|
|
Post by Lt. Hisagi Shuuhei on Dec 18, 2014 21:58:41 GMT -6
"Time Moves Forward":(continue) Hisagi sauntered slowly into the training grounds, looking around at what was laid out before him. With his hand on Kazeshini’s hilt, he fiddled with it before slowly sliding his blade out of the sheath. He then squinted across the grounds, grumbling, “Reap, Kazeshini.” As soon as the zanpakuto transformed, he sent the windmill blade across the grounds with just a twitch of his wrist. The blade barely grazed the dummy, he then yanked hard on the chain, causing the blade to come hurdling back, cutting straight through the dummy and back in his hands. Hisagi turned quickly to throw the blade again, nailing another dummy in the chest, then yanking on the chain, causing it to head straight for another, easily beheading it. He glanced around seeing the remaining dummies, then looked down at Kazeshini, “Do we really want to know your Bankai? You’re dangerous as it is. I think I would hate your Bankai more than I hate you.” “You want to get stronger don’t you?” sneered Kazeshini in reply. The soul reaper looked up, sighing as he threw one windmill blade into the air, then throwing the other directly at a dummy, grabbing the chain then grabs the falling blade, lurching forward to throw the other. He yanked on the chain causing the first blade to stop inches from the first dummy. The windmill blade shot past Hisagi, the second it past him, he threw the second blade. Hisagi moved in a swift motion, spinning making both blades spin in unison, decapitating all the dummies in range. Hisagi smirked slightly at the sight of the dummies then shook his head, yanking the blades back into his hands. He then stood up slowly, sighing, “Kazeshini… Bankai!” A few moment passed then Kazeshini blurted out, “Well THAT worked out just fine.” “Oh will you shut up! At least I’m trying!” Hisagi growled at his zanpakuto he sighed looking across the training field once more. “I wonder how Tsukiro is doing with his evaluation in becoming captain?” Fade-- END --
|
|
|
|
Post by Sojiro Ichimaru on Dec 7, 2016 15:27:09 GMT -6
"Father and Son":
Sojiro’s mood improved after his excursion with Riku into the Rukongai. It was difficult to let whispers bother you when someone was darting from stand to stand making large gestures with loud commentary and believed that the best items would disappear in mere minutes. It had been a while since Sojiro had seen Riku haggle, too. And though exhaustion caught up to Sojiro before he had discovered something for Makino, he promised his best friend to join him again later in the week. Riku then decided to find a lucky third piece for his collection and finally dragged him into another district for food.
And so it was with a clear head that Sojiro left classes the next day and shunpo’ed towards the training grounds where some of his family had been training him. He paused at the gates of complex, the shields in place around the area making his skin tingle, and recalled the last session with both his grandfather and father. It had been trying to dodge both Benihime and Shinsou while attempting to return attacks. He gripped his zanpakuto.
But that was not why he was cautious today. Sojiro pushed the doors open.
His father was crouched on the ground facing the door opposite him with his usual grin.
“Where’s Kisuke?” Sojiro asked.
|
|
|
|
Post by Gin Ichimaru on Dec 7, 2016 15:30:06 GMT -6
Gin rose from his position and drawing Shinsou slowly from his side. “Not here,” he murmured, bright eyes turning to his son. “Probably working on a scheme or two to disrupt the peaceful little routines here, maybe even get around the 'kraken' in the problem. Nobility.” He snickered. “Now that’s not something I’d like to attempt,, but I have to admit it would be fun to see nonetheless. Don’t you think?" He tilted his head, playing with the tip of his blade. "I wonder... what would your girlfriend do then?"
Shinsou leapt out.
|
|
|
|
Post by Sojiro Ichimaru on Dec 7, 2016 15:48:13 GMT -6
Sojiro shunpo'ed to another platform in the arena and unleashed a bolt of blue lightning towards his first position - where his father had vanished. He kept his hand on his zanpakuto. "Can we put this on hold please, Dad?" he called out. "I need to ask you something."
"And what would that be?"
Sojiro whirled as the voice sounded behind him, froze time, and drew his blade, before releasing time and crossing swords with his father, hilt to hilt. "I'd prefer to discuss it without the threat of steal and pain on me," he muttered, an edge of sarcasm in his voice.
