"You shouldn't stay long Arashiwo Jixyouka should be revealing herself very soon…" he stated cryptically looking to the sky where growing on the moon a mirror image of the leaping wolf constellation was forming and in the distance seen only by Yoru was a storm that raged as its master tried to claim it.
Raiden smelled the clean scent of rain opening his eyes just as the first drops of rain fell on his head he scrambled to find cover in the lush forest.
"You'll never claim me if you keep running for cover Raiden…"a sweet soprano voice laughed "You must accept the storm for the good and the bad."
"I'll get sick if I stay out here in the rain…" Raiden stated looking around to find the source of the voice.
"Only if you do not accept the storm if you accept it then no matter how long you stay in my rains you will not get sick." The voice stated.
Raiden took a breath and stepped out into a clear area letting the rain hit him. It was pouring and he was getting soaked but he wasn't cold instead he was warm.
"That's it…now call my name you've known it for years…remember your love of storms how you always thought they cleansed everything and made everything new…remember and say my name…" the voice pleaded.
"Cleansing making everything new…storms…Arashiwo…"Raiden said softly trying to recall a memory long forgotten "Arashiwo Jixyouka…"
"About time you got it Raiden…" the voice stated from right behind him causing Raiden to jump.
He whirled around to see the mists coalesce into a huge wolf nearly identical to the one he had seen earlier in the day circling behind Kasumi except it was black with the runes on its back and tails being silver and instead of a crescent moon it had a silver star on its forehead with pale silvery eyes that showed immense intelligence married with a ferocity that could rarely be paralleled by another soul. He knew instantly that this was Arashiwo Jixyouka his zanpakuto. Reaching out hesitantly he touched the cheek of his zanpakuto spirit.
"You should wake up soon Raiden your friend is worried about you and no doubt looking to see what I can do…I almost feel bad for her with all the paperwork we're going to cause…oh and before I forget since my name is a bit of a mouth full you can call me Ara." The wolf stated.
"Ara will you be with me when I wake up I don't want to leave so soon…" Raiden stated feeling whole for the first time in more years than he cared to count.
"You're not going anywhere for a bit I have something for you but you must find it…" Ara stated leading Raiden to a clearing with many swords scattered about it "You must find the blade my spirit resides in…choose wisely or I will be lost to you for all time."
"How long do I have to find the blade?" Raiden asked unwilling to risk the loss of his zanpakuto spirit.
"As long as you need…" Ara stated.
"Alright then I'll find the blade." Raiden said determinedly picking through the blades before him.
At last he had gone through almost all the blades and still didn't see the right one until he noticed two wakizashi tied together giving off a healing aura but surrounded by the rage and fury of a storm at the same time. Grabbing the two swords he noticed that one had a circular pattern of winds and clouds for a tsuba like it was swirling around the hilt protectively while the other had a rectangular hilt with lightning bolts reaching each of the four corners of the tsuba while in between clouds and rain lashed outward like it was attacking whomever stood in its way their pommels were copies of the other blade's tsuba while both sheathes were the same rich royal blue with a golden wolf in a crescent moon emblazoned on each one.
"Have you decided Raiden?" Ara asked.
"Yes these two are the blades your spirit resides in." Raiden stated.
"Choose one blade…" Ara stated testing to see if Raiden was truly worthy of her power.
"I can't do that Ara without one the other would not be whole nor would it be half as powerful as the two together…" Raiden stated holding them in one hand.
"You've passed my test Raiden Nao…I will serve you faithfully to your last breath and beyond." Ara stated touching her nose to the twin blades the bonds holding them together were broken allowing Raiden to wear them as he pleased "You should do as you were told and wake up now…" Raiden blinked a couple times to clear his head and straighten out what had just happened to him.
"I see you were successful Raiden which means I was right…here drink some of this and have a bite to eat and we'll get started training…I'll be assessing you but Urahara will be your primary teacher now that you're a shinigami but I'll be assisting when I'm not asleep or on patrol. For the time being school is out for the both of us." Kasumi stated tossing Raiden a bottle of water and a bento picked up from the convenience store a few blocks over.
"I'm a shinigami…just like that?" Raiden asked confused.
"Heck no to become a fully-fledged shinigami you have to go to the Shino Academy in the soul society…right now you're a substitute shinigami which means you'll be visiting Captain Ukitake after you've been trained up enough." Kasumi stated drawing her zanpakuto from its sheath "Anyway draw your zanpakuto we're going to get started…and I'll promise to not do any real damage."
"WHAT?! You are not coming at me with that thing!" Raiden yelled jumping up from his seated position and quickly running away from Kasumi and her unsheathed zanpakuto.
