To Collect an Empty Soul [NDE, Joshua/Yoshi]

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

Yoshitsune and Joshua both asked very good questions. Ones that the Zanpakutou Spirit of Mister Doctor Doctor Doctor Arthur Caldwell, PhD MD ZD was happy to answer. She smiled at Yoshi first and explained how and why the Zanpakutou spirits purified and recycled souls. "Very good questions, Okura-chan." With her age and level of power, it was easy for her to read souls and extract a name from his mind. "Zanpakutou Spirits purify souls because that is our purpose given to us by the Soul King. It is as innate to us as breathing. We are born from your souls as you bond with your Asauchi, but we are also born in part from the forging of the actual blade itself which is a secret you will learn in time." She winked, knowingly, as if there was some part of the next few days that would be revealed to them shortly.

"And as for why... usually, it's to make our partner's pleased with us. At least, that has always been my motivation. I look up to Art like I would a father, a husband, and a best friend. It is a complicated relationship that can only be forged from many years of working together." She then turned to Joshua as he finished his question. Her small smile grew larger, and a little bit mischievous, as if she was going to tell some great secret. "Mon chéri Froid, what a perfect time to tell you a story..." Mister Doctor Doctor Doctor Arthur Caldwell PhD MD ZD groaned a little as he placed his head into his hands and blushed. It was definitely weird, seeing an old man embarrassed in such a manner.

"Your Asauchi that you obtain in two days will naturally change its shape to better fit your soul as you grow as a Shinigami. It doesn't take long for this to happen. Maybe a few weeks at most. When this happens, we Zanpakutou Spirits are born. We are born directly from your soul, as if you were the father and the essence of the Asauchi was the mother. That is what gives us individuality yet harmony with your soul. We also innately know our Common names and our True Names. My Common name, that of the Shikai release, is Kaika Kasai, the Flowering Rose of Fire."

Kaika Kasai held out her hand, and a blooming rose grew in the palm. It glowed red hot and burst into flames, reducing itself to ash in mere moments which dissipated into the thin air. "It took Art many years to discover my Common name. Before he was a scholar, before his many titles, when he was just Mister Arthur Caldwell, he tried to discover my Common name through trickery and deceit. But in the end, I would only give up my name to a romantic. He had to woo me. And in the end, he finally discovered my name and took his place in the ranks of the Seated Officers of the Gotei 13. But, even he doesn't know my True Name. That of my Bankai release. And at this point in time, I believe that he is too old to accomplish that. She winked back at Mister Doctor Doctor Doctor Arthur Caldwell PhD MD ZD to show that she really did care for him, even if she was embarrassing him.

"Yes, very well now. Are there any more questions?"

[Okura Yoshitsune]

Yoshitsune would listen to the nice zanpakuto spirit answer his question fully and in detail. It was an extravagant experience to say the least, especially since he had never even met his own zanpakuto spirit before, as far as he could recall. She explained to him that the Zanpakuto functioned only because the Soul King willed it to, he gave them that purpose and ability. This answer caused Yoshi to think to himself, about just how powerful the Soul King would have to be in order to grant metal a purpose so distinct and powerful as to purify the corruption from souls and pass them on to his domain.

If he could give that kind of power to a forge or a type of metal, or however it was done, what kind of power could he give a person, or a shinigami? Or a whole race of people? Were Kido gifts of the Soul King as well? This raised all sorts of questions as his question was answered. She even answered as to why she did it, personally. Apparently her goal was to make Mister Doctor Doctor Doctor Arthur Caldwell PhD MD ZD pleased with her, always seeing him as basically every male familial figure imaginable asides brother.

He would think about it, if that was what the old man got, then what kind of spirit would his be? The prospect of it was more intriguing than anything else at this point. She moved on to answer Joshua's question with a story. It was a long winded albeit on-the-whole pretty short tale, which entailed how Asauchi formed Zanpakuto Spirits, how long it took typically. She then explained their typical starting knowledge, that being their names, and exactly how to challenge their shinigami the right way, perhaps because they had such synchronization with the individual they were formed from. In the story, she expressed that 'Art' as she called him, tried to get her name through trickery and deceit, and that she only let him know her common name once he set aside the shenanigans and tried to woo her. She was a pretty attractive zanpakuto spirit, so he could see why he'd eventually resort to that if nothing else.

