AN: Hi guys! Another chapter to compensate for the loooonnng wait in posting...I'm posting a poll, so please vote by going on my profile!

Oh, and in this chapter, Sayuri finally gets her Zanpakuto :D But it has a really crappy name...if you have better ideas, I'm willing to change the name. Thanks! :)

Chapter 7

The next day, I woke up a few minutes before the daily alarm bell rang and took a longer shower before dressing into my clothes, which had been laundered mysteriously and lay folded in the bathroom. I buckled on my belt and Zanpakuto with pride. Recollection of the previous day's events—especially when Jushiro carried me—embarrassed me greatly.

Alex and I ate a quick breakfast and went to our classroom. General education was boring, and I felt like taking a nap (as did a lot of other students) but didn't, of course.

Soifon was no less demanding than she had been the day before, but it wasn't as tiring as before. Jushiro was pleased with the progress of our flash step, and Alex, Roka, and I were complimented on our improvement. Momo taught us a few more Kido spells, and everyone was excited for the Zanjutsu class, which was popular especially among the boys.

After some form practice with the wooden swords, Captain Hitsugaya led us outside again to meditate and try to manifest an Asauchi. I had already done so, so I asked him what I should do.

He pondered this for a while, and then led me aside. "Since you already have your Zanpakuto, I will help you learn its name and teach you Zanjutsu with our Zanpakuto. Draw your sword."

I drew it and he did so as well. His Hyorinmaru was beautiful, the steel blade shining under the sun. Somehow the steel looked cold, icy, and vibrant. I then understood that even when sealed, Zanpakuto were never just inanimate swords, but were always alive.

"Wait a minute, I need to talk to the class. Everyone, please note that since Sayuri already has her Zanpakuto, I will be training her during this hour on the other side of this ground. If you have any questions, that is where you will find me."

"Yes sir!"

He led me to the other side of the long training ground. For thirty minutes, he showed me the Zanjutsu forms and adjusted my posture and grip, training me against his own Zanpakuto. Then he told me to combine two forms and use them against him. Then three, and four, and finally he let me try sparring against him. Sweat broke out on my forehead, back, and chest, and my glasses got smudged.

"You are making good progress. Take a break for a few minutes."

I gladly sat down, already panting. Toshiro didn't look tired at all, so I guess that says something about the physical strength of a captain as well. Then I came up with a question suddenly.

"Captain, I noticed that I don't feel hungry or thirsty, and though I eat the food provided, I think I don't really need or want it. Is there something wrong with me?"

He looked at me keenly, then said, "Normally, Soul Reapers only need to eat after using great amounts of their spiritual energy, and since students have not fully developed their powers yet, they are required to eat to replenish their energy every day. If you do not feel hungry at all, then you probably have a very high level of spritual energy.

I have a suggestion. Sometime later, why don't you visit Captain Kurotsuchi and ask him to improve your eyesight so that you do not need to wear glasses? Glasses are somewhat an inconvenience, and I am sure he would at least be able to help."

I frowned at the mention of the mad scientist's name, and already started feeling discomfort. If he was so creepy in the anime, how creepy would he be in person?

Toshiro noticed my discomfort and reassured me, saying, "Don't worry, I'll send someone to go with you. I'll personally make sure nothing bad happens."

"Okay...in that case, do you think I could go today, Captain?" I asked. Glasses did protect my eyes, but they were a nuisance most of the time and made me look super geeky. Besides, I would be practically defenseless without them if I was fighting and they fell off or shattered.

He looked at me, considered my request for a few seconds, and then said, "The only person I know who would be available after classes are finished today is Lieutenant Hisagi. I will let him know and tell him to go with you after your last class today."

"Okay, thanks, Captain!"

Then Toshiro said that he would help me learn the name of my sword.

"Enter your inner world. Overcome your doubts and have courage to learn the name of your Zanpakuto. Try it now."

