The Path of a Shinigami - Solo

Today was the day that Cass had been dreading since his decision to prove wrong all of the naysayers; to show them all that he could become a shinigami even if he preferred not to draw his zanpakuto at the first inkling of a threat. Swinging his legs over the edge of his bed Cass stared out the window in his small dorm room, the predawn sun was just starting to cast a gray light over the world. “Its gonna be one of those days, huh?” Cass grumbled to himself as he dropped to the floor catching himself on the palms of his hands and started doing push-ups. The normal smile that haunted his face was gone this morning, replaced with burning determination. Today would be the first day that he would put his all into EVERY aspect of becoming a Shinigami.

When the muscles in Cass' arms and shoulders began to ache from their strenuous workout he rolled over and in one fluid motion rolled to his feet. I only made it to two hundred before my shoulders stared to ache. If I don't get stronger I will never be able to keep up with the advanced students on battle drills. Even though he was only a beginning student Cass had decided on his own to set his standards to that of those students who had almost graduated, figuring that if he could meet and surpass those standards that none would call him a coward ever again.

Cass quickly got dressed and hurried out of his small room to head out to the practice grounds which should be empty this early in the morning. He had to be very careful so as to not wake any of the others less they would inquire about why he was dressed and leaving this early. When Cass finally made it to the field he smiled because like he had hoped it was completely empty this early in the morning. Walking to a small equipment shed Cass frowned when he realize it was locked. Why would they lock all the up when the grounds are open to the older students at all hours? Maybe they have a key or something; or maybe this lock is part of their training as well. Perhaps they expect if you cant get pass a simple lock you wouldn't be able to handle whatever else is in there?

Cass hesitated for a moment as he looked around on the ground for anything that might hide a spare key, suddenly he was worried what else might be in there other than training dummies and weights. Finally after about fifteen minutes Cass crouched slightly and placed his right hand on the pommel of his asauchi, he closed his eyes and steadied his breathing letting all the muscles in his arms, shoulders and chest relax. He stayed like this for a moment or two before inhaling deeply and drawing his blade.

With a cry of strength Cass slashed at the lock, pouring all his need, all his anger, all his desire into the strike. The lock fell to the ground having been sliced through like it was nothing more than warm butter. I will probably get in trouble for that later, but when the time for that comes I will face it, now let us see what they have hidden in the equipment room that requires a lock. He reached for the door and pulled it open slowly cautious that there might be something ready to spring as soon as the door was open.

Much to his disappointment there wasn't anything in the shed except for the training dummies and weights that the beginning classes used. Cass was totally vexed, “Why would they lock up normal equipment, we are to well guarded for thieves to get in and get away with anything this big and bulky?” Cass was talking to himself now as he sheathed his blade now sure there was no danger hidden in the small building. When the door slammed shut behind him Cass spun and tried to open it with one hand thinking the wind may have blown it shut, since nothing was bracing the door open. It didn't budge. Cass grunted as he shoved at the door with both hands putting his weight into the door. Still it didn't budge.

“You know pushing on a locked door doesn't really open it, especially when you're pushing from the wrong side.” A voice called out to him through the door, barely able to contain its amusement for having found someone snooping in the equipment shed. “Fledgling students aren't supposed to be here this early in the day and the practice grounds are only open to advance students before and after classes start; my guess is you're breaking the rules because an advanced student would be able to get out of my little prank.” The voice said again with a chuckle.

“Why don't you just let me out and I can go back to my dorm room?” Cass called out hoping that whoever it was that had caught him would unlock the door. Sure it would be nice to have used the practice fields for my own training, but there are other options out there. Cass frowned having to rethink his plans for training on his own.

“Well I guess I could do that, but where is the fun in that? Its not often that I catch a fledgling out here. Most of you are so dull always sticking to the rules, afraid of losing all that you worked for, because you don't know what the penalty for breaking the rules are.” The voice was moving now, to Cass it sounded as if it was walking back and forth pondering what to do with its catch. “You know they do that on purpose; tell students the rules then not the penalties for breaking them. They let your own imagination be your incentive for not breaking them.”

“Okay...so then what is the penalty for a beginning student being on the practice field when its not the designated time?” Cass frowned feeling like he was in the middle of a game where he didn't understand the rules.

“There is none!” The voice laughed.

“So you can let me out of here?”

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“Because, this is the next phase of your training to be a shinigami.” The voice had stopped laughing and for the first time it was completely serious. “They always give the fledglings all these rules; so many that it would be impossible to follow. Those of you who question them and wonder why they are there are promoted to the next stage of training. That is why some of the younger students stay a novice for so long, because they were raised to follow all the rules blindly not to question what was real and what was not.”

“So how do I get out of here?” Cass asked once again.

“Use the tools at your disposal to make your escape however works best for you...”

