Simple Movements [Solo]

Ailin sat quietly in front of the field that was the scene of her kidō class earlier that day. The sun was close to the setting and he would be here soon. A fellow 6th year student whom when she truly thought about it, she knew very little about had agreed to train with her that evening. She saw him around campus a lot, shared a few classes, and had talked to him a few times, but actually getting to know one another wasn’t something that came up. He was one of the more outgoing people in his class and his overall personality irritated her to an extent, but he was still a formidable opponent and a decent teacher. ‘He doesn’t have to do this for me. . . I should be thankful that even one of my classmates would even consider training with me.’ Ailin thought.

Ailin could feel a light blanket of reiatsu covering the training ground, and looked to her right to see a few of the younger students had gathered to watch. ‘You just can’t keep your mouth shut for a minute can you Tsukimiya.’ She thought as she turned her head back and closed her eyes. She didn’t feel his reiatsu as he approached, but heard the peal of the single bell that he constantly wore on his right ear.

“Falling asleep on me already Tao?” She heard his voice come from behind her, and the whispers that came from the younger students who could only gawk at him and his looks. She opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him, the long pieces of her hair falling on her lap with a light chime from the bells hanging on the ends. She needed to make the training field as even as possible and if that meant doing such a thing as wearing a bell then she would willingly oblige.

“Of course not Tsukimiya. I see you brought your fanclub with you.” She said, the humor in her voice obvious. She didn’t know if he actually brought them here with him, but someone had obviously let it out that there would be students training here and since it wasn’t Ailin it had to be him. ‘I heard he likes an audience, but they weren’t what I was expecting.’ She thought as her eyes flickered from him to the small crowd of girls and back.

“I didn’t bring them here.” She heard him say in his soft tenor voice, his dark hazel eyes glinting in what sunlight was left. “I merely told a few of them that two upperclassmen would be practicing some of the basic kidō movements today and that it would be in there best interest to come watch.” He said, automatically making it seem as though Ailin was being irrational by thinking that they were there to watch him. His voice matched hers in the humor it showed, the grin on his face making it apparent that he was indeed trying to embarrass her.

She should’ve felt a rush of embarrassment from his comment, but instead felt absolutely nothing. Her eyes simply staring back at him. If she had been younger, if she had been less refined, then maybe his words could’ve sparked a reaction, but as it stood now, they were only words. “Perhaps we should start? We can’t expect them to let us stay here all night.” Her voice was calm, the smile still present on her face.

“After you.” She heard him reply, as he held his across his body, his fingers pointing towards the small grassy courtyard away from his followers. Rising to her feet, Ailin walked towards the center of the field and waited for his next set of instructions.

“I’d like to start with you trying to restrain me, before we move into the damaging kidō techniques. If one is able to restrain their opponent quickly then a lot of damage to fellow comrades can be avoided. If there are multiple opponents, then restraining some of them can ultimately allow you to avoid death.” Ailin listened intently to every word he was saying. He was her teacher at the moment and deserved to be treated with as much respect as she would give to any of the teachers at the Academy.

“So try to restrain me by any means necessary.” He concluded as he disappeared from her sight. From what Ailin had heard about Tsukimiya and what she had experienced, he was one that liked to talk and flirt, but when it came down to training and improvement he was completely serious. His main goal was to eventually join the Onmistukidô and with how easy kidō came to him, his goal didn’t seam completely senseless. His determination and his skill in this area were one of the reasons she had asked to train with him.

“Are you going to catch me or not Tao?” She heard him say with a light chuckle from directly behind her. With a 180-degree turn her right hand jetted out in front of her; middle and pointer finger straight, touching his chest. “Bakudo #1: Sai.” She whispered as she moved her hand swiftly to the side, her arm parallel to the ground. It was the first kidō movement that she was taught as a student wasn’t a hard one to perform and thus came in handy every now and again, but only if one could perform it in time. “Too slow.” She heard him laugh as he moved though the grass.

