A.N. Hi, here is the second chapter. As usual, I don't own anything, be it Bleach or the characters and I don't plan to own them, so rest assured that I don't make any money out of this, I write this story for my own fun and for the fun of the people who read it.
Anyway, this is probably the last update I'll make before the new year, and after that it'll probably take me sometimes before writing something more as I'll have some exams to pass, so please be patient.
I hope you'll enjoy this chapter,
Lisy
Chapter 2 – Training with Byakuya
After stepping through the senkai gate, Ichigo and Byakuya landed in what looked like an inside gym, very different than the official entry of the Soul Society.
"Huh, Byakuya, you're sure we are in the good place, right?" asked Ichigo with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, we are in the basement of Kuchiki Manor. The gate we used was the personal gate of the head of the Kuchiki clan, none but me and the people I take with me can use it." Answered the captain.
"And why didn't we take the normal gate?"
"Because we don't want people to know you are here yet. This chamber is made of the same stone used to create the wall around Sereitei, this way nobody can feel you reiatsu while you are here. This room and the quarters attached on your right will be your home for three months, and you won't go out before being able to control your reiatsu."
"That sounds great" said Ichigo "but why, prey tell, do I have to stay hidden?"
"For two reasons, the first being that I want you to be a surprise for Rukia. The second is that if certain people were to know of your presence it would disturb your training. Do you have any other question or can we maybe start your training?" Said Byakuya with an impatient tone.
Ichigo, imagining what would happen if people like Zaraki Kenpachi learned that he was in Soul Society would do, quickly nodded and looked at Byakuya with determination.
"Ok, I'm ready. Tell me what to do."
"First of all, could you tell me what you know about manipulating your reiatsu?"
After some seconds of reflection, Ichigo answered "Well, I don't know a lot, but I know you can you use to do kido, it is possible to hide it or to show it like some sort of aura that can make it difficult to move for weaker people… and we use it for shunpo or when we go bankai… I can channel it in Zangetsu to attack and I can shield myself with it too, but I don't really know how, it's more… instinctual I think."
"This is a good summary, Kurosaki. Now, tell me, why do you think you can not control you reiatsu at the moment?"
"Don't know… it seems like I've too much to control it completely. But then, you're a captain and your reiatsu is on the same scale than mine and you can control it, so I don't know…" mused Ichigo.
"You are more perceptive than you look like." Said Byakuya, always stoic. "As you have so much reiatsu, it is difficult for you to learn to control it. It would be easier if you had less reiatsu at your disposal."
"Yeah, maybe, but it's not like if I could just do that now…" answered the orange haired shinigami. Seeing the look in Byakuya's eyes he raised an eyebrow "Is it possible?"
"Yes" was the answer he got.
"I don't suppose you could tell me how?"
"Your sword is always released in shikai. In order to diminish your reiatsu, you have to make your sword come back from shikai to normal state. You will still have a powerful reiatsu, but it should be possible for you to learn to control it."
"And how do I do that?" asked Ichigo, irritated that he had to ask the question.
"The process is similar to the one you use to dissipate your bankai. You have to tell your Zanpakuto that shikai is no more necessary. I will now you let practice. When you are able to come back to your normal state, try to switch from normal state to shikai, if possible wordlessly. I will come back in the beginning of the afternoon in 5 hours to see your progress. If you need to eat, there should be any items necessary in your quarters." And with that Byakuya left.
Three hours Ichigo was still nowhere near his goal. It seemed Zangestu didn't hear his words or didn't want to come back to his un-released state. Fed up with this, Ichigo decided it was time to speak with the old man once again face to face and forced himself to remember how he had entered his inside world the last time. After about half an hour, he was able to enter the familiar place.
He didn't want to lose anymore time, so he called "HOEY, Zangetsu, I need to speak with you!"
"Ichigo" greeted Zangetsu after having appeared in front of Ichigo.
"Hey, Old man" said Ichigo.
"What do you want, Ichigo?" asked Zangetsu, unfazed by Ichigo's rude tone.
"I would like to know why you don't come back into an unreleased state when shikai is not necessary." Said bluntly Ichigo.
"Isn't that obvious, Ichigo?" asked Zangetsu "You need my strength, I am stronger in shikai, therefore, I stay in shikai."