I closed my eyes and entered my inner world. I saw again the two who were my Zanpakuto.

"What is your name?"

They looked at me and said, "We see you have stopped blocking us out. But you must learn something before we tell you our name."

"Learn what?"

Toshiro closely observed the young girl. She was obviously conversing with her Zanpakuto, but he was feeling some weird spiritual energy. Her Zanpakuto was...changing? No, it wasn't that. He looked at her Zanpakuto and his eyes widened. It's gone! Why did her Zanpakuto disappear?

I shook my head and came back to the outside world. I noticed Toshiro looking at me strangely, and I laughed. "It worked!"

He stared at me bemusedly. "What worked?"

"My Zanpakuto said they wouldn't tell me their name unless I learned the abilities it had in its sealed form."

"Your Zanpakuto has special abilities when sealed?"

"Yeah! One is just that when my Zanpakuto is sealed, it's normal state is to be invisible. You know the Bakudo that allows you to become invisible and hides your spiritual energy? Well, my Zanpakuto does that normally. I can consciously make it visible if I want. Like this."

I held my hand over the invisible hilt and focused. My sword and saya materialized under my hand.

"Very interesting! Do you have any other abilities?"

"Yes, if I focus on combining the invisibility of my Zanpakuto with the reiatsu of myself or anyone around me, I can turn that person invisible. I can do it with objects but it's harder."

I smiled as I recalled what how my Zanpakuto had taught and explained the technique to me. "Trying to turn objects invisible is as hard as getting Soifon and her lieutenant to get along for a day without arguing."

"Show me."

I focused the barrier of invisibility around my Zanpakuto and extended and merged with my reiatsu. I apparently turned invisible, because Toshiro looked surprised. I turned visible again and he looked impressed.

"I have one more ability."

"Oh?"

"It requires that I touch your skin."

He raised an eyebrow, then extended a hand. I lightly touched a fingertip to the top of his hand and concentrated. Can you hear me?

His eyes widened and he stepped back. "What was that?"

"I can talk by our minds without saying anything out loud. I can also read a person's mind and see if they are, for instance, telling the truth. It requires that I have skin contact, though."

"So I take it your Zanpakuto is a Kido-type?"

"Well, my Zanpakuto were kind of cryptic about it. They said the invisibility technique wasn't Kido but was their own. Then they just forced me out of their world."

"I see. Why don't you try asking your Zanpakuto for its name now that you have learned its sealed abilities?"

"Do we have enough time?"

"Well, we have 15 minutes left."

"All right, let me try."

I sunk back into my strangely comforting inner world and walked up to my Zanpakuto spirits.

"So you have learned to use our abilities."

"Yes."

"Do you now wish to learn our name?"

"Of course!"

"Very well."

I was suddenly in the outside world again, but felt both of them standing next to me.

"What are you doing?"

"Draw your sword."

Toshiro realized she was talking to her Zanpakuto and, not knowing how powerful her shikai form would be, he quickly created a large Kido shield around himself and in front of the other students. Though there were already extremely powerful protective shields around the buildings, he knew it was always better to be safe then sorry.

The woman spoke. "Now open your eyes. Keep your courage firm! Don't waver. Keep your resolve. If you wish you learn our name, you cannot turn back."

The man said, "Are your ready? Prepare yourself."

I steadied my stance, gripping the sword hilt tightly with both hands and pointing the blade up at the sky.

"We have three shikai releases. You can use them one at a time or all at the same time. We will teach you all of them later, but know our first release."

"Now release us!"

I shouted as loud as I could, "Declare the wrath of the stormy skies, Shinku no Yuri!"

I felt a giant, huge surge of power and energy in me, and felt my sword almost pull out of my hand. My black swirling reiatsu was around me again but I scarcely took note of that.

My sword separated and I found myself gripping two hilts instead of one. Though the blades were stationary, I could feel them almost tingling in my hands, and they felt alive. I felt as if they knew exactly what to do, and I crossed the blades with the tips pointing up because it felt right.