His reaction drew a laugh from the battle hardened shinigami "You'll never get away from me like that…" Kasumi laughed flash stepping in front of him and bringing her blade down.
"WAHGH! Crap I forgot you can move like that!" Raiden yelled instinctively blocking Kasumi's sword with his own.
"Not bad Raiden…you're much better with real blades than you are a shinai…" Kasumi laughed. For the next several hours Kasumi and Raiden sparred until Raiden could barely stand.
"Alright enough for now Raiden dawn is only a few hours away...let's head up and get a bite to eat then you need to catch a few Z's while I go make sure the town is still in one piece…you never know with Gin…" Kasumi said looking back at Raiden who had fallen asleep on the sands of the training ground "Yoru…"
"Of course Kasumi…" Yoru said with a canine grin before slurping Raiden's face effectively waking him.
"What the…" he yelled scrubbing at his face to get the slobber off.
Kasumi couldn't stop laughing at Raiden as he scrubbed the slobber off his face shooting murderous glares at her while she rolled in the sand clutching her sides.
"Come on Raiden get upstairs and eat real quick then you can go to sleep…here take these as well…trust me you're going to thank me in a few hours when Urahara takes over. Before you ask my initial training was done by Urahara so believe me when I say rest when you can, eat when you can, and take the medicine I gave you. It will relieve sore muscles and pain from minor injuries. Urahara won't be as careful not to do damage as I was." Kasumi stated dusting herself off then leaping into the air and standing there waiting for Raiden.
"How are you doing that?!" Raiden asked stunned that Kasumi was standing on nothing.
"Feel what I'm doing and copy my actions you'll have to learn sooner or later and trust me when I say if you can lure your foes into the air for battle it makes it much safer for all concerned." Kasumi stated crossing her arms and walking about to make it easier for Raiden to figure out.
"Oh! Ok I got it…" Raiden exclaimed suddenly he took one small step into the air before jumping to the same level as Kasumi.
"Good now go eat and catch some Z's like I said I have to run a quick patrol around the town, make my report to my superiors and Urahara after all that I'm going to sleep as well Urahara will have Jinta or Ururu wake me up if I'm needed for your training.…ohhh the paperwork this is going to cause I'll be buried in it for months!" Kasumi groaned heading for the shop's entrance "Ururu would you take care of him while I take care of my report and a quick scan of the town?"
"Uh-huh…" the smaller girl nodded.
Kasumi walked outside and was gone in a flash. She raced around the town pausing every so often to reach out with her senses to make sure all was well then she would continue. In about two hours she had finished and was making her report to Captain-commander Yamamoto after filling in Urahara on Raiden's abilities.
"I think his potential is equal to mine sir…He is not as skilled with his zanpakuto yet as I was but then again I had him emerge from jinzen as soon as he acquired his zanpakuto instead of staying in his inner world for seven days straight like I did…I determined that it was safer that way Captain Hitsugaya can vouch for how weak I was immediately after I woke." Kasumi stated from her kneeling position her head bowed out of respect in front of the monitor.
"I see Kasumi…I will trust your judgment on that. I hereby order you to assist Kiskue Urahara in training the boy in addition to continuing to provide backup for Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Matsumoto." Captain-commander Yamamoto stated.
"Yes sir I will do my best." Kasumi stated fighting the urge to yawn and scrubbed her eyes.
"Get some rest young one I will fill Captain Hitsugaya in for you." Captain-commander Yamamoto said kindly.
"Yes sir thank you…" Kasumi stated gratefully rising and exiting the communications room.
She walked down the hall to the room where Raiden was sleeping and collapsed on the extra futon set up next to Raiden's that Ururu had kindly laid out knowing Kasumi was going to come in too tired for words. With a small sigh she gratefully slid into a blessedly dreamless slumber. The sun was rising when Raiden woke he rolled over to see Kasumi dead to the world in the bed next to his and couldn't help but smile. The competent, strong, seemingly invulnerable 4th seat of Squad 10 lay there stripped of all pretense or defense she looked so vulnerable and cute despite the fangs, claws, and the sword that was still draped over her shoulder from where she had dropped on the mattress not even bothering to take it off or pull a blanket over herself. He got up and gently draped his blanket over her his smile growing wider as she burrowed deeper into the warm blanket with a soft sigh inhaling his scent before Raiden went to look for some breakfast. Not long after Raiden had descended to the training ground with Urahara to begin his first day of training Kasumi woke with a start feeling an all too familiar presence that disappeared as quickly as she sensed it.
'It can't be him…he's been dead for years…' she thought paling and breaking out in a cold sweat despite her self-reassurances.
Kasumi shook herself out of her moment of terror wrapping her arms around Yoru who had manifested at about half of his normal size upon sensing his master's distress.
