Chapter Six
Bankai!
Urahara Underground Training Area, Floating Monitor Platform...
Katie and Tabitha were looking over at where Nick was training. Elias was on the other side of the platform, watching Jasmine. Takumi, ever the curious younger brother, was looking intensely at his sister Sayuri and Dominic Urahara had decided to watch over the smallest member training, Sakura.
Katie looked more closely at where Nick was training, in the quarter of the training field that looked like a wasteland. "Tabitha, what are all those objects down there where Nick is training?"
Tabitha looked, squinting her eyes. "I'm not sure. Dominic," She held her hand out behind her. "Give me the binoculars."
"Of course, Tabitha." Dominic said, taking a pair of binoculars out of his robe and put them in her hand.
"Thank you," Tabitha put them to her eyes and looked at Nick's area. She chuckled. "They're all Zanpaku-to's, Katie. I guess Nick is more like Ichigo than anybody. I heard this was how my cousin had trained in order to achieve Bankai."
"What does he have to do, then?" Katie asked, obviously confused by that statement.
"Well, if it's the same as Ichigo's test was, then Nick has to find the real Kyubi, and all the swords look different. One may look exactly like the one he already carries, but it doesn't mean that exact model is the real one. Nick, honey, what is Jasmine's training like?" She asked, tossing the binoculars to her husband.
Nick Sr. looked down at his daughter in the frozen tundra section. "It looks like what you described for Nick, but all the Zanpaku-to are frozen within the ice."
"I think that should be expected. Her Zanpaku-to is a snow and ice type. Actually, I think that Evathon'Dala is another legendary Zanpaku-to."
Dominic interjected. "You would be correct, Tabitha. Evathon'Dala is the female companion to Toshiro Hitsugaya's Hyorinmaru. Both are snow and ice type Zanpaku-to and seem to take the form, somewhat, of a dragon."
"Even though I didn't ask you. Nick, hand Takumi the binoculars so he can tell us what Sayuri's training looks like."
He nodded and handed the Quincy the binoculars. Takumi Ishida looked down at the rolling plains where his sister was. "There are bolts of lightning that are just sticking out of the ground. I can't tell what she has to do."
"Oh well. Dominic, your turn. How's Sakura?"
Dominic retrieved the binoculars and looked at the forest, pressing a button on the side of the binoculars. "Sakura seems to be jumping at what looks like orbs of wind. Other than that, I've got nothing. Sorry."
"It's fine. Well, let's just keep watching them. But, Dominic, could you maybe lower this platform so we can see better?"
"Why certainly." He clapped his sandals to the ground beneath them once and the platform lowered to a reasonable height. "Is this better?"
"Yes, thank you."
Forest, Minutes Before...
Sakura had followed Sanda-Ba-Do into the forest part of the vast underground training area. He led her to the center and stopped, facing her. "Now, to achieve Bankai, you must catch this orb of wind," He held out his hand and a small sphere of wind appeared. "But, you must catch it one hundred times. If you can do that, then you have then achieved Bankai. Is that understood?"
Sakura nodded and got ready to go after the orb. "Yes, perfectly."
Sanda-Ba-Do nodded and released the orb into the forest. Sakura, with the same agility as her sister Yachiru, sped off into the forest.
Forest, Currently...
Sakura had caught the small elusive ball of wind around ten times so far. But, each time she caught it, the next time would be slightly harder. She reached out to grab it again and was surprised when it was locked into her hand. She smiled. Eleven down, eighty-nine to go.
Plains, Same Time...
Sayuri and Chidori had walked into the middle of the plains when suddenly, bolts of lightning sprouted up from the ground. "Sayuri," Chidori spoke. "To achieve Bankai, you must find out which of these bolts of lightning is the true me, as I will be one of them. But, each time you choose the wrong bolt, you will get shocked. The more you get wrong, the more burnt your hand will become. If you cannot find me before you choose one hundred bolts, we will take a break and I will heal your hand. After our break, I will hide again and you have another one hundred chances. Good luck." He smiled and disappeared from sight.
