Chapter 10
Sumiko snorted. "You found someone to tutor you in kido? Good luck to whoever is brave enough to attempt that." She was leaning with her back against a tree, a shogi board between her and Akio. Akio was busy studying the board and trying to find a way not to lose, again.
Ichigo glared. "Hey, just because you couldn't teach me…" He was sitting on his heels to the side of the board, his student uniform replaced by simple grey training clothes.
"I don't think the problem was me." Sumiko muttered, her arms crossed over her chest. "Come on, Akio. Sometime this century." Akio waved a hand dismissively at her and moved one of his pieces.
Ichigo's glare lessened and he cocked his head to the side. "Eh, maybe your right."
She rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm right. I'm always right. And…I always win." She moved a piece and smiled smugly at the stunned Akio.
Akio scowled at the board and tried to figure out where he went wrong.
Ichigo laughed as he stood. "Well, we'll see how brave she is. I'll catch you guys later."
Akio shot Sumiko a glare of determination, barely acknowledging Ichigo departure. "Again. I'll definitely beat you this time."
She smirked as she moved the pieces back into place. "You can always dream."
Ichigo took the long way to Urahara's old hideout, flash stepping when he was far enough away to not be noticed. He dropped down the ladder and turned to see Nanao already sitting on one of the boulders, complete with two large books balanced on her knees.
"Good afternoon, Kurosaki." She said briskly as she gracefully got down from the boulder.
"Good afternoon, Nanao." He eyed the books suspiciously. "Those are big books."
She smirked, which frightened him slightly. "The better to hit you with." Her smirk widened into a smile at the look on his face. "I'm kidding. These are just a few of your basic kido spells I thought we could work on."
"A few?" he tried not to squeak.
She just laughed. "Come on, let's see where we need to start."
After about thirty minutes, two large craters, and one coughing fit, Ichigo was sitting cross-legged on the ground, his head held in his hands.
Nanao sat opposite him, a look of concentration on her face as if she was trying to figure out an intensely difficult puzzle. Even with the spiritual pressure depressant on, he still couldn't control the amount of spiritual pressure he released. He could recite the incantations perfectly; he just didn't have the finesse to control it.
"Why is this so hard?" Ichigo whined pitifully.
She sighed. "You are just used to excelling at something quickly. Don't get discouraged just because this is going to take some time."
He shifted so that his head was held with one hand so he could look at her. "It's been ten months…no scratch that, I haven't been able to get a handle on kido since this all started. I mean, if I could just see some sort of step forward…or something." He groaned and leaned back on his hands.
"Why do you think you pick other things up so well?"
Ichigo looked up at the sloped roof and thought. "I think, it must have been because every time, I had a time limit, or it was either learn it or die or watch others die." He shrugged and tipped his face forward to face her. "I had to learn flash step in two days, bankai in three…I…" he snapped his mouth shut. He almost commented on how he had to work a bit longer at controlling Shiro, but then remember she wasn't among the few that even knew the hollow existed. He shrugged again to cover up the awkward second. "I guess I just learn better under pressure."
She tapped her chin with her finger. "Is that so?" His eyes narrowed as she stood gracefully and looked down on his still sprawled form. "Maybe you just need a little incentive then?"
He rolled away just in time to dodge the red ball of fire that was thrown his way. His eyes widened as he gathered his feet under him and stood, watching her every move closely. "What the…" His question was cut off when he had to dodge a shot of white lightning.
"NANAO! Are you trying to kill me?" his eyes flashed to the crater that would have been him if he was just a hair slower.
"Fight back." She said simply, raising a hand causing Ichigo to tense, ready to move as soon as the spell left her fingers.
Ichigo dodged three more fireballs and a few he couldn't even name before he decided he had enough of being the rabbit in this little game. He slid on his heel, dust and dirt spraying up around him as his mind focused on the task ahead.
His lips moved as he mumbled through the incantation, his eyes locked on his target that was moving towards him, a spell already on her lips, and he flashed through the hand signals trying to focus his spiritual pressure down and through the spell.
"Destructive, 31, Shot of Red Fire!" he was shocked as the perfectly maintained red ball of fire left his fingertips and flew towards his target.
His target moved just in time to let the ball pass her and explode into the wall behind her. She turned to the still shocked Ichigo and smiled. "See, you just needed some motivation."
Ichigo's face broke into a smile as he rushed at her and pulled her into a sort of stumbling, jumping, twirling dance. She couldn't help but get caught up in his excitement and was soon laughing right along with him.
He stopped spinning her in circles, and before he even really registered what he was doing, he had her face in his hands and his lips on hers. All at once it hit him just what he was doing.
He pulled away quickly, red covering his cheeks. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I did…"
She didn't let him finish, cutting off his apologies with a kiss of her own. He was so shocked it took him a few seconds before he responded, but enthusiastically made up for it.
One arm was curled around her waist while the other deftly pulled her hair from its clip so that he could run his fingers through it. Both of her hands gripped the front of his training top, and she tilted her head up further, silently asking for more.
He opened his mouth when she ran her tongue along the seam of his lips, happily accepting her inside. She tasted sweet with just the hint of mint. He moaned softly when one of her hands slipped inside his shirt and ran down his chest.
All too soon she was pulling away, but not without a soft, sweet kiss. She ran her fingers through her hair, gathered it back up into the knot and smiled as he handed her the clip.
"Come on, we have work to do." She looked slyly over her shoulder at the still flushed Ichigo. "Work before play."
Ichigo shook his head slightly, trying to get his brain to start working again. "You're the sensei." He said with a smirk as he followed her back to the center of the space.
AN: yeah, so…um…well. All I have to say is, this isn't headed where ya'll are thinking…probably…unless you somehow got into my head, or kidnapped my muse…and if you did kidnap him, good luck…
Btw…review, please?