Hey everyone, hope you all had a good week…or at least better than mine was. Nothing serious, just that the school work has been murder, and with the finals coming up in a few weeks, I'm almost literally on the tips of my toes trying to keep up, while also getting some writing done. But, it 'is' getting done, and at least the semester is almost over; then I can focus on writing specifically.

So, with that outta the way, I'll get to answering some reviews, 3 this week.

xXSpades231Xx: Sorry the chapter was a bit difficult to follow, bro. Granted, there wasn't much in the lines of plot development, but there is a point to this conflict between Susan and the officers. If you pay close attention, you might be able to get an idea as to what that might be, heh heh. Anyway, to your questions…that I'll try my best to answer…

1: Considering that he had some knowledge on how finances should be handled on a medium scale, I would imagine that he was about average.

2: She was actually an accountant as well, seeing as they both went to college for the same degree, although it wasn't mentioned.

3: If you are referring to a non-adventure, family/friends and slice of life type story, it is very likely; although I can guarantee that it will not happen until after this story is finished. Don't wanna get facts mixed up between them and ruin them both.

4: How far can a bear walk into the woods? Answer mine, I'll answer yours, lol.

5/6: Timothy's favorite: None. Timothy's least/ Susan's favorite: Valentines Day. (I'm sure you can imagine why…)

7: I can already see all the pain, torture, humor, and world ending chaos that would befall the group if that happened…and to tell you the truth, I kinda wish it were possible now. Sadly, it won't be possible. Why? That will be explained in later chapters. (Drops head in disappointment)

8:Pointless to the story, sometimes; to the overall humor value between writer and reader, not at all, lmao.

9: Don't really have an answer for that, sorry bro.

SoulessSora: Thanks for the review my friend. Normally, I can play off most characters' personalities (what they would say, how they would respond to certain things, just overall how they would act). I can tell you right now, that Byakuya is on the list of characters that are very difficult for me to mimic. Tetsuzaemon is also on that list, but down towards the bottom. Basically, I would say I should be able to keep him 80% of his true personality. Glad I've managed to do good so far though.

I'm glad you're enjoying the story, and if you do write up a review for this chapter, please feel free to add in what your vote is on the poll.

Orokin Rundas: Yes, my friend, it's true; Nel is getting paired with the OC. However, it will be a while before any kind of romantic things happen between the two. Appreciate the review and hope you enjoy this week's writing.

As I said above, I'm currently getting ready for the semester finals coming up in a few weeks. It shouldn't do anything to my writing, but even if it did, I still have more than enough to ensure you all get your weekly chapters. Just a little heads-up. Also, I'm not sure how I missed it last week (slaps face), but last week we broke the 100K word barrier…YAY! Can't remember if I said anything about it before, but my primary goal for story length is at least 450K words. Fingers crossed…

So, without any more yapping from me, on to the show.

(I DO NOT OWN BLEACH; ITS CHARACTORS, NAMES, LOCATIONS, OR STORY! THAT HONOR BELONGS SOLELY TO TITE KUBO AND HIS TEAM! ONLY THE OC, AND RANDOM NAMES NOT MENTIONED IN THE BOOKS OR ANIME ARE MY OWN!)


Chapter 8

(Practice Makes Perfect.)

Squad 7 Training Grounds, Seireitei, 1 hour later

Once Timothy and Tetsuzaemon had finished eating, they both returned to the squad headquarters to continue their day. Tetsuzaemon gave Timothy a brief lecture on the roles and duties that were expected of him as an officer before he returned to the headquarters.

Timothy however decided to get a little bit of practice done with his flash step, and perhaps meditate a little and communicate with his zanpakutō. Thankfully, the grounds were still empty, leaving him with plenty of room to work with.

He had managed to get the basics of the use of shunpo down with the help of Hetoku; so, he could perform it, but he needed to practice controlling it.

He concluded that the best way for him to do this would be to mark a location in the middle of the field, then flash to it as close as he could; that way he could get an idea of how much energy he needed to put into the move to get the results that he wanted.

Now that he had arrived at the grounds, he began looking around for something to use as a marker. He looked over towards the tree where he would study and saw some twigs and small branches.

"Those should work." he mumbled to himself.

He walked over to the tree and looked around for a decent sized branch that he could stick into the ground to mark his spot.

After a couple of minutes, he found a branch that would do the job and began walking out to the middle of the field. He chose a good enough spot and shoved the branch into the ground deep enough that it wouldn't fall over.

As he stood back up, he turned to see Hinata and Issei walking towards the grounds from the barracks. Although he enjoyed their company, he didn't feel like talking with them at the moment.

But then he thought that perhaps he could ask them to help him a bit with his practice. He stood in place waiting for them to come close before he waved at them.

He saw Issei tap her shoulder, then point out at him to focus her attention. Once she noticed him, both friends waved back with her smiling. It only took another few seconds before they were next to Timothy.

"Hey guys." Timothy greeted.

"Hey Tim." Issei returned.

The two men shook hands, then he and Hinata shook hands as well before Timothy placed his hands on his hips.

"Hi Tim. You training again?" Hinata asked cheerfully.

Timothy gave a quick nod. "Yeah, I'm practicing my flash step. Can't have an officer that can't use shunpo." Timothy joked.

Hinata chuckled a bit and Issei lightly shook his head.

"Nah, that wouldn't be good at all. So how did your errands go this morning?" Issei inquired.

Timothy lightly scoffed. "Good, but not quite as good as I hoped. So, what are you two up to? Where's Kenta?"

"He's out walking around somewhere with Junya, probably causing trouble." Issei answered.

"Probably striping women again." Timothy teased, earning a glare from Hinata.

"I swear you better not tell anyone!" she threatened as Issei chuckled.

Timothy held his hands up in surrender. "I won't, I won't. Just messing with ya." he responded in a calm voice.

"You better not. Anyway, we came out here to practice our kidō for a bit." she stated, answering his other question.

"Really? So, what level are you at right now, if I may ask?" Timothy asked as he crossed his arms.

"I'm at 52 in Bakudō, and 38 in Hadō. Issei's at 51 and 53 respectively. My Hadō never was that good, sad to say. What about you?" Hinata returned, getting a smirk from Timothy.

"Well…I'm at 82 for Bakudō, and 72 in hadō. I've practiced Sōren Sōkatsui a couple of times, but…it didn't end well. I've also practiced some middle level seals as well."

Both friend's jaws dropped with wide eyes. They knew he had some skill in kidō, but they had no idea that he was that good.

"How long have you been practicing?" Hinata asked in shock.

"Oh…eleven years now. In fact, I used a full incantation Raikōhō against the Lieutenant in a duel yesterday. But the Captain blocked it with a Dankū." Timothy recalled.

Their shock only got worse. "What?! Why the hell did you do that?! Don't you know it's not allowed?!" Issei asked in a panic.

Timothy quickly held a hand up. "Hey, he said not to hold back, so I didn't. Even the Captain agreed to that. Besides, I wish you could have seen the look on his face when I started the incantation. Talk about priceless." Timothy finished in a chuckle.

"I can only imagine." Issei deadpanned.

"Whatever. So, if you're practicing your shunpo, would you like some help?" Hinata offered.

Timothy nodded. "Sure, I'd appreciate it. Hetoku taught me the basics on how to use it, I just need to control it." he stated.

"Alright, we'll give you a hand. Maybe you can teach us a few tricks with kidō?" Hinata pressed.

"I'm not sure if I would make a good teacher. I just learned everything I know from books with no tutoring." Timothy clarified.

Hinata shrugged her shoulders and placed her arms behind her back. "It's fine, just thought I'd ask." she responded with a hint of disappointment.

"Hey, I don't have a problem helping you, I just don't know where to begin when it comes to teaching. It's not exactly something I've done before." Timothy tried to reassure. "But if you really want me to, I guess I can give it a try." he added.

Both friends smiled and nodded. "Thanks Tim. But first, let's work on your flash step." Issei finished.

Timothy nodded and gestured with his hand towards the tree. The three friends began walking, and once they got back to the tree, Timothy got into a stance to use shunpo.

"Alright, you said you already have the basics down, so now it's just a matter of getting the amount of energy used right. And really, the only way to get that down is to keep doing it over and over until it becomes muscle memory." Issei instructed.

Timothy gave a brief nod, then turned back to the branch from earlier. He began redirecting the flow of his energy to start accumulating it in his legs.

Using the trick Hetoku had taught him, he tried to imagine a wall keeping the energy in place. He took a breath, then stepped forward as he released the energy in his leg, instantly stepping over to where the branch was.

He stood up straight and looked behind him to see he had overshot his target by about two yards. He glanced back at the tree to see his two friends giving him thumbs up. He then turned to face just a bit to the left of Hinata, so that he wouldn't run into her; and taking a stance, he began funneling energy back to his legs and got ready to step again.

