Lessons Come From The Journey (Invite Only)

Takuya drew his hand over the wound, covering his hand in the blood that seeped from the large gash on his torso. He raised his mask and slowly licked the blood off of his forefinger. As he tasted the coppery tang of the blood, memories flashed in his mind.

He went back to that day. The day he left his family to go to war. It was a celebration really. He had fun, laughed with his friends, teased his younger brother. It was fun.

Then, something was superimposed on the memory. People he saw didn't wear what they should have. They wore robes of black. His house didn't look like the home he should have been in, but rather like a dojo. He looked down, and saw white robes...

Another memory. Fighting countless men. The ring of steel, the smell of blood, permeated the air. He fought the warriors, then as suddenly as the last, something was superimposed. He fought large beasts, not men. They wore masks of white. A blast of light, a violent pain.

Then he saw his grandfather, dragging him, wearing his old battle armor. People were following, men in white with bows of light. Then yet another flash, and his grandfather was wearing the black robes. But it wasn't his grandfather, but a young man with a badge on his right arm. He yelled something. Something that sounded like captain.

Then reality came flooding in, as if a dam of dreams held back the brutal current of the waking world. Takuya fell to his knees, shaken. It's... not right. My memories... are not right. Were they family, friends, or people I don't know. No, I must have known them. But what happened. What happened to me. He slowly stood up, shivering a little.

Kurama. Something is not right with me. My memories have been tampered with. I... I don't know what's real anymore.

Psychiatry was one of the few things that they just didn't teach at the Shinigami Academy. Kurama was lost for words, a few seconds ago he was locked in battle with this masked man and now he was being turned to for help. Kurama lowered his blade and cautiously strode over to the shaken man...

"I'm afraid I'm not sure how to deal with that..." Kurama began. He looked into the eyes of the pseudo-insane soul reaper, they were tormented behind the metal mask. "I can only offer my assistance by escorting you to the soul society, maybe there some one can help you... but there is one problem." Kurama sighed, "I am not allowed to return to the Academy, let alone enter the walls to the Seireitei until I've achieved Shikai."

Takuya looked slightly confused but before he could ask, Kurama began to explain. "Shikai is the name given to the first level of power within a zanpakuto. Every blade, even yours, holds great power that only its wielder can release. I am not yet able to receive that power... I must train... and not just sparring... I've already spent five years of my life doing that at the academy, no... I must venture into the world of the living and take on a new type of foe." Kurama waited for that bit of information to sink into Takuya's wracked mind. "It'll be dangerous but if you'll accompany me, I can promise I'll work hard to regain access to the academy, and from there, the Seireitei..."

Kurama waited for him to reply, placing a hand on Takuya's shoulder for a show of sincerity and support.

Takuya looked confused, even with the mask on. He stared out into nothingness for a long time, giving a creepy edge to the silence that hung over the two men. At last, he finally spoke. Very well. I shall accompany you to the living world so you may train. Perhaps I might even find a clue there as to my true identity. He stood up and brushed off the dust on his robes.

His speech was very different from before, however, and Kurama picked this up immediately. Before, there was an erratic edge to his voice, as if he had too much pent up energy and anxiety. Now it sounded calm and cool, almost as if he was a different man. It even showed in his posture. The way he held himself now, stern and self assured, was much different from the constant swaying and random steps he used to take.

He bent down and picked up his blade, Alright, we should get moving then. The faster we get going, the faster I find answers. He sheathed his blade and motioned for Kurama to lead the way.

Kurama stood up and grabbed his bag, sheathing his zanpakuto in the process and took the lead. In the Soul Society, there were only a few ways that Shinigami could gain access to the human world. Only one of which that Kurama could use in his current situation, the Spirit Well. The well was easily accessible, if you knew where to look for it. It was mentioned a few times within his textbooks but with gateways and other such travel at hand he never found it important enough to look further into.

