Chapter Five: Training. 

Abaron's POV~

Zangetsu had sent me back to my consciousness, but I wasn’t alone. Something else was here with me. No, it wasn’t a person. Just a few words that made me think of the future. We had only just met, but it just seems like he expects so much out of me. It’s Bōkyaku’s fault; I blame her for having such a big mouth. He told me that before we would meet again, everything would be different.

What did that even mean? Did he think I’d read between the lines and actually understand what he meant? As if. I’m not that swift. It even takes me a while to write letters in kanji perfectly. I only know two people who can do it with ease, and that was Byakuya Kuchiki and Sosuke Aizen. Of course, I wanted to get better at everything, but there was no way in Hell that I’d ask Sosuke for help. Believe me; I plan to stay as far away as I can from him, Gin and Kaname.

From my blanketed spot on the floor, I looked out the window that was beside me. The sky was bright and clear, as it always was. It would make the following morning especially nice. There was a light knock at the other end of the room.

“Come in,” I replied to it. A small girl with black hair and dark skin stepped inside, wearing a wide smile that grew even bigger when she saw me.

“Hello, Miss Kakaku,” she said, bowing slightly. “Captain Tōsen asked me to come and wake you.”

“Wake me?” I wondered aloud. I got off of the floor and ran out into the hall past her. I looked onto the wall down from me and gasped when I saw what time it was.

“Eleven-thirty?!” I ran back inside, accidentally bumping into the girl as I made my way to the dresser by the window. "Sorry!"

“The captain noticed that you hadn’t woken up yet,” she explained as I pulled a white robe and my shihakushō over top of my pajamas. “… and wanted to make sure that you wouldn’t be late for your meeting with Head Captain Yamamoto.”

“Uh—right; thank you,” I replied quickly. She gave me a curt nod before turning on her foot and leaving the room. I came out of the room again and ran the other way toward the exit.

***

“Can’t be late; can’t be late; can’t be late…” I found myself muttering as I ran up the stairs toward Squad 1. It was taxing; I don’t think I’ve ever done this much exercise in my life. I clutched at the stitch in my chest once I finally reached the top step. I bent over and coughed drily, waiting impatiently for my strength to return to me. I looked up at the clock on the outside of the White Tower. I had four minutes. Ignoring my sore chest, I broke into a running flash step, appearing at the front of the building just moments later. The doors automatically swung open and I ran inside, disregarding the rude comments from the guards who lined the wall. I came to a halt just outside the meeting room from yesterday. I was about to collapse from exhaustion when the door swung open. I peered inside, without being able to see anything through the thick darkness ahead.

“Head Captain Yamamoto?” I called inside, curious of if there was actually anyone in there. “Are you there?”

“Enter, Abaron Kakaku,” came his voice from somewhere in the dark. I stepped over the threshold, weary of what could be lying inside.

“Head Captain, where are you?” I put my hands out in front of me, waving them around as I was still unanswered. The door slammed shut on my heels.  And that’s when the lights flickered on. “Whoa.”

Surrounded by all of the Gotei 13 captains—and several members of the Kidō Corp (a special group of militia who specialize in the art of Kidō), was a black crate about five or six feet long and two or three feet wide. It was sitting up on a stone podium and blocked away from my physical reach by a thick barrier of kidō. I looked around at all of their faces, most of which were transfixed on mine. The rest were either on the box or the Head Captain who was standing beside it. A realization came to me.

“Is that…?” But I didn’t even have to ask. Because I already knew what was in that box. “… Is that Bōkyaku?”

“Indeed it is,” he answered. “Men, bring down the barrier.” The men of the Kidō Corp stepped forward and place their hands in front of the barrier. A bright blue light appeared in the center of their palms. They aimed it straight in the direction of the barrier. The two colors- blue and orange- began to mix together, until the orange light completely disintegrated into the air, leaving just a faint glow of the blue light behind. “This seal was created for a specific purpose…” I tore my eyes away from the case to look at the Head Captain. “It was created to keep objects, as powerful as may be, away from those who they do not belong to.”