He took another breath, then stepped again, this time bypassing Hinata by ten feet, worse than he did with his previous target.

He stood up straight and turned back to them. "I think I put a little too much into it." Timothy stated in agitation, getting a nod from her.

"Just a little. Like Issei said, you just gotta find the right amount of energy, then keep doing it over and over until your body does it automatically. But don't worry, once your body learns exactly what is needed, it'll start doing it on its own without you having to think about it." she encouraged.

Timothy nodded and got ready to step again back towards the branch. He channeled the energy into his leg, but pulled a little back before he stepped again.

This time, he found that he didn't go far enough, ending up shy by about three yards. He let out a light growl as he walked the rest of the way to the branch.

"Not quite enough." he mumbled as he came to the branch and turned around. Let's try again."

He got back into a stance, channeled his energy, then stepped again, now ending up only a yard from Hinata.

"Better. Just remember how much you used that time and add just a tad bit more." Issei instructed.

Timothy turned around and got ready to try again.


For the next hour, Timothy flash stepped back and forth, over and over and adjusting his energy output each time. Sometimes he would overshoot, other times he would end up shy of his target. He managed to stop in the target area a few times, but for the most part he would just miss it.

After a while, his legs were starting to get tired, so he decided to take a break for a bit and give his friends a hand with their kidō. The three friends walked over to the kidō range and Timothy faced the other two.

"Alright, have either of you two practiced any barriers or seals before?" he asked.

"A couple simple ones, but that's it." Hinata answered.

"Alright, let me show you a relatively easy one that I came up with." Timothy stated.

Both friends raised their brows at him. "One that you came up with? What do you mean? You made your own seal?" Issei asked in surprise.

Timothy gave a slight nod. "Yeah, but it's purely a defensive one. Like I said, I find it easy to cast, the problem is maintaining it." he responded holding a finger up.

"I call it Datsuraku Shōheki, or Shedding Barrier. It's a barrier that is placed on top of your body, but it's transparent and undetectable. Once you've cast the barrier, you have to feed your spirit energy into it to maintain it, or it will shatter because of how weak it is."

"So, what does it do?" Hinata asked.

"It's like…a second skin. It'll act as a protective barrier against kidō, especially Bakudō. It'll protect you against lower level hadō, but it's most effective against binding spells. If you have it over you, and you get attacked with a bakudō, the bakudō will bind to the barrier instead. All you have to do is release the barrier and the bakudō will fall apart with it. But as I said, after you've cast the barrier, you have to constantly feed spiritual energy into it. So, if you keep it up for an extended amount of time, you would end up tiring yourself out." Timothy answered.

Both friends nodded, but still seemed confused.

"Alright, I'll show you. I'll put up the barrier, and one of you two hit me with a binding kidō." Timothy instructed.

The two friends nodded and Timothy stepped back a few feet. He lowered his head and closed his eyes as he placed both hands in front of him, interlocking his thumbs, index and middle fingers, and extending his ring and little fingers.

He took a deep breath, then released a little bit of spirit energy.

"Datsuraku Shōheki." he whispered as he pushed his energy into his hands.

The friends watched as a rectangular, transparent barrier appeared around Timothy. After a moment, the barrier began shrinking at a mild pace until it formed onto his body, then faded away. Timothy lowered his hands and raised his head towards them.

Hinata raised a brow at him. "You don't need an incantation for it?" she inquired.

Timothy gently shook his head. "No. Like I said, the barrier is quite thin and not that powerful at all. Just using the name is good enough to get what you need. So go ahead and try it, send a bakudō at me." he stated, getting a nod from Issei.

Issei raised his hand to Timothy and started drawing a symbol in the air in front of him, a small, red trace of light following his finger's movements.

"Bakudō #9, Geki." he chanted.

Timothy's body instantly started giving off a red hue and he found himself completely unable to move. But a second later, he took a breath and the bakudō quickly dispelled with a shatter. Timothy raised his hand up and flexed his fingers.

Both friends looked at him with both surprise and shock as Timothy turned back to them.

"See? Your bakudō attached itself to the barrier. But keep in mind, the reason I couldn't move was because the kidō was binding the barrier, therefor binding me. But once I dropped the barrier, the kidō shattered with it." Timothy stated.

"Is it effective against physical attacks?" Hinata asked, now recovered from her shock.

"Not really. The barrier is too thin to hold up against anything physical. And you can't make the barrier thicker because it will prevent you from moving. It's just thin enough to allow free movement. It might reduce the impact of a hit hadō by a little bit, but not really noticeable. Although, it is good at keeping you dry when it's raining."

The two friends chuckled at his joke, then nodded.

"So, how do you cast it?" Issei asked.

Timothy placed his hands in front of him and interlaced his fingers the same way as before.

"First, put your hands out like this." he began.

The two friends did as instructed, holding their hands out in front of them and tried to mimic the position of Timothy's fingers. Timothy walked up to them and slightly readjusted Issei's fingers to the right position.

He turned to Hinata and moved her hands out from her chest a little more and gave a quick adjustment to her fingers.

"Alright, just like you do for regular kidō and other seals, focus your spirit energy into your hands." The two friends closed their eyes and began channeling energy towards their hands. "Now, visualize a thin barrier around you, and start to put the energy into it, but be careful not to put too much energy into it."

For the next few moments, they both slowly put their energy into the barrier that they had in their minds. Very slowly, a small, rectangular barrier started to form around Issei, but Hinata was having some trouble.

"Hinata, try to see the barrier in your mind, and place it around you. Once you visualize it, then put the energy into it." Timothy corrected.

She slightly nodded and tried again. After another few seconds, a small barrier started to form around her. It was slightly larger than Issei's, but Timothy could see that she got the concept.

"Ok, now, pull the barrier closer to you and keep pulling unto it wraps around your body. Remember, do not put too much into it, just enough to keep it active, that's it." Timothy instructed.

For a moment, nothing happened. But after that their individual barriers started to slowly close in on them. Timothy drew his zanpakutō and held it facing backwards so he could break the barriers if they made a mistake.

It took a few minutes, but after a while the barriers were now closely wrapped around their bodies.

"Now, state the name and the barriers will freeze and hold their shape. Repeat after me, Datsuraku Shōheki." Timothy paused.

"Datsuraku Shōheki." The two friends called in unison.

Instantly, the two barriers stopped and became completely clear. They both let out their breaths and started moving their arms around.

"It feels weird…like my arms are heavy." Hinata stated.

"You're not used to it, and I can tell that you made it just a little bit thicker that it should be. But, it's not bad for the first try. Like the flash step, once you get the gist of it down, it's just a matter of getting used to putting the right amount of energy to it." he reassured.

Right as he finished his statement, Issei's barrier suddenly shattered, startling him.

"What happened?" he asked.

"You didn't put your energy into it. As I said, once you've cast it, you have to constantly keep feeding your energy into it to keep it up. Try it again."

Issei nodded and held his hands in place again to try again. He took a breath and slowly gathered energy into his hands. A moment later, another thin barrier appeared around him. A few seconds afterwards, the barrier started to close in around him until it encased him.

"Datsuraku Shōheki." he commanded.

His barrier became clear and he rested his arms.

"Good. Now, I'll send a low level bakudō at you two. Once the kidō has attached to you, I'll tell you to drop the barrier." Timothy stated, getting nods back.

"I'll use Geki as well." he added and held his hand up to Hinata.

He drew the incantation in the air with his fingers, the same red tracer from last time following his finger's movements. Once he finished, he held his hand out to her.

"Bakudō #9, Geki." he chanted.

The same red hue as before now enveloped Hinata's body, and she found herself unable to move. Timothy lowered his hand.

"Alright, now cut off the energy you're feeding to the barrier and let it collapse." he instructed.

She closed her eyes, and after a few seconds the barrier around her shattered, taking the bakudō with it. She opened her eyes back up and started moving her arms around.

"Wow! I can't believe that worked!" she stated in surprise.

Timothy smiled at her, which she returned, then turned to Issei. He held his hand up again and drew the incantation again.

"Bakudō #9, Geki." He chanted once more.

Issei's body, like before, was enveloped in the same red hue, also finding himself unable to move.

"Now it's your turn. Do the same as Hinata and stop feeding energy into the barrier."

Issei slowly stopped sending his energy into the barrier, causing it to shatter as well with the kidō. He rotated his shoulder and flexed his fingers.

"Now that's cool. Thanks Tim." he stated.

Hinata nodded. "Yeah, thanks." she added.

"No problem. But keep this in mind, when you are trying to perform it, if you feel that something isn't right, or the barrier is too strong, do not state the name, just let it drop. You can always try again, but if you cast it and it's not right, you might have just screwed yourself." Timothy warned with a finger in the air.

Both friends nodded back to him.

"Got it." Hinata confirmed.

