Hey, guys! With this chapter, we are halfway through the Beginnings Arc. This means that there are five more chapters before the end of this arc, or five more chapters to submit an original character. I still have plenty of room if you check my profile page, so don't wait much longer!

Time for my newly created Review Corner for Chapter 4:

-Ten Commandments: Thanks a lot! Though I still think my skill at writing fighting scenes is still sub-par at best, I think I'm improving. I'm glad you enjoyed them!

-BMACBOO: Thanks! Since Suda obtained his Hollow powers via a different method than Vizards do, you can expect all sorts of surprises.

Ch. 5 Beginnings: Training Days

Opening: "Rocks" by Hound Dog

Suda walked into the 4th Company hospital with a vase of irises. The nurse in charge of the front desk for the day, who happened to be Ryo, directed him past a few hallways before he reached a room with a few Shinigami resting peacefully on their stretchers. One of them was 2nd Division Lieutenant Hebito Watakushi, who was reading a novel.

"Hey there, Lieutenant," Suda said quietly, placing the vase of flowers on the lampstand next to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm better," Hebito responded, putting his book down. "At the very least, none of my body parts were heavily injured from getting smashed at by large rocks."

Suda chuckled.

"No one has given me a clear answer, so I'll ask you," Hebito said. "Do you remember what happened after I was knocked unconscious? Captains Zaizen and Saeko remembered seeing a great burst of Reiatsu come out of the tunnel we were in, which I don't remember. So, there must've been some time in-between my faining and their arrival."

Suda shrugged. "I'm sorry. I don't remember."

Hebito's face casted doubt on Suda's statement, but he sighed if off. "It's okay, then. Though, I have to report what I've seen in the cave to the Gotei 13 as soon as I'm released."

"Yeah," Suda said. "Well, I'll see you later."

Hebito nodded.

Upon returning to the 8th Company office, Suda was surprised to see Captain Keruno Zaizen sitting at his desk with Yushi and Chotaro standing in front of him. Standing next to Keruno were three Shingami, one of which Suda recognized as Saeko, the other captain besides his own who participated in the mission.

On Saeko's left was a male captain wearing a short-sleeved shihakusho and the signature haori. He has short, brown hair combed to the front and right, with tanned, slender skin and dark-blue eyes. In a Japanese society, he was fairly tall at six feet, but that was because he's not Japanese. Suda recognized him as 5th Company Captain Jared Frederik.

But there was a taller Japanese person that Jared standing next to him. He has long, black, messy hair that went down to his shoulders and unique, heterochromic eyes (black and red). His muscular body and his scowl made him a popular topic of conversation for women. But it was the lieutenant armband that made Suda recognize him as 11th Company Lieutenant Yusei Mizaki.

"Tsubaki! You're late!" Keruno snapped, beckoning him to come towards them. "Hurry up!"

"What's going on?" Suda questioned, afraid to walk in.

"I've reviewed your, as well as your companion's, combat status during the mission as reported by Lieutenant Watakushi and 11th Company, 3rd Seat Saburo Kazuya and I have to say, I am not impressed," Keruno disapprovingly said as he looked through several papers. Then he jumped from his seat and made a fist pump. "The members of the 8th Division must kick ass, which you three can't do no matter what! Therefore, I've got the permission from these three high-ranked Shinigami to train you guys to the best of your ability!"

"WHAT?!" Suda shrieked. "We just came back from a hard mission two days ago and now we have to train?!"

"I said the same thing," Yushi said, glumly.

"Yes!" Keruno replied. "And the three teachers here are ready and willing, right?"

"That is right, Captain Zaizen," Saeko said, her smile ever-pleasant. "It's true that you fought Gillian-Class Hollows in an enclosed space. Thus, the disadvantages were plentiful. However, we can't make excuses in combat, so it doesn't matter whether the fight is fair or not. I understand this, and wish to help you learn how to make due of this through training."

"You three need to get stronger," Jared said. "Although honestly, the real reason I am doing this is because your Captain is offering me rare seeds for a flower I've wanted for quite some time. And I just can't help it for plantlife."

"I just came 'cause your captain promised me I could spend time with your lieutenant," Yusei said, a creepy grin on his face.

Keruno cleared his throat. "Anyways, these three will train you to unlock the hidden potential in your combat. I have watched you three fight, believe it or not, and I have seen some potential untapped."

"Untapped potential?" Chotaro said. "What could that mean?"

