A/N: Hey guys and welcome to chapter 9. I know I said I wouldn't post before Monday but I had a bit of inspiration after all and managed to push through and get this done. I'm far too nice to you guys with my quick chapters, aren't I? Again, thank the Snowflake method, otherwise these would all take ages and be of lot lesser quality!
Anyway, Enjoy!
"—rry-kun? Harry-kun!"
He jumped up for his seat immediately, a book clattering to the floor as he finally heard the voice calling out to him. Was it midnight already?
His gaze shifted through the now candle-lit room to find two white masks staring at him, the origin of the grinning he heard.
"Great, even you're laughing at me." Harry huffed playfully before setting the book aside and sitting in front of the mirror. One swipe with his finger along the runes and he found it activated.
"Hello, Mr Urahara." The oncoming yawn was stifled as quickly as possible while he rubbed at his eyes. It looked like he had fallen asleep while reading, though he was sure he had tried not to.
"Ah, did I wake you up?" The other asked him rather jovially, before Harry realised it was morning for the other.
"Yeah but don't worry about it." He stretched as he worked the sleep from his body.
"Did anything interesting happen today?" Urahara asked, holding a fan in front of his face for some reason that Harry was unaware of.
"Yeah actually. I know why the spirit particles were gathering. Vacío, come here." The two dog-like creatures jumped up from their resting place and settled on either side of the young wizard.
'Oh so this is the Shinigami.'
'Shinigami aren't safe...'
'But this one is different.'
'Something happened for sure.'
'He's been around Hollows...'
Harry tilted his head in confusion before shrugging it off. If Urahara wanted to talk about it, then that point would come.
"How fascinating! What are they?" Urahara snapped him out of his thoughts, looking at the two Hollow-like creatures intently. Unlike regular Hollows these were created through a mixture of magic and reiatsu, hence they bore no hole in their bodies and they fed only off of the two elements that created them, instead of souls.
"They're called Vacío. They showed up after class when the last of the spirit particles detached from me. They can talk to me mentally and they said that my body is staying like this and is still visible to people because of my magic sustaining it. It's kind of like an illusion I suppose."
Harry explained quickly what had happened and that the two had a tendency to say mysterious things like 'We are one,' and 'We will become many,' and that the two would become stronger as he did.
Satisfied with that explanation, they moved on to other things.
"So, did you read about the Arrancar, Harry-kun?"
The boy nodded, remembering the passages he had read, specifically the one about their powers and their weak points.
Like Shinigami, Arrancar have a multitude of combat skills and abilities, some of which are similar to those of the former, and some of which are variations on ordinary Hollow powers.
Bala: A technique that fires hardened spiritual pressure. Less powerful than a Cero, but can be successively fired at 20 times the rate.
Cero: A powerful spiritual light fired by Menos Grande and Arrancar.
Descorrer: A technique used by Espada-level Arrancar, and sometimes others, to open a Garganta between the living world and Hueco Mundo.
Hierro: An Arrancar's outer skin with high spiritual hardness that serves as armour.
High-Speed Regeneration is an ability which allows Arrancar to heal most injuries very quickly, with the exception of the destruction of the head or vital organs.
Pesquisa: An Arrancar's ability to measure and locate Reiatsu.
Resurrección: Releasing the core of an Arrancar's ability sealed in their Zanpakutō to regain the original powers of their Hollow form. They often take on a form closer to a Hollow than a Human after performing Resurrección.
Sonído: is a movement technique which allows the user to move faster than the eye can follow. The focal point, which determines the basis of this technique, is speed. As speed is the main factor of the technique, the method is best characterized by how fast one can get from point A to point B in the least amount of steps.
Caja Negación: A tool used by Espada to punish their subordinates. It traps its subject eternally in a closed dimension.
Zanpakutō: The Arrancar seal the nuclei of their abilities within the form of a sword. It is entirely different from what Shinigami use. When they release their Zanpakutō's seal, they unleash their true power and their true form. The combat efficiency of an Arrancar with a released Zanpakutō is increased several times over. Therefore, an Arrancar's release of their Zanpakutō is merely a temporary restoration to their former selves, granting them any powers their Hollow form possesses. The act of release is called Resurrección, which is activated with a command phrase followed by the name of the sword. An Espada's Resurrección is claimed to be different from that of a normal Arrancar.
Physiology: It is theorised that Arrancar share not only the powers of Shinigami, but also their anatomy. A recorded battle has proven that when aiming for the area where the Chain of Fate would be located, the Arrancar would not only lose their release form and mask fragment, but seemingly all trace of their former powers.
Estigma: the pattern on an Arrancar's face. It is potentially the remaining part of a mask and is unique to each individual. The pattern may appear when performing Resurrección for many Arrancar.
Hole: one of the most distinctive characteristics of an Arrancar is the hole in their body. It is said to represent the lack of a heart that is difficult to fill.
"Very well, we should try practicing something then, no?" Urahara simply smiled that odd smile of his, though Harry really had no clue what to do.
I need a place to train my Hollow powers. Suddenly the rest of the room faded away, leaving them in a rocky ground similar to Urahara's own training grounds, but then a Hueco Mundo version of it.
