For The Future [Kasumi]

One might get the strangest ideas when being really bored. Lately the girl had been quite obsessed with everything that had to do with ‘supernatural’. Having spent a lot of time in the chaotic library trying to find anything that could tell her more about the Hollows or the Shinigami, Kasumi was being incredibly disappointed. Amazingly enough she hadn’t been able to find a thing that could bring her more knowledge about those two races. Was this the hard reality? How many of her kind did actually know about those other worlds? How many of them were aware of the creatures that were crossing their paths almost daily? Obviously not enough of them.. or did the government hide their existence? Kasumi’s mind was going wild with all possible types of hypotheses as she sat on a roof, one of the few roofs that were still left in the middle of the Karakura ruins. Her silvery white hair was waving in the gentle evening breeze and a lost strung tried to get into her blue eyes from time to time. Annoyed by it, the girl pulled the white hoodie over her head before lying on her back. Being vain enough to worry about her hair getting dirty, she hadn’t thought about the white jacket that she was wearing. The few pages that she had taken from the library books were lying next to her. Most of the things that were written on them went about either hell of heaven. Demons, ghosts, shape shifting creatures and other types of worthless information. Then again, perhaps that was the only way someone who had seen one of them but hadn’t interacted with them was able to describe the foreign beings. About to close her eyes to enjoy the moment, Kasumi felt something strange. A cold feeling.. a sickening sensation that sent shivers down her spine.

Where?-

Jumping up the girl turned around while her foot crushed the papers, causing them to rip. There, in front of her, about a dozen meters away, there it was. The cause of this feeling that made her want to cover made her want to run. Recalling the beasts Koudai-san had taken on weeks ago, Kasumi knew that this was what they called a ‘Hollow’. Fur fur and more rough and filthy looking fur. The giant shape made a strange roaring noise, spilling a wave disgusting breath as far that it reached the girl’s nostrils. Aww no.. It was high time to leave this place. Without a second thought Kasumi bolted for the fire stairs on the side of the building. It was the way she had gotten here and it’d be the way she’d leave. She really wasn’t planning on dying anytime soon. Pale fingers wrapped themselves around the iron bars while she placed her shoe soles on the side of the stairs. A few moments later her feet hit the ground, she could hear it growl and she already knew that the monster would be chasing her. With quick motions she jumped over some rubble before dashing into the building. It was dark in there, but the gap had been small and she hoped to misguide the Hollow somehow. Perhaps it’d get stuck down here? Or leave being too lazy to try and get inside of the building?..

Deep down the girl started to regret coming here today. What if Lady Fortuna wouldn’t be on her side today? What if the beast would find her? Trying to hide her presence the way she had been practicing to do, Kasumi ran through the devastated building as quietly as she could. The howling seemed to lessen, it was actually gone! Excited but still a bit scared, the little human crawled through a broken window landing on the other side of the street. One could barely call it a street anymore, there were no buildings on the side of the road, nowhere to hide but rubble. Biting her bottom lip softly, Kasumi hesitated but knew that there was no other way. She had to get home somehow, and home was in that direction. After having taken a deep breath, she started to walk down the road. Everything seemed quiet, perhaps a little bit too quiet really. She had to remain calm, nothing would happen, it was gone now and she was on her way home, everything would be fine. With a racing heart the girl took another step before her eyes caught something ahead of her. Though before her mind was able to register what the hell it could be, the Hollow reappeared. She knew that it was the Hollow; she could feel its threatening presence. A wave of heat rushed through Kasumi’s body while she turned her head to face the end.

What in the world?

Before she knew it someone had appeared between her and the beast, a frame surrounded by a purple light. It took the girl a bit too long to realize that this was energy. With a single blow of her foot the woman pretty much crushed the Hollow’s head. Then, by adding a punch to it, she caused the Hollow to fly back into the rubble. Astonished Kasumi was staring at the one that was now walking towards the beast. The thing had been chasing her and she had ran.. Ran like some coward. Trying to move a bit, Kasumi utterly failed at doing so. It looked like her body was still numbed from the shock. At first it had been the shock that came with the prospect of dying, now it was.. she was simply paralyzed. Was this another Shinigami? She had never felt someone so strong before! And what was up with that purple energy that had engulfed the woman at the very start? Continuing to stare at the scenario that was unfolding itself in front of her till the woman had pierced the Hollow with her blade, killing it; Kasumi’s eyes turned the size of saucers when the stranger turned around. Their gazes met and Kasumi felt terrified for a moment, but only for a really brief moment. If she had just saved the girl, then she wouldn’t hurt her right? If this was another Shinigami then there was no need to worry about being killed. Unless.. Sucking in air, the girl gasped before covering her mouth with the palm of her right hand. If she held this much power.. could it be that..? A few seconds went by as she remained silent before removing her hand and taking a few quick steps towards the stranger. Her eyes were burning bright with curiosity and excitement. Having convinced herself that everything was fine once again, the girl allowed her eyes to fall on the woman's weapon. They narrowed a bit when a vague pink blush crept up her cheeks.

“T-thank you for helping me ma’am.”

Stammering slightly the girl didn’t want to say ‘saving’ because she felt retarded about needing to be saved again. If she could only fight like this lady could, then she could have beaten the Hollow herself. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, she looked up at the taller female. The curious look remained on her face when she softly asked.

“You’re the kind type of Shinigami, aren’t you?”

[Words: 1212 – 24GP]

Kiriko ran through a litany of curses inside her head, going from the more tame to some rather diabolical ones she'd only recently heard from a few of her newest recruits. The girl, human, had definitely seen her. What with those large eyes rimmed with white and the gasp quickly silenced by a hand to the mouth, she was practically oozing with shock and fear. And acknowledgment. That too, and that was the most important part as the girl got to her feet and tottered towards her. Her movements were shaky, as if she was still effected by the Hollow's overwhelming reiatsu. Kiriko's own power was cloaked in the human world, restrained by the geas that all high ranking Shinigami required and further muted by a gigai body. She hated such precaution, but it was to protect this world so unfortunately they were necessary.

If she had been fully released, the girl probably wouldn't be able to stand let alone walk towards her. Wincing internally at her fate, she resigned herself to a bit of cleanup. Human world patrol had never really been something Kiriko had done that much. It seemed her nature as a born soul left her supervisors even in the beginning more hesitant to send her to the human world. And now, she rarely had any reason to deal with humans. The last time... Well, that had been a mistake. A bloody mistake that would stain her soul for all of time. It was something she could ease though, even if just a little bit, by doing her duty here today and interacting with this scared little girl.

That didn't mean she had to like it though. Kiriko struggled to keep a blank expression on her face and not to glare. It was hard, since that was her natural expression, angry. Still, she could feel how weak this human was, so tiny and young. She had to be careful around her. There were rumors of a human attacking Shinigami, and she herself had come across a Quincy who'd claimed to kill Shinigami. If Kiriko was to handle this situation correctly then when this girl grew into her power she wouldn't join one of those groups that didn't understand what it was that Shinigami protected.

