To answer the reviews thus far, don't worry. My character is nothing close to being God-mode or overpowered. Thanks for the reviews =D

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I do, however, own the OC thus far.

Chapter 4

I had been walking around gathering information about the Shinigami Academy and topics related to it for the past hour. From what I've gathered thus far, the Shinigami Academy's proper name was the Spiritual Arts Academy, where souls in the afterlife trained to become Shinigami (who would've guessed?), part of the Kido Corps (elite spell casters), or the Stealth Force . It was located in the Seireitei, which was at the centre of the Soul Society. It was approximately half a day's walk from my current location.

The only thing that I was interested in was becoming a Shinigami. They were regulators of the universe, protectors of human lives, and slayers of hollows. A majority of Shinigami carried zanpakuto, a sentient weapon which was actually a part of their souls.

That's me.

I was startled by the revelation. So the elf-lady was my zanpakuto?

Yes, I am. However, until you hear my name, you cannot call upon me nor my powers.

So why don't you tell me your name?

I've been trying to. You just seem to be deaf.

I am not!

Do you remember the time when I spoke, and you heard nothing? I relayed to you my name, and yet you could not hear it. I've been doing some guesswork about it, but so far, I have nothing substantial.

Let's hear a few of those guesses, lady. Maybe I could help you figure it out.

It's worth a shot.

As I continued along the road leading to the academy, I heard a few theories from her. To be honest, some of them were utterly ridiculous.

As in, come on. I haven't eaten enough lollipops?

That is a completely rational theory!

Whoa, calm down, lady!

Having travelled for about three hours, I decided to find for a place to spend the night. Although I seemed to have gained much more endurance after entering the Soul Society, it seemed unnatural not to sleep.

Instead of sleeping, why don't you train for the upcoming trials?

I would, but I don't even know what they're testing to begin with. Any ideas?

Yes. Firstly, they have Zanjutsu, which is the Art of Swordfighting. The second is Kido, the Spiritual Spells. After that is Hoho, which is basically Movement Techniques. Finally, there is Hakuda, Hand-to-Hand Combat. As of now, Zanjutsu and Hakuda are out, as you do not have an opponent. However, if we find an isolated area, I will teach you about Hoho and Kido.

Fine by me. Any ideas where to go?

There's a lakeside nearby, I can feel it. Adjust your angle by 70 degrees and keep walking.

Gotcha.

Following her directions, I travelled for another half an hour, trekking through a small forest and I eventually reached an opening leading to…

Another forest path. I face palmed.

Be patient. We're almost there.

Yeah, sure lady, but that's what you said fifteen minutes ago.

Turn left, here.

I did, and was rewarded with faint crashing sound of a waterfall. Following the sound, I walked down a path that seemed to have been used a long time ago. With the overgrowth of plants, I pushed away branch after bough after branch while maintaining a steady rhythm with my feet. After another five minutes, I swept aside a final branch only to be greeted with a breathtaking sight.

The waterfall fell upon the rocks at one end of the lake, while the other end was calm, with slight movement from the gentle breeze. Above it danced a few thousand fireflies, their ends aglow with a luminescent purple which lighted up the clearing naturally. The calm end reflected the light of the crescent moon perfectly, while the waterfall echoed with the sounds of life.

Finally. I told you I knew the way.

Yeah, yeah.

I walked over to the edge of the lake, and saw myself in the reflection. My looks had changed drastically since I entered the Soul Society. My medium-length hair, which was raven black before, was now a light shade of blue. There were two red stripes across my left cheek that weren't there before, and I now had the body of a fifteen year old, although I was seventeen on my deathday.

I appraised myself closely in the reflection. Spiking the top of my hair a little to the left, and the fringe just above my left eye, I created an image that I liked. Another change that I noticed was that my eyes were now a startling shade of violet-red.

Vanity, much.

Must've gotten it from you.

Actually, I am a part of you. Therefore, it is truly you who are vain, not I.

Whatever floats your boat, lady. Now let's get started with the training.

If you wish. We should start with Hoho, as it would help you to travel between places much quicker. Move back a little and make sure you're facing land, and not water.

Okay.

Imagine a straight line.

I did as she instructed. It seemed like she was gonna teach me another imaging technique.

Okay, now imagine your feet slightly over it, not touching, but close. Good. Now fold the straight line under your feet, in as many layers as you can.

I tried to take a shortcut and moved my feet towards the line instead.

No, don't move your feet! Keep your feet where it is. Just move the line.

I did so, and felt my a strange, cooling sensation under my feet.

Good job. You have successfully channelled reishi to the balls of your feet. This is the most basic hoho technique. You can now walk on air with the reishi solidification.

Interesting. I decided to take a step into the air. Surprisingly, as soon as I imagined it, there was an invisible step which supported my feet. This reminded me of something very similar. I decided to ask the elf-lady a question.

Does this concept have anything to do with my mind place?

No. Your mind is as such because of your soul. One's mind is a metaphor of one's personality. Some people have forests, some have caves, and some even have gigantic skyscrapers that can change the pull of gravity. However, it is not uncommon for the mind to change, as a person's character and way of thinking is subject to change.

Okay… but why are the examples so random?

The orange haired Shinigami whom you met before had the last one as his mind space. The lieutenant of squad nine had a breezy cliff. The man with the hat, however, had blocked all access to his mind.

You mean Kisuke Urahara? And how do you know all this anyway?

We zanpakuto do greet each other when we meet you know, be it whether we are physically present or not. However, Benihime, the zanpakuto of hat-man, seems to have a shield that protected her owner from most mental intrusions. Only the strongest of them can break through the barrier.

Okay. So do you have a shield?

No, but I have something better. However, I cannot tell you anything more until you learn my name, at the very least. Now let's get back to training.

Alright then. So what do I do next?

Gather the reishi behind your feet to the back of your sole and propel yourself forward by colliding your own reiatsu against it. Once you get used to the technique, you will not require imaging any more.

Bingo. Once more, I did as she said and found myself moving forward with incredible speed, not unlike the two men earlier. For a moment, I felt like I was flying.

Until I landed face first in the mud.

Elf-lady started laughing her head off in my mind.

You forgot to balance the reaction from the front with the surrounding reishi. She said in between bouts of laughter.

You didn't tell me to do that!

I thought it was obvious.

To you, probably. I'm still new so I need to be taught, dammit!

Okay, okay. Let's try it again, from the top. Don't forget the balancing this time.

Great. Just great.

A/N: So now his appearance is revealed. I'd been planning this chapter for quite some time now. =D

For those who have reviewed, thanks! And as usual, reviews would be extremely appreciated!