Chapter Three

A Name

"How did you do that?" Hiroki asked, still trying to figure out how he ended where Sho once was, and how Sho was over in the spot where Hiroki had been.

"And why would I tell you that?" Sho responded. "Your enemies won't explain their abilities. You'll need to figure it out on your own." Sho blurred and was suddenly in front of Hiroki, the point of his kunai heading for the trainee's right eye. Hiroki, acting on impulse, used Hirenkyaku and ended up a few meters to Sho's left.

Sho smirked, "Well, your reflexes are getting better. Though you're still not fast enough." He quickly moved in front of Hiroki, sending a roundhouse kick toward Hiroki's head. Hiroki put his blade up to block, but then Sho snapped again. They swapped spots once more, and Hiroki found himself with his back to Sho. He realized and turned, but it was too late as the kunai buried itself into Hiroki's shoulder. He yelled out in pain, but he realized that if he hadn't turned, the blade would have gone into his back. Sho then got behind Hiroki, pulled the blade out, and moved away before Hiroki could swing his own blade at his attacker.

"You're so slow," Sho said, shaking his head. "I really thought this might be fun, but it feels…like work almost. I'll give you this one chance to stop. If you stop now, I'll let you walk away without any further injury. All you have to do is leave, and not come back. We don't need weaklings like yo-." He stopped, his eyes wide as suddenly Hiroki was behind him, bringing his blade down with fury in his eyes. Sho turned and used his kunai to block the attack just in time. And while Hiroki's blade never actually hit Sho, it did force him back. Then Hiroki was on the offensive.

He swung left, right, from below and above. Each hit was blocked, but each hit also caused Sho to take a step back. While Hiroki was leaving himself wide open for a counterattack, the ferocity of his speed and strikes wouldn't allow Sho to capitalize on the openings. Sho finally managed to put a foot down and used Hirenkyaku to get behind Hiroki, but then Hiroki did the same, bringing his blade down once again. Sho realized he wouldn't be quick enough to stop it, so he snapped and the two traded places. Sho retreated a little so he could catch his breath while Hiroki stood there, his back facing Sho. Hiroki looked down at his arm at where the dot had formed at the beginning of the combat. It was gone now, and that's when he realized it.

"I figured it out," Hiroki spoke up, turning to face Sho again.

"Figured out what?" Sho asked, gripping his kunai tightly.

"Your ability. If you stab someone with your Zanpakutō, you mark them. Then when you snap, you trade places. To be honest, I kind of already had a hunch on that part. I was just curious how many times you could do it. It looks like it's three."

Sho snarled, "Do you think that just because you figured that out, you can beat me now?"

"Probably not, but it'll make it easier now that I know. I just can't be hit, and I'll be fine."

Sho smirked again, "Oh really? Well, let's see how well you can avoid it." Sho moved behind Hiroki. Hiroki moved his blade up to block, but felt a sharp pain in his left leg. He shouted and looked down to see the Kunati sticking out of the side of his leg. He glanced up at Sho who had his hand outstretched.

"You threw it?" Hiroki asked.

"Of course," Sho responded. "It's a kunai. Also no one said anything about me having to hold it for it to work." He snapped and they swapped. When Hiroki appeared in his new spot, he yelled in pain again as pressure was put onto his leg. He grabbed the blade, gritted his teeth and pulled it out. He held back even more shouts as the blade came free, and blood flowed out of the wound. He also saw the circular mark appear again. But now he was holding Sho's weapons.

"Akane, you need to help him," Makoto said worriedly. "He can't continue with that wound. It'll only slow him down more."

"Don't worry," Hiroki responded with a smile. "I've got his weapon now. He can't hit me with it."

Sho sighed and started to walk toward Hiroki, "Do you really think I need my Zanpakutō to be able to hit you?" Hiroki lunged toward the weapon-less Sho, thrusting his own sword forward with one hand and ignoring the pain in his leg.

"Hiroki, no!" Makoto yelled out, but it was too late. Sho snapped and they swapped. Hiroki, who had been in the middle of a lunge, was now off-balance with Sho directly behind him. Sho quickly spun and kicked Hiroki in the middle of his back, sending him flying to the ground. When he hit the ground, the impact caused him to let go of both of the weapons he was holding.

