Hinamori's Apprentice

Chapter 19

"Before we start, I want to ask you again: Are you absolutely sure that you want to go through with this early?" Momo asked. She stood with Karin at the training grounds, and had what looked like a golf club bag strapped to her back.

"Yes, I'm positive," Karin said.

"You understand that this is a dangerous technique, right? I wanted at least a week of preparation before starting. We're taking a big risk by doing it early," Momo said.

"I know, but it's something I have to do," Karin insisted.

"Okay then, if you say so," Momo sighed. She pulled off the bag and opened it, revealing a number of strange, luminescent poles. She walked away from Karin and began putting the poles into the ground in a wide area surrounding them. There were eight poles in all. Momo set them up in a circular pattern, the poles about ten meters apart. When she was done, they formed a large circular area. Momo moved to the middle.

"Last chance," she said.

"I know," Karin said with determination.

"Very well then." Momo sat down at the very center. She crossed her legs and closed her eyes in concentration and began whispering strange words in a language Karin did not understand. Reiatsu visibly formed around her, and the poles around them lit up with pink energy. They each emitted pulses of energy, and a pink-tinged dome appeared around them. The ground began glowing brightly, and everything beyond the dome seemed to disappear, replaced by utter blankness. After several long minutes, Momo opened her eyes.

"It is complete," she said quietly. Karin looked around in awe.

"What is this?" she asked in amazement.

"It's a special Kido that I developed," Momo said, sounding a bit tired out, "It's unsuitable for combat, but for the purposes of our training, I think it will do nicely."

"What are we going to do?" Karin asked. Momo put her hand on the hilt of her zanpakuto.

"This." In a movement so fast that Karin did not even see it, Momo had drawn her sword and made a wide slash in the same movement.

Karin stood frozen in place, her eyes wide. She shakily looked down to see a massive gash across her chest and left shoulder. Blood was pouring from the wounds, and her shoulder bone had been cleanly cut through, leaving her arm dangling by a small bit of skin and tendons. She let out a scream and collapsed to the ground. Tears of fear were in her eyes as she gasped for breath. This was it, she was really going to die…

The next thing she knew however, both the pain and the wound were gone, and her arm was movable again. Even her clothes were undamaged. Pale and shaking, Karin looked up at Momo.

"W-wha…"

"That is the purpose of this Kido spell," Momo explained, "I designed it to replicate the healing technique of an old Kido master. It will reverse any injuries you receive within the affected area. It essentially makes wounds disappear, along with any other damage." Karin wiped away the tears in her eyes and spoke, trying to stifle the shakiness in her voice.

"But…why did you…"

"Why did I attack you? That is the purpose of this method of training. The training I have given you so far has taught you some of the absolute basics, but even if I trained you that way for years it wouldn't have been able to replicate true combat experience. With this method, you will gain experience in ways that normal training cannot come close to in effectiveness. Use the skills I've taught you to fight me. I will not refrain from causing you injuries, it is up to you to block and dodge my attacks to avoid the pain you felt just now," Momo said.

Karin gulped. She was not eager to relive the experience of being cut by Momo's blade, but she had little choice but to go along with this. After all, it was her who had insisted on starting this training before she had gone through proper preparation. She would have to be brave and face this challenge.

Karin drew her sword and held it in front of her, watching closely as Momo prepared for her next attack.

---

"And why do you need the rest of the week off?" Ichigo sighed.

"Medical issues sir," said the Fifth Division's Thirteenth Seated officer, "While patrolling the bathrooms, I slipped on a recently mopped floor and sprained my ankle."

"You're not wearing any type of splint and you're walking just fine," Ichigo noted.

"Yes, my walking has improved, but the bruises still hurt. I was considering seeking compensation for my injuries, but a weak of paid medical leave is good enough for me."

"Very well then…" Ichigo said tiredly, signing a piece of paperwork and handing it to him.

"Thank you very much!" the man said, barely concealing his glee as he skipped out of the room.

"Idiot…" Ichigo muttered.

"No, not really," Rukia said from the chair behind him, "He was smart enough to know that you wouldn't refuse his request." Ichigo growled at this.

"If it weren't for guys like that, running a division would be much easier," he grumbled.

"Are you sure that's really the problem? What about you? You don't exactly project an aura of authority, and because of that people take advantage of you. You just can't say no to people like him. I wish I could help you more, but I'm not an officer, so I have limited knowledge on the subject. It's a shame Vice-captain Hinamori isn't here, she could definitely show you how to handle these situations."

