Kido Training

Kido class was next for Nikitio. He wasn’t sure how to feel about it though, as his last class was less than spectacular. He had nearly gotten killed because of his big mouth, and his crazy instructor. He was wondering how crazy this one would be. He didn’t know what kind of Kido there were, but because of the massive amount of creativity around there, he was sure there was a lot. He was positive he didn’t want to be hit by any of them. He arrived at the Kido Training area, and looked at around. There were several dummies set up, each one looked worse than the last. All of them were limb limbed, but one of them had arms that were being held behind it’s back. He walked up to it and looked at the arms hoping to see rope of some kind. Nothing was there though. It was just a dummy, and the arms were behind it’s back. He felt the dummy, and it was just straw. Something was holding it, something Nikitio didn’t want to be on the receiving end of. Of course as he thought this, his arms were forced behind his back, and as he struggled the force held on tighter. He grunted as he tried to fight it and gave up. He fell to his knees and tried to look around, which was a challenge in and of itself with his battle wounds.

He heard footsteps come up behind him. “A simple Kido: Bakudo number one: Sai.” The instructor’s voice was deep, but not Berry White deep. It was just on that line that one could consider romantic in the right time and place. This was neither. He came around and kneeled in front of Nikitio with a smile. “Name’s Derrick, and nice to meet you.” He smiled. Nikitio tried to smile but the pain in his arms and his chest made it overly hard to do so. Derrick snapped and he was released. Nikitio collapsed on the floor wincing from the pain. “Some Kido can be defended against. Others are not able to be blocked. All kido follow the same rules though. Rule number one: No reiatsu, no kido.” He helped Nikitio up and smiled. ”So what’s your name?” Nikitio rubbed his arms and smiled. This instructor wasn’t crazy, good. ”Nikitio Uril.” He said with a respectful nod. The man known as Derrick nodded. ”Very well. Let’s get started, mh’kay?” He pointed to a small pond with a large rock by it. ”Sit there and focus on all the sounds you hear.”

Nikitio looked at Derrick with obvious question. ”To unlock your potential with kido we have to tap into your energy. You have to be open to all that is around you. Open your senses. You won’t be able to cast kido if you cannot sense others. To sense others you must open your senses. Everything is connected. Now sit your ass on that rock and focus.” Derrick sat where he was. Nikitio sighed and obeyed. He sat down on he rock and listened. He heard the moving of water, the fish in the pond, and the wind. That was it. All he could hear was those things. He sat there like that for a few more minuets. He adjusted himself to a kneeling position, and then switched back to crossed-legs, and then moved to sitting with his legs slanted in front of him, and finally sat there with his legs drawn up. Not once did he close his eyes. He was truly afraid that that crazy instructor would slice his head off. He was not trying to get cut. He finally heard a new noise. The movement of Derrick as he came closer, was pleasing to Nikitio. He thought he had left him there to suffer in a sea of near silence.

”What do you near Nikitio?” He asked. It was obvious he wasn’t going to be happy with anything Nikitio answered. There was something specific he was looking for, and they both knew Nikitio didn’t know it. He looked over at Derrick. Derrick’s brown hair fell neatly in his eyes, and his blue eyes were dead to the world. ”I heard the water, the fish, and the air, Sir.” Nikitio at least had enough sense to add “sir” at the end. Derrick’s lips turned into a frown, and he pointed at Nikitio. ”Sho…” Nikitio was forced into the pond and sat there as the fish swam away quickly. ”There is so much to hear. You are hearing, but you are not listening. You must pay attention to EVERYTHING that is around you. You cannot ignore anything. Every little noise, and every single sound. All of it is important. All of it is needed to tap into your inner power. Do not shy away from it. Do not think that any one sound is less important than the other. To truly understand kido, you must understand the world around you. You must understand yourself, and you must understand your friends and allies.

