Buryoutougen [Solo SP Training]

For a few moments, Akki was too mesmerized by the sight before him to take note of the approaching envoy, a mix of species too far apart to fathom. His slit-eyed gaze stayed trained on the city below him, the bustling mecca of diverse coexistence. It wasn’t until the lavender ray of light sent sand flying into the air at his feet that he snapped back to the present. Tracing the projectile back to it’s origin, his stomach clenched tightly.

There were at least thirty individuals coming towards them. About three hundred meters out, they began to move more tactically, breaking off into six groups of five, moving out in different directions in a wedge formation, two groups moving off to each side, the remaining two flushing up the middle.

”Don’t make any sudden moves. They’ll relax once they see who I am. Til then, just keep yer trap shut an’ yer hands up.” said Akki’s mentor, the over-relaxed Arrancar, Mittsu.

Doing as instructed, Akki watched as the four flanking groups closed in, and the other two made their way closer, obviously the ones in charge of the sting. His hands were raised neck level, visible, but too stubborn to show too much deference. Once all were close enough, he could distinguish between those that were Hollow, those that were Pluses, and those that were- to his own shock- Shinigami. Without warning, a squeal was heard from one of the frontal formations.

A pink blur Flash Stepped, three times, each too fast for Akki to make a definitive guess on the nature of the opponent. The final Shunpo brought the figure out of eyesight, until from up above...

”Miiiiittsuuuuuuuu~!”

Even the seasoned Espada was caught off guard by the pink bomb- or bombs, he should say.

The figure was a girl, late teens, with a fresh face. The pink he was seeing was her long hair that touched her lower back, trailing around her as she moved, giving her a pink aura. She was thin, but not overly so, retaining luscious curvature to her body. For a brief moment, Akki could see flashing grey eyes, and then all was hidden when her rather well developed bosom hid Mittsu’s face from view as she latched on.

”Oh, Mittsu~! I’ve missed you soooo much! I didn’t know when you were coming back!” squealed the girl, as Mittsu single handedly detached the clinging female from his face, dropping her on the sand, where she fell dramatically.

”Teisei... I’ve told you before, yer a kid, there’s nothin’ between us, it’s annoyin’ “

”How can you say that, after all we’ve done~?!” she said with a pout, thrusting out a hip to portray a woman wronged, dramatically tossing a hand over her forehead.

Mittsu reacted like Akki had never seen him before, completely breaking his assertion of the Arrancar’s character.

”What?! Don’t say things like that, yer gonna give people the wrong idea, crazy wench! Yer always tryin’ to seduce me, then make me out to be the bad guy! The hell’s da matter with you?!”

The conversation carried on like that for several minutes, Teisei portraying a violated damsel, whilst Mittsu tried holding his reputation, comically throwing his arms around as he spoke. Whilst this went on, another two figures broke off from the frontal force, as the flanking squads held fast, 50 meters out. Akki noted a lanky, humanoid individual, far too tall to be a normal Shinigami, and a much smaller individual with a hood. As they drew ever closer, their obvious destination being him, he made out more distinct features.

The taller one was just that- at least seven and a half feet. He had long arms, hanging down to his knees, almost. His shape was rather thin, reminding Akki of a walking stick, on two legs. He had straight black hair that lulled about his shoulders, even on each side. Violet eyes scrutinized him from under his long lashes. Atop this man’s head sat a single horn that curved up and out to Akki’s left side, his right. After his initial once-over of this person, Akki’s attention focused on the hooded one.

Not much could be told, save they were small, Akki’s own height, if not shorter. The jaw beneath the hood, the only part of the face he could see, was strong-set, tell-tale sign that he was male, only confirmed when they were within speaking distance of each other.

”What’s your name?”

The voice that spoke was mildly gruff for the person’s size, with an evident Gaelic accent, throwing Akki for a loop. He shook the surprise, unknowing that Mittsu had ceased his arguing and was watching with mild interest at the scene that was unfolding. Akki stood up a little straighter, his animal instincts causing him to want to assert his alpha type personality.

”Akki. Akki Ji- No, Akki Enjel.” he said, a small smile taking to his features as he used his father’s last name, which was rightfully his own to carry.