“So, it’s like a safe for valuables?”

“Precisely,” So he’s saying that my zanpakutō is powerful? What a great compliment. “Now come here; it’s time.” As I moved closer, the other captains backed away from the case—or were they backing away from me? It didn’t matter. All I cared about was having Bōkyaku back in my possession and feel her energy pass through me once again. I want to hear her voice ring clear in my head. I want to have the consciousness of me knowing that I wasn’t alone anymore. I want her back with me.

I approached the Head Captain, sliding my hand over the black casing of the box. It felt like something shocked me, as my fingers first touched it. I drew my hand back and held it in my left.

“What is it?” the Head Captain asked.
“I-I’m not sure, but I think I got electrocuted.”
“Quite peculiar…” He waved a Corp member over to examine the box. Using an odd form of kidō, he moved his hand over it, his eyes widening. “What is it?”

“Sir: it seems that, upon Miss Kakaku’s contact with the box, the form of Bōkyaku… has changed.”
“Is that possible?” The Head Captain didn’t answer my question.

“Open it.” Placing my fingers on the latches which kept it shut, I pressed them. As the lid rose, a black mist poured out from it. Unable to stay patient, I pulled it all the way off and looked inside. What I saw… it wasn’t Bōkyaku at all. It didn’t have her moon-shaped guard, or her red and gold striped hilt; it didn’t have her slender, crimson blade, where my hand would glide over it to activate my Shikai. No, it wasn’t Bōkyaku at all. But to me, it was twice as beautiful.

There was no guard at all. The hilt was wrapped in a long white ribbon, covering it from the beginning of the blade, which was completely black aside from the curved-outer edge. It was the same size of the box itself. And it was absolutely amazing. It may not have been the Bōkyaku that I was accustomed to… Zangetsu did tell me that things would change… could this be Ichigo’s zanpakutō, as well?

“Take it,” the Head Captain said, staring down at Bōkyaku. I reached it and wrapped my fingers around the hilt. The feeling was instantaneous. There was a spark as my skin took hold. It was as if an electrical current was running through my body, making my hair stick up on end. But I knew this feeling well. It was the feeling of a reunition between two close friends. I backed away from the box and swung it at my side. Another shock spread throughout my body. And this one didn’t hurt. It felt good. A small voice spoke in the back of my head. But it wasn’t Bōkyaku's.

Welcome back.

“How is it?” The Head Captain asked me.

“It’s wonderful,” I replied, smiling. “Thank you.” He nodded and walked away to the cushion he’d usually sit down on. The Kidō Corp men left the room, bowing towards the other Captains as they themselves moved to their own spots. I stood at the other end of the room, facing them. My zanpakutō would be too big to hook up to my belt. Chuckling to myself, I wondered how I was going carry it from here on out. Staring down at the ribbon that hung loosely from the bottom, I realized that it was long enough to wrap the entire blade. I slung it over my back, and the ribbon suddenly began to wind around my zanpakutō, covering it whole. Satisfied, I looked toward the Head Captain, who was sitting down on his cushion with his lieutenant standing up behind him, and waited for him to speak.

“The sudden transformation of your zanpakutō has brought a new question up to the stand.” He looked over to Kurotsuchi, who was staring at Unohana—who was staring at me. I looked back her, my eyes begging her to keep quiet about what she saw during the treatment. I remembered that in Bōkyaku’s vision, Ichigo had the exact same Zanpakutō as me. They were the only two people, including Shūhei, who saw that specific footage. Unohana glanced over to Kurotsuchi and nodded. I prayed that she understood what I was saying.

“The size of her zanpakutō could have changed during the time of which she returned. After the treatment was completed, I noticed a drastic increase in her spiritual pressure. Seeing as the strength of one’s spirit energy is reflected onto the size of their zanpakutō, it may have reacted in that way.” I sighed internally. Thank goodness for smart people. Mayuri glanced at me with an inquisitive stare. I knew that I’d owe him one later. So that’s one for me, and one for him.