Even so, being called kind was a bit too much. She felt her forehead crinkle and her eyes narrow dangerously, but the expression was hard to wipe from her face. “You need not thank me. It is the duty of people like myself to exterminate Hollows and protect humanity,” she spoke frankly, nearly certain the girl knew about Hollows and Shinigami. She certainly didn't look too shocked, as if this was her first sight. And anyway, after the Invasion everyone in Karakura had to know something was up with what had been normal lives.

Kiriko wanted to leave it at that, but there was something about those last words that dug and clawed at her heart. Kind? No one had ever called her kind before. It sat ill with her, like a heavy cloak pulling her to the earth. Such responsibility in that one word. To be kind one had to care first, and while Kiriko cared for the human world in general – as the charges of Shinigami and a means to maintain balance – she wasn't certain she actually cared about individuals. Not when she knew how easily they broke, and how quickly they bled out. That knowledge was hard to forget, once you'd killed one it was always a temptation. To be the best, the strongest, the mightiest. Kiriko had left that all behind though. She just hoped it would stay there in the past like it should.

“I am Chinda Kiriko. Are you alright now?” She felt jilted that she hadn't let herself dissuade the girl, but in textbooks at the Academy that was the kind of response you were supposed to give if a human recognized you. It would have to be enough.

WC: 663 | GP: 13 | Total GP: 39

To her big surprise there was something about the woman that seemed to scream annoyance. Studying her Kasumi could see how the Shinigami’s forehead got a wrinkle and in response to that the girl frowned. Her silvery white eyebrows hung above her eyes as she nervously listened to the woman’s reply. This only confirmed Kasumi’s thoughts on this whole situation. However, due to some reason, this woman was very distant; unlike the other Shinigami Kasumi had met. Then again the girl hadn’t met enough of them to know how they were supposed to behave. Besides it probably depended on the person anyway. Some were talkative and mysterious while others were a bit.. cold. Blinking a few times she bowed her head a bit in respect before introducing herself.

“My name is Shinoda Kasumi.”

Stopping she hesitated to answer the question that seemed to have been posed against Kiriko’s will. Titling her head towards the Shinigami she could see the expression on her face that had something of a glare. Was she mad at her for having to kill that Hollow? Or was there something else that was bothering her? Throwing in a smile, to hopefully lighten the tension she felt, Kasumi fumbled with the sleeve of her jacket before continuing.

“I-I’m fine Kiriko-san. Are you? You look displeased.”

Perhaps a lesser trait of the girl was being a bit too blunt from time to time. There was no way of cutting down on her curiosity and stubbornness, which pretty much always got her caught up in some sort of messy situations. Unfortunately enough she didn’t get too many chances of talking with a Shinigami and the girl wasn’t planning on letting this one slip so easily. Of course if the woman would decide to disappear, using that strange technique her kind always used, then catching up with her would be nearly impossible. But she could only hope for the best and keep Kiriko around for as long as she could, right?

“What was that- that ..technique you’ve just used?”

Lacking the proper terms, Kasumi tried to scramble together everything she knew about them. About the Shinigami, the other world and the things they used there.. and actually here too. Had this purple color been her reiatsu? Could you increase your strength by manifesting it somehow? The questions were lying on the end of her tongue, ready to be dropped but the girl tried to be patient and polite. Each few beats her heart skipped one, though it wasn’t because she was anxious, it was because she was being excited. Shuffling to the side she studied the woman’s sword again, trying to be subtle about it. What kind of spirit did reside in this one? Would it be another shark? Or a lion? Maybe some strange hybrid that resembled a human and a beast? Feeling busted about her staring she looked up at Kiriko, smiling widely in an innocent way. Against all odds she decided to pose another question to the beautiful lady.

“Kiriko-san, can you make me as strong as you are?”

Hope died as the one last, right?

[Words: 519 – 10GP – TGP: 34GP]

*Edited the mistake ^//.//^

She stared, her flabbergasted emotions only serving to make her glare fiercer. This was not what she had been expecting, certainly not what the textbooks told her should be happening. Humans were supposed to be timid, cautious creatures. And yet this one was speaking rapidly, she was showing some modicum of respect so there had to be a brain in there. It was just hard to sense it over the flowing words. Humans were strange creatures, they lived in this “modern” world or whatever the word was for all the odd technologies and societal changes. Kiriko liked it a lot better a hundred years ago, when she'd first seen this place. At least back then there was less smog.
 
Inclining her head in respect to the name given, Kiriko waded through the rest of the girl's spouted phrases. It was rare for someone to call her out on her emotions. Mostly she did that herself. But here was a tiny little human with more guts then a Shinigami, that was curious. Not so curious that she didn't wish this whole thing wasn't happening, but still enough to pique her interest. As soon as she'd heard that Hio was fine, she should have just walked away. But there was something really weird about the girl, and Kiriko knew that she should learn more about humans one way or another. Why not start today when this particular one was so excited to talk to her? “I am not...displeased,” she bit out, wondering how it was that this girl could make her feel so awkward. There wasn't really much she could say that would alleviate the damage her glares were doing though, so Kiriko ended the conversation there. Abruptly. And continued to curse herself out in her head.
 
If Aneue had been talking to her the sword would be laughing right now. As it was... “Hahaue... what is the right thing to do here? Since you're so chatty with your advice, maybe now you could help out,” she intoned inside her own skull. Kiriko wasn't normally so brusque to her Inner Hollow, but the situation was rubbing her wrong. There was a chilly silence, as if Hahaue didn't quite appreciate the tone, before she got the answer she'd been dreading.
 
“Before, you killed humans, correct? What was their crime? Curiosity, or perhaps just for being to close? There is good in you, I know, yet you are unaware of how to find it. That is terribly sad Kiriko. Maybe you should listen to my advice more often if you want to save yourself. The opposite of killing is saving, is it not? This girl won't survive on her own, not with Karakura as it is now. You delude yourself by thinking she'll last long enough to grow into her power. There are many more out there who would prey on her, weak as she is. You know what to do, you don't need to ask me. But since you are afraid of realizing it, I shall say it. Help her. Teach her. Humans are capable of amazing things, that is why they live like this. Shunko might be your ability but that doesn't mean a human can't replicate a similar effect.”
 
Kiriko stared down at the girl, cautious and unhappy. Her frame was weak, too skinny. But the way she moved, there was some sort of martial training there. Maybe just instinct. It was enough though. Hio could throw a punch if she needed to, that was what her body told Kiriko. If only it hadn't been possible, then she could have said no and ignored Hahaue once more.
 
“The technique... It is called Shunko. It takes a Shinigami's latent reiatsu from Kido, our spell casting ability, and uses that energy to create strength in the physical body. It can be helpful to people who are not strong naturally, because it uses mental fortitude and finesse to create power instead of pure muscles.”
 
