A Step Into the Spiritual World (Group.R/Closed, Sinclair)

Sinclair wondered though the forest, as his stomach growled, "I'm so hungry Miyuki!" he said in frustration. The path he walked on was old and worn away, as if it hadn't been used in a long time. The nature that surrounded him was in contrast with his pinstriped suit and fedora, yet they seemed to complement each other, bring the best in both. "Then you should eat" Replied a soft voice, that belonged to Miyuki, "Hmm....You have point there" Sinclair stopping to ponder the effects if he did eat, "Of course I have a point" Miyuki said, a bit annoyed, as if this happens all the time, which it dose. "Either way it's a place to be" Sinclair said looking around at the scenery, as a soft wind blew, "If you like that sort of thing" Miyuki said a gloomy. Sinclair just smiled, "Lighten u-" He stopped mid sentence as he saw a young girl, "Hello" he said softly to himself, "Here we go" Miyuki breathed, as he rolled her eyes.

Sinclair made his way over to her, and gently lifted her head, "Why hello there" he said softly, "You seem to be in trouble, May I be of some assistance?" he asked as he gave a reassuring smile. A small glint of light could be seen form a corner of Sinclair's mouth, It was his black steel toothpick. "I'm sure she wants to be alone" Miyuki said in a sad tone "Let's move on". Sinclair stood up, "Don't be so rude Miyuki" Sinclair said, with a bit of anger. Miyuki just pouted.

Then Sinclair spotted her katana, and her robes, "A student are we? The Academy perhaps?" he said softly to himself. He then took of his hat, to revile his pale blond hair, that fluttered in the wind. "I'm not a a betting man, but you can't seem to find you way, I can help you there" He said proudly "I'm heading there if you wish to join me" He then looks around carefully, "I'm sure it's this way" he said softly, trying to think of the way there. "What?! You mean to tell me that you don't were your going?!" Miyuki said in disbelief, Sinclair sweatdropped "I thought this might be a short cut" he said with a small smile, as he scratched the back of his head, "we''l find our back" Sinclair said confidently. Then looked back to Kumiko, and noticed her cuts on her arm, "Here I can help" He said before she could respond.

Sinclair stepped back, and pulled out his toothpick, and tossed it in the air, "Miyuki, would you kindly?" he asked, Miyuki just sighed, "Fine", as the toothpick spin in the air, it gave off a dull blue light, and transformed into a sleek, black steel katana, that had no guard, and almost looked like single piece of metal. Sinclair then bring it over to her arm, "It worn't hurt a bit, promise" he said in soft tone. As he spoke a stream of pale blue light flowed form the blade on to Kumiko cuts, and almost instantly hardened the cuts. As soon it was done Sinclair pulled the blade back, and tossed it back in the air, and transformed back in to the toothpick, which Sinclair caught in his mouth. "See as good as new" he said with a up beat tone.

Sinclair then took her hand gently, "My name is Sinclair, just Sinclair, will you tell me your?" he asked in a kind tone, and he gave a warm smile .....Another person I must protect..... Sinclair thought

(Just so you know, Miyuki is in Sinclair's inner world, and I thought it would be cool to include her in my posts)


Total words: 598
GP: 11
total: 11

Kumiko rested her head on her arms and closed her eyes, figuring that if she stayed motionless like this long enough, than her impatient zanpakutou would get sick of it and offer her some advice. It didn’t take long for the zanpakutou spirit who called herself Tsuta Tsuru to make herself known, but not for the reasons her wielder was expecting. The young girl jumped at the loud voice ringing in her ears as Tsuta Tsuru spoke. Her voice was uncharacteristically solemn and she fell silent again after one sentence.

“Be nice to this man – he’s a powerful shinigami.”

Her wielder opened her eyes and blinked in a confused manner, having no idea what her zanpakutou was talking about. Her question was soon answered though, as someone’s hand tilted her head up. The person – a tall man with blond hair and blue eyes – offered her a polite greeting and asked her if she need help. Offering the man a polite smile Kumiko was about to respond no, but her words soon died in her throat. Even with her limited abilities she could notice the reiatsu coming from this man – he was no ordinary Rukongai citizen. Tsuta Tsuru’s earlier words hit her like a brick as she realized that this must be the shinigami her zanpakutou was talking about.