“Now stand up, Nikitio, get on the rock, and meditate. Focus on the world. Focus on yourself. Focus on me. Focus on everything you think you hear, and everything you don’t hear.” Derrick walked away and returned to his seat. Nikitio got up and sat down on the rock, crossed-legged, and closed his eyes. He sat there for a moment and tried to listen. He heard the same sounds from before, but this time he also heard his breathing. It was different though. It sounded like he was breathing in his own ear. He was proud of himself for this. He wanted to please Derrick, he was a nice instructor and he’d rather not see a Kido instructor’s bad side. It was not on his top one hundred things to do. For the next hour he sat there and listened. Within five minuets he heard the fish, the water, and the wind. In ten he heard himself breathing. In thirty minuets he heard the soft words of students who went by. In forty-five minuets he heard his own heart beat. That was the last thing he had a chance to hear before Derrick came to him again.

”What did you hear Nikitio?” He still sounded like he wasn’t going to be please. Nikitio looked up at him. He relayed the information to Derrick, and the male still looked unhappy. His eyes told a different story though. They shining with pride at the things Nikitio heard. He was on the right path finally, but would it be enough to please Derrick? The look faded and he was all business again. ”Don’t get cocky. There is still much to learn, and much to hear. You will learn in time though.” He looked up at the sky and then down at Nikitio. ”Go. You will be late for your next class. He walked away then, leaving Nikitio on the rock. The young Shinigami-to-be got up slowly. His legs were asleep and he tried to ignore the pain. ”Damnit…” He mumbled as he realized that the crazy lady instructor was better than he gave her credit for. He slowly walked out and headed to his next lesson. Something he thought he would be good at. Hoho, according to his studies, was speed and agility. He was always a good runner, so hopefully in death it would still be the same.



:: Exit::



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126

Nikitio grumbled softly as he walked through the halls of the Academy. Students sometimes gave him a look, but he just shrugged it off. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with them. He just wanted to get to Kido Class and learn something. He wondered if he should have practiced his listening skills last night. Maybe he could have impressed Derrick with something. Oh well, he could always practice tonight. He went to the Kido Grounds to find Derrick casting something that released a yellow chain like thing that wrapped around the dummy. He missed the name of it, but he was caught just staring at it. Derrick spoke up without having to look back. ”Going to come here? Or are you going to just stand there and star like a scared little child?” If it was Claudia he would have decked here then and there. But it was Derrick, and his voice was playful.

Derrick turned around and smiled at Nikitio. He raised a hand to beckon him to come. Nikki obeyed and stood a few feet in front of Derrick. ”Yesterday we worked on listening. I now want you to work on your focus. A vital part of Kido is focusing. If you cannot focus your energy then you risk harming yourself. If you cannot focus on your target then you risk hitting someone or something else. You must focus. Much like you would have to focus in Hakuda or Zanjutsu. So, to help you with focusing we are going to test your memory. This will force you to remember, to focus, on everything you can. Then I will ask you a question. Finally you will answer that question, and of course the questions will get harder and harder.” He pointed to several dummies that were not there yesterday. They were cluttered with clothing to the point that Nikitio doubted anyone, alive or dead, would wear it. Or even consider wearing it.

There were three dummies. One of them had black sunglasses at the top of a blond wing. On the face was a giant red sticky looking glob, and around it’s neck was a thing black choker. It’s jacket was a black leather biker’s jacket, and under it was pink pineapple decorated shirt. There was blue underwear outside green shorts. Under that was a pair of black pants, and finally there were boots. As far as accessories go, there were snake bites where the lips would be. Three watches on it’s left wrist. Three rings on each finger, and a gold belt. The second one had a green haired wig, and silver boots. It was shirtless, but had on a furry coat. It wore a pair of green cargo jeans, and had a blue pair of underwear around it’s ankles. The final one was dressed exactly like the first.

Nikitio was allowed to look at them for about two minuets before Derrick blinded him. He then spun him around a few times. After the spinning was done, he made Nikitio listen to his lecture about Kido. ”Kido isn’t something one can truly understand. It is like trying to explain color to a blind man. Kido is something that you can see the effects of, but never truly see. It has no shape, no form. It has nothing tangible about it other than what it produces. Kido is the energy inside of you, me, the Captain Commander. It is something that we can manipulate to our will, but that nobody is truly the master of. Kido, like most things, requires a sacrifice of course. That sacrifice is our energy. We can only use Kido for so long. Some longer than others, but nobody can do it forever. Trust me, I’ve tried. If you continue to use kido, even after you are worn out, then you are risking your life.