"Yeah, but you are even stronger in bankai, why don't you stay in bankai?"
"Because it is dangerous, you would and up using too much reiatsu."
"What if I told you that I could become more powerful if you revert to your original state?"
"I heard what Kuchiki Byakuya told you, Ichigo. That won't change my mind."
After a pause Zangetsu continued "Do you remember, Ichigo? Do you remember why I give you my power? Do you remember what I told you about myself?"
"Yeah" answered Ichigo.
"I don't like the rain Ichigo, I give you my power so that it won't rain anymore here. Tell me how reverting to an unreleased state will help you to keep the rain at bay and I'll do it. You have to convince me."
"Not always being in shikai will enable me to train with Byakuya so that I can become a captain."
"This will not stop the rain, Ichigo. Be honest with me, be honest with yourself."
"…"
"Is that all, Ichigo?"
"NO! You want to know? Fine, I'll tell you, I want to do it for Rukia, I have no need of becoming a captain just for the fun of it, but becoming one can help me to make Rukia fall in love with me! Learning kido will help me becoming more powerful so that I can protect her, even if I cannot be with her. If I have to learn to control my reiatsu like without your help then so be it, I need to do that for Rukia and I won't be defeated like this."
"This is what I wanted to hear" said Zangetsu, with a hint of a smile. "Now listen Ichigo, I will come back to my unreleased state. To release shikai, you'll not need to call me out loud. Tell me in your mind, Ichigo. We are partners, never forget it." And with that, Ichigo found himself back in Byakuya's basement.
"Thank you, Zangetsu" said Ichigo softly.
Two hours later, when Byakuya came back, Ichigo was able to make Zangetsu come out silently and then make him come back into his normal state (as normal as a giant katana could be) at will.
"I see you were able to master the exercise, Kurosaki. I am impressed, I didn't think you could do it so fast, but I shouldn't be surprised, after all, you were able to master bankai in three days."
'Wow, this is unheard of' thought Ichigo 'Kuchiki Byakuya is giving me a compliment?' "Euhh… Thanks, Byakuya?"
"I will now teach you how to hide or show your reiatsu. It is one of the basic skill before learning kido. Students at the shinigami academy learn and master it in a month. I expect you to be able to do it before the end of the day."
"No problem" answered Ichigo "It's not like if I have a choice anyway, so let's begin."
"Very well. You told me you were able to channel your reiatsu through your Zanpakuto. Would you be able to do the same without it?" asked Byakuya?
"I think so. What should I focus my reiatsu on?"
"That depends on what you want to achieve. If you want to show your power, you need to focus on the very air around you, the more reiatsu you focus that way, the more effective this will be. You also have to limit yourself to a certain area otherwise it will be weaker. Try it, Kurosaki.
It took him some time, but finally he was able to do it. After a few tries, Byakuya stopped him.
"That is enough for now. I will now proceed to teach you how to hide your reiatsu; this is harder, but also has benefits. In order to hide you reiatsu, you have to focus it on yourself and only yourself. It is harder, because you will create a great spiritual pressure on yourself which you'll have to learn to live with; the benefits beings that you will be harder to detect and as your reiatsu won't live your body your reserve will increase, as well as the power of your attacks and your reflexes. It will also help you to heal injuries faster. Do you have any questions?"
"No" answered Ichigo.
"Then proceed." Instructed Byakuya.
This time, it didn't take him too much time to master the exercise, however after not even half an hour Ichigo was nearly collapsing.
"You are resenting the effect of your spiritual pressure. You should be acclimated to it in a day or two. In these two days, I want you to do your everyday tasks and workout while hiding your reiatsu as much as possible. This must become a habit, a reflex. You have to do it without even thinking about it, even in your sleep. I will see you in two days." And with that, Byakuya left Ichigo.
Those two days were very hard for Ichigo, the stress on his body reminded him of the training for his bankai, but slowly he felt less and less the pressure and by the time Byakuya arrived to continue his training Ichigo didn't feel pain anymore.
The next part of the training was dedicated to sensing reiatsu. Byakuya informed Ichigo that sensing reiatsu was the first form of kido as it used a tiny part of your reiatsu, like a radar. This took him a bit longer as he had a hard time doing it while hiding his reiatsu but finally after a full day he was able to master the technique.