The Test?

Cass frowned as he leaned back against the far wall his using his left hand to rub his eyes in annoyance, “So you are telling me that as long as I can escape this shed that I will pass this secret 'test?'”

“Pretty much...but don't be fooled this test is much more than a test of your brute force. You can bang on the walls all day and I promise you they won't so much as shudder.” The voice said this time sounding like it was off in a distance.

Cass smirked, “You're making this too easy now.” Bracing his left hand with the right Cass aimed his palm at the door and began to focus his power towards his palm. After a few moments to clear his thoughts of all distractions he spoke, “Hado, number one, Thrust!” The drain on his power was noticeable as soon as he let go of the power and let it run its course. If all had went as planned the door should have been blown off its hinges, but what caught Cass by suprise was instead he was thrown back against the wall feeling like he had just been punched in the gut. “What...The hell...” Cass wheezed and doubled over as he looked at the unscathed door.

“You didn't think we would make it that easy did you? If we did anyone could escape with little or no effort, no I will go ahead and warn you. Any Kido you use in that building will be redirected back at you, please refrain from using anything stronger than what you just did.” The Voice chuckled, “One time we had a student try to use Kakyuu...ended up burning himself so bad that we actually had to call someone from fourth squad to make sure he didn't die from his injuries.”

Okay so I can't use kido to blow this building apart. All that leaves me is the use of my asauchi, surely I can use it to hack the door to splinters? It's gonna take hours though... Standing Cass reached for his blade and drew the simple katana, taking it in both hands. “I really hope you didn't want to reuse this building.” he yelled out as he took his first swing at the door, the blade whistled through the air cutting the door with a shallow hit.

Cass was dripping in sweat after what seemed like an eternity of hacking away at the door with very little damage done to the door in all. Not being able to strike the same place each time really put a damper on his efforts but still the evidence was clear that the door was wearing down. His armed burned as he lifted his sword when something dawned on him, “Hey! What about the class that is supposed to be out here this morning for practice where are they?”

“Don't worry no one will find you out here, I sent word to your instructors that this field is occupied for the next few days.” The voice paused letting his words sink in, “So you are all alone at least till you die of hunger and dehydration...or you could just give up and I will let you out so you can leave forever.” The voice was ice cold as it gave the final option for his escape.

“In your dreams once I get out of here I swear I am going to slice you into little bits for even thinking I would come so far to even give up!” Cass growled, letting his anger wash over him renewing his sore muscles. Raising his sword over his head he let out a shout, “I...” He slashed at the door watching as the splinters flew just missing his eyes, “Will...” Cass didn't stop he flowing his next strike into a diagonal slash, causing the sword to spark as it hit one of the hinges. “Never...BACK DOWN!” Cass spun his sword holding the pommel between his fingers and without losing a beat struk the dead center of his last two attacks causing the door to buckle and crack.

Not to waste any time Cass reeled back and punched the crack again and again until he had a hole big enough for him to fit his arm through. The first thing he noticed is the sun wasn't nearly as high as it should have been for the amount of time he assumed he had been trapped the next thing he realized was that whoever that voice belonged too had shoved a metal rod into the latch to act like an impromptu lock for Cass. Yanking it free he tossed it to the ground and shoved the door open; all the while looking for the owner of the voice that had taunted and teased him through out his ordeal.

“Ah. You are much more determined than I thought, breaking through the door itself to get free, maybe you have the makings of a shinigami after all.” The voice echoed through the clearing, “And you did it in only a few hours, that is impressive to say the least.” A small shinigami appeared out of no where and stood in the center of the field. He looked only to be sixteen or seventeen, but his dark eyes told you that he was much older than he appeared. His zanpakuto was short enough that he had it strapped to his left arm and on his right he had a bright green cord wrapping all the way up to just below his shoulder. “So I guess, without further ado we should really begin you're test, you have to survive an hour with me as your opponent.”

Cass was blindsided, I have to survive an hour against a shinigami? That shouldn't be too hard I mean he can't be that strong he is only a child; I should have the advantage with size and brute strength. Though he will have the advantage in speed, with that way he just appeared in the middle of the field he can close any ground I try to make and he can make any ground he wants. Cass' face was white as it kept going over the possibilities of the defeating this opponent.

Crouching down Cass took the basic fighting stance he had learned the first day he joined the academy. Holding his sword with the tip pointed at the shinigami he frowned, “What's your name? I like to know the names of those I face...I am Cass.”

Now it Begins

The shinigami smiled his entire appearance seemed to relax, “My name is Kisuke, and I am not a shinigami in the formal since; I am an instructor I just wear these robes to help me blend into the surroundings. You see I don't like being noticed till I am ready to be; it's why most fledgling students never notice me around the campus or out here at the practice grounds.” Kisuke smiled, “I was watching you from the moment you stepped out onto my field Cass, but you didn't see me watching from the predawn shadows of the trees surrounding the back edge of this field. If you had been more adept in your basic training you would of sensed my presence, however I am gonna guess you are new to the academy even for a fledgling.”

