Yes, you wait is soon over! Even though I do not have a plot lined up for the story again, I have another chapter nearly finished. ^_^ In a few hours, it will be posted. I'm so thankful to all of you who have waited and stuck with me through the long months.
Once again, if any of you have any ideas for a plot line, please send it in a review or a message! The sooner I have an outline, the sooner I can review more…and more often. I have a tendency to write better with an outline…
Anyway! This will be updated in a bit once the chapter is completed! Thanks, again, for waiting!
Aaaaaaaaannnd...it's UP!
Once again, I do not own Bleach in any way, shape, or form. I can no longer even say that I truly own the Saisei Bankai, seeing as it's, in a way, kind of Cannon now(thanks, Kubo...stealing my idea...bah! ^_-)
Renji growled in annoyance as they ended up in yet another dead-end alley. "Gah! Why is it so hard to find that damn shop! It's so easy to find form the air, but from here…I swear, Livia, I know how to get there. You really need to meet Urahara and we need to fin doubt your abilities. That, and I need to leave my gigai there in his safe keeping." He started to walk out of the alley, when Livia stopped him.
"Renji…does this Urahara have a small shop that is run by a giant of a man, and two smaller kids?" she asked, pretending ignorance.
Renji looked at her, a little surprised. "Well, yea…he does. But how did you know that?"
Livia laughed, and took Renji's hand to drag him in a different direction. "Because I stopped at his shop once before. The name sounded familiar, and I realized that it might be the shop that I stopped to use the bathroom at and met Rukia earlier today. You were turning the wrong way before, that's why you couldn't find it!" She started to laugh a little, when she suddenly realized that Renji had jerked his hand out of her grasp. Livia forced a blush up her cheeks as she stopped where she was, and looked up at him. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have touched you without permission…" She bowed deeply. "Please forgive me for any…oh, what's the word…inappropriate behavior that I might have displayed."
Now it was Renji's turn to chuckle. "It's fine. You just startled me a bit, that's all."
They started walking again, and soon were at the front of the brightly lit Urahara Shop. Renji opened the door first, allowing Livia to walk in. As she did, she was just about hit in the face by the red-headed Jinta and his infamous bat, if it wasn't for Livia's quick reflexes. "Hey, freeloader! You're late for dinner…a…gain…" It was amusing to watch the kids face turn pale as he realized he had just attacked the Captain of the Kings Secret Division. Livia shook her head slightly, making certain that Renji's head was turned so he could not see the movement.
"Jinta, you little brat; watch who you're hitting! I'm looking for Urahara. Where is he?"
Jinta had to physically tear his eyes away from Livia in order to address Renji's question. "Uhh…he's in the training room, working with Yoruichi on something. Tessai is down there with them, too."
Renji rubbed the back of his neck, irritation showing on his face. "Aw, figures as much…well, follow me, Livia. You will get the chance to be awed by Urahara's training room…though it is best if you don't show it. He has a tendency to go overboard with his affection for you if you do."
Livia giggled.
Livia did have to hold back a small choke as soon as she realized the size of Urahara's "training room." More like a training TOWN or training CITY…training COUNTRYSIDE for goodness sake. The place was huge, with rocky terrain and pillars of rock and dirt to act as obstacles. It would be ideal if only Livia could figure out a way to implement it in the 'States…
Sighing, Livia knew that the only way THAT would happen was if she had the help of the man in the striped hat, and the woman in the orange jacket in front of her. Fat chance of that happening without a price.
It was then that she noticed that Renji had started to leave her behind in the cavern, calling out to the two dueling Shinigami in front of her. It was an injustice to call the delicate and deadly dance in front of her a duel, she soon realized as they continued to fight, ignoring Renji's calls for their attention. They were moving so fast that Livia could barely keep up with them with her eyes…it was much easier to follow them with her senses, and then she missed out on the intricacies of every weight adjustment, how Urahara's sword cut through the air, and was stopped by the guards on either Yoruichi's legs or arms. How her hair was like a ribbon-streamer being twisted and pulled about by a dancer or acrobat.
