Swimming (solo)

Eastern edge of district 17

Soul Society was larger than one expected it was due to that size there were places people had yet to explore every corner. Days off were rare, so Arawn thought it would be interesting to go exploring. Such a thing was a luxury most people in the Rukongai didn't have. The thick forests were filled with animals, hollows, and bandits. No one ventured far from the established areas of town. And when they did, it was in groups and progress would be quite slow. As a shinigami he didn't have to worry too much about bandits or animals. Suffice it to say there were few hollow attacks in such a close district. With that in mind Arawn took his time moving through the wooded region. It was relaxing to get away from the all the computers and people for abit and enjoy nature. There was a phone in the pack on his back, but that was the only technology for miles. A truly peaceful day it was, the sun hung high in the sky with the occasional cloud making itself known. The wind shook the branches as he walked it reminded him of the Whispering forest he had trained in not too long ago. There was some key differences there was no path to walk on, and it's wasn't as hauntingly quiet. There were chirping birds that quickly got quiet as he approached. Then there was the crackling of branches and dead leaves underfoot with each step. A rustling of a bush to his right made his hand dart to his zanpukto at his hip. He caught a glance of a furry tail as a squirrel darted from it's hiding spot and raced up a tree. He visually relaxed, but his heart kept beating rapidly in his chest. Maybe he was more afraid than he let on. It took several moments for his heart rate to return to normal, he walked in silence through the brush listening to the sounds of nature. As he moved another sound could be heard underneath the clamor of the forest. It was a familiar sound, but Arawn couldn't place what it could possibly be. His caution went to the wind as curiosity took hold. He wanted to know what was it could possibly be. A part of him wondered if it could be a hollow, once again his hand went to his sword as he pushed branches out of the way. The source of the sound proved to be a river. To be precise it was a waterfall not too unlike the one at Master Sung's retreat and Lady Ha-Rhang's sanctuary. Arawn quickly dismissed the idea of climbing up the slippery rocks to find it's source. Instead he opted to follow the river and see where it lead

Spoiler:

His destination was a small lake, not too far he could see the river that fed the rather large body of water. He looked out on the calm surface and smiled. He wondered how many fish lived in such a place and cursed himself for not bringing a rod. It had been years since he went fishing. With a shrug Arawn began walking the edges of the lake. He didn't bother counting, but he could only wonder how such a thing went unnoticed this long. The water was so clear and transparent, so unnaturally pure. Could it be a attribute of being in Soul Society? Arawn smiled at his strange discovery.
"Perhaps I should name it?" he laughed, but quickly felt stupid for even suggesting such a thing. The sun had gotten hotter as he traced the lake. The pristine waters looked more and more inviting. Finally Arawn gave in and started disrobe. Using the sash on his waist he tied his pack and uniform onto a tree branch in range of is field of vision. With the items secure he grabbed his zanpukto and waded out into the waters. He wasn't about to leave his weapon unattended. There was no telling if someone would try to attack him. The water was ice cold on his skin, he shivered as the chill ran through his body. Little by little he eased himself in and moved out towards it's center.

After a good ten sixteen feet and his feet no long reached the sandy bottom. Now he attempted to swim out to the lake's center. Moving through the water with the metal sheath was more difficult than he figured it. Not to mention very awkward. Still he didn't want to leave his weapon behind and be ambushed. Being only in his boxers was hardly an issue if he had a weapon to defend himself with. Still after the long trip the cool water felt refreshing now. The initial shock had died off, he was feeling energized now. Arawn was nearly in the center of the lake now, he simply stopped to tread water. Looking back a the shore he spied his items still tied to the tree. Even though he had a feeling no one else was in the area, there was no harm in being cautious. It had been awhile since he had been swimming. It's not something that come up often as a shinigami. Even as a human he had rarely been submerged aside from a bath. For lack of a better word; it was fun. At the same time he felt his muscles work. Swimming was more than a sport for some, it was a quite valid form of exercise. Now in the center proper Arawn took a deep breath and then dove under the waters. He moved his body like dolphin, his legs flicking in unison as he jerked his body. His arms held on his sides along with his zanpukto. The force of his kick made him move like a torpedo. Even with his eyes open he could only see so far in the blue depths. There were fish, but they quickly dispersed as he moved downwards. It was only a matter of moments before he felt the telltale signs that he was running out of breath. Twisting underwater Arawn changed direction and pulled his arms from this side. He pulled at the water with his arms as he now alternately kicked with his legs as made a return trip to the surface. Bubbles escaped his mouth as he climbed. The hold on the air in his lungs was failing, and the sheath in his hand was making the ascent more difficult than the descent. It seemed like he was just flailing at the water rather than making progress. The burning in his chest increased. Now he regretted taking the weapon with him. Pushing harder made the pain in his lungs worse. Arawn wasn't going to make it. Desperate he released his reiatsu and shunpo'd. In an instant he was above the water's surface high in the air. Below him there was an explosion of water from his sudden exodus. Arawn quickly a deep gasp of air as he dropped from the sky. He focused his energy and stopped his drop inches from the water. The ripples on the surface were slowly dying as he stood there dripping.
"That was a close one." he muttered. Arawn swept the wet hair out of his face and slicked it back. He released his reiatsu and dropped back into the water. "No more diving." Just floating was fine. Actually it reminded him of when he released his weapon.