Cass frowned examining his opponent, he was shorter than Cass with dark and deep sunken eyes. His hair was a black color and was tied back behind his head in a bunch and was has visible of his arms and chest showed a dark tan, this shinigami was no stranger to the sun and hard work. “Okay...so I am supposed to fight you for an hour, Kisuke, shall we get this over with?” Cass spoke with annoyance at the idea of having to fight an opponent he knew next to nothing about.

“Oh...” The Kisuke smiled and chuckled a bit, “I didn't say you had to fight me for an hour, I said you had to survive for an hour with me as your opponent.” Reaching into his robe Kisuke pulled out what appeared to be an hourglass and sat it on the ground starting the sand falling through it. “When that reaches the bottom of the glass you will have passed if you are still conscious and haven't yielded.”

Kisuke didn't waste a second more on explanation as he leaned back on the balls of his feet then leaning forward took off towards Cass. His right arm shot forward and drove right into Cass' abdomen digging in before he propelled the student backwards towards the edge of the field, Cass' blade soared even farther back having come free of his hand. However, the instructor didn't miss a beat as he followed after down student aiming to slam his heel into Cass' already injured gut ignoring he fact that he now faced an unarmed opponent.

Cass' eyes were wide in amazement at Kisuke's speed as he watched him close the distance between them so quickly, when he realized that he was coming in for a follow up attack Cass rolled to the side just seconds before the foot hitting the sand with a thud like a sledgehammer. I knew he would be fast...but this is ridiculous. How am I supposed to fight against someone that has this much of an edge on me? Getting to his feet Cass was wheezing trying to catch the breath that had been knocked out of him.

“Are you already out of breath we haven't even been sparring for five minutes, and here I was hopping you would give me a chance to really stretch my legs.” Kisuke rolled his shoulders. “Whenever you're ready to give up just say the word and I will stop trying to kill you. Unless you have a death wish; in which case I would be happy to oblige.”

“I don't intend to die anytime soon.” Cass said breathing a little easier as he slid his right foot back behind him and crouched down turning his left shoulder towards the shorter man. If he tries that again I will use his own speed against him. Cass reached down at his waste instinctively for his sword and grabbed nothing but air, suddenly his face went white; he was without a weapon. He didn't bother looking around for it right then knowing it would be a mistake to take his eyes from Kisuke.

“Round 2 starts now.” Kisuke called as he shot off like a rocket headed straight for Cass, when he got about a foot from running into him Kisuke spun aiming an arching kick toward his head. This time the student was ready though as he grabbed his leg, but Kisuke had expected this and twisted sending his other leg up and over towards Cass' right temple. That is where Kisuke's plan went wrong he hadn't expected the student to roll with his twisting waist and send them both rolling in the dirt.

Cass grunted as he rolled to his knees planting one on the instructor's abdomen and started to throw a barrage of punches. He could feel them connect one after another as they rained down on the small man, hitting his chest his face and everywhere in between. Roaring in anger Cass brought both hands together and brought them down in a hammer punch on Kisuke's chest.

Finally after a few moments of surprise Kisuke kicked off the bigger student and got to his feet grinning his face covered in bruises and blood pouring from his nose. The corner of his mouth dribbled a bit of blood as he smiled and dusted himself off watching Cass do the same. “That was good, you have to have some anger in order to fight with all you have, but you can't let it control you. That is what distinguishes a good fighter from a great fighter.”

Cass looked at the bloodied man in front of him who just seemed to be enjoying himself despite an obviously broken nose. This man is crazy, it doesn't matter what I throw at him he will keep coming. Cass took a few hesitant steps back trying to put as much distance between the two of them as possible. Looking over at the hourglass Cass frowned...only a fourth of the sand had dribbled slowly through the glass funnel.

“Ready for another Round?” Kisuke drew his sword from the sleeve in his arm and grinned. “I hope you warmed up after the first two miniature bouts cause I won't hold back anymore.” He charged forward, his sword in his right hand.

The Finale

Cass could barely move as he lay there looking up at the light blue sky, a smile on his face as his tormentor stood above him sword at his throat. Removing the tip of the sword kisuke smiled through all the blood and dirt covering his face and picked up the battered Student. “I must admit, I figured you would of yielded after I drew my sword, but you did it. You survived an hour with me, not every student can say that. So without a shadow of a doubt you passed my test.”

Cass just nodded unable to speak instead he just continued to grin like an idiot. When Kisuke set him against he base of a tree Cass looked up at him and chuckled, “I may not be able to match you blow for blow, but I am stubborn and stupid...a dangerous combination.” he leaned his head back against the tree and closed his eyes remembering the last hour. “I am just going to rest here for a little while if that is okay...”