He knew a few things about it though, he didn't dismiss the idea of a portal between the worlds, when having no other means of travel available, completely. He knew it was hidden within a swamp somewhere near these parts. He also knew that it didn't radiate any reiatsu itself, though it had the ability to break it down and recompile it on the other side as long as the soul was pure. This stops unwanted visitors from entering or escaping... Lastly, and most strange about the Spirit Well, was that it was supposed to have a guardian... an old man who was shorter than a child. "The Dwarf", they called him. He was there to judge you worthy of access to the well, though other than that he had no more information...

"So, have you ever heard of something called a Spirit Well?" Kurama asked as they walked...

A spirit well? No. I've not heard much of anything in my four hundred years of seclusion. I have not seen any wells either, at least none that I remember. He looked thoughtful, trying to remember anything, but just coming up with blanks. He could barely even remember meeting Kurama. This was aggravating, to say the least. His memories were shot, and he didn't know what to do. At least he wasn't insane anymore, for that he was thankful.

So, Kurama, what is the importance of this spirit well?

"It is a portal. One that is meant to lead a soul reaper, free of sin, to the other side without harm to his body." Kurama lead Takuya onto a road branching off to the east. "It is how we are going to get to the World of the Living. I was only curious if you knew anything of it, I myself haven't bothered to look into it much in my studies..."

I'm sorry I could not be of more use, I- He stopped suddenly and turned his head, as if listening for something. He motioned for Kurama to stop as well. Can you hear that? Someone, or something, is watching us. He looked around and drew his sword.

Kurama, what dangers lie in these areas? I do not think we're near friends. He definentally looked agitated.

"HY-AAH!!" It was so sudden that Kurama barely had time to draw his blade. The man jumped from a nearby tree and thrusted towards him with a spear. Kurama dodged most of the way out of the crazed man's reach, but not before receiving a minor stab in the side of his arm.

The man began laughing to himself and reached his hand up to his mouth, letting loose a high-pitched whistle with his fingers. Several patches of shrubbery began to shake as other men began to appear. Even a dog or two crept from the brush, making their numbers average at about 5:1...

"Who the hell are you guys?! What do you think you are doing?!" Kurama demanded of the man with the spear.

"SHUT IT KID! We're here for your friend. The Quincy have hired us to take him back to our camp." The men all began to chuckle as they drew crudely sharpened swords and other such weaponry. Two of the men held thick metal chains which were the only thing keeping the feral hounds from mauling off the Shinigami's faces.

Kurama took a fighting stance between Takuya and what appeared to bethe band's leader. If anyone had a trained eye for battle stances they would know that Kurama was only seconds away from running his blade through the man's throat. He glanced over at his shoulder to check on his companion. He too was being surrounded by the gang, they managed to surround the pair of death gods without missing a beat. Kurama cursed himself for not sensing the ambush sooner but now that he though about it, he couldn't sense any spiritual pressure in the area, not even Takuya's...

A light breeze swept through the woods, the smell of tobacco carried on the wind, how strange...

The bandit didn't seem to have noticed anything out of the ordinary so that eliminated him as a possible source...

"Hey! Did you hear me brat?! I said we're here for your friend, I suggest you get the hell out of here before we end up killing you in the process!"

If they are after me, then this is my fight. He shrugged off the top of his kimono, showing his heavily scarred body. Drawing his blade, he held his arms out wide. Bring it.

The men released the dogs first. Barking loudly, they pounced at Takuya wildly. Reacting at the last minute, he twirled his blade around, impaling the first one in the shoulder. The second one he took with the mask, headbutting it in a similar fashion as he did with Kurama. He did take it's claws to his chest however, cutting several furrows along his body.

Realizing that the dogs had obviously failed, the others sprang into action. These men were good, but Takuya had many years and training under his belt. One of the men with spears jabbed at him, but Takuya dodged it, cutting another guys leg as he did so. Landing on his hand, he quickly spun around, taking out someone legs out.

