Chapter 15: Maintaining the Balance

HES: Hey guys, I am posting this author's note at the top to inform you of two things. Number one is an apology for my erratic update schedule; I originally planned to have the finished the tournament arc by the end of April, but one thing led to another and I'm behind schedule; I will try to update more frequently. The second thing is that this chapter sees the introduction of a new ability of my own devising; now, I don't know if there are any parallels to it in the Bleach continuity (if so, I have not heard of them) but I think this skill would work and has a precedent. Anyway, enough of my ranting; on with the chapter!

Tairos had been awake for only ten minutes or so and his mind was already swimming with questions. He had expected to awake in the 4th Squad medical tent after his injuries had healed, and yet instead he found himself in a fairly large field with no buildings in sight. He was initially at ease, thinking he was still in a dream, until he felt an energy close around his arms and inhibit his movement. Tairos tried to stand and struggle, but the six beams of light hovering around his torso prevented him from doing little more than shuffling a few inches back and forth.

"Where the hell is the ass who did this to me?" Tairos called out. "You can't be far, you have to be maintaining this Way of Binding, at least to some degree!"

"Well, at least you know something about kidou," a calm, yet slightly condescending voice said back to him. The sound seemed to be emanating from behind Tairos, but he was unable to shift his position and see who was speaking. "I guess the old man wasn't lying after all."

"Isn't respecting your elders one of the basic tenants of Shinigami doctrine?" Tairos questioned his seemingly crass questioner.

"I just stated a fact, he's over the hill!" The voice shot back.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you need to point it out. Elders are usually sources of wisdom, strength, and life experience." Tairos replied. "Anyway, can you tell me why you've captured and brought me...wherever we are?"

"We're still in Soul Society," the voice replied; by the cadence of the words, Tairos inferred that the speaker was female, though he could not be entirely sure. "This is a natural area, unspoiled by buildings or civilization. Many Shinigami, especially members of the 11th Squad, come here to train."

"But that still doesn't answer my question of why I'm here," Tairos said, annoyance building in his voice.

"Hm...and I always expected you to be the brains of your cell," the voice replied, pausing briefly. "Well, I'll cut to the chase. My grandpa and your boss, Crowe, was impressed by your skills in your match, but he was also disheartened that you didn't make use of your full potential. He wanted to help train you himself, but he's proceeded to later rounds of the tournament, so he won't be free for a few more hours. So, instead, he sent me," at that, the speaker was revealed as she walked in front of Tairos.

She was a rather average looking girl: she was neither tall nor short, he hair was black and hung loosely about her shoulders. Her eyes were brown and she wore a standard obsidian-colored kimono. Her face was slightly pretty, causing Tairos to grin.

"So how about you release me and we start the training, eh?" Tairos said. "I want to get stronger, but I also want to get the hell out of here as soon as possible so I can watch my friends fight."

"I hate to disappoint you, but they've already been eliminated," the girl answered. "Gramps claimed you were the strongest of the three, which confuses me because that short kid ended up getting closest to the third round, but even he was knocked out. Your other friend, the insane one..."

"Wait...you think I'm the strongest?" Tairos cut her off.

"You're definitely the most attractive of the three, but I'm not sure of your power level, since I haven't seen you fight yet." She answered.

"I'll take that first part as a compliment," Tairos said. "Anyway, can you remove these bars? I know it's a high level way of binding, and I understand if you'd like to show off, but I can't train without the ability to move."

"That was supposed to be step one of your training," the girl answered, "but obviously you can't break free. Don't feel bad, even vice-captain level Shinigami have trouble breaking free from kidou of this level. I also had been told that you're a bit lazy and avoid training, so I expected to need to bind you before you could protest. Anyway, let's begin. Release!" The bonds disappeared from around Tairos's body and he flexed his arms, smiling as he stood.

"You seem like a bit of a show off, but obviously you've got some skill, too," Tairos said. She scowled at him, but he continued. "You're probably more powerful than I am."

"I'm most definitely more powerful than you are," she said solidly. "Now, let's start with..."

"Wait a minute, you still never gave me your name. You obviously know I'm Tairos, and who're you?"

"The call me Ellita," the girl replied. "Now, as I was saying, we're going to start by taking a look at what you've got so far. There are four forms of Shinigami combat: zanjutsu, hoho, hakuda, and kidou."

"Yeah, swordsmanship, foot techniques, unarmed combat, and demon arts," Tairos said, nodding.

"Correct. I'm going to assume that you have no experience with hoho or hakuda, so I'm going to let my grandpa handle those fields when he finally gets around to training with you. Instead, we're going to focus on the two areas you have some level of ability in: zanjutsu and kidou." Ellita stated.

"But I suck with the blade, my shikai is more suited to spells anyway," Tairos moaned. "Can't we just work on perfecting my kidou?"

In a split second, Ellita was standing in front of Tairos, the tip of her unsheathed zanpakuto less than a centimeter away from his throat. "What good is kidou in a situation like this? I could slice your throat before you could declare and cast; don't even try chanting, as that'd take way too long. So, neither binding nor offensive kidou would save you in this situation. Now, if you had some skill in hoho, like I do, it would be a different story. However, your best bet is to try and dodge, block, or counter an attack of this nature using either your zanpakuto or martial arts. I see now that my earlier assumption was correct, because a Shinigami well-versed in hakuda would've already avoided this strike or caught my blade."

