Hinamori's Apprentice
Chapter Thirteen
"Okay, I'm ready," Karin said.
"Good. I'll take you over to the training grounds in a little bit, 'kay?" Rangiku said.
"Sure," Karin said. Today was the day that she was to begin her training with Momo. Only three days had passed since Yamamoto issued his ruling, and Karin had used that time to practice as much as possible. Rangiku had been given extra work by Toushiro as punishment for her role in the incident, so Karin practiced mainly by herself. Despite it being her 'punishment' Karin was quite excited about her training with Momo. She didn't know much about her, but she knew that she was strong based on her encounters with the Vice-captain. Still, she was quite interested in learning more about her.
"Hey Rangiku, I need to ask you something," Karin said, "I was wondering if you could tell me a bit more about Momo. I've interacted with her a few times now, yet I know practically nothing about her. Could you tell me a bit about her or something?"
"Hm, well in all honesty, that would be difficult," Rangiku said, scratching her head, "Momo is a complex person, and not very easy to describe. There's also a few…issues with her that I don't think I should really tell you."
"What kind of issues?" Karin asked.
"Like I said, it's really personal, and for the sake of Momo's privacy, I don't think I can tell you. It was extremely painful and traumatic for her. As her friend, I don't think I could tell others about it without her permission," Rangiku explained.
"Okay, I guess I understand," Karin said, still a little curious, "What about her personality?"
"Well, I guess I would describe her as gentle and friendly first," Rangiku said, "She's kind and peaceful, but she's also brave and determined. She'll do anything to defend her friends. She is peaceful and dislikes fighting, but if you get into a fight with her, she's more than capable of fighting fiercely, particularly if her friends have been hurt or insulted. She's hard-working and strong willed. She's somewhat impulsive, but that's worked out for the best sometimes, though not so much other times."
"What do you think she'll be like during training?" Karin asked.
"I can't say. She'll probably be a bit more formal than me, but I doubt that she'll be too hard on you. You might want to be careful though, she's had some problems with Ichigo in the past, and since she was punished for helping you, she might be a little bitter. She's not normally the type to hold grudges, but it still wouldn't hurt to tread carefully around her. She's really talented though. She's probably one of the best Shinigami at reiatsu manipulation, and her Kido abilities are unbelievable. She's even been called a Kido Goddess at times. Her skills in the other Shinigami practices aren't quite as good, but she's still skilled. She'll train you well, I'm quite confident in that."
"That's good," Karin said. Rangiku glanced at the clock.
"It looks like it's time to get going," she said, "Hop on my back and I'll shunpo over to the training grounds." Karin climbed onto Rangiku's back with some reluctance. She always felt rather childish when doing this, but it was the quickest way to get around. After she was securely on Rangiku's back, Rangiku used shunpo, using several of the rapid bursts of speed to make her way to the training grounds.
In no time at all, they were there. The training grounds Rangiku had taken her to consisted of a large area with trees, rocks, and small hills. The entire place was covered in a carpet of dark green grass.
"This is it! Captain Hitsugaya's personal training grounds!" Rangiku said, "We're lucky he let us work here."
"This place is amazing," Karin said in awe.
"Yeah, the Captain felt that the regular training grounds were too restrictive and dull, so he had this place constructed! Pretty cool, huh? Momo will have prepared everything you could possibly need for your training."
"Where is Momo anyways?" Karin asked.
"She's already here," Rangiku said with a smile.
"Where?"
"Back here," Momo said from behind her. Karin jumped in surprise, startled by Momo's sudden appearance.
"So have you prepared everything?" Rangiku asked.
"Yes, everything is ready, and I've planned things out completely," Momo said.
"Good. In that case, I'll be off. Bye-bye!" Rangiku shunpoed away, leaving Momo and Karin behind. There was a short silence before Karin spoke.
"So Momo, what will we work on first?" Karin asked.