"Now when have we actually hurt you in these little games?" his father quipped, putting more pressure on their blades.
Sojiro nearly rolled his eyes. "Do you have to quote grandfather?" he retorted, adjusting his grip and freeing his blade. He cut downwards and then jumped back when his father blocked his attack. "This is important, Dad."
|
|
|
|
Post by Gin Ichimaru on Dec 9, 2016 12:17:42 GMT -6
“Regarding what?” Gin prompted, swinging his sword upwards but at a slower pace than before, listening but ready to take the session back to the front if necessary.
His son matched him with his own angled parry. “It’s about Maki… and Mom.”
A momentary frown creased Gin’s lips before he stepped back and sheathed his blade, walking to the edge of one of the platforms and crouching down again. “And what does your girlfriend have to do with your mother, Soji?”
|
|
|
|
Post by Sojiro Ichimaru on Dec 9, 2016 12:44:24 GMT -6
Sojiro hesitated and then returned his own blade to the sheathe and came to stand next to his father. He wasn’t sure if his father wanted to discuss this or not, but then again, Sojiro couldn’t take his words back. And he wanted to understand. Perhaps more than one thing.
“When did you know that you loved Mom and when did you tell her?” He paused and then continued quickly. “Did you wait because of the danger of your position? Because of Aizen and the war?”
Gin chuckled softly. “Are you saying you don’t know if you love your pretty noble lass?”
“That’s not what I said!”Sojiro interjected. “That’s not….” He turned around and ran a hand through his hair. “Answer the quesiton, Dad!”
|
|
|
|
Post by Gin Ichimaru on Dec 9, 2016 13:17:33 GMT -6
Gin’s frown returned at his son’s anxiety before looking back over the arena, still perched on the edge of their platform. “My situation was very different than your own. Why do you think it will help you?”
Sojiro sighed. “I don’t know if it will,” he admitted quietly, “but I know that it took you a long time to tell Mom even after she told you.” He paused. “Many times.”
Ignoring the sore memory he was bringing up for the moment, Gin latched onto the details his son was emphasizing. “So your little girlfriend confessed?” he inquired with a grin.
“And I didn’t,” Sojiro broke in. He turned his head. “It was close enough to one and I hurt her, but I’m not sure…” His voice trailed off.
Gin sighed to himself and rose, looking to his agitated son. “Not sure about what?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Very articulate,” Gin grinned. His son scowled and folded his arms. Gin’s mood dimmed and he walked over, setting a hand on his son’s shoulder. “You might not want to, but if you want answers, you’re going to have to be clearer on the matter at hand.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Sojiro Ichimaru on Dec 9, 2016 13:36:59 GMT -6
Sojiro growled and looked away again. “Can’t we start with you answering the questions I asked?”
Gin chuckled. “We could, but she did choose someone else.”
Sojiro’s eyes narrowed as he faced his father again. He was determined to get those answers, one way or another. He set a hand on his blade. “She loved you first.”
“No,” his father corrected, taking note of his position with a wider grin, “She was ‘in love’ with a certain ‘baby captain’ first. She just liked to annoy the hell out of your poor father for the longest time.” He waved his hand. "That's all there was to it at the time."
Sojiro took the plunge. “That’s not how Kisuke describes the relationship.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Gin Ichimaru on Dec 9, 2016 14:45:17 GMT -6
Gin’s frown returned once more before waving his hand once more. “The shopkeeper likes to embellish stories. You know that.”
“Were you in love with her then?” his son pressed. “When she wouldn’t leave you alone and wouldn’t stop trying to be your friend?”
The first spark of irritation flickered in Gin’s eyes. “I never said anything about friendship.”
Even he knew that was a lie.
He seemed to have unlocked something in his son because he had another difficult question after that. “Or was it when she defended your actions in Las Noches to the others when she freed herself?”
Gin’s eyes narrowed as he recalled that day so long ago, how he had started a new gamble just to distract Aizen from Kita long enough for him to prepare her. And how she ran off. To her boyfriend. But had accepted his volatile state afterwards — trusted that he wouldn’t harm her.