Very gradually he shifted himself on his back in the water. It took a little effort, but soon he was floating on his back watching the clouds in the sky. His arms and legs were stretched out and he balanced his body in the water. It was like he was a dead body set adrift after some heinous crime. While he had though swimming was similar to his shikai, there were key differences. When he released the zanpukto on himself he could always feel a chill as it took effect over his body. The water was cold on his skin, but the chill he mentioned was different. It was almost like a numbing effect that occurs when his arm or leg falls asleep while typing. He'd only used it on a few other people. At that time he hadn't thought to ask if they felt something similar. He made a note to test it on someone later. Not like it would hurt anyone by testing it. At the same time he was hesitant to allow others to know what his weapon could do. True, they were all allies in a sense of the word, it was just he didn't feel to comfortable with the rather unimpressive ability. Still it was very same ability that had helped him in a confrontation with a captain. Not to mention that it had helped him on other occasions. It was like Ha-Rhang said; it's all about application.

The second difference between his zanpukto and lounging in the water was the resistance. When he was set afloat by the weapon there was no resistance to his movements. With swimming he kicked his legs and moved his arms to move. It wasn't completely solid, but he was in fact hitting and pushing off the water. In the air such resistance was non-existent. The first time he had experience the effect over his whole body it had practically incapacitated him. He’d been thinking of using it in such a fashion. A quite unexpected application when he thought about it. Essentially it was the reverse of the White Lotus technique he had been practicing. Once aloft the target would be at his mercy. Speed would be useless if they had no ground to push off of. Most people still believed that when something became weightless it could be faster, but it could slow objects down. Momentum and acceleration were ruined by the lack of any weight. With that same thought in mind their strength would be completely worthless without leverage behind it. The physics of a punch relied on the same concept for effectiveness.
“Application indeed.” he laughed to himself. The motion disrupted his balance and nearly sent him underwater. After some splashing and sputtering he righted himself. The thought of embarrassing himself again he decided to move back to land. Putting the metal sheath in his mouth he swam toward the shore.

The tastes of the metal in his mouth was less than pleasant, but he moved faster this way. With fast strokes the grass and trees drew closer. In a moment he was able to set his feet down on the sandy bottom. Standing on the squishy ground he took the weapon from his mouth and took it in hand. Halfway back to the shore he stopped. Turning back to the lake he drew the sword from it’s sheath.
“Drift, Huang Long.” Arawn spoke as the zanpukto flipped over his wrist. It glowed golden and shifted. He caught the blade’s handle once it had shifted into the two foot kukri. With a flick of his wrist he gave the weapon several slow swings. The blade hissed as it cut through the air, it’s balance was remarkable. Arawn could feel shift of weight of the top heavy blade. A swing too low sent the blade’s tip into the water. The golden blade dipped into the lake and then rose out. It left a trail of water in it’s wake. A smile came to the barely clothed shinigami’s face. Turning slightly he tossed the sheath to the shore where it landed with a slight thud. Placing both hands on the zanpukto handle he focused his reiryoku into the weapon. Slowly the air around the weapon began to shimmer. The shimmering sphere surrounded the weapon like a snow globe with the golden blade at it’s center.

Arawn released his left hand from the weapon and pointed it towards the water. Slowly he lowered it into the lake. Before the kukri touched the surface the shimmering air made contact. For a moment it almost looked like the water was bulging where the field touched. Instead it was the water rising suddenly librated of it earthly confines. Like a snake it slithered up the blade and rose higher. It was soon over Arawn’s head and more water rushed to join it as he drove the zanpukto deeper. The water had stopped rising now a literal bubble of water was now floating above his head. A watery pillar connected the shifting bubble of water to the body of the lake. It looked almost as though Arawn’s weapon controlled water rather than making things float. The blob of water was growing steadily larger. How long could he keep this up? Could he drain the whole lake? Arawn grinned and withdrew his blade, the pillar ceased. Gallons of water hovered over his head like a balloon. He reached out and touched it. Of course it felt like water. No reason for it not to. It was just interesting to see the mass ripple as he broke the surface. Almost on cue the water dropped smashing against him like a water balloon. Thankfully Arawn was already wet, but it still shocked him. He wiped the water from his eyes and pushed his hair backwards.