and it told of the cycle of precipitation, again a change in stable form. The water left its home on the ground to join with its brethren in the sky. There they mingled before jumping towards earth to once again provide refreshment to the ground beneath. From the Voice of the Waves and the Rain, Kyomei spoke. "It tells me of an everlasting change. The water cries for order, for a high tide and a low tide with reliability. The rains whisper to me through their drops, reminding me of the never ending cycle of water. They whisper of change, but of structured change."

Now the amorphous blob started to have shape. It pulsated, coming out and shrinking in at will with an exact rhythm. It pulsated forth for a set time, then shrunk for a set time, for water was ordered. "See the ripples upon the waters surface, see into the depth of the abyss of the ocean. What shapes are made? What do you see in the darkness?" Only then did Kyomei open his eyes and let his sight take over, for he needed to see in order to best capture the current sense. Bending backwards at a near impossible angle, Kyomei literally stared into the depths of the water in order to better capture this sense.

With the water so clear, Kyomei could see far into the lake. He was bent in such an odd manner that he kept his eyes staring into the lake but also kept his mouth and nose just above the surface of the water in order to breathe. He could stare as long as he needed to, as well as relay his revelations to Taien through this position without having to leave it. For a few moments, he saw nothing in the depths of the water. Soon, though, something started to stir inside himself. The ripples that he created were incredibly visible in the crystal clear water, and the pure, shimmering rings was all he saw. The ripples inspired him as to the nature of the water. This was the easy part, but getting a vision from the darkness was far more difficult.

Kyomei continued to stare, letting his eyes slowly flow back and forth alongside the ripples in the corner of his peripheral vision. The dancing of the light was just so distracting from the darkness, so Kyomei leaned back farther, covering his nose in the water. Breathing would have to just be from the mouth now. Now Kyomei had to consciously choose to see the ripples, which made focusing on the darkness all the more easier. Among the darkness, Kyomei finally had a vision as to hte nature of the water.

He saw a patient, vengeful spirit simply waiting for the time to destroy what it wills. Water is patient. Water just waits. It wears down the cliff tops, the mountains, the whole of the world. Water always wins. Out of the vision of the water's light and the water's darkness, Kyomei spoke. "Water maintains order in its ripples. They are perfect rings inside the chaos that creates them. In the darkness, there is vengeance. The depths of the waters hold the most patient of destroyers, capable of waiting eternities to bring anything to its knees. Water watches and sees everything, and will see entire worlds rise up and fall."

Now, inside Kyomei's mind, there was a very defined shape. An orb was too stifling for Water, it preferred a ring. This ring still pulsed in the same timely manner, fluctuating its calm serenity while hiding an inner spirit of patient vengeance. "Taste the water as it flows through the earth, taste the tang of the water. What lays within the taste? What is flavor of the water?" Upon receiving the instruction to begin the fourth sense, the taste, Kyomei bent over the last amount to let water rush into his mouth before sitting up to breathe from his nose and savour the flavour for his learning purposes.

Despite its crystal clear appearance, the water was not so blemish free in taste. Inside it there were floating bits of plant material dependent on the water for food and life. Little bits of algae, tiny fish eggs, all sorts of living things hiding just beneath the surface. As for the taste, it was slightly sweet but slightly bitter at the same time, but mostly neutral. Pure water was tasteless, being separate and transcendent to the other things of the world, for no one can dislike the taste of pure water. With the lake water spilling out of his mouth, Kyomei spoke. "Within the taste of the water is life itself, being sustained by the water it inhabits. The flavour of the water is based on what it lets inside itself, for it in itself is above requiring a taste."

Now the inner mind of Kyomei was gathering the familiar power that elemental reiatsu created. It was a different power than that of Wind, and it wasn't complete yet, but it was nearing it. The pulsating ring now was filled with life energy, gaining power from what was inside it and using that to further its structured change. "Smell the waters scent as it moves across the world, the salty tang of the sea, the smell of the earthy river, the still pond. What does it tell of the water? What experiences has it seen?" From where he was sitting, Kyomei was easily able to smell the water that was covering him, as soon as he let the smells inside his mind.

The water smelled like it tasted, it smelled of nothing but what was inside it such as the soft mud and the plant life. However, from this apparent nothing Kyomei learned something different. Water was humbly subservient to other things, letting their smells come out without distorting them or exerting its own smell to try and overpower the others. Out of this revelation, Kyomei spoke. "From the lack of smell of the water itself, it tells of water's humility. It lowers itself and does not force its own agenda through force, but through waiting. As a result, the water has seen any and all things, for it is present everywhere, even inside us." The elemental reiatsu was now pressing at Kyomei's mind, wanting to be out. It would wait, it would not force itself out, but it wanted to be free as it was in nature.

Taien's last words were drowned out by the call of the Water. Kyomei stood up dramatically, the water of the lake dripping off of his body. With every step he took his eyes shone brighter with a deep sapphire hue. Every step was a new word coming from his mouth in an advancing and retreating rhythm. "I. Have. Learned. Of. Ebb. And. Flow!" The reiatsu of Water was not in an orb like the Wind reiatsu was, for that was too restricting of a form for the free Water. It suddenly burst out of Kyomei like a river before spinning itself into the same pulsating ring teeming with life energy that Kyomei had held in his mind. The step forward with the right leg caused it to pulsate out, and as that leg dragged back and the left leg went forward, it shrunk back. Learning his lesson from before, Kyomei quickly released it to be free in order to not drain himself too much. Finally after the exercise was finished, Kyomei smiled.