“I cannot help you become what I am, that is impossible. But... maybe you can learn a deviation on Shunko. Your reiatsu is strong enough for it. Do you have any sort of natural spell casting abilities? Energy control?” Struck with the prospect of a task, Kiriko looked down at Hio with a different sort of expression. This might... just work. Though it would take a lot of tailoring. It would all depend on Hio's affinity for manifesting her energy in a physical manner. Shinigami were innately talented in it, since they were all schooled in Hado and Bakudo in the Academy. Even the worst student could send out a Byakurai in a pinch. With humans though, they all seemed to have various and sundried powers that often didn't even have anything to do with turning their reiatsu into energy. A Hollow might even have an easier time, due to their Cero knowledge. 
 
WC: 813 | GP: 16 | Total GP: 55

As the woman’s glare didn’t soften, Kasumi felt a twinge of doubt. Could it have been a bit too insolent? Maybe it was simply too reckless to pose these kinds of questions to a stranger? As her curiosity once again prevailed above her nervousness and doubt, she listened carefully to every word that the Shinigami chose to bestow upon her. Firstly she disagreed to Kasumi’s determination about her being displeased. Though the continuously glaring that Kiriko did only made the girl feel a bit uncomfortable. To the eleven years old human it felt a bit like she had been caught doing something wrong and could be scolded at any time. The woman was certainly intimidating and Kasumi felt obviously impressed. Though being as stubborn as she was, the cheeky human wasn’t planning on showing it. Then again the woman had probably already noticed the fidgeting. There was a short silence and Kasumi could feel a breeze against her face, the wind was rather cold and she shivered while waiting. Those dark eyes seemed to study her for a moment before speaking up.

Shunko!

Adding the word to her mental dictionary, Kasumi tried to memorize everything the woman said about it. She really wished that she had taken the notepad with her, but then again she wasn’t sure if Kiriko would have liked it if the girl had been making notes. Koudai was a scientist, that’s why he didn’t mind- Kasumi told herself while nodding. The second word was ‘Kidõ’ she had heard it before.. but where.. where? Kidõ corps! Was this woman a part of that organization? Could Shunko be a specialty of them? Each and every time the girl’s mind shifted from wary to curious, and then right back. She couldn’t do a thing about it; she just wanted to know more! But the woman made her feel so little! Torn between these feelings she remained calm and collected, blinking while Kiriko told her that there was a chance of learning a variant on the Shinigami’s technique. Immediately the smile from before returned, starting to fade a little when Kiriko mentioned ‘casting abilities’ and ‘energy control’. If she was honest then she wasn’t that good at controlling her reiatsu. While she had practiced a lot ever since her first encounter with a Shinigami, Kasumi was still far away from being able to wield it properly. Thinking deeply for a second, the girl’s eyes widened when she got an idea. What if she’d show her what happened when her reiatsu manifested? Would that count as energy control or casting or maybe even both? With her heart beating like crazy she threw a gaze to the left, before looking to her right. The place looked dead. There was nobody around who could possibly see them, or in the most occurring case, Kasumi.

Silently she took a step back, before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. The man’s words had been ‘relax as if you were meditating’, so that’s what she was set on doing. Now that her eyelids were closed there was nothing more than darkness. She was scared that the woman would leave, but didn’t dare to open her eyes or her mouth just in case that it’d break her concentration. Reaching out for the small silvery ball with the light blue hue inside of her, Kasumi slowly opened up the palm of her hand. Her reiatsu was starting to leak out a bit more than before. And while it wasn’t much more than Kiriko had already been sensing from her-considering the girl really sucked at hiding it- it was more concentrated now. Delicate strings of silvery light were licking at the ground around Kasumi’s feet, curling around her body and waving in the air around her. Little crystals were forming on the ground, slowly but certainly the road around her was freezing. A few snowflakes drifted down from above them, before more followed. Opening her eyes, Kasumi hesitatingly looked at Kiriko, afraid that this wasn’t enough. A few snowflakes got stuck in her hair when she spoke with the silvery aura glowing in her eyes.

“I’m still learning.”

She choked out, almost being ashamed about her lack of skills. If she had put more effort into this, maybe it’d have looked a bit more impressive than a breeze with some snow. What if it had been a real blizzard! That’d have left a whole different impression, wouldn’t it? Clenching her hand into a small fist she added, a bit more confident.

“But I’m a quick learner, if you teach me I promise you that I won’t disappoint you!”

An ardent glow appeared in her icy eyes when she looked up, waiting with a pounding heart for a reply. Of course she’d need to prove those big words, but she’d work hard to prove herself if she’d get the chance. The most important thing now was to convince Kiriko that Kasumi was worth her time. As the snow settled around them, coating this piece of the road in a blanket of white, Kasumi tried to seal off as much of her reiatsu as she could. Though as always.. half of it was still oozing from her into the air.

[Words: 871 – 17GP – TGP: 51]

No snow, no ice, just energy.

But how?

Visibly panicking Kasumi blinked before her mind jumped towards one of her fresher memories. Nodding awkwardly, the girl decided that the reiatsu would be easier to call upon if she’d be sitting down. Hence she simply plumped down into the virgin snow behind her, crossing her legs as she made herself comfortable. Lately Kasumi’s hate for heat was growing steadily; therefor the snow was like an old friend. Cold didn’t make her feel uncomfortable; on the contrary, the cold she created made her feel at ease. Somehow it was very different from the gushes of winds or the cold rain that made her shiver at times. Placing the palms of her hands in the thin layer of snow in front of her, she figured that this cold caused her to feel relaxed. Glancing up towards her sensei Kasumi swallowed before concentrating.

As a way to reassure herself, Kasumi took a handful of snow and held it in the palms of her hands while closing her eyes once again. Trying to find that little ball of silvery light, the energy inside of her, she dwelled through the darkness before finding a trace of silver. Soon her hands were wrapped around the ball that was transforming into a small fire, whose flames danced in her hands. Suddenly the little fire started to spread, curling around her hands, crawling up her forearms and sliding down her back. Strangely enough her body felt alive, more than before, it was as if water was streaming over her sensitive skin, then it got absorbed by her flesh, soaking the girl till the bones. A soft gasp could be heard when she felt the tingling effect of the energy slowly evaporating, leaving her body. On her tongue, Kasumi could feel something cold; as if she had just bitten on an ice cube- no she could actually taste it.  

The question was where did all of this come from? Following it? To where? About to open her eyes to questioningly stare at her instructor, Kasumi felt how she fell. It all happened so quickly that she didn’t even realize what was going on. Her head was spinning for a few moments and the second that her eyes flew wide open she felt her precious cold settle in her chest. With her hands in her lap, she could see the silvery flame of reiatsu flicker inside of her palms. Slowly she tried to make it burn harder, the thing started to grow gradually, turning into a bigger flame of silver. Though before she could grin at her so called ‘success’ it rapidly engulfed her hands before turning into a layer of ice. Apologetically her eyes shot towards the woman before her pale cheeks turned red and the girl hid her hands behind her back. Balling them into fists, she slowly opened them again, in an attempt to get rid of the ice on her skin. Luckily it worked and trying it all over again Kasumi managed to progress some reiatsu that didn’t automatically froze things around her. Like vapor is came from her skin, disappearing into thin air a few meters above her head.