Sho snapped a third time, and now he was standing next to not only his kunai, but Hiroki's sword as well. Hiroki was lying down where Sho had been standing, the mark on his leg now gone. Sho bent down and picked up both weapons. He began to walk toward the prone Hiroki. Between the pain in his leg and trying to regain his breath from slamming into the ground, Hiroki found himself unable to move.

When Sho got up to him, Hiroki tried to reach out, but suddenly found his blade through his hand, pinning it to the ground as Sho stabbed him. He yelled out in pain once again.

"Akane, you have to stop this," Makoto shouted. "If not, I will."

"No," Akane responded. "Not yet."

"Revert," Sho said and the kunai he was holding went back to being the katana that it was before. He placed the tip of the blade directly in front of Hiroki's face. "I did give you a chance to surrender and walk away. Why didn't you take it?"

"The thought of surrendering to someone like you didn't quite sit well with me," Hiroki chuckled. "If you weren't so arrogant, then I might have taken you up on that offer. But there was no way I was going to let you win that easily with your attitude."

Sho sighed, "Well, what do you know? You just gained a little of my respect. Too bad it won't matter. Tell me, do you hear your sword calling out to you yet?"

"I…," Hiroki tried to concentrate through the pain, but he still didn't hear or feel anything from his blade. "I can't." He lowered his face to the ground.

"Before I finish this, I want to ask you about one more thing?"

"And that is?"

"Earlier, you moved quicker than you had before with a ferocity that I hadn't seen from you until that point. Where did it come from?"

"I just wanted to win. It didn't feel quicker though. All I did was take Makoto's advice about not calling out my attacks. Why? Are you jealous?" Sho smacked the hilt of Hiroki's sword which reverberated through the blade causing Hiroki to cry out in pain again from his hand.

"Hardly," Sho simply responded. "If you had done that from the start, you may not have found yourself in this position. As it stands though, this fight is over." He raised his sword and brought the pommel down on Hiroki's head, knocking the trainee unconscious.

Hiroki opened his eyes and found himself standing on a cloud. Around him were more white clouds of various shapes and sizes. He peered over the edge and saw no ground, but only sky that appeared to continue in all directions endlessly.

"Hello?" he called out, looking around. No one called back, and he began to get anxious. He didn't know where he was or how he got there. It felt real, but also like he wasn't in reality.

"Hello," a melodic, welcoming voice said above him. He looked up as another cloud descended next to his own. Kneeling while resting on both of her heels was a woman wearing a red hakama and a white robe in the style of a shrine maiden. Her black hair was tied up in a white mizuhiki accessory which caused her hair to fall in a line almost to her waist. The darkness of her hair stood in stark contrast to the paleness of her skin. Hiroki also noticed a blue hairpin in her hair that was a five-pointed star. Hiroki thought that it appeared very similar to Maiko's handguard. She stared at him with piercing brown eyes, her hands interlocked and resting above her knees.

"Um, hi," Hiroki said, a little nervous at seeing how beautiful she was. "Where exactly am I?"

The woman tilted her head in confusion, "Do you really not know? Can you not feel it?"

Hiroki looked around again, trying to figure out what the woman had meant, but other than an odd feeling of familiarity, he still wasn't sure where he was.

"I'm sorry, but no, I don't," Hiroki responded to which she gave a warm smile.

"We are inside your mind," she gestured around.

"My mind?" he asked. "I…guess that's why it feels familiar. But who are you?"

"You already know my name. Just think about it, and the answer will come to you. I am a part of you in a way."

Hiroki tried to rack his brain for the information, and suddenly a name appeared in his head. He wasn't sure where it came from or why he thought of it, but it was there as clear as day.

"Kamihime," he muttered.

"That would be correct," she replied. "And I'm sure you've already figured out exactly who I am."

"You're the spirit within my Zanpakutō, correct?"

She nodded, "And now that you know my name, you can call upon me. I shall help you in your battles yet to come, Hiroki."

"But I lost the fight against Sho. Am I…?"

"You are not dead. We wouldn't be here speaking to each other if you were. But if he were really your enemy, you would have been killed. You need to train yourself and unlock your untapped potential."

