Hinamori's Apprentice
Chapter Fifteen
Momo slumped into a cushioned armchair, taking a deep breath. She looked over her cozy apartment while absentmindedly playing with a lock of her chocolate brown, almost black hair. Her mind was unfocused, with random thoughts entering and leaving her head. She thought about what she would be having for dinner, then about repainting the walls, and then about trimming her hair. Inevitably, the thought of training Karin came up. At this thought, Momo sighed and reached into her robes and pulled out a small flask. She was just raising it to her lips when a loud voice interrupted her.
"Hey, I thought you weren't drinking anymore!" Rangiku Matsumoto called cheerily from the window. Momo jumped a little, nearly spilling the contents of the flask, and looking up in surprise.
"Rangiku? What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.
"I just thought I'd drop by to see how you were doing," Rangiku said.
"Why didn't you just knock on the door?"
"I dunno," Rangiku said absent-mindedly, "But back to what I was saying: Didn't you give up drinking after you found out about that tattoo we gave you? Remember, we told you that we all got drunk and we put a tattoo on your-"
"Yes, I remember," Momo said shortly, her hand reflexively covering her rear in embarrassment, "Would you like to come in?"
"I'd love to!" Rangiku said cheerily.
"Okay, just go over to the door, I'll open it for you," Momo sighed, getting up to open the door. When she did so, Rangiku pranced in cheerily.
"So, what are you drinking? Anything good?" she asked.
"It's golden rum. I suppose you want some?" Momo said wearily.
"Yes please!"
Momo tucked the flask back into her robe and walked off to the kitchen, returning with the drinks a few minutes later. She handed one of the glasses to Rangiku, who was now sitting on the couch.
"Cheers," she said dully, raising her glass and taking a drink.
"You seem a bit down. Anything bugging you?"
"Just the usual…"
"So how is Karin doing? She was pretty worn out yesterday," Rangiku said.
"Training to be a Shinigami isn't easy. It's a long, grueling process."
"Are you using any particular strategy for training her?" Rangiku asked.
"No, not really," Momo admitted, "I figured that I'd start out by just building her up physically and training her reiatsu manipulation and sensory before getting to actual combat training. I'll be honest, I'm having a tough time with it. I'm only one person; I can't provide her the same experience as the Academy. Ordinarily there's a lot of preparation before a student is given actual training. I remember back at the academy, we had to submit to an entrance exam testing our strength and physical fitness, then go through a week of academic studying before we actually started. Most students were barely able to do anything at first. At our early Way of Destruction classes, only myself and Izuru were able to hit the targets at first, and only us, Renji, and a few others were able to keep up with classwork. It's a difficult process, especially when only one person is providing the training. This would be a lot easier if Karin were a high-reiatsu fast learner like her brother or a prodigy like Toushiro - sorry, Captain Hitsugaya."
"But she's not Ichigo or Captain Hitsugaya," Rangiku said wisely, "You have to train her in a manner designed for her, not Ichigo or the Captain."
"And how am I supposed to do that? I don't have any experience with training or teaching. If she were already a Shinigami and I were assigned to teach her advanced Kido or something, I could probably do it, but this is entirely different! Karin Kurosaki has no prior experience in Shinigami matters or combat! The things you've taught her are virtually meaningless as far as serious Shinigami are concerned! She's a civilian, and I was assigned out of the blue to transform her into someone who can function within a military organization! I can't do it! What were they thinking when they assigned this to me? Everything I've done feels right, but how can I be certain? There were tons of teachers in the academy and numerous aspects to training. I can't provide that kind of training on my own! I should have just accepted the prison sentence, then at least I wouldn't have had to deal with all of this stress! I mean, look at me! I'm only a few days into this and I'm breaking down worse than the kid I'm supposed to be training!"
"Calm down Momo," Rangiku said soothingly, putting a hand on her shoulder, "Just take a deep breath and clear your head for a moment." Momo did as she was told closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, calming herself down. When she opened her eyes again, she was considerably calmer, and looked a little embarrassed over her outburst.
"Sorry," she said, "I just…sometimes I suddenly get that way. I don't know why."
