Further Erudition - Bankai 1

As Kurama entered the inner world, he was surprised to see it was not in its usual state of peace and tranquility. Instead, it was a raging sea of storm clouds and crashing waves. The only place that seemed safe within the plane was the peak of the mountain where his master sat. He peered through the darkness and he could faintly make out the outline of his master, meditating like he always did in the very same spot...

Kurama floated over, which didn't seem odd to him now that he'd gotten the hang of it. The boy sat cross-legged in front of his master and began to meditate with him. Hours passed, completely silent despite the chaos that surrounded them. The winds began to calm themselves slightly as he meditated, after they'd calmed themselves to the point that the two were able to speak to one another without shouting they both opened their eyes and looked up at each other.

"You wish to speak to me about something." Kurounin Aisu said to the boy, it was not a question; Kurama would not be here if this were not the case. "Yes, master. I feel I am ready to learn more of the abilities we share. It has been some time since I've last trained with you and already it seems that my equals have surpassed me..." He looked away from his master as he finished his statement... Kurounin Aisu nodded, he knew that Kurama disliked seeming impatient in front of him and that his student felt ashamed of coming to his master about the issue rather than he coming to Kurama... "He who does not rouse himself when it is time to rise, who, though young and strong, is full of sloth, whose will and thought are weak, that lazy and idle man will never find the way to knowledge."

Kurama looked back up at his master surprised. "Can you read my thoughts as well?", he asked. His master shook his head, "Not in the manner that you are asking, but I know that your mind is full of chaos. These storms around us are a representation of your troubled mind, and the expression you had once you'd stated that which was on you mind told me all I needed to know." Kurama nodded, his master was truly a wise man. It shamed him slightly that he was still surprised by the things his master said or did, though he felt relieved that his mind was freed of the troubling thoughts he'd had. The clouds began to part and the seas began to calm themselves, the waters returning to whence they came. Kurama smiled and stood up, ready to see what his master had to teach him.

"In order to teach you anything further, I am going to have to use a new method of training... Which involves entering your world... Do you think you'd be able to summon me there?" Kurama thought for a moment before nodding. He left his master with a bow and returned his spirit to the soul society...

To better prepare himself for whatever it was that his master had planned, he traveled to a region within the Soul Society with mimicked his inner world as much as possible. He found a desolate mountainous tundra which would work perfectly. Kurama spent hours travelling to the peak, where he sat down and meditated. It was hard to breath at such a height so he had to sink into a deep state of meditation before he was able to control his breathing, requiring less oxygen to preform. He unsheathed he zanpakuto and laid it on the ground before him, trying to focus his thoughts before attempting to summon his master.

Eventually he called out his name... "Kurounin Aisu." and opened his eyes to see his master was kneeling before him. The old man nodded in approval and stood up, motioning for Kurama to do the same... He began to walk down the steep slope that was the side of the mountain. Kurama looked confused, he usually only had to listen as his master spoke of a new ability and the boy would attempt it. His master had never actually stood up to train him...

Curious, Kurama followed his master down the mountainside, solidifying the reishi beneath his feet for he could not seem to walk downwards at such an angle as his master could. As the two neared the bottom, the waters began to freeze, allowing for Kurounin Aisu to walk across. As he did so, more and more of the sea began to freeze over. It was like a large ice rink, though no one was skating... His master finally stopped after walking a few more meters towards the center of the sea, then turned to face his student. "In order to achieve what is known as Bankai, you are going to have to surpass me on the field of battle." Kurama's eyes widened, he's never had to fight his master before, though he new it wasn't going to be a walk in the park... The man had lived hundreds, possibly even thousands of Kurama's lifetimes... "Not only that, you will have to do so without my aid. This means you will not even be able to use the kido that my powers allow you to wield." Not only did Kurama's jaw drop, but his heart skipped a beat. His breathing seemed to cease, and his mind stopped completely. It was as if some one had hit the off button, he was completely absent of all emotion. His master waited for him to finish his semi-state of shock, watching as he gasped for air and shook his head in disbelief.