Blinking owlishly, Kumiko tried to form an adequate reply in her head. The man spoke quickly, and before she had the chance to say anything he noticed her cuts and in a flash took his…toothpick? Out. Kumiko felt confused, until she saw the thing transform into a rather scary-looking katana in the mid-air. “Holy-!” Her green eyes widened and she quickly paled, a weird cross between a yelp and a whimper escaping from her lips. Despite of the man’s assurances it took all her self-control not to bolt right there and then. Instead she only flinched a little as the metal touched her skin.

Her cuts began to close right away, and in a matter of second there was nothing left. Kumiko stared at her arm with wide eyes then cautiously prodded where the cut had been seconds ago. There was nothing left. “Wow…” she breathed in amazement, and looked back at the man. Tsuta Tsuru was right, he really must be a shinigami then, she thought. “T-thank you, Sinclair-san! I…I’m Kumiko Kirkland,” scrambling to her feet the young girl bowed formally, her posture stiff and nervous. A shinigami, oh a shinigami! She simply must make a good impression. “T-that was amazing, thank you for helping me, sir.”

“To…to answer your question earlier, I’m…trying to make my way to the Academy. I’m not yet a student, but I hope to join this term. However, I seem to have gotten…lost…” at this, Kumiko hanged her head in embarrassment. She then paused, remembering the man’s offer. He seemed nice enough and she needed help anyways…why not take advantage of it? “If…if you are heading towards the Academy and if it’s not too much trouble, may I accompany you? I fear that I’ll probably never get there on my own.”

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Words: 505
GP Earned: 10
Total GP: 20

Sinclair smiled to her response, "It would be my honor to guide though this forest, Miss Kumiko Kirkland. And there's no need to be so formal, just call me Sinclair" he said kindly, taking a step back. Sinclair knew that she was no were as powerful as he was, he could tell by her reiatsu and he decided to help as much as possible. He then turned to look at his surroundings, and a small path could be seen though the thick bushes, The hadn't seen anyway in a long time. "We head that way" h said pointing to the small path, "It's not too far form here" he said confidently. Miyuki said, in a flat tone "I thought you didn't know the way". Sinclair gave a small grin "I don't" he replied, Miyuki fell over dumbstruck, Sinclair gave a soft laugh, "Today is gunna be a good day" he said, turning back to Kumiko.

Sinclair straightened his suit, and fedora, and was headed to the academy, then suddenly stopped and turned back to Kumiko, "Before I forget I have someone I want you meet"he said with a smile. Once again Sinclair took out his toothpick and tossed it the air, and after the dull bule light, it transformed into a little girl, who looked about 11 ish. With dark blue hair, and matching eyes, and wearing simples cloths, and having a strange cloud over head that lighlty snowed on her, she seemed the complete opposite to Sinclair. This was Miyuki. "Kumiko this is Miyuki, Miyuki this is Kumiko" Sinclair said happily.

Miyuki quickly ran and hid behind Sinclair's leg, holding to it tightly and watching Kumiko closely, as he she was about to attack or something, Sinclair gave a soft laugh. "Miyuki, be polite, say hello" says Sinclair says softly as he knees to her level, Miyuki just gives a small nod. "Miyuki here is my zanpakutou spirit, I look after her and she looks after me" Sinclair explained, "But before we continue, you said you haven't actually started school yet, how about I give you a special lesson. Here and now. Who knows knows, could be fun" Sinclair said grinning, he had something special in mind.

Words: 368
GP: 7
Total: 18

With a small smile Kumiko quickly shouldered her little bag, picked up her zanpakutou and hurried after Sinclair. Finally, it seemed as if Lady Luck was on her side. With a shinigami as a guild she was confident she’ll make it there in order to join the next batch of freshmen on time. Maybe she’ll even learn a thing or two along the way. Kumiko ignored the fact that Sinclair was heading for a path that was covered with weeds, loose rocks and looked rather abandoned – after all, he was a shinigami, and shinigamis should know their way around.