"It's okay Momo, I understand why this is stressful for you," Rangiku said.
"I…I suppose you'd like me to answer your question more calmly now?" Momo said with a nervous laugh, "You asked about how Karin was doing… I should have said this before, but she's doing great."
"That's good to hear," Rangiku said.
"Yeah, she really surprised me. She has a long way to go of course, but she's making progress. Today I had her do an obstacle course without her sight, and she was actually able to sort of see the course. I wasn't expecting that. The intent of the exercise was for her to fail so that she would see how important reiatsu sensory is. She did fail of course, but she got a lot further than I would have expected. It was subconscious on her part. She knew roughly where one obstacle ended and another began. She probably thought it was just from her memory that she was able to do that, but in reality she was subconsciously sensing the reiatsu and navigating according to it. It was… unexpected, to say the least."
"I think you'll find that once she's gotten used to training, she will make an excellent apprentice, and a fine Shinigami," Rangiku said.
"I wonder though, is this right?" Momo said quietly.
"Huh?"
"Is it right to make her into a Shinigami? You know perfectly well that being a Shinigami changes a person. If she becomes a Shinigami, she won't be an innocent girl anymore, she'll be a warrior, and made to face numerous dangers. Is it right to train her as a Shinigami when we know that it will have such an impact on her life?"
"Karin is strong willed and a smart girl. If she wants to be a Shinigami, nothing any of us can do will stop her. Besides, if it's not too bold to say, I don't think it's Karin you're thinking of when you say that being a Shinigami changes a person."
Momo gave a half-hearted smile.
"You really know me well, Rangiku," she said.
"I know that you're definitely unhappy about something. Would you like to talk about it?" Rangiku asked.
"I don't think so," Momo said, shaking her head, "I've already talked about this repeatedly with you, Renji, Izuru, Captain Unohana, and Captain Hisagi. It never does any good. I'll feel better for a while and then go right back where I was before. What good will come from talking about it and making myself look whiney and helpless? This is a personal issue, I'll just have to deal with it myself."
"Having a friend to talk to isn't a bad thing, Momo," Rangiku said, "It helps others understand why you're upset, and it will help you in the long term. I want to help you, so please, tell me what's wrong."
"You already know. There are more things wrong with me than I could list. I don't want to have to relive all the pain just to remind you," Momo said a bit harshly, "You…you know what's wrong, but you don't understand! You can't hope to understand! Everything I've been through…it all adds up! I don't even know who I am anymore! I've lost everything. My self-identity, my Captain, my confidence, my friend, my division…all of them are gone. I just don't know what to do, I feel like I'm trapped in a pit with no way to get out!" Tears were coming to her eyes, which she hastily tried to wipe away.
"And now look at me! A Vice-captain, on the verge of tears and wallowing in self-pity! I just…I'm pathetic. When I think of how I used to be, it seems like a different world. I was confident, determined, and happy. I wish I could go back to being that way, but it's impossible. After what happened, I can't possibly go back to the way I was. It's not that I want to go back to being naïve and foolish, I just want to go back to the days where I could be happy and content with my position while still being able to work to improve myself without being discouraged. Now I'm just a mess. Sure, I've grown a bit wiser and more mature, but I'm fully aware of all my deficiencies and faults, and fixing them seems more impossible than ever. And because of my insecurities with myself, I ended up getting jealous of my best friend and losing him! I just…I wish I never became a Shinigami in the first place!" At this point Momo really did begin to cry.
"I just…I just want to go back to the old days, when everything was simple! I want to eat watermelons with Toushiro and watch the sunset! I didn't appreciate those days enough, and now they're gone! Because I went off to become a Shinigami, those days are gone, and both me and Toushiro have been forced to grow up early and become different people! On top of that, being Shinigami has torn us apart! Because I became a Shinigami and dedicated myself to serving that…that evil man, our friendship has ended, and our youth and innocence are over. That's why I don't think it's a good idea for Karin to become a Shinigami! That same thing will happen to her if she is pulled into the life of a Shinigami!"