Timothy nodded back and returned his sword to its sheath. "Alright, that's enough rest for me. I'm gonna head back over there and work on my flash step some more." He stated as he gestured with his thumb towards the tree. "You guys can keep practicing if you want, but one at a time. I'd recommend the other person have their zanpakutō drawn in case you have to break the barrier by force if something happens." he added.

The pair nodded again. "Sounds like you've had a bad experience before." Issei mocked.

The officer's face dropped. "…Yeah…One time, I accidentally trapped myself for almost two hours."

The two friends laughed while Susan snickered. "Oh my God, 'that' was so damn funny!" she remarked.

"Be quiet, you!" he shot back with a hiss.

"Alright. Have fun." Issei remarked when he calmed down to a chuckle.

Timothy gave them a quick wave before turning and walking back to the tree.

Truth be told, even though both of his friends were moderately proficient in channeling their spirit energy, he was still a little impressed that they had managed to perform the barrier that quickly. In the past, it took him almost three weeks to perfect it.

It was now midafternoon, and he still needed to speak with the Captain that evening. He guessed that he would have a couple of hours left to practice before he would have to leave to go meet with him.

Once he arrived at the tree, he took a few minutes to stretch out his legs because they were starting to cramp from earlier. Once he finished, he turned to face the branch in the distance and prepared himself to flash step.

He tried to remember exactly how much energy he had put into his last step and, put that same amount into this one. After a short breath, he flashed forward, and managed to come to a stop only a few feet away.

"Decent…but it needs to be better." He mumbled under his breath.

He turned back around towards the tree and quickly stepped again, but this time he stopped right next to it.

"There we go, now I've just gotta remember the force behind it."

He raised each knee to his chest, one after the other to get another quick stretch. He took a quick breath, then turned and stepped again, ending up just a little bit close than before.

"Hey Tim." Susan spoke up.

Timothy turned back towards the tree and stepped again, again landing next to it.

"Yeah?" he answered inwardly as he turned back.

"Are you calm enough to talk about earlier?" she inquired, getting a sigh back.

"I guess. What is it?" he asked, then stepped again, stopping where he did last time.

"Well, I wanted to ask you what you thought about the fight." Susan stated.

Timothy turned around and prepared to step again.

"You did good, from what I saw." he paused and stepped, right next to the tree. "Can't believe you made those two fall for your fake kidō." he added and turned back.

"That was funny, but I'm asking about overall." she clarified.

Timothy stepped again and landed right at the branch. "Overall, you did a really good job." He turned and flashed again. "You managed to take on, not only the Captain, but the Lieutenant as well, at the same time." he stated and flashed. "I may not have been here long, but even I know that just to be able to take on a Lieutenant is 'not' an easy feat."

He stepped again as Susan spoke. "Thanks. And Tim, I'm sorry for scaring you like that. It just…hit me out of nowhere." she admitted.

He flashed once more, then sighed and placed his hands on his hips.

"Susan…we need to work together. I know after the past few days I don't have much of a right to say this, but we can't overdo it. You know full well what could happen if you lost all of your energy. If I lose you, I doubt I would be able to keep going." Timothy stated, then got ready to step again.

"I know, but just…cut me a little slack. Besides, it does get very boring being sealed like this, so you gotta let me live at least a little." she pleaded.

Timothy stepped, then sighed. "Alright, I'll try. If I could help it, I would let you out once in a while. The only problem is that we can't risk others seeing you."

"I'm aware. And now that you mention it, a…wild idea came to my mind earlier after the fight." she stated.

Timothy stepped again back to the tree and stood for a moment.

"An idea coming from you? Why do I have the feeling that this is either going to be really funny, or really stupid?" he mocked.

Susan growled back at him. "Just…shut up and hear me out!" she demanded.

Timothy snorted and nodded. "I'm listening."

"Remember the Captain's…giant, or whatever that thing was?" she asked, getting a nod. "Well…it leads me to think that some bankais, and maybe even some standard releases allow the zanpakutō's spirit to fight with its owner." she began.

Timothy could already see where this was going, and he immediately thought it was a bad idea. But he decided to let her finish.

"Go ahead." he stated.

"Well, if that's the case, it may be possible for me to help you in your fights. You already use my sealed abilities as a mock shikai, so it's possible that by releasing me, you can use that as a mock bankai." she finished.

Even though he didn't like the idea and thought it was far too risky, he did have to admit that it was entirely possible. And it would give him an excuse in case he ever had to release her in an emergency.

"Ok, say that we do use your release as a mock bankai, how would you explain having to reseal you again? If someone hears the incantation, they'll know that it's a seal." he pointed out.

"Just tell them I'm arrogant and tend to refuse to return to sword form, and that you usually have to force me back." she answered.

He scoffed at her answer. "You 'are' arrogant!" he insulted.

"I am not!" she fought back.

Timothy gave a slight chuckle. "Oh, yes you are! Even more than I am! And I am not going to argue with you about it!" he returned flatly.

"Whatever…anyway, do you think that the idea would work? At least to give you an edge if things don't turn out." she said as he turned back to the branch.

"I'll think about it, and don't ask me about it again." he instructed, then stepped.

"Alright, I won't. Anyway, thanks for letting me have my fun. I'm sure the Captain and Lieutenant enjoyed it too." she stated.

Timothy flinched and sweated. "Please don't say it like that…you make it sound like you're implying…something."

"Oh? So that's where your mind is, huh? My, how dirty you are." she teased in a flirty tone.

Timothy slightly blushed. "I am not! You made it sound dirty!" he returned.

"No, I was making a simple statement. 'You' turned it into something dirty. Such a bad boy~." she hummed.

Timothy balled his fists and growled. "Shut up!" he demanded.

"Awww…did I make the bad boy angry~?" she mocked.

Timothy was now mad. "I said to shut up!"

"Would you like a kiss to make you feel better?" she continued.

"Shut up!" he yelled, then quickly slapped a hand over his mouth.

He became furious after he fell for her taunts again, resulting in losing himself and yelling out loud to his embarrassment.

"I can't believe I keep falling for that." he deadpanned. She started snickering and he growled more. "I hate you."

"Really! But I thought you loved your wife!" she stated in a mock 'shocked' tone.

"Not right now I don't, you witch." he retorted.

She growled back at him. "I am not a witch!" she yelled back.

Now it was Timothy's turn to snicker. "Awww…is the big bad wolf angry?" he taunted.

"'Flaming' big bad 'fox', and touché. Fine, a tie then?" she offered.

"A tie. Now, let me get back to my practice." he returned.

"Yes…master." she mocked, causing him to flinch.

"I am not…you know what, whatever. Just shut up for now." he pleaded.

"Ok, fine. Killjoy." she finished and went silent.

Timothy shook his head at her final comment, then flashed back to the tree.

Squad 7 Headquarters, Seireitei, 3 hours later

Sajin lifted his head from his paperwork at the sound of a knock on his office door. He leveled out the papers in his hand on the desk and set them to the side.

"You may enter." he answered.

The door slowly opened, and Timothy walked in, closing the door behind him. He turned to face the Captain and gave a low bow, then rose.

"Good evening Captain. Is now a good time to discuss our earlier conversation?" Timothy asked.

Sajin gave a quick nod and gestured for him to sit down before turning around to pour them some tea. Timothy walked up to the desk before sitting down and accepting a cup of tea from the Captain.

"Thank you, sir." he stated.

"You're welcome. So, this is about your conversation with your zanpakutō's spirit, correct?" Sajin asked, then took a sip.

Timothy nodded. "Yes sir."

Sajin set his cup back down and set his hands in his lap. "Very well, go ahead."

Timothy took a sip, then set his cup down before sighing.

"Well sir, it will take a moment to tell you the whole thing, but I'll give you the short version. My zanpakutō's spirit said that I would never be able to hear its name because my heart and soul are filled with negative emotions." Timothy started, then took a sip of tea.

"I see. Go on." Sajin stated as he took a sip as well.

"He said that my heart was filled with anger, despair, and hatred. That I'm angry with myself because I feel that I failed those that I have lost. Susan…Hetoku."

Sajin held a hand up to stop him. "I understand what you're saying, Tim. But you need to keep this in mind. What happened to 5th seat Hetoku was not, in any way, your fault. He was sent there under orders, my orders. Not yours. He died doing his duty, keeping his honor intact. I will say it again, in no way was his death your fault. And I will not tolerate you feeling that it is. Is that understood?" he stated in a serious tone.

Timothy let out a deep sigh, but finally nodded. "Yes sir."

"Very good. You may continue." Sajin stated.

"Yes sir. The spirit said that my heart was filled with despair for the ones that I've lost." he continued.