"Chotaro! Unlike your teammates, who have something to offer, you're below average in everything! This includes Zanjutsu, Hoho, Hakuda, and Kido!" Keruno shouted, much to the Shinigami's embarrassment. "The only thing you have that's decent is your Zanpakuto's ability, but what happens when you can't rely on it? Thus, I've hired Captain Saeko to train you in the only field where I sense a flicker of hope for you! And that is in Kido!"

"Kido?!" Chotaro exclaimed (and Yusei snickered). "Why do I have to learn such a lame art?"

"Kido isn't lame, Naramichi-kun," Saeko said. "You'll see when we practice."

"Yushi! You're practically a prodigy when it comes to strategy, but you tend not to use it due to fear!" Keruno continued. "Mizaki's part of the 11th Company! He's one for close-ranged combat, so you'll be forced to learn how to fight! I don't even understand why you would be so scared of fighting when you have a beast of a Zanpakuto!"

"Whatever," Yushi said.

"I'm looking forward to this," Yusei said with a yawn. He lazily glanced at Yushi, then stared through the window.

"And finally, Suda! You're average in everything, yet you don't know your own Zanpakuto's name!" Keruno bellowed louder than his speech towards the other two. "You can Captain Frederik here will train for you to get it! Because I'm getting annoyed at how useless you are in combat!"

Suda groaned, but he knew that Keruno was right. No matter what Suda tried, his Zanpakuto wouldn't communicate with him, which could easily compromise himself in a battle.

"This ought to be interesting," Jared said. "I am always intrigued by the different forms of Zanpakuto."

"You three better learn something new, or else you'll be punished. You don't know what I'm capable of!" Kerun exclaimed.

"Oh, I think we're aware..." Suda muttered.

"DISMISSED! LEARN SOMETHING!"

For Suda, Jared had led him to the 5th Division headquarters. Besides the traditional houses and buildings, Suda was surprised to see a lot of plantlife. Roots and leaves spread from the ground and planted itself firmly onto the buildings, making them look connected to nature. Bonsai, sakura, pine, and several other trees lined each other to make a pathway that led to a mini-forest in the center of the headquarters. In the forest, he could see several water fountains and a mini version of a waterfall with no rocks blocking the water leaking onto the ground to make it as natural as possible. Suda had to admit that this was the most beautiful Division he had ever seen in his life. It was much better to look at than the dry buildings and tile floors of the 8th Division.

"What do you think?" Jared asked, admiring his own forest. "This area was created by me, exclusively. I've collected seeds and trees from several Shinigami to create this magnificent environment, open to all members of the 5th Company."

"It's way better than the 8th Division," Suda mused. "Our buildings are nasty and old."

"More than just an amazing place to look at, this is a perfect area for disovering the name of your Zanpakuto," Jared continued, then he stopped walking. "We've arrived."

Suda stopped to admire the surroundings. Besides the mix of all the trees that created a nice contrast so elegant and amazing, the water from the waterfall had trailed to the area that they arrived in, creating several small bushes to sprout roots into the air to resemble an outdoor greenhouse. In the center of the area were three tree stumps. The one in the middle was at a higher height than the other two.

"This is nice and all, but how will I learn my Zanpakuto's name from this?" Suda asked as he gripped the hilt of his katana.

"I'm assuming that your Zanpakuto is telling you his or her name, but you can't hear it's voice," Jared said. "That's why you will initiate Jinzen to contact your Zanpakuto's spirit."

"Jinzen?"

"It's sword meditation. It's a special type of communication towards the spirit of your Zanpakuto," Jared explained. "Basically, by placing your Zanpakuto on your lap and meditating, you will be sent to your Zanpakuto's spirit world, where you will have a direct conversation with the spirit. From there, you should be able to to hear it's name."

"It's that simple?" Suda asked, with disbelief in his voice. "That's awesome."

"This is a great place to meditate since you are in direct contact with nature, the roots of where all people are from," Jared continued. "You should be able to meditate with no distractions. Thus, the process should go by a little quicker than normal."

"Great," Suda hopped onto the highest tree stump and placed his Zanpakuto on his lap. "Can I start now?"

"Go ahead," Jared replied, setting down on another tree stump. "I'll be right here just in case you have any difficulty."

Suda closed his eyes and relaxed his body. 'Well... here goes nothing.'