Tairos shivered as he saw the cold look of determination in Ellita's eyes. "C...can you put that down?" He stuttered, sweat beading on his forehead. Ellita sighed and sheathed her weapon.

"That was a test to gauge both your defensive abilities and reactions to dangerous situations. Needless to say, you failed. I've really got my work cut out for me; lets hope your boss shows up soon to relieve me, I hate working with weaklings."

"I'm not weak," Tairos answered, the blood boiling in his veins. "Let's train, and I'll show you the extent of my power."

"Ha, we'll see. I'm not even going to bother using more than ten percent of my total skill level; heck, I bet five percent will be sufficient to kill you, and if you're dead grandpa won't build me that new sofa I want."

"Stop trying to psych me out and let's start for real!" Tairos challenged.

"If you insist," Ellita shrugged. "Draw your sword, and let's begin." Tairos obliged, pointing his weapon at Ellita's head.

"Just don't be angry if I injure you," Tairos declared haughtily, internally sure that his boast would be nigh impossible to back up against an opponent of Ellita's skill level. She looks so young, yet she's so talented, Tairos thought. She must be some sort of prodigy. And, if she's Crowe's granddaughter, than he's obviously a lot stronger than my fight with him led me to believe, especially since it sounds like he helped her train.

"Your stance is poor," Ellita stated coldly. "I can think of sixteen ways to trip you up and four methods to disarm you, of which I suspect you could only avoid two at most."

"Cut the crap and let's get this over with," Tairos said, letting out a long sigh after he finished his sentence. "Seriously, I hate training, and shooting the breeze won't make it go any faster." At this point, Tairos swung his zanpakuto at Ellita, only to watch her dodge artfully before kicking him once in the gut and twice in the face. Tairos shuddered and started to collapse, but not before Ellita punched him in the chest and slammed his legs with the flat of her own blade. As Tairos slammed into the ground beneath him, churning up grass and soil in the process, Ellita slammed her right foot on his chest and held her weapon an inch from his nose.

"There, it's over," Ellita said, stepping off her vanquished adversary and sheathing her weapon. "You're not worth my time. You can't even utilize two of the Shinigami tenants of fighting and of one of the two you actually can use is next to worthless against anything stronger than a blind baby."

"Fine then, leave if you want. I hate training anyway, and I'll get strong my own way," Tairos growled, pushing himself upright. What do I need that bitch for anyway? I'll be fine on my own.

Ellita started to walk away but after taking five steps she turned around and opened her mouth. "If you die before you reach your full potential, you'll never know what you're capable of. That is why we train: to survive and attempt to reach the unattainable goal of perfection. I believe you have some skill in kidou, but if you lack the mentality to improve, it isn't worth my time to stick around here. Just wait for a few hours and the old man may show up; he's a lot more patient than I am and can probably teach you a lot more anyway."

Suddenly, a memory flashed thought Tairos's mind, as capricious and quicksilver yet vivid enough to reveal an essential truth. "You're lucky that the final examination in the academy this year was based on reiatsu manipulation and kidou," a gruff voice echoed from the memory. "Had it been anything else you would surely have failed. It's a shame you're so lazy, Tairos, I once thought that you might even succeed me. Alas, I hate to say it, but you will probably plateau within the next ten years. After you learn your shikai, that is if you ever can, you will reach your pinnacle. I have seen other Shinigami like you, and it always ends the same way; they become skilled, but never strong. They become confined to eradication of lower levels Hollows, or in some cases are recalled to menial tasks like paperwork. But why even waste my time telling you this? You probably aren't even listening. Run along and see your friends, they'll be glad to hear you passed the examination."

But I haven't plateaued. I'm getting stronger every day, and I'll keep improving, Tairos told himself. "Hey, Ellita, let's train for real. I agree it's a better idea to let Crowe work on my weaker areas, so for now can you help me with my specialty, kidou?"

Ellita looked quizzical for a second, but then flashed a brief smile. "Fine then. If you really impress me, maybe I'll try and teach you something new."

"Ok, what should I do first?" Tairos asked.

"Well, I can already sense the level of reiatsu you posses and from that I glean that you probably don't know more than forty-percent of the Ways of Destruction and Binding," Ellita declared. "So, instead, I want to see the strongest ability that you possess. Show it to me, if you would."

"May I use my shikai?" Tairos asked. "It augments my kidou-based attacks."

"Go ahead," Ellita said, sounding and appearing unimpressed as Tairos released his weapon.

"Balance, Librar!" Tairos stated strongly as his katana transformed into a staff before their eyes. "My best ability is Way of Destruction Number Thirty-Three."

"See that tree over there?" Ellita said, indicating a conifer about a quarter of a mile away from them. "That's your target."