"What do you mean?" he asked as he felt his eyes open. He was staring up at the sky. Akane's face then came into view and he realized he was lying on her lap. He quickly moved away as he noticed that he was back in the real world.

"I'm…back?" he asked no one in particular.

"You were unconscious for quite a while," Akane replied.

"Are you okay?" Makoto asked, and Ren saw that she was standing next to Akane. Off to the side were Sho and Maiko. Maiko looked worried, but Sho was sitting on the ground, appearing bored.

"I…uh, I think so," Hiroki responded. He quickly figured out that he wasn't in pain anymore. He looked down at his hand, and besides a faint scar, there was no indication that it had been stabbed. There was a similar situation with his leg and shoulder. He moved his fingers, and found nothing wrong with them. He had been worried there might be nerve damage, but everything appeared to be fine. He also noticed that he was still in his Shinigami robes, but his sword was lying sheathed on the ground near Makoto.

"What happened after I…" he trailed off, not wanting to say that he got beaten.

"Akane healed your wounds," Makoto replied. "While you were asleep, you muttered to yourself. We couldn't really understand it though."

"That's alright," Hiroki said, remembering the conversation he had had within his own mind. "I was able to speak to my sword finally. I know its name now."

"Oh?" Makoto then realized that his sword was still near her. She picked it up and walked over to him. She offered it to Hiroki which he gladly accepted. He held it in his hands and looked down at it, smiling.

"Kamihime," he finally said. Everyone was silent except for Sho who chuckled as he sat up.

"Divine Princess?" he said. "How pretentious can you get?" He stood up and dusted himself off. "Well, whatever. Just because you know the name doesn't mean you'll be any more useful than you were before. I bet you still don't even know how to release it. Hell, you probably don't even know what a Shikai is."

"A what?" Hiroki asked.

Sho laughed, "I knew it."

"I guess it's time for the final lesson of the day," Akane said. "All Zanpakutō have the potential to transform into two additional states. I say potential because it comes down to the relationship between the spirit within the blade and the wielder of the blade as to whether these states can and will be achieved. The first form is known as Shikai. You can also think of it as the initial release of the sword. You have also done the hardest part of attaining Shikai, and that is finding out the name of your Zanpakutō. And without realizing it, you probably already know the release call."

"You said there were two forms."

"You shouldn't worry about the second form for now. It's not easy for anyone to achieve. Not even for us. Right now, focus on your Shikai. Once you release it, you'll notice that it will grant you special abilities related to the true nature of the spirit within your sword. Now try to manifest it."

Hiroki pulled out his sword and stared at it. Akane was right. He already knew what he had to say to release his sword. He just wasn't sure what would happen after he did. But he knew he had to trust Kamihime. He lightly tapped the side of the blade with the fingers on his left hand while holding the sword horizontally in front of him.

He took a deep breath before muttering, "Bless, Kamihime." He watched in amazement as the two white ribbons at the base of the hilt wrapped tightly around his wrist, and glowing letters appeared where he had touched the blade. They simply read "Speed." He could feel reishi building at his feet, several more times as much as he had when he previously attempted Hirenkyaku. He moved and suddenly he was behind everyone though they were still looking at where he had been. It took them a second before they all turned in complete shock to where he was now.

"That was…" Makoto trailed off.

"Fast," Akane finished, and Hiroki was surprised to see that she too appeared shocked. Up until that point, other than the serious tone when she gave him the warning about his body, her demeanor hadn't really changed. He also took joy in seeing Sho's surprised expression. Hiroki smirked.

"Rematch?" Hiroki asked Sho, whose expression quickly changed to one of anger. Hiroki didn't need to be a mind reader to know what the other guy was thinking. Sho pulled out his own sword.

"Swap, Basho Dorobō," he said, twirling his blade once again as it transformed back into its Kunai form. He moved behind Hiroki and lunged at him. Right as Sho was about to make contact, Hiroki suddenly moved behind Sho again. This time, Sho was caught off balance and Hiroki spun and kicked Sho in the back who then went tumbling to the ground. As Sho hit the ground, he quickly rolled and came back up on his feet, his kunai in front of him, ready for the next attack.

"So, a little payback, I see," Sho chuckled. "Fine, I'll give you that one. But all you are is faster than me. Is that really all your Shikai is capable of?"