Until now.
“You said … we could start with my question.”
Gin chuckled again, at the trap he had created himself. Did he actually want to discuss this with another person and in more detail than he had with Ran that night? He wasn’t sure. But he’d already offered that choice to his son.
“If you must know, I knew I loved her before I told her, long before.”
“Then why didn’t you tell her?”
“Because she was in love with another…. and it was already the wrong time.”
“I don’t understand...”
“Part of her was already gone. That was the first time Aizen messed with her mind.”
“When exactly? When she took the pill or after?”
Gin was silent for a long time. “After…” he finally admitted. “I was too scared and sick of myself to understand it then.” He turned back to his son. “I knew I loved your mother when she begged me to stay after I beat her within an inch of her life — and enjoyed it. And I knew she deserved better.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Sojiro Ichimaru on Dec 9, 2016 18:15:54 GMT -6
It was Sojiro’s turn to fall silent after his father’s confession. And he almost didn’t ask his next question. “Would you have told her at all if I hadn’t been conceived?”
HIs father released another long breath. “There was one time I almost did, but soon after the stakes were taken to a level where even I balked at pushing the tension further.” Gin looked to him. “If you’re asking if I refrained from speaking the words because of Aizen, you would be incorrect.”
“What?” Sojiro blinked. “But you told me-”
“If I had confessed to Kita in Las Noches, the words would become another part of a game to control her. He wouldn’t take it seriously. Because of who I appeared to be.”
“But then-”
His father chuckled. “Stop and think for a moment. You know the reason you’re looking for.”
Sojiro’s eyes narrowed and he glanced down to the ground. There were three forces over his father, if he had listened closely enough. The first one was the reason his father would always be an outcast and doubted. Sousuke Aizen. The man who’d become his master in the name of vengeance. The man who had shaped him. Then there was Kisuke. The man he followed now who saved his life and who had extracted a new vow from him in the second war. Who sent him back to the darkness to protect…
Sojiro looked back up. “You did it for her? For Mom?” he asked.
|
|
|
|
Post by Gin Ichimaru on Dec 9, 2016 19:40:50 GMT -6
Gin nodded. “I did.” He turned around and started walking away from his son, mind on the past, what he had won… and what he had lost. “For a long time, everything I have done has been for your mother. And that… hasn’t changed.”
“What? You mean the argument?”
Gin’s eyes narrowed over his shoulder towards his son. “I’m not discussing that.”
That didn’t deter Sojiro for long, and in a few moments, his son found another point to emphasize. “But she wanted to hear the words before that day she fell from the ladder. Didn’t she?”
Gin faced forwards once more. “Your mother wanted many things.”
“Then why didn’t you tell her? It doesn’t make sense!”
Gin whirled and a cut opened on Sojiro’s cheek. From the edge of Shinsou. “Don’t. Let your guard down because of your emotions. They’re a tool to sharpen your focus. Not the other way around.” Sojiro wiped at the blood on his cheek, and Gin lowered his blade. “The moment your emotions control your blade is the moment you will lose not only to Aizen but more than a couple of his followers.”
