Chapter 24 – The Rule Of Three
Terri awoke with a start to a knock on her door, and in response, she drew her bedcovers up to her neck in surprise. "Um, who is it?" she asked, tentatively. The knock occurred again, so she got up quickly and walked over to the door, opening it.
Behind it stood Naomi, whom Terri wasn't too familiar with, so she was surprised when she saw her. "Um, Temporary-Captain Naomi Ruhodesu, right?" asked Terri, puzzled as to why she was at her door.
"Yeah, listen," Naomi started, feeling uncomfortable. "My brother wants you for training now, Ms. Zakura, and I have been ordered to take you there by force if you do not comply. I know that this is my brother messing with your mind, but I truly don't want to hurt anyone, so can you hurry?"
Terri sighed – this was going to be hell for her. "Alright, I'll get changed as fast as I can," she replied, rushing into her room and getting changed quickly. After a couple of minutes, she re-emerged, ready to leave.
Naomi smiled. "Thanks for understanding, let's go," she said, radiating a sort of warmth from her, which Terri was surprised at in contrast to Naomi's brother, who had the complete opposite feel. She thought to herself that it was ironic they had extremely similar spiritual pressures, but were this different personality-wise.
Making haste, they flash-stepped to Squad 3 where Zeo and Izuru were awaiting them. Zeo welcomed them in, albeit not in a friendly manner. "About time you got here, Captain Ruhodesu's been moaning about the fact he has to train you and you don't even arrive on time."
Terri's face fell – this was going to be hell. She was startled, though, by the doors of the main building flying open and Raven himself stepping through them, a displeased look on his face.
"What time do you call this?" he asked, glaring at her. "I specifically asked you to be here today at 5:00 sharp, and it's now 5:45. You're lucky I have patience." Terri growled slightly, muttering under her breath "Yeah, well, five is too early to get up..." which she found to be a mistake as she finished.
"What was that?" Raven asked, starting to smirk. "So, you want punishment, huh? That's fair. I intended to give it out anyway." He turned to Naomi, nodding at her to dismiss her. She nodded back, and after turning to kiss Zeo on the cheek, exited through the main gates.
Terri looked back on this in surprise yet again. "What? You two are dating?" she asked Zeo, realising how offending it would be to the arrancar after she had said it. Zeo, however, shrugged it off. "I'm taking it you didn't mean it like that, right?" he replied, seeming sympathetic, to which Terri inwardly sighed in relief.
"Alright, enough of this, we're going to train now, Zakura," Raven interrupted, walking around to the back training area. Terri followed, slightly nervous, followed herself by Izuru and Zeo, who looked like they were there to keep her from running, which at this point was a valid option.
She stopped as they got to Squad 3's outdoor training area, a large paved rectangle in which there were many cuts and gouges into the cement. Raven walked over to one end and drew his sword. Terri took this as an order and stepped over to the other side, also drawing her sword.
They faced each other for what seemed to Terri like an eternity, until Raven smirked. "You don't even know what I'm here to teach you, do you?" he asked, amused. Terri shook her head in response, so Raven continued. "Well, I'm teaching you about multiple weapon use – I believe you have three swords, am I correct?"
Terri nodded in response, getting slightly more confident now that Raven was starting to get more familiar with her – he was talking to her instead of at her, for a start. "Well, you'll be surprised to know that I have two swords in my possession which you will now be struck down with."
Terri stepped back, anxious for what was coming next, as Raven drew his other sword, a shorter one which he held in his left hand. "Now, I want you to come at me and cut me at least once with both swords in this training session," he continued. "If you don't, then my bankai will have something to say about it."
He raised his longer sword and pointed it at Terri. "Bankai, Kurohane Kujotenshi..." he spoke softly, the sword elongating into the scythe, black wings growing from his back and the sky overhead darkening. "And my bankai allows me to delete a person from existence when five of my feathers are placed on their body – as a sort of 'spiritual energy focus point'. You will be deleted if you do not cut me with both by the end of the day, or if you get caught by all five feathers. Good luck."
Terri's eyes widened in shock, and she stood slightly frightened. 'Deleted...?' she thought to herself. 'Is this harsh training or what?' She inhaled, steadying herself, and drew two of her swords, raising them in a stance. "Alright, I'm ready!" she yelled, confidently, as Raven smirked darker.
Kiyomi and Chojiro were currently in combat, swords locked together. "You're better than you look Chojiro, but since this is non-released sparring, I'm not surprised that we're equal," Kiyomi complimented him, adding the last part to remind him who was in charge.