"I understand this as well. Before you go beating yourself up for it, you should know that I also feel pain and grief at the loss of a friend and comrade. These feelings are natural, and unavoidable. It's fine to feel sorrow after you lose someone, it shows that your cared about them. But, you shouldn't keep these feelings holed up inside you. It's painful to let them go, but it is something that you have to do. If you keep dwelling on them, it's only going to hurt you more. Do you understand?" Sajin asked, now with comforting eyes.

Timothy lowered his head and nodded. "I do, sir."

Sajin and Timothy both took a sip of their tea.

"Before you go on, I assume I know what you are about to say about the hatred you feel. It's towards Aizen, isn't it?" Sajin asked in a serious manner.

Timothy gritted his teeth and nodded. "Yes, it is." He looked back up at the Captain. "And this is where I am the most lost." He held his arms out. "How the hell can I not hate the man who did what he did to my wife? And please allow me to ask this, do you not hate him after what he did here?" Timothy asked as he pointed at Sajin.

Sajin closed his eyes in thought a moment. "This may surprise you Tim, but although I dislike the man for the crimes he has committed, I do not outright 'hate' the man. I can never forgive him for what he has done, but I do not possess any hatred towards him. There is a saying that I am sure you have heard before; 'Hatred brings more hatred'?" he asked.

Timothy sighed and nodded. "I have."

Sajin took a sip of tea, keeping the cup in his hand. "Although what he did to Susan is disgraceful, you shouldn't hate the man, Tim. Dislike him, tell him you'll never forgive him, but don't show him hate. Hatred tears the soul apart, turning us into the monsters that we fight against. How can you fight hatred, if you yourself possess it as well? You can't. You have to fight the hatred within yourself and learn to let go of the past. Only then can you truly call yourself a soul reaper."

Sajin finished as he took a last sip of his tea and set the cup down.

"Now, with that out of the way, was there something else you wished to discuss?" Sajin inquired as he poured more tea for them.

Timothy looked back to him. "Actually...there is something that Susan brought up a while ago while I was practicing." he confirmed. Sajin nodded for him to continue. "Susan tossed an idea about releasing her on certain occasions, such as difficult fights."

Sajin rose a brow. "I don't see how that would be possible without raising questions about her." he stated.

Timothy started rubbing the back of his head. "Well, as it is right now, I pretend that her sealed abilities are a shikai. I even managed to fool you and the Lieutenant if you recall, sir."

Sajin lightly chuckled. "Yes, you did. Though, I never expected such a thing as this to be possible." he admitted.

"Well, that's her point sir. If you and the Lieutenant didn't think about that possibility, neither will anyone else. She also remembered when you two were fighting earlier, when you released your bankai and that giant appeared."

"You mean Kokujō Tengen Myō?" Sajin inquired, getting a nod.

"Yes. She saw that the spirit of your zanpakutō took on an actual form. Her thinking is that by releasing her, and calling it out as a 'bankai', we could play it off as similar situation. The bankai's ability is for her to 'manifest' and fight alongside me, like yours does. That way, if I ever had to release her in an emergency or something, I would have a good excuse." Timothy clarified.

Sajin rested his chin in his hand and stroked his fur. "I see."

"So, I guess what I'm asking is what your opinion of the idea is?" Timothy finished.

Sajin closed his eyes and thought the question over for a moment before looking back at him.

"I'm sure you see that as very risky, but I think that is a good plan. But what will you do when it comes time to seal her back?" Sajin asked.

"Another idea of hers…she says for her to play 'arrogant' and always refuse to return to sword form, causing me to have to 'force' her back." Timothy answered.

Sajin thought on the matter again and nodded.

"It sounds good to me, but try to avoid releasing her if you can. If people discover your 'bankai', you would most likely get more attention than you would want. Achieving bankai is not taken lightly, most especially with you being a 5th seat. It's rare enough to see a Lieutenant possess one. Do you understand what I am saying?" Sajin asked.

Timothy nodded. He actually didn't think about that, and he doubted that Susan had thought of that too. This caused him to dislike the idea even further.

"Out of curiosity, what would happen if I was to possess a bankai?" Timothy inquired taking a sip.

Sajin took a sip as well and held the cup in his hand. "It will allow you to take the Captain's Proficiency Test, or more known as the Captain's exam. Once a person attains bankai, and studies for the exam, that person's Captain can recommend him to take the test, provided that there is an empty position. The exam is given by three other Captains, not including the recommending Captain, and it must include the Head Captain." he finished and took another sip.

"I see. So, you're saying that if I study, you could recommend me for it?" Timothy inquired.

Sajin rose a brow. "Tim, don't even think about it. You may have a very good fighting ability, and even though you have defeated me once in a duel, you are by no means ready for the position of Captain. There is far more than you think that is involved in being a Captain. And besides, even if I was to recommend you, with the short amount of time that you have been here, no Captain would accept administering the test to you." Sajin answered in a serious manner.

Timothy held up his hands in surrender. "I'm just fooling with you sir, my apologies." he said with a grin.

Sajin stare got more serious. "And why is it I find that hard to believe?" Sajin half asked.

Timothy mildly chuckled. "I guess you got me. I was just curious, Captain. Anyway, that was all I had to talk about, unless you had something for me."

Sajin finished his tea and nodded. "As a matter of fact, I do. Tetsuzaemon told me you two managed to talk out your differences."

Timothy shrugged his shoulders. "For the most part. It will probably take a little more time for us to see eye to eye perfectly, but we managed to clear some things up. I'll admit, my first impression of him was very poor. I thought he was just a grumpy man at first." Sajin chuckled at his remark. "But now that we've talked it over, it's a whole lot better, and I actually have a newfound respect for him now." Timothy finished and drank the rest of his tea.

"I see. Well I'm glad you two have sorted things out. Besides that, I have nothing further for you. You are dismissed." Sajin finished.

Timothy stood up and gave the man a bow. "Thank you, sir." he stated as he rose.

"Good night, Tim." Sajin bid.

"Good night, sir." Timothy returned and began walking to the door.

He continued until he was out of the office and closed the doors behind him. He stood there for a moment to think about what the Captain told him about his emotions. Everything he said was true, as expected, but what he faced now was going through with the Captain's suggestions.

He took a breath, then continued walking through the halls to return to the barracks. As he came out of the stairwell, he turned right in the hallway to see Tetsuzaemon heading his way. He walked forward until the men were a few feet from each other.

"Good evening Lieutenant." he greeted.

"Evening Durn. What brings you here?" the Lieutenant asked.

"I just got done speaking with the Captain about this morning's conversation. I'm on my way back to the barracks now." Timothy answered.

Tetsuzaemon nodded and crossed his arms.

"Well, are you ready for tomorrow? We're gonna get you working on more paperwork so you can figure out how everything works here in the headquarters." he stated.

Timothy shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, I guess. I would like some time tomorrow to work on my flash step though."

"Don't worry your pretty head about it. You'll get plenty of time to train, and also conduct some training." Tetsuzaemon cleared.

Timothy rose a brow, confused. "What do you mean?"

"You're an officer, so you need to be part of training some of the members. I know you're pretty proficient in kidō, so you can work on that." the Lieutenant clarified.

"Alright, though I'm not sure I'd make a very good teacher, but I'll try." Timothy answered.

Tetsuzaemon grunted and nodded back. "Good. See ya tomorrow, Durn."

Timothy gave him a slight bow. "Good night sir." he returned.

Tetsuzaemon nodded as Timothy rose, then walked by him towards one of the offices while Timothy continued towards the barracks.

As Timothy stepped out the rear doors of the building, he paused in place for a moment to look out at the training grounds. He slipped his arms into his sleeves and took a shallow breath while he turned back to his conversation with the Captain.

He knew that Hetoku's death wasn't his fault, but he still felt guilty about it. The Captain told him that nothing he did would have changed the outcome, but he felt that he could at least have done something.

"Susan…" he called inwardly.

"Yes?" she answered.

Timothy closed his eyes and sighed. "Be honest with me…do you blame me for what happened?" he asked lowly.

"No Tim, I don't. You tried to protect me, but there was nothing we could have done. That man was too powerful, and regardless of what we did, I feel that it would have happened anyway. Is this why you've been distant from me all these years?" she returned in a sad voice.

Timothy slowly nodded. "I've always felt…that I've failed you, that I caused you to be like this. I felt ashamed for it…that you…were mad at me for it." His eyes began to tear up.

"Tim…it wasn't your fault. How could I be mad at you for something you didn't do? You did your best to save me, and I've always loved you for it. You need to stop tearing yourself up about it." she advised.

Timothy took a deep breath and looked back at the field.

"So, you're not mad at me?" he pressed.

"No, I'm not. I'm glad you did what you could. Now you should go get some rest. Judging by the Lieutenant's remarks, you've got a busy day tomorrow." she joked.

Timothy scoffed back at her. "Don't remind me. Thanks Susan."

"You're welcome." she answered and went silent.