After walking through hundreds of districts in Rukongai, Chotaro and Saeko finally arrived outside to the wastelands. Chotaro hoped that he would never have to come back here again, but Saeko said that it was probably the safest place for them to train.

"Naramichi-kun, you, Tsubaki-kun, and Yanagi-kun all have great spiritual energy tapped within you that you haven't used yet," Saeko explained. "Kido is the best applicable way to demonstrate this spiritual energy. Spells take spiritual energy and turn it into a tangible form."

"That's fine and all, but Kido's just 'say the spell and you've cast it,'" Chotaro retorted. "It's so simple and boring. It's gamebreaking."

Saeko's face darkened. "Are you saying that battles are games to you?"

"Uh... wait, I take it back," Chotaro said, backing off.

"Think like that and the next time you face a serious opponent, you'll die," Saeko said. "I'm going to teach you a basic Kido spell that most Shinigami know. While Kido is fairly simple to use, the application varies from how much Reiryoku you pump into it."

"Alright..." Chotaro said.

She walked past him and pointed two fingers to the sky. "Hado #4, Byakurai." A small spark appeared in her fingers before erupting into a huge bolt of lightning that pierced the clouds in the sky. The bolt made a loud, booming sound that resembled a cannon and a thunderbolt being shot at the same time.

"Wow," Chotaro said with a hint of boredom in his voice. "But I've seen it before."

"Perhaps you've seen Tsubaki-kun cast it, but I believe he learned it because it is an easy spell to learn and quick to cast because it lacks a pre-spell incantation," Saeko said. "In your case, you are going to master Byakurai. It will become your unique spell, one stronger than any Byakurai you've seen before."

"Cool."

"Cast it," She ordered.

Chotaro pointed to the sky and recited, "Hado #4, Byakurai!" A spark appeared in his fingers too, unleashing a bolt of lightning. Unlike Saeko's cannon thunderbolt-sounding spell, his was a lot smaller and made a pistol sound.

Saeko regained her smile. "Do you see now, Naramichi-kun? Your Byakurai isn't as powerful as mine. You are going to continually cast the spell in ten-second intervals until you can cast it as powerful, or even more powerful, as mine."

"TEN SECONDS?!" Chotaro yelped. "That's crazy! What happens when I'm exhausted?!"

"That's the point. It's like stamina training. The more you train while you're tired, the stronger you become," Saeko explained. "The next time you cast Byakurai after a day's rest, it should be a lot stronger."

"But-"

"Please, just do it," Saeko said with much more force.

Chotaro gulped. Then he took a deep breath, pointed to the sky, and yelled, "Hado #4, Byakurai!"

"Welcome to the 11th Company coliseum!" Yusei shouted, his voice echoing through the open-space area. "I managed to get permission from the captain to build this magnificent place! We mainly fight on weekend nights for bets and other great things! It's also a great place for us to train!"

Yushi nervously looked at the 11th Company members who were doing push-ups, talking about training, benchpressing, etc. He and Yusei had just walked into a great stone coliseum in the middle of the 11th Company area. Two huge marble statues stood at the opposite ends of the coliseum, one of Yusei and the other of whom Yushi thought was the captain.

"Hey Yusei! What are ya doing here?" One of the 11th Company soldiers said, howling with laughter after talking with other soldiers. "You hate training!"

"Ha! I got a sweet deal from that black captain from 8th Company!" Yusei replied, laughing just as loud as the rest of them. "I get to "spend some time" with their hot lieutenant if I train this guy!" He patted Yushi's head very roughly.

"Aww shit! Mizaki's gonna get laid again tonight!" He shouted. "The 8th Company's pretty ghetto... but their lieutenant is somone I'd love to bang!"

'These guys are annoying,' Yushi thought.

"She's got great assets, she's smokin' sexy, and not to mention, she's a virgin!"

"Hey! Would ya screw her?"

"Hell yeah I would-"

Suddenly, the guy who just spoke was grabbed by the hair and flung across the coliseum, smashing into someone else who was lifting weights. Everyone turned to see the culprit and saw Saburo Kazuya flicking his wrists, a scowl on his face. "Hey idiots. How about getting some work done rather than saying some stupid shit, huh?!"

"It's 4th Seat Kazuya..." One of the members trembled. "Let's get outta here. We don't have to take this."

Several members glared at him, but he simply glared back at them and raised his fists. They squealed in fright and ran out of the coliseum.