Following after him through the field was easy, but restraining someone in such a small place with spectators proved to be quite difficult. ‘I can try to injure him, I can try to alter his movements, but if I hit one of his followers we might have a problem.’ She thought as her eyes darted from him to the audience once again. There were a few more people standing there. . . It seemed as though his audience had friends. ‘Focus Ailin, another binding spell. . . You need to catch him.’ She thought as she stopped and faced in his direction. She moved both her hands in front of her and started to focus her energy, her voice soft, but still audible.

“Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini. Look upon yourself with horror and tear out your own throat!” The incantation came out of her mouth her hands positioned right in front of her in the place where Tsukimiya stood. Pulling her left are in with two fingers pointed up towards the sky, she swiftly moved her hand across her body and then again in the opposite direction as an orange-yellow rope of energy shot from her open palm away from where Tsukimiya was standing. “Bakudo #10: Hōrin!” Ailin said, her voice louder than before. She could hear him laughing, as his bell chimed away. The kidō had hit something, but she wasn’t sure exactly what.

Her kidō dropped instantly, when she saw him standing there, a light blue shield visible around where he was standing. ‘Shit.’ Ailin thought as she looked at him and the smile he held on his face. She watched him drop his shield and heard him speak once more. “Of all the defensive kidō I’ve seen. . . Seki is one of the ones that are overlooked the most by younger students. Being able to repel an attack is just as important as being able to counter one.” He explained. He was in the same year as her, but it was obvious who had taken kidō lessons and lectures more seriously. “You were able to detect that I wasn’t still in your line of sight, but you even after you were able to sense that you still relied on your vision heavily to aim your Bakudo. Your other senses are just as important as sight itself. . . Perhaps you should try taking it away for a little bit?” He finished.

Ailin thought he was kidding. If she was going to take away her sight, then who knows what she was going to hit with her kidō spells. “You want me to blind myself?” She questioned, though he had made it obvious what his intentions were. Taking a moment to think about what he was asking her to do, Ailin closed her eyes, letting her other senses do a little bit of work for her supposed survival.

“Listen to my voice. . . The sound of the grass moving. . . The ting of the bell in my ear.” She heard him say as he she could sense him moving around her. ‘Clear your mind Ailin.’ She thought to herself as she let him run in the oblong shape around her.

‘Follow his movements. . . Focus your energy. . . Swift movements in a confined space mean a net will be enough to suffice. But to create that net you'd have to physically surround him.’ She thought, running through the kidō that she had studied in her head. He could easily avoid her if he could see her, but like her own sight his couldn’t be flawless. She could hear the bell in his ear indicate his movements and the points where he hit the ground. The pattern in his movements familiar. He had used this technique before.

"Hainawa." She whispered as she continued to calculate his movements. His reiatsu was stronger than everyone else that surrounded the area, as if he were a peacock in a flock of geese. Pinpointing where he would be after each movement, she opened her eyes and lifted her hands directly in front of her; her voice calmly saying “Bakudo #4: Hainawa.” A golden rope seeming to blast from her hands, hitting him directly.

Her maroon eyes set themselves on Tsukimiya who was entangled in the golden rope of her kidō, a smile on his face. The bell from his ear ringing as he tried to break the binds that held him. "If your eyes had been open. . . You would've missed me." Ailin heard him say; mocking her.

"Shut up." Was the only response she could think of. She knew that he was right, if he hadn't requested that she closed her eyes, then she wouldn't have seen the pattern in his movements.

“And once you have the opponent caught.” His voice cut off as his hazel eyes gazed back at her as she took a few steps back to her original position. ‘Catching your opponent is only the first part. Then you kill them.’ She thought. Without realizing it her hand had moved to reach for the hilt of her zanpakutô. “If there’s one opponent you continue fighting, making it impossible for him to harm others.” She started as her hand lifted from the black hilt. “However if there’s more than one, you take in the situation quickly and if your comrades need help then you restrain the opponent with whatever means necessary or you kill them if you can.” Her voice was low, but clear. Had Tsukimiya let himself get caught on purpose?