Byakuya didn't say anything but he was impressed, what Kurosaki had done was not taught in the academy as it was a very hard technique and it usually took years of practise in reiatsu control to be able to do it. Even the captain of the tenth squad, Hitsugaya Toshiro, the kid genius hadn't been able to master it in less than two years, and Kurosaki had done it in a day without a lot of prior training.
When the day ended, Byakuya informed him than the next few weeks would be used for kido training, exclusively. He gave Ichigo a book, and not a little book either, and told him "You have two days to learn as much incantations as you can from this book. As each group of kido has very similar incantation I expect you will at least have memorised them until the 7th group included. Do not try any spell without me. Also you will continue to exercise hiding and sensing reiatsu. Study hard and do not make me loose my time, Kurosaki. I'll see you in two days."
Fortunately for Ichigo it hadn't been long since he left school and he didn't have a really hard time studying. He finished the entire book in a day and a half and passed the rest of his day meditating and connecting more with Zangetsu.
When Byakuya came back, he immediately began teaching Ichigo the basis of kido. It soon became obvious that Ichigo was really bad at it, his first attempt at a basic biding spell nearly chocked Byakuya and when he tried the simplest fire kido he blew up a wall. It was evident that even while putting as little reiatsu as possible he still had too much power for the simplest spells, so after two days of work Byakuya taught him how to do the spells without incantation as they were less powerful that way. The result was better, but still not perfect. After more than a week, Ichigo was fed up and even the even stoic Byakuya looked frustrated.
Finally, Ichigo exploded "Damn, Byakuya, I don't know why I can't do that, OK? It's like, I don't know… like if I had to use more reiatsu to block the excess of power than to power the spell himself. How could it be useful if I need to use so much energy to not use too much energy?"
"This is a problem I do not know how to solve, Kurosaki." Answered Byakuya honestly. He was silent for a long tome as he thought about it. "Maybe, but it is just my theory, your reiatsu is too powerful for you to perform so low powered spells. It is possible that you could not master easier spells but maybe spells that need a lot of reiatsu would be more in you category. We will try it tomorrow as you will need dummies since they are dangerous spells that I refuse to let you test on me. However, you still should work on those easy spells as it will help you improve your control. We will see tomorrow."
The next day, when Ichigo awoke Byakuya was already in the gym preparing dummies for Ichigo's training.
"Yo, Byakuya." He said.
"Kurosaki" answered Byakuya. "Please take a shower, eat breakfast and then join me. As we lost a lot of time on the basic kido spells, we are now a bit late on the schedule and need to accelerate."
"Yeah, I'll be with you in 30 minutes."
30 minutes later, Ichigo listened to Byakuya giving him instructions "those dummies have been created to react like real people to injuries. This means that we will be able to see the damage of the spell as if used on real man. It will also help us in your training with healing kido as you will try to 'heal' the dummies you damage if you do not kill them in one move. This time we will not waste time by using the total incantations as you have much reiatsu. However I don't believe you will need to try to limit you power as those spells are captain level, seeing as they are level 9 and 10. for the healing kido, I want you to use the universal healing kido, it is not as effective as specialised kido, but with your reiatsu it should be enough to at least stop the bleeding and help in case of an emergency."
And so the training continued with the higher spells. They were easier to master for Ichigo, but it still took him about a month to be able to use them adequately and at the first try each time. His healing kido was good as he had so much reiatsu that he could heal almost everything given enough time, however he was no good for scars or to help people regain consciousness once they were knocked out, but this was more than good enough for a captain.
When this part of the training was over, Byakuya informed Ichigo that he should be able to use kido while in combat and combining with sword fighting. This took him about two weeks before Buykuya judged his abilities "good enough not to bring him shame" as he put it.
When Byakuya announced that Ichigo didn't need anymore training in kido, Ichigo was convinced his training with Byakuya was finished. It was not the case.
Byakuya told him that he gave him a day of training as they still had a month of training and that the harder training was to begin the next day. Ichigo was eager to find what Byakuya could teach him that could be harder training. After all, he had worked about 20 hours on 24 a day, seven days a week for the last two months and he had learned the entire 7 year kido curriculum of the shinigami in that time. Something harder could only mean that he would come out of it more powerful and more able to defend Rukia and the people he loved, right?