“Yes, it would seem so.” Yamamoto looked my way and added, “This meeting is adjourned until further notice. Do not be late for your training this evening.”

***

“Hey, you shouldn’t point, it’s rude!” I poke the man’s chest, shoving him into the wall. I stocked off, stuffing my hands under my arms. Ever since I left Squad 1 a couple of hours ago, I’ve received a lot of odd stares. I still wasn’t sure whether it was because I was here, in the Soul Society, instead of the Maggot’s Nest where they thought I should be, or because of the massive and threatening zanpakutō I had strapped onto my back. They could take their pick and it still wouldn’t faze me. I served my time, and I think that gaining a new zanpakutō was a pretty good compensation. The power that came from it was a lot different than my original Bōkyaku. It was stronger, and more responsive. What bothered me was that Bōkyaku hadn’t returned to Chi no Sora yet, despite us being reunited with each other. Where was she? And what was she doing?

“Hey, you,” I said, talking to a soul reaper who was passing by me. He stopped, looking startled. “Do you know what time it is?” He looked down at his wrist of which a watch was latched on to it.

“I-it’s fifteen minutes to three,” he answered. I caught his voice waver.
“Thanks,” I said, ignoring it and breaking into a run towards Squad 6.

It must’ve been the nicest building in the Seireitei. Purple flowers grew vastly around the landscape, surrounding Squad 6’s barracks. Small shrubs stood at the building’s corners and besides the staircase leading up to it. It looked a lot different than it used to, and clearly, it’s undergone many renovations since I’ve last seen it. It’s quite an improvement. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that it was Byakuya who did it. He always had a knack for unnecessarily ‘spiffing’ things up. I walked up to the front door, as it was only a few minutes before three, and knocked a few times. It opened a couple moments later by Renji.

“Hey,” I greeted, giving him a small wave.

“Abaron, what are you doing here?” he asked, looking confused.
“Idiot; I told you last night that I have to train with your Captain, remember?”
“Wha--? Oh, yeah, you did.” He stepped aside and let me pass him.

“Um… I’m not exactly sure where it is that I have to go,” I admitted, shrugging my shoulders as we walked down a long hallway.

“My guess is the courtyard,” said Renji when we turned right. “It’s just a few doors down from here.” He led me to the end of the same hallway, to a pair of red doors. Pushing them open, I saw a large court, much bigger than the one in Squad 9, which most of it were covered in grass. In the far right there was a small pond with a few koi fish swimming around in it. A short bridge sat over top, and standing on the bridge was Byakuya himself.

“Hey, Byakuya,” I called, waving to him. He turned, and I saw that his expression was flat and unchanging—as always. I joined him at the bridge, with Renji standing behind me.

“I apologize, Captain; I wasn’t sure whether I should’ve let her in or—“
“It’s alright. Thank you, Renji.”
“Sir.” Renji exited through the same doors we entered, leaving Byakuya and I alone.

“So how are you?” I asked, trying to break the silence. It wasn’t exactly an awkward silence, it was just weird, because the last memory that I had of him was when he was a child—a happy, smiling child. He was the first person I met when Shōri and I first came to the Soul Society around just over two-hundred years ago. Once he became an official in the Kuchiki Clan, I never saw him again, until that day when he approached Rukia at graduation. He had hurt me in a way I never thought possible for myself.

Without saying a word, he unsheathed his zanpakutō and swung at me. I took out my own just in time to block it, the ribbon pulling itself off.

“Byakuya, what are you doing?” I asked. I jumped backward, holding my sword at arm’s length.

“It is time to begin your training, Abaron Kakaku,” he replied.
“What, right now? I thought we could’ve at least gotten caught up with each other first!”