"The first thing we'll work on is how to address an executive military officer," Momo said sternly, "You see, as a Vice-captain, I possess the second highest rank in the Gotei 13. As such, you will address me as 'Vice-captain Hinamori'. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand. My apologies, Vice-captain Hinamori," Karin said, "What type of training will we be doing?"
"We will start out with reiatsu manipulation," Momo said.
"Great! I've been practicing that with Rangiku! I've gotten pretty good at it."
"We'll see about that," Momo said, "I assume you're familiar with this." She pulled out one of the glass orbs, and Karin nodded.
"Yeah, I used one of those while practicing with Rangiku," she said.
"Perhaps you would care to show me."
"Yeah, sure," Karin said, taking the orb. She put both hands on it and took a deep breath.
Almost immediately the orb lit up with her power. Karin nearly grinned. She had been practicing a lot, and could now access reiatsu almost without thinking about it. She was also able to direct it much more effectively and hold it in the orb after it had left her body. She was rather proud of her improvement.
"Okay, that's good enough," Momo said, "Next, I'd like you to try something a little different. Focus your reiatsu into it while holding it in only one hand this time." Karin did as told, and managed to focus her reiatsu into the orb again, though it was a little more difficult this time.
"Now run back and forth between those two trees over there two hundred times while directing your reiatsu. I'll keep count," Momo said.
"What?"
"Run between those two trees over there two hundred times while constantly focusing your spiritual energy. They're about twenty meters apart, so running between them two hundred times will mean the equivalent of running four kilometers."
"I can't do that!" Karin said, "I could probably barely run that much normally, let alone while trying to focus on reiatsu!"
"So does that mean you'll be disobeying my order then?" Momo asked. Karin was silent for a moment before growling and running over to the two trees.
She held the sphere in her right hand, holding it against her body to ensure that she would not drop it. She began focusing her reiatsu into it, causing it to glow, and began running. Almost immediately Karin could tell how difficult this would be. She had practiced directing reiatsu to the point that doing so was a simple task, but while running it was much more difficult to concentrate, and keeping it steady was even more difficult. Both her running speed and her ability to direct reiatsu were diminished greatly. Running while juggling would have been easier. Directing reiatsu properly and in a steady manner was nearly impossible while running. She kept it up though. She knew that it was just this sort of thing that was the reason she was undergoing the training in the first place.
While she was running however, she was dismayed to notice that Momo was not even paying attention. She was sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed. Karin stopped and ran over to her, quite winded from running.
"Hey…I thought you were going to be keeping count!" she said, upset that Momo had ignored her efforts.
"I am. You ran one hundred and sixteen times between the trees. I'll let you off with a warning for stopping now, but if you stop again before you've finished, I'll make you do it all over again," Momo said, not opening her eyes. Karin felt like yelling at her, but quickly returned to running back and forth between the trees, not wanting to be punished for stopping.
By the time she was done, she was drenched in sweat and her entire body felt sore. Beyond that, her soul felt strained from directing so much reiatsu under such stress. She was bent over panting when Momo walked over.
"That was adequate for now. Not great, but adequate. We'll do that exercise every morning as a warm-up," Momo said.
"Warm-up?" Karin said incredulously.
"Indeed. You think that this is the toughest it's going to get for you? You have no idea. This isn't like the playtime you had with Rangiku," Momo said, "Remember, it's your punishment to go through some real training, and it is mine to provide it. I fully intend to put my entire effort into making you stronger, and expect you to do the same. Now if you don't mind, I'll begin the next exercise now."
"Fine, what will it be?" Karin asked.
"This. Bakudo 45, Weighted Earth!" Momo said. Karin immediately collapsed to the ground, her body suddenly extremely heavy.
"What…what's going on?!" she gasped, forcing her head up a little to look at Momo.