Nevertheless, the whole situation finally caught up to him again, and he had only one more question to ask. It was one which grinding in the back of his mind, something he couldn't help but wonder. "This is more of a personal question... I'm looking for a correlation between spirit appearance and shikai appearance. Is your Zanpakuto safe to release in a classroom such as this? If so would you be willing to show me... er... Us?" He had the look in his eye of a genuinely interested scientist. It was a rare chance to see a spirit and the weapon side by side or one after the other, thusly he had to take the opportunity to gather this information if possible. With a glimmer in his eye, he awaited confirmation or rejection.

[joshua]

Joshua listened intently for her answer to his question. She went into a winding story about her and her partner. It was funny really, she talked about how he tried to use tricks and he deceived her to try and get her common name. Though the only thing that worked was when he tried to woo her. She must have been a romantic then, he understood that. He wanted to find someone too. 

She did look beautiful as well. He did not understand why the Professor didn't try to woo her earlier. He wouldn't resort to trickery or deception. That seems like disrespecting their zanpakutou spirits, and cheating on themselves. He hoped that his spirit was as honorable as he was. Perhaps they could get along as friends and partners as well. He was hoping that the story would be longer but it was short and sweet.

She also mentioned that Professor Doctor Doctor Doctor Arthur Caldwell PhD MD ZD, only knew her common name and not her true name. Although he was too old to try for it now. This surprised him honestly, so many people are multiple centuries older than him and they still look his age, he was probably one of the youngest people there. How old is this professor exactly? Joshua just thought about it for a while.

The zanpakutou spirit's name was the Flowering Rose of Fire. She looked like her name, the fiery red hair, the beauty of a rose. It seemed to fit. He wondered if his spirit's name would match their physical appearance. The room felt hotter as she showed a rose in her hand, burning brightly. It looked beautiful and mesmerizing before it burnt into ashes and dissipated into the air. 

Joshua smiled, satisfied with the answer given. The professor asked if anyone had anymore questions. Joshua sat back down comfortably in his seat, he had nothing more to ask. Yoshi, on the other hand, had one more question. He wondered if the shikai appearance matched the spirit. He also asked if she could show us. Joshua was interested to know as well and he leaned forward to see it himself. 

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

"Bloom into Beautiful Ashes, Kaika Kasai."

Without hesitation, Mister Doctor Doctor Doctor Arthur Caldwell PhD MD ZD released his Shikai to show the class. Simultaneously, his weapon transformed while the Spiritual Projection of his Zanpakutou Spirit also changed. The long cane sword in his left hand grew a long thin green vine that wrapped around his arm all the way up to the shoulder, where it left a ruby red rose on his lapel. Meanwhile, Kaika Kasai's arm similarly gained a vine wrapping around it up the the shoulder, but her rose was on her wrist like a corsage. The real transformation of the weapon, though, was found in the blade itself.

The crook of the cane transformed into a beautiful basket hilt wrapped around his hand with the grip firmly in his hand. The basket of the saber had the appearance of emerald thorny vines stretching from the pommel to the cross guard. The crossguard was spectacularly changed. Ten petals emerged from the hilt, all made of metal and sharpened to a nasty edge along the entirety of the leaflet. The length of the sword turned a rosy hue of pink and lengthened itself by an extra few inches. From the corsage on his lapel to the rose-hued weapon in his hand, the entirety of the Shikai release was filled with elegance. It was an apt release for such a refined gentleman.

Mister Doctor Doctor Doctor Arthur Caldwell PhD MD ZD simply stood up and walked to the front of the podium again where he could be seen by all. "In my old age, I can only maintain Shikai for so long before I must let go of it and her. It also drains me to Spiritually Project Kaika Kasai in this manner so she can converse with you. So please, watch carefully as I can only demonstrate her flowers once." The man waved his Shikai like a conductor would wave a baton to conduct an orchestral performance. A flower began to bloom on the chair that he had been sitting in. It was just the bulb of the rose, but it grew to be as big as a basketball before the wooden chair caught on fire from the heat of the petals and turned to ashes within moments.