"Are you ready to continue?" He asked, though Kurama was hesitant to respond. "Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely." Kurama slowly nodded, his masters words were true. Besides, he had no intention of dying... There were still too many things in life he had to live for. "I am ready, master." Kurounin Aisu nodded once more, "Then let us begin..."

Kurama felt a cold breeze wash over him as his powers were sapped. His robes turned a pure white and his zanpakuto vanished entirely, not even the sheath remained. He stood there, and for the first time in his life, he shivered from the intense cold that surrounded him. His master's face grew even more serious than it usually was, dark creases forming on his aged brow. He held out his hand and his katana appeared before him, shimmering as it became one with its original owner. Kurounin Aisu drew the blade, causing a huge wave of spiritual energy to erupt over the thick layer of ice beneath them. Despite its impressive thickness and durability, the ice seemed to buckle under the immense strength of his master's reiatsu.

Kurama took a defensive stance, preparing himself to leap out of the way should his master attack. The sage looked at the boy, analyzing his strengths and weaknesses. He knew the first thing the bow would try would be to dodge his attacks, this suited him for the time being... He used a senka to appear behind Kurama and lashed out with a powerful horizontal cut. The shinigami leaped out of the way and rolled forward a few feet to distance himself from his opponent. The ice sent chills down his back, without being able to release any spiritual energy himself, Kurama was left at the mercy of the arctic temperature. His skin was soon covered in goosebumps and his teeth began to chatter...

His master took a few bounds forward, coming at him straight on with a jump attack, a vertical cut aimed at Kurama's head. The boy jumped to the side but didn't expect to see his master swinging once more at him from his right... The sage had all the speed that Kurama wielded and more, there was no dodging him. Kurama leapt up and tumbled forward, barely dodging the katana as it sailed underneath him. He scrambled back to his feet and gasped for air as realized he'd been holding it in. "Breath as you move. Each action should be accompanied by a fresh breath of air, otherwise you'll exhaust yourself. If you pass out before this lesson is over, you will not ever achieve bankai."

Kurama continued to dodge the attacks as they flew at him from all angles. He attempted to reserve his strength and flash step as rarely as he could, if his master planned to do this for any length of time, he'd need as much energy as he could get. After about thirty minutes or so of this type of fighting, his master changed his strategy. He was pleased to see that the boy was reserving his energy but there was not much to gain by simply dodging attacks. Kurama's speed wasn't being questioned but rather his ability to think under stress and the duration that he could handle being faced with almost certain death...

"Touketsu Reiki." Out of seemingly nowhere, a blizzard of ice shards and snow flakes erupted. Kurounin Aisu began to glow a light shade of blue, and his muscles began to ripple with renewed vitality. The katana in his hands transformed into the familiar looking nodachi that was inherent to his Shikai release. The sage charged at him with a newfound ferocity, slashing at Kurama with such power than when the boy dodged the blow, a giant chunk of ice was wrenched from the battlefield. The goal now was not to measure Kurama's dexterity, but rather his endurance. He would now have to ensure that he dodged each blow for reserving his energy now could prove fatal. This was something he was about to demonstrate to him through example...

The next attack came at Kurama at such a blinding speed that he could not possibly dodge it, but instead lessen the damage somewhat by throwing his hands up in defense. The nodachi cut into the boys arms and sent him flying backwards several yards. The wounds were not fatal, luckily, though it was enough of a message to cause Kurama to step up his game. Kurounin Aisu lashed out again, with just as much power and speed placed into the attack as the last. Kurama flash stepped far out of reach, skidding an inch or so once he'd reappeared several meters away. His master turned towards him and held up his blade, it shimmered as he poured more or his spirit energy into it. "Aisu Shaddo."

The boy watched as the blade seemed to shatter away yet as the ice shards began to fall away from it and rise into the air, the blade remained... Almost as if he simultaneously replaced it as it was destroyed... Dozens of shards flew into the air, their numbers seemed to exceed a hundred, and he didn't doubt that was within his master's abilities. The shards gathered into groups of about six, each orbiting their wielder as if squadrons of fighter pilots. With a flick of his wrist two groups of shards flew out at him. He flash stepped to one side, only to find that another pair of groups were heading towards him once again. The sage not only had the advantage in power, but in mental ability as well. An expert strategist this man was, and Kurama would have to think just as critically if he were going to survive this battle.