"Yes, well, thank you, captain," he replied, backing off to rest. Kiyomi did likewise, stepping over to the window to look down at the academy ruins. "Kenji had better not get the wrong idea," she started, talking to herself more than anyone else.
"He thinks that because he defeated us last time, he absorbed all the power of Hell, and there are no more next generation soul reapers that we would all lie down like dogs, but he's wrong. We're stronger than that, we always have been. The thing about dogs is that they usually fight back stronger when provoked."
"Um, Captain Seiryoku..." Chojiro interrupted, forcing Kiyomi to break her stare at the academy ruins. "May I ask how Ms. Zakura is doing at the moment?" he continued, showing genuine concern.
"Well, Terri is currently in training with Raven, and I'm sure that she'll come out as strong as ever," Kiyomi replied, smiling. "Why do you ask?" Chojiro sighed, then answered. "Well, it's because I've heard stories about Captain Ruhodesu's training methods," he replied. "I've heard that he actually uses his bankai's deleting powers on those who do not master his teachings in time – is that true?"
Kiyomi smirked, then started to laugh softly. "Yes, yes, it's all true, Chojiro," she replied, Chojiro overreacting to her lackadaisical attitude slightly. "But it'll be fine, Terri will be able to do it, and after that, Raven will finally start to train her fairly."
Terri was in bad shape. She had four feathers placed on her body, with another six kunai wounds in her body where she forcibly removed them. Raven was laughing darkly as he raised Shinso in front of him. "Shoot 'em dead, Shinso!" he yelled, the sword shrinking slightly then vastly lengthening in size, piercing through the arena floor as Terri dodged quickly.
She flipped back to her feet, staring at Raven, eyeing the cut on his cheek where Kazedoragon had sliced him. Shinso retracted back into its normal form, and Raven readied his scythe again. Terri tried to think of a way to cut him again, but was coming up with nothing – Raven's defence was almost impenetrable, as he usually blasted her away with a kido blade if she got too close.
"Thinking of a way out of this situation, Zakura?" Raven mocked. "Well, you'd better do it quickly, or you may not live to be able to avenge your boyfriend's demise!" Terri's eyes instantly glared at him, her fists tightening around her hilts. However, before she lost control she calmed herself down, breathing deep.
She flash-stepped, appearing behind Raven to get a cut into his back, but didn't expect Shinso to shoot through the back of his haori in her direction. She swiftly blocked with Kazedoragon, then took a quick decision to throw Doragonsumiyaka straight at Raven's back, which he easily sidestepped.
Terri landed on the paved floor with a thud, and then heard Doragonsumiyaka land next to her where Raven had thrown it. "Come on, don't tell me that's the best you have!" he mocked again.
She stood up firmly and took a stance, picking up both of her swords as she did. Raven smirked again and raised Shinso. "Shoot 'em dead, Shinso!" he yelled again, thrusting the sword forward, increasing the velocity of its extension. Terri took this as her chance and, smirking, dodged it flawlessly, crossing her swords over the blade and using them as a guide to run up it to strike at Raven.
'Damn, my defence is open, how did she...?' Raven thought, before snapping back into focus to slice his scythe at her, which she took head on. She stumbled slightly, however, and both of her swords fell out of her hands to the ground, but she carried on. As she got to Raven's chest, she reached for the third of her blades – her blade – and stabbed it forward.
She dropped to the ground as Shinso retracted again, and looked up to see Raven clutching his side, blood seeping through. She looked at the tip of her blade, it having Raven's blood slowly running down it, and smiled slightly.
"Congratulations, Zakura," Raven said, offering her a hand up. She was at first surprised, but accepted it anyway. "Now that you have cut me, you've passed test one, but there's more to come. Tomorrow we shall focus on using multiple weapons in a scenario that they were made for – multiple enemies. Izuru and Zeo here will be your opponents, and I think you'll be glad to know that it won't be against the clock either."
Terri bowed to him in appreciation, before he turned to look at the sun. "It seems like the day is up, and so is today's session Zakura. I expect you to be here at five every morning, do you hear me?" he asked, his voice commanding. She nodded quickly after jumping slightly, and left in a rush.
Zeo and Izuru looked expectantly at their captain, before he started to talk. "What? She did well. I'm not going to keep a grudge about this. I may have hated her parents, but the kid has some degree of warrior in her, whether it be natural or from Kenpachi's training. Either way, I think Captain Seiryoku was telling the truth that this girl is quite skilled," he explained. 'She's perhaps even skilled enough to replace a certain someone, if they fall in battle, eh Captain Seiryoku?' he thought, slyly.
Ryo and Maya stood facing the horizon, the winds picking up and sand flying around them. Ryo really didn't want to be here with Maya, as he knew something that she didn't, and he didn't want to be the one to tell her, but she had insisted.