“That is unimportant.” I sighed. What a fork. He disappeared from the bridge, and reappeared on the other side of the yard. I followed him with my eyes, weary of what his methods would be.

“You know, even Kenpachi would’ve struck up a conversation before fighting, and that’s saying something.” He was unresponsive with words as he broke out into a run that turned into a flash step. I dug the balls of my feet into the ground, ready for him—why am I lying to myself? I’m not ready, not even close! It’s been a long time since I’ve fought with my zanpakutō.

“Ah!” He struck my shoulder with the tip of his blade, cutting my sleeve halfway. I touched it with my fingers and my blood stained my fingers. I rubbed it on my robe and went back to fighting—well, I attempted to.

***

“Disgraceful.” I was a mess, and it was like Byakuya hadn’t even gotten a scratch, and it’s been hours. Whereas I was down on my knee and clutching a profusely bleeding wound on my right side with my left hand, he was standing up tall on the roof across the way. While I was panting and wheezing, he seemed to be unaffected by my efforts.

“Byakuya, it’s been years since I’ve done this! You can say that I’m disgraceful, but I call it me being a little rusty.”

“You use excuses to try and hide your mistakes and blunders,” he said coldly. “You rush into battle without thinking of the outcomes of your allies. You fight without reason. You run when you know you know that you have lost. My apologies; I believe that I have used the wrong term to describe you. You aren’t disgraceful, you are a coward.” My insides twisted into angry knots. Wiping the blood from the corner of my mouth, I stood up and tightened my grip around Bōkyaku’s hilt.

“You say I’m a coward? You think I fight without a reason? I suppose you also think I run away because I’m selfishly caring about only myself? That, my hard-headed friend, isn’t cowardice. It isn’t disgraceful, either. I’m not sure what I can call it. But you are wrong about everything. You judge people upon meeting them. You overthink during a battle, so you leave room for no mistakes. You yourself probably have nothing to fight for. So how dare you say that about me?!” I ran at him, anger and hurt coursing through my heated veins. “How much you’ve changed after all this time, Byakuya, I can’t stand it!” I dropped my zanpakutō to the ground and tripped over my own two feet. I could no longer focus on what was happening.

He didn’t seem surprised of my sudden action. Instead, it was as if he had expected it. I got up from being sprawled out on the grass to sitting cross-legged, hanging my head so my bangs could hide my face while biting back uninvited tears.

I was just so mad at him! As a kid, he was an arrogant little nut; we both were. But that arrogant little nut grew up to be the King of the Jerks, which made me hate him even more, while this arrogant little nut supported three other children. And when we met for the first time in a hundred and thirty years, I was so glad. I thought we could continue on with us being friends. But I guess he was thinking the complete opposite of me.

“You probably won’t even give me the time of day now,” I told him. “You’ve... changed so much… and I wasn’t there to see it happen.” I heard him jumped down from the roof. Through a split bang, I watched him cross the yard in my direction, stopping just a couple of feet away. “I’m sorry.” I was shocked when he suddenly crouched down in front of me.

“I’m sorry, too.” And he was gone. Sniffing back and swallowing whatever was lodged in my throat, I crawled over to my zanpakutō, which was lying all alone in the grass. Alone, the voice in the back of my head repeated. She was alone, and so was Byakuya… It was my fault, I thought, coming to a realization. But he left me! I never saw him again, the day he told me he couldn’t see me anymore. But the day before that… Oh, that’s right. We got into a fight. It wasn’t an argument, like the ones that little children would have with their siblings, but an actually fight. I don’t remember what it was about, but…

                                                           “I don’t want to see you anymore.”

Yeah. That’s why it hurt me.

***

I limped toward Squad 4; I was still in pain from the injuries Byakuya gave me; what a stupid bastard, and even though he helped me get the hang of wielding my zanpakutō again, I was still mad at him for cutting me. He got me in places that I didn’t even realize he hit; the inside of my leg, the skin over my sternum, and the tanned foreskin of my left arm— I could go on. But seeing as the sun was setting over the Seireitei, it must be almost seven, which meant that I didn’t have time to deal pain right now. I began flash stepping, not wanting to be late for kidō training. That stuff was easy. And maybe, while I’m there, I could ask Unohana to teach me some simple healing spells—for future endeavors, if you catch my drift.