"Momo, I know you're sad right now, but think: is being a Shinigami really such a horrible thing? You've met new friends as a Shinigami, performed your job enthusiastically, and have become a respected person in Seireitei. You've accomplished so much, yet you so easily dismiss it?"
"That was before…Aizen…" Momo said, shivering a little, "He…he changed everything."
"Aizen is gone Momo, you don't have to be controlled by him anymore," Rangiku said firmly.
"Sometimes I wonder if I'm really no longer in his control," Momo said, "He…he ruined me. He made me into who I am, and then destroyed it on a whim. I dedicated my life to him, and he threw me away like garbage. I don't think I'll ever be able to escape his influence, even after his death. I've tried my best to become stronger physically and emotionally, but it just isn't enough. It's times like this that I really wish I had Toushiro to talk to. He was always much easier to talk to about this sort of thing, but I guess I'll have to accept that our friendship was just one more casualty of Aizen's betrayal. Or, perhaps I should say, my betrayal."
"I imagine that Captain Hitsugaya would still be willing to patch things up with you if you gave eachother the chance. It's silly to stay mad at eachother forever," Rangiku said.
"You don't understand, it's not that we're mad at eachother, it's just that we can't be friends anymore," Momo said, "We're not the people we once were. We've changed too much, and my betrayal of him just proves that we can no longer be friends."
"Momo, you didn't betray-"
"Yes I did!" Momo yelled, "Even before I pointed my sword at him and doubted him, I had betrayed him. When we were children, we always promised eachother that we would protect one another and keep eachother safe. But then I went to the academy and left him on his own. Then when he entered the academy, he went so far beyond me that I couldn't fulfill my end of the promise. He was always the one who protected me. He grew up strong and independent, while I stayed weak and helpless by comparison. Then after Aizen's betrayal, when I tried to get stronger, I began feeling jealous of him. I betrayed our friendship. I…I just…I don't know!"
Rangiku suddenly embraced Momo, holding the crying girl close.
"Shhhh," she said soothingly, "It's okay Momo. Stop blaming yourself for these things. You've gone through horrible pain. But you know what Momo? I think you've been strong and brave in facing it. I know many strong Shinigami who wouldn't be able to continue living after going through what you've suffered. Don't blame yourself Momo, and don't give up hope on yourself or the Captain. Just calm yourself, Momo. Remember who you are, and never forget that your friends will be there for you."
Momo sobbed into Rangiku's shoulder for a few minutes before pulling away and wiping the tears from her eyes.
"I'm sorry Rangiku. I shouldn't have lost myself to my emotions like that," she said, "I…I don't know what came over me just now. I don't even remember everything I said to you or what I was thinking or what else I wanted to say. I'm just…I'm just feeling really messed up. I suppose this is why I'll never be a Captain. When was the last time you saw a Captain crying?" Momo tried to laugh, but it came out forced and hollow.
"Well," Rangiku said slowly, "Captain Hitsugaya for starters." Momo looked up at her in shock.
"Toushiro… No way, you must be mistaken. He would never cry! Even when we were little kids, I never saw him crying. Even when some older boys beat him up and he had to stay in bed for a week, he didn't cry. I cannot even imagine what he would look like with tears in his eyes. Toushiro, like the other Captains, is too strong and noble to allow himself to cry," Momo said.
"It's true," Rangiku replied, "You weren't conscious when it happened. It was after… well, you know…" Momo's eyes widened, and she nodded slowly, immediately understanding that Rangiku was referring to after she had been stabbed and was in a coma.
"He…he cried for me? Even after what I did, he shed tears for me?" she said in shock.
"Indeed. Granted, most people didn't see it, but whenever he visited you while you were unconscious, there would always be some tears in his eyes. He really cares for you, don't allow yourself to think otherwise."
"I… I don't know what to say," Momo said awkwardly.
"Well, I don't know what to say either. I know you're feeling trapped and confused by everything right now, but all I can tell you is to be strong and face everything bravely. I believe in you Momo; I'm positive you can face this."