“Take me seriously Tsukimiya. . . I’m not the same child I was the last time you helped me train.” Ailin said as she moved her hand to point directly at him. “Hado #4: Byakurai!” She said as a blue light shot from her fingers directed at him the golden rope dropping almost immediately after she fired. ‘I don’t want to hurt him. . . Not yet.’ She thought as she watched him move out of range. He stepped to the side, her shot narrowly missing his left arm as he turned to her smiling.

‘Don’t patronize me.’ She thought as she waited for his next instruction. Watching his eyes flicker to the students behind her, he motioned for one of them to step forward and join them. She was already getting tired. . . She had used a lot of reiryoku just trying to restrain him, but she would keep going. . . She had to keep going.

“What’s your name?” Ailin watched as Tsukimiya’s attention turned to the girl who he had called out of his little “Fanclub.” The girl had bright green eyes and blond hair that fell just above her shoulders. Ailin watched as she spoke with Tsukimiya, her soft alto voice shaking with what seemed to be a mixture of excitement and embarrassment.

‘Concentrate on your breathing. . . He’s not done.’ Ailin thought to herself as she tried to calm herself down. Just trying to restrain him had taken so much out of her, but they were in the same class. Both considered 6th year students, but there was one difference. ‘He’s an actual 6th year. I was passed along through to graduation a couple years early because what they think they see in me.’ She thought as her eyes flickered on the two figures in front of her.

“I’d like you to meet Iwate Yukiko, a 2nd year. She’ll be helping us for a little bit.” She heard Tsukimiya say as he looked over at her, a grin on his face. “The next exercise is simple; so simple it only has 1 rule.” He said as he took a short break, letting his words sink into Ailin’s mind. ‘Don’t say it. Don’t say it.’ Ailin thought, knowing exactly what he had in mind.

“Protect her for 5 minutes.” He paused as he let the girl move away from him. Ailin knew that he wasn’t above actually hurting the girl, he had probably just explained this to her when he asked her to participate. ‘Was that why she was shaking?’ Dismissing the thought, Ailin quickly positioned herself between Iwate and Tsukimiya. He was approaching slowly, probably trying to decipher what Ailin’s next move would be.

‘Move him away and restrain him?’ Ailin questioned herself, but it was almost out of the question. To restrain him she would have to use even more reiryoku and she couldn’t just exert various amounts and still be a good shield. That method wouldn’t last long and Tsukimiya was capable of maneuvering around those spells with ease. “Move towards the wall over there. . . It will be much safer for you if I only have to worry about one side to protect.” Ailin said looking at Iwate and pointing to the cement wall behind them before turning her attention back to Tsukimiya.

‘Move the target away. . . Create distance then set up a barrier of some sort.’ Ailin searched her mind through the kidō she had studied. He wanted to show the students the more basic kidō, but there weren’t many at her disposal to choose from. “Hado #1: Sho!” Ailin’s voice cut the silence that seemed to have surrounded them, lifting her hand to point directly at Tsukimiya. ‘It might not work, but it will get his attention from Iwate to me.’ She thought, but to her surprise Tsukimiya neither dodged it nor did he block the attack, but let it send him flying to the center of the field.

“Flinging him back can’t hold him off for long.” Ailin heard a girl’s voice from behind her, automatically assuming it was Iwate. “The field is small. He could attack me within seconds of standing up.” She heard the girl’s voice get softer, most likely the thought of actually being hurt was running through her head. The kidō that she had studied in depth weren’t meant for this.

“Hado #4: Byakurai.” Ailin heard Tsukimiya’s tenor voice and rushed towards Iwate. Her mind going blank of all the protective spells she knew, she didn’t know what had come over her, but she actually cared if the attack that Tsukimiya had projected would hurt Iwate or not. “Stop the Impelling Shot, from a Prompt arrival.” She heard Iwate’s voice again, weaker, uncertain, but it was enough. She watched the girl put her hands in front of her body. “Bakudo #3: Sutoppu!” She heard the girl yell out at what seemed to be full force and the beam of energy freeze.