Timothy turned and began walking towards the barracks slowly while he continued to think on his emotions. He was just about to walk in the doors when he saw Hinata and Issei walking up behind him.

He stopped and turned to face them. "Evening guys." he greeted.

They both waved to him as they stopped next to him.

"How did your practicing go?" Timothy added.

"It was fine. We practiced your barrier a few times, until Issei made his too thick and couldn't move." Hinata answer with a chuckle.

Issei rubbed the back of his head as Timothy chuckled as well.

"Don't worry about it, just need to practice is all. You guys heading to your rooms?" Timothy asked.

Issei nodded. "Yeah, you?"

"Yeah, I've had a busy day and tomorrows going to be worse, so I need to get some rest. By the way, how often does the squad get rest days?" Timothy inquired.

"Oh, about once, maybe twice a month. The one before today was given to us to try and improve moral, so it will probably be a few weeks before we get another one." Hinata answered.

"Really? And here I was hoping you guys had weekends off." Timothy joked.

"Yeah, I wish." Issei returned.

Timothy nodded, then gestured for them to go inside. The two friends nodded and walked past Timothy with him following behind. As they walked through the common area, Issei glanced back at him.

"By the way Tim, how old are you, if you don't mind me asking?" he asked.

Timothy gave a slight snort. "Are you asking how old I was when I died, or how old I am now?" Timothy asked rhetorically.

"Both I guess." Issei returned.

"I was born in 1961, and died when I was twenty-eight, so I guess I'm technically forty now." Timothy answered in a comical tone. "What about you?"

"I don't remember anything about my previous life, and I can't really remember what year I was born in, but I've been here for thirty-three years. I do know that I died at an old age though, so I'm at least a hundred combined." Issei answered as he turned towards the staircase.

Timothy rose a brow. "How do you not remember what year you were born in?" he asked, surprised.

"When you die and come to the soul society, you'll usually lose all memories of your life before coming here. It's rare that someone will remember their life from before. The only thing I can remember is that I lived on one of the southern islands of Japan. Nothing else really." Issei clarified.

They came to the second floor and started down the hallway as Timothy turned to Hinata.

"And what about you, Hinata?"

She gave him a chuckle. "Don't you know it's impolite to ask a woman's age?" she teased.

Timothy grinned at her comment. "Well, that is true, but whoever said you were a woman? You act more like a tomboy to me." he teased.

Issei snickered while she turned and lightly hit Timothy in the chest.

"I may act like a tomboy, but I'm still a woman, asshole." she retorted and turned back.

Timothy held a hand up in surrender. "Alright, fine. So, I guess you're not going to tell me?" he pressed.

"Nope. I'll leave you to try and guess it out." she closed with a smirk.

Timothy chuckled and shook his head. A moment later, the group found themselves outside Timothy's room and stopped.

"Well, I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow. Have a good night." Timothy stated.

They both nodded and waved before turning and continuing down the hall.

Timothy slid open his door and walked inside before sliding it back closed. He walked over to the bed and set his two swords down on top of it before turning to the dresser. He then let out a shallow yawn as he pulled off his top robe and set it to the side. After he finished getting ready, he returned to his bed and climbed in to lay down and let sleep take him.

Squad 7 Headquarters, Seireitei, The Next Afternoon

It was somewhat of a rough start for Timothy. All morning, and leading up to the early afternoon, he found himself plagued with a never-ending supply of paperwork.

He was relieved when it was finally time for him to head out to the grounds to start training with the other members. All of the paperwork had left him with a headache, although he wasn't sure if it was the paperwork that had done it, or the numerous times he slammed his head onto the table.

As he left the headquarters, he looked out to the training grounds to see that there were around thirty to forty members either practicing kidō, sharpening their sword skills, or doing general exorcises.

'I wonder if Hinata and the others are out there as well.' he thought as he continued his walk.

As he came closer to the grounds, he saw 7th seat Minato talking with a few other members, so thought it best to speak with him before he got started working with the other members. He continued walking until he was now a short distance from the man.

"Hey Minato." he greeted.

The officer turned towards him and held up a hand. "Morning Timothy. Here to train with us today?" he asked.

Timothy stopped next to him and nodded. "Yeah, the Lieutenant wants me to help work on the guys' kidō skills and anything else I can help with." Timothy answered.

"Alright, then let's get the men together so you can introduce yourself. Most of them are not yet aware that you're the new 5th seat." Minato advised.

Timothy nodded and both men walked to the center of the field.

"Alright everyone, gather around for a minute." Minato yelled out, getting everyone's attention.

Both men waited as the members on the grounds walked over to listen to what Minato had to say. After a few minutes, everyone had their eyes and ears focused on the two officers, then Minato turned to Timothy.

"All yours." he stated.

Timothy nodded, then cleared his throat.

"Alright, most of you don't know me. My name is Timothy Durn, the new 5th seat, but I ask that you please just call me Tim. Honestly, hearing the full name over and over does get tiring, so please try not to call me by the whole name all the time." he paused, getting nods of understanding.

"I'll put this simply, I'm not much of a hard ass, and I'm pretty laid back. So as long as you do what you're supposed to and don't cause any problems, I won't jump down your throats. Now, I know some of you are wondering how I became the 5th seat after only a little over a week here, but I know some of you witnessed the duel between me and the Captain. The simple answer is that he was impressed with me and said that I was worthy of the position. I'm still getting used to it, so I hope you all will bear with me."

Timothy looked around and got nods back in understanding. He could see that most of the members accepted his assignment, but he could also see a few members that didn't appear to be pleased.

"With that being said, I've been instructed to help you guys with your kidō skills, and anything else that I could help you improve. So, by a show of hands, who here can perform bakudō at the 50s level?" he asked.

He looked to see that roughly a fifth of the members had raised their hands.

"Alright, who can use the 60s level?" he pressed.

All but a few of the members dropped their hands. He counted the hands to see that only four of them could use the kidō.

"Alright, Minato with help the ones that can perform 50s and below. If you can use 60s level, I'll be working with you. Later on, we'll all get back together so I can teach you all a helpful barrier that you can use for defense. Anyone got any questions?"

A couple of the members rose their hands, so Timothy pointed to the first one.

"Sir, you said you fought the Captain in a duel, how did you defeat him?" the member asked.

"I managed to beat him with a combination of my zanpakutō's abilities and psychological warfare." Timothy answered.

"Psychological warfare?" the member returned.

Timothy nodded. "Yes, instead of fighting him physically, which is obviously impossible, I fought him mentally. Sometimes, if you can't beat an opponent with your sword, it might be better to fight him with your mind. But that's something we'll go over another time."

The member nodded, and Timothy pointed to the next member, a female.

"Excuse me, but if you've only been here a week, how did you learn higher level kidō so fast? I thought the academy will only teach you up to #49." she asked with a bit of confusion.

"Well first, I didn't go to the academy. The Captain gave me a test through combat and determined I was good enough to become a member. But I studied kidō while I was still a resident in Rukongai. It's a long story, and one that I don't plan on telling for a while." Timothy answered.

The member nodded, and Timothy saw no more hands were raised.

"Well, with that out of the way, lets break up into our groups." Timothy announced, then turned to Minato. "Take your group over towards the kidō range, I'll take mine over to the tree over there." he stated as he pointed to the tree.

Minato nodded and began walking, his group of members following behind him. Timothy turned to see that he had five members with him, three men and two women.

"I thought only four of you raised your hands?" he observed.

The shortest member, a few inches shorter than Timothy, stepped forward.

"I did, but I guess I was too short for you to see me, sir." the man answered.

Timothy waved him off politely. "As I said, just call me Tim. And trust me, you're not the only one with that problem." He said, earning a series of chuckles. "Anyway, who here can use bakudō #63?"

The two women and two of the men raised their hands, leaving the one man who was almost a foot taller than Timothy. He turned to the man.

"What can you use?" he asked him.

"I can use #61, but it occasionally fails." he answered.

Timothy saw the rest of them nod.

"It's the same for most of us." one of the women added.

Timothy nodded back. "Alright, then that's what we'll work with for now. But we're not going to be using practice targets today. I'll be your target."

The members looked at him worried.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? What if one of us messes up? You know it could hurt you." the woman from before asked concerned.

"It's fine, I've got a method I can use to help me. You'll see. I'm going to get a little distance from you guys and I want you guys to use Rikujōkōrō on me, one at a time. Questions?" Timothy finished.

Everyone shook their heads, so Timothy turned and walked about twenty feet from the tree before turning back towards them. He then held hinds out in front of him and created his protective barrier, much to the surprise of the members.

"Alright, first one go ahead and hit me, but don't use the full incantation." he instructed.

One of the men stepped forward and held his hand out to Timothy, his index and middle fingers pointing at him.

"Bakudō #61, Rikujōkōrō." he chanted.