"This is one of my Kido spells. It vastly increases gravity over a small area," Momo said, "Bakudo 2, Signal Light." A small bead of golden light appeared in Momo's hand. It stretched itself out into a thin thread and went to the ground, creating a circle of around Karin about three meters across. "That is the boundary of the spell," Momo explained, "It is your task to escape it."
"How?" Karin asked, feeling a panic inside of her. She could barely move, and just by lying there her muscles felt strained.
"There are only two ways. One is to physically overpower the spell. A strong person could do so against a normal user of Weighted Earth. You are not strong enough to overpower the spell and I am not an ordinary Kido user. The second way is to use your own reiatsu to resist the spell, giving you the opportunity to escape," Momo explained.
"How do I do that?" Karin asked, beginning to feel distressed by her inability to move.
"You must spread your reiatsu evenly throughout your body, exerting it all around you to resist the spell. Before you were just releasing it through your hands and into a sphere for practice. Now you must release it from all points of your body to give yourself enough resistance to the spell to escape. I made the spell weaker than I normally would, so you should be capable of it should you try."
Karin listened to what Momo said. It sounded impossible given her current situation. She wasn't sure she could focus her reiatsu around her to that degree normally, and while she was under this spell…she felt like it couldn't be done. Nevertheless, she immediately began trying. She focused on the reiatsu that filled her body and tried to exert it all over. She felt immediate resistance, as if the reiatsu from Momo's spell were pushing back.
"Concentrate," Momo said, "Calm yourself and remain focused. Focus on the feeling of the spirit energy from the spell. Counter it and break free. Let reiatsu flow through your body and use your strength to resist the spell." Karin tried, but found herself unable to do it. Her body felt like it was made of lead. She couldn't even move an inch.
"I…I can't!" Karin said, "I'm trying, but I can't! I can't repel it; I'm not strong enough to get away! I can almost repel the effects, but my body isn't strong enough to take advantage of it! I'm in good physical condition, but I'm not some sort of body builder! I'm not physically strong enough to resist it!"
"It's not brute physical strength that makes a shinigami strong," Momo said. She walked forward, entering the area affected by the spell, apparently not affected at all by its effects. She reached down and picked up Karin, going back outside the spell with her.
Karin breathed a sigh of relief, the heavy feeling gone. Momo waved a hand, and the Kido spell vanished.
"Do you see what I did there?" Momo asked.
"You used your reiatsu to resist the effects of the spell so you could walk through it," Karin answered.
"Not just that. I was able to push away the effects of the spell myself, but you were still under its effects. At the time I picked you up, you weighed equivalent of about three hundred pounds."
"Three hundred pounds?!" Karin exclaimed, her eyes wide, "How-"
"How did I lift you while you were so heavy? I already told you. A Shinigami's power is not derived from physical strength," Momo said, "Just look at me. Do I look like a warrior? No; physically I'm just a girl no more grown than a human teenager. I work out every day to keep myself in shape, but that won't change the fact that I'm not physically imposing. Yet I am a Vice-captain of the Gotei 13. Do you know why that is?"
"I…I don't know…" Karin answered.
"It's because I excel at reiatsu manipulation. Thanks to that, I'm stronger and faster than any human athlete. There are many Shinigami more muscular than myself, yet most are not as strong as me because they are not able to strengthen themselves with their reiatsu like to the degree I am able to. A Shinigami's true strength is not in their physical bodies or their skill with a sword, it's in their ability to use their spiritual power. That is what I am trying to teach you."
Karin remained silent, reflecting on what Momo was saying. She hadn't really thought of it like that before. Her training with Rangiku was nothing like this. It had been rigorous at times, but it was never this deep or thorough. She was beginning to realize that she really had a long way to go, and that she still had much to learn.
"Since you've failed this exercise, I'm going to have to give you another task," Momo said. Karin nearly winced at these words, but nevertheless stood up straight and listened to Momo's instructions.