“Abaron!” a voice called from below. I looked down from the rooftops to see a small boy with black hair waving at me. I squinted, and recognized him immediately.

“Hey, Hanataro,” I replied, jumping down beside him. “How are you doing?”

“Me? I’m doing fine, but you, you’re…” he trailed off, noticing all of my scratches and bruises. “…hurt?!”

“It’s just from training,” I explained, trying to get the worried look off of his face. “I barely feel them.” Of course he knew I was lying. But not until he pressed on slightly deep cut that was still very tender with his thumb. I cringed and said through clenched teeth as he began pressing harder, “well, unless you do that…” He let go and frowned.

“I could heal them for you, if you'd like.”

“No, it’s alright; you’re busy, I don’t want to—“”I was only delivering some supplies to Squad 11, but that could wait,” he said, cutting me off as he indicated to the basket under his right arm.

“Well, alright then.” He immediately got to work, dropping the basket by the wall and pulling out a pair of long, clear gloves and slipping them on. A faint glow came from his fingertips when they touched me. I watched with wide eyes as all of the grazes, bruises, slashes, and snips disappeared from my skin. Aside from being a little restless, I was much better. “Thanks, Hanataro.”

“Oh, y-you’re welcome,” he said, smiling. “You’d better hurry; Captain Unohana is waiting for you.” I nodded and started walking to the barracks when Hanataro called to me again.

“Yes?”

“Well, um, I was wondering something…” He hesitated.
“What was it?”
“Well, I wanted to know if… Shōri ever talks about me.” A smile twitched its way onto my lips.

“Sounds like somebody’s got a little crush,” I noted. I watched as his face turned as red as a tomato.

“I-I don’t h-have a crush! I w-was just wondering!” He picked up the basket and made off with it.

“Well, she does!” I called to him, remembering that that was one of the conversations we had when I was recovering. I laughed as he tripped over his feet, dropping the basket so that it spilled all over the ground. He scrambled to pick up all the items that were previously inside of the basket, only to place it back in and run off again. I continued on to Squad 4.

So Hanataro has a crush on my little Shōri? I giggled at the thought as I approached the front doors of Squad 4. I knocked and waited for someone to answer it. But no one came. I sighed and leaned against the wall next to them, when suddenly, they swung open. It had caught me off guard, hitting me square in the nose.

“Ow!” I cried out, pinching the bridge of my nose while tilting my head back to try and stem the flow. A girl slightly taller than me peeked out from behind the door.

“Oh my goodness, I am so sorry!” she cried, covering her mouth with her hands. But she was still distinguishable by her short purple hair and big navy blue eyes. It was Isane Kotetsu; the lieutenant of Squad 4.

“Oh, i-it’s alright,” I stammered, as the blood dripped down and onto my lips. She grabbed my free hand and pulled me out from behind the door, leading me inside.

“I’m so sorry for that,” she said again, shaking her head. “I’m so clumsy.”

“No, it was my fault,” I insisted, trying to spare her from being embarrassed. “I should have been paying more attention.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll have you fixed up before your training with Captain Unohana begins.”
“But that’s in three minutes!” She looked back at me and smiled.
“I know!” And as we walked, I realized that she was still holding on to my wrist, which was giving me the benefactor of her healing kidō. We stopped in front of what I realized was Unohana’s office. My nose had dried and clotted up. All that was left was a crust line of blood. I scratched it away before entering.

“Hello, Abaron,” Unohana said with a smile (but really, when doesn’t Unohana smile? It scares me :) “How are you doing?

“I’m doing wonderful,” I answered, being half-honest. Really, I was still down in the dumps of how Byakuya had treated me. “And you?”