"Thank you," Momo said, "I…I'll try to keep being strong. I don't know what came over me a few minutes ago, but it's over, and I'm feeling much better now. I'll be strong for the sake of you, for the sake of Karin, and for the sake of my Division. I don't know whether I'll succeed or not, but I won't allow myself to continue crying over my deficiencies."
"That's it!" Rangiku said, slapping her roughly on the back, "By the way, Isane and I are going to the hot springs tomorrow evening. Would you like to come with us? It's really nice!"
"Not tomorrow, but thanks for the offer Rangiku," Momo said with a smile.
"Whatever you say," Rangiku said, "I guess I'd better get going."
"Wait," Momo said, "I, um, was wondering… Do you think you could stop by the Fifth Division, just to see how Ichigo is doing? It's not that I don't trust him, I just want to make sure that the Fifth Division is doing well."
"Sure thing, I'll check and make sure everything is going fine!" Rangiku said, standing up, "I'll see you tomorrow when I drop off Karin then. Bye-bye!"
---
Ichigo carefully filled out paperwork, careful to do things correctly. Rukia watched him, giving him tips from time to time.
"Make sure that you sign your name in the proper place," she would say, or "Forget that one, prioritize which paperwork you should do first!"
"Would you care to volunteer as the new Captain?" Ichigo said irritably.
"Hey, I'm just helping you out. If you weren't doing things wrong I wouldn't need to be here," Rukia said defensively.
"How do you even know these things? You're not a seated officer, so you can't have much paperwork to do," Ichigo said.
"We learned this sort of thing in the Shinigami Academy. They taught all sorts of things, including how to properly fill out paperwork," Rukia replied.
"Academy, huh?" Ichigo said, "Maybe I should go there for a while."
"Don't be an idiot, you couldn't enroll just so you can learn to fill out paperwork!"
"Relax, I was joking!" Ichigo said, "This paperwork stuff is more trouble than it's worth though. Who would have thought that being a Captain involved managing a bureaucracy like this."
"Captains are some of the most important individuals in Soul Society, of course they have a lot of administrative work to do. It's not all fighting and adventures. If you want to be an effective Captain, you'll need to take the job more seriously," Rukia said.
"Hey, I'm not exactly thrilled about being a Captain either, but I don't really have much choice in the matter," Ichigo said, "If I had things my way, I'd return to being a Shinigami representative for Karakura Town. But with Karin here, things have changed. Even if I didn't have to stay to look out for her, I'd still have to stay here or they'll kick her out of Seireitei. If I don't stay to be Captain, they'll put Karin back in Rukongai."
"After she becomes a Shinigami, she'll be able to stay in Seireitei on her own," Rukia pointed out, "You could wait until then before going back to Karakura town."
"No, that will never happen," Ichigo said, "I'll put up with this training she's going through, but I won't allow her to be a Shinigami. That would mean putting her in direct danger. After she's gone through training, I will make sure that she stays in Seireitei and does not become a Shinigami."
"If she wants to, there's nothing you can do about it," Rukia noted.
"Maybe, but I have to try," Ichigo said, "I won't let her put herself in danger."
"Don't speak too soon Ichigo!" a cheerful voice said from being the door. Ichigo and Rukia looked up to see Rangiku peeking in through the cracked door.
"Rangiku? What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked.
"Oh, Momo asked me to check up on her division. She's really worried about the state of things here, seeing as she feels responsible for it and everything," Rangiku said, "So how are things?"
"Pretty good I think," Ichigo said, "I have some paperwork and reports here if you want to check."
"No, I trust your judgment," Rangiku said with a handwave, "So do you want to hear about Karin's progress?"
"Yes…yes I would," Ichigo said.
"You'll be happy to know that while the training is intense, Karin is doing quite well. Momo says that she's progressing quicker than expected. She's even able to partially navigate an obstacle course by reiatsu alone! I personally expect great things of her!"
"There, you see Ichigo? Karin is doing fine," Rukia said.
"Maybe so, but that doesn't change my responsibility. I still have to protect her from danger, and being a Shinigami would mean danger for her," Ichigo said.
"Don't be too quick to decide. Just wait until she's done with her training, I think you'll be quite impressed!" Rangiku said.