Instantly, a yellow pulse emitted from his fingertips, then six wide, yellow blades appeared around Timothy and stabbed into his torso. Timothy was completely unable to move but could still speak.

"Good." he stated, then shattered his barrier and the kidō, shocking the members.

"H…how the hell did you do that?!" the man who used the kidō asked.

Timothy gave a light chuckle. "It's a barrier that I came up with. I'll teach it to you guys later today and explain how it works then. But, the short story is that it sheds the binding kidō off of you. Alright, next person."

One of the women stepped up as the man fell back. Timothy put his barrier back up, then nodded. The woman pointed at him.

"Bakudō #61, Rikujōkōrō." she chanted, causing the same yellow blades to hit Timothy again.

"Alright, good. Next." he complemented as he dropped the barrier again.


For the next couple of hours, all five members took turns using Rikujōkōrō against Timothy, each time being dropped by his barrier. One of the women and two of the men had their kidōs fail a few times, but it luckily didn't cause any injuries.

After a while, Timothy was starting to feel the effects of constantly using his barrier over and over again, so he determined that it was a good time for a break.

"Alright guys, take a break for a bit." he instructed as he walked towards them. "Everyone feel better at using this kidō?" he asked.

They all nodded back.

Timothy walked up to the tree and sat down next to it leaning against it. He let out a relaxing breath as he leaned his head back.

"5th seat." one of the men started.

"It's Tim, and yes?" he answered as he closed his eyes.

"Is it true that you talked back at Captain Zaraki from Squad 11?" the man asked.

Timothy opened one eye and looked at him. "Where did you hear that?" he asked back.

"I overheard 7th seat Minato talking about it."

Timothy closed his eye and moaned. "I'm gonna have to have a talk with him about keeping his mouth shut. And to answer your question, yes, I'd did have a little…chat with him." he admitted.

The members were shocked as they all thought it was just a simple rumor.

"Forgive me for saying this sir, but were you drunk or something?" one of the women asked.

Timothy chuckled at the remark. "No, I wasn't. That's something that you'll figure out about me after a while is that I don't tolerate stupid shit. I have no patience for it. Captain Zaraki and his squad were the cause of a great deal of problems for the residents of South Rukongai, and I called him out on it." he answered in a carefree tone.

"Aren't you afraid of him?" the woman asked concerned.

"Not really. To be honest, I'm not afraid of dying. I've come to accept that death is inevitable, so as long as I get my job done, I'm not afraid to die." Timothy admitted.

The woman nodded and sat down on the ground, leaning back onto her hands. The other members sat down as well with two of the men lying flat on the ground.

"Squad 11 causes a lot of problems for us." one of the men lying down stated.

Timothy opened his eyes and turned to him. "What do you mean?"

The man sighed and sat up to him.

"They're always making fun of us and talking down on us. It gets really annoying." he admitted.

Timothy sighed and turned to him. "Don't take this the wrong way, but to be frank about it, you're the ones who let them." Timothy accused.

The members all looked at him with surprise.

"When I was living in Fallen Tree, we were always harassed by the endless criminals, and even the Squad 11 members. Naturally, the residents would give in through fear of being hurt or killed. I, however, chose not to back down. I chose to stand against them and fight if necessary. After a while, most of them left me alone, not wanting to go through the trouble of having to deal with me. That's the kind of attitude you guys you to have. If you keep backing down every time those Squad 11 guys harass you, they're only going to do it more." Timothy assured.

The members looked at one another, then back to him.

"Trust me, I know how it feels to be bullied around. I was one of the kids that got picked on at school, and never once stood up for myself. All the way through graduation, the same kids kept picking on me and torturing me. Do you guys want the same treatment?" he asked.

They all shook their heads.

"Then stand up for yourself, fight em if you have to. You might win, you might lose. Either way, eventually they will get the point that it's not worth it to mess with you and will leave you alone. Don't be afraid to stand up and be proud that you are a member of Squad 7." he encouraged.

"Perhaps you could give us a hand?" the woman leaning on her hands asked.

Timothy shook his head. "Nope, this is your battle, not mine. If they see that you have to resort to calling for help, it will only get worse and they'll just wait until you're alone. This is something you have to do for yourselves. The next time they give you problems, just stand up and show them that you are not going to back down, no matter what they do. Got it?" Timothy finished.

The members all nodded in understanding.

"Good. Now, that's enough rest for the moment. Let's get back to practice." he instructed.

All six of them stood up and dusted themselves off before Timothy returned to his previous position.

"Alright, who's next?" he asked as he turned back to the members.

They continued practicing using Rikujōkōrō for another hour with Timothy elevating them to using #62, Hyapporankan towards the end, using the tree as a base to pin him against.


After a while, Timothy and Minato brought their groups back together in the arena, facing him. Some were a little short on breath, with the rest just a little tired.

"Alright, now I'm going to show you a little trick I came up with. Who here is experienced in using seals and barriers?" Timothy asked.

A little over half of the group raised their hands.

"Ok, well what I'm going to show you is a barrier. It's easy to use but takes a bit of practice to perfect it. Those of you who were training with me have already seen this and have an idea as to how it works. Now just watch me." Timothy instructed.

He positioned his hands and the members were surprised to see a thin barrier surround him. They grew confused as the barrier slowly closed around him, then were surprised even more when he uttered a chant and the barrier became clear.

Timothy released his hands and placed them on his hips.

"This is a protective, one time use barrier that I designed. I call it Datsuraku Shōheki. To put it simple, it's a very thin barrier that surrounds your body, like a second skin. What it does is create a bondable surface against an enemy's binding kidō. When you are attacked, the kidō will bind to the barrier instead of your actual body. All you have to do is release the barrier and the kidō will fall apart with it. Follow me so far?" he paused, getting nods back.

"Alright. Now, keep in mind that it's only effective against binding kidōs, not offensive ones. It won't even hold up against physical attacks either. The barrier is too thin for such attacks and will only cause the barrier to shatter and before hitting you. But like I said, it's easy to cast and requires very little energy to maintain. It's good for catching your opponents off guard when they think they have you." he paused again.

The members all nodded back to him.

"Ok, now I'll show you how to do it. Just do what I do, and I'll talk you through it." he stated and turned to Minato. "You should try as well, Minato." he advised, getting a nod.

Timothy turned back to the group and held his hands out in position.

"Alright. First, position your hands in front of you and interlace you thumbs, index and middle fingers. Keep your ring and little fingers together and extended., like so." he began.

The members did as instructed, then Timothy walked through the group to make sure they all had their hands positioned the right way. Once he was satisfied, he returned to the front.

"Alright, the next step is to channel some of your energy into your hands and visualize a thin barrier around you. Those of you who have used barriers before should have no problem with this part." he continued.

He watched as one by one barriers began to appear around the different members. By now, most of them, especially the ones with experience, now had barriers around them, but some were having some trouble.

"Those of you who are having trouble, look at some of the others who have made a barrier. Look at that barrier and use that as an example to visualize your own." Timothy advised.

They members in question did as such, then tried again. After a few moments, Timothy could see that everyone had their own barriers. But now came the tricky part.

"Alright. Now, I want you all to slowly pull the barrier in on yourself, making sure to keep it thin, until it is encasing your body." he instructed.

For the next few moments, everyone's barriers slowly got smaller and smaller until most of them were against the user's bodies. A few of the member's barriers suddenly shattered and they sighed in defeat.

"Alright, just try again." he instructed.

The members nodded and tried their barriers again. A minute later, all of the members were now encased in their own barriers.

"Now, repeat after me, Datsuraku Shōheki." he stated.

The members followed suit and chanted the name in near unison. Thankfully, all of them managed to succeed in the chant, with everyone's barriers now invisible, but Timothy quickly yelled out.

"Keep feeding your spirit energy into it. Don't stop feeding the barrier. It takes hardly anything to keep it up, but you still have to keep it going."

Timothy looked around and was surprised to see that no one's barriers had shattered yet.

"At first, you have to consciously put your energy into it at a steady pace. After a while of using it over and over, your mind will subconsciously do it on its own. It's similar to the concept behind shunpo; once you've practiced enough, your body automatically knows how much energy to put behind the step. The same thing applies here, just keep practicing and your body will do the work for you." Timothy finished.

He turned and pointed at Minato.

"Minato, could you step forward for us." Timothy asked.

The officer nodded and walked forward to him. Timothy then noticed, to his embarrassment, that all of the members still had their hands in position.

"Oops. Sorry, you can let your hands go now. Sorry bout that." he stated.

The members all dropped their hands and Timothy turned to Minato.

Alright, now everyone watch this." he instructed. "Minato, no matter what, don't stop feeding your barrier." he added.

Minato nodded, and Timothy held out his hand towards him, palm out.

"Bakudō #63, Sajō Sabaku." he chanted.

From behind him, a long, yellow chain made of energy flew pat him and wrapped itself around Minato tightly, trapping his arms against his body. Minato managed to keep his balance, but otherwise couldn't move.