He continued to flash step around the battlefield, watching as the shards began to follow a pattern of attack. He noticed that his master wasn't leaving behind any shards to defend himself. If Kurama got lucky, he might be able to sneak an attack in on the old man. He waited for a few minutes, continuing to flash step as if he had no intention of changing tactic, then decided to take the opportunity before it was too late... He used a senka to get in close and aimed a punch directly at his spine. Before he could land the hit however, Kurouning Aisu used his third ability... "Hyousetsu Katachi."

The old man exploded into a large mass of snow, adding to the chaotic blizzard that was still raging around him. Kurama then realized his mistake, all the shards of ice had suddenly changed course and were heading directly towards him from all angles. He attempted to shunpo away but the speed of the shards was too great, a handful of them drove themselves deep within Kurama's body. Blood began to drip from several small wounds across his body, bathing his white robes in a dark pool of red.

He cursed himself for being so foolish, of course his master wouldn't leave himself open like that unless he wanted the boy to charge him. 'How am I supposed to win again him?! Without my kido, without my weapon, how can I even defend myself?' Kurama looked at his master, the shards swirling around the old man, idly waiting for an order. 'Is there something I'm missing? A message he's trying to force me to understand? But how am I supposed to figure it out?! Without him I-' The boy's face lit up with a sudden realization... 'Could it be? No... it'd be too obvious... wouldn't it?'

"What's the matter? Have you given up? Do you wish to end it?" The Sage spoke to him, a faint smile seemed to appear behind his stoic facade. Kurama turned around and took a step forward, then another, slowly approaching his master. The shards increased their rapid flight pattern around Kurounin Aisu, though they did not break away to attack Kurama... The boy continued to approach his master, eyes locked with his, until he came face to face with the man. "Do you surrender?"

Kurama shook his head, "No... I have not given up, but I cannot proceed without you at my side." The sage's face was expressionless, "But I have your blade... How are you going to retrieve it from me?" Kurama smiled, "By asking you for it..." The old man smiled. He loosened his grip on the nodachi and handed it over to his student. Upon taking the blade, Kurama began to enter a transformation process. His attire completely altered as did his zanpakuto...

The robes transformed themselves into a half set of silk, oceanic themed robes which he wore over a black outfit. He also now wore a sash, belt, and pair of black leather boots. His zanpakuto froze over and snapped into two pieces, the one piece that began to fall grew a hilt identical to the first. The blades shimmered and changed in appearance as well, the engraving now read "Ice" and "Snow" in Japanese lettering and it now held a serrated edge. Kurama held the two blades, one in each hand and looked up at his master.

"The words of power I am about to bestow upon you must not be used for any other purpose than to defend yourself or others, is that understood? If you use this ability with the intention to hurt, it will be stripped from you..." Kurama nodded. "Arainami Aisu."

Minutes passed as Kurama continued to look upon his master's face. "Are you not going to use this ability to finish me off and return to your world?" The boy smirked and shook his head, "You aren't attacking me, therefore I could not use the attack." Kurounin Aisu smiled and placed his hand on his student's shoulder. "Good. Though I suggest you use if in the next few moments..." His master transformed into a mass of snow once more and flew up high in the sky, the shards followed him moments after and swirled around him as if a whirlwind. He lifted his right arm and pointed up at the sky, the shards rose up and gathered into a small cluster, he then dropped his arm and pointed at Kurama. The shards responded and shot in his direction in a straight line, flying at speeds faster than even the Second Squad Captain could muster.

Kurama held his blades in front of him, side-by-side and pointed towarsd Kurounin Aisu. "Arainami Aisu!" From all corners of the soul society, spiritual energy began to gather around him. After a second or so a giant blast of ice and water shot towards his master, destroying the shards and encasing him in a mountain of solid ice. That was the last thing he saw before he lost consciousness and woke up lying in his room in the Seireitei...

((2567/800 words... Darkness, approve it or die...))