Pushing himself back up to his feet, he brought down his blade in a wide chop down on the man in front of him, but was blocked by a weight and chain, which immediately tied up and threw the sword out of Takuya's grip. Quickly, Takuya put his foot behind the other man's leg and pushed, knocking him off his balance and on the ground, then came down hard on the man's gut with his elbow, driving all the air out of lungs. Seeing the shadow of a man behind him, he deftly pushed himself off and to the right of the gasping man, narrowly dodging an an axe bearing down on him. Instead of it's intended target, it instead met the gasping man, who breathed his last in this world.

Springing back up to his feet, he dived for his sword, but his left arm met the cold steel of a blade, slicing a neat ridge up his forearm. Blindly, he grabbed with his right and spun around his arm whipping whatever he held around. As his hair fell out of sight, he saw the mans throat pumping out a river of red, the cut clean and deep. He fell backwards onto the ground, never to see again in this life.


OOC: Fighting Prowess please.

Kurama lunged towards the band leader with blinding speed, the man must've expected him to leave the dogs to Takuya for he dodged the attack with little difficulty. Kurama heard the sound of two others taking a flanking position on him as the other half dozen or so surrounded Takuya. There wasn't anything he could do to aid his companion, he could only hope that with his new personality came a new fighting ability.

Kurama slashed a few more times at his opponent, first a strong downward chop then a quick side slice, both were blocked with the man's long spear.

"You'll have to do better than that kid!" The man shouted as Kurama heard the sound of gurgling coming from where Takuya was fighting. He turned around quickly, fueling his sword slash with the momentum of the whirling maneuver. One of the men behind him had been about to stab him but now fell to the ground in a pool of blood. Kurama then spotted the source of the sound, Takuya had decapitated one of the men. This man was obviously different than the looney tune he'd come to grow used to over the past day and a half, he was more serious, more powerful even.

"You bastard!!" Cried the other grunt that had been flanking Kurama, "You killed my brother! I'LL FUCKING DESTROY YOU!!" The man slashed at him, causing Kurama to block the attack and step back. He heard a chuckle from behind him which is when he remembered the band's leader. Kurama jumped to the side with all his might, just in time to dodge the spear that was now being thrusted into the gut of the young man...

The leader cursed as he realized his mistake; stepping on his now dead subordinate, the man freed his spear and charged towards Kurama. The sound of more and more bandits being slain by Takuya filled his ears. The bandit leader was drawing closer, howling madly as he readied a death blow for the shinigami...

Kurama jumped high in the air and called out one of the most powerful kido he knew, "An array of bees sting you with the force of many! Hado #13 Killer Bees!" Ten small balls of yellow lightning shot from Kurama's fingers and flew towards the man. They pierced him in several various placed, causing him to bleed from not only his chest but his arms, legs, and even jaw. The man's grip on his spear weakened, his spear was stuck into the earth and caused him to pole vault right into a tree. "Hado #8 Blade of Flames!" A large sword-shaped flame appeared before Kurama which he tossed towards the man and he landed on his back. Kurama landed back on the ground inches away from the man. The fiery blade pinned the leader to the tree for a minute then disappeared as Kurama unclenched his fist.

The man spat up blood but wouldn't give up as long as he still was conscious, he reached for his spear which was stuck in the ground some feet away. The man lurched towards it and fell a few inches short of the spear. "Hado #1 Thrust!" The man was tossed some yards away from his weapon. "Bakudo #1 Sai!" The man's arms were locked behind his back, forcing his wound in his arm to stretch. He howled in pain, the injuries to much to take. Kurama strode over to the bound man, "Tell your employers that Kimura is under the protecting of the Soul Society." and with that the man fell unconscious.

"Are you alright Takuya?"

(OOC: I'll have an order of Kido Mastery and a side of Fighting Skill, Thank You!)

As Kurama dealt with the leader, Takuya had a problem of his own. A rather large man with a large axe was swinging away at him. It was useless to block, as the man's ferocious strength would just overpower him. But after the fourth dodge, something came over him. Somewhere deep inside a strength he had not known before surged through him. The man's axe fell again, but Takuya blocked it with his sword, surprising the man.