"Alright, now keep an eye on 7th seat Minato." He instructed to the members, then turned back to him. "Go ahead and stop feeding the barrier, letting it drop."

Minato nodded, then cut off his supply of energy to the barrier. The barrier around him cracked, then shattered with the kidō falling off. Most of the members gasped, but all of them had wide eyes.

Timothy turned back to them. "As you can see, my Sajō Sabaku bonded itself to his barrier, rather than his body. When he dropped the barrier, it took the kidō with it. Now, if you all look at your fellow members, you'll notice that you can't see the barriers around them, nor can you detect them. This is something that your enemies won't be expecting and is a great use as a trump card if the opponent starts tossing kidō at you."

The members started looking around at their comrades to try and see their barriers, with no success. After a moment, they all turn back to Timothy.

"Now, we have about another hour or so left to train, so I want all of you to pick a partner and find a piece of real estate." Timothy instructed.

The members looked at him oddly.

"Real estate?" one asked and Timothy deadpanned.

"Nevermind. Just…find a spot where you and your partner can practice without getting in anyone's way. One of you puts up the barrier, the other is to hit him, or her with the highest level bakudō you can safely use. But do not use any bakudō above 50s level. After you have done this, switch out and the other use the barrier. You all are to keep practicing until training is over." Timothy furthered, then turned to Minato.

"Minato, you'll be with me. Since you're already proficient with kidō, and I'm proficient with my barrier, you'll be the only one putting up a barrier between us." Timothy advised.

Minato nodded, and Timothy turned back to the crowd. "You've got five minutes to find a partner. That's all." he finished.

The group broke up and they all started finding partners while Timothy and Minato watched. After a few minutes, all of the members were paired up and had their own spots to practice.

"Alright, put your barrier up Minato." Timothy ordered.

The man nodded and began putting his barrier around him before turning back to Timothy.

"I'm just wondering, but why do you make the barrier so thin? Wouldn't it be better to make it a little thicker to help against other attacks?" Minato asked.

"It would, but then you wouldn't be able to move. The barrier, although thin, is solid. It's just thin enough to allow you to move. I designed it because I've always found it difficult to fight against kidō." Timothy answered, getting a nod back.

"Alright, I'm ready." Minato announced.

Timothy held up two fingers towards him. "Bakudō #61, Rikujōkōrō."

A yellow pulse flashed from Timothy's fingers, then Minato's body was stabbed with six wide, yellow blades. Timothy lowered his hand and nodded.

"Go ahead and drop the barrier." he instructed.

Minato did as told and drop his barrier, breaking the kidō on him. The officer moved his arms around a bit and turned back to Timothy.

"I'll admit, it's a pretty cool trick. I think it would come in handy." Minato complemented.

"Thanks." Timothy answered as Minato put up another barrier.


The two officers and the rest of the members continued practicing for the rest of the day until it was time to stop. Timothy called everyone back to the arena before they left for the night. After a few minutes, all of the members were in a circle with Timothy in the center.

"Alright, you all did pretty good today. I saw that some of you guys were having a little trouble with the barrier, but that's to be expected. Some people will simply take a little longer than others to get it right. Just keep practicing it and you'll have it down in no time. You guys are released for the night and we'll meet back up here tomorrow around the same time. Go ahead and head back to the barracks and rest." Timothy stated.

Everyone bowed swiftly, then began returning to the barracks while Timothy and Minato remained at the arena. Once the members were out of earshot, Timothy turned to Minato.

"Good work today, Minato." Timothy said.

"Thanks, you too. You make a good teacher." The man returned.

Timothy rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess."

"You up for a drink?" Minato offered.

Timothy turned his eyes to him. "Got anything other than sake?" he asked.

"No, sorry. Don't like it?" the man asked in return.

"Not really my cup of tea, if you get what I mean. I'm more of a whiskey person." Timothy admitted.

"Never had whiskey before." Minato stated.

"Well, everyone has their own preference." Timothy concluded.

"Alright, well, I'll see ya tomorrow, Tim."

Timothy nodded, and the man turned towards the barracks. Timothy decided to stay behind so he could practice his flash step for a bit before heading back himself.

The branch he used before was gone, so he found a new one and put it in the same area as the last one. Once the branch was in place, he turned towards the tree and began practicing.

Squad 7 Barracks, Seireitei, Present

Minato entered the barracks and began to walk towards the hallway, since his room was on the first floor. As he was about to turn into the hallway, Tetsuzaemon stopped him.

"Evening Minato, got a minute?" he asked.

Minato turned to him and gave him a quick bow. "Good evening, Lieutenant. How can I help you?" he responded.

"How did Durn do today?" the Lieutenant asked in his usual voice, arms crossed.

"He did pretty good. From what I saw, everyone that he was working with got better with their kidō. He took the members with the higher skills while he had me take the less skilled members. He even taught us a pretty useful barrier against binding kidōs." Minato answered.

Tetsuzaemon raised a brow. "A barrier? What do you mean?" he asked confused.

"It's a little long to explain, but it's a barrier that wraps around you and protects you against an enemy's kidō. It seems easy to use, and even I have to admit that I think it could come in really handy." the younger officer explained.

"I see. I'll have to ask him about it. So, what is your opinion of him as an officer?" the Lieutenant asked.

"He's ok. He's still a little hesitant, but that's to be expected for your first day on the job, and as a new guy too." Minato admitted.

"Yeah. Thanks for your time." Tetsuzaemon finished, then walked into the common area.

Minato gave him a quick bow, then continued his walk back to his room.

Squad 7 Training Grounds, Seireitei, 2 hours later

The sun had just set, and night was settling in when Timothy decided to call it a night. He guessed that he had flashed back and forth at least a hundred times and his calves were on the verge of cramping up.

He sat down on the ground and bent forward to start rubbing them as he took a deep breath. He was starting to get the feel of using shunpo, and over the past hour he managed to miss his target only a few times.

Now that he had a fixed distance down, he needed to work on various distances, so he could get used to adjusting the power to those distances.

Now that he had finished rubbing his legs, he stood back up and stretched his arms out for a moment before starting his walk back to the barracks.

It had been a busy day, and Timothy, for once, was looking forward to just laying down on his bed and passing out. Spending half of the day using his spirit energy with shunpo, and to constantly create his barriers had really taken a toll on him.

Once he had walked through the doors and into the common area, he noticed Kenta and Issei sitting down and talking. He continued walking and gave them a simple wave once they noticed him, with them returning the gesture.

When he finally returned to his room and closed his door, he walked over to the bed and sat down with a heavy sigh. He sat there with his head held low while he relaxed a minute to clear his mind.

After a moment, he pulled his swords from his sash and set them on the bed behind him and reached over to his table to grab the book he borrowed. With the book in hand, he let out another sigh before turning, laying back, and opening the book to where he left off.

Over the past week he had managed to read about a quarter of the way through the book and found that he actually liked it. Granted that he sometimes got lost at certain points, but a simple re-read of the text would put him back on track.

He read the book for almost an hour before he closed it and set it back on his table. Standing up and walking over, he took off his outer garments at the dresser. Down to only his night wear, he returned to, and climbed into bed. Normally it would take a few minutes for him to fall asleep, but he was so worn out that by the time he had his covers over him he was already dozing off.

Squad 7 Headquarters, Seireitei, The following morning

Sajin and Tetsuzaemon relaxed in the Captain's office enjoying some tea and discussing the tasks for the squad that day. Both men paused when they heard a knock on the door, then Sajin set down his tea.

"You may enter." he announced.

Timothy entered the office, giving a quick bow before approaching the desk with some paperwork in his hands.

"Morning Captain, Lieutenant." he greeted.

"Good morning, Tim." Sajin replied while Tetsuzaemon simply nodded.

Timothy came up to the desk and set the paperwork down.

"I've brought the first batch of paperwork for you sir." Timothy stated and was about to turn and leave when Sajin stopped him.

"Thank you. Could you take these finished reports and deliver them to Squad 1?" Sajin asked.

Timothy nodded and took the mentioned papers off the desk.

"Anything else sir?" he asked.

"Do you know how to get there?" the Lieutenant asked.

Timothy turned to him. "Not really, but I'll figure it out Lieutenant." he admitted.

"Very well, you are dismissed." Sajin closed.

Timothy gave him a quick bow and left the office.

Tetsuzaemon turned to Sajin with a raised brow.

"Aren't you worried he'll get lost, Captain?" he asked with a bit of worry.

"No, Tim is a smart person. If he does get lost, he'll ask someone. We need to have some trust in him, or he will never grow into a better person." Sajin answered and began looking through the new paperwork.

"Yes sir." Tetsuzaemon answered and began assisting Sajin with the papers.

