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Post by Ichigo Kurosaki on Apr 29, 2024 16:40:44 GMT -6
Ichigo blinked and frowned, rubbing his chin then scratching the top of his head. “Well… I know there’s a shit ton. At least ninety of ‘em. I remember Aizen using a Hado 90. Then again, I seem to remember hearing that your gramps used a 96 spell. That one that…”
Suddenly he realized what he was recalling, he waved his hands around frantically. “A-actually, nevermind! Why don’t you just tell me how many there are!” Ichigo felt his blood pressure rise with each passing second he spent with this kid.
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Post by Haku "Katsumi" Yamamoto on Apr 29, 2024 16:41:43 GMT -6
Haku gave Ichigo a somber smile and shook his head. “No, it’s okay. Ojiisan was very powerful, so it’s to be expected that we would end up talking about him.” Haku thought back to the times he had seen his grandfather perform Kido and the times he had heard about his exceptional feats of Kido.
Specifically during the winter war.
Haku gave Ichigo a stern gaze. “Ichigo-san. There are Kido spells that you must never, ever use. My ojiisan used one of these spells against Sousuke Aizen. A forbidden spell known as a Gisei Hado. Gisei Hado is a sacrificial spell. The user must sacrifice a part of their body to cast it. Ojiisan sacrificed his arm to use it against Aizen. And even then, I was told that it didn’t even finish him off. So you see…”
Haku raised a finger at Ichigo. “You can never, ever, ever use a forbidden spell! It’s just not worth it! They’re forbidden for a reason. Ojiisan did what he felt he had to do, but that was an act of the gods that pushed him to make that decision!”
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Post by Ichigo Kurosaki on Apr 29, 2024 16:43:05 GMT -6
Ichigo nodded with a reassuring smile. He reached out and patted Haku’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I promise. No forbidden spells.”
Haku nodded, returning Ichigo’s smile. “Good. And you’re right by the way. There are 99 levels of each type of spell, though some numbers have multiple. So in reality there are more than 99, but spells with the same number are considered the same level of power and difficulty to conjure.”
“I see,” Ichigo nodded. “And the incantations?”
“The incantations dictate the amount of energy you put into the spell. Spells take time to charge. The incantation gives time and boosts the concentration needed to build up that energy. Those who can use a spell without an incantation have mastered that spell and the flow of their energy into the spell. Beginner practitioners of Kido should always use an incantation. Only when using a spell with the incantation becomes second nature should you attempt to use the spell without it,” Haku explained to him.
“I see, so it’s not just a waste of time,” Ichigo admitted. He hadn’t really seen a purpose in performing an incantation. The spells he had seen with and without it had all been rather powerful. He thought maybe it was some sort of tradition.
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Post by Haku "Katsumi" Yamamoto on Apr 29, 2024 16:44:13 GMT -6
“So, do you want to try the easiest spell?” Haku smiled at him.
“Which one is that?” Ichigo asked Haku.
Haku grinned and raised his hand to Ichigo’s chest, placing his fingertips on the fabric of his shihakusho. “Hado 1: Sho.”
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Post by Ichigo Kurosaki on Apr 29, 2024 16:44:40 GMT -6
“Huh?” Ichigo looked down to see a small white ring of energy form around Haku’s fingertips, close to his chest. Suddenly Haku’s fingers left his chest, moving away quickly. He thought Haku had stepped backwards until he realized that it was him that had been quickly pushed away from Haku.
“WOAH!!” He exclaimed, grasping the air as he went flying back, tumbling head over heel until he landed flat on his back in the dirt. He groaned and pushed himself to his feet, rubbing his head. “What the hell, kid?! You couldn’t have warned me first?”
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Post by Haku "Katsumi" Yamamoto on Apr 29, 2024 16:45:49 GMT -6
Haku laughed, slapping his knee as he bent over. “You should have seen your face, Ichi-san!” He stood up straight, wiping the tears from his eyes. “Sorry. Ojiisan and Kibe-san always taught me that experience teaches far better than a textbook. I wanted to give you a demonstration.”