“Kido is nothing to take lightly either, as it is only limited by one’s creativity. There are many many kido to learn and I promise you I will show you all I can. Kido is split into two very very different groups. These groups are known as Hado and Bakudo. Hado is used for destruction. The most basic of all Hado is, Sho. Bakudo is classified as binding but a more appropriate term would be defensive Kido. This is because not all Bakudo is used for restraining your target. Some Bakudo Kido is used to protect yourself. You have already seen the first Bakudo. Yesterday, and you also experienced it. Along with these previously mentioned types there are some healing Kido. The Fourth Division is the one that uses them more than any of us though, so you don’t have to worry about that. I suppose if you want to see how it is done you could always swing by their barracks and look, but I don’t know. Anyway, Hado is not something you want to be on the receiving end of. Sho is a rather gentle Hado, but in master’s hands it could blast holes in you.

“This is not just with Sho. All Kido have the potential to be far greater in the hands of a master. That is something you should always keep in mind. No matter how strong you are, in the hands of a master, Kido can be just as deadly. I’ve seen some brave and courageous men fall to their knees with one Kido shot. I have seen people weak with a blade make up for it with their more than impressive kido. Even those people though, have their limits. Most kido have an incantation. Some kido don’t. All kido that have an incantation are stronger if you say them. So if a kido master ever utters the incantation, run. I have also heard rumor about some masters of Kido even being able to cast kido without the name of the spell. I don’t know if they truly exist, but if they do and they say the incantation and name, then just stay there. You’ll only die tired. Now then, that is the basic knowledge of Kido. Tell me left to right the color of the hair of the dolls.”

Nikitio had to think. He truly had lost track of what color they were. He colored remember, but was searching his memory franticly. He searched and searched for it, but couldn’t find it. ”Left one is blond, middle one was something unusual. What was it? Blue? Yeah, it had to be blue. The last one was blond too.” Derrick sighed and stepped closer to Nikitio. He heard the feet on the grass as Derrick came closer to stand next to Nikki. ”Close. It was blond green blond. What color underwear is the middle doll wearing?” Nikitio knew this one because he thought it was odd that the underwear was around his ankles. [color=indigo=”Blue. It was a pair of blue underwear around it’s ankles.”[/color] Derrick chuckled nodded. ”Correct. Before I continue I want to explain this. This may seem like more of a memory exercise and it is. But you must also focus on that memory while listening and remember what I am telling you. In battle you must call forth the memory of kido and what each one does, as well as their incantation. At the same time you must focus on your enemy as they try to kill you. This practice not only enhances your recall ability, but helps you to focus on details. Now then tell me this. Which doll is wearing a jacket with a rip?”

Nikitio was about to answer but froze. He didn’t know. He didn’t see a rip, so how could he answer that? ”I am not sure, Sir. I don’t know which one. I didn’t see any rips.” Derrick chuckled and pat Nikitio on the back and took off his blindfold. ”Good, because none of them have a rip. Now get to your neck class. Work on your listening exercise and try this exercise in your dorm as well.” Derrick smiled and shunpo’d away.


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Nikki appeared in the Kido training area. His naturally high endurance aided him in his Shunpo skills, but he wasn’t very fast in comparison to others. He needed quite a few steps to get there. Such things can be fixed effortlessly though. He looked around for Derrick who was also missing. This was starting to irritate him. He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing as he listened, and again felt that pulse. He focused on the pulse this time. He gripped it with his mind and followed it. Above him on the roof was where it was originating from. He opened his eyes and turned around looking up. Sure enough Derrick was up there smiling and he began clapping as well.