---
Karin tossed and turned in bed, in the midst of a strange dream.
Karin was back on that stormy coast, the lightning cracking, wind howling, and waves crashing. Heavy rain made the stone beneath her slippery, and gales nearly knocked her down on several occasions. She wandered blindly along the coast, wondering where on earth she was. This was only the second time she had seen it, and still she had no idea where it was.
Karin squinted her eyes, trying to make out the surrounding landscape. The rock seemed to go up at an incline, but given the darkness and heavy rain, she couldn't be sure, and didn't want to risk climbing up for fear of loose boulders. She didn't want to go too close to the water either, lest a huge wave come and drag her out to sea. Her only option was to walk along the coast, between the rocky slope and the shoreline. She looked both ways, seeing no difference between the two. She ended up going left, as that was the direction she had gone last time.
She walked slowly and cautiously, careful not to trip or fall on the uneven stone ground. The loud thunder and the darkness of this place was highly unnerving. Suddenly, she heard a strange noise and turned around. Right behind her was an enormous crab, at least two meters across and with large, menacing pincers. Karin backed away in panic, with the crab following after her. She didn't know what to do, and was too afraid to run. Where had this crab come from anyways?
It was only then that Karin remembered something. She looked down and saw that the sword Rangiku had given her was at her waist. She drew the sword and held it in front of her, facing the crab. Rangiku had only taught her a little bit about swords, and then only with a wooden sword, but Karin thought she could beat an animal like this.
Just as she was about to attack, a bolt of lightning came down right in front of her, hitting the crab and throwing her back a few feet. When she looked up, she saw smoldering bits of crab lying on the ground in front of her. As she stood, she realized that she had dropped her sword. She hurriedly looked around for it. At first she groped around for it in the darkness, but then she realized that grabbing blindly at something sharp enough to sever limbs was probably not a good idea. She instead began working to carefully remember where she had dropped it. As she tried to think, there was another bolt of lightning, this one illuminating the ground enough for her to spot the sword lying on the ground.
Karin hurriedly picked it up, but noticed that it felt a little strange. It seemed to be wobbling in her grip, as if it were being pushed and pulled from multiple angles. Confused, she sheathed the sword and went back to walking along the shore, not wanting to encounter another crab. As she walked, she noticed something in the distance.
Realizing what it was, she ran towards it. As she got closer, she confirmed that it was exactly what she thought: the old sailing ship she had seen before. She hurriedly ran forward towards the ship. It was in the water, but in shallow enough water that it did not get washed out to see. Karin felt inexplicably drawn to the ship.
Ignoring the danger of the waves, Karin walked towards the ship, entering the water as she did so. Waves crashed into her, but she paid them no attention, feeling as if she were in a trance. Soon she was at the side of the ship, staring up in awe. Even in the dark, she could tell that this was a fine ship indeed.
As she admired the ship, she suddenly snapped back into reality, and realized that she was now nearly chest deep in water during a massive storm. No sooner than she realized this, a massive wave crashed down upon her, knocking her down and dragging her down. Karin was sure that she would be pulled into open water and drown, but miraculously, her hands caught hold of something.
A rope, coming seemingly from nowhere, was now in her hands. With all of her strength, Karin pulled herself up by the rope, lifting herself out of the water. Gasping for breath, she looked up and saw that the rope led up to the side of the ship. Gripping the rope, she began to pull herself up. Waves continued to crash into her, knocking her back and forth, and the wind caused her to sway with the rope, but she did not stop climbing. She was cold, wet, and sore, but she did not stop.
After much effort, she had arrived at the top. She only needed to pull herself up onto the deck of the boat. This was not as easy as it sounded however. She was already tired, and she would now have to pull herself up by grasping a slippery plank of wood, without the aid of rope. She tried several times, but between the slippery wood, her tired state, and the constant waves and wind.
Eventually, Karin realized that she would not be able to do this, and instead continued to cling tightly to the rope. The waves and wind threw her back and forth, but she didn't let go. She stayed where she was for hours, listening to the wind, water, and lighting. As the time passed however, the storm became less severe. The winds died down and the lightning became less frequent. The waves crashing into her were less and less intense. After holding onto the rope for a long time, the storm had passed, and Karin found herself looking at a pink-tinged morning sky.