He walked over to Ichigo and held his hand out, helping the carrot top stand. “Ok. I’ll teach you the incantation and then you can try. This spell is really simple, so I have no doubts you’ll master it after a few tries. Every Shinigami can use this one!”
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Post by Ichigo Kurosaki on Apr 29, 2024 16:47:03 GMT -6
Ichigo sighed as he steadied himself on his feet. “A-alright. If you say so.” For the next few minutes, he memorized the incantation with Haku. It was a really short one, so there wasn’t much to memorize. He picked up on it quickly. “You sure this is gonna work? I can use it just like that?”
“No reason not to try!” Haku nodded at him with a smile. He stood back a few feet then raised his arms out at each side. “Go on. Try and push me with it! It’s not a very strong spell, so don’t hold back. Give it your all!”
Ichigo nodded and raised his hands in the manner Haku had shown him, both palms out next to each other. He couldn’t believe he was about to do this. Try and use a Kido spell. And against Yamamoto’s grandson no less. A sour ache of premonition bubbled in his stomach.
I have a bad feeling about this… but this kid knows more about Kido than I do. Alright. Here it goes!
“Winds push and tides pull. Force of gravity become my ally. Fly forth! Hado 1: Sho!”
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Post by Haku "Katsumi" Yamamoto on Apr 29, 2024 16:57:18 GMT -6
Haku braced himself and waited for Ichigo to finish the spell, grinning with anticipation. However, what he didn’t expect was the amount of force generated by the magnitude of Ichigo’s reiatsu. A pale blue ring—a very large pale blue ring—formed in front of Ichigo’s palms. It was the largest Sho ring he had seen anyone conjure. His stomach dropped when he realized the force that would be coming out of that ring. His grin fell and his eyes went wide, his jaw dropping. He raised his hand to gesture for Ichigo to stop.
“Wait--!”
Haku’s feet left the ground before he had time to react. It was like getting punched in the chest by an invisible giant. It knocked the wind from his lungs and immediately he was disoriented as he went sailing back faster than his mind could comprehend. He flew across the arena, but not much farther because on the other side was a wall that stopped his momentum quite literally like a brick wall. The wall crumbled into chunks and dust and Haku’s world was literally turned upside down as he stared up at the bright blue sky, his hair disheveled and several chunks of rock wall supporting his limp body. He grunted in pain and an effort to breath air back into his lungs. Regret hadn’t even sunk in yet as he laid there in shock.
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Post by Ichigo Kurosaki on Apr 29, 2024 16:58:09 GMT -6
Ichigo let out a shriek of horror as he watched Haku sail backwards and slam into the wall of the training grounds. He grasped two tight fistfuls of his hair and fell to his knees.
“OH GODS WHAT DID I DO?! I KILLED OLD MAN YAMA’S KID! THE GOTEI IS GONNA LOCK ME IN MUGEN!”
Quickly he jumped back to his feet and shunpo’ed over to Haku. The kid was staring out into space, his hair strewn all over the place and his training clothes covered in dust and rock. He was laying upside down on the piles of rock, his eyes glassed over. But he was breathing. Ichigo stooped down and grabbed Haku carefully underneath the shoulders, gingerly lifting him upright.
“Haku! Haku wake up! Are you okay?! Shit, shit, shit! What am I gonna do?!” He turned Haku around, the boy’s head rolling back. Out of panic, Ichigo grabbed the boy by the shoulders and shook him gently. “Please, wake up, kid! I’m too young to die like this!!!”
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Post by Haku "Katsumi" Yamamoto on Apr 29, 2024 16:59:24 GMT -6
Haku’s face twisted in pain as his head throbbed. “Urrghh,” he grabbed Ichigo’s arms. “I-I’m awake. I th-think.”