"Will you be alright Kasumi?" Yoru asked his shaking master resting his head against her back moving it up and down slowly in an attempt to soothe Kasumi.
She let out a shaky breath and nodded in reply not trusting her voice at that moment burying her face in his soft fur. After a few minutes had passed Kasumi was able to stand and go look for something to eat she was still a little pale but it would be dismissed by most everyone as a long hard day yesterday except for her captain and lieutenant who would know exactly what had caused the paleness. After she ate Kasumi went down to the training ground to do some practice with Yoru until she was needed to help train Raiden.
"Don't mind me boys…Yoru and I were going to do a little one on one for a bit." Kasumi said brightly carefully masking the remnants of her earlier panic attack "Alright Yoru you ready?"
"Of course Kasumi…" he replied having taken on his humanoid form.
"Alright then…Awaken and fall from the heavens, Hokkixyokuyoruken!" Kasumi said releasing her shikai.
With a growl she launched herself at Yoru sending out a spray of ice shards only to have them turned back on her. Dodging quickly but not quickly enough her left leg caught a few shards causing Kasumi to gasp but she kept moving to avoid the blades of ice Yoru sent her way and launch a close range attack from behind. Yoru countered her blade at the last moment with his own blade and used their ice whip to force Kasumi back. Shortly after Kasumi had begun training Urahara allowed Raiden to take a break so he could watch Kasumi train against Yoru and see what he had the potential to become.
"She's amazing…" Raiden commented to Urahara.
"Well of course she is she used to be one of my students and a particularly bright one at that…" Urahara said smugly watching Kasumi dodge an attack similar to one of his easily.
"Alright Yoru enough playing we've both had a good warm up…" Kasumi said bringing the pommel of her sword to meet her left hand as her reiatsu began to surround her like ice cold flames.
"Ooh she's going to use her bankai…" Urahara stated excitedly fanning himself.
"Howl with the fury of the arctic winds, Arekuruukaze Hokkixyokuyoruken!" Kasumi roared ripping her hand away from the pommel of her blade to grasp the chain that had appeared with a star shaped blade on the end. She slowly circled Yoru swinging the star shaped blade in slow menacing circles. It was Yoru who launched the first attack slashing at Kasumi who leapt back before swinging her star shaped blade at Yoru scoring a hit. The two combatants continued blissfully unaware of their surroundings and the fact that their audience was growing.
"What happened last night Urahara? There's only one reason Kasumi trains like this." Captain Hitsugaya asked concerned for his friend and subordinate.
"Kasumi arrived around nine pm requesting the use of the training ground…she brought Raiden down and didn't come topside until approximately three am…she left Raiden in Ururu's care so she could run a quick patrol around the town to ensure Gin did his job…made her report to old man Yamamoto then as far as I know slept peacefully till she came down here this morning." Urahara stated snapping his fan closed "You don't think she was having flash backs do you…"
"I don't know that for sure but I do know she only trains like this after a flash back…" Captain Hitsugaya stated frowning and crossing his arms.
"Flash backs of what? She's seems fine to me…" Raiden stated.
"Flash backs of her time in Hueco Mundo…" Matsumoto stated watching the scene sadly.
"She mentioned that last night when she was walking me home…she said that if her eyes went dead as in no life but she was still very much alive she said for me to run as far and fast as I could…" Raiden stated confusion blanketing his face.
"There's a good reason for that Raiden. She was kidnapped and held in the ruins of a place called Los Noches located in the hollow's realm called Hueco Mundo where she was put through painful experiments by an arrancar that had survived the winter war fifty-five years ago. By the time we got to her she was a living shell…her eyes were dead all the life and energy that had once surrounded her had been systematically extinguished by the monster that held her…" Captain Hitsugaya stated clenching his fist "She had been turned into a monster somewhere between a human and a wolf…she had been beaten and shocked by a collar around her neck whenever the monster holding her was displeased…she had been poorly fed judging by the way the rags of her uniform had hung on her…she was forced to attack us…her friends that had come to rescue her and bring her home…it's been about fourteen years since then and even though she's fine most of the time now a day's she'll still have a bad day once in a while and when her eyes go totally dead she becomes feral recognizing neither friend nor foe in her mind there is no difference during those times. It takes four captains at maximum power to bring her down and even then it's a difficult process."
"Captain Hitsugaya don't you think you should stop her? She's getting tired…" Matsumoto said noting yet another hit being scored by Yoru.
"Yes we can't have her getting herself hurt badly…Captain Komamura would be annoyed if his protégé got hurt…" Captain Hitsugaya stated leaping from their vantage point.
"Protégé? For what?" Raiden asked.