“I am well. Now, how did your training with Captain Kuchiki go?” I choked. How did she know about that? “Don’t worry; I understand how you must be feeling. Byakuya can be… distant.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. He could’ve at least said something to me, but instead, he just attacks me. And I don’t think it was at random.”

“I think that he is just getting over the shock of your return.”
“How can you be sure?”

“The quiet ones are the easiest to read. But they are also the most predictable.” I guess that makes sense. That’s how Shūhei and I became friends. We understood each other because we were exactly the same; quiet misfits who were most likely destined to wander the Rukon forever. But that was when the tables turned. Shōri and I were there for over a hundred years before we finally had a decent amount of spirit energy to join the Academy. That was around the same time we met Rukia, Renji, Izuru, and Momo. “Are you ready to begin?” I was so lost in thought that I didn’t hear what she said.

“I’m sorry, what was that?”
“I asked you if you were ready to begin your training.”
“O-oh, yes! I'm ready!”

“Then let's go.” Before she pointed to it, I didn’t even realize that there was another door in the room. She got up and pushed it open.

Among the thick bamboo, there was a large clearing, and in that clearing, there were painted targets that were nailed onto tall wooden posts. I assumed that those would be the targets for using Hado, but then what about Bakudo?

“I suppose you are wondering of what your target is for Bakudo.” How the hell does she do that?! “Your answer… is me.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t do that,” I said. “It would put guilt on my conscience, even if it’s just a training exercise.”

“I have already anticipated your reply, so I have brought someone who may be able to help us.” I turned around at the sound of crunching footsteps. I laughed silently to myself as Izuru joined us in the clearing.

“Captain Unohana,” he said, bowing to her. “Hello, Abaron.”

“It looks like you’re sober tonight,” I said, grinning. “What happened?”

“Rangiku got into a little trouble with Captain Hitsugaya. For a whole week, she hasn’t completed any of her paperwork, so it’s just been collecting on her desk this whole time.”
“She’s a handful, that's fpr sure.”
“Yep. So, Captain, may I ask why I am here?”

“You will provide a sufficient target for Abaron’s training.”

 “Captain, I can’t do that!” I argued, but she waved me down. “Izuru, I don’t want to—“

“If it helps you get your power back, I don’t mind. But… just don’t use any Hado, alright?” I looked over at Unohana, whose smile was permanent but eyes where sharp and narrowed towards me. A stupid decision would be to argue with her. I sighed.

“Whatever,” I said, walking to where I was a good enough distance away from Izuru.

“How much of Bakudo do you remember?” Unohana asked me from the sidelines.
“All of it,” I replied, going through the list in my head. Should I start from the bottom or work my way up?

“Good. Are you able to use Bakudo without saying the incantation?”
“Of course.”

“Then use Bakudo 61.” Not my favorite type of Bakudo. Not that I had a favorite; I hated using Kidō in general. It didn’t feel the same as using my zanpakutō. It was just the connection between the two. I pointed two fingers in Izuru’s direction. His Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat.

“Bakudo 61, Rikujokoro.” Out of nowhere, six beams of orange light shot out from the bamboo and completely wrapped themselves around Izuru’s midsection. He coughed from the sudden pressure over his stomach and then doubled over them, his arms over two of the kidō’s edges. “Sorry, Izuru; are you alright?” He coughed again.

“I doubt you even need practice,” he said as I released him. He stumbled over his feet and fell to the ground on his knees. “More like a refresher.” He stood back up and brushed off his robes.

