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

Chapter 5

I sat down, exhausted and hungry under a cherry blossom tree. For the last few hours, I was forced to repeatedly practice the Hoho that elf-lady thought me, which was called shunpo. After the first failed attempt, I fell into the mud a few more times, getting my clothes all dirty. Given a few more tries, I managed to shunpo without falling over.

However, I had no time to congratulate myself, for what came after that was training from hell. I was to shunpo non-stop twenty times back and forth, and if I fell over or stopped I had to restart from the beginning. Although it was extremely tiring, having fallen about fifteen times, I had to admit that the results were excellent. I had doubled the range of my shunpo, and I could finally do it without imaging.

Go find something to eat. It is nearly dawn.

I did a double take. Dawn already? I looked towards the sky, and true enough, there was an orange tint in the darkness. It's hard to believe that shunpo training was so time-consuming.

Now what the hell am I supposed to eat?

There are a few fishes in the lake, some mushrooms over to the side, a wild berry plant behind you and fruits on the tree next to yours above your very head.

I looked up. There were indeed fruits on the aforementioned tree, which I identified as apples. They were a startling shade of red, and they looked really juicy.

My stomach growled.

Hey, elf-lady. I thought I wasn't supposed to feel hungry anymore in the afterlife.

You feel hungry due to the reiatsu that was consumed during your training. All the souls with a degree of power feel hungry once in a while. If you're not careful, you might even die.

You mean souls can die again?

Destroyed, not die. I apologize for my inappropriate use of language. Souls can still be destroyed due to natural or unnatural causes, such as a sword through the heart, loss of blood or even old age.

Interesting.

My stomach growled again. How am I supposed to get the fruit from way up there?

Fool. Have you already forgotten about the reishi solidification technique?

Oh yeah.

Not in the mood to catch fishes or to prepare a fire, I just ate the apples to refuel myself for the day ahead. Eating seemed to not only satisfy my hunger, but it rejuvenated me slightly as well.

Good. Now that you have eaten and recovered your reiatsu, we can move on to the next part, Kido.

Fine. How do I start?

First, you have to know that Kido is not as simple as just using an imaging technique. You have to chant the incantation and refine your reiatsu to your will. This takes quite a bit of spiritual control, which you seem to lack.

You don't need to rub it in. Just tell me what to do.

Flow your reiatsu to your first finger and repeat after me.

Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The flash of the first spear marks the beginning of battle! Hado number four, Byakurai!

"Sprinkled on the bones of the beast!" I began.

I began channelling my reiatsu down my arm.

"Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring."

The reiatsu flowed down to my hand, creating a tingling sensation.

"Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm."

When it reached my palm, I held it out in front of me. The reiatsu seemed to intensify and move towards my index finger, and I curled my fingers into the shape of a gun.

"The flash of the first spear marks the beginning of battle!" I continued, the gradual increase of power sending shocks up my arm.

Too much reiatsu! Reduce it or the spell will blow up in your face!

I tried to reduce it, but the rhythm of the chant was already building itself up. It was way too late to reduce it now. Rather then taking a gamble by delaying the spell, which would probably blow it up, I decided to release the pent up energy.

"Hado number four, Byakurai!" I shouted, completing the incantation.

As soon the last syllable escaped my mouth, a blinding projectile flew out from my index finger, flying forward. It skidded across the water, causing sprays of water to fly, swirling in the air due to the reishi disruption. Finally, it accelerated and collided into a tree on the opposite end of the lake.

The result was a startling explosion. The parts of the tree which took a direct hit were reduced to ash, while the rest of the tree burst into large splinters from the force of the collision. A few of them flew right across the lake at high speeds, and one piece was moving rapidly toward my right eye.

I raised up my left hand and caught it in between my index and middle fingers.

The Hoho training earlier really did improve my reaction time.

Hmph. Not bad, although I would've put less power behind it. You were right on the brink of having it explode in your face, you know. Another millisecond and it would've gone 'BOOM!!'

Thanks for not having any faith, elf-lady.

You're welcome.

Having rested for a while, as the attempt at Byakurai earlier took a lot out of me, I got back to my feet, ready for the second go. The sun was still hidden behind the mountains, and I still had the whole day to practice.

But before that, I have a few questions, elf-lady.

What is it?

How did the human from before use Kido, anyway? Seki, or something like that.

That human is actually a shinigami. She had a zanpakuto, but it was absent in her mind. The other one, on the other hand, is actually a human. He had two zanpakuto in him, one dormant and one active. It appears that she had given hers to his to him to awaken his own power.

Whoa. You can do that?

Yes. Although it is against the general law of zanpakuto, a shinigami can give anyone his or her zanpakuto, although it is risky. I shall not explain it any further, however. I do not want you to give me away.

You actually sound like you care.

Let's not get absurd. Now let's start again. The chant goes…

After firing a successful Byakurai, I decided to ask another question.

What is Hado and Bakado or whatever?

Bakudo, not Bakado. The Way of Binding and the Way of the Idiot are two different things, idiot.

My bad. Anyway, answer the question, please?

Both Hado and Bakudo are a subtype of Kido. Hado spells are generally offensive Kido, and it is known as the Way of Destruction. Bakudo, on the other hand, is supportive. Its other name is the Way of Binding. The spell she used was Seki is spell number eight, a shield that repels.

How many of them are there, anyway?

There are 99 registered spells for both categories.

So there are 198 Kido spells? How the hell are you supposed to remember all that?

Language, please. And 198 registered Kido spells. There are probably many other spells that have been created by people besides the shinigami.

And these spells are all as long as the one for number four?

That was an easy one. The chants grow longer and harder as the number increases. Some spells also require a catalyst, such as body markings and movements. Are you quite finished yet?

Last question for now, I promise. How did the girl in the world of the living cast Kido without chanting the spell?

It is called Eishohaki. By internalising the chant, it can be used more effectively in battle. However, this weakens the power of the spell, and if you are inexperienced, it can fail or backfire. Only experienced practitioners should try it. People who can actually control their reiatsu.

Very funny.

Let's continue…

As the sun rose overhead, I released a perfect Byakurai against the last tree standing nearby. It flew in a straight line and hit the target, and the familiar sound of the explosion filled my ears.

You're pretty good at this already. You should take a rest, for now. After all, for tonight you are to use only shunpo to get to the Academy.

What?! That's over six hours of running to get there. I'll be exhausted by the time I get there.

But the extra practice would help.

I'm not that desperate.

Too bad. The die has been cast.

What die?! You made the decision.

That die. You should take only half an hour to get to the Academy. Any longer and you fail my test.

Damn you, bird. I never back down from a challenge.

I know, Shiro. I know.

A/N: That was a fun chapter to write. Kido is much more fun to write about than Hoho.

The incantation for Byakurai is currently unknown, and I had to start with a low level spell, so I just took another lightning spell (Raikkoho) and edited the chant a little, since certain spells (Geki and Horin / Shakkaho and Sokatsui) have the same beginnings.

And as usual, reviews would be extremely appreciated.