“Someone to…meet…?” Kumiko’s words died in her throat as the toothpick-thing transformed again, this time into a little girl with blue hair tied in pigtails. She listened carefully to Sinclair’s explanation, green eyes wide as she studied the little zanpakutou spirit. This “Miyuki” spirit was so…different from Tsuta Tsuru. The two looked around the same age, but the difference was that Tsuta Tsuru was always ridiculously happy and hyper, while Miyuki seemed more shy and reserved – and was probably more mature and serious as well. Kumiko found herself wishing that Tsuta Tsuru was more like Miyuki. What she wouldn’t give for a more mature partner…

“Wahhh, you're a big meanie! I’m not ever going to show you shikai if you like that one better!" Tsuta Tsuru wailed in her head, pointing an imaginary finger accusingly at Miyuki from inside Kumiko’s mindscape. Her wielder simply ignored her, as she is use to her zanpakutou's random, moddy outbursts. Tsuta Tsuru usually forgets small disagreements like this in no time, anyways.

Kumiko’s eyes lit up with eager excitement at Sinclair’s offer, but she kept her composure and just gave a polite nod and smile instead. It would definitely work to her advantage to learn something before heading to the academy – that would probably make sure she wouldn’t fail the entrance exam. “I would appreciate that, Sinclair…san…” she couldn’t resist adding the polite suffix. It didn’t feel proper to address a shinigami without it. She decided to give Sinclair some background information about her abilities as well – it would be hard for him to teach her anything without any knowledge after all.

“I know my zanpakutou’s name, but she’s yet to show me my shikai and I can’t…make her appear like you did,” Kumiko began. “Her name is Tsuta Tsuru and I’ve went through some basic swordsmanship training with her in my inner world, but that’s about it.”

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Word Count: 413
GP Earned: 8
Total GP: 28

Sinclair's face lit up with bright smile, "Great! You won't need your shikai, however if you can pass my lesson, i'll tell you a way to acquire your shikai" Sinclair says, ...That will keep her motivated.... he thought "you say you a bit of sword play, let's focus on that" With those words he raised his hands, and Miyuki transformed but in to the the sleek, black steel katana. It reflected the sun's shine bring out the best qualities in the katana. In the light, it looked both beautiful and dangerous, defiantly something you don't want to miss with. Sinclair swung the blade down, by his side, and several seconds later, the trees that were in the the blade, were cut in half. A loud 'crash' could be heard, as the trees fell to the ground. Sinclair grinned.

......A lazy man, is trying to teach swordplay? This will be good.... Thought Miyuki. The two were complete opposites, One was a master, in a pinstriped suit. The other was a young student, who hasn't even started school, and the day was only beginning. A soft wind blew though the up right trees, and almost blew of Sinclair's hat, but he place his hand on his head to stop it. He waited until she was ready to hear the lesson.

"All you have to do is cut me, then I'll tell you a way to gain shikai. Be warned, it won't be easy" He said as he watched her, waiting for her to make a move. "So hit me with everything you've got" Sinclair said, as me smirked:

Words: 266
GP: 5
Total: 23

A plan was already forming in her head at Sinclair's proposal. It sounded like a advantageous match - if she somehow passed, then she would know how to gain shikai. This would give her a huge edge over most other academy students - something she would surely need. With a sharp nod of her head Kumiko sealed their agreement. This time, when Sinclair's toothpick transformed into the familiar black blade that spun gracefully in the air, and Kumiko followed every one of its movements with narrowed, calculating eyes.

A single slash sent a group of trees crashing down, but Kumiko barely flinched at the terrifying display of power. She knew she had to focus now - it was obvious that Sinclair didn't even put an effort into that strike and still the trees fell. Kumiko knew she had to be careful and plan out her strikes if she wanted a chance. She was light her on feet and speedy, but that was all - with the extremely basic training she had Kumiko knew her swordplay would be average at best by Academy Standards. Tossing her pack onto a rock a few feet away, she grasped the sheath of her katana.

The blade slid out soundlessly, the spotless metal shining under the sun. Throwing her sheath to the side, she grasped the katana with both hands and tried to mentally calculate the amount of steps it would take her to get to Sinclair. It would most likely take her five steps - the time estimate varied, but even in worse case scenario it would not go past one full second. With a small frown she looked down at her blade, then bit her lip and released one hand. Awkwardly, she adjusted her grip into a variety of positions, trying to find the one that would give her the most advantage. Finally she decided to hold it in her right hand in a slightly slanted-vertical way. Looking up at Sinclair Kumiko gave him a apologetic smile for taking so long.