“So, I was wondering why the clearing was so large, I—“

“Perform Bakudo 75.”
“Wait, what?”
“You can, can’t you?”
“Well, yeah, but—“”Then perform it.”
“This is the only kidō spell of which I have to use the Incantation,” I told her. “It’s a bit tricky to get them to form.” Izuru groaned. “Oh, suck it up, Kira.” He laid sprawled on the ground, muttering to himself. I sat down beside Unohana, who was sending encouraging glances my way. Placing my hands together, I began to recite the Incantation:

“Walls of iron sand: a priestly pagoda. Glowing, ironclad fireflies standing upright: silent to the end. Bakudo 75, Gochutekkan!” I slammed my hands against the ground and watched wide-eyed as the five metal pillars came crashing down through the sky, connect to each other at the top by thin chains. They pinned Izuru to the ground by his two hands and feet. He yelped ((not in pain, just fear)) as the fifth came down onto his head. I cringed, not knowing the exact full extent of the spell. I’ve only used it once before on Bōkyaku, and it didn’t even turn out to the way that I had hoped it to back then. It had hit her on the head and then disappeared. So, I’m surprised it worked as well as it did.

“Gewt ouff!” Izuru mumbled into the dirt.
“Sorry, I can’t hear you,” I teased him. He started shouting something unintelligible. “What was that?”
“Aba-on!”
“Alright, alright; don’t get your shihakushō in a twist.” I tucked my hands away and watched as the pillars faded into the wind. I looked up to Unohana.

“Well done,” she complimented. “A high level Bakudo such as Gochutekkan can normally only be performed by Captain-Class Soul Reapers. But, as I remember, you were quite the prodigy when it came to performing kidō, despite your feelings toward it. I will let you choose the next spell. Go ahead.”

There were a lot to choose from. I searched my head for the one I could use to make Izuru mad with. “Ooh, I know!” I clapped my hands with excitement.

“Abaron, what are you—““Bakudo 62, Hyapporankan!”

***

The fun went on for about two more hours. Izuru claimed that I beat him up and said that he’d tell everyone that I attacked him in his sleep.

“Who would believe that I would beat you up? Besides, it wasn’t like I used Hado. After all, I’m just a young, defenseless girl. I’ll tell them it was self-protection.”
“Self-protection…? Abaron, that is disgusting.” I laughed as his face turned red under the orange glow of the setting sun.
“Good reaction, though.” He rolled his eyes. “I think we should call it a night, Captain; I’m a little tired.”

“That would be best,” she agreed. “Abaron, I don’t think you need to continue with any more lessons.”
“What, why?”

“You are already at your maximum strength. Now, your kidō levels are as strong as mine.” That was about the nicest thing someone’s ever said to me. I’m at Captain Level for kidō? I was so happy, I could just barely hold it all in!

“Y-you’re sure?” 

“Yes. But continue practicing, and keep taking your lessons with Captain Kuchiki.”
“Do I have to?” She gave me a firm look as she smiled. I froze. “Alright, fine.”

***

“You didn’t have to walk me back, you know,” he told me as we reached the doors to Squad 3.
“It wasn’t too far from Squad 9, so I don’t mind. Hey, do you want to come out for lunch with me, Shōri, and Shūhei tomorrow?”
“Do they even know that they’re going out for lunch tomorrow?”
“Well, they will when I tell them. Now move it, Blondie.” He smiled and took off up the stairs. Opening the doors, he stepped inside, shutting them firmly behind him.

“Hello, Abaron,” a sly voice said from not too far away. I turned quickly around; looking for its source, I realized that, whoever they were, they were concealing their spiritual pressure.

“Who’s there?” I called out, feeling a little weirded out by the mysterious voice. But it sounded so familiar, who made me feel even more weirded out. “Hello?” A tall man with silhouetted short hair stepped out of the shadows from casted by a persimmon tree on my left. Persimmons…

Keeping my hand wrapped firmly around the hilt of my zanpakutō, I watched as he approached me, his hands in the pockets of his billowing shihakushō. He was wearing a captain’s haori, as well. The light that came down from the moon glinted off of his hair, making it look silver. His eyes were unblinking and his mouth was twisted into a grin which started making me feel a little self-conscious. I knew exactly why the voice was familiar.

It was because it was the current captain of Squad 3; Gin Ichimaru.