This went on for the rest of the day. Momo made Karin do a number of harsh exercises that not only left her physically exhausted, but drained of reiatsu. By the time Rangiku came back at sunset to retrieve her, she could barely stand, and she fell asleep as Rangiku carried her home. When she woke up, she was lying in a large comfortable bed while Rangiku tried to help her with her sore muscles.
"Ow, ow, ow…" Karin groaned as Rangiku slid a heating pad under her back. Her entire body was sore, and every little movement hurt.
"Sorry," Rangiku said.
"It's okay," Karin said, trying not to move.
"I guess it was a tough day, huh?"
"You have no idea," Karin groaned, "I've never been so tired in my life."
"It's probably because you used up so much reiatsu. I probably should have worked with you a bit more thoroughly to prepare you for it," Rangiku said, "I didn't want to be too tough on you, but now it looks like it would have been better to get you used to rough treatment."
"I won't lie, I'm not exactly eager to go back tomorrow," Karin said.
"I know, but it will hopefully get better. Momo's not doing this to be mean, she's just taking her task seriously. She's a really sweet, kind person. After she's trained you for a while, I'm sure that you'll be glad that you went through all of this."
"I suppose…" Karin said doubtfully.
"Hey, what are you two doing here?!"
Karin looked up and to her surprise saw Toushiro Hitsugaya standing in the doorway wearing blue-green pajamas.
"Oh…hi Captain," Rangiku said, "I was just giving Karin a place to rest. Her first day of training was rough, so I thought that I'd give her a nicer bed than the one at my place. Yours is big and soft, so I figured it was the best choice."
"Well it's my bed, so get out," Toushiro said irritably.
"Oh come on Captain! Don't be so mean!" Rangiku said, "Just share for one night! Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaase!"
"No!"
"But Captain, Karin is so tired she can barely move! She can't just get up and go somewhere else!"
"Where do you expect me to sleep then?"
"It's a big bed, I'm sure you can both fit in," Rangiku said.
"No way!"
"Captain!"
"No!"
Karin watched them argue from bed. Despite Toushiro's stubbornness, Rangiku was clearly winning. She relentlessly argued until Toushiro eventually gave in.
"Okay, fine! Just one night!" he said, "She can stay, but I want you out Matsumoto!"
"Oh fine. I'll see you tomorrow Karin," Rangiku said, turning and exiting. Toushiro groaned and rubbed his forehead.
"Move over a bit," he said.
"A gentleman would sleep on the couch and let the lady sleep on the bed," Karin said.
"Yeah, like you're a lady," he said. Karin scowled at this but nevertheless moved over a bit, making room for Toushiro. Sighing, he got in, facing away from her. He reached over to the light switch next to the bed and turned the lights off.
"So why do you have such a big bed?" Karin asked.
"It's the standard sized bed given to Captains," Toushiro replied.
"Didn't they know that you were so little? It seems like they would have given you a smaller bed…"
"Well they didn't. Now go to sleep."
"You're a really grumpy person," Karin noted.
"Well I value my sleep and you're interrupting it," he said. Karin laughed a little.
"You're grumpy and a bit cold, but I'm glad I met you," she said, "You should be nicer to others. I'm sure a lot of people would want to be your friends if you gave them the chance."
"I'm not interested in that," Toushiro replied, "Now be quiet, I'm trying to sleep. A boy who doesn't sleep doesn't grow." Karin ignored this.
"Didn't you mention having a friend once?" Karin said. Toushiro was quiet for a moment.
"I did."
"Who is it? Are you this cold around them too?"
"I'm not interested in talking about it right now," he said, "Just shut up and go to sleep." Karin grumbled a little bit, wanting to talk some more, but decided it was best to drop the subject for now. She reluctantly closed her eyes and began to fall asleep.
Suddenly however, she felt Toushiro's foot hit her in the side, pushing her off the bed. She fell to the floor with a thud, her sore muscles hurting from the impact. She got up painfully, rubbing her back. She looked at Toushiro, who was fast asleep, apparently unaware that he was kicking in his sleep. Karin rolled her eyes.