Sayuri couldn't tell which bolt he could be, since she hadn't looked around beforehand to mentally map out where each bolt stood so she could find the right one quickly. She ran over to one near the edge of the area and touched it, getting a shock in return. Looking at her hand, she saw that the burn wasn't bad at all. Instead, her hand was just a little red from the blood rushing to the area. She went to find another bolt of lightning that looked promising.
Currently, Tundra...
Jasmine was staring at Evathon'Dala, unsure of what to think about all the staffs that had appeared around her, all encased in blocks of ice. "What do I have to do? Find the right version?"
"Sort of. To achieve Bankai, you must actually find the right block of ice. Once you find it, the staff will come to you. Then, you must defeat me ten times. Once you are able to do that, you will have achieved Bankai. Do you understand that?" Jasmine nodded. "Good. Let's get started, then." Jasmine ran to the nearest block of ice.
Wasteland...
Nick and Kyubi were still standing. Nick looked around at all the swords. "So, what do I do? Just run around and try to find the right one?"
"You have the basic idea. But, you have to fine out which of these swords represent your own power."
Nick was confused. "What?"
"Each of these Zanpaku-to represent a part of your heart. One, for instance, will stand for your ability to protect to the ones you love. That is the real one, but you must find it and then you will have to fight me into submission. Then, and only then, will you achieve Bankai. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Kyubi. Shall we get started?"
"Yes, let's go." Nick ran at the nearest Zanpaku-to that looked promising.
An Hour Later, Tundra...
Jasmine had found the right staff quickly and had already defeated Evathon'Dala five times. Jasmine made the end of her staff of ice turn into a blade as she slashed at Evathon'Dala's body. Hitting her Zanpaku-to's materialization across the chest, she stopped when Evathon'Dala put her hand up. "That makes six. I think I may have underestimated you when I started this fight. Now, let's get to the real fighting."
Jasmine smiled and took up a defensive stance as Evathon'Dala charged at her, her previously inflicted wounds healed.
Forest...
Sakura had now caught the ball of wind fifty times, and she was becoming tired from the effort of having to run after this thing time and time again. Sanda-Ba-Do appeared. "Would you like to rest for a while?" He asked.
Sakura could only nod her head. Her Zanpaku-to smiled. "Fine. Fifteen minutes." He said and disappeared again.
Sakura sat down and caught her breath, which she thought had left her at the twenty-fifth catch. I wonder how everyone else is doing? She thought to herself.
Plains...
After an hour of looking, Sayuri had found the real version of Chidori. Chidori appeared in front of her again. "Very good. Now, the next and final step in achieving Bankai, for you, is to slice me twenty-five times. Once you have done that, my Bankai form shall be revealed to you."
Sayuri nodded and rushed at the snake-headed man. Chidori, anticipating this move, moved out of the way and blocked with a katana that had appeared out of nowhere. Sayuri sneered and jumped a short distance away, rushing again but this time using Flash Step to get behind Chidori and slice him across the back. "Good work, Sayuri. Only twenty-four times to go." He said, laughing while fading away.
Moments afterward, he reappeared and made the first move. Sayuri grunted as she jumped away from her Zanpaku-to.
Wasteland...
Nick still hadn't found the right model of his Zanpaku-to blade. He had picked up more than fifty so far, but he had lost count at twenty-six. Kyubi was just walking after him, waiting for him to pick another sword from the ground. Nick saw one that didn't look anything like the Kyubi he normally used, so he went for it. The sword itself looked like a decrepit artifact that had to be kept in an airtight case in a museum. He took it up and blocked an attack from Kyubi. For once, the sword didn't shatter on the first blow, but that didn't mean that it would still stay together after more attacks. Nick swung at Kyubi with the sword, successfully cutting his Zanpaku-to's shoulder. Kyubi smiled at him. "Very good, Nick. You've found it. But, you still have to best me in battle in order for you to fully achieve Bankai."
"I know that." Nick said, smiling as he slashed at Kyubi again.