Then she was gone, lunging forwards and closing the distance between them in a heartbeat. The blade of her katana whipped fowards in a well-aimed slash towards Sinclair's chest. Then, as quickly as it was extended the zanpakutou was pulled back into a basic defensive position, ready to deflect a counter-attack. If there was ever anything remarkable about Kumiko's combat abilities before they was not trained by the Shinigami Academy, it was her speed. The little girl was agile and graceful with her movements, moving at a speed even faster than many seasoned shinigamis - provided that they don't use shunpo, of course. Unfortunately, the flash step was a technique that Kumiko hasn't even heard of yet, let alone use.

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Word Count: 458
GP Earned: 9
Total GP: 37
Stamina: 49/50 (-1 for battle drain)

Sinclair watched her closely, and waited, he was no rush to be any where. To be honest he was rather enjoying the feeling that one day that she might surpass him. "Focus!" Miyuki shouted in his ear, and nearly scared him half to death. "Your right" he said softly. If he didn't focus the lesson would be over shortly, and that would be no fun, and Kumiko won't have learnt anything.

And at that point Sinclair's eyes narrowed, closely watched her every movement, and the gestures did made, even if she didn't mean to show them. Then after a small smile, Kumiko attacked. The attack was much faster then he expected, it seemed as if she was on the same level as Sinclair, in terms of speed. Sinclair was impressed, her speed was something to marveled at. But speed is rather useless if one knows what's going to happen. And with a smug smile Sinclair jumped back, Kumiko's blade narrowly missing chest. The margin of error was only a few centimeters. "That was close" Miyuki breathed, "Yer, I know" Sinclair said softly to her.

"Your just as fast I am, and I marvel at you for being able to achieve these speeds at such a young age. But you lack hiding your emotions, Just a moment ago you were weighing up your strengths, and how you would use that to your advantage." Sinclair said "It's written all over face and your body, the way you hold your sword, your stance. You have to learn to control body in any situation, Kinda like an actor. Show your enemy a false opening, and strike at the opening you just made" Sinclair said, as he gripped his sword tighter, "Now it's my turn" He said with a grin. He took at the speed that Kumiko showed him.....Could she keep up with her own speed?.... Sinclair thought

Sinclair held Miyuki in his right hand, and with a bust of speed, he aimed a strike at her chest. Sinclair didn't use all his power, used as much as she had. Then something caught his eye, "She's in a defensive stance" Miyuki Said, "Well she's has skill" he replied, as he made his attack. He then moved back, only a few meters away form Kumiko, and Sinclair was ready for her next strike.

Words: 387
GP: 7
Total: 30

Dammit, he was smiling.

The moment Sinclair smiled, Kumiko knew that her attack was going to miss. She tried to halt her attack and try another one, but the momentum was too great and she had to go through with the attack that was surely going to fail. Just as she expected, the man jumped back without missing a beat and her slash missing by mere centimeters. Green eyes widened as the missed attack threw her center of balance off, and Kumiko stumbled a bit before regaining her footing. She listened as he praised her speed, and made a mental note not to make her intentions so obvious next time.

Fortunately she was already in defensive position when Sinclair made his move - moving every bit as quickly as her - or her little loss of balance wouldn't've given her enough time to block properly. Common sense told Kumiko that Sinclair was holding back a lot, and he seemed to have purposely adjusted his strike so that the strength behind it was equal to hers. Nevertheless, blocking wasn’t exactly her area of expertise and Kumiko was pushed back a step. I wish I knew other shinigami stuff. They can do magic, can’t they? If I can do that this will be so much easier, Kumiko thought.

Now the question was what to do next. Kumiko wasn't trained in other shinigami arts, so her only approach was old-fashioned melee combat. But no ordinary move would work on an experienced shinigami like Sinclair, so Kumiko knew she would have to be creative, just to have a chance at catching her opponent off-guard. Looking around, she saw the sheath of her sword that she had thrown away earlier. After brief consideration she shrugged and picked it up, holding it in her left hand – it was made of pretty firm material, so it might come in handy later. Taking his earlier advice into account, Kumiko did her best not to give anything away. This time only warning she gave off was a brief narrowing of the eyes before she took off again.