"Oi, Yanagi. If people from other Divisions are gonna talk crap about yours, who dontcha stand up for them?" Saburo asked. "I've seen you fight, and you've got a lot more skill than these retards."

"Meh. I don't care," Yushi replied. "Our lieutenant's strong enough to take care of herself."

"Loosen up, will ya, Kazuya?" Yusei said. "You're just jealous that you don't have a girl yourself. Though, I do hear that you visit the 4th Division hospital nowadays to visit that comrade of yours from that one mission. What was her name? Yamura-"

"Lieutenant, I don't want to have to beat you up too," Saburo snapped.

"Alright, alright. Your mouth is impressive, but your ability to back up your boasts are even more impressive," Yusei said. "I'll stop talking crap about you. But I'm serious about training this guy, so if you would...?"

Saburo nodded. "You be careful, Yanagi. He's a tough one, despite his stupid mouth."

As he left, Yusei grinned and said, "He's a tough one. He's scary, but he's very strong, which is why a lot of people fear and respect him. But he's changed a lot since that one mission he took part in. He's a lot humbler now, no longer boasting of his strength."

"Hmm..." Yushi nodded.

Yusei looked around a bit, as if he was looking if someone was watching him. After he confirmed that no one was spying on him, he said, "Well! You're free to go! I didn't care about training you in the first place, and I'm pretty sure you don't want to train either! You can get outta here!"

"Okay," Yushi said, not caring either.

Yushi turned around and walked towards the exit. Yusei grinned and laid down in a relaxed position, looking up towards the sky. 'This is great! I don't have to do anything and I get to spend time with the sexy lieutenant! How could this day get any bet-'

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted someone far, in a distance, watching him. He squinted to see him or her, then gasped upon spotting Captain Keruno watching him. He had his middle finger up, as if saying, "I'm watching you, dirtbag."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Yusei yelped, jumping from his resting spot. "Hold on a sec, Yanagi! I've changed my mind!"

Yushi stopped and turned back to him. "What?"

He instantly jumped back as Yusei drew his Zanpakuto from his back. His was a nodachi with a red hilt and a square tsuba. Yushi placed his hand on his Zanpakuto as well.

"It looks like I can't be lazy today," Yusei said with a grin. "Draw, Yushi Yanagi! The fate of my future romance awaits!"

"Uh... okay?" Yushi replied, drawing his blade.

"Let's do this!"

Thirty minutes later...

Jared anxiously watched Suda as he meditated on the tree stump. Suda looked like he was meditating, but the captain could easily tell he really wasn't. Suda continually twitched and scratched his itches away. Occasionally, he would crack his eye open to glance at Jared, then quickly closed it.

After a few more minutes, Suda said, "This isn't working."

"I think I've realized that," Jared said. "It's strange though. Jinzen is the best way for a Shinigami to communicate with his or her Zanpakuto, so you should be able to speak with it's spirit."

Suda stood up and stretched the stiffness out of his body. "So, what are we going to do?"

"Well, there is the more dangerous method," Jared said, causing Suda to step back. "A Zanpakuto tends to react when the owner of said blade is dying."

"You're not gonna-"

"I'm not going to kill you. Why would I?" Jared said, although the thought of it actually passing through the captain's mind unnerved Suda. "Instead, we're going to put you in a stressful situation, such as fighting, in order to cause your Zanpakuto to react to your danger and reveal itself to you. That should do it."

Suda gulped. 'I'm going to fight a captain?! I could barely handle a Menos Grande! How can I fight him?'

"Don't worry. I won't damage you much," Jared said, grinning. "Though, I can't say I won't hold back. We need to make this look as authentic as possible to release your Zanpakuto."

The two walked down the forest to an area with a lot more space. There were a few palm trees at the sides and a peaceful stream sealed with some rocks keeping it from spreading over the grass. Suda and Jared stood at opposing sides, both gripping the hilts of their Zanpakuto. Jared was the first to draw, his being a katana with a dark-blue guard and the hilt wrapped in cyan wrapping. Suda also drew his double-blade Zanpakuto.

"You have quite a unique-looking sealed Zanpakuto," Jared observed. "Perhaps the spirit residing within it is also unique and may require a different method to pull it out."

"M-Maybe," Suda said, his voice just as shaky as his body. He could feel goosebumps come over his entire body and he felt very cold and sweaty. 'Aw man... I'm fighting a real captain. I can't s-stop shivering!'

'W...'

Suda blinked. "What was that voice?"