‘It will only last a few seconds.’ She thought as she lunged herself forward to push Iwate’s small frame out of the way; the beam of energy hitting the spot in the wall where Iwate’s head was just moments before. “Are you okay?” Ailin’s voice came out a little harsher than she meant for it to be. ‘Stupid Tsukimiya. . . He knows I hate protection jobs.’ She thought as she looked the girl over, making sure she was okay.

While making sure that Iwate wasn’t injured, Ailin had missed the fact that the hazel-eyed boy had already approached her, his hand across his body as if he were going to strike at her. His hand cut through the air as Ailin’s arms reached up to block, his hit sending her flying. She landed a few meters away, the grass breaking most of her fall. Looking over at the two of them, she saw the distance, or lack there of, between Iwate and Tsukimiya. . . Her eyes narrowing in determination.

“Hado #1-” Ailin started, her breathing staggered a little from the pressure that she felt in her chest and the fatigue she felt in her brain. “Sho.” She said, her eyes staring directly at Iwate, sending the girl flying away from Tsukimiya himself.

“You attacked the person you were supposed to protect Tao.” Tsukimiya said, disdain in his voice. She could see Iwate’s small frame lifting herself from the ground to sit up. “I only did it to protect her from you.” Ailin said as she lifted herself from the ground. ‘I have no choice but to restrain him.’ She concluded to herself. There were kidō that she had read about, but had never actually used that could create a barrier.

“I give. . . I don’t care anymore.” Ailin said, her voice cold and discerning. “If you really intended on hurting her, you would’ve done so long ago Tsukimiya.” Ailin continued to strike at his ego, she just needed him to rant at her for a bit. ‘Just look at me.’ She thought as she prepared to blind him. “You really haven’t changed have you Tao?” She heard him laugh as he turned to look at her. “Bakudo #5: Senko.” Ailin whispered as a bright flash came from where she stood. Within seconds of the flash Ailin was moving towards him, watching him blink from the light.

"Demons below limit the one before me in your arts" The incantations came in a smooth flow. “Bakudo #2: Hanko-Nensho” She said as her hands pushed hard on his abdomen, forcing him to stumble back from the shock. “It’s useless. . . He wasn’t going to use any high kidō on you anyway.” She heard Iwate’s voice come from a few meters away. “Doesn’t matter. . . Time’s just about up.” Ailin explained to her, breathing heavily.

“Don’t turn your back on me Tao.” She heard Tsukimiya’s voice. Turning her head back to look at him, she saw his hand pointing directly at her. “Hado #1: Sho!” She heard him shout as her body was flung to the other side of the field landing on her back in the grass; bouncing into the air a few times from the amount of force Tsukimiya had exerted.

Ailin tried to lift herself up from the ground, but her muscles were screaming in protest; the most she could manage was leaning on her elbows, Tsukimiya and Iwate in her sight. ‘I failed.’ She thought as she watched them, but instead of hurting the girl, Tsukimiya simply patted her head. “Thank you for your help Yukiko-chan.” Ailin heard him say as she let herself fall back to the ground.

Closing her eyes Ailin listened to him talk to the other students watching. Listened to him explain to them that the showcase was over for the day, but to be on the lookout for future events. She could hear the footsteps pass her as the students left the practice field.

“You need to learn how to control yourself Tao. To have to resort to using to many kidō for two tasks is something that is beyond me.” She heard his voice, but didn’t feel like paying attention anymore. He was getting closer to her, his footsteps right beside her before they disappeared all together. The only sound left in the field was the small chime of a single bell.

“I completed the task. . . Besides, I’ll be fine in a minute.” Ailin responded, humor in her voice. The completion of a task was hardly enough reason for someone to push themselves to the furthest limit, testing the waters. ‘It wasn’t me testing the waters, it was me forcing myself to improve.’ She thought to herself as she saw him looking down at her.

“Being “Fine” and being “Able” are two different things. Let’s continue in a few days; we still have a couple weeks before finals and I still have a few more things I want to show you and possibly demonstrate for a few of the underclassmen.” She heard Tsukimiya say as he held his hand out for her to grasp. Taking his hand, Ailin let him lead her to entrance into the school from the training field.

Continued in - Extended Discipline [Solo]