---

The sword whistled through the air headed right for his head, Kisuke really was gonna try to kill him. Cass leaned back and just barely missed the edge of the sword cutting deep into the side of his head, but still the blade had tasted blood. The evidence of such ran down Cass' reddened cheek as he back peddled keeping his eyes open for his own lost blade. The demented instructor however kept coming slashing left and right like a berserker. When he finally lunged at Cass' open chest the student grabbed his wrist and twisted using the leverage from the off balance Kisuke to wrench the sword from his hand.

“That is enough of that!” Cass said in a huff as he tossed the small sword aside and the thrust he free hand into the man's sternum sending him windmilling backwards. Before could recover Cass charged with all that he had deciding it was time that he controlled this fight. Cass lead with his right foot as he aimed a massive left punch at Kisuke's head, but the punch never landed.

Kisuke had seen this coming and went on the defensive, “Bakudo, Number Eight: Seki!” The small round shield blasted Cass back, never before had he had a bakudo used against him. Rolling to his feet Cass looked at the short instructor and smirked. Kisuke was winded now for the first time since their fight had started, things were starting to look up for the stubborn student.

Cass rolled to his feet and risked a glance at the hourglass, almost half the sand hand trickled out. I am doing good so far, I have lasted thirty minutes with him and nothing is broken. However if I let him take control of the fight again that might change. Cass looked back at Kisuke and frowned he had the palm of his hand pointed at Cass and was saying something under his breath. The next thing he knew there was a blinding flash of light and he could barely see anything.

Throwing his arms up to shield his face Cass stumbled farther back till he felt a tree pressed against his back. The next moment he doubled over in pain as it felt like Kisuke was trying to punch him through the tree. “It's time I pay you back for the cuts and bruises you gave me...” the instructor snarled. He through punch after punch into Cass' midsection forcing all the air from his lungs. When he was just about to black out Kisuke grabbed him by the hair forcing him to look into his eyes, “Yield or I can't guarantee you won't die.”

Cass could barely talk, his body was in agony from the beating it had received, but still he grinned and choked out two words, “Not...Ever.” This was met with the response of being thrown back into the tree causing him to cry out in pain as his arm twisted behind him at a very unnatural angle. Would it really be so bad for me to save myself this pain and humiliation, by yielding and proving that I am no where near the caliber of the underclassmen? Cass' thoughts started to drift deeper and deeper into depression as he accepted the thought of death.

Is this all that I am is a coward that will never back down from a fight even when he knows there is no way he can win? What about all that work getting here from the eightieth ring of the southern district; that took courage and strength didn't it? Cass struggled onto his hands and knees and coughed spewing blood onto the sand of the practice field that had become his own personal hell. Every muscle in his body screamed in agony at the effort, but Cass pushed through it all and struggled slowly to his feet to face Kisuke. One of his eyes was swollen shut and he could feel the blood trickling down the his cheek, but Cass still managed a smile.

Kisuke on the other hand grinned in amazement as he looked at this student, he could barely contain the excitement of having someone so stubborn to train. This student would never back down as long as his body could still move, and Kisuke planned to see how much it would take to reach that limit. Extending his hand towards his discarded sword his spoke calmly and clearly, “Hado, Number Two: Reel!” The sword shot to his hand and the instructor twirled it once testing its weight as he looked at the hourglass for the first time since he set it down., he had maybe a minute left.

Shooting forward Kisuke swept Cass' legs out from under him laying him out on his back in the middle of the field; with one swift motion he stomped on his sternum causing Cass to let out a choking scream. Pointing his sword at Cass's through the Instructor gave him one last chance, “Yield or Die. Make your choice.”

“Die...” Cass Forced out.

Pushing the Tip into Cass' throat Kisuke watched as his opponent chose to look at the sky, he wanted his final site to be that of the open sky.

---

When Cass finally awoke under the tree that Kisuke had carried him too Cass noticed three things. All of his wounds had been treated, as he could feel the salve and bandages over most of his upper body and his eye. Second was that his sword was laying across his lap in its sheath and had a note tied to it, and finally was that the sun which had been just reaching its zenith when he passed out was now replaced by the moon; he had been out for most of the day.

Reaching down he plucked the note from his sword and unfolded it, You are one of the most stubborn students I have ever had the curse of trying to break. Needless to say you have passed this part of your examination and I have talked to the other instructors notifying them that you are to have a few days off to recover. If you ever want to spar again come find me I'll be up for another go any time you think you are up for it; next time I wont hold back though. - Kisuke

Cass smiled as he crumpled the note and threw it off into the dark...One step closer to being a shinigami closing his eyes he drifted off back back to sleep.