”Good job, Nikitio. I didn’t expect you to be able to find me so soon or so quickly. I guess that will teach me to underestimate you, huh?” He laughed and jumped down. Derrick stood a few feet away from Nikitio and smiled. ”Today we are going to learn Kido. I have faith that you have been practicing your listening skills. It shows by you being able to sense me. So as a reward I will teach you a kido or two. If you do well, I might teach you more than that today. So tell me. Which division are you going to be apart of?” The question didn’t make sense to Nikki, but he didn’t question it. ”I want to be the Second Division Captain. I want to lead the Onmitsukido as well.”

Derrick nodded his head slowly. ”Very well. Bakudo would be best to start off with then. I showed you the first Bakudo Kido on the first day of class. I don’t know if you remember, but for a refresher I’ll explain what it does. It, more or less, locks the targets arms behind their back. This makes it difficult, and near impossible to run as their balance is thrown off. Those with horrible balance would not be able to even stand. Or some people would just be to weak to stand with their arms behind them.” Derrick pointed at the strawless dummies. ”We will use them for practice until you feel you got it. Then you will try it on me. If you can hold me for five seconds then you passed! Focus on the arms of the dummy. Focus on them and say the word Sai.”

Nikitio nodded and looked at the dummy. He took a breath and then let it out. He pointed a finger at the dummy and concentrated on the arms. He looked at them and tried to picture them being behind his back. He wanted this to work the first time around. ”Sai.” He mumbled softly. At first nothing happened. Then the doll’s arms twitched, but went back to being still. Nikitio silently cursed and shook his head. ”What might help for now is picturing what you want. Imagine the arms how you want them. Direct the spell to do what it is naturally supposed to do. Kido isn’t like a sword. It has it’s own mind. It knows what it’s made to do. Between incantations and the name, it will do it’s nature. You as the caster must know that nature though.”

Nikitio nodded at Derrick and looked at the dummy again. He pictured the dummy with it’s arms behind it’s back. He wanted it. He saw it. He cast it. ”Sai.” Instantly this time, the arms went behind it’s back. By the tension on the arms, it was clear that it was a rather strong hold. ”Good! Good Nikitio! Do it a few more times on the other dummies, and when you think you have it try to do it on me. Just a note, though. Don’t use so much power. Kido feeds off your energy. As such, doing it too often with too much power could end you before the fight even begins!” Nikitio nodded and smiled for the warning. He was happy that Derrick was so nice. He wanted a nice teacher, and it seems someone heard his prayers. Nikitio turned and did a Sai on all of the dummies. Some of the Sai were too lose and the arms fell back to the side. Some were too tight and the arms were ripped off. Nikitio had to go back through the dummies until the pressure was just right which took about three tries.

He felt good that he had finally done this. It was something he was very proud of. He had learned Shunpo, and now Kido. He would be out of here in no time! He turned to Derrick smiling happily. Nikitio couldn’t believe that he had done this. The power he felt rush through him at this knowledge. The sense of achievement couldn’t have been any better. He couldn’t have been higher. What else would Derrick show him? What else could he have known? What else indeed.

Derrick smiled at Nikitio. ”Time for your next lesson in kido. Hit me with Sai.” Nikitio nodded and pointed at Derrick. He looked at his arms. He thought about how he would look with them behind his back. He imagined him on his knees, helpless to free his arms. ”Sai.” Nikitio said softly, but with power in it. Derricks arms tensed and struggled to stay by his side, but they were slowly moving to his back. Derrick’s eyes were closed and his breathing seemed fine. He was doing something. He was fighting off the Kido. When Derrick’s arms were behind his back he began to count. ”One…” No sooner had he said one, than did his arms come free. He smiled at Nikitio. ”Good job. When it comes to kido it’s a battle of energy. Not of physical strength. That is not to say you cannot break a Kido with sheer force, but it is more likely that it will be done with reiatsu. Do it again.”