Next to him not only the mirror remained but also a pallet with a sword had appeared, as well as possible targets and dummies.
A whistle distracted him from looking around. "Wow, that looks quite impressive."
Harry chuckled softly. Seeing the room for the first time had amazed him as well. "This is the Room of Requirement. It can change into anything you need."
It was easy to see Urahara was more than a little impressed but Harry's eyes kept being drawn to the sword. A katana, he corrected mentally. It was something to train sword fighting with, as he would definitely use one later. Being an Arrancar meant he would get one, in time. He knew he wasn't ready to try something like that though, especially considering the sword just felt wrong, even without touching it.
"So, what am I supposed to do?"
All night, until the early morning hours, Urahara instructed him on how to begin training to master his Sonído, as well as long-range aiming. That was tested through the use of both his wand and wandless magic as Harry couldn't cast a Cero or Bala yet.
"Ah, Harry-kun, I was wondering something…"
The teen turned away from the remains of the targets, which quickly vanished and were replaced. "What is it?"
"Well, Cero or Bala may be too much of a direct switch from magic to reiatsu-based spells so why don't you try casting Kidō?"
At Harry's confused look, he quickly explained.
"Kidō is a form of Shinigami combat based on advanced spells. These spells fall into two categories: Hadō for direct attacks, and Bakudō for battle support. Kidō spells are triggered by an incantation. Experienced users can trigger them without an incantation, though the effectiveness of the spell will be diminished."
Having somewhat understood that, he nodded though he still had no idea what to do.
Urahara simply chuckled, apparently having read that off of his face. "Don't worry, I'll lead you through the incantations. We're going to start off with the Hadō spells, since you won't have anyone to practice Bakudō on."
"I want you to point at the centre of that target and focus on the energy inside you, magic if you will, but preferably the new powers, your reiryoku. Reiryoku is a power aligned with the spiritual sensitivity and willpower of the user. It is used by Shinigami and other spiritual beings to provide power for their various abilities."
Nodding in vague understanding, he pointed to the target and concentrated. The only times he had sensed what he thought to be reiryoku was when he passed through the wards and he focused on that feeling, trying to recall it's essence instead of it's oppressive feeling. Apparently it was working.
"Very good, Harry-kun. Now don't lose your concentration. I want you to gather a bit of that energy in your fingertip. It will be expelled towards the target when you say the spell. By the looks of things you have more than enough reiryoku to not say the incantation."
Harry only nodded, feeling the energy move slowly through his magical channels and into his finger. When he felt he had gathered enough he opened his eyes and took aim again. "Hadō #1. Shō!"
He gasped when he felt the energy suddenly be expelled from his body, racing at the target before blasting it away rather forcefully.
"Wonderful, wonderful! You will need to practice how much reiryoku you use, but I think this will go very well. Want to try another one?"
Before Harry could even reply, Urahara began explaining another.
"Hadō #4. Byakurai, is similar to Shō, though the concentrated reiryoku becomes a strong bolt of lighting. It can be used to both long and close range."
Harry once again focussed, this time keeping the fourth Hadō in mind. He noticed the energy was already preparing to become a different spell than the first, as if it was his intent shaping the spell, rather than the words. Much like magic, actually.
"Hadō #4. Byakurai!" A bolt of lightning shot out of his finger but as soon as it was finished he hissed, waving his finger as he felt it burn slightly. The target had been obliterated completely, though he could see how uncontrolled it had been. The lightning had decided to zigzag a little rather than form a straight line as it was supposed to.
One last Hadō for the night was Shakkahō, for which they did use an incantation, just in case Harry would be burnt again, at least until he learned better control. Hadō #1. Shō would help with that has Harry could harmlessly control the amount of reiryoku flowing to his finger without becoming singed.
He aimed and stood firmly with an open palm, his free hand resting on his wrist for extra focus. The incantation was a bit long and lame for his tastes but it was a safety precaution he knew he needed. Reciting it a few times mentally, he felt ready enough to practice the spell.
"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hadō #31. Shakkahō!"
This time the ball of flames formed correctly, though it only hit the side of the target. Harry's task until he felt too tired was to learn the incantations by heart and practice his aim as well as the amount of reiryoku he channelled. He practiced another hour before deciding to call it a night; it was already 3 in the morning after all.
Once the connection was broken and the room returned to normal, he moved to the shelf, wondering if there was a book about Kidō in here, Hadō specifically. Two books flew out and in front of him, allowing him to pick a rather thick tome with explanations on what the spells did and how they were supposed to feel before being expelled into the Kidō being performed.
He took notes on a spare piece of parchment, deciding that doing so would help him remember. When he was done a bed appeared on one side of the room and he gratefully fell down on it, utterly exhausted. Using Kidō was a lot more tiring than it had seemed.
He would be forced to come out of the room and deal with the world again tomorrow after all, and he didn't want to at all.
Why can't I just stay here forever?
A/N: Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing. To a curious reviewer, yes Harry will indeed have a Zanpakuto but it'll take quite a while before he gets one. Magic likes to interfere a lot in the process after all~
If you have any comments or questions, leave them behind in the review box, reviews are a writer's fuel!
See you guys soon! (And this time I really won't post until Monday.)