"Don't be distracted!" Jared barked, snapping Suda back to reality. "Here we go!"

"Bya... Bya... Byakurai..." Chotaro managed to say after having cast Byakurai over a hundred times. Despite what Saeko had said, he felt like he hadn't improved much since his lightning bolt had shrank into a small spark. However, Saeko continued to observe without saying anything. Eventually, Chotaro said, "I-I give up!" and slumped to the floor.

"Great job today, Naramichi-kun," Saeko brightly said. "We'll keep this training for tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?!" Chotaro gasped in surprise. "What?!"

"Your captain didn't inform you? Captain Zaizen has the three of us training you guys for the next month," Saeko explained. "I am going to make you a Kido expert by the time I'm done with you."

"No way! NO WAY! This isn't fair!" Chotaro complained. "Why do I have to be the one to learn Kido anyway? Kido is the most embarrassing of the four arts the Shinigami employs. It requires a Shinigami to stay at the rear ranks and fight like cowards while everyone else attacks head on. The 11th Company makes fun of people who use Kido! I'm gonna get bullied for being 'pampered' by you, also!"

"Naramichi-kun, last time I checked, your Zanpakuto harnesses magic also," Saeko said.

"Yeah, but..." Chotaro groaned, unable to come up with a comeback for that. "It's... it's still not fair."

"Do you know why we Shinigami fight, Naramichi-kun?" Saeko inquired all of a sudden.

"Uhh... isn't it to protect souls?" He replied.

"Correct, but in order to do that, we need to live so we can protect them," She continued. "Kido is the best way to survive since we do not directly engage in man-to-man combat. Even if we did, we still have the advantage because not many people can deflect Hado spells, destroy Bakudo barriers, and negate Kaido."

"I guess..." Chotaro said, obviously unconvinced.

"Allow me to demonstrate what Hado is capable of," She said. "Please move away, as this spell may be overwhelming, even to an ice-based Zanpakuto wielder like yourself."

Chotaro stepped back as Saeko walked a few feet away. He frowned in disbelief. 'I've seen a bunch of Kido spells before. I'm sure she won't be able to impress me with any spell she's got. Nothing can be bigger than my Kitsuifuyu.'

She pointed her palm straight in front of her and without an incantation, simply said, "Hado, Hyoga Seiran." A gigantic blast of ice ripped through her hand and extended in width and length until it had spread over miles and miles of wasteland, creating a snowing, winter-like wonderland.

Saeko turned around with her signature serene smile. She looked at Chotaro, who's mouth was gaping wide open. "So, what do you think? It's such an advanced Hado spell that it has no number, and it's a little difficult for you to achieve at your current state, but with practice, you may be able to do it too."

'That was six- no, eight times larger than my Kitsuifuyu!' Chotaro thought. 'If I could cast a spell like that... I could be invincible!'

Chotaro jumped to the ground and bowed as low as he could. "Please, Captain Saeko! Please teach me Kido!"

Saeko's face brightened. "Alright."

Yusei acted first, lunging towards Yushi. The latter brought his blade up and blocked Yusei's strike. However, Yusei's larger nodachi easily overwhelmed Yusei's and broke his guard. Yusei stabbed his sword forward, causing Yushi to jump back and get into a defensive battle stance.

'He's going easy on me,' Yushi thought. 'That's good.'

Yushi and Yusei circled each other for a few seconds. A small grin formed on Yusei's face. 'He's an observer. He must use counter-strikes a lot in man-to-man combat. That's fine with me!'

Yusei headed straight towards Yushi, who was prepared to block his attack again. Yushi didn't expect Yusei to sweep down and try to slash his legs. He jumped to dodge, but Yusei simply followed after him and began dealing a whirlwind of slashes. Yushi clucked his tongue and thrusted his blade in the middle of the storm of slashes to stop it. The two clashed again after Yushi landed on the ground.

"You're also holding back!" Yusei said. "C'mon! Stop holding back and fight!"

"Can't do that," Yushi muttered. 'Cause the 11th Company looks down on any kind of Kido. If I use it, I'll be looked on as a laughingstock.'

The two continually met blades with no progression in their fight. Yushi didn't back down and neither did Yusei. However, Yushi knew that Yusei was going easy on him as the 11th Company were known for their ridiculous strength. He also noticed that his movements were stiff and lacked purpose, as if he was trying to show off instead of actually fight.

"This is getting boring," Yusei said. "I'm gonna heat this battlefield up!"