"Alright, I get it! You don't have to be so harsh," Ichigo said, throwing up his hands in mock defeat, "I'm not tough enough, you've made your point! But let me ask you something: Do you really think that Hinamori would be able to turn people like that away?"

"No, she wouldn't need to," Rukia replied, "The members of this division have too much respect for Vice-captain Hinamori to come to her for frivolous things like that. She's one of the most popular Vice-captains, and is highly respected, even in other divisions. That guy wouldn't have dared trying that if it were her in this office."

"Oh, so you're just saying that no one respects me; great!" Ichigo said sarcastically.

"Oh, stop your whining! You'll get the hang of operating the division eventually, so don't spend your time worrying about it! Just put in a bit of effort, and soon you'll become a respected leader," Rukia said.

"Probably not too soon. Just look at these budget reports," Ichigo said, handing Rukia some paperwork. Rukia looked over it, her eyes getting wide. She didn't seem to know whether to laugh at him, pity him, or berate him. She awkwardly handed the papers back to Ichigo.

"That, uh, wow…"

"Yeah, tell me about it," Ichigo grumbled.

"How did you spend eighty-four percent of your monthly budget in a week?" she asked.

"I made the mistake of allowing a party last Friday. Somebody brought this special-recipe pumpkin bread, which everyone pigged out on. Regrettably, it had some unfortunate effects on the digestive system. The cost of replacing the plumbing in all of our bathrooms drained the treasury. Also, I may have accidentally signed pay raises for several Shinigami…"

"Wow, you really do need help," Rukia said.

"That's not the worst of it. This job takes up so much time that I've barely been able to visit Karin," Ichigo said.

"Well, being a Captain is a big responsibility. You can't expect a ton of free-time," Rukia commented.

"I know, but since Karin is the primary reason I'm staying here, it would be nice if I could see her a bit more."

"If you're only doing the job so you can be close to Karin, maybe you should rethink being a Captain. It's a big job, and your performance will affect all of the Shinigami in your division. If you're doing it half-heartedly, you really should reconsider what you're doing," Rukia said.

"I know, but this is the only way. I'll stay here for Karin's sake. Don't worry, I'll do the job, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm here for Karin first and foremost."

"You know that she'll likely become a Shinigami eventually, right? She'll be able to live here without special permission soon enough if you're willing to just wait."

"I know. I wanted to prevent it, but it does seem inevitable that she will eventually become a Shinigami. She's set her heart on it, and nothing I say or do will change her mind. If I'm a Captain however, I can at least take steps to ensure her safety and make sure she isn't put in harm's way," Ichigo said.

"Are you sure that's what Karin would want? She doesn't strike me as the type who would take kindly to that kind of overprotective treatment," Rukia said.

"That may be true, but it's for her own good. I'm not going to let her be put in danger. I've failed her once; I'm not doing it again. Karin is going to remain safe from harm, there is no question of that."

---

Momo brought her blade down, slashing Karin from shoulder to waist. Karin staggered back, the wounds healing within seconds. She had barely brought her sword back up when Momo attacked again with a diagonal cut. Karin managed to bring her sword up to meet Momo's, but she did not hold it with enough strength, and it was forced back as Momo's zanpakuto left a deep cut across Karin's chest.

Karin breathed heavily. She was no match for Momo. The best she had been able to do so far was dodge a few of the strikes. She couldn't even compose herself enough to counterattack, as Momo was too fast and strong to give her the chance. Karin regretted asking for the training early every time she felt the pain of the sword cutting through her flesh. She had been foolish in allowing a dream, even one of her inner world, to convince her to begin advanced training without proper preparation. Momo had been a Shinigami for half a century. Despite her claims of being merely 'average' in swordsmanship for a Vice-captain, she was likely more skilled than most of the famous swordsmen of lore. There was no way Karin could compete.

Momo's made a low, horizontal swipe at Karin, forcing her to lean back, turn, and step to the side to dodge.

"Good, you're beginning to get the hang of dodging my strikes," Momo said. She raised her sword and made a downward slash, which Karin tried to dodge by turning sideways only to have her shoulder cut into.

"Not bad, not bad, but you're too slow on your feet. Pay attention to your steps and watch where I will strike. You managed to minimize that blow, but in actual battle it would still be quite debilitating. Be quick on your feet and watch where I am. Make sure you're staying in an active stance as well," Momo said.

