Chapter 4: The Whispering.

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Harry Potter or Bleach.

Next day Haruto was rudely awoken from the weird dream he was having just before by Daichi. Through the window he could see that it was still dark on the outside.

"Why are waking up in this ungodly hour? Let me sleep."

"It is time to start your training."

"What? Now? The sky is still dark. It has not even brightened up. It will be hours before sunrise. Go away."

"Well. Don't tell me I didn't warn you."

"What are yo…ahhhhh."

He was thoroughly soaked in water from head to toe.

"What was that for? You are insane."

Daichi pretended he didn't hear any of that and said to get up.

"Now that you can't return to your beauty sleep, shut up and get up."

"Whatever you lunatic." He mumbled.

"What was that brat? I didn't hear you under the water."

"Nothing."

"That's what I thought. Now you are going to give me 30 laps."

He didn't reply, since he didn't want anymore increase in the lap number. After reaching the clearing he started to run around the clearing. When he finished his laps the sun had come up and hitting on his face. That's when he asked about the question, which was bugging him.

"Why is there no one besides us in this clearing?"

"I put up a barrier around this clearing so no one would disturb us."

He then did his routine of push ups and squats.

"Now we are going to start basic sword fighting."

"Okay. How do we do that without sword?" Daichi threw him some wooden stick.

"That is a bokken. You will practice with it till your Zanpakuto manifests itself. Until then this is your sword."

"Alright."

"There are many different styles for sword fighting. But I want to teach you how to be one with the sword. It should become an extension of your arm. Get it."

"It sounds corny."

"Shut up brat. You ruined the moment. Here I was trying to be an old sage teaching his disciple and you ruined that."

"Ah. My bad."

"Now, as I was saying to achieve that you must find your centre and find proper balance in your stance. Copy me."

With that he put his left leg forward slightly bent at the knee and his right leg backward with the bokken holding in both the hands and facing forward poised to strike or defends parallel to the ground. It took him 5 minutes to even achieve a decent form. But he was very tense.

"You must relax in your stance, otherwise you will not be able to counter or even defend properly."

It took him another 10 minutes to achieve that.

"Are you relaxed now?" A nod. "Then brace yourself. Here I come."

Haruto was momentarily shocked at the sudden attack. But his reflex saved him by instinctively bringing the bokken to block the attack. Even though he blocked the attack, the force behind the attack made him fall over his butt.

"You didn't balance properly. Centre yourself."

With that he started attack again. But next time he got a bruise. This went on for a while. He managed to block some but unable to even go for the attack. He was busy in defending himself. He fell on his butt again. He knew that he was missing something. He was not able to centre himself. Something was off.

'Use two swords.'

"What? You need two swords. You can't even fight with one sword properly."

"What are you taking about? I didn't ask you two swords. I thought somebody whispered me two swords."

If I heard correctly, then he is advancing faster. Why not? With that he took another bokken from the backpack and threw to him. He also put a hat over his own head.

"Okay. Use two bokken and settle into stance which feels right to you."

When he got the other bokken, he knew what he was missing. He put his right leg forward with knee bent ever so lightly. He put his right arm forward at an angle of 45° the body and also bent at the elbow at the same angle with his wrist straight. He put his left leg slightly backward. The same with the left arm but the bokken was facing forward. It was perfect defense and offence stance.

"Alright. Now you must knock the hat from my head. If you d that you win. Got it."

"Yes. I am ready."

"Let us begin."

This time Haruto was ready for the attack. He blocked the attack and without waiting for the next attack he went for his own with his left bokken. Daichi almost lost his hat, but was able deflect the attack at the last moment. This went on for a while. This time he was able to block the attacks and even able deliver some of his own, but it never reached the intended target. It was either blocked or deflected. Then suddenly Haruto changed his stance with the right and left side positions interchanged. This momentarily distracted Daichi, but was able to keep with his charge. The same thin happened again. Haruto would change his stance again and again to catch him off guard.

'You don't need to aim for the hat to knock it off his head' Again the voice whispered. This time he was able to identify the voice is female.

Thinking about it, he formed a plan. He went for the hat at half the speed of what he was going at before. Daichi thinking Haruto had been tired he went for the block, that's when he noticed that it was a feint as Haruto went for the leg so he leaned and tried to jump backwards. But that was a mistake as he brought the other bokken hard in his ribs, he never thought he would use both the bokken for attacking purpose. The hat fell down.

"Good thinking kid. I didn't know that you would go for the feint as you are new."

"I just thought to catch you off guard. I know I can't win otherwise."

Daichi didn't expect Haruto to actually knock the hat. 'He is learning and adapting well'. But something was not right. He didn't fight like any normal people. He had seen only very few like him.

"You are fighter aren't you? What were you in previous life? A soldier?"

"Yes, something like that. I fought in a war and also lead some more in for it"

Daichi noticed that his eyes had changed. Those were not the eyes of a rundown soul. No, it belongs to someone who had suffered like no one and also who had seen what is it to lose someone close to you.

"The training is over for today. Here eat this."

It was rice ball. He ate and looked up to see that the sun is slowly approaching the lower horizon. He didn't think that this much time had passed.

"There is a secluded onsen over there. The water has minor healing power. So, go take a bath and relax."