"Ryo..." Maya started. Ryo turned to her, gesturing for her to continue. "Ryo is Maya's only family now, right?" she asked, a melancholic look on her face. Ryo was unnerved at this, but continued. "Yes, I guess I am, Maya," he replied, not letting any emotion through.
"Well, if so, Ryo would tell Maya anything, right?" she asked, still melancholic, which started to get Ryo spooked – he was the one who usually kept a single emotion, his being apathy.
"I guess I would, then," he replied, worried as what she would ask next. "Well," Maya began, "Mat is in the big stone box, right?" Ryo growled slightly, then nodded slowly, Maya seeing this and looking back into the distance.
"Maya sees..." she answered. Ryo thought that she was taking it too well to be true, but it appeared as though she was. "Maya noticed that there was a big cold energy inside the box, and that only happens to people that Ken puts in comas. Since Mat was put in a coma, Maya knew it was Mat, and Ryo didn't even tell Maya until Maya asked Ryo about it."
"Maya, Kenji wants your full support," Ryo replied, trying to change the subject. "He was worried that if you knew, it'd shatter your mentality. He was just worried for your sake."
"Does Ryo think that Maya's stupid?" came the reply, a reply so flat and to-the-point that Ryo was slightly shocked. "Maya is much smarter than Maya let's on. Ryo should know that, seeing as Ryo knows Maya well. Ken is just playing Maya for a fool, and Maya is no fool. Maya knows that Mat wanted to turn on Ken so that everyone would get better treatment, but Ryo turned on Mat. Why?"
Her question was more like an accusation, but Ryo simply nodded and replied calmly. "Kenji has promised me that he will use his healing abilities to revive Eiji, Kotomi and Sakura, so that we can fight together again. I had to betray my lord to prove my unwavering loyalty to Kenji."
"Maya sees..." Maya replied, in thought. "So when they come back, Ryo was going to beat Ken and get Mat out of Mat's coma?" Ryo nodded in reply, and Maya smiled for the first time in a while.
"Thank you Ryo," she continued, "Ryo really is Maya's family." Ryo looked at her, and inwardly sighed. He then turned to walk back into the castle, leaving Maya standing on the sands, musing over the new information she was given.
'If this is true, then Ryo had a good reason betray Mat, especially if Ryo was going to bring Mat back later,' she thought to herself. 'I miss Saka too... Saka and Ryo made a good couple...' She turned back to the castle. 'Kay and Rei have always been good to Maya, and Yuka is nice to Maya too... It's like they sympathise with Maya, but not anymore! Maya will be stronger: mentally and physically, so that they don't have to worry about Maya! Then Maya's gunning for Ken...'
Terri blocked another strike from Zeo, whose sword wasn't released, as he said she wouldn't want to go up against it as it would most probably kill her on touch. Izuru, however, did have his sword released, and its shikai was causing her big problems. Her Kazedoragon was extremely heavy now, and was dragging her reaction speeds down.
"Come on!" Raven yelled from the sidelines. "You've faced the same abilities many times over the past two weeks, you can do this Zakura!" Terri heard this and closed her eyes, thinking it over.
"I know that you've been planning each training session over and over in your head since last week. I know that you have a plan to defeat both of them, and I want to see it. Get on with it!"
Terri opened her eyes and smirked. She raised Kazedoragon slightly, growling at the weight of it. "Fly, Kazedoragon!" she yelled, the sword disappearing in a whirl of wind, and a large dragon-head of air forming behind her. She gestured forward, and the dragon swept forward, its wind pushing both Izuru and Zeo back.
She took this chance to release her other sword. "Flash, Doragonsumiyaka!" she smirked, although her sword didn't change, but she knew what to do next anyway. She flash-stepped swiftly, yelling "Kyokudochisoku!" as she did. She appeared above Izuru, finishing him off with a "Hado 33, Soukatsui!" which blasted him into the ground below.
She landed on her feet as Zeo gained some balance in the high-speed winds. The wind finally calmed down and Zeo growled. "Not bad, Terri, not bad at all," he complimented. "But this isn't my real power, you see..." He drew another sword from inside his clothing, and laughed slightly as he handled it.
"This is my resurrection! Writhe, Tenencia!" The sword quickly vanished as large bone claws appeared on his hands, as did a large bone tail on his back. His mask grew slightly to cover the right half of his face, and needle-like tips appeared on his fingers and tail.
"Now, see if you can dodge this!" He fired his right-hand needles at Terri, who blocked them all before flash-stepping behind him. "Now," she smirked, "Sumiyaka Tatsumaki!" she yelled, as she started to circle around Zeo, who watched closely.