Karin was feeling overwhelmed. There were so many aspects of battle that she had to pay attention to! She tried to calm herself so as to better focus, but it was too difficult while she was constantly being attacked. She had thought she had been reasonably good for a beginner at using a sword before, but she was totally overwhelmed, and felt as if she were forgetting the lessons she had been taught. She tried thinking back to what she had been taught.

Karin put some distance between her and Momo, keeping herself out of Momo's sword reach, as she tried to think of the lessons she had been taught. She put herself in a neutral stance and backed away whenever Momo came forward, keeping the distance between them roughly even. When Momo tried to circle around her, she would turn to face her. Momo's smile seemed to indicate that she was impressed by this. Suddenly, Momo lunged and swung her sword down one-handed, giving her a greater reach. Karin gripped her sword and swung it forward from a horizontal angle, meeting Momo's blade and blocking it.

A look of surprise crossed Momo's face, followed by a look of satisfaction.

"Good, very good!" she said. She pulled the sword back and slashed again, this time horizontally. Karin leapt back at just the right moment, and momentarily felt a tiny bit of confidence in herself. She grinned and held the sword in front of her, ready for more.

The next several hours were spent continuing their sparring. Karin was still cut many times, but she recovered faster, and slowly became better at dodging, blocking, and even attacking. She was improving; there was no doubt of that. It was quite amazing really. By applying this pressure to her, Momo had greatly sped up the rate at which Karin was learning. In those few hours, she could see herself improving by leaps and bounds. She felt excited, and in fact rather proud of herself.

Karin blocked a strike from Momo, turning her sword back before sidestepping and delivering her own attack against Momo. She was able to block it of course, but it was still amazing that Karin was even able to do that. Karin stepped back and dodged a swing as she brought her sword back to regular stance. Momo cut at her side, but Karin managed to block it, bringing the blade up moments later to slash at Momo's face. Momo bent back, dodging the strike but not enough to avoid a small cut on her cheek.

Momo smiled as the cut healed and looked at Karin proudly.

"You've done well. In such a short time period, you've improved substantially. You still have a long ways to go of course, but after a bit more practice like this, you could likely compete with an unseated Shinigami. That said, there is something else I'd like to try." Momo snapped her fingers and the dome around them suddenly disappeared.

"What are you-?"

Momo brought her sword down on Karin, who raised her sword to block but received a small cut on the arm as her blade was forced back. Karin's eyes widened when she realized that it wasn't healing.

"Wait! The healing effect, it's-"

"Gone," Momo said, "Now you will have to fight me without the safeguard. If you do not properly defend yourself, I will kill you." Karin's eyes widened and she tried to run away, but Momo had already begun her attack, swinging her zanpakuto at Karin and narrowly missing her neck.

"Are you crazy?!" Karin yelled, "This is too much!" Momo ignored her, continuing her attack. Karin dodged and blocked as much as she could, but she knew it was only a matter of time before Momo was able to land a hit. What would she do? She was really going to get killed at this rate!

Suddenly, just as Momo was swinging her sword towards her, Karin had a funny feeling. She felt like the world had slowed down, and there was a dropping feeling in her stomach.

The next thing Karin knew, she was no longer at the training grounds, but on the familiar coast she had seen all those times before.

"So you're back."

Karin turned around to see the man in the strange armor standing behind her stroking his moustache and watching her intently.

"What happened?" Karin asked.

"You are in need of my powers right now," the man said, "However, I cannot grant you them unless you complete a task for me."

"What task?" Karin asked.

"I have been trapped on this island for a long time. The seas are harsh, there are constantly storms brewing, and the wind is either non-existent or blowing so hard that the sails will be ripped off of a boat. I cannot navigate these rocky shores, and my compass won't work, as this entire island has been magnetized by the lightning constantly striking the iron-rich rocks. I am entrusting you with the task of finding a certain object that will allow me to navigate my way off of this miserable rock."

"What do you need?" Karin asked.

"It is a map; located in a cave near the top of those cliffs. I need it if I am to get out of here," the man said, "Do this task for me, and I will grant you my powers."

"Why can't you climb it?"

"My armor is too heavy to climb such a steep slope."

"Well why don't you take it off?"

"Oh, I guess you don't want my powers then!" he said.

"Alright, alright! I'm going!" Karin said, turning to the slope. Gulping, she walked to the edge of the slope and grabbed a rock, pulling herself up.