"Captain Komamura is the Captain in charge of preparing Kasumi to become Captain of the 5th squad." Matsumoto asked as she watched her captain put a stop to Kasumi's training session.
"So she really meant it when she said she's as powerful as Captain Hitsugaya…" Raiden said in disbelief.
"Yes she was easily as powerful as I am when we found her and she has only grown more powerful since then…personally I think she could incapacitate Captain Hitsugaya with only her reiatsu if she unleashed all of it at once. The whole Seireitei knew when she achieved bankai. The reiatsu burst from the release knocked out lower ranked shinigami in the immediate vicinity and it was hard on some of the lower seated officers too." Matsumoto stated proudly.
Raiden returned his attention to Kasumi who was being treated by her zanpakuto spirit and Captain Hitsugaya mulling over the information he had learned.
'I want to protect her…from her nightmares real and imagined…' Raiden thought realizing that he there was no way he could at his current level.
"Urahara let's get back to work…there's something I want…no…I need to protect no matter how great the cost may be to myself but I know I'm not strong enough to even begin to have the audacity to think of protecting it yet." Raiden stated drawing the twin blades that made up his zanpakuto and moving off to another area of the training ground.
Urahara and Matsumoto exchanged a knowing look before drawing their respective zanpakuto.
"Captain I'm really fine it was nothing…" Kasumi stated trying to put her friend at ease.
"Let me be the judge of that Kasumi." Captain Hitsugaya stated.
With a sigh Kasumi stated "I thought I felt his reiatsu looming over the shop…but that's impossible…" she averted her eyes knowing the haunted look in them would only worry her captain even more.
"I'll have Urahara check his sensors if anything got near enough for you to sense it then his sensors would have too." Captain Hitsugaya stated putting a comforting hand on his subordinate's shoulder.
"I'm sorry for worrying you captain…you'd think fourteen some odd years later I wouldn't still have this problem…" Kasumi stated wryly as she dusted herself off.
"I hate to say it Kasumi but I don't think you'll ever be completely free of the scars left by that particular time…even after fifty-five years I can still see Momo impaled on my zanpakuto like it was only seconds ago…" Captain Hitsugaya said shaking his head to remove the unwanted image "Go take over for Urahara and I'll have him check his sensors for any unusual reiatsu patterns."
"Yes sir…Thanks…" Kasumi stated leaping into the fray that was a sparring match between Urahara, Matsumoto, and Raiden.
When Kasumi, Raiden, and Matsumoto took a break to eat lunch before Yoruichi stepped in to teach Raiden flash step, hohō, and hakuda Urahara pulled Captain Hitsugaya aside.
"Kasumi was right…there was an arrancar that appeared briefly over the shop before returning to Hueco Mundo…the reiatsu signature was close but not a complete match to the arrancar that experimented on Kasumi." He stated watching Captain Hitsugaya absorb the news.
"So what does that mean Urahara? Do we need to put Kasumi under protection?" Captain Hitsugaya asked watching Kasumi easily fend off an attack from Raiden's shikai before Yoruichi stepped in.
"Not my call Captain Hitsugaya but I would be on my guard and keep a close eye on Kasumi." Urahara stated watching Kasumi laugh when she paused in the game of tag Yoruichi had going between them trying to teach Raiden flash step.
"She's been ordered to help you train Raiden in addition to providing back up for me and Matsumoto…for the time being I will leave her at your disposal…use her to train Raiden as much as you can so that she'll be too tired to patrol and send Ichimaru in her place. I'll relay the situation to the soul society…damn it Kasumi just can't get shut of that damned arrancar. When I found out that it wasn't the first time Kasumi had been taken I went through and read the reports on her first kidnapping. Ukitake, Kyōraku, and Unohana were the ones that made up the extraction/relocation team while Komamura, Zaraki, and Kuchiki were assigned to fight and get the extraction team in on orders from Yamamoto they never saw Kasumi. After reading their reports I realized why Unohana, Kyōraku, and Ukitake were so surprised to see Kasumi when she was introduced to the captains…they had been the ones to rescue her the first time." Captain Hitsugaya stated watching Kasumi's blade being stopped by the mists of Arashiwo Jixyouka "I'll be in the communications room keep her here Urahara…there's no need to bring up painful memories."
"Agreed…what should I tell her? You know she's likely to ask…" Urahara asked.
"Tell her there was an anomaly…you're looking into it. Then you disappear to your lab and mock up something to fit the story in the off chance she actually bothers to look into it." Captain Hitsugaya stated.
"Understood go ahead I'll feed her the story you report in to the soul society…I have the data ready for transmission when you need it." Urahara stated glancing at Kasumi with his usual enigmatic stare.