Desperately she tried to hold it close to her body, though it slipped away. It felt awfully similar to trying to hold some water in your hands while the clear liquid managed to seep away through your fingers over and over again. Clenching her teeth, the silvery haired human refused to give up on trying. Yes, she did feel less confident about it than she had just a few minutes ago. But giving up wasn’t an option. This wasn’t some opportunity you could get any time of the day. Perhaps this would be the last time that a Shinigami decided to take the time to try and teach her something.

Calm down, calm down, calm down.

Like some mantra the words were echoing through her head. A broken record that was put on replay.. And it helped! Feeling a little less panicked about not being able to stop her reiatsu from evaporating she decided to ask Kiriko something. Tilting her head to the side, she narrowed her eyes slightly before humbly asking.

“Kiriko-san, could you eh demonstrate it for a moment?”

Unlike when she was simply asking random things, Kasumi sounded a little more bashful now. The reason behind that was the fact that she didn’t really like to ask for help. And while she liked to learn new things, they made her feel self-conscious when she didn’t get it right from the first time. Hence it had cost her quite some effort not to mumble when speaking up. Hoping for a positive reply, she glued the blue orbs that were her eyes to the raven haired Shinigami in front of her. During the time that she was giving instructions, her voice had sounded less icy. It was simply quiet and even- strictly instructing. Did the tension just lessen? Was there tension to begin with? Then again maybe.. just maybe Kasumi was getting used to the way she spoke and had simply imagined the change.

[Words: 858 – 17 GP – TGP: 68]

Kiriko watched the girl carefully, eyes narrowed in thought. A while back she had applied a Kido spell to her sight, shifting normal vision and blurring it with the ability to see reiatsu in all its forms. It was a tricky Kido, and it had taken some help and advice from Miyazawa before she had been able to tweak the spell just enough for the effect to be optional. It was like an off/on switch. One merely had to flick it, and suddenly the second sight appeared. Kiriko hadn't had the time to experiment much with this ability, not when her days were so consumed with act after act. It felt a little nostalgic to turn on the spell, as if she was visiting an old friend or putting back on the glasses she had worn as a child.
 
As her sight adjusted to the second layer of input Kiriko turned her gaze back onto Shinoda. The young human had dropped to her thighs in the snow, hands stretched out across the pavement as if mere contact with her creation would give her support. Maybe it did, human powers seemed more personal then Kiriko had ever felt with her Zanpakutou. She imagined it was similar to most Shinigami's relationships. It was her curse in life that she was the one Shinigami who was too damning in nature to develop a helpful Zanpakutou Spirit. Instead Aneue was a scourge. Maybe it really was better the sword spirit was hiding out for now, leaving her alone to her thoughts. Kiriko didn't like to think about that though. About what it meant that she was so bad normally that it was her Inner Hollow that turned out to be the good influence. It wasn't as if she was evil, though her past actions might be taken for such. Kiriko just... had to do what was necessary. Sometimes that meant doing things that were bad, harmful, toxic. If people hated her for her actions, that was the price she had to bear for carrying duty on her shoulders.
 
As her vision caught sight of the reiatsu skittering around inside of Shinoda's body, Kiriko tried to phase through what was manifested physically and what she was only seeing because of her Kido spell. After blinking furiously she got a handle on things and began to pick apart the girl's attempts, cataloging her mistakes and missteps to herself. “You need to learn how to separate the energy from your power. When you call on it, it is only reiatsu. Your power is probably intuitive, something you do without thinking. But you still do something to get it to happen. The reiatsu doesn't just take that action on its own. See if you can slow down and feel that shift. Pull out reiatsu simply to make snow, and then try pulling it out just as energy. Repeat that pattern until you can feel the difference.”
 
There should be some kind of sensation. Maybe a thought, maybe a feeling, maybe a desire, maybe an image, that unlocked Shinoda's ability to freeze the air. Once she could realize what it was that she did to create that effect, she would be able to separate the two things. Her power, and the energy that fueled it. Without that distinction Shinoda would not be able to progress any further with Shunko. It looked as if her energy was burning when it hit the air outside her body, was that just an inability to control how much came out or something more? The trigger to her ability perhaps? Kiriko would need to watch a few more times to know for sure, but hopefully Shinoda wouldn't need that many more attempts before she caught on to the difference herself.
 
The young girl collapsed from her latest attempt, tiny eyes flicking up to meet Kiriko's before dancing away like a shy maiden. Sighing, Kiriko ran a hand through her hair. Instruction wasn't helping. Was the girl not an aural learner? Maybe a visual display would assist her, Kiriko realized that her earlier example had been rather quick and hidden. Letting her hand drop to her side, she exhaled, and in the same time it took her breath to leave her lungs her Shunko Aura was created. Dark purple energy bled from her limbs liked dripping paint, crackling and snapping at the very air it touched in volatile anger. The aura flickered fiercely, growing to envelop her entire body and sheathing the Shinigami in purple flames. Shadows leapt violently across her face as the aura fractured and cracked all around her. “I am pulling pure reiatsu around me, giving it physical shape, and force. You will not have the same effect simply by calling out your reiatsu, you have to learn how to turn it into an aura like this. But drawing it from your body is the same principle.”
 
WC: 815 | GP: 16| Total GP: 95

Stupefied by how easy Kiriko controlled her reiatsu, Kasumi gaped at her with somewhat widened eyes. Some tiny voice in the back of her head was screaming that this was unfair.. and that it looked incredibly dangerous. Now that she had the time to actually study the technique from close up, Kasumi realized that the cracking from before hadn’t been the Hollow’s bones. This sharp sound came from the very energy that Kiriko was extracting from her body now. With some great effort the girl detached her curious gaze from the purple aura, closing her eyes again. No time for staring, she had to try again, try to simply ‘pull out the energy’. Yea.. sounded so easy.. and then there was the reality.. Sitting up straight, she rolled her shoulders a few times just to loosen up her muscles and take off some of the tension that had been built up earlier because of her previous pose. After having done so, she started all over again. However, she didn’t take any of the snow in her hands this time. Somehow she’d need to divide the energy from.. her power..? Weren’t that the words Kiriko had just said? God she really had to let go of these thoughts and simply go with the flow. Confidently reaching out to the energy inside of her, she decided that this time, she’d try to keep it wrapped around her body. Not just her hands! For the second time that day she felt her body become sensitive and alive when the silvery stream flowed through her being. Keep it separated, keep it separated. The mantra had changed slightly by now, and she felt just a tiny bit insane talking to herself the way she was.  