The rocks provided a convenient way to get up. There were numerous rocks jutting out or protruding in various places, and climbing was just a matter of finding which rocks to grab and step on. It was easier than it looked, and she had soon climbed up a significant portion of the rocky slope. She sat down and caught her breath on a ledge after a while, looking down at the ground, where the figure of what she knew to be her zanpakuto now appeared much smaller as he waited for.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Karin began to climb again. This part was much steeper and more difficult. She had to grab onto just the right rocks at just the right angle to get up. Several times, she nearly fell. After struggling up for some time, she managed to pull herself up onto a large, flat ledge, where she collapsed and caught her breath. It was only after several moments that she realized that in front of her was a cave. Standing up, she slowly approached.

It was dim, but almost immediately she could see what made this cave special: it was full of treasure! Chests of golden coins and precious gems, elegant statues, and elegant jewelry covered the ground. Karin looked around in amazement. She quickly spotted the map that she had been told about. It was in a small glass bottle, which Karin quickly picked up and stuck in her pocket. Her main task completed, she looked around the place, admiring the treasures.

"I guess my inner-world is popular with pirates," she chuckled to herself. Her voice echoed through the place, causing her to laugh more.

"Hello!" she shouted, her yell echoing through the cave, "Hello!"

"Hello…" a sinister voice said.

Karin nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned around, heart pounding. There was no one to be seen.

"Who's there?!" she said nervously, "Where are you?"

"Over here girl…" the voice said. Karin turned to see a mirror that she had not noticed before. Two bright red eyes peered out from within the mirror. Karin walked forward, as if in a trance.

"That's right, come closer…" the voice said eagerly. It was quiet and scratchy, and Karin could only vaguely tell that it was a female voice. It was frightening and disturbing, but Karin couldn't stop walking towards it. She reached a hand forward to touch the mirror, but just as her fingertips were about to touch, a sword came down, driving her back.

The man in the armor was there, his sword blocking the way between Karin and the mirror. He tossed a tattered cloak over the mirror, covering it up and breaking whatever strange spell it had over Karin.

"What was that?" Karin asked in shock.

"It doesn't matter," her zanpakuto said coolly, "All that matters is that you found the map."

"Oh, right! The map!" Karin pulled out the small bottle and fished around inside for the map. Almost as soon as she pulled it out however, the yellowed map crumbled into pieces. Karin stared in shock, unable to believe what had just happened.

"It's not fair…" she muttered, staring at what little was left of the map. The man in the armor however, merely laughed.

"Silly child, I do not need a map! What good would a map do me, when what I want more than anything else is to explore the sea?" he said.

"Wait, then why did you ask me to… Hey! Didn't you say you couldn't climb up here?" Karin said.

"It was an important test of courage for you. You see, it is true that I cannot leave this island, but it's not because I don't have a map! It's because your frustration and internal conflict brings about the storms and waves, keeping me stuck here on this island! I have faith that one day you will overcome your conflicts, and these infinite seas will be open for exploration!"

"Wait, I still have a few more questions for you-"

"Too late, time to go!" the man said. He raised his sword and cut at Karin, who instinctively drew her sword to block.

"Nice block Karin," Momo said. Karin blinked as she remembered where she was. She looked up to see that she had just blocked a strike from Momo. Momo drew her sword back for another strike, which Karin narrowly dodged.

Karin ducked, dodged, and blocked the strikes, but she soon found herself in the same disadvantageous position she had been in before, overwhelmed by someone much more skilled than her. All she could do was struggle to keep up with Momo's attacks. She found herself retreating more often than not.

"You need my power," a voice in her head said, "Say my name and command, and I will grant you the power you need. Listen closely and always remember these words…"

Karin stopped running back and turned to face Momo, raising her zanpakuto.

"Repel, Denryu!" she shouted. There was a bright flash and a loud snapping noise.

Karin panted, her eyes wide as she looked upon her zanpakuto. It was no longer an ordinary katana, but a straight, thin, elegant sword that looked like a rapier or smallsword. The handle was gold and black, with intricate golden wire serving as a guard. Karin was able to smile at the sight of her zanpakuto for just a moment before passing out from exhaustion.

Momo caught her just before she fell, and quickly set her down and checked her pulse, sighing in relief once she was sure that she had just passed out. She looked at Karin's sword, getting the chance to examine it just before it returned to its normal state.

"Amazing," she whispered, "Shikai, so soon… Karin, you have a lot of surprises for me…"

Thanks for reading! Thank you to Taeniea, war90, Okonomiyaki Days, Chillis, The Great Pineapple MEKI, nexuswarrior, Photophopic, Guibin, Thunder Claw03, and blackwitchkarma for reviewing! Please review!