Then I heard thunder. I looked up and saw the sky turn dark blue, almost but not quite black. Lightning in the sky flashed once and traveled down from the sky to touch my Zanpakuto blade points before disappearing. Light crackled over the blades, the dragons on them now a bright blue, glowing and almost pulsing as if alive.

When the sky finally cleared and my reiatsu settled, I saw that Toshiro had made Kido shields. And for good reason, too. My Zanpakuto's release could have caused a lot of damage, as there was a rift in the ground next to me. That didn't really surprise me, though. I was mostly over-excited and jubilant that I could release my Zanpakuto.

Toshiro put down the shields and walked towards me. All the students were gaping and staring at me, and I suddenly felt uncomfortable.

"Congratulations! That's the first time any student-or anyone, for that matter, was able to release their Zanpakuto on first try-that is, except for Ichigo."

I let my arms drop and then more closely examined my swords. They were beautiful and my heart swelled with pride to see them. They were both in the same shape as before, but were longer and felt heavier. The one on my left had a light blue handle with white rayskin and a totally black blade, with a dragon on both sides that was glowing blue. My sword in my right hand had a dark red hilt with black rayskin and a black blade, with a dragon on both sides like on the other sword, but this time it was a pulsing red like fire. Their tsubas were round, with lilies decorating them.

"I see that your Zanpakuto is a dual-type. It will be difficult for you to train with your released Zanpakuto as there are only two Soul Reapers in the Soul Society who wield dual-Zanpakuto. "

He thought deeply for a short time, then said, "I will ask Captain Ukitake to lightly train you for a while as he is still sick. Captain Kyoraku has gone to the World of the Living at present and I do not think he enjoys teaching much."

"Yes, sir, that would be wonderful. Thank you."

"I'll take you to meet him and see what we can do. Now, everyone, has anyone had any success?"

Everyone stood up and stretched. I willed my Zanpakuto back to its sealed state. Before sheathing it, I looked at it.

It now had a pure black blade, and its sheath was a deep, shiny, dark crimson. The blade had a red dragon on one side and a silver dragon on the other side. The hilt was a pure silver with white rayskin. I smiled in pride at my beautiful blade.

I then sheathed it, and knew it was invisible.

Roka raised his hand. "Captain, I managed to enter my inner world, but my Zanpakuto didn't want to talk to me."

"I see. Then you will just have to keep trying. Good job, Roka. Anyone else?"

Alex said in a rather depressed voice, "Sir, I entered my inner world too, but my Zanpakuto told me I didn't yet deserve to wield her."

"You will also have to keep talking to your Zanpakuto and find the reason she thinks so. Good job as well. Class is dismissed."

Alex and Roka came over to me and I congratulated them. "Yeah, but Sayuri, our Zanpakuto are pretty cruel towards us. They even kicked us out of their inner world."

"My Zanpakuto did that once too. Don't worry, I'm sure you two will be able to manifest your Zanpakuto tomorrow."

"Thanks." They smiled and I smiled back.

The other students suddenly came over to me and all congratulated me.

"Amazing!" "Wow, a real Zanpakuto!" "It's invisible!" "Will you show it to us?"

I willed it visible and unsheathed Shinku no Yuri, and people gasped in awe and pointed at the dragons on the blade.

I smiled proudly as everyone admired the blade, and suddenly realized I was getting popular because of my Zanpakuto. Somehow the thought amused me.

Then I went to haiku class, where Izuru noticed my Zanpakuto and congratulated me. Then we had to read our haikus out loud, which was very brief but embarrassing.

Afterwards, I went outside with Alex and Roka, where I found the short captain. He instructed me to follow him, and I waved goodbye to them following Toshiro.

He led me to the 12th division and opened a door. The room was darkened and had flickering lights, electronic devices of all kinds, and someone sitting on a chair hunched over something.

"Captain Kurotsuchi!"

Mayuri turned around and I shuddered internally at his appearance. He looked not only creepy, but grotesque.

"What is it that you are bothering me with now?"

Toshiro explained that I wanted to not have to wear glasses, and the creepy captain stood up and walked over to me, peering at my eyes. He was too close for my liking and I would have stepped back, but I held my ground and stared at him.

"Hmmm...I have something I could do." And he started mumbling under his breath to himself, not paying attention to us. We waited patiently, and then he said, "Yes, I've got it."

He walked back to where he was previously, rummaging on his desk, and turned around, impatiently saying, "Well? What are you waiting for? Lie down on that bed."

I looked at Toshiro uncertainly and he nodded, smiling to relieve my anxiety. I lay down on the bed, and Toshiro bowed and left. The door closed and I felt very, very claustrophobic for some reason.

"I'll give you an anesthetic now, so stay still." Mayuri walked over to me, a small syringe in hand, and I wanted to know what would happen AFTER the anesthetic. But I just stayed quiet and he quickly injected a vein in my arm with a practiced hand. I didn't even feel anything, and then I quickly succumbed to sleep.

When I woke up later, I was on the same bed and felt disoriented. I sat up, looking around, and rubbed my eyes. Then I realized something. My glasses were gone, but I could see even better than before with my glasses on!

I heard footsteps and Mayuri appeared next to me. He said, "I already made sure everything was all right with your eyes before you woke up, so I know it was a success. Now, go! Leave me alone."

I hopped off the bed and looked behind me, but he was already in his chair again. Uncertain of what to say, I just bowed, backed up to the door, opened it, and then quickly ran out. I shivered from being in the creepy room with the creepiest person alive for such a long time, and then realized I was lost. I had no way of remembering how to get back.

I sighed and decided to find someone to ask for directions. Though I of course could have asked Mayuri, I wasn't about to turn around and go back in there. So instead I closed my eyes and felt for spiritual patterns like Jushiro had taught me.

"Excuse me, are you lost?"

My eyes snapped open and I looked up to see a man with a tattooed face and spiky black hair. He looked friendly, and I recognized him. "Lieutenant! Oh, sorry, yes, I am very lost. Captain Hitsugaya brought me to Captain Kurotsuchi earlier today and he performed some operation on me, but now I'm completely lost."

He looked concerned. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, sir. It was just so I wouldn't have to wear glasses any more."

"I see. I've heard of you from Izuru and Captain Ukitake. They say you are a very promising and talented student. Your full name is Sayuri Miura, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"All right. I'll bring you back to the Academy dormitories. Just follow me."

As we walked, we made small talk and I found him pleasant company. Despite his rough appearance, he was very soft-hearted and even rescued a caterpillar on the road, picking it up and gently setting it in a safer place.

"Lieutenant, I noticed that some people stare at my neck strangely. Do I look weird or something?"

He looked at me and then laughed. "No, there's nothing weird, but they probably think it's strange you have a hickey on your neck."

Confused, I stared at him. "Hickey?" Then realization hit me. "Oh! This isn't a hickey. I mean, it is, but it's from my violin back when I was alive, not from a person."

Now he was confused, and he questioned me. "I know what a violin is, but how can an instrument give you a hickey?"

I was practically drowning in embarrassment. How was I supposed to explain this? "Well, if you play the violin enough, the irritation from the wood rubbing on your skin gives you what looks like a hickey. Sometimes we call it the violin bruise."

"I see. That makes sense. I'm sorry for my confusion, but I'm rather ignorant about some things in the World of the Living."

"Oh, that's all right, Lieutenant."

After a few seconds of silence, he said, "I attempt to play guitar, but no one likes to hear me practice so I practice in the mountains alone."

"Really? Could I hear you practice sometime?"

He smiled, and said, "If you like, but I warn you, birds all fly away when I approach."