There was no sound for a moment as everyone became silent, Mittsu’s face a mask, hiding his obvious shock at what he had just done. The Stick chortled slightly, and the shorter man reached his hands up, grasping the edges of his hood, and pulling it back to reveal the face of a young man, much like that of his father’s, seemingly timeless, though age showed in his blue-eyed gaze. Messy brown hair hung low to his jaw and a smile lit up his face.

”Enjel, eh? You don’ mean from the same Kaoseu Enjel do you?” asked the shorter man, his eyes lighting as Akki stiffened slightly at the mention of his father’s name.

”So that old bastard’s still alive, is he? Thought you looked like ‘im! Related?”

Akki smiled his own smile, a touch of sadness at his lips. Just a touch.

”Alive’s a bit of a broad term... He’s here, yeah, but he’s not who he used to be. I’m related, alright. I’m his son.”

The man’s smile faltered for just a moment, then was replaced by something like a wolf’s grin, wicked and gleeful.

”Ah, Hollow finally got to ‘im, then. Can’t wait to see that arse again. So I guess yer here to look for ‘im? When you find him, tell ‘im Ri sends his regards. Mittsu bein’ here, I guess you’ve come to train, as well. We’ll leave you be, make yourselves at home.” Here, he looked to Mittsu, who’d now approached closer. ”There’s an open Vault in the third Pillar. Just... don’t ruin this one, this time, aright?” he said.

Without another word, he looked to his Arrancar partner, then at the rest of the groups gathered, raised a finger, and moved it in a circular motion. The signal was understood, and in the blink of an eye, they were all gone, having Flash Stepped and Sonido’d back to the massive compound that was Buryoutougen, leaving Akki and Mittsu alone on the top of the dune.

”Well then, let’s get to it. Lots to cover, little time.”


Several hours later found Akki sitting in a small dining hall, sating his howling stomach with a steak and potatoes, pounding back glass after glass of water and homemade ale. Soon, his belly was full, a warm fuzzy feeling falling over him as drowsiness set in. Weary from his travels and the feeling of food in his stomach, he set off for the room he had been assigned as his quarters. It was a bare, four walled space, though roomy. A bed had been provided, as well as a decent sized wardrobe. A deep-set circular pit, about 10 feet across, with a warm fire blazing, took up the space in the middle. Slowly, he trudged to his bed, disrobing himself down to the bandages he still had wrapped around his form. As his head hit the pillow, he let his mind drift into blissful slumber.

His dreams were strange, plagued with characters from different events of the past few weeks. Images of Mittsu and Ri drifted in and out. Several times, he felt as if he slipped into Lucid dreaming, becoming suddenly aware of his body. Once, he heard the voice of the girl from the Well, speaking quietly to Mittsu, though the words were indiscernible. Feeling much too soon, he felt himself begin to wake from his sleep, and turned over, making an attempt to try and drift back into quiet peace.

His eyes snapped open when he realized that there was no comfortable mattress beneath his form. He sat up quickly, his blades in his grasp before he realized that he was still sitting forward, further and further. Disoriented for a moment, he realized that he was, once again, floating in the air. He seemed to be doing an awful lot of that, lately. He shifted his center of gravity, kicking his feet out as he discerned the floor from anything else. He drifted quickly, and crouched, cautious, as he looked around.

It took him a moment to realize that he was most definitely not in his room. The area had a floor, and, from what he could tell, no walls or ceiling, just a stretch of infinite space, an inky green-black tint to the air.

”This is called a Vault. Too difficult to explain how it works in detail, just picture it as a controlled, partial dimension. Infinite space, altered flow of time, virtually null of gravity. It’s an ideal training ground, which is exactly what we’ll be using it for.”

Mittsu seemed to materialize from nothingness before Akki’s eyes, just suddenly, he was there. The young Shinigami said nothing, just waited patiently. He sheathed his blades and stood there, eyes set on Mittsu’s. The air seemed to grow heavy as Akki waited, for anything. Soon, the thickness in the air weighed down on him more, his breathing growing heavier every few minutes. A bead of sweat slipped from his brow, tracing its way down his jaw. Five minutes later, the strange phenomenon continued, the weight in the air obvious now, becoming heavier every few seconds, now. His legs began to quake, fighting to hold up his small frame.