Slowly opening her eyes- pretty much the same way she did every morning just to protect them from the attacking sunrays, she glanced at her hands. Relief ran through veins when she realized that the silvery balls in her palms weren’t made of ice. They softly moved, as if they were vibrating and that’s when Kasumi decided to try something different. Closing her hands she started to, slowly but surely, squeeze the balls of energy that she had just managed to create. Unsure about what she was actually trying to do, the girl’s eyes widened in surprise when the energy started to seep through her fingers. Slowly the silvery mass expanded and turned into long strings that attached themselves to her hands and forearms. Making their way towards her shoulders, curling around her body frame like a bunch of snakes. Perhaps this wasn’t what it had to be, but at least it didn’t freeze. Carefully standing up from the snowy ground, she could hear the crunching beneath her feet while shuffling around. Thin and thick threads of silvery reiatsu were wrapped around her body; it almost looked like a net. Kasumi would have probably made some stupid remark about it if she hadn’t been so scared of Kiriko getting mad or in the worst case giving up and leaving. Why was it so damn hard to read this woman? Most of the time Kasumi could estimate one’s character, their behavior and reconstruct their way of thinking to some point without too many issues. Even while she was still really young, the girl was a natural in perceiving. Studying the facial features, the body language, trying to gauge the situation by one’s tone and their lexicon..  But with Kiriko.. She didn’t know where to start, or more precisely she couldn’t find anything to hold onto, there was simply no beginning. In a way it scared her, because she had no idea of what to expect. And at the same time it had this incredible attraction, like being pulled back to earth by the merciless power of gravity. Unable to see behind this façade of sternness and power Kasumi’s natural curiosity was starting to drive her mad.

“A bit like .. this?”

She asked while the strings of reiatsu curled around her little frame, pulsating as they did so. Well.. Kiriko did say that Kasumi’s energy wouldn’t look the same. The woman looked..

Impressive

Threatening?

“Thundery..”

Did she just say that out loud? – What in the world-.. oh my god! Realizing her slip up Kasumi felt like sinking through the ground. If the earth could just swallow her up that would be great. She was pretty sure that the Shinigami would either yell or do some ‘facepalm’. With the strings softly brushing against her body she tried to find some sort of explanation. Not knowing what to say she simply stammered again.

“I.. euh meant mm you look ohh like -.”

Please stop being retarded, please..? Just about.. Now! - That would be perfect. Feeling a bit sick she felt her heart throbbing in her throat while hoping that she hadn’t offended the Shinigami. Maybe the woman hadn’t even heard it, right? Awkwardly standing a few meters from her instructor Kasumi’s lips curled up a bit, as she tried to indicate that she didn’t mean it in a bad way. She was ready to continue with whatever Kiriko would say she had to do if this was good enough.  

[Words: 866 – 17GP – TGP: 85]

The energy seemed to ball up inside of Shinoda. Glowing faintly to her enchanted eyes, Kiriko could see where it was gathering in chunks and knots, as if some parts of her internal spiritual veins were clogged and not letting the reiatsu spread evenly. The young human seemed to collapse in on herself, letting her body droop as she drew in deep breaths and closed her eyes in concentration. For a few seconds it seemed as if she was just sleeping or daydreaming because nothing happened. Long enough that Kiriko started to wonder if this was even possible or if she was just imagining the chance at success. It made sense. Shunko was her own creation, she was arrogant enough to want to spread it across the globe even if it meant teaching inferior students like a human spiritualist. Arrogance blinded you to the truth of a situation more often then not, that was just one more thing Hahaue was trying to teach her.

“Do you think it's impossible?” she murmured inside her own head, probing into the darkness for her Inner Hollow. Kiriko had never felt beholden to another person's opinion like this before. Or at least, not in her lifetime as a Shinigami. It felt almost... like she was a child again. Asking her Mother for permission or approval. The feeling was odd, and while it would have been painful only a month beforehand now it was almost cleansing. Kiriko had always hated and loved her Mother, just like the rest of her family. It felt different with Hahaue. The Inner Hollow was incorrigible, constantly harping on things that Kiriko could never change no matter how hard she tried, and yet also a bright reminder of the possibility of goodness. Of purity. Maybe that was why she was reverting to child-like patterns, looking for endorsement on something so silly.

A chill spread down her arms, cold and soft like fresh snow. “Nothing is impossible, Kiriko. This is a good deed you are embarking on. Teach, and through teaching you will find the best qualities of yourself,” Hahaue's voice was like velvet, but lacking in the unctuous sticky feeling of Aneue's purrs. Instead of coming away discouraged by the brevity of the comments the Shinigami felt reassured. Teaching wasn't necessarily difficult, just a test on her patience. Perhaps she should consider doing this more often.

In her lapsed focus Shinoda had succeeded in pulling her reiatsu out through the pores of her body, forming hundreds of thin strands that weaved in and out around her frail body. Kiriko cocked her head, taking in the make up of the strands and their weird pattern of movement. That... was not what she had been expecting. Shinigami were more well versed at solid energy projectiles. Either a blast or a barrier depending on the person's persuasion with Kido. This... Was just plain odd. Were they tendrils or just ribbons of power?

The young girl shouldered onto her feet, showing a surprising control over her power as she went through rather interesting shades of the color red when she muttered some unflattering comparisons and yet still maintained the aura. Deciding to focus on the good rather then deign to comment on whatever it was supposed to mean that a child would equate her to thunder Kiriko didn't even shift her gaze as she launched into her next directive. “Tendrils are fine,” she spoke up austerely, unaware of the complement that nearly fell from her lips. “Can you feel them? The line's placement? How they are moving? Try to become aware of their movements, and then when you can feel all of them at once see if you can weave them together. You know how to weave right? Or braid? Wend one tendril through the others back and forth to form a solid aura. Start simple and see if you can't make a net, we will work with that.” 

WC: 655 | GP: 13 | GP Total: 108

With her usual sternness the woman continued, yet again surprising the girl. Kasumi was still desperately trying to create some sort of mental picture of the one instructing her. Cold and distant didn’t really suit the lady. If she had really been any of those she would have told the girl no and left. Perhaps she wouldn’t have even bothered with saving her from the beast, that hideous Hollow, whose eyes had been set on Kasumi, with the idea of having found its next snack. Inwardly Kasumi giggled, thinking how that meal hadn’t worked out too well for the bloodthirsty creature. So, how was Kiriko then? The way she spoke, so calm and confident, giving Kasumi the impression that she perfectly knew what she was doing. Her demeanor somehow reassured the girl. She was so.. professional! That was it! Happy about having been able to place the woman in at least one category, the girl listened to her sensei’s further directions.

Sweet! Tendrils were fine! Or whatever she had been trying to create with so much effort for the last few minutes. The threads that lazily swung and danced around the girl’s body, sometime crawling up her skin had to be combined. Trying not to get too excited about the possibility of coming closer to learning the Shinigami technique, certainly because this here were just the baby steps, Kasumi took a shakily breath. All this information and different types of orders she was getting, made her blink in confusion a few times. The problem was that it almost felt like she was having more than fifty arms at the moment. Not being used to such a feeling, the child felt her confidence slip a bit before picking it back up. Did she feel them? Hell yea! Though she wasn’t sure how they were moving.

“There are too many of them..”