"You little brat," she grumbled. She picked up her pillow and moved it to the other end of the bed, where she could sleep without having to worry about being kicked by Toushiro. She layed down and once again went to sleep, this time drifting into her dreams uninterrupted.
---
Footsteps echoed in a dark tunnel as the figures of four men walked forward. In the front was a tall man with grey hair and a beard. At his side was a man with a thick black moustache wearing elegant robes. Behind the grey-haired man was a smaller man dressed in simple clothing. Walking lazily some distance behind was a man with blond hair tied back in a braided ponytail, wearing large sunglasses and a baggy longcoat that went down past his knees. Their footsteps were the only sound except for the occasional drip of water in the dank underground passage.
"Are you certain about this sir?" the man with the black moustache asked.
"Of course Mansamusa; I assure you that I have given consideration to all possibilities, and this is the only way," the grey bearded man said, "Usagi has already done research into this, and determined that this is the only way. Isn't that right?"
"Of course," the man with the blond braided ponytail said, "I've studied the culture, history, and psychology of the Batawi thoroughly. I've even interrogated a few of them. It is clear that there is no way to control them except through him."
"What good is it to have him control them if we can't control him?" Mansamusa said, "He was locked away because he was too violent and unpredictable to exist alongside other beings. Releasing him will bring nothing but ill fortune."
"We're not exactly going to just let him out. There are ways of keeping him in check," the grey-haired man said.
"Still, I have a very bad feeling about this. Would it not be possible to move forward without the Batawi?"
"In all likelihood, yes. We could probably execute our goals without them. However, it would be much too difficult. With only ourselves, a few dozen rogue Shinigami, a couple of desperate arrancar, and near-mindless minions, taking on the Gotei 13 will be most difficult. The Batawi could be enough to decisively tip the odds in our favor. Trust me, old friend. This is the best way."
Before Mansamusa could protest further, the man behind them cleared his throat.
"We're here," he said, pointing to a large slab of metal with intricate designs blocking the tunnel up ahead. He ran forward, reaching into his pockets. He pulled out a metal bar with studs on the sides. He inserted it into a hole at the center of the iron block. There were several loud clicks, followed by a thud, and the metal block split into four pieces, each withdrawing into the wall. The man backed away, gesturing for the others to go ahead.
The room in front of them was only a little wider than the tunnel, but it had a different feel to it. The tunnel was creepy and tense, but this room seemed to have a fear-inducing aura about it. At the opposite end of the room was a dark indentation in the wall with iron bars across it like a jail cell. From that place came a menacing sound, like heavy breath and the hissing of a snake combined.
The group walked forward, approaching that cell. There was a growl, and something stirred within the darkness behind those metal bars.
"Good evening," the grey-haired man said. Whatever was being held in the cell did not respond, but two little dots of eerie yellow stared out from the cell.
"Hey, don't be rude," Usagi said with a snicker, approaching the cell, "When somebody talks to you, it's polite to- whoops!" He jumped back just as a skeletal hand shot out from between the bars, grabbing at where Usagi would have been moments before. The hand was not like one from a human's skeleton, but rather looked like it had been carved out of bone. It was much more heavily built than the bones in a human's hand, and the tips of the fingers were pointed. With a growl, whatever was inside withdrew the skeletal hand back into the darkness. The grey-haired man spoke again.
"We have need of your service. If you agree to help us, we will set you free of this prison. I have only a few conditions…"
Thanks for reading! Thank you to Taenaeia, Thunder Claw03, Emma Iveli, war90, Photophopic, Revolation, Chillis, chiharuSAICHI, nexuswarrior, The Great Pineapple MEKI, Ladiie-Angeliie, Shirochan21, wt183, Psyco101, strawberry fishcakes, and The Catch for reviewing! Please review!