Streets of the Seireitei, 30 Minutes Later

Timothy found himself walking a narrow side path after turning off the main street. He had been walking for a while, and he knew that Squad 1's Headquarters were in the center of the Seireitei, but now he had finally come to a conclusion.

He was completely lost.

He was hoping that he would be able to find the way without having to resort to asking for directions, but now that hope had gone out the window. Now he needed to find someone to point him in the right direction.

Fortunately, luck was with him as he turned the corner to see a group a of soul reapers standing in the street talking.

'I guess I'll ask them.' he concluded and started walking towards the group.

Once he was within earshot, he tried to get their attention.

"Excuse me." he called to them.

The men turned their heads to him and gave him a smug look.

"What do you want?" one of the men asked.

Timothy was still a few yards away when he answered.

"I'm sorry, but I've gotten a bit lost. I'm trying to find the Squad 1 Headquarters." Timothy answered.

The man scoffed at him. "And why should I help…" the man paused.

Timothy rose a brow at his pause and kept walking closer, soon realizing why the man had stopped talking.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me…" Timothy moaned.

It turned out that luck was 'not' with him that day, because the man in front of him was none other than Tetzuma Ōnaido, the officer from Squad 11.

Timothy stopped his walk and stood there in front of him while the man pointed at him accusingly.

"Hey! You're that guy from Rukongai!" the man yelled.

Timothy slapped his hand to his face and sighed. "Of all the people in the Seireitei, why did it have to be him that I run into?" he mumbled.

The man, with his group in tow, walked up to Timothy.

"What the hell are you doing here?! And why are you wearing a shihakusho?!" Tetzuma demanded.

Timothy pulled his hand down his face and dropped it with an annoyed moan.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm a soul reaper." Timothy answered with a hint of a whine.

The man scrunched his face in anger and growled.

"Don't you get smart with me, you bastard! I still owe you for that day!" the man yelled.

Timothy was not in the mood to deal with the man and wanted to settle this as peacefully as possible. He took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves.

"Look, I have no quarrel with you, I'm just trying to do my job. So, if you don't mind, would you please just let me by?" Timothy pleaded as politely as he could.

The man balled his fists and growled even more.

"Who do you think you are?! You may be a soul reaper now, but I'm still an officer, and you will obey me!" he demanded.

Timothy rose a brow. "Forgive me, but could I ask what seat you were again?"

The man briefly laughed then pointed at himself with his thumb.

"I'm the 7th seat of Squad 11!" he answered in a proud and stern voice.

Timothy lightly grinned at him. "I see. Well then I guess it would surprise you that I am the 5th seat of Squad 7, so I guess that means I outrank you, '7th' seat." Timothy stated in a mocking tone.

The man and his group's eyes went wide, the man was clearly furious with being mocked.

"What did you say you bastard?!" he demanded.

"You heard me." Timothy flatly replied.

The man's face turned beet red with fury and Timothy swore he could see steam blowing out the man's ears.

"I'll kill you for that!" he growled and quickly set his hand on the hilt of his zanpakutō. The group behind him did the same and got into a ready stance.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Timothy advised.

Tetzuma rose a brow. "Oh really?! And why not?!" he hissed.

Timothy lightly snorted. "Simple. I kicked your ass last time, and I wasn't even being serious. Every one of you managed to make it out alive with only headaches and scratches. But now that I'm an officer, that all changes. As I'm sure you're aware, it's a crime to assault a higher-ranking officer when he hasn't even drawn his sword. Should you do so, I have every right to defend myself, even if it means killing you." Timothy stated in a nonchalant tone.

Tetzuma's eyes widened.

"So, allow me to warn you, if you attack me now, I can personally guarantee that you won't make it out of this in a good condition, if you even make it out at all." Timothy added with a grin.

The group turned to Tetzuma for guidance, but the man was frozen in shock and anger. The man gritted his teeth and growled, but after a moment slowly released the grip on his zanpakutō and let his arms fall to his sides.

"You better watch your back, you bastard!" Tetzuma warned.

Timothy gave him a quick bow. "Your warning is noted." he flatly answered.

The man growled once more, then quickly turned and started walking away. The group released their swords and followed him swiftly. Timothy let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and slightly lowered his head.

"There must be some higher force that just outright hates me." Timothy mumbled.

He was brought back to his senses when he felt someone flash step up to him, now behind him. He turned back to see Tetsuzaemon standing there with his arms in his sleeves.

"You handled that fairly well, Durn." he complemented.

Timothy rose a brow. "You were watching? For how long?" he asked in surprise.

"I showed up just as your…discussion with them started. So, can I assume that he was one of the Squad 11 guys that were causing trouble for you in Rukongai?" the Lieutenant asked.

Timothy sighed and nodded. "Yeah, obviously he's pissed that I beat him last time." Timothy answered.

"Well, now that we know he was one of the troublemakers, we can file a report on him." Tetsuzaemon stated in a slightly happy tone.

Timothy shook his head. "No need, I think he learned his lesson with his embarrassment. Besides, I think he'll get enough of a punishment when Zaraki finds out that the man just backed down from a fight, especially when it was at least seven to one in their favor." he remarked.

Tetsuzaemon lightly snickered. "Yeah, I guess that's true. Now come on, the Captain sent me to find you and help you find your way." he stated as he walked by Timothy.

"One question sir." Timothy started as he started walking next to him.

"What is it?" the man replied.

Timothy glanced at him. "Why didn't you interfere? Seeing as how it was seven to one, wouldn't you have given me a hand?"

Tetsuzaemon grunted. "I wanted to see how you would handle it. Once in a while you'll get confrontations like that, and you need to stand up for yourself." he answered.

"Yeah, that's what I told some of the members yesterday. They told me that Squad 11 has been giving our squad a hard time."

Tetsuzaemon turned to him. "Yeah, they like to mouth off and act like they're better than everyone. But since they're not causing harm to anything or anyone, nothing is done about it." he admitted.

Timothy turned back front and nodded. He found it hard to believe that the soul reapers were supposed to be comrades, yet there was such discrimination between the squads. How were the 13 Court Guard Squads supposed to do their jobs when some of them can't even work together or get along?

"Hey Lieutenant…" Timothy started. The man turned to him slightly as he did the same. "Weren't you in Squad 11 at one point?" he asked.

Tetsuzaemon turned back front and grunted.

"I was, a while ago. I was the squad's 4th seat, until I got promoted to Lieutenant and transferred to Squad 7. I'll be honest with you, the squad wasn't as bad then as it is today, though it still had a few problems. Back then they had far better officers, but now it's just a matter of how strong you are in combat. But you should know something about Squad 11…" he paused and turned to Timothy.

"Not all of their members are bad, just certain ones. Take Ikkaku and Yumichika, the squad's 3rd and 5th seats as an example. They may be blunt and hard headed sometimes, but they are caring towards their squad and strive to make them better men. So, don't go and hate the entire squad because of a few misfits." he continued as he turned back. "Like you." he finished.

Timothy slowly turned to him with an unamused stare.

"Ha ha ha." he chanted mockingly, seeing a slight grin on the Lieutenant's face.

The man turned back to him. "You're doing fine, Durn. Minato told me you did a decent job with training yesterday. Just keep it up and you'll be fine." he offered.

Timothy sighed and nodded before turning back front.

"Anything else that knucklehead mentioned?" Timothy asked in a low voice.

A bell then went off in the Lieutenant's head, so he turned to him with a serious look.

"Yeah, he mentioned something about a barrier you were teaching the men. Care to elaborate?" Tetsuzaemon inquired.

Timothy shrugged his shoulders. "It's just something I came up with to defend against most levels of bakudō. It's simple to use, and if used right, could be an effective aid in battle. We're going to be practicing more on it today, so if you want you can swing by and see for yourself."

The Lieutenant gave a swift nod. "I'll be sure to do that. For now, let's get this paperwork turned in." he advised.

Timothy gave the Lieutenant another nod as the two men continued walking down the street; turning around a corner to see the Squad 1 Headquarters in the distance.


So, as you have seen, not that much was put out this week in regards to plot development. This chapter proved to be a nuisance to write, as not that much happened, but without it, it would have left a huge gap and left some things out that would have raised many questions in the future. Sorry to say, but the best way to describe it is to use the word 'filler'; as much as I dislike them. But, again, it was necessary.

The poll is still up for the results in the upcoming Timothy vs. Zaraki fight. Remember, if I get the most votes towards the winning result by the time I release the fight chapter, I'll treat you all to a double feature. Can't remember if I said this last week, but 'Z-Day' is coming the week after next. So, just two more weeks everyone.

Again, if you found this week's chapter to be a bit dull, I apologize, but it was needed. Hope to see you all next week, but now I need to get busy with one of the banes of my existence…schoolwork…

(Side note: Just to let everyone know, I am no longer counting the chapters as 'doubles'. This is how they will be from now on.)