Previously on Bridge the Gap, Kyoukan!

Jesa realizes that Nee-chan is in control of her body. Nee-chan explains that because Jesa wouldn't stop freaking out, Nee-chan forcibly took control rather than let Jesa crash. Jesa accepts Nee-chan's reasoning and tells her power spirit that she will reassure the others that she's fine and Nee-chan can be trusted.

After Jesa reclaims control of her body and apologizes for worrying the others, she and Rukia have a silent conversation, followed by a comforting hug.

Chapter 14: Kido Practice

By the time Rukia pulled back from the hug, she was back to her usual calm demeanor. "Thank you, Jesa-chan," she said with dignity as befitting a Kuchiki princess.

I sat up a little straighter. "Of course! I like helping people, and I don't like seeing people upset," I replied as a smile dominated my face. Then I frowned slightly. "Especially when it's my fault they're upset."

"Seems to me that you're the only one who's upset right now," Shiba Kukaku stated. I looked up sharply, and she raised an eyebrow, as if to say 'What, do you doubt me?'

I looked around. Besides Ichigo and Ganju arguing about something, Kukaku was right. "I see. So what's the plan for this evening?"

"Free time for now," Renji answered. "You, Kon, and I will be meeting with my taicho tomorrow morning, so make sure you get some sleep tonight."

I nodded, and the group dispersed. I was trying to figure out what I should be doing or where to go when Rukia offered to help me train.

"Your nee-chan mentioned that you don't have any experience with using kido and shunpo, so I could help you get started with that if you'd like."

"Really?" I grinned widely. "Thanks!"

"So, Bakudo," Rukia began the impromptu lesson. "Tell me what you know of it."

"It's the binding kind of kido," I said. "Um, the higher the number, the more powerful, and the harder to produce or to break out of. Kuchiki-taichou likes Rikujokorou, the six-light-bar one. You used the first one, Sai or Restraint, on Ichigo the first day you met. There are incantations for at least the higher level ones. I don't know about the lower, since you didn't use one when you met Ichigo, but you did do a hand motion for it, so presumably all bakudo have one. Hm, Number 99 has a couple levels of strength to it, kinda like zanpakuto, with Kin and Bankin. Number 80 or 88 is the Void in English, but I don't remember the Japanese name for it."

"Okay," my new mentor said. "That's a good start for now. And it's number 81: Danku, by the way. Most of what you know about kido comes from watching it in action in the anime, correct?"

I nodded. "All of it, actually. Ne, Rukia-senpai, does it matter what language is used for the chant and the name and such?"

"I'm not sure, but that's a good question," Rukia mused. "Why do you ask?"

"I was thinking about how knowing the name of an attack makes it stronger, and a name is an identity." I paused, trying to think of another way to put it. "For example, I introduced myself to Ichigo as Jones Jesa, since Japanese culture puts the family name first, but I still put my given name first in my thoughts and in writing. Either way, Jesa Jones or Jones Jesa, it still refers to me. But my name itself doesn't sound different between English and Japanese, so maybe that's not the best example. Jesa equals Jesa, but does Sai equal Restraint?"

"I think I understand your question, but I don't think I'm the one you should be asking. Hm, I'll ask Nii-sama and my taichou what they think, but for now, I want to see how well you do with casting Sai." She looked around the room, presumably for an acceptable target.

"Neeeeee-saaaaaaan!" cried someone who looked like Ichigo, but did not sound or act like him, running into the training room.

"Ah, Kon, perfect timing!" Rukia replied with a scheming grin. "I've found your target, Jesa."

I grinned and nodded. I decided to try the English name of it, even though I usually use the Japanese in my thoughts. "Bakudo 1, Restraint!" I called, swiping my hand through the air in Kon's direction.

Kon kept running, oblivious.

I frowned and tried again, still with the English as I didn't want to change too much at once, this time actively focusing my reiatsu into my hand.

Again, he kept running, but he did stumble a bit.

I had a partially formed thought, and tried once more, again focusing my reiatsu. "Bakudo no Ichi, Sai!"

Yup, it worked that time. Seeing Ichigo's body stuck in Sai got me thinking. "Got a marker with you, Rukia-chan?"

Apparently, she was thinking the same thing I was, as the cap was already off her marker. "I find the fact that you mustache disappointing. I always have my markers and notepad with me. You never know who might need some help drawing conclusions."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Clever. May I do the honors, though?"

She handed me the marker, and Kon got the dubious privilege of knowing what it was like to be given a marker mustache.

"That looks even sillier in person than it did in the anime and manga!" I said after considering my work. "Stay right there, Kon, just like that." I pulled the soul phone I was borrowing from Urahara out of my pocket. "This thing probably has a camera app, and I want to be able to remember this later." I returned the marker to Rukia and pulled up the apps list. "Found it!"

Click!

I smiled. "Perfect. I do wonder why it made the clicking noise, though. It's not like it has actual camera shutters to open and close, like a pre-digital camera."