Nikitio understood why he had him use less power. Not only was it to prevent him from burning out, but also to teach him some control. If he couldn’t lower the power, how could he raise it? Since he could lower the power though, he could also raise it. He just had to will it. He looked at Derrick, and the smile on his face only made him want to do this more. ”Sai! Derrick’s arms went behind his back without a problem. He show no signs of struggle, and he seemed to be having a hard time getting out of this one. ”One, two, three, four.” He paused before saying five as his arms began to shake, and his face turned red, but he broke free. He let out a sigh and laughed. ”That is it! Hold onto that feeling. Use it. I will teach you another Bakudo spell. Hainawa is similar to Sai, but it is also very different. Hold onto that feeling.”

Derrick turned to a doll. ”Hainawa!” Upon speaking the words a yellow rope shot out of his finger and zig zagged from his finger to the doll. It wrapped around his arms and body. Derrik looked at Nikitio and nodded for him to try it. Nikitio turned around to face the dummy. ”Hainawa.” There was nothing but a spark. Derrick didn’t offer any advice this time. Nikitio shook his head. ”Hainawa.” Again nothing but a spark happened and it pissed Nikitio off.

Nikki looked at the dummy. He looked at Derrick’s dummy and how it had the yellow rope around it. Upon seeing this, Derrick dismissed the rope, and Nikitio kept his temper under control. He did some breathing and tried again. ”Hainawa.” This time the rope manifested and shot out at the dummy. It stopped though just before it hit the dummy. Nikitio sighed and tried one more time. He focused on the path he wanted it to follow. He saw the body. He saw the rope. He imagined it all with his Mind Eye. He drew in a deep breath and commanded it to work. ”Hainawa!” Like lightning, the rope shot out and moved in an awkward direction, but it hit the dummy and wrapped around him.

Nikitio smiled and turned to face Derrick. ”Good! I’m impressed! You seem to have a knack for this! Now then, use it on me.” Nikitio looked at Derrick’s body. He tried to envision it with the rope. He breathed calmly and pointed at Derrick. His eyes calm and his hand steady. He was beginning to feel the effects of casting so many kido though. ”Hainawa.” The cord came out and upon contact it broke. Nikitio frowned and tried again. If he didn’t get it then he would certainly collapse. ”Hainawa.” The rope came out and Nikitio closed his eyes. When he opened them, Derrick was standing there with the rope clinging to him.

He smiled and then fell over. Derrick broke free and laughed pleasantly. ”One day you might be able to do more. Depends on you really, and how often you practice. I am proud of you though. Do you wish to continue? Nikitio looked at him and nodded. He felt too tired to speak. Derrick walked over to a small leather pack by the boulder and took out a sandwich. ”Here. This will make you feel better. He tossed it to him and Nikki barely caught it.

After eating the sandwich he did start to feel better. He was happy that Derrick offered it to him, because it truly was getting to be a heavy toll on his body to have to keep casting the Kido spells. After a while of eating in silence he sat up. ”So what is next?” He asked egger to learn more. He loved this. He had a fascination with casting spells and whatnot. He wasn’t going to go as far as to do anything related to playing World of Warcraft. One because he was pretty sure that he couldn’t do that here. Two, because he was living it so why the hell should he play it? Derrick thought for a moment and then nodded. ”The next spell is also a Bakudo one. This one is Bakudo number eight. It is called Seki. This one will certainly come in handy for one such as yourself. Hit me as hard as you can.”

Nikitio didn’t hesitate. He used shunpo and stopped above Derrick. He threw his leg up at one hundred eighty degrees, and brought it down. Derrick raised his hand and mumbled the name of the Bakudo. A small blue light appeared and when Nikki’s heel connected he was flung back wards up in the air. He couldn’t move his body for a few seconds. Just before he was about to hit the ground upon coming down, he could move again. He recovered and landed on all fours. ”Interested? Nikitio jumped back up and nodded quickly. [color:cc35=indigo=]”Hell yes!” Derrick grinned and nodded. ”That’s what I like to hear! I’ll give you a little information about Seki that will certainly come in handy. For starters as you saw, it repels and causes temporary paralysis. The paralysis duration really depends on the person it hit. It repels attacks that are physical based. The attacks you can repel depend on your strength and the strength of the attack of course.” Nikitio nodded happily as he listened soaking this all up.