Kyubi was able to block this attack, but was caught off guard as Nick swung it quickly and made contact across Kyubi's leg. Kyubi knelt down briefly before deflecting another attack made by Nick and slashed at the teenager, only to have his attack deflected and another slash made across his other arm.
As Nick was about to make another slash, Kyubi held up his hand. "Enough. You have bested me, Nick. Now, you have achieved Bankai. Why don't you try it out?"
Nick nodded and felt his Spiritual Pressure swirl around him in purple, black, red and gold ribbons of energy. He brought his sword, which had transformed back into the one he usually used, in front of him and shouted out. "Bankai!"
The energy that swirled around him seemed to cave in and implode around Nick before exploding in a multi-colored blast. When the smoke that had resulted from the explosion had cleared, Nick stood there in an outfit similar to his usual one. The difference was that he now had the face of a fox on one side of his vest and the butterfly on the other side was now colored gold with a powder blue pattern on the wings. His Zanpaku-to had changed dramatically as well. Instead of the cleaver blade he would normally wield, Kyubi now had two cleaver blades, both on one hilt (think Cloud Strife's Buster sword, but with only two pieces and the capability to bring one blade down in a sort of pole arm staff). Looking at the sword, whose two blades were facing the same direction, but with Nick only holding the hilt both blades shared, Nick said calmly. "Hakaitekina Kyubi." (A/N: Hakaitekina means Destructive; Hakaitekina Kyubi means Destructive Kyubi, NOT Destructive Nine-Tailed Fox!)
"Very good, Nick. Well, my work here is done. Goodbye, for now." Kyubi said, disappearing.
Nick smiled at his Bankai. "Awesome. Well, I should see if I can get out of this wasteland, now." Nick started walking towards the border of the separated training grounds in it's center.
Five Minutes Later, Tundra...
Jasmine had defeated Evathon'Dala nine times now. As she brought the staff of ice she held up to face her Zanpaku-to in a defensive pose, Jasmine twirled the staff a couple of times and smiled. "This is the last time I have to defeat you, you know."
Evathon'Dala nodded and said coolly. "Indeed." (Think Xemnas in KH2, but with a feminine voice) Then, she rushed forward, using Flash Step to get behind Jasmine only to get her attack deflected by the staff the teenager held.
"Almost, but no cigar," Jasmine twirled around, her staff swinging at Evathon'Dala and making contact with the Zanpaku-to's leg, causing Evathon'Dala to kneel. "Heh, I think you're getting tired, even though you shouldn't be able to."
"Never underestimate your opponents actions," Warned Jasmine's Zanpaku-to. "It makes you more susceptible to a defeat." Getting up, she took a swing at Jasmine, still missing the target but only by a margin.
Jasmine executed a back flip and then jumped forward, making contact with Evathon'Dala's head. As her Zanpaku-to fell to the ground unconscious, Jasmine smiled as Evathon'Dala proceeded to reappear in front of her. "Very good. You have now learned Bankai. Try it out and go join your brother."
Jasmine nodded and concentrated. Her Spiritual Pressure swirled around her in a flurry of blue and white before she shouted out. "Bankai!"
Her Spiritual Pressure mimicking what her brothers' had done, Jasmine emerged in a completely different outfit. Instead of the silver robe she wore when using Shikai, she was dressed in a silver-blue robe with alternating sliver and blue patterns adorning it. Her Zanpaku-to wasn't the staff of ice anymore, but a double-edged halberd. She said the name of her Bankai softly, as if she was exhausted. "Nibai Evathon'Dala." (A/N: Nibai means Double; Nibai Evathon'Dala means Double Ice Dragon)
As Evathon'Dala faded, Jasmine reverted her Zanpaku-to back to its katana state and went towards the middle of the training grounds.
Another Hour Later, Plains...
Sayuri had had defeated Chidori twenty-four times and had just made the finishing blow of the twenty-fifth time. Chidori faded and reappeared, now fully healed. "Splendid. Now, let us unleash your Bankai before you join the other successful individuals."