Just then, Ichigo showed up. "Hey, Rukia, there you are. Kukaku sent me to see how Jesa's training is going." Then he took in the scene: his body on the ground, caught in Sai, with a marker mustache; me smiling, my phone out; and Rukia about to put the marker back into the pocket of her shihakusho.

"Again, Rukia?" Ichigo snapped.

"I didn't do it!" she declared.

"You have before."

"Yes, once, the day we met. Not since."

"So am I to assume Jesa did it, first try?!"

"Actually," I interrupted, feeling the beginnings of a headache, caused by the tension. "It took me three tries, but, yes, I did it."

"And the mustache?"

"Also my doing, but she did already have the cap off the marker when I asked for it."

"Did you take a picture, so you could blackmail me about something later?"

"I don't do blackmail."

"You didn't deny taking a picture, though."

"I don't like lying. I took a picture," I admitted, "for my own personal amusement later."

Ichigo scowled. "Fine. Kon probably deserved it anyway."

I sighed in relief, until Ichigo continued.

"Let me use you as target practice until I get it right, and I'll let it go. It's still my body, after all."

Then I sighed for a different reason. "That's fair."

"Hey, Jesa-chan?" Kon piped up, still on the floor, arms behind his back, but now sitting up. "Mind removing the bakudo?"

"Um, I don't know how," I said, not meeting his eyes. "Rukia-chan, can you remove it?"

"I could," she said. "But removing a bakudo is easier for the original caster than for someone else, provided said original caster knows how. When you cast a bakudo, it leaves traces. In the case of Sai, the traces are like ropes of your reiatsu wrapped around the arms of the target. To remove the bakudo, it's just a matter of drawing that reiatsu back into yourself."

"Okay, I think I get it." I closed my eyes and imagined the bakudo I had cast dissipating into bits of light. I held out my hand and pictured the light flowing back into my palm. When all the light was gone, I opened my eyes. "Did it work?"

Kon reached up and wiped off the mustache in answer.

Rukia seemed surprised. "I didn't expect you to get it so easily. Then again, it did only take you three tries to cast it in the first place, and the first two were in English."

"Wait, you could tell the difference?" I asked. "I thought you all heard me in Japanese."

"Maybe it's a matter of intent?" Ichigo suggested. "Did you specifically use English instead of Japanese?"

"Yeah, I did, but how do you come up with that idea?" I wondered aloud. "You weren't here when Rukia-chan and I were talking about whether language matters in using kido."

"Well, it took some time to notice, since it's so slight, but most of the time when I'm talking with you, there's a... I don't know how to describe it..." Ichigo paused and rubbed his neck. "It sounds weird, but... A greater sense of 'Jesa'. But at other times, like when I used your name just now, it disappears. That's really how I figured it out, since your name isn't any different between Japanese and English. And it disappears when you say our names, too, along with certain other words, like 'bakudo' and 'reiatsu'. So I started thinking maybe that subtle sense was your kyoukan in effect, and it disappears when we use words that can be understood without translation."

"Well, Nee-chan did say the reason we could understand each other was 'because of my kyoukan'." I paused, as I thought of something. "If talking with you guys increases my reiatsu usage except with words that don't need to be translated, that could eventually cause a problem in the long run, especially since I talk so much... But the more Japanese I know, the less reiatsu I'll have to use."

"So you want lessons in Japanese, is that it?" Rukia asked.

"Yeah, but only if it doesn't take time away from other training," I agreed.

"Speaking of training," Ichigo cut in, "Bakudo no Ichi, Sai!"

"Wha-!" I cried, startled. "Wait, nothing happened."

Ichigo pouted.

A/N: I'm not dead! I'm actually in a Master's program for creative writing now! Gomennasai for the nearly-two-year-long break between chapters. Writer's block hit me hard again. Part of it was deciding whether language really would matter for kido. I was stuck about half-way through the chapter for most of those nearly-two-years. The rest just kinda flowed out in one night.

I know I had some rather abstract concepts in this chapter, so feel free to ask for clarification if you want it. I do my best to reply to all signed-in reviews. I also read anonymous reviews, but I can't reply to someone without an account.

Also, apparently Google Chrome thinks 'gomennasai' is a misspelling of 'saleswoman'... I have a skype chat open with my friend right now, and she's cracking up over that. If you're interested in Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler, she has a couple good poems under the name Esmereilda. She did not ask for that advertising, by the way. ...She's still giggling. I'm going to end this here before things get too crazy.

Also also, yay, I'm not stuck with unlucky-13 chapters posted so far!

Chapter originally posted 1/16/15.

Since posting this chapter, Esmereilda and I have started a collab fic along with Uxintaa, called Long Parted, Always Sisters. It's available on Esmereilda's profile. LPAS is set at some as yet undefined point after BGK, at most two or three years later, perhaps only a matter of months. We haven't really decided yet. LPAS starts off with Jesa returning to America and the friend she left her cats with before moving to Karakura. I hadn't originally intended to expand on that character at all, but Esmereilda's OC, Yumi, decided to take that role.

As for chapter 15 of BGK, I have plans, but the opening scene of the chapter hasn't decided to cooperate yet.

God bless!