It struck him then, through the effort to keep his knees from buckling, what was going on. Mittsu was using his Reiatsu, extremely focused, to assert it locally upon Akki, even from the distance he was at. Gritting his teeth with effort, Akki made a move to force himself back into an upright position. Resorting to last measures as he felt his legs about to fail, he tapped into his own store of Reiryoku, focusing some in his legs, and letting some into the air above him, effectively cutting the strength of the focused Reiatsu that welled down on him, though only alleviated some of the pressure, not expelled it. Mittsu’s eyes narrowed, and Akki felt a sudden increase in the pressure, knowing he wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. Not one to let himself be at a total loss, he bared his teeth in a menacing grin, and flared his Reiatsu up, dispersing Mittsu’s focalized hold, but draining him almost completely.

He dropped to his hands and knees, panting, sweat dripping from his forehead. He could hear his mentor’s steps as he approached, though he hadn’t the strength to even lift his head to look up at him.

”That was stupid. I used only a small bit of my Reiatsu, and you couldn’t even hold me off. It’s simple physics, efficiency of energy, if you will. Focus more pressure, in a smaller point. It requires less expense, and, in time, the weight seems greater than what it really is. It’s called ‘Control.’ But you can’t control what you can’t discern. This is your first lesson. In order to wield Reiryoku properly, you’ve gotta be able to sense it, no matter whose it is, not just your own.”

Akki was too winded to respond with his voice, so he nodded feebly.

”Good. Now, get up, and stop feeling sorry for yourself. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Akki clenched his jaw, balling his hands into fists as he made to stand on quaking legs, like a newborn calf standing on its own for the first time. He forced his breath in through his nostrils and out evenly through pursed lips. After a minute of struggle, he was on his feet. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he felt his energy slowly returning. When he opened them, he stood up straighter, and nodded his head, receiving a grin from his teacher.

Over the next few hours, the boy walked with Mittsu, listening as he explained the mechanics and fundamentals of the inner power that was Reiryoku.

”Now, tell me what you know about Reiryoku.”

Akki thought for a moment, thinking back to his classes at the Academy. It seemed like another lifetime, but he gave what he could recall.

”Reiryoku is the basis of any of our powers... It’s what allows us to use Kido, and your Cero and Bala. It’s a marker of one’s base level of power... It’s called Reiatsu when used to manifest outside the body, or when it’s employed physically, like how we stand on air, or use Shunpo or Shunko... That’s all I really know.”

”Tch, just like the Academy, only the basics... Listen, kid, Reiryoku is a lot more than that. Reiryoku is the basis of all power. It’s in every livin’- and nonlivin’- thing. When it’s found in nature, it’s called Reishi. That’s what the Quincy use for their bows, manipulatin’ it to their shape. It’s what Fullbringers use to tap into their abilities. Everyone has some measurable amount of Reiryoku. Those born lucky, with a higher than normal level, can usually mold it into something more, and gain even more Reiryoku.”

“Now, you weren’t wrong when you said it’s called Reiatsu when used physically, or manifested outside the user’s body. But, there’s so much more you can do with it than just enhance your strength or Flash Step. Exhibit A, what I showed you earlier. Or, for how the past five minutes, I’ve been slowly tearing at the bandage that’s hanging from your wrist.”

Here, Akki looked down, mildly confused, only to find that a perfect smiley face had been torn into the bandage, halfway up it’s length. Startled, and intrigued, Akki looked up again, a question on his lips, only to find his mentor had disappeared. Written into the ground was a message.

Just now noticed I was gone? Just goes to show how little awareness you lack to someone’s Reiryoku. You know a bit more about what it is now, and you definitely know what it feels like. Yer trainin’ won’t continue til you find me, which you won’t, ‘nless you pick up quick. But be warned, you got no food, and you need every bit of energy you’ve got left. G’luck

Akki didn’t know what to focus on more at the moment; the task at hand, or the fact that the man wrote in the same way he spoke. Casting the latter from his mind, he let out an exasperated sigh. He had no idea what the first step would even be in finding one’s Reiryoku. He thought about all the times he’d been in contact with the feeling. They were few in number, but they were something. He remembered the immense pressure he felt as his father unleashed his Bankai, letting the wild force flow untamed, drawing the rabid Hollows to himself, and away from he and his brother. He remembered how it seemed to seep into his bones, into his mind, like when they used to feel the Resonance of someone else...