"Okay," Sayuri concentrated. Her Spiritual Pressure turned into a rainbow of colors and crackled like lightning. "Bankai!" She shouted while being engulfed by the rainbow-colored lightning.
When she emerged, her Zanpaku-to became what looked like a huge Sai (Raphael from TMNT weapons) with two blades which Sayuri held in one hand (Again, a weapon having the same handling as Darth Maul's Lightsaber). She said the name of her Bankai, her voice having a slight sound of crackling lightning. "Sandangamae Chidori." (A/N: Sandangamae means Triple; Sandangamae Chidori means Triple Plover/ Three Thousand Birds (Naruto meaning is One Thousand Birds, not Plover, which is the traditional Japanese meaning))
After the serpent-headed Zanpaku-to manifestation faded, Sayuri reverted Chidori back its unreleased state and walked to the center to meet with whoever else had already achieved Bankai.
Forest...
Sakura had finally caught the small orb of wind one hundred times and was about to unleash her Bankai. She concentrated and felt her Spiritual Pressure build around her. "Bankai!"
Her Spiritual Pressure, which had been a hot pink color, imploded and exploded, revealing Sakura with a different weapon. Instead of the large dagger-like machete she had in Shikai (don't ask how she can carry it, let alone use it), she had a weapon that looked similar to Gin's Shinso, but the blade was thinner, like a katana blade. The guard was in the shape of a pair of wings that separated at the blade. "Hishou Sanda-Ba-Do." She said. (A/N: Hishou means three different things. In this case, it means Soaring; Hishou Sanda-Ba-Do then means Soaring Thunderbird)
Before the manifestation of her Zanpaku-to could fade, Sakura had already reverted her sword to its unreleased form and started walking towards the center.
Three Hours Later, Urahara's Shop, Aboveground...
Nick, Sakura, Sayuri, Jasmine, Katie, Takumi, Dominic, Tabitha and Elias were all sitting down, enjoying some dinner. Tabitha looked at Dominic. "So, what did you think?"
"I think that my brother can stuff all that praise about how good a student Ichigo Kurosaki was up his ass. Here, we have four people that all achieved Bankai in under a day. That kind of development is mostly unheard of."
Tabitha nodded. "I am aware of that, and so is Ichigo. He knew that Nick, at least, would reach Bankai within a few months of training here in the World of the Living."
"He said that? Wow, even he was still off, and he has that fortuneteller over there in the Royal Dimension."
"I know. Well, if everyone's finished with dinner, we should get home now. Maxi gets anxious after a while, and we've been gone the entire day."
Everyone nodded and got up from the table. Dominic smiled and waved as they left the shop. "Thanks for coming. If any of you need something related to Soul Society or whatnot, feel free to come anytime." But, by the end of that sentence, the van had already been started and had taken off for the house.
A/N: Well, I've finally gotten the chance to write this chapter. I was busy, very busy, reading the next four Naruto manga, which all came out this month when the next one was supposed to come out next month. But, next month, there may be another problem, because I only collect Naruto manga that are in the Shippuden era, and I am still reading the four that I bought, but I decided to write this up. As I was saying before that, Naruto volumes 38-42 come out next month, so I'll need to somehow attain fifty dollars in order to afford all of them at the same time like I did today. Also, I had regents tests, which I was one of only FOUR in my school to pass the English Regents (depends on where you live, but Regents is like, you could say, an SAT, although I don't know if they are one subject for those, but in New York, we've got Regents.
Next Time: Time skip to a month later, and guess what happens with Katie! That's right, she's going to go through the hell known to most mothers and even younger women as childbirth. But, there shall be no graphic scenes, since I don't like writing those. Instead, the chapter will take place in the waiting room, where everyone gathered will be able to hear her screams of pain and curses at Nick (Poor Me!). Then, it'll go a few weeks later, where I will truly introduce the child(ren?) by name and appearance. See you next time, and sorry for the long Author's Note and Next Time sections, but I have still failed to get this chapter on six pages with size 9 Verdana font in OpenOffice Writer. (I am now ashamed at myself)