Call out phrase: Bow before the Frozen Sage!, Kurounin Aisu!

Description of released form: Kurounin Aisu transforms from its standard katana form to a nodachi or, what some refer to it as, a large nihontō. The blade shimmers a light blue and is cold to the touch. One would normally find holding such a freezing cold blade to be painful after about a minute or so but the icy tinge is not felt by the owner. The symbols "すべては氷である" are engraved on either side of the blade.


Abilities:

Ability 1: Aisu Shaddo (Rank 3 Required)

Description of ability: This is Kurounin Aisu's "Ice Barrage" technique. The blade essentially shatters into three dozen long, thin shards of ice that can be controlled by his owner. There are basically two ways to use this technique, the first being obvious. A barrage of ice shards strike at the foe, easily destroyable though can be reformed for another attack depending on the amount of spiritual energy the wielder has remaining. The second is a simple wall of ice, able to block low-leveled kidos and small energy attacks. It increases in power as the user grows in skill with the technique.

Ability 2: Touketsu Reiki (Rank 4 Required)

Description of ability: This is Kurounin Aisu's "Frozen Aura" technique. The area around Kurama begins to decrease severely in temperature. In a moist environment, it will begin to snow. As time passes, the snow will increase in downfall speed and thickness. Kurama can control the snow merely by thinking about it, not requiring verbal or somatic guidance. As long as there is moisture in the air, Kurama's spiritual energy slowly regenerates, allowing for his shikai to fuel itself. This will also increase the number of ice shards that appear as time passes.

Ability 3: Hyousetsu Katachi (Rank 5 required)
Description of ability: This is Kurounin Aisu's "Snow Shape" technique. Kurama will be able to transform into a mass of snow flurries that amounts to the same volume as his body. He can move freely around in the air without others being able to discern him from any other flake of snow. The snow does not take the actual shape of a human and can be spread over an area up to 30 meters wide. They can float freely in the air rather than be affected by gravity but in a windstorm or blizzard it would be virtually impossible to see this. Kurama may return to his human form at any time and repeat this technique so long as there is enough snow in the area to equal his initial volume. If all the snow flurries are melted, they will be replaced by surrounding reishi as long as the temperature remains cold. There is no way to kill Kurama in this state but very possible to keep him trapped in a kind of limbo if he has no way to refreeze the snow flurries that make up his body.

Call out phrase for Bankai: "A master's wisdom is shown through his students. Gaze upon me and understand what it means to be enlightened. Bankai."

Description of the Bankai release: The nodachi begins to glow brightly and is encased in blue ice. The light fades away and the ice begins to split, breaking into two pieces. As the second piece falls, the two pieces begin to glow once more. The second piece grows a hilt and the two blades shimmer an icy blue color revealing the final result, two elegant, yet deadly, serrated wakizashi. Though they are a pair, one measures about 18 inches long in blade length, while the other only measures about 14 inches long. The shorter is held in the off hand, more so as a defensive tool than as a weapon. Engraved on the longer of the two blades is the symbol "氷", on the shorter "雪".

Though it has no purpose in a battle scenario, his robes will also change in appearance. His normal black robes transform into a completely different outfit. He wears set of white silk robes over the left side of his body, the right side is tied to his waist by a faded gray sash. There is a oceanic blue border that comes up the bottom of his robes, as well as the sleeves, about 10". underneath is an entirely black top and bottom with a big "V" collar, the collar and sleeves have a red trim. He is also wearing a long leather belt with two small, blue sheaths attached to it. The outfit is completed by a large pair of black leather boots which come halfway up his calves.

Abilities:

Ability 1: Arainami Aisu (Rank 6 required)
Description of ability: This is Kurounin Aisu's "Raging Ice Torrent" technique. Unlike most of his abilities, this one is solely an offensive technique. When released, a large torrent of water and ice blasts into enemies, covering them in a thick layer of blue ice. Depending on their level of ability, they may or may not be encased in it permanently. If they do manage to escape, they would have already taken moderate to severe cold damage. Once again this is a case by case result, depending on the rank of the opponent(s).