It wasn’t a real complaint, and she wasn’t planning to whine about anything. Unsure about why she had said it at all, Kasumi’s eyes stared at the woman. When Kiriko continued, telling her to braid them, to intertwine them in order to form a more robust aura, Kasumi felt pleased.  All of a sudden she knew why she had told Kiriko about there being ‘too many’ tendrils. Not simply because there were, not because she wanted to nag, but because she wanted more guidance. It was a very odd thing to be aware of, certainly when the girl mostly detested any type of recommendation, even when it was necessary.

Studying her arm, she could see the silvery thread move randomly. Trying to grab a hold of forcing them to intertwine, a little frown appeared on the girl’s forehead as she stared at them. This wasn’t working, she couldn’t force them to change shapes by staring! Some of them melted together, while new thin strings were created, floating next to the girl while she tried to plait a few others. It seemed that the moment she got a grab on one specific area, the other ones danced freely. She should have practiced way more after Koudai’s departure, but it was too late now. There was no other option that working with whatever she could produce at this point. Suddenly an idea struck her. Koudai’s instructions were meant for something differently. This was another type of game entirely and different games had different rules, didn’t they? Maybe she was required to become a tabula rasa? Then she could chisel the basics into herself with Kiriko’s aid.

Rethinking all of it, Kasumi tried to pull back some of the energy that has been released. The thinner threads seemed to be absorbed by the girl’s skin, before the thicker ones became even thicker. They still reminded her of snakes, though this time they looked more like a few pythons than a bunch of skinny vipers. Well she hadn’t quite braided them, but it was the result that mattered, no? And hadn’t she wanted them to become thicker?  About to ask Kiriko something, a sudden movement near her feet made Kasumi jump to the side. Her eyes darted towards whatever had run past her and she almost slipped on the slippery surface that she herself had created previously. While doing so one of the snake-like tendrils had shot towards the ground, aiming for whatever had been there. Sucking in air, Kasumi’s mind noted that it had probably been a rat. She should stop being so jumpy and paranoid about everything. Her heart was beating quickly, but she stabilized her body and pulled back the tendril that had been reaching for a few yards away from her. A small crack could be seen in the ground where the tendril had hit it. Unsure about what had happened, Kasumi studied her arm more carefully when the energy returned to her. Turning her head, she figured that the left side of her body wasn’t covered with the silvery aura anymore. This wasn’t right; she had to get it back. Gradually she pulled out a bit more reiatsu, before allowing it to curl around her limbs again. Remembering the last few words, she concentrated a bit more, playing with the reiatsu strings till her arms were completely wrapped in a more of less dense reiatsu. The silvery glow went from her hands to her shoulders and a vague glow was spreading towards her legs.

“I’m not sure about the net.. Kiriko-san?”

She modestly asked, hoping for further instructions and patience from her teacher’s side.

[Words: 915 – GP 18 – TGP 103]

Kiriko blinked. At first, the idea of tendrils had been disheartening. Who would have imagined a human using Shunko? And even though she had convinced herself to try and teach her secret technique it was even stranger to imagine a spiritualist who didn't present in the same way all Shinigami did. Kiriko had little to no interactions with humans, let alone in such close proximity and on a subject this detailed. She had almost given up then and there, ready to tell herself that humans just couldn't do what Shinigami could. Almost.

Instead Hahaue informed her of the nature of her task, and Kiriko knew that she would have to push passed her internal superiority complex and view this as a challenge. If she really was the creator of Shunko then she should damn well better be able to teach it to anyone. To develop and revamp her creation until it could be used by the youngest neophyte who dreamed of battling Hollows. That was what it meant to be a master, and she would settle for no less. Curse the consequences and the rules.

Shinoda seemed puzzled by her last few instructions, staring flabbergasted at the tendrils as if they were separate extensions instead of part of her very own soul. That was an issue that Kiriko couldn't directly address. Until Shinoda felt her reiatsu as a part of her self there was little she could do with it. It had to come naturally, an acceptance of the spiritual force that allowed the girl to do such miraculous and abnormal things. Maybe the more they practiced the better she would feel about her reiatsu. In hind sight, this was an untrained child, and Kiriko was expecting her to react like a fully experienced Shinigami. That was likely the main problem here. The girl had never gone through anything like the Academy, her schooling amounted to meeting one previous Shinigami so far. Kiriko's expectations were tainted by never having dealt with a Shinigami below the level of a new recruit. It was time to rethink this process.

Shinoda surprised her with her ingenuity, threading several strands together to create thicker ones instead of the multitude of thin ribbons she had had before. These strands slowly coalesced, and it almost looked as if it was a solid aura – wholly skipping the net metaphor Kiriko had imagined would be easier to achieve for a child. The damage they dealt to the ground was signal enough that while Shinoda was new to controlling her aura she was certainly heading in the right direction when it came to summoning it.

“You are doing alright now. The strands are collecting together, and since they are so close together it is almost as if they are a solid force. I think that you could go forward like this if you wanted to, and it would achieve the correct result. However you need to have better control. The aura can not falter when you are surprised or tired or injured. It must endure. Focus on maintaining it entirely, on enveloping yourself in these tendrils and not letting them waver even a little bit. If you can do that you will have learned the basics of Shunko. Everything else is merely practice.” Kiriko waved her hands, her own aura burning brightly in example. All around her the purple raged, a fierce light that coated her back and sides just as adeptly as it surrounded her front. The aura rippled in the air, but never did it recede, staying at the same depth and width the whole time as she focused. 

WC: 602 | GP: 12 | Total GP: 120

The words of approval made Kasumi beam with pride, even while she tried to remain serious, her heart welled up with happiness about the little achievement. She was heading in the right direction! Feeling how the reiatsu was pleasantly burning around her, Kasumi focused. Yes, she needed to try and keep a hold on it. Obviously she wasn’t used to doing this and had to struggle with keeping it where it was. While it had previously dispersed, she had been able to quickly call it back. Now that she had an idea about what she had to do in order to extract her energy and wrap it around her body, Kasumi tried to change the shape of the silvery mass. In order to be able to control it more freely, she would need to get in touch with her reiatsu a bit more, and playing with its shaping could be an option. Allowing the threads to form a ball in her hands, she brought her palms together to create a fire like shape. It softly danced around and Kasumi smiled at it before parting her hands again, creating a string between her fingers. Somehow it felt like playing with a tough soap bubble. It could break, but if you were careful enough then it might just last for a bit longer. Seeing it tear, Kasumi studied the hanging ends before pulling them back. Her eyes shifted to Kiriko, taking in her appearance. Mesmerized the girl kept her eyes on the purple aura which coated her frame. How in the world did she do that with such ease?

She must have practiced it for a decade or something!  