"Fine then, here we go!" Tairos muttered the necessary incantation under his breath before focusing his reiatsu through Librar and crying out, "Way of Destruction Number Thirty-Three, Blue Fire, Crash Down!" A massive blast of azure flame sprang from Librar's tip and rushed through the air. As it came in contact with the trunk, the fire sprang upward and began incinerating the entire tree. Within several seconds only a pile of ash and some bits of branches remained where the tree was.

"Wow, I didn't expect that kind of power," Ellita remarked, "but I'm glad you have the ability to do something. Obviously, without your zanpakuto the blast would be weaker, but that does not detract from the magnificence of the move."

"Nice to see I can finally do something to please you," Tairos said sarcastically. "I assume that isn't all."

"Far from it," Ellita giggled, an odd expression between joy and sadism dawning on her face. "I'm impressed enough to try and teach you something new. Now, obviously you know that Shinigami are not the only creatures that possess reiatsu: Hollows, and in some cases even humans, have reiatsu though it is of a different sort and is utilized for different attacks. For instance, some Hollows can fire blasts of reiatsu known as Cero, something similar in effect and appearance to some of our Demon Arts, yet possessing a specifically distinct manner. Are you following so far?"

"I suppose so, go on."

"Now, most kidou focuses on mid or long range attack; no matter how good of a swordsman your opponent is, if you can take him down before he gets into striking range, you've won. Most Shinigami who focus on zanjutsu try to find ways around this problem, such as training in hoho to learn shunpo or by creating their own form of dodging; some even attempt to learn ways to deflect or resist kidou." Ellita continued. "Now, what if your opponent fought in the same way you do, keeping his enemy at range and firing blasts of reiatsu? If he was less skilled than you, victory would be almost assured. But if his kidou was better or he possessed a greater store of reiatsu, you'd most likely die."

"But my zanpakuto allows me to steal reiatsu from my opponent, giving us an equal amount," Tairos declared.

"And do you think that will make a difference if the enemy can defeat you with one powerful initial blast? Or what if both of your reiatsu is so low that even if you steal some your mastery is not good enough to make use of what little you have?" Ellita sighed. "This leads me to your main weaknesses: against a close-combat based opponent, you'll need a way to block, dodge, or absorb their damage; my grandfather will cover that part of the training. When fighting a long or middle range foe, you will need to have some edge to prevent their kidou, or other reiatsu based attacks, from doing more damage to you than you deal to them. That brings me to the ability I want to teach you: it is referred to as Kodou Geigeki, or the Way of the Counter. There are four forms, one used against each style of Shinigami combat; I am going to teach you form two which is used against reiatsu-based attacks. These methods involve both defense and counter-attacks."

"So what exactly does this second form entail?" Tairos questioned.

"It involves focusing your own reiatsu to negate or defer your enemy's reiatsu. It requires intense focus, concentration, and, of course, a great deal of training." Here Ellita paused. "Are you sure you can be determined enough to attempt this course? It will take you a long time to perfect, and I won't go into more than the basics today. It may take you a few years before you can even effectively use this technique in battle. Are you up to the task?"

"Ready and willing, baby," Tairos cheered, "let's get started."

Ellita smirked. "Don't be fresh with me. You'll need to be serious. Anyway, we'll begin in the following manner. I am going to generate a small ball of reiatsu in my hand. Your objective is to focus on the ball and attempt to shatter it with your reiatsu. Let's begin." Ellita formed a ball of silvery-white reiatsu at the top of her palms which she held outstretched. "If you can even do this by the end of today, I'll be amazed."

I'll prove to you, Ellita, and everyone else, that I can be called upon to become stronger, Tairos thought. As he began to focus his own reiatsu towards her ball. I'll shatter the ball, and also the doubts people have about my own skill. I'll learn the basics, then master this technique in no time. Before I know it, Crowe will be teaching me even better ways of fighting, and then I'll gain balance in my combat styles. I'll show everyone that I'm powerful.

Tairos focused and watched, smiling as he saw the ball twitch slightly. I may not be a prodigy, but that doesn't mean I can't succeed faster than expectations. I'll finish this part in a few hours, just in time to watch the final round of the tournament, and then I can come back for more training. I won't stop until I am recognized as skilled!

As that thought rushed through Tairos's mind, the ball blew apart. "I guess I've mastered the basics, time for the next part, eh?"

Ellita shook her head. "I'm stunned you are so adept, but I guess you're just full of surprises. No, that was a fairly weak ball. This time I'm going to make a denser one; it will take at least ten of them, each thicker than the last, before you can move onto the next part. Don't worry, I'm starting to gain some faith in you."

Well, it's a start, Tairos thought. "Well, make another ball! I don't have time to just stand around!" Ellita obliged, and in seconds Tairos was back to focusing, each second reinforcing thoughts of success in his mind. It would not be simple, nor painless, but he would achieve a level of power that Baiten and Jaice would never believe.

Character Profile: Ellita

Age: Unknown (appears 19 in human years)

Height: 165.1 cm (5 feet 5 inches)

Affiliation: Member of the 8th Squad

Rank: 9th Seat

Hobbies: Training, fighting Hollows, reading, studying, making ceramics

Zanpakuto: Unknown, though it is assumed that she knows her shikai.