It clicked then. That’s exactly what it was like, he and his brother’s old ability to resonate, feeling out a specific person’s Resonance. He wanted to kick himself for never realizing it before. It had always been hibiki’s forte, so he never paid much attention to it, relying on his five senses themselves, rather than the ability. Now, he needed it more than ever. He stilled himself, closing his eyes and steadying his breathing. Slowly, he took the shackles off his mind, letting all the pent up instinct and primal hunger run free. Buried in that instinct, he instantly felt a surge of information from the environment, ghosts of past uses of Reiryoku and Reiatsu filling him, almost causing a sensory overload.

Dropping to his knees and clasping his fists to his head, he frantically put the walls back up around the mess that was his mind, basking in the silence as he sat there, gasping. After a few minutes, he had recouped, and was ready to try again. This time, however, he let the shackles loose one by one, letting himself grow accustomed to the new sensation, taking in the Reishi feedback from the environment bit by bit. After half an hour of naught but sitting there and letting his mind grow used to the new sense, he could begin to understand the differences between the older and newer signatures, which were fainter, which were stronger. To some degree, he could tell which had been stronger, and which had been weaker. The most important factor, however was that he was beginning to be able to distinguish, though just barely, between individual Reiryoku signatures.

The main reason for this was the fresh Reiatsu coming up from the message Mittsu had left. It had a fundamentally different feel to it. Akki couldn’t quite place the feeling, but that’s just what it was. A feeling that there was a uniqueness to it. Keeping this in mind, he stood, his right foot partially asleep. He locked on to his teacher’s signature, and searched for something similar, letting his new radar extend as far as he could. Faintly, in the distance, he felt a match, and grinned, turning to his left slightly, and taking off at a decent trot.

After a few minutes of running, he came to the spot where he felt the Reiatsu coming from, only to find a small ball of lime green Reiatsu floating in the air. As he approached, it broke apart, into four smaller spheres, each one taking off in a different direction. The moving spheres rattled his sense, as each kept moving, sometimes passing each other, so he couldn’t get a proper hold on any. At some point, he realized he was counting five separate signatures, another one had appeared out of nowhere. It was then that he noticed the writing on the ground.

Ya did good, makin’ it here. Now’s the next test. One of those Reiryoku signatures out there is mine. You needa be able to figure out which one it is. You have an hour to figure it out.

In any normal case, Akki would’ve been frustrated. He preferred when things were straightforward, easy to follow. However, this was something he was invested in. His brother was on the line. Meeting his father again, finding out what his past was, making that connection they never had. There was far too much to let little annoyances get to him, so he was going to follow through with this. Settling in his resolve, he closed his eyes, and focused his mind on the one sense he needed, sharpening the focus of every bit of Reiryoku around him. Suddenly, his body was opened up to an entirely different level of sensation.

Every difference between each signature was laid bare for him. He could accurately distinguish between each and every different person’s, old and new. Some were smooth, some layered. Others were mildly gritty, full of pent up emotion. For a while, he let himself bask in the feedback, relishing in just how connected he was to each and every one. When he felt a sharp spike, which, in reality, was just a quick increase in the amount released, from one of the spheres in the distance as it changed position, he immediately turned. Every one of the other spheres was using a constant amount of Reiatsu to travel. Akki grinned to himself, knowing he’d found his teacher.

Without a second thought, he locked on to the Reiatsu signature and set off. He was pleasantly surprised to find that, although he had begun to move again, and his focus had mildly lapsed, he was still able to distinguish between each and every signature around him. Acknowledging his success, he sped up with renewed vigor, soon arriving at the location he felt the pressure coming from. However, when he arrived, he saw nothing. His mind could still feel it, stronger than ever, though it was all around him, like a blanket. He cursed softly, trying to blink the flashing green light from his eyes. It was then that he realized there was flashing green light.

With a grin, he tilted his head back, looking up at Mittsu, gently reclined in the air, four small balls of lime green Reiatsu floating around him like planets orbiting a life-giving star.

” ‘S about time.” said the ex-Espada.

Akki laughed a little, sitting down and reclining himself, in order to better see his teacher as he landed gracefully in front of him.

”Took me a little bit to pick up on it. It was a lot harder than I thought it’d be.”

”Tch, yer tellin’ me. So, what’d you learn?”

Here, Akki grinned wider, realizing he’d come away with more than just the ability to now sense different Spiritual Pressures.