He halted and then continued a moment later. “Your mother slipped into that condition because of the feelings already inside her on my behalf. I nearly lost her many times, and they were because of the path she was putting herself on just as many times as they were because of a punishment or torture. That moment at the shop was the only moment where I realized she wasn’t in danger of any of that pressure. Love…. may be a beacon, but it can be a burden, too. We survived as long as we did because I refused to change the balance of pet and master.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Sojiro Ichimaru on Dec 10, 2016 18:24:51 GMT -6
Sojiro was silent once more, considering his father’s words and weighing them with the present situation with his mother. She had Kadaj and now both Kadaj and he were about to have more siblings. Also, there was the terrible fight in Karakura where his mother had even accused Kisuke of cloning Gin to get her to stay. He once again recalled the shocking dark wave of power in his mom’s eyes when she believed Seto to be gone. And how close she had taken herself to death to bring back his father. Both were terrifying moments. And as horrible both experiences had been for him. There was no doubt that there were even worse moments in both of his parents’ minds. “I think I understand a little more why you didn’t approach her after the wedding.” Gin’s eyes narrowed with an undefined emotion before sliding Shinsou back into his sheath. “It’s your turn now.” He grinned suddenly. “What are you so unsure of? Really?” Sojiro’s own eyes narrowed, a bit peeved at his father’s switch but more because he recalled why he had started down this road of questions. He sighed and rubbed the drying blood between his fingers from the cut on his cheek. “Aizen threatened her — because I was smitten with her. He didn’t have to. He could have only threatened, mother, the kids, and the Academy.” “He could,” his father acknowledged. “But you’re not me. You’re my blood, but you were embraced by your family in the beginning. And anywhere you turned, you were not alone.” His father looked upwards. “Until you were thrown into Las Noches.” Sojiro frowned. “I don’t want anything like what I witnessed there to happen again. That’s why I entered the Academy and that’s why I stayed a third year. I wanted to help them. I wanted-”Gin chuckled. “You’re so much like your mother.” His father turned back to Sojiro and tilted his head. “Then again, your narrow focus is more like me.” Sojiro blinked and his father laughed again. “Name your most important people, Soji, you’ll see what I mean.” He turned around. “Where are you going?” “Back to the current job our crazy commander has seen fit to give me.” His father cocked his head back towards him. “I think mercy is the name of the game today so you can focus on what matters. And understand yourself.” Sojiro stared at the spot from where his father shunpo’ed away. Was the answer that obvious? He looked to his hands. And then blinked quickly. Was that really it? But then, it would explain why he didn’t see Riku’s crush on him, either. Sojiro clenched his hands and started his own walk out of the arena. -- END RP -- "Evening with Friends":
|
|
|
|
Post by Haku "Katsumi" Yamamoto on Apr 29, 2024 16:36:17 GMT -6
"Fragile! This Side Up!": (Continued) Haku was over the moon. Not only did he get to meet Ichigo Kurosaki, but the carrot top soul reaper had asked him for help with Kido.
This is so cool! Everyone is gonna know that I taught Ichigo Kurosaki how to use Kido!
He beamed with pride as he led Ichigo into the training grounds. Thankfully no one was there yet and the Kido practice range was empty. The two of them walked into the Kido range which was a combination of target practice and an open area for one on one practice. Haku led Ichigo over to the open area, the two of them stood in the middle of the arena.
“Okay, so we’ll start with the basics,” Haku smiled at him, crossing his arms. “But first, what do you know about Kido?”
|
|
|
|
Post by Ichigo Kurosaki on Apr 29, 2024 16:39:04 GMT -6
“Well,” Ichigo sighed and put a hand on his chin. “I know that there’s three different kinds. Offensive, defensive, and healing arts. And spells have incantations, but not everyone uses them.”
He looked at Haku. “I’m pretty sure they’re called Hado, Bakudo, and… I don’t actually know what the healing arts are called.”
Haku nodded and raised a finger. “Healing arts are called Kaido! But unlike Hado and Bakudo, Kaido doesn’t have any specific spell names or numbers. So I guess you could say there’s only one Kaido, and that’s using your own spiritual energy to heal someone else. I know you were interested in this specifically, so we’ll be sure to practice this at least once today.”
“You saying one of us is gonna get hurt today?” Ichigo gave a weary chuckle, rubbing his brow as he felt tension build into a headache.
|
|
|
|
Post by Haku "Katsumi" Yamamoto on Apr 29, 2024 16:40:04 GMT -6
Haku chuckled and shrugged, raising his hands. “That’s just how Kido goes sometimes. It’s dangerous, just like any Soul Reaper discipline. But Shinigami have to accept the danger that comes with the discipline. We accept those risks so that we can protect what needs to be protected.”
Ichigo took in Haku’s words, the boy’s philosophy striking a cord within him. Maybe he wasn’t going to be such a bad teacher after all. He smiled at Haku and nodded. “Alright then, Haku-sensei. What else is there to know?”
Haku grinned at Ichigo’s use of the word “sensei” and placed his hands on his hips. “Right! So next, do you know how many spells there are in Hado and Bakudo?”
|
|