Yushi was confused, then widened his eyes as Yusei disappeared in front of him. He felt a presence behind him and immediately whisked his blade in a spin attack to strike the lieutenant, only for Yusei to dodge at a fast speed.

"Rgh. You're using Shunpo," Yushi groaned.

"That's right," Yusei replied. "You better do something fast, Yanagi! Or else I'm gonna get you!"

'Looks like I have no choice...' Yushi thought, pointing his fingers at Yusei and saying, "Bakudo #1, Sai!"

Instantly after he said it, Yusei felt his arms lock behind his back. He managed to maintain his grip on his Zanpakuto, but barely evaded Yushi's next attack. He ripped through the binding power of the Sai spell and grinned. "Hahaha! So you're a Bakudo user, huh? This just makes it even more fun, Yanagi!"

Using his quick Flash Step, Yusei continually disappeared and reappeared in a different location near Yushi. The lower-ranked Shinigami had a difficult time predicting where he would appear, and even when he had his blade near the lieutenant, he couldn't touch him. Yusei flash stepped right behind him and Yushi reversed his grip on his blade to stab him, but Yusei side-stepped the attack and kneed him in the leg. Yushi staggered backwards.

"This can't be all you've got, Yanagi!" Yusei yelled, howling with laughter. "Are all the 8th Company warriors this weak?!"

"Tch," Yushi scoffed. He immediately stopped fighting and turned around to walk to the exit. "If you're gonna mock me, I'm out of here."

"H-Hold on! Sorry, sorry!" Yusei quickly apologized, using his flash step to get next to him and patted his shouler. "I was just kidding! You know how it is, right? Two warriors insult each other to fight at the best of their abilities. Look, I'll make it up to you."

Yushi frowned, then backed off as Yusei placed two fingers on his Zanpakuto and brought them down. "What are you-"

"I will fight you at the best of my ability! Behold, the true form of my Zanpakuto!" Yusei proclaimed as his nodachi began to glow red. "Pierce all that stand in your way, Yari no O!" His blade transfigured into a two-meter, bloody red-colored spear with black markings covering it. Between the tip of the spear and the end, barbed wires connected it.

Yushi didn't waste any time anticipating the danger and announced, "Overwhelm him with your might, Ikazuchiryu!" His Zanpakuto transformed into the monstrous naginata with several blades on each side.

"Hmmm? Polearm fighting polearm? Interesting," Yusei said. "Let's go!"

The two came forwards and stabbed their weapons forward. Unfortunately, Yushi's large naginata was much slower than Yusei's polearm spear. It pierced the tip of his shoulder's skin while the naginata missed. Yusei thought he had the advantage, but blinked in surprise as Yushi grabbed the hem of his shihakusho before stabbing the ground and unleashing glaives of the marble floor next to them. Yusei winced as some of the sharp tips of the glaives struck his body and produced rips on his uniform.

"Good! Good!" Yusei complemented him.

Yusei bolted forwards, using his Shunpo to circle around Yushi and strike his shoulder with his Yari no O. Yushi shrugged the attack off and stabbed the ground again to produce spears of marble, but Yusei easily dodged with his Flash Step.

"Bakudo #4, Hainawa!" Yushi yelled, causing strings of Reishi to appear and try to wrap around Yusei. Not only did the lieutenant dodge the attacks, he weaved through all of them to get to Yushi. Yushi brought his naginata up to block the attack, but Yusei simply kicked him away.

"Is that it?! Show me more, Yanagi!" Yusei roared, relentlessly pursuing him.

Yushi had slammed into the wall of the coliseum and barely had any time to recover to see Yusei running towards him. "Bakudo #8, Seki!" A blue orb appeared in front of his palm. Yusei was so preocuppied with beating Yushi up that he didn't even notice the blue orb and struck it, then yelped in pain as he was reflected off the spell and flew to the opposite side of the coliseum!

"That Bakudo of yours is quite powerful, but it isn't enough to stop a battle-loving warrior like me," Yusei taunted. "If this is all you've got, you won't survive in a serious fight. I'll show you the power of my Shikai!" He gathered some Reiatsu and compressed it into a replica of his spear in the palm of his hand. "If I strike the opponent with the original spear, I can create replicas of it that go twice as fast!"

"Tch!" Yushi pulled up his Ikazuchiryu to block it.