The girl’s thought caused her eyebrows to move slightly, indicating that she was sinking away in deep thoughts. It weren’t only her arms that were wrapped; the woman’s torso was being protected as well. Musing about how to do the same thing, Kasumi concentrated on spreading the silvery tendrils. In a way it would be easier to make them denser when they were already where they had to be. Controlling the parts that were drifting away from her skin, the girl forced them to crawl down her chest towards her tummy. They slowly made a turn around her sides and swallowed up her back as well. Wondering how she looked like, Kasumi already had an idea that included a person being lit on fire. Now that most of her body was covered, she had lost the density she had been able to achieve just a little bit ago. Some random strings were still wavering around her, and she had to quickly and efficiently deal with those, somehow.. But how? Perhaps she could extract a bit more energy, just to try and make it more solid? Digging deeply inside of her being, she took a firm hold of the little silvery ball again and channeled more power towards the outside world. For a short moment the reiatsu got an obvious contour before that frame vanished, going back to its wavering state. With Kasumi tapping into her inner pool of energy, it simply became even wilder and less controlled. Ashamed of it, the girl stopped the extra flow and returned to her previous state of being coated in a silvery mass with the shape of a bonfire.

Unlike her miserable performance the woman’s was stable. Being a child, Kasumi was slowly starting to get fed up with her current situation. Wasn’t there another way to learn it? Her blue eyes questioningly turned to Kiriko, widening in desperation. No! She had asked for it herself, she couldn’t just give up! Stubbornly biting her lip she narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists tightly. A few times she furiously blinked with her eyes, before a certain determination settled in her eyes, banning all despair. She wouldn’t give up! Ever!

Gears were rolling as she thought and decided to try something random before closing her eyes. Keeping up the dancing aura around her, the girl started to produce more tendrils, though these ones were born inside of the already formed aura. They curled around her body, covering some areas, while leaving others with barely anything. Steadily, more and more were created, before the first layer got absorbed by them, creating a brighter and more focused glow. This whole process was rather nerve-racking. Agitated by having to do it piece by piece, adding layer by layer, Kasumi swallowed and opened her eyes. Trying to keep everything as still as possible, she took a look at her own body. It looked like a puzzle, glowing bright for the most part, though some places were vague, as if a few pieces of the puzzle were taken away, leaving small gaps. Turning her head she threw a look at her back, for as far as she could see it looked pretty much the same as her front.

“Have you taught it to many?”

The question seemed irrelevant, but it was important for the human child. And before she knew the next one rolled from her lips. When it was posed, it mostly sounded curiously, but there was more to it than simple curiosity. Hoping for the answer to be positive, the girl was inwardly beating her mind with only one word: practice.

“Was it successful?”

While she spoke with a soft voice the energy wrapped itself around her body a bit more tightly, settling down on her skin like some thick goo. Taking a few steps to the left, she turned and took a few steps back to the right. It was still there, sticking to her body like glue. With the thicker parts shifting a bit, the weaker ones were starting to disappear, forming a smooth suit of silvery energy that got a baby blue glow.

[Words: 965 – GP 19 – TGP 122]

The little girl was tenacious, a good sign in this war torn world. As soon as Kiriko left, Shinoda would once again be the target of wandering Hollow-breeds. That was until Karakura was repaired and the humans got together enough of a defense to fend off the dangers of life. There were many times when a human life was threatened and a Shinigami was not near enough to help. Too many times to count, that was one if the major ways Pluses were made. She could only hope that by helping today Kiriko was giving Shinoda the tools to survive this tumultuous phase in her city's history. The girl was young, but not lacking in talent. If she could just last a short while, things had to get better here instead of worse. The Shinigami were taking up arms, things were serious now in the war against Hollows. Shinoda had a chance whereas in a different era she might just have been a statistic, an empowered human without enough strength to protect herself. If she learned Shunko, she could at the very least create an aura that would defend her body from harm if not a powerful force to obliterate her enemies with.

Watching the girl perk up as her tendrils fused and coalesced around her body, more and more like the aura Kiriko was showing, she took a step back to take in the whole view of the younger girl. Even her sides and back were coated now with those wavering tendrils, though the thickness of the aura was questionable in some areas. The more Shinoda concentrated the better she got, showing that it was indeed possible for a human to learn this technique. As if to show that she could both talk and work at the same time, Shinoda looked up, her bright eyes connecting with Kiriko's as they brimmed with curiosity.

It hurt to look at someone like that. So young, so innocent. Kiriko tried not to think about it, tried instead to focus on the older memories that arose at Shinoda's questioning. The invention of Shunko had been a special time. Back when Kiriko was still just a Lieutenant. When she had been struggling so hard to prove herself to the world. To make a name for herself. Back when Sakamoto-san was just a supplanted Shinigami, when the two had been fast friends. Back when she had had enough free time to throw herself into research and experimentation. Those halcyon days had been so bright in retrospect, gilded with the gold of nostalgia. She hadn't appreciated them then, not really, and it was a pity that they had passed between her fingertips so quickly. Sand falling away into nothingness.

A rare smile curved at her lips, a faint expression hidden by the shadows of her purple reiatsu and fading quickly as if it had never been there. “Yes, I have taught others. Several in fact. All of them learned in the end. You are the youngest though, but even you are learning. There is nothing more I can tell you for advice, except to practice as often as possible. Shunko is an artform, but it is personal. It is your reiatsu, your energy, and you must be the one to find how it is used. How to shape your soul into a form that it enjoys and naturally takes. All of my students use Shunko differently, all of them have different auras,” she instructed softly, her eyes rising to look at the horizon. There had been nothing nearby when they had started this exercise, but the steady release of spiritual energy was a siren’s call and she could sense already a few weaker Hollows on the periphery. They sensed her too, and were holding back, wary. But the morsel of food, Shinoda, kept them nearby, waiting with slavering jaws for the chance to snap her up. When she was done here, she would take care of them before heading back to Seireitei. It was the least she could do.

Teaching Sakamoto Shunko, or more aptly, showing her Shunko, was just one reason that all of this devastation had occurred. That Karakura was in the shambles it was in today, and that people like Shinoda were forced to grow up on a new battlefield before their lives were extinguished by roving Hollows. Without the damage Sakamoto had caused with her Shunko, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Maybe the Shinigami would have defeated Tova and his invading forces. Maybe it wouldn't all be her fault. 

WC: 757 | GP: 15 | Total GP: 135

Indulging a little, the Shinigami revealed that she had taught various others. The woman’s words only made Kasumi even more determined about getting better at ‘Shunko’. Now that she knew about others being successful, the girl’s worst nightmare would be to fail at developing it further than just the basics. Her pride wouldn’t let her be the ‘failure’, the one that never got it. Being rather optimistic about it, the girl decided that, if she was the youngest one that Kiriko had taught the basics to, then she would be the youngest to master if fully as well. Having seen how it should look like, Kasumi set her mind on working hard till she would reach the woman’s level. No matter how long it would take her to get there. She had gotten the chance to see and learn such an extraordinary technique and it would be a waste of opportunity not to try and achieve a higher level. With her gaze still directed on the Shinigami, Kasumi’s eyes remained to look like two pools of excitement and curiosity that got a sincere glow when she commented.

“It’s because you’re a good sensei.”