When Byakuya appeared after Ichigo's day off, Ichigo couldn't wait to begin his new training.
"Yo, Byakuya. What's this new training you spoke about last time?"
"I'm glad you asked" answered the captain of the 6th division. "Today, we will begin the hardest training possible in Soul Society. This is a training that once began must be done everyday of your life. This is a training where every small mistake has dire consequences…"
Ichigo was almost drooling now. Seeing the flame in Byakuya's eye, the passion with which he spoke about this training… It must be something truly amazing for Byakuya to speak about it like that.
"… the techniques I'll teach you hold much more power than a Bankai…"
'Holly crap!' thought Ichigo 'I didn't even know that was possible.' The more he listened Byakuya, the more he wanted to learn that, and NOW.
"… and I'll ask you to always be careful when dealing with this and use what I'm going to teach you to make Rukia proud and protect her." Finished Byakuya.
It didn't take him more than a second to answer honestly "I so swear on my soul!" earning a smile from Byakuya.
"I will remember that promise" said Byakuya solemnly. "Very well, as you are sure of yourself and have heard my warnings, I'll teach you…"
Ichigo leant forwards on his chair.
"…The Noble Art of…"
Ichigo held his breath.
"… Nobiliy!"
Ichigo shook his head and frowned, surely it was an error "..What?" he asked in a small pleading voice.
Byakuya, taking his voice for a voice full of emotion and admiration gave a small but non the less genuine smile and repeated "The Noble Art of Nobility!"
Ichigo fell on his chair and his face began to turn red. After several seconds, Byakuya spoke.
"I know this is a great honour, Kurosaki, but…" but he never got to say the end of his sentence as Ichigo spoke in a tightly controlled voice.
"You're kiddind, right Byakuya?"
Byakuya, still so happy to be able to teach someone the Noble Art of Nobility and make Kurosaki a proper man for his sister instead of the ruffian he had always been didn't understand the tome in Ichigo's voice. For him it was like if Kurosaki was so happy that he couldn't believe the chance he had.
"No, Kurosaki, you can believe it, you'll learn the Art and I, a master, will be your teacher" said Byakuya, still with a happy voice.
"So, I'll really learn the Art? And YOU will be my teacher?" asked Ichigo louder and redder than before.
"Yes, I'll make a true Noble out of…" but he was once again interrupted.
"THERE IS NOT FUCKING WAY I WILL SUBJECT MYSELF TO THIS CRAZY IDEA! I DON'T WANT TO END UP LIKE YOU! ARE YOU CRAZY BYAKUYA?" yelled Ichigo.
Byakuya, surprised by this outburst, was one the verge of tears "You… you don't… want to learn the Noble Art of Nobility from Me?"
"Hell no! And what is all the crap about that 'art' being more powerful than a bankai and all? You've lost your mind, Byakuya!"
To his credit, Byakuya recovered quickly and answered Ichigo in a cold, but yet a bit childish voice, almost as if he pouted "No, you WILL learn. Know that if Yamamoto-soutaicho ever makes you a noble, you'll be expected to act like one. Rukia will NOT marry a ruffian, and if you don't learn and practice the Art, the house of Kurosaki will be an outcast in Soul Society Nobility. The art is your only hope to marry Rukia one day. If you want to keep the promise you made to do everything for Rukia, you do NOT have a choice. Am I CLEAR?"
As Byakuya shouted the last three words, the rest of what he had just said entered Ichigo's mind and a single message came 'Do it for Rukia'. It was all that was necessary to motive Ichigo, even if he was not really happy about it.
"OK, Byakuya, you have made your point. But I will tell you one thing: do NOT expect me to act like a stuck up brat who thinks he owns the world because he is 'noble'. I will learn manners, I will learn etiquette, I will learn politics, damn I'll even learn to be stoic like you all time when required… but I WON'T turn into a hypocrite and show respect to people who disrespect me, I WON'T have slaves or things like that, if by chance Rukia accepts one day to marry me, I WON'T treat her like some trophy wife and if one day I have children, I WON'T let them become noble spoiled brats!"