She sprinted towards her opponent. When she got close enough to be able to cover the distance in a heartbeat, but far enough to hopefully surprise Sinclair, Kumiko pulled her arm back and threw her sheath like some sort of odd lance. Her aim was good and the scabbard soared through the air towards Sinclair’s right shoulder, with its owner right behind it. Sinclair would surely deflect the sheath, and although Kumiko hoped that it would land close enough for her to grab it quickly it held little importance right now. What mattered was the follow-through – lunging forwards she slashed at Sinclair again, hoping that the momentary distraction would grant her a lucky hit.

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Word Count: 462
GP Earned: 9
Total GP: 46
Stamina: 48/50 (-1 for battle drain)

Sinclair watched as she blocked his attack, but Kumkio was pushed back, but he expected that. "Good you able to defend as well as attack, that will be of great use to you" Sinclair said to Kumiko, as he shifted his weight back into a defensive position. Then he watched her pick up her sheath, "A sheath?..." Sinclair said to himself, then shrugged, if she thinks she can use to that win, then Sinclair didn't mind. "Kumiko will try to catch you off guard" Miyuki said quietly in his ear. "Yer, and she'll do it with her sheath" Sinclair replied, as he watched Kumiko closely.

As Sinclair watched her, he noticed something was different about her. His eyes narrowed as he tried to pinpoint it, then suddenly it hit. He could see any gestures, Kumiko was hiding her true intentions. Sinclair gave a small smile, "Your learning" he said softly, as he straighted his hat. This both good and bad, It's good that she's learning and improving, but bad could Sinclair could no longer read her.... She might actual get me... Sinclair thought. Then something caught his eye. It was the sight of a sheath flying to towards him.

Sinclair could see the sheath coming a mile away, and he moved his right foot back, and that half of his body turn to face on to Kumiko. The sheath passed by him and hit a rock behind him. Sinclair watched it carefully, it hit the ground, "No tricks?" he said to himself, then a voice shouted, "Focus!" Miyuki yelled. Sinclair's eyes darted back to Kumiko, who was close. To close to block, or avoid. In a split second Kumiko now stood behind him. Sinclair stayed motionless for a second, and these soft words could be heard form his lips, "Well done". At the moment as large cut appeared on his mid section. Kumiko passed.

A small amount of blood stared to dribble from the cut, but Sinclair payed not attention to it, he had worse. He turned to Kumiko, "Congratulations, you pass" he said with a smile. Sinclair was happy for her. "You could have dodged it if you wanted to, or used your ability" Miyuki whispered, "I could have, but she won't gain the confidence, or skill of winner her first battle, and that's important" Sinclair whispered back. Miyuki smiled, "Yer I guess your right. and Sinclair....your a good person" Miyuki said softly. Sinclair just nodded as he walked over to the victor.

Words: 414
GP: 8
Total: 38

He was smiling, straightening his hat, and then...dodging. Just as she expected. Kumiko's eyes narrowed in concentration as she slashed down, silently chanting a improvised prayer for luck inside her head. There was a small resistance as her blade met flesh, and the shining blade of Tsuta Tsuru tasted real blood for the first time since she's appeared to Kumiko months ago. Kumiko's green eyes widened in surprise - she hadn't expected for her to actually hit, but it was...good. The feeling of success felt wonderful, giving her an oddly giddy feeling.

"Well done."

She stepped back and grabbed her sheath, a small smile appearing on her delicate features. "Thank you, Sinclair-san." It felt good to have passed the shinigami's test, to...sort-of won her first battle. It was a mock battle, and Sinclair was without a doubt holding back a lot and she only had to get a cut in, but still, she had won. Perhaps...perhaps becoming a shinigami wouldn't be as horrible as she feared sometimes. "Thank you," she repeated. "I think I've learnt my first pre-shinigami lesson already," she smiled, refering to how she learnt not to show her emotions so much.

He began to walk over, and Kumiko felt excitement flare up within her. Shikai. Such an interesting thing Tsuta Tsuru often told her about, but never showed her (always saying that she wasn't ready for such a thing yet). It seemed as if today was indeed a lucky day - she's met a kind shinigami that would not only guild her to shinigami academy, but also give her tips on battle. I should thank Lady Luck, if such a thing existed, Kumiko thought.

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Word Count: 356
GP Earned: 7
Total GP: 53