She threw in a broad smile followed by a tiny laugh, while her eyes closed for a second. It was true! Kiriko didn’t get angry or frustrated over things that weren’t working out the way they should be. She simply instructed in an even tone, telling what needed to change in order to progress. Approving, if it was correct, and adjusting, if it wasn’t, the woman wasn’t hard to understand and quite easy to follow. While the girl had struggled with a few things, she had been able to catch up after getting an idea about what Kiriko actually meant. This would have been nearly impossible if the instructions hadn’t been this detailed. Being grateful for that, the girl inclined her head towards her teacher before speaking with respect.

“Thank you, for entrusting me with this technique.”

Looking up again, she could feel how the threads of energy kept on forming themselves around her. They did so slowly, but they didn’t cease to exist. Kasumi was doing it on purpose, trying to gain a little bit more control on her reiatsu and how to wield it. Doing various things at the same time, even if it was merely talking, could help her with that. She would need to start out small, like talking or walking. Wondering how and where she could train this ability, the girl let the topic rest for now and continued with growing excitement.

“I will practice it as often as I can! So the next time we’ll meet, we can spar!”

Truly believing that a day would come when that would be possible, Kasumi grinned. Perhaps it was wishful thinking, or a mere dream. But wasn’t that - having dreams and goals, the reason why you were pushed forth in life? To dream, to hope and to despair.. to feel. Wouldn’t life lose its taste and color if you had all you’ve ever wanted? If there was nothing to chase, nothing to gain- then life wouldn’t be life. Blinking, Kasumi tore her gaze from the Shinigami and followed the woman’s eyes towards the horizon. Was there something there? Did she have to leave now? Debating on whether to pose her the many questions she still had or not to, the girl frowned softly. Secretly she knew that the woman had her own duties that she couldn’t stay here for too long. Koudai had mentioned some of them being watched, or being called upon because they were required for some other tasks than gathering information or eradicating Hollows. While Kasumi really wanted to be selfish, she managed to push the flood of questions back and simply question the obvious.

“Is there something out there?”

Spreading her senses, she tried to feel if there was someone nearby, but didn’t seem to be able to track anyone. The first reason was that most of her concentration was still being poured into the maintaining of her ‘suit’, while another one was Kiriko’s presence next to her, aside from Kasumi’s lack of skills in that area. An idea was taking root in her mind and she tilted her head to the side. Her eyes had gotten something mischievous, burning brightly with the possibility of a ‘hunt’. It would probably be way too soon, but still. ..

“Can I help?”

Blurting it out, she knew that a no would make perfect sense. Though maybe she could watch? Then she could try and imitate the moves later on. Thinking about it, she tried to compare the quick movements she had been able to see Kiriko perform before with the things she was trying to learn in Thai box. It didn’t quite match. About to ask where she had learned to fight like that, the girl bit her lip, remembering that she had decided not to shower Kiriko with questions. Holding back her curiosity appeared to be not as easy as she had thought at first. Her habit of questioning everyone about everything that came to mind had become something automatic.

[Words: 860 – GP 17 – TGP 139]

It was odd that praise and appreciation from a tiny human soul, a person who had lived a mere handful of years and knew so little, had such an effect on her. It was rare for Kiriko to be thanked, what she did was what people expected from her. She had duties and she met each obligation to a T. And yet there were few and far between the people who didn't take that for granted. She was one of those people, expecting her own body and mind to continue to work and complete and hold up as if it was the standard instead of perfection. But what else was Kiriko if not proficient? Professional? Enduring? This was the persona she had created for herself so many years ago, as a spirit fighting to become a Shinigami. This was her life now.

She still appreciated the reminder of softer times, even if it came from a human. Kiriko's lack of experience with humans had been a sticking point for a long time. She couldn't understand them, or their advanced technological world. But having spent time with Shinoda, she saw now that they were more alike then she had imagined. Naive, less hardened and strict, but the very same beneath all of that. Human. She wasn't sure it was a good thing, to realize the similarities when it had always been so easy to write off humans as the weaker and less civilized group. The ones who needed to be rescued and controlled. The type of creature that was to be protected without ever really being informed or asked. That had been an easier stance, something most Shinigami took, but looking into those wide sincere eyes Kiriko knew it was not the correct thing.

Maybe that was what Hahaue had wanted her to learn here. It didn't change. Nothing except her guilt anyway. She could treat humans no different now then she had before. They were still cattle, meant to be guided around and saved because their end destination was Soul Society and the balance of souls. Knowing they were more then their ends... it was added burden. Just one more thing to twist on the hook for. Awareness that only weighted her down, down, into hell.

But Shinoda wasn't at fault for that. She was damned the moment she had been born, life was just like that. Her actions had only made it more obvious. Shinoda was still innocent, pure. Like Takasugi, it made Kiriko want to protect her even more. To savor that this was still possible in society – for people to be this unsullied by the horrors and darkness of life. By the choices that Kiriko was faced with every day, the choices that she would eternally and always be forced to make wrong.

“I expect it of you. I do not teach things lightly Shinoda-san. Next time we meet you will show me your improvement, do not disappoint my expectations,” she intoned adroitly, face blank even after the salvo of well-wishing from the tiny girl. The only way this little human would survive, was to specialize, to live and breath combat until one day she could protect herself against any enemy. She didn't have the luxury of training, of teachers, of an academy to prepare her. No – Shinoda would have to be a quick study because she lived on the battlefield itself, and Karakura was going to be the hunting ground of roving Hollow for a long while to come. If she could offer a stern encouragement, anything to push Shinoda that one little bit, then it was worth it all. The confusion and the tedium. The new understanding.

Gazing back up towards the skyline, she probed her senses outward, piercing the veil of space until she felt again the reiatsu of the Hollow that was lurking. It was weaker then the one she had just dispatched, but still powerful enough to injure Shinoda with ease. Even so... How was the girl supposed to learn if she didn't have supervised training? Not even a Shinigami was thrust so cruelly into a mission without adequate preparation. Kiriko did not want to endanger the girl, but it would be even more dangerous to leave her with her expectations of a fight being as easy as she had seen Kiriko's be.

Crossing her arms across her chest, she exhaled silently into the dusky night air. This was no where's near ideal, but it would have to work. “There is a Hollow-breed, one tenth of a mile to your right. I can offer you no protection, but if you are determined to help then follow me. These things you must learn if you are going to survive. Running and hiding will only last you so long.”

Kiriko stared at Shinoda, her fierce dark eyes conveying just what a dangerous situation it was that they were going to walk into. She could still back out if she was afraid. Then, with a smooth pivot, Kiriko began to walk in the direction of the Hollow, who upon sensing their movement seemed to grow antsy. It could not depart because the tantalizing scent of Shinoda was too compelling to its animal brain, even with the danger of Kiriko approaching the beast stayed in place. That was good, she didn't want to go chasing all across Karakura to exterminate this thing. Shinoda wouldn't be able to keep up like that.  

WC: 905 | GP: 18 | Total GP: 153