Yusei pulled back, then threw the spear as hard as he could. The spear came at such a blinding speed that Yushi blinked and the spear had wedged itself in the wall right next to his head. Then another instantly appeared to the left of his head. Then another at the right, then left side of his body.

"This is getting boring now," Yusei said with a fake yawn. He created another spear in his hand. "I'm gonna finish you off now."

'Dammit. This guy is mocking me,' Yushi thought, frowning his eyes. 'Hey sword. Do you have anything that can help me?'

'...'

'Nothing?'

'Why are you asking me? The form that I currently take has limitless possibilities. Are you saying that you can't find a way to defeat him with it?'

'Nope.'

'Fine. If you really want to know, the form that I currently take is what I call a 'cloak form,' if you will. The reason for this is because you cannot handle the true form of the Shikai, yet. It just doesn't suit the battle style you normally use.'

'Just do it now.'

'Alright. But with your experience, you won't be able to handle it.'

"Take... this!" Yusei roared, throwing his spear straight at Yushi.

Then he gasped as Yushi's Zanpakuto began to glow a bright yellow, enveloping Yusei's spear. He was shocked to see Yushi's Ikazuchiryu morph into a different form. Because it was created out of Yushi's Reiatsu enveloping his naginata and couldn't manifest in a solid form, Yusei could barely make out the form it was in now. All he could see was what looked like a naginata surging with electricity, missing all the blades, and having the large blade in the front replaced with a dragon head made of the same Reiatsu enveloping the naginata.

The dragon opened it's mouth and unleashed a groundshaking roar. Yusei couldn't stand his ground and was sent flying away into the audience stands and smashed into the seats.

As fast as Yushi's Zanpakuto changed into it's Reiatsu-focused form, it quickly reverted back into it's old form. Yushi stabbed Ikazuchiryu into the ground to lean on as he gasped in exhaustion.

Yusei groaned as aches popped in his back. He jumped from the stands to the ground and pointed his spear at Yushi, "That Zanpakuto you have... it's an evolution-type."

"Wha... What...?"

"It's quite rare among Shinigami to get an evolving-type Zanpakuto," Yusei said. "When a Shinigami has mastered the current form of his or her Zanpakuto, they usually go on to learn Bankai. However, there are some Zanpakuto that have alternate forms that don't resort to Bankai. Those alternate forms allow you to take advantage of another power of your Shikai. I believe in your case, yours takes the form of an elemental-type instead of a melee-type."

"Hmm..." Yushi pondered it for a moment, looking at his large naginata. "I guess using a lightning-type spear would be better than this behemoth."

He looked back to Yusei, who was walking away. "We're done training for today. Everyday, you and I will train for you to master your Shikai."

"Alright," Yushi said, nonchantly.

"Geez... you could be a little more happy."

"Dang it!" Suda cried as Jared broke his guard.

Suda continually dodged, ducked, or blocked Jared's strikes without trying to deliver one of his own because the captain wouldn't let him. On one occassion, Suda managed to capture Jared's blade inbetween his two blades and tried to kick him, but the captain easily slid his blade out before he could attack and jumped away.

He clashed blades with Jared and tried to break his guard. Jared grinned at his tenacity and pushed him back, but his eyes widened upon seeing Suda grinning and saying, "Hado #11, Tsuzuri Raiden!" Using his Reiryoku, he generated lightning from his Zanpakuto and it transfered over to Jared, causing him to get shocked. He winced in pain, but easily shrugged it off much to Suda's shock.

'His battle style is okay, but there's hardly anything to brag about,' Jared mused. 'Perhaps an extra kick in the balls will get his Zanpakuto's attention.'

Suda froze when he saw Jared place the blade of his Zanpakuto on his hand. With a cry of "Flee, Kyofu!" the katana transformed into a long, crescent moon blade with a wooden handle extending from the top and bottom points of the crescent for Jared to wield it. On each side was the rune of a raven with haunting eyes. Before Suda could react, the left eye of the raven glowed red, causing an aura to envelop the captain's body.

Suda trembled. "Wh... Why am I shaking like this?"

"As soon as I activated Kyofu, Tremble Form activates," Jared explained. "Exposure to nearby living beings causes them to tremble in fear."

'Ack... I can't stop shivering!' Suda thought, his eyes buldging wide in fear. 'What do I do?!'

'Y...'

Suda blinked in confusion, despite continuing to tremble. "What was that voice...?"

"Don't lower your guard! Here I come!" Jared roared, coming towards him.

