No, I haven't forgotten about you guys! Sorry, but school has gotten busy so updates will be a little slower than originally, but I'll try and make them longer/better. Also, I've been having some uploading issues from home, so I'm having to do this from school. Oh, and they will be going to soul society soon, don't worry.
I don't own Bleach or Japanese mythology, only my original characters and the situations I put the characters in.
Chapter 12 – Taming the Flame
Karin was still fuming about the night before while waiting in Urahara's 'secret' basement. Why hadn't Ryuu told her about herself earlier, like after her little encounter with the hollow? No, instead he had to tell everyone else at the same time. Not only that, but he managed to make everyone worry about her. Yuzu hadn't let Karin leave her sight, even walking her here to the shop.
Last night
Karin blinked in confusion before reigning in her muddled mind. "Wha… what did you just say?"
Ryuu ignored the continued whispers of the others. "You never needed my help the night you were attacked. The inferno you unconsciously created had already severely wounded the hollow and it was trying to escape. Only one being could create such a display."
"However, your power is untrained and if left uncontrolled…" He left the consequences open to his listener's imagination.
Isshin put a hand on her daughter's shoulder, his voice tinged with concern. "Are you going to train her?"
"No, I have already made arrangements and someone will be coming who is more qualified then I to train her."
Suddenly, Karin was distracted from her ruminations as a circle formed in the space next to a nearby rock formation and it swung open like a door. Ryuu stepped though dressed in his blue dragon kimono and behind him walked in a man dressed all in red. A breeze from the other side of the portal pulled at their kimonos, showing that the man's clothing was made out of some iridescent fabric, showing oranges and yellows, like a dancing flame.
Karin couldn't help giving the man in red a double take. It wasn't his clothing, but rather his face. If I didn't know better, I would say that this is… (1)
Ryuu noticed Karin standing off to the side. "Ah, my apologies Kurosaki-san! I'm afraid that it's getting harder and harder to get in and out of there without being detained for some reason or another. Anyway, this is Mutsuhito and he will be your sensei."
The man in red bowed. "It is an honor to meet you, mimae." (2)
Karin, caught off guard and unsure of what to do, returned the bow. "As it is mine as well Mutsuhito-sensei."
"Well, I'll leave the two of you to it. I need to talk Urahara."
Mutsuhito bowed to Ryuu. "Ryuuki-dono."
Ryuu nodded to in reply and then headed up the ladder.
Mutsuhito turned back to Karin before continuing. "As Ryuuki-dono said, I am Mutsuhito, a sensei of the dojo of the Ka house."
"Would you mind answering some questions before we start any training?"
Mutsuhito nodded. "Of course. While you physical and spiritual training are important, true understanding only comes from one who uses these along with the mind."
Karin sat down on a nearby rock cropping and motioned, offering him "Are all of you spirits?"
Mutsuhito took the offered seat. "Yes, everyone at the Imperial Complex are either former human beings like myself, or kami like the Five Guardians or their half-brother Ryuuki-dono."
"Ok, what exactly are the Five Guardians?"
"The Five Guardians are the guardians of the heavens and, more specifically, the Emperor. They and their sworn vassals also serve as the Ministers of the Emperor."
"Ok, that part makes sense but what about the fire motifs?"
"The Five Guardians represent the five elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Void. Consequently, the guardians and their clans are named after their element: Chi, Shu, Ka, Fuu, Kuu. The abilities of the guardian are based off of the element they represent."
"So, how do I use my powers? Do I need to leave my body like a shinigami?"
Mutsuhito sighed. "In order to use most of your abilities you would have to leave your body, but if you do that with your current level of control, your unchecked power would destroy your soul form, forcing you to transform back fully into a kami."
Karin's eyes widened. "So… I would stop being me?"
He nodded. "And become the Lady Ka. "
Karin smoothed the red gi that Mutsuhito had given her for the tenth time. She had never been a big fan of martial arts, which was Ichigo's job, so it felt a little uncomfortable. He was also in a gi that matched his kimono, the same red as hers but with the iridescent fabric
They were both standing in a small dojo hall that Urahara apparently built down here. It was strange at first sight, the simple, traditional building with a matching walled garden and hot spring against the stark desert-like landscape. Though it was inaudible, the reitsu of Urahara and Ichigo training outside on the other side of the basement still managed to penetrate the walls despite Urahara's best design.
Mutsuhito nodded after inspecting the inside of the hall. "Now, as I said before, the Five Guardians each have an element associated with them, but they also have a weapon they traditionally wield. The Ka specializes in the naginata." (3)
He took a wooden naginata off of one of the weapon racks on the wall and tossed it at Karin. She managed to catch it.
He entered a fighting stance with his own naginata. "Now, try and hit me."