"While it may not be as impressive a fire Zanpakutou as Ryujin Jakka, it's mine and it is precious to me. Now, that's as much of a lecture that I can muster today. Please enjoy the rest of your day off." And with that, the class was released to their dorms. The next day would be their last of training before they would be set into the Wilderness to find the Spirit Forge.

[Okura Yoshitsune]

The display was magnificent to say the least. While he certainly was caught off guard by what seemed like sheer eagerness to do this for the class, or perhaps he had little time to work with before he'd be too low on Reiatsu to complete the task. Mister Doctor Doctor Doctor Arthur Caldwell PhD MD ZD didn't even answer his question before releasing his zanpakuto into its shikai state. Regardless of how long it took him to get around to performing, or rather, how long it didn't take, Art's zanpakuto was a beaut. Everything about it, from the rose lapel to the vines down his arm, to the basket-hilted rapier he now gripped, was the utmost of elegance.

Yoshitune was awestruck watching the effects of Shikai both on the teacher and his spirit. "Wow," he would say, unable to process it fast enough to think of something clever. He would pull up a pencil and start to take notes on the particular example, but then the professor spoke up about something else. There was more, and he could only do it once. The young shinigami-to-be would look up very quickly to catch a glimpse of the event. Like a conductor waving his baton, for the orchestra, Mr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Arthur Caldwell PhD. MD. ZD. seemed to weave the fabric of reality for a moment as a flower magically started to bloom upon his chair.

Then suddenly, and spontaneously it would burst into flames, the flower burning away in the heat, and leaving a quite charred seat. All that Yoshi could think about after witnessing the climax of the ability was a simple, "D-does he burn a new chair for that every time he does it?" The chair in question wasn't burnt before he used the shikai. Did he release for every class? Was this class special because he asked to see the extent of a shinigami release

The teacher would then speak up about how his fire zanpakuto was certainly no Ryujin Jakka, but it was precious to him nonetheless. The shinigami-in-training would nod in understanding. "Something so close to your heart as a being born from it, an instrument crafted from your soul. It's like holding your heart in your hand, no like holding a precious child... Something more? Hmm..." he would comment, trying to gather the sensation he would be looking forward to via empathy. Nevertheless, the class ended, and Yoshitsune was left trying to get back to his dorm room to rest himself up.

After packing his notes into his knapsack full of what few books he kept around for reasons, he would stand up, and grab hold of his sparring bokken once again, using it as a walking stick in order to get himself out of the classroom and towards his dorm room. Once he made it there, he intended to actually lay on his bed instead of flopping onto the floor like some kind of exhausted trout, and fall into the sweet, satisfying embrace of a long day off. Probably slumber, that would do nicely.

[joshua]

Without hesitation, Professor Doctor Doctor Doctor Arthur Caldwell PhD MD ZD, said a phrase which unlocked his shikai. Suddenly the cane blade that he held in his hadn shifted and turned into an elegant weapon which fit the gentleman nature of the Professor. An emerald green vine crawled up his arm and left a ruby red rose emblazoned on his shoulder, and the same had appeared on his zanpakutou spirit. 

Joshua could feel the intense power of the release and he was smiling brightly. He had never seen something so amazing before. It showed a true bond between spirit and Shinigami, one built on years of trust. He wondered if he would trust his spirit as much as they do, maybe even to reach his bankai. He thought longingly, wishing for his own zanpakutou already. 'Just two more days' he thought to himself. How quickly time flies, two more days before they forge thieir Asauchi.

He refocused on the lesson at hand and noticed something interesting. The Professor had stood up and raised his shikai high up, like the baton of a maestro about to perform a masterpiece. He waved it around and somehow, a flower bloomed on his seat and it grew and blossomed before bursting into flames, turning it and the chair into ashes. It was a beautiful scene, worthy of being called art more than an attack.

The Professor made a self depreciating statement, stating that it wasn't Ryujin Jakka. Joshua chuckled, he didn't need it to be like Ryujin Jakka. Kaika Kasai was amazing on its own and it shouldn't be compared to Ryujin Jakka. Yoshi suddenly made a remark about how precious a zanpakutou spirit was, and it was beautiful. Joshua smiled as his partner said it, he never realized that before. Zanpakutou spirits were much more precious than what he thought, the were actual parts of the soul. Joshua nodded in complete agreement and respect for his partner.

And that was it. Class was dismissed. Joshua shrugged, he didn't expect class to end so early. However, perhaps the teacher was tired and that would make sense. He probably wasn't used to using that much energy in such a short time, especially at this age. Anyway, Joshua grabbed his bag and kept his notes. He looked over to his partner and smiled a confident grin. He raised his hand for one more bro fist before leaving. Once he arrived home, he immediately took a shower before heading to bed. It was nice to have a long nap after a day of studying.

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

The Beginning of the Third Day

It was an uneventful night. The next day would be their last day of training before they'd be set into the Wilderness to find the Spirit Forge. Maybe they had dreams of their encounter with Mister Doctor Doctor Doctor Arthur Caldwell PhD MD ZD and his spirit Kaika Kasai. Maybe they actually got some good rest and awoke refreshed from their physical and spiritual training before. Regardless, they'd awake and make their way to room 1A where they were to learn "basic forging techniques." They'd come into the room which held fourteen desks lined into rows. Just enough for all of them plus a few extras. What were desks going to help if they were to learn basic forging techniques? Wouldn't you need, well, a forge?

The instructor today seemed to be running late, since there was no one in the room when Joshua and Yoshitsune arrived. For twenty minutes there was still nobody there to teach the class...

[Okura Yoshitsune]

Yoshitsune had managed to pass out rather quickly when he went to sleep, though there wasn't exactly much to say about how he slept altogether. In fact, the night seemed to skip him right on by as he slept straight from when he got back, to morning the next day. He would sit up in bed as he awoke to the sound of his alarm clock going off. "Holy crap... That can't be healthy..." he would say, realizing that he'd just slept for almost 20 hours. However, regardless of the case, he was actually quite rested, his body's soreness was almost entirely gone! Not that he felt any stronger or faster, and especially not spiritually capable. But he felt a lot better nonetheless.

Today, he woke up on time to actually get a shower, and get ready for class. So he took his sweet time, getting himself cleaned and dressed to learn. Unsurprisingly, his body wasn't in a particularly toned or fit state, since he really didn't have the appropriate muscle for it, he was just... warmed up for the intense exercise of the final exam. But today he'd be getting warmed up again in a different way... This was a day to learn how to forge.

It happened to dawn upon him that the prospect of 'forging a zanpakuto' would require some amount of physical strength, a trait which he was greatly lacking. He also didn't have much in the way of actual forging skill, no semblance of how to work a forge, beat out impurities, fold steel, when it was proper to dunk it, in water or oil. There was actually a lot of stuff that needed to be gone over in a single day if they were going to teach him how to forge a legitimate blade with legitimate forging methods.

Some part of him hoped that there was some sort of spiritual trick he could try to master instead of needing to become a decent blacksmith outright. After all, it certainly seemed like a skill that is utterly wasted on someone like him. A zanpakuto forged by his hands would certainly be flimsy and weak if it was a legitimate blade made from steel forging methods a thousand years old. Then again, there were so many shinigami in the Gotei 13, they couldn't possibly all be proficient blacksmiths. The statistics were improbable.

Nevertheless, he found himself through all these thoughts to have wound up in classroom 1-A, almost unconsciously walking there. He sat at a desk he was familiar with, a window seat. Soon Joshua would arrive as well, this time, surprisingly, not before Yoshi. "Oh hey, how's it going?" he would ask in typical small talk fashion, "Ready to learn how to shape metal into something in tune with your soul?" Of course he was joking somewhat with his exaggeration of the task, though at the same time, that was legitimately what they were here to learn. Still, the teacher was not here yet...

Some 20 minutes had passed since the bell went off for the class to begin and Yoshitsune stirred in his seat, "You think the teacher's trying to bring an entire forge here? Come to think if it, you'd think that even practicing the forging process would be pretty loud, but I don't remember clanging metal at all... Is class somewhere else? Hmm..." The delay on the teacher's arrival filled his head with weird conspiracy theories.