Takuya's eyes glowed with an inner fire, and his skin became red hot. With a mighty surge of strength, he pushed the mans axe away. A red glow emanated from his body, and a rolling power fell upon Kurama. He had not felt this from Takuya, in truth he felt little power from him up till now. As he felt this power, visions of scenes of fire and blood came to mind.

He began an assault on the man, all his energy focused on his sword. The man with the axe kept blocking, but his axe was starting to break and his arms began to weaken. About the 8th time the man blocked, Takuya attempted to punch him. All he hit however was the solid armor the big man was wearing under his clothes. He did, however, put a lot of energy behind the blow, shattering and breaking a large hole in the armor. Frightened, he punched Takuya, throwing him a few feet away. Takuya wasn't phased though, and kept his footing.

Takuya leaped forward, bringing the sword down. At first the armor the big man was wearing blocked his attack, but Takuya brought down all his power onto one point. At first nothing happened, and the big man started laughing, but this quickly turned to screaming as the blade started cutting though the armor and flesh. With a powerful twist, Takuya spun around in the air, nearly splitting the man in half.

As he landed on his feet, he sheathed his sword. He was almost completely drenched in blood, some his own and much his enemies. The glow that emanated from him dissipated, and he fell to one knee as his body weakened. He stood up again, but his footing was shaky at best.

OOC: Spirit power please.

Kimura: +1 fighting skill, +1 spirit power

Marlamin: +1 Kidou Mastery, +1 Fighting skill.

Keep up the good work you guys.

Once the last man had fallen, Kurama began to follow the scent he'd picked up. Tobacco was an odd smell to be lingering in the forest, Shinigami didn't usually smoke cigarettes for it had no affect on them. Without the buzz or the stress relief it offered there really wasn't any nominal gain to be had. So where was this smell coming from?

Kurama continued to follow the scent through the woods. It got stronger as he pushed forward, making his nostrils flare up as puffs of smoke became visible. Then he reached a small clearing...

It was a peaceful little area, filled with flowers, grasses, and a large stump of a tree. A peculiar looking man sat upon the stump smoking a wooden pipe, puffing small clouds of smoke every few seconds. He was short, that was obvious, less than four feet tall. He wore earthly toned clothing, a simple wool shirt and slacks. His shoes looked to have been made of hard leather, not like the sneakers seen in the Human Realm.

"Excuse me sir, are you a soul?"

Kurama didn't sense any spiritual pressure around, it seemed to all be hidden, as if the forest was masking everything around him.

"No." He said simply, continuing to smoke his pipe. Kurama was puzzled, why was there a human in the Soul Society?

"Erm... Are you here with a Shinigami?"

"No." The man simply repeated.

"Then why are you here in the Soul Society?"

"Ní bhaineann sé leat."

"Um... What?"

"It don concern ye."

"Did you know that it is illegal for humans to enter the soul society without the authorization of a Shinigami?"

"Lookee 'ere laddie. This be me stump and ye can bugger off. What'ye think you'er doin' out 'ere anyway?"

"I'm searching for the 'Spirit Well', are you its guardian, 'The Dwarf'?"

"What the 'ell di' you just call me?!"

"I didn't mean anything by it! I was just going by the name that I had been told."

"I bet ye were... Aye, I be the dwarf. Though there be no well around 'ere. Just a poor Irish man smokin' 'is pipe."

"Uh huh..." This man confused Kurama to no end, and frankly his accent was annoying. "Look, I need to get into the Human Realm. Can't you just tell me where the well is so I can get going? It's been a hell of a day."

The man laughed. "I know. I could hear ye screamin' from 'ere. I tell ye what, you can take yer friend and go through the well if ye bring me back some good ol' fashioned Irish brew and another pound of tobacco."

Kurama smiled and nodded, "Alright, I can do that. So where's this well?"

The man stood up and brushed off his pants. Then knelt down to the stump, clicking a switch that popped the top off. He removed the top to reveal a deep, brightly lit hole leading into a portal. "This be it. It'll come up on top o' the 'ill o'er looking me house."

He nodded towards Takuya as he made his way through the trees. "Don break anyting while you'er in der."