Suda's body quaked in fear, so when he brought his blade up to guard, he fumbled his weapon and it was struck away by Jared's crescent-moon blade Shikai. Suda took a step backwards to retrieve his weapon, but his fear caused him to trip over his leg and fall. Jared scoffed, then moved backwards.

"Grab your blade and we'll continued," Jared ordered.

"Y-Yes, sir..." Suda mumbled.

He picked himself up and walked to his blade. As soon as he barely touched the weapon, he felt a voice reasonate from the blade to his consciousness. He could barely make out two words, and even then he still couldn't understand what it said.

'Yo... we...'

"Let go of your fear! It's true that the purpose of my Zanpakuto is to strike fear in the enemy's heart, but the fact that it is a Shikai means that it's still not at it's strongest! You can overcome this fear, Tsubaki!" Jared yelled.

Suda gasped for breath. 'Bad enough that I'm scared. But now I'm hearing voices in my head?'

Jared didn't move, so Suda took that as a sign that he should make the first move. Suda lunged towards him, but stopped upon coming within inches of the aura enveloping Jared's body. Another tremor shook his body and caused him to let go of his Zanpakuto. He grabbed his head as he felt the fear envelop his body, causing him to continually tremble and shake.

The captain sighed, deactivating and sheathing his Zanpakuto. "Alright, we're done for today. Tomorrow, we continue this training."

Suda nodded and picked up his Zanpakuto, but the moment he did, he heard it say two words clearly. Perhaps it was because nothing was interfering with Suda's body, or maybe fighting a Shikai had awakened his Zanpakuto. But the two words that he heard scared him more than Jared's Shikai.

'You're weak.'

Keruno walked back into his office to see Suda, Chotaro, and Yushi just sitting around. The three stood at attention upon seeing their captain.

"So, did you guys learn something?" Keruno asked.

"I learned that I desperately want to learn Kido, no matter what," Chotaro said.

"I learned that my sword's got more than meets the eye," Yushi said.

"I learned that my sword hates me," Suda mumbled.

"Great," He said. "You guys will be repeating your training every day for this month! By the end of this month, I expect you guys to be pure badasses! You better be super strong!"

"Yes sir!" "Yes sir..."

The only fact worth mentioning in the 8th Division, besides they being part of the most ghetto squad around, was their "hot" lieutenant. Haruna Ayagi was a curvy, fairly tall woman with long, blond hair tied into a ponytail with a blue ribbon and two bangs in front of her hair. Her blue eyes complemented her pale skin. She wore the normal Shinigami shihkusho with the lieutenant band, but her uniform revealed her assets a little.

Today should've been the start of several joyful days for Yusei Mizaki. He would be able to spend time with Haruna for the next thirty days as long as he trained Yushi. But instead, he was stuck in her office, doing paperwork for both the 8th and 11th Squads!

"Isn't this nice, Mizaki-kun?" Haruna asked, stamping some papers... and then stamping some more.

"Oh... whatever..." Yusei said, groaning.

Ending: "Homework ga Owaranai" by Matsuko Mawatari

Not a very eventful chapter, but the Beginnings Arc wasn't meant to progress the plot much. I hope you guys like the new OCs introduced here.

Jared Frederik - Lazyboredom
Yusei Mizaki - ZxZ Fic Hunter

I'm aware that I've introduced two new Zanpakuto, but I will only give information for Yusei's Shikai because the full extent of Jared's Shikai has not been revealed yet.

YARI NO O: 11th Division, Lieutenant Yusei Mizaki's Shikai Release. It is a melee Zanpakuto. In it's unreleased state, it takes the form of a nodachi with a red hilt and square tsuba. It is released by the phrase, "Pierce all that stand in your way!" In it's Shikai state, it transforms into a small, two-meter spear made of barbed wire with black markings around it. When he strikes an enemy with it, he can create replicas of the spear to throw at extremely fast speeds at the target.

Now, I have to say that the number of reviews I get tends to dwindle with each new chapter. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, and I know the main reason you're even looking at this fic is to see if you're OC has been introduced yet. However, please understand that most of the OCs won't be introduced in the Beginnings Arc. In fact, the next few chapters will rarely see a new OC from you guys as the story will shift to a different protagonist for awhile. The reason is not only for the plot, but for new readers to get in their OCs before I close the submissions form. Most of you guys won't see your OCs until the 11th chapter.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed!