Training gone Wild - NDE [AI (mainly) + Takashi]

[Takashi Kuchiki]

Rating: R
Type: NDE Training (primarily solo)
Request: SP Training for Ai (majority); Some CTP for Takashi
OC Note: Since canons not over I'm still playing as 11th division VC mentor for Ai
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The snow haired shinigami stood with one hand in his pocket. Today, he was dressed rather elegantly. He wore an ironed black suit and crisp black pants. His black shoes were with a bit of a heel, they were shined to perfection. Inside, he wore a red tie with a white dress shirt. He stood casually as there was an elegant black plastic looking tie around his pony tail. There were also three black clips that held the left side of his hair back; indicative of nobility. His right bang hung slightly down, dangling as it was straightened. He seemed rather clean today but that didn't really explain why he was here. Alas, Takashi stood at the foot of the wilderness. Here, at the edge of Rugonkai (hell even past it) stood a forest. It was gargantuan in size and rather dangerous.

This forest was notorious for hollow and a hiding ground for other factions. This spirit forest was filled with dangers and it was advised that no one be here after dark. There generally wasn't a need to come here unless you were collecting samples; of which Takashi needed. In addition, surviving here generally toughened people up. The shinigami would build various tents around this area to where he would camp out. He had fought many opponents here and trained the ability of Sakugen. It was all a long time ago however, perhaps when he was an academy student. It was perfect training though, for yet another student.

Takashi stood with a book in his right hand. His eyes scanned the page. There seemed to be some what of a pictured bookmark there as well; appearing to be of some flower. The shinigami would occasionally look towards the picture and then back at the text. In the back of his mind, he was also wondering why his student was so late. He had told her to pack specific gear only; survival gear as he called it. He had asked her to meet him here, a few hour journey by her speed he guessed. Whatever was stalling her, he had hoped she would get here soon; Takashi couldn't be late for his dinner with his parents.

[Ai Amagiri]

"Hey, Ai, still alive? Man, aren't you a survivor. But I want to test that one more time. Hey, this time, why don't we dump your body in the wilderness? Sounds like a plan. Pack for your funeral," Ai spoke in a deep voice, trying to make it sound like a man's so that she could mock her vice captain. She knelt at the end of her bed, digging through her footlocker. Only a few others were in the sleeping hall, and none of them were near her. She was talking to herself. "Don't worry, Ai. It'll be just like a camping trip. A camping trip from hell," She muttered to herself, finding a pair of socks and throwing them into a bag on the floor beside her.

After packing the socks, she leaned away from her footlocker and shut it, then stood. She reached behind her neck and grabbed her hair, parting it in the middle and then throwing all of her hair over the front of her shoulders before she grabbed her hood and brought it up to cover her head. Takashi had shown up earlier giving her a weird order to pack a certain few things and meet him somewhere. She'd just gotten off duty, and after he had disappeared, she'd taken the time to change as she packed. Now dressed in a jacket with an overly large hood, shorts, and -after briefly deciding heels wouldn't be the best thing for the wilderness- the only flat pair of sandals she owned, she picked up her bag and exited the sleeping quarters. She could only hope now that the wilderness didn't get cold after dark, because she hadn't packed any pants.

What had Takashi told her to bring again? Ai had been pissed at his arrival, and had only half listened to his instructions. Really, the only thing in her bag was an extra shirt, socks, and five bars of chocolate she kept stashed in her footlocker. "What the hell is survival gear?" She wondered aloud. Then, after a few seconds of thinking, she decided that a canteen would probably count, and went to go find one. An hour later, she'd meandered all about her squad's barracks picking up knick-knacks she'd arbitrarily decided was 'survival gear'. Unfortunately, she was growing tired of walking around and wasting time. Plus, she wondered how patient the vice captain actually was. She didn't want to make him wait too long and end up screwing herself over.

Ai exited the barracks, stepping outside. Immediately, she masked her eyes with sunglasses, even though the day was growing into evening. And then she was off, exiting seireitei and then proceeding all the way through Rukongai, to the edges of the district where she would meet Takashi. She saw him from afar, his white hair contrasting his surroundings. And to top it off, he was dressed formally, making him stand out even more. Just the sight of him made her mood grow surly. But the sooner she met him and did whatever weird task he'd set up for her this time, the sooner it would be over, and so her steps didn't slow. "A suit is an awfully weird outfit for a nature hike," She said dryly as she stopped beside him. She eyed the large forest spread out in front of her, glaring at it behind her sunglasses. Ai wasn't an outdoorsy girl, even in her human life. She liked small spaces, four walls and a low ceiling that wrapped around her and made her feel safe. Dark forests didn't fit that picture.

[Takashi Kuchiki]

Takashi's eyes trailed to the left, his head turning as he heard the woman's voice. HE blinked once as he looked towards her. There was a silence as he noted her uniform, she looked like she was on her way to a nature walk. The sunglasses were a great surprise no doubt. Of course she would have gone ahead and acted as childishly as ever; this was to be expected. In any case, he would greet her formally. "Ai-chan, it is good to see you around this time. You are looking...prepared". He said hesitantly. The word didn't exactly categorize what he thought about her. However, she would need at least a bit of confidence if she wanted to pull this off. He turned towards her, elegant as ever in his movements.

"It would indeed be unusual. However, I am not going to embark on a hike. Rather, you will be". He waited for her to have her moment, she always threw fits at this point. "Anyway". He would speak right after she finished or wahtever she did. "I have an important assignment for you to complete. Please have a look at this". The shinigami took his hand out of his pocket. He reached into the book and pulled out the picture, handing it to Ai. "It is known as the Spirit Lotus. Hollow congregate near it and seem to possess a rather insatiable appetite for it.". Ai would notice the picture was of a glowing beautiful blue-ish white lotus with sparkling around it. He looked out towards the forest for a minute as his book smacked shut; the pages readily meeting.

A moment later, he would turn back to her. "This forest is infested with hollow. In addition, there are occasionally bandits present; mercenaries perhaps as well. I wish for you to find me at least one of these Lotuses. You see, they are extremely rare. In addition, they are grown near hollow hives. These are what we term hollow infested areas within this wilderness.". He lowered the book down to his right side; sliding his hand into his pocket. "I do not know where they grow. However, it is a three day walk to my camp site which is located many miles east from this exact spot. It should take no more than six hours to get there. There, you will be able to rest and find nourishment. The passcode is 5678; i've written it on the back of that picture so you will not forget". He began walking forward past her. "The forest is quite dangerous and it will take you quite a bit of time to find this Lotus. I suggest you get to it quickly Ai-chan.". He kept walking past her. "If you'll excuse me. I have dinner with my parents". If she turned around she would see him disappear from view. Now, out here alone, Ai would have to find this mysterious item.

It was quiet. There wasn't many noises nor anything to be heard. However, it was only a second later that he would reappear. Standing next to Ai, Takashi's hand quickly shot out. Shooting forward, it placed a single black band around her wrist. "I had almost forgotten. You do recall the spirit bands do you not?". He waited for her reaction to everything. "In any case, these will not effect you like last time. They serve to not allow you to shunpo and conserve your reiatsu. You will rely on your wits and your physical prowess here. It will allow you to convert your reiatsu to stamina however. You will feel you are able to deal with more attacks. The bar now will be indicative of your reiatsu, or now, stamina...be careful". He said after his explanation. He gave her a short bow before vanishing once again. Now..she was REALLY alone.