"You live your life as you wish, Kurosaki Ichigo. Know however that you will have a status to show and your public image must be the best for Rukia. I won't accept less." His voice was strong as he looked Ichigo into the eyes.
"For Rukia." Said Ichigo with an equally strong voice and offering his hand to Byakuya.
"For Rukia." Answered Byakuya, taking Ichigo's hand.
And so Ichigo's training in the "Noble Art of Nobility" began. For two weeks, he was drilled in manners, etiquette, politics, history of Soul Society, management, emotion control, facial expression control, vocabulary, accent, fine dishes, fine drinks, clothing, dance, writing, how to deal when insulted by a noble… he was even coached on how to drink a lot and not be drunk… or how he should laugh. Everything, every little thing he did was dissected, analysed, corrected and repeated day and night.
Ichigo complained and Byakuya drilled even more. Had it not been for Rukia, Ichigo would never have agreed on this slave driving training.
This continued two long weeks, there was now only two more weeks before the captain exam when Byakuya announced Ichigo "ready to step into the world".
However it was not the end of Ichigo's nightmare. He thought that he would finally be free and able to enjoy life a bit before the exam, but Byakuya quickly put that notion out of his mind when he told him he still had two tasks to accomplish.
The first thing was the easy one: he had to crate a symbol of his house. The problem was that he couldn't draw to save his life, so Byakuya made a specialist come and swore him to secrecy. Not even a day later, the soon-to-be house of Kurosaki had its symbol*** (See A.N. at the end of the chapter): on the background was a big shield that meant protection. In front of the shield was a sword which suspiciously looked like Zangetsu in shikai, that represented the power. Behind the sword, there was a falling giant bird – the bird looked a lot like Sokyokou – it represented the ability to win against all odds.
The last task given to Ichigo was however a very different matter. In fact, Ichigo had a bit of a hard time believing it, even if Byakuya's explanation made sense in a way. However, he had no way to verify the information he was given and so had no choice but to believe Byakuya when he told him.
"Kurosaki, there is one more task left before you can eventually become a noble. As I told you, Soul Society is a very traditional place and Nobility is at its foundation, this is why the actual four most Noble houses – Kuchiki, Shiba, Shihoin and Yamamoto – hold a lot of power, because they founded what is now known as Soul Society. In this optic, each house has foundations in the form of a small house that the first leader of their clan built with his own hands in the centre of his lands. In order for you to become a noble, you need to build this house on your own, Kurosaki, and it MUST be a strong house. It needs to resist at least until you can hire men to construct you a manor, and after that, this house will need to be strengthened so it will stay proud for generations. To not to so would be an insult to the traditions of Soul Society, do you understand?"
What could Ichigo say to that? Hell, he went this far, it was not like if he could go see someone to try to verify this information, and if he wanted to be a noble and it meant to build a house then so be it, he would build a house. He would always repeat in his head the same words "Rukia is worth even more than that". But it still swore while working for the last two weeks before the captain exam that if Kuchiki Byakuya had made a fool out of him on this one, then Kuchiki Byakuya was a dead man.
Per chance, the land he found to build his house was in the opposite of Byakuya's. The Kuchiki manor was situated in the west of Sereitei, Ichigo decided that the Kurosaki house would be in the east, the more space between Byakuya and him, the better.
He had to work at night and be sure not to be seen. Fortunately, he chose a remote place to build his house. Had it not be the case he would have been discovered before time, and that was not something he wanted to happen.
What he didn't know was that Byakuya watched him and laughed silently. After all, who said Kuchiki Byakuya could not make a funny joke?
A.N. Here we are, that was chapter two, I hope you enjoyed it, even if it was a bit weird in the end.
For the note *** I would like to apologize if you are knowledgeable in blazons and such, as you can see I have absolutely NO knowledge in the subject, so I just made it from my imagination. If it is a problem, let's just say that this is how it works in Soul Society and let it at that.
Next chapter: the exam, Rukia's reaction and the making of the noble house of Kurosaki. There will also be Ichigo's reaction to Byakuya's joke…
Until next time, do not hesitate to review to give your opinion – be it good or bad.
Lisy