Livia knew that this was a battle that she would lose if finesse was the only judge. Her power might be a bit greater than those in front of her if she went into Saisei and they into regular Bankai, but she wielded it more like a bludgeon compared to the flow of the dance before her.
She then noticed, belatedly, that Renji had stopped yelling at the two and had come over to her side, watching with her the battle that was taking place before them. "They really are amazing, huh?" he said, a small smirk on his face as he watched Livia's expression. All she could do in response was nod, her eyes glued.
It was then a rumbling voice yelled, "TIIIIIIIME!" that they realized that Tessai was watching from the top of one of the pillars. The two dancer-combatants both fell from midair, and stood facing one another. Urahara looked kind of smug, and Yoruichi had her trademark crooked smile on her face. "That was 67 strikes for me," she said, throwing her pony tail behind her back from its former position of over her shoulder.
Urahara's smug look didn't fall at all, even when he uttered, "And 32 for me. That's about…6 more than the last time. I think the Goddess of Flash is starting to lose her touch."
"Ha! As if; it's more like you have somehow figured out how to get faster while I was gone." Her grin was sly, as if she were happier that Urahara had gotten a bit of an upper hand on her. 'With the way SHE moves, it must not happen much,' Livia thought. She wondered, briefly, what it would be like to battle the great Yoruichi. But then the thought flew from her head as Renji cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the two former captains in front of him.
"Took you all long enough. Look, I would like to introduce you to this human, by name of-"
"Ah, Olivia! It's such a pleasure to see you again! And so quickly as well! So? What do you think of my training complex? Pretty nice and spacious huh? Huh?" Urahara strode up to Livia, completely ignoring Renji and his irritated expression.
Livia grinned, and followed along Urahara's game. "I think that it's amazing…but how on earth did you build this place without the subway system people, sewer people, and, oh, lest I forget, THE ENTIRE FREAKING TOWN noticing? I mean seriously…this place is almost too much."
Urahara waggled his pointer finger back and forth in front of Livia's face. "Nah-ah-aah, Olivia. It's no use trying to get me to reveal my awesome secrets to a mere human such as yourself. Besides, it takes much more ability and energy that you will ever have to create this AMAZING TRAINING ROOM!" Urahara flung his hands outward in a broad, flamboyant gesture, signifying his enthusiasm for his, "amazing training room."
Yoruichi slapped her palm to her forehead, and shook her head. "I swear, Kisuke, you make the most out of the littlest things." Yoruichi turned to look at Livia. "I do not believe that we have been introduced formally…I'm Shihoin Yoruichi. I was the black cat that you saw in the house earlier today."
Livia stared at the woman blankly at first, not remembering any black cat…then she realized that she *did* meet a black cat on the day she first introduced herself to Urahara. Livia pretended a bit of shock, gaping like a fish for a moment before she shrugged it off. "OK, I will admit that that would be an…interesting ability. How do you do it?"
Yoruichi winked at Livia, and said, "Now, it wouldn't be a special ability if everyone and their cousin could do it, now would it?"
Livia laughed at that, having to agree.
Tessai soon joined them in the common room of the Urahara Shop living area. "So, what you're saying Renji is that you want me to give up some valuable hours of my time a week to train this young," Urahara put a bit too much emphasis on the word, "young," she thought, but then Renji was known for being a bit dense at time, "young lady how to control her abilities. And you also want to take her with you—and when I say you, and me you and the other Shinigami positioned here in this town as the Advanced Force—on your rounds." Urahara thought for a moment, and then as was his way, he pulled out his fan, covered his face and said, "Yes. But on one condition."
Renji looked at Urahara, waiting to hear the condition.
Livia looked at her nails, then up at the Shinigami, wondering why he was holding out the suspense.
Yoruichi just glared at Urahara, wanting him to get to the point. They had, after all, discussed this when they realized that Livia was traveling with Renji.
The other three looked disinterested as they waited for the other two invaders to leave.
"She must promise one hour of her time a day to just talk with me about the other Shinigami associations where she lives. Knowledge is my best friend, after all, and to have more knowledge about different divisions is…most advantageous."