”Reiryoku is an imprint. I could see- No, feel- the different Reiatsu after a while. It lasts for a long time, apparently, some of them were faint, like they’d been here a while, some of them were newer. And everyone’s Reiryoku signature is different. You can feel their emotions at the time, what kind of person they were. Like yours, for instance. It’s grittier- a sign that you’re a Hollow, I think- but it’s far smoother than some of the other Hollow’s that have been here. It’s even, careful, but there’s something more to it, like a softness that’s trying to be covered. I dunno, it’s hard to describe. But I also learned that because each signature is different, that means that anyone can be found, so long as you’re familiar with their signature.”

Mittsu looked at him carefully for a few moments. No words were spoken, and his dark eyes seemed to be searching for something. For the fraction of a second, Akki thought he saw a smile flicker onto his lips, but it was gone before he could be sure.

”Good. All of it. You were right in every one o’ those. Aright, we’re done fer the day. C’mon.”

With that, Mittsu grabbed hold of Akki’s weak body, and used Sonido towards the ceiling. After just a few seconds, he no longer needed to move, as their momentum carried them, the null gravity in the strange training area aiding. Soon, a looming roof swam into view through the green-black haze. Mittsu inverted his body so that they would land smoothly, bending his knees slightly, absorbing the shock. He stood up, setting Akki back down on his feet. On the ground before them was a ring of red, as if it was etched into the earth. Inside the ring, there was a different scene. Akki could see the dark stone walls and familiar lighting of Buryoutougen.

Mittsu said not a word, just walked forward and hopped through. He disappeared as easily as if he had hopped into murky water. Akki swallowed, then stepped forward, leaping through as well. When he landed on the other side, he found himself in a circular room, with a high ceiling. Sitting on the ground to one side was the girl with the angelic face, from the Well. Ika, that was her name. She had her Zanpakuto plunged into the ground, the red ring beginning from it on one side, ending on the other. As Akki got through, she sighed with relief behind her mask, and twisted the blade like a key in a lock. Instantly, the ring disappeared, and with it, the strange world he had been in.

Without a word, the strange looking blade, shaped much like a key, reverted back to a small tanto, which Ika stowed carefully away in a sheath on her calf. Akki noted that the other calf had another sheath, though he wondered what other ability her Zanpakuto could possibly have. He shook it from his mind as she stood, swiping away her Visored mask with a deft hand. She smiled tiredly at the two of them. Mittsu, noticing the weakness in her features, softened a bit.

”How long did you have to hold it?” he asked gently.

Ika smiled, waving a hand weakly on mildly wobbly legs.

”Oh, nothing longer than I’ve done. About ten minutes, or so.”

Here, Akki’s confusion showed, to Ika’s obvious humor.

”Time flows differently in there, cutie. Every two hours you spend in there, only a minute passes by out here.” she said with a wink.

”Yeah, and ten minutes is her limit.” Mittsu spoke, disapproval in his voice.

Ika pulled the bottom lid of her right eye down with her index finger and blew a raspberry, an obvious indicator of her thoughts on the matter. Mittsu chuckled lightly, and motioned to the bed towards the far wall.

”You’ll sleep in here, where Ika can keep an eye on you. I’ll have food sent up. Replenish your strength. The both of you. We’ve got more lessons tomorrow.”

He made to leave, but stopped, putting a hand in the air, and turned his head, looking Akki in the eye.

”And one more thing,” he began. For a moment, his gaze switched to Ika, who stiffened sheepishly, and looked down, but the movement of his eyes was too fast for Akki to catch. ”Behave.” he finished, grinning as he turned back to the door, disappearing in a flash.

Several hours later found Akki stuffed, lying in the bed. Ika had gone off somewhere in the building, so he wound himself down, weary from the day’s lesson. He had definitely progressed, but still nowhere near where he needed or wanted to be. He closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. He replayed the day’s events, smiling at his achievements. Before he realized it, his thoughts shifted to dreams, and he found himself, for the first time in what seemed like ages, with his brother’s consciousness. He felt the smile on their lips as Hibiki spoke.

I’ve learned so much! I’ve got sooo much to tell you, Akki!”

As his brother began to speak, Akki’s eyes shot open, his sleeping mind having fully rested. Ika stood at the foot of his bed, along with Mittsu. The Shinigami got up quickly, stowing away the bento that sat by his bed. He nodded to his teacher and his assistant, signaling he was ready to go. With thoughts of his strange dreams on his mind, Akki set off, eager for today’s training to start.