He didn't think that he was tired that much. He trudged to the onsen and disrobed himself and sank into the hot water. He could feel the water working its magic. He dozed off slightly.

He was suddenly standing in a clearing, but it was not like anything he had seen. The whole clearing had been green with green grass and scented flower. He walked to his side taking in everything and he left the clearing. It was getting hot and he ventured further into it and suddenly after coming behind the tree there were blue flames everywhere. Curiously he stepped forward. When was startled when a sliver of flame licked his hands but it didn't harm him, instead it felt warm and he was content and at home. Suddenly a voice was heard. It was the same one which whispered earlier.

"Welcome child."

The voice came in front of him within the fire. All Haruto could see were glowing ruby red eyes. Nothing was visible other than that.

"Don't mistake me for asking the obvious. But, where I am and who are you?"

"Don't tell me you are an idiot. I'll give a clue. I am you and inside of you'"

Haruto thought for a while and suddenly his talk with Daichi about Zanpakuto came to his mind.

"So, you are my Zanpakuto. But, why can't I see you?"

"Yes, I am your Zanpakuto. As for why you can't see me, when you are ready to wield a real sword I will show myself to you. Also only when you are ready I will say my name. Even if I say it now you wouldn't hear it anyway."

"So, you will show your face and say your name only when I am ready. Fair enough."

"There is some else who would like to meet you before you go."

He was no longer standing in the field of fire. Now he was standing in a vast plain which was devoid of anything except the wind which was blowing at very high rate. But, it didn't make him uncomfortable. Suddenly out of nowhere a tornado hit the ground in front of him. The wind was very hard and it was difficult to stand. Then he heard a male voice.

"Greetings young one."

"Let me guess you are my second Zanpakuto and you wouldn't show your face or say your name until I am ready. Is that right?"

"Very correct young one. I am very surprised you remain calm when others would be frustrated."

"I can understand the power that can harm others when you even not meant to. I will wield that only when I am ready."

"You are different Haruto-kun. We will keep in touch young one."

Without another moment he came to the land of living or should I say the land of souls. The sun had just gone down. He got out of the water and he could tell that the bruises were gone completely, but there was a lingering pain still there. When he reached the clearing Daichi was not to be found there. So, he walked towards the house. He found Daichi there.

"So, took you long enough. That is a book for the basics of the hoho and kido. Read it well and memorize it."

He walked towards the table and took it. It was not a book. It was a freaking tome.

"It is freaking huge."

"That is only the basic you will learn more about spells later."

Since he had nothing else to do, he started to read. After a while the old man gave him some meal and two apples to eat. He felt filled and went back to reading. He read that there is long incantation for every spell so that your reiatsu will be molded to form the desired result. It was similar to magic, but it had short spells. He also learned that with enough practice one could bypass the usual lengthy incantation. But the power intake will be grater than conventional method.

The same routine continued for the week. He also started on hoho which he learned that is the basic of the move flash step. Surprisingly he was able to do the first step which to move to the designated area in an instant a few feet away. It was similar to apparition. So, he was able to easily do it. But it took a lot out of him. He got easily tired after a while.

He also started the first kido spell which was known as Way of destruction: Thrust. He refused to learn any other spell other than that as he told that he will only move on to the next one if he mastered this one. By, mastering he meant about using it without incantation at the same time obtaining the same result.

After a week Daichi told him to take the day off and relax. That's the first time he roamed the streets of Rukongai. Even though his facial features were changed making him look like others, his dress attracted some stare. The girls were also giggling like mad at him. He was used to this so, he ignored everything and took the site in his eyes. The other thing that surprised him was the money trunk with him. During his seventh year he was paranoid and emptied the vault in gringots and tried to key the vault to only his magic. But, since he was not good at runes he botched up and instead of linking with magic it linked with his soul and hence it came with him to this world. But it the currency had changed to match this world.

While he was walking down the road he saw that some kids looked like they were hungry. This puzzled him since he was told that very few had hunger and thirst. He concentrated on the kids and found that all the four kids had reiatsu slightly above than the others. So, he called them and got them food and also gave them few more coins so that it will take them over a month. After that he returned home and read some more about kido. He practiced with the old man some more time and he thought he had overstayed his visit with Daichi.

"I think I will now to join the Shinigami academy. But, before that I will travel around Rukongai and see the places myself."

"I think if you test now you would easily graduate within a year."

"I won't do it. I will be there for the full period and hone my skills."

"if you travel to the deeper parts of Rukongai you can hone your sword skill. Don't ask me how, but you will find out there."

"Okay I will take your word for it."

The reason he want to travel Rukongai was he once entered a similar world without any knowledge and suffered for it. If he want to connect to the world he must first he must understand the people and their state of mind. He was also curious about the lower sectors where rumors about huge crime infestation would he heard. Since, there were no crime activities in his sector he wanted to know about it.

With that said to the old man he shouldered his back pack which contains bokken and other things for traveling. Surprisingly the money trunk can be shrunken and enlarged. He didn't know how, but didn't dwell on it.

His next great adventure had just begun.

Please Review.

Suggestions welcomed..

dunlar81.: It will take some time, as I am not an artist , but will try my best to get a pic for the sword.