Hiroki quickly moved behind Sho whose eyes widened. Hiroki moved in to attack, swinging his blade in a downward arc as Sho turned toward him. Sho's face suddenly went from shock to a smirk as Hiroki brought his blade down.

"Got you," he said as he leaned to the right and Hiroki's blade passed right next to him. Before Hiroki could react, the kunai was headed for his shoulder. Hiroki quickly moved away, but it was too late as while only the tip of the kunai connected, Hiroki could still see the dot appear through the rip in his robes.

Sho blurred and was in front of Hiroki. Hiroki moved his blade up to block, but Sho snapped and they swapped. Their backs were to each other, and Sho quickly stabbed backward hoping to hit his opponent. Hiroki moved away before he could be stabbed, but Sho snapped again. Hiroki, who had been in the process of moving, almost lost his footing when he appeared and stumbled a little. As he was trying to get his balance back, he could feel the kunai being hurled toward him. He moved his blade behind him to block, but then Sho snapped for the third time.

Sho appeared where Hiroki had been and reached out and grabbed the kunai as it was still flying through the air. He quickly turned and flung it again at Hiroki who had the front of his body completely exposed as he still had his blade behind him to defend from the earlier attack. Hiroki quickly moved into the air as the kunai sailed under him. He breathed a sigh of relief. He may be faster now, but he was still no match for Sho's battle tactics.

"Have you given up yet?" Sho shouted as he blurred and was suddenly where the kunai had landed. He picked it up.

"We could just call it a draw?" Hiroki shouted back.

"You know that if we do that, I still have one win over you."

"I don't think I can defeat you…even with this speed. At least not right now."

"Finally, you said something smart," Sho replied. "Alright fine, we'll call it a tie."

Hiroki came back down to the ground where both he and Sho reverted their swords back to their original states. They sheathed them and returned to their bodies. When Hiroki returned to his body, he felt looser, as if he could move more fluidly and comfortably.

"That first feeling of returning to your body after awakening your powers is odd, isn't it?" Makoto asked, clearly sensing what Hiroki was thinking based on his expressions.

"Yeah," Hiroki answered. "But it feels good."

"It should since you're now the whole of yourself. Before we activated your abilities, you were basically just a shell, but now you're complete."

"So can I assume training's over for today?"

"For today, yes. You accomplished a lot more than I thought you would, but you shouldn't strain yourself."

"Aww, you're praising me," Hiroki said, teasingly.

"Shut up," Makoto looked away with a scowl, though Hiroki could see some red in her cheeks.

"Why don't you take him back to his apartment, Makoto?" Akane asked as she stood up. "The rest of us will make our way back to the hideout." Makoto nodded and she began to leave the clearing with Hiroki right behind her. As soon as they were out of the woods, Makoto turned to Hiroki.

"Why don't we go get something to eat?" She asked. "It's only noon and I'm sure you have several more questions."

She was right. Hiroki had a lot of questions that still hadn't been answered. As he stood there and thought, his stomach decided for him as it loudly growled, making him realize just how hungry he was. Makoto giggled a little, and it was the first time that Hiroki saw her with any sort of genuine smile on her face. He couldn't help but think that she was actually pretty cute. To be honest though, Hiroki had never thought she was unattractive, but her attitude had continued to get in the way. Seeing her relax a little made him smile.

"I could eat," he answered.

After making their way back into town, they found a small cafe near Hiroki's apartment. They sat in a corner booth so as not to be overheard. They both ordered omurice and coffee. They were silent as they ate, which Hiroki found a little awkward, but he'd wait for Makoto to be ready to start the conversation since she'd be the one answering his questions. After they were done eating, they were sitting there sipping on coffee when Makoto finally spoke up.

"Alright," She said. "What's your first question?"

"I'm not sure where to start," Hiroki replied. "Um, can you tell me about your Zanpakutō? Does it also have a Shikai?"

"Yes, you saw it. The net that I had to use on you yesterday."

"So it's just a net?"

Makoto scowled, "It's more than that. When I used it yesterday, it was 'just a net' because you hadn't unlocked your powers yet. But if I were to use it on you now, not only would it entangle you, but it would also hinder the flow of Reishi toward you. Speaking of Shikai, would you like to explain yours?"