There was then a clunk just above her. Karin looked up to see a figure standing on deck above her. In surprise, Karin's grip on the rope loosened, and to her unfortunate luck, a wave crashed against her at that same moment. Karin fell down into the water with a crash just as the mysterious figure spoke. She could not make out the words, but she was at least able to get back up in the somewhat calmer waters.
"Excuse me?" she called back at the figure, "I couldn't hear you! Say that again!"
"Okay! Get up Karin, it's time to go!"
Karin's eyes opened and she gave a small jolt. She looked around in confusion, no longer at the side of a boat in cold, chilly water, but in her comfortable bed, wrapped up in pajamas and blankets.
"What…what...what's going on?" she asked shakily. Only just noticing Rangiku standing over her.
"It's time to go to your training!" Rangiku said, "Come on, I'll cook breakfast for you before we go!"
"Oh… Okay, thanks…" Karin said, once again puzzled by the strange dream.
----
"Now do thirty sit-ups!" Momo ordered.
"Yes Vice-captain Hinamori," Karin said wearily. She was once again doing training exercises as instructed by Momo.
"Be sure you sit up all the way, not just part way," Momo said.
"Yes, I know," Karin said. The exercise was tiring, and while she tried to keep in mind what Toushiro had told her the previous day, but she was still extremely tired, and it was hard to not become frustrated with the seemingly repetitive exercises.
"Stop! Stand up and jog in place!" Momo said. Karin stopped doing sit-ups and stood to jog in a stationary position. Momo circled around her, observing her closely.
"Move forward two feet," she said. Karin immediately complied. "Now move back! Good…now move to the left… Forward… Back… Left… Left… Back… Right… Forward…"
She continued with this, ordering her to change position as she jogged in place. It was almost more difficult than actual jogging, as she had to constantly think about it while doing the physical movements.
"Okay, now we'll try something else," Momo said as Karin ran, "While you're running in place like that, I'll move around you. I want you to keep an eye on how far away I am from you right now. That's how far from me I want you to stay. When I move forward, you move back. When I move to the side, so will you. When I circle around you, you turn to remain facing me. Understand?"
"Y-yes," Karin said, by now quite tired and unsure if she could keep this up.
Momo gave a nod to indicate that she was starting. Almost immediately Karin knew that this was more difficult than it sounded. Momo moved forward, and she instinctively moved back, but had to quickly turn as she ran in place, for Momo had just circled around her by ninety degrees. She stepped back, then forwards moments later, nearly throwing Karin off. She continued this practice, growing faster with her movements and moving in patterns more complicated for Karin to keep up.
Karin was growing tired from running, and her focus was beginning to slip as she panted. Momo moved forward then back several times, before circling around her and then moving to the side and back. Karin followed her carefully, making sure to move in just the right manner. Then Momo moved to the right and back, and Karin moved in the proper manner. Immediately after finishing that however, Momo abruptly moved forward and to the right of Karin. Karin couldn't keep up in time, and to her shock and dismay, Momo struck her in the side with the back of her hand, causing her to fall down.
"Why'd you do that?!" Karin asked angrily.
"That was to drill in the point of why it's important to be quick when you're following an enemy," Momo said, "What we were doing just now were movements similar to what two opposing warriors would practice. That is what this exercise mimicked. You moved too slowly and didn't track your opponent well enough, and you got your side cut open because of it. Congrats, you just got killed." Karin glared at her, not appreciating that comment much.
"So now what?" she asked, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice.
"Now it's lunch time, though you won't be eating seeing as you were just killed in battle. Do push-ups and jumping jacks until I'm finished."
At this point, Karin was very upset, as she had been looking forward to lunch and did not think it fair that she was denied it over a simple mistake. She followed Momo's orders and did basic exercise while Momo ate, but she didn't like it at all. When Momo returned, she was beginning to feel as if she would never get along with her.