She started to speed up, and the wind started to pick up. Zeo finally realised what she was planning as the twister finally formed, pulling him up into the air, which threw him to the opposite side of the arena into the stone wall.
Terri stopped running and came to a halt as Raven stepped forward. "Bankai, Kurohane Kujotenshi!" he yelled, his scythe elongating out, the sky darkening and black wings erupting from his back. "Now, face me soul reaper to soul reaper!"
Terri went to force Kazedoragon at him, but he sent a kido blade at her hand, deactivating the shikai swiftly, the sword falling to the ground. She looked desperately at it, amazed it was deactivated that quickly.
She raised her other sword and flash-stepped swiftly away. Raven stood still, sensing where she came from next. He turned around and sent a kido blade flying, just missing her, slicing the tips of her hair as she dodged.
'Damn, I'll have to use it... there's no other way...' she thought. She stood up and drew her third sword. "Let the white moon rise, Tsuki no Ryu!" she yelled, her sword starting to glow in response. The blade and handle lengthened out, both bleaching white. Raven looked on in awe, surprised at her new shikai.
"So... this is your actual shikai, right?" he asked, smirking. "Alright, show me your power!" He rushed forward, scythe at the ready, but Terri had already dodged. She appeared at the other end of the arena, before yelling "Kyokudochisoku!" and appearing above him, where she aimed her other shikai. She forced it forward, creating a large beam of water which shot at Raven like a jet stream, pushing him into the wall.
Terri landed and deactivated her shikais, walking up to Raven to see if he was alright. "Um, Captain Ruhodesu, are you...?" she managed to ask, before Raven stood up, towering over her.
"You pass, Zakura," he said, deactivating his bankai. "That last attack was a pure fusion of two shikai abilities. It was a sight for the ages, a true execution of multiple weapons in battle."
"Um, thank you, Captain Ruhodesu," Terri replied, gracefully. "But may I ask why you're being nice to me now, and why you've been mean to me since I started?" Raven, however, laughed softly.
"Because to make sure you focused on your training, I riddled your mind with taunts and distractions, hoping that you would use these as a fuel to do better. This was also true of my threats of deletion during our sessions."
"You... played mind games with me?!" Terri asked, slightly annoyed. "That's really immoral!" Raven yet again answered with a smirk. "And yet it worked, did it not? You are now more powerful than you were before, and this is because of the way I train body and mind." He opened the gates to Squad 3, as Izuru and Zeo finally got up. "Follow me, I need to take you to your next tutor."
They both arrived at a set of gates, to which Raven opened without question. "I'm expecting we got here quicker than Kenpachi led you to mine?" Raven asked back to Terri, who smiled and laughed nervously.
"Truthfully, Zakura, I don't hate you – just your parents," he continued. "I see some of them in you, but I also see a warrior in you that neither of them could have been. You have the possibility of being a great warrior, stronger even than Kenpachi if you wanted, and for that you have my respect."
They stepped through the gates, and Raven turned to her. "You'll need all the strength you can get for this, though," he added, as the doors to the main building opened and Byakuya stepped out, eyeing Terri, before walking over to them.
Raven met him and came in close to whisper. "You're teaching kido right?" he asked Byakuya, who nodded. "Well then, why not teach her Bakudo 93 and Hado 78?"
"I think that your use of kido is not what Soul Society created kido to do," Byakuya answered. "You use it to slowly hinder your opponents instead of finishing them straight off, so forgive me if I do not pass on the knowledge of those kido spells."
Raven backed off, slightly annoyed, but left anyway. "I leave her in your capable hands, Byakuya," he said, before walking off, the gates closing behind him. Byakuya was left with Terri, who he immediately looked at.
"I am Captain of Squad 6, Byakuya Kuchiki, and I shall be teaching you the ways of kido and the flash-step," Byakuya started. "But please note, even though I am far more tolerant of failure than Kenpachi or Raven I shall still deem you a waste of my time if you successively fail in everything you do. Keep that thought in your mind."
With that, Byakuya stepped back into the main building, leaving Terri standing with a puzzled and slightly nervous smile on her face. 'I'm not going to be ready for this, am I?' she asked herself.
And her second training period is now over. Next comes Byakuya, and what does he have in store for Terri? Also, it seems Kenji's followers are losing faith in him, so what will come of all of this hatred?
Next chapter: Next is Byakuya's training session - kido and shunpo. Meanwhile, in Hueco Mundo, it seems that Kenji's followers still have a dislike for him, and a coup could happen at any moment. Find out about all this in the next chapter, 'The Power Within'.