He saw Ichigo’s chest heave with relief. He looked around at his surroundings. “What… happened…”
“What happened?! What happened is I flung you into a wall!” Ichigo confessed, examining Haku for any traumatic injuries. “You said this spell was the weakest!!!”
“I… I did?” Haku blinked at him.
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Post by Ichigo Kurosaki on Apr 29, 2024 17:00:01 GMT -6
Ichigo gave Haku a concerned look. And then he saw it. A single trickle of blood slowly seeping out of his hairline and rolling down his cheek. Ichigo gasped so hard he nearly choked on his uvula. He looked around frantically, hoping to spot some sort of first aid kid.
“D-don’t worry! I’ll fix this!” He jumped up and ran off. “I’ll be back! DON’T MOVE!!!”
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Post by Haku "Katsumi" Yamamoto on Apr 29, 2024 17:00:39 GMT -6
Haku sat in a daze for a minute, looking at his hands which were scraped up from the broken rock. He looked back up at the sky, reflecting on what had happened. He really thought he could have helped Ichigo Kurosaki learn Kido. And maybe in some ways he had, but not to the level that Ichigo needed. He was just too weak and inexperienced to help someone as powerful as Ichigo Kurosaki, the substitute soul reaper.
“Sorry, Ojiisan… I tried.”
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Post by Ichigo Kurosaki on Apr 29, 2024 17:02:04 GMT -6
Ichigo ran back with a first aid kit in hand, having found it at a nurse’s station, or at least that’s what it looked like. He fell to his knees and skidded in front of Haku. “Okay! Okay. It’ll be okay. See, I got bandages here and some healing salve and—and—”
“Ichi-san…” Haku said quietly to him. Ichigo looked up at him, placing a damp cloth on his face to wipe off the blood. “Sorry…. I think… I think you should find a real teacher to teach you Kido. I’m not strong enough to teach you.”
Ichigo examined the disappointed look in Haku’s eyes. He sighed and gave the kid a gentle pat on the head. “Hey, cheer up. You taught me something. Besides. You’re Shigekuni freaking Yamamoto’s kid! One day you’re gonna be stronger than me!”
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Post by Haku "Katsumi" Yamamoto on Apr 29, 2024 17:04:39 GMT -6
Haku smiled and shook his head, wincing at the twinge of pain. “Nah. I don’t think so. You see… I’m not actually his grandson. He found me in Rukongai as a baby and raised me. I’m not his blood kin.”
He frowned and sighed as Ichigo wrapped a bandage around his head. He clenched his hands into fists on his knees. “I couldn’t even inherit his powers.”
Ichigo gave him a confused look. “What, you mean Ryujinjakka? I doubt you mean the actual zanpakuto, so I’m assuming you mean the fire part.” Ichigo noticed that the boy’s skin was cold. Ice cold. “I’m guessing yours is ice then. Ice is pretty neat too. There’s Rukia and Toshiro. I mean, Toshiro’s is a freaking dragon! How cool is that!?”
Haku smiled at Ichigo’s attempts to cheer him up. “Yeah I guess. I just… wanted something of my ojiisan.”
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Post by Ichigo Kurosaki on Apr 29, 2024 17:05:27 GMT -6
Ichigo packed up the first aid kit and gave Haku a long stare. He smiled at him. “You do have something of him.” He fist-bumped Haku’s chest near his heart.
“It’s right here. He gave you all his hopes and dreams. Everything he cares about. Everything important to him. Including you. He created the Gotei and served as its leader this entire time. Now Shunsui is the leader. But the old man made sure you respected and admired the Shinigami organization he helped build. It may not be a perfect one, but nothing ever is. So it's your job to make sure you make the Gotei even better than he left it. Even better than Shunsui will leave it. He gave you his legacy. Carry it with you, no matter what your powers are or how strong you get. Don’t ever forget that he fought to give you a better life and to protect all life. Okay?”
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