"I'll try the best I can. I'm not sure how I know, but it seems like whenever I activate it, it can give me a blessing though I don't know how many blessings there are. The one that you saw was the one for speed, and if I'm explaining this correctly, I'm pretty sure it gathered a ton of Reishi at my feet allowing me to use Hirenkyaku at a much quicker…well, speed. I can't help but realize that both of our abilities have to do with Reishi."

"All Zanpakutō fall under a certain 'type' whether it's elemental, physical, Kidō, or something else that can't exactly be classified."

"What's Kidō?"

"It's a form of combat based around spells, but it's something we don't use, so you don't need to worry about it. As for our 'type', it's Reishi Manipulation or just Reishi-type for short. It's one of the ways that our two heritages work together within us."

"So all of the Splintered have this type?"

"Correct."

"But Sho's didn't seem like it used Reishi."

"Sho is…he's a special case. It's not my place to explain it though. You'll have to ask him."

"Something tells me he won't be very forthcoming," Hiroki scoffed while glancing at the faint scar on the back of his hand.

"Sho is alright," Makoto said calmly after taking a sip of her drink. "He just has some trust issues. Once you show that you'll be a useful part of our group, he'll open up…probably."

"And the rest?" Hiroki asked, his eyebrow raised.

"Other than Hitoshi, the rest of them have already accepted you."

"You know that that includes you, right?"

Makoto sighed, "If you really must know, I was the first to accept you. I had to be since I was the one assigned to keep tabs on you until I felt that it was time for you to be introduced."

A smile slowly crept onto Hiroki's face before he replied, "Ah yes, how could I forget about your stalking phase." Makoto nearly choked on her coffee as she was in the middle of another sip. She coughed several times before finally regaining her composure.

"This is the last time I'm going to tell you," she said, probably louder than she meant to. "I was not stalking you. I was only doing what I was told to do."

"You might want to lower your voice," Hiroki replied. They both looked around and noticed a few people glancing in their direction. Makoto looked away, her face red with anger.

"This is your fault," she muttered.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop," Hiroki answered, his hands up in surrender. "I do have one last question though."

"And that is?"

"What is the other form of a Zanpakutō?"

Makoto grew silent for a second before responding, "It's known as Bankai."

"Bankai," Hiroki repeated, trying out how the word felt. "And how do you achieve it?"

Makoto sighed, "With years of patience and practice. And even then, it's rarely guaranteed."

"Do you have it?"

"I…don't. Not yet, but I feel like I'm close. If only Sadao would let me-," she stopped herself.

"Let you…?"

"It's nothing. Let's go." Makoto suddenly stood up and walked away. Hiroki quickly followed her, confused at her lack of an answer. After they paid and left the cafe, they made their way back to Hiroki's apartment. Makoto was silent until they reached Hiroki's door.

"Before we part ways, there are a few rules you need to follow," she said.

Hiroki sighed, "Alright. What are they?"

"First off, when you practice, you do it outside the city."

"I can do that."

"Second rule, if you ever come across a Hollow, do not engage it. Just leave it alone, go the other way, hide, I don't care. Leave it to the Shinigami. Stopping Hollows is their job."

"What does a Hollow look like?"

"Each one looks different, but imagine a monster with a white mask on its face and hole in its chest. They're hard to miss. Luckily, they haven't been seen here in awhile. It appears the Shinigami in charge of watching this town are actually doing their job."

"You really don't like them, do you?"

Makoto's face darkened, "They don't deserve to be liked. Which brings me to my final rule. Like the second rule, do not engage any Shinigami. If they try to engage you, run, hide, ignore them, it doesn't matter. Just don't do anything back to them."

"Okay?" Hiroki replied, a little worried about Makoto's tone of voice in regards to the Shinigami. He didn't know what they did to her, but it didn't appear to be anything nice. "I'll keep that in mind. And I guess I'll train some more tomorrow after I'm done working. Oh, and you're welcome to come join me if you want. I'll probably just go to the same clearing."

Makoto moved the left strand of hair that framed her face to behind her ear and smiled confidental, "I might. We'll see what happens." And with that, she walked away while Hiroki headed inside.