"Now we will be doing a different exercise. This one will aim to increase your ability to focus and keep track of your surroundings," Momo said, "First, I'll be moving you to that patch of dirt over there." Momo led Karin over to an area where the grass was absent, replaced by dust and dirt. She put her foot on the ground surrounding it and dragged it around, creating a large circle. As she did so, Karin felt a strange feeling coming from her, and was unsure what to think of it.
"I concentrated my reiatsu into the circle," Momo explained, as if she heard Karin's unspoken question, "Now the next part…" Momo ran off and returned moments later with a large sack. She opened it up and turned it over inside the circle, revealing its contents as a large number of black and white marbles. They seemed to be repelled by the reiatsu Momo had put around them. They remained an even distance from the edge of the dirt circle.
"Your task is to walk around on these for fifteen minutes. However, you must not step on the black ones. If you do you'll be sorry. Oh…and take your shoes off," Momo said ominously. Karin complied, and she hesitantly walked onto the marbles.
It wasn't comfortable, and the marbles constantly rolled around under her feet, but she thought she could do this task correctly. There were more white marbles than black marbles, and with some care, she was able to walk around them. She managed to walk on the marbles for some time, successfully keeping her feet out of contact with the black marbles. She was becoming confident, and felt that she would actually be able to perform this task without flaw.
As she walked around however, her bare foot accidentally touched one of the black marbles. There was a loud pop and the next thing Karin knew she was staggering around on the marbles, her foot in great pain. As she staggered back, she stepped on more black marbles, causing more pops and making her feet hurt even more. Panicking, she ran off the marbles, several more popping noises occurring before she had escaped. She pulled herself off the dirt and onto the grass, staring at her feet in shock.
Her feet were covered in sores and blood. In places they were only blistered and burned while in other areas the flesh was hanging off in ragged pieces. She breathed heavily, pain and shock overcoming her.
"Wh-wh-what…why…how…?" she muttered in a disoriented manner.
"That should be obvious. As you no doubt realize now, the black marbles explode upon being touched. This teaches you the value of always keeping an eye on everything around you. Because you lost focused for just a second, you are now hurt. That is the lesson this teaches you," Momo said.
"Lesson…?" Karin said quietly, anger welling up inside of her, "Lesson?! You call this a lesson! Look at what you've done to me! How… how can any person possibly think that this is a good way to teach someone?"
"A harsh lesson is sometimes necessary," Momo replied.
"This goes well beyond harsh!" Karin said, shakily standing on her injured feet, "Don't…don't think I don't know what's going on! I tried to tell myself that you only had my best interests at heart and were just being strict, but this…this is downright sadistic! The only explanation I can think of is that you hate me for getting us into trouble. I'll readily admit it, I caused you trouble when I convinced you to take me to Seireitei and then to Karakura. I admit it, I caused you problems, but that doesn't give you the right to torment me under the guise of training!"
"I have no such motivations," Momo said coolly, "Now go put some ointment on your feet and we'll begin our next exercise."
"Forget it. I'm not going to go through any more of your sadistic 'training' methods!" Karin yelled.
"That is not an option for you," Momo said, "We both agreed beforehand to go through with this training, and both of us will see it through to the end."
"Why should I train under you any longer? You have no intention of teaching me; you just want to cause as much distress as possible. Rangiku and Toushiro spoke highly of you, but I don't see anything in you than someone who uses her position over others to exact revenge."
"You're being irrational. Now come on, I'll accept no more excuses. If you do not, I'll be sure that it is harsher than ever for you."
"Like hell you will," Karin growled, angrily raising her hand in preparation for something she had never done before, "Bakudo number 4, Hainawa!"
A yellow rope of energy appeared, wrapping itself around Momo, locking her arms in place. Karin breathed heavily, never having used Kido before. She felt a sense of satisfaction, which turned to fear when she realized what she had just done. She had attacked a Shinigami Vice-captain! She nervously looked up at Hinamori, who to her great surprise was smiling.