She tried to copy his stance and then stiffly thrust at him, which he easily batted away. After failing at this tactic several more times, she started getting irritated. Her final thrust threw her slightly off balance, which he used to help trip her with the shaft of his weapon.
"The naginata is not a spear, it is a blade. Use it like one."
Without even getting up, she slashed at his head, using her body as a fulcrum. The crack of wood against wood was overpowered by her yell of frustration.
"Come on Ryuu, hurry up!"
Tatsu looked back at her golden brother. He was in full dragon form, very small and bright against the dark greens and browns of the surrounding, darkening forest.
"Be quiet Tatsu. We are too close to the village, we need to be careful."
Tatsu dashed on ahead anyway. Then climbing partway up the side of a great tree, she lay in ambush.
Though Ryuu was expecting it, we didn't think to look up almost until it was too late. Even then he didn't have enough time to move out of the way before Tatsu knocked him off his feet and sent them both tumbling down the hill. Continuing to wrestle once they made it to the bottom of the hill, their match finally stopped as Ryuu managed to pin Tatsu's limbs to the ground.
Tatsu snorted in frustration. "Aw, why do you always have to win?"
Ryuu chuckled, at least as well as dragons can chuckle, as he started to get off his twin, but froze in mid-action with head cocked.
Tatsu couldn't help getting nervous over this sudden chance in her brother. "What is it?"
He looked down at her. "Something's coming."
They barely managed to get under the cover of some foliage undetected, the small dragons saw a girl run into the clearing they were just in. She was dressed in priestly garb that was now torn in places where it had caught in he apparent flight as was her skin. A gash on her forehead above her left eye was bleeding profusely, some of it getting in the bangs of her ginger locks and staining the white kimono she wore. Worrying more about her pursuers, she tripped on a root very close to the dragons' cover. When she tried to get up, Tatsu heard her gasp, grabbing a hold of her ankle.
Then her pursuers arrived, mere boys, no older than the girl or the dragons themselves. Approaching her slowly, they began to encircle her like a wounded animal. Though she couldn't see the girl's face, Tatsu could feel the defiance dripping her.
The leader of the trio of boys spat at the girl's feet. "Our village has been cursed since the day you were born. The kami have deserted us. There is only way so solve that little problem…"
"How would you know Goro-KUN. You never knew life before I was born. She spat the boy's title and spoke bravely, despite the tinge of pain in her voice.
"Let's here you talk like that after I'm done with you, freak."
The boy drew out a long, wicked tanto and slowly began to approach the girl.
She put her arms over her head and cried out, "Great kami, I beseech thee!"
Tatsu had enough. She quickly disguised herself in a human form and approached the girl, keeping herself between the boys and her.
"Oi! What do you think your doing?"
The boys backed away a little in surprise from the strange girl before them. The leader pointed the tanto at her. "Who are you?"
"Why don't you come here and find out?"
The leader went to charge at Tatsu only to have his knife hand grabbed from behind. Twisting himself around he was confronted the sight of a partly transformed Ryuu. His eyes were glowing blood-red and his smiling mouth was full of wickedly pointed teeth.
The boys seeing this bolted crying "Oni! Oni!"
Tatsu looked at Ryuu miffed. "That was really cheap you know." Ryuu simply shrugged as he picked up the tanto the leader had dropped.
She turned and knelt before the girl. "Hey, onago-chan are you ok?"(4)
The girl, who still had her arms over her head, looked up and blinked once or twice. Suddenly, the girl's façade, the tension that had been keeping her going this whole time, crumbled. She latched on to Tatsu with a death grip, sobbing.
Tatsu, shocked at first, tried to comfort the girl, returning the hug and rocking her a little bit. "Hey, hey. Everything is fine now. Those bullies are gone."
She added, just audibly, "I'll make sure you never have to cry again."
Tatsuki woke with a start in a cold sweat, taking a second t remember where she was. Slipping her arm out from under Orihime, she went into the kitchen to get something to drink.
Returning to the doorway, looking down at her lover tenderly, she couldn't help thinking back to the vision she just had. Was that when all this started? Was that when my love for Orihime born? I'm going to have to talk to Ryuu about this…
1- There is a very famous picture of the Emperor Meiji taken in 1897 that features him with a full goatee with mustache. This would be from where Karin recognizes Mutsuhito.
2- In this context, mimae means "my lady," of course a reference to Mutsuhito being a vassal of the Lady Ka
3- The naginata is a type of polearm somewhat similar to the European glaive used for both thrusting and slashing. The blade of the weapon is of similar construction to a katana between 1-3 feet in length. The shaft is between 5-7 feet in length, oval in cross-section and sports a metal butt-cap for counterweight.
4- onago translated as girl or young woman