A/N: I'm so sorry for the wait. I've been...busy. That is, if you can call watching Yu Yu Hakusho 'busy'. Either way, I'm back, and I'm back with an update. Only one, I'm afraid. The next one will be up...sometime? Eh. You're welcome to check my profile for details. Enjoy~

25: Jinzen

Sakura sat down on the wooden walkway in the spot Sousuke had indicated. They were in an unfamiliar part of the Fifth Division, a serene, quiet spot surrounded by trees. "It's usually best to perform Jinzen in a quiet area, where there won't be any distractions," he informed the noble girl as he settled next to her.

Sakura nodded quickly, trying to ignore the close proximity of her teacher. It was making her rather uncomfortable, especially with where her thoughts had been earlier.

Sousuke continued with the lesson, seemingly oblivious. "The first step to communication with your zanpakuto is to remove it from its sheath and lay it across your lap, like so." He demonstrated, drawing Kyouka Suigetsu ad laying it down on his crossed legs. "Of course, not everyone uses this position; you're welcome to use whatever suits you best. However, we should probably start with this one." He looked at her expectantly, and Sakura quickly put her thoughts aside and drew Kiriaiseika. Glancing at Sousuke, she imitated his position and waited for him to continue. "Now, close your eyes," he ordered.

The noble girl complied and waited for his next instruction.

"Concentrate, Kuchiki-chan. Call out to your zanpakuto."

She obeyed tentatively, murmuring, "Kiriaiseika?"

No response.

Sakura heaved a sigh, unsurprised by her zanpakuto's silence. Opening her eyes, she peeked at Sousuke out of the corner of her eye, only to find that he was watching her intently. His rich chocolate-brown eyes met hers, lips quirking up into a smile. "Giving up already, Kuchiki-chan?"

She shook her head quickly, squeezing her eyes shut again. "Kiriaiseika?"

Nothing.

Sakura repressed the sigh that threatened to spill from her lips and ran a finger along her blade idly, keeping her eyes closed. She was beginning to feel a little ridiculous, talking to an inanimate object, especially with Sousuke listening to every word. At the thought of her teacher, Sakura's thoughts began to wander again. Her mind dragged up the memory of his strong arm wrapped around her shoulders, his warm, soothing voice echoing in her ears. She was back there with him in that moment, momentarily forgetting the task at hand and Sousuke's presence right next to her.

And then that same, soothing voice snapped her back to reality, and she mentally cursed at herself for having become so distracted. "Kuchiki-chan?"

Of course, his actual presence was even more distracting than her imagination.

A/N: Hn. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending of this. I'm bad at writing endings. And beginnings, for that matter. I guess that only leaves the middle for me to be good at. But I'm not sure how I am at those either. Hn.

But really, it has to be said: I'm not completely pleased with this. Then again, I'm never really completely pleased with anything I write. You know? I always go back and re-read the things I write, and think of alternate ways I would've written it, or different approaches I would've taken. It's kind of infuriating, actually. *sighs* Oh, well.

Feedback is much appreciated~