"I'm impressed. So you did read that book I gave you. I am indeed impressed that you figured out how to use Kido on your own. However, I'm afraid that you chose the wrong person to try such a spell on," Momo said calmly. A pink glow surrounded her, and suddenly the air itself became heavy. Karin was nearly knocked down by the sudden force. She stared up in shock at Momo, for the first time feeling fear of the girl that was to be her master. The energy ropes around Momo disintegrated as she released her reiatsu. Karin had known that as a Vice-captain, Momo was certain to be a strong Shinigami, but never had she imagined that the physically unimposing girl could be so terrifying.
"Bakudo 63, Sajo Sabaku!" Momo said. Large chains of glowing yellow energy appeared and surrounded Karin, immediately tightening around her, completely restraining her. She fell to her knees, futilely struggling against the Kido spell.
"You should think things through next time," Momo said, "Not only did you use Kido to attack someone you know to be a Kido master, you also attacked a Vice-captain. Did you know that under the laws of Seireitei, I would be within my rights to kill you right now?" Karin gulped at this, causing Momo to give a small laugh. "Don't worry, I have no intention of killing you. If I did, I'd have a hard time completing your training."
"Why are you doing this to me?" Karin asked quietly.
"Because it's my job. Despite what you believe, I really am doing this to help you. It may be a punishment, but I intend to do everything in my power to train you as a Shinigami."
"Then why are you so cruel in your training methods?" Karin said loudly, "You've gone from rough to downright brutal! What kind of master treats their apprentice in such a manner? Why do you treat me like this? I'm not asking that you go easy on me, but why can't you treat me with a little kindness?!"
"Because my master treated me with kindness," Momo said quietly.
"Your master?" Karin said quietly. Momo nodded.
"He was always kind and gentle to me, said things to make me feel special, and made my time working under him filled with happiness. But then it all fell to pieces. Because of his treatment of me, I was greatly weakened, both emotionally and physically, and became completely dependent upon him. I never had to deal with stress, so when it occurred, it overwhelmed me. You must face reality: Being a Shinigami is hard. You'll face much more difficult things than what I put you through here. You'll face danger, stress, and pain, and you must deal with it. You must learn to be strong, independent, and able to face adversities before you become an effective Shinigami. Let me show you why this is so vital."
Momo began untying the front of her robes, catching Karin by surprise as she sat on the ground bound by the Kido spell.
"Whoa! What exactly are you doing?" she said apprehensively. Momo paused for a minute.
"I'm showing you why it's important for you to be strong," she said simply.
Momo opened the front portion of her robes, revealing a horrific scar on her chest. Karin stared at it in shock. It was relatively small, but was clearly from a horrible injury. Several thin scars surrounded it, suggesting surgery that was done in treatment of the wound.
"Now do you see?" Momo asked quietly, closing her robes, "Being a Shinigami isn't a game. You have to be strong. It would be very easy for me to be kind and gentle to you – in fact, a few years ago that probably would have been exactly how I'd have done this training - but I know that doing so would cause more harm than good in the long run. Please forgive me for being harsh, but I won't let you go through the same traumas I went through. I'll be tough on you, but believe me when I say that I really do intend to help you.
Karin stared at her for several minutes, unsure what to say.
"I…I…" she stuttered.
"It's okay, you don't have to say anything," Momo said, her voice softer now. She waved a hand and the Kido chains surrounding Karin vanished. "There's ointment that you can use for your feet in a bag by the gates. I…think I'll be going now. Consider yourself released early." Momo began walking away, but Karin called out after her.
"Wait! Could…could you tell me what happened? How did you get that scar?" she asked. Momo turned and looked at her with sadness in her eyes.
"I'd…prefer not to talk about that. If you must know, you can ask Rangiku. Tell her that I give permission for her to talk about it," she said, "Now if you'll excuse me, I must be going now."
Thanks for reading! Thank you to Sonnie, Chillis, Diamond Ice, The Catch, chiharuSAICHI, war90, nexuswarrior, Thunder Claw03, blackwitchkarma, KnightoftheWord, Photophopic, SasukesGirl, ocean81g, Psyco101, Hinata-cutie, Hikari Droflum, Shirochan21, The Great Pineapple MEKI, and DigiPal for reviewing! Please review!