Derrik looked behind Nikitio and there was standing. He saw the slight shift in his eyes, and turned around. He smiled at the woman standing there. Yuki apparently was in on this and was going to help him out a bit. ”Hello Nikitio. It seems that you’ll get in some practice with me today. Derrick told me you might be interested in learning Seki last night, so I offered to help. Since Derrick was never very good with hand-to-hand…despite my teaching.” She winked at Derrick and Derrick mumbled something incoherent. Nikitio giggled and when he looked at Yuki she was launching a kick at him.

He was hit on his shoulder and flew to the side. When he landed he rolled, and sprung back up. Yuki was already on the move again. She was really fast. She was far faster than Nikitio could have expected. He used shunpo to move away behind her, and she effortlessly stopped and gave Nikki a roundhouse kick to the face. Nikitio felt the kick, and instantly his jaw went numb and he spun threw the air. He landed and scrambled to get back up. Yuki cracked her knuckles. ”Oh come on, Nikitio. I saw how you handled those boys. You can do better than this! Tell you what. If you can land a hit on me, you can skip today’s lesson. Well…fighting anyway. We need to work on something else, but that’s for another time.”

Nikitio shook his head and looked at Yuki. He ran at her and she rolled to the side. When she stopped, her arm swung out and nailed Nikki in the stomach. Nikki doubled over and instinctively grabbed his stomach. In the process he grabbed her arm and when she yanked it back, he went with it. When he came to a stop he planted his feet in the ground and threw her letting go of her arm before she could grab on. She flew up and Nikitio pointed at her. He imagined her with arms behind her back. ”Sai!” Her arms locked behind her back, and she fell on the ground hard. Nikitio charged and went in for a sliding kick at her face. Using her incredible speed and rolled over onto her back and did a backwards summersault. She ended up on her knees and hen Nikki slid by she slammed her head down onto his stomach. Using the momentum of the attack, she continued going and got her feet on the ground, and through sheer muscle lifted herself up.

She smiled down at the curled up Nikitio. She broke the Bakudo and rolled her neck. ”Nice try but wrong Bakudo.” She said and kicked Nikitio into the tree. Nikitio looked up at her and grumbled as he struggled to rise. Oh how foolish he was. He thought that this day would be easy. She charged and him and Nikitio looked at her. He sent a silent prayer to whatever god ruled this world. He wanted this to work. If it didn’t he had no doubts she would end his life. ”Seki…” She shunpo’d away and appeared in front of him, bringing her leg down. The blue sphere sparked away and Nikitio was hit on the wrist. He felt something crack and Yuki jumped up high.

She came down with her leg extended Nikitio rolled over and stood. Yuki landed unharmed and ran at Nikitio. She threw a punch and his arm came up in an X shape. He closed his eyes and out of desperation he spoke. ”Seki! The blue sphere came up, and the punch connected. The sphere turned into a black shield and forced Yuki away. She was stunned as she flew back. Nikitio used shunpo to get to her and return the roundhouse kick she gave him earlier. She hit the tree with enough force to be lodged in it.

Derrick gave Nikitio a pat on the shoulder. ”Personally. I would thrown her into the wall. But the tree is unique. Good job.” Yuki managed to get out of the tree and shook her head, rubbing her neck slowly. ”Pull that shit in class, and I’ll kill you. But you did good kid. I’ll catch you later.” Yuki vanished and let the boys alone. Nikitio looked at Derrick and he jerked his head in her direction. ”I don’t wanna be you right now. Haha! I’d get moving if I were you.” Nikitio agreed and bowed to him. ”Thank you for the help, Derrick. I’ll see you around!” Nikitio vanished after Derrick waved goodbye.


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Nikitio was excited as he moved onto his class. Normally he started with his Zanjutsu class, but Claudia was out today. So today he would be starting with Kido. He needed to learn some more Kido. He would learn all the Bakudo he could. He would use them in his assassination missions. He had learned three bakudo so far. He wasn’t going to stop there. He was going to learn more Bakudo. He was going to learn them, perfect them, and use them to the best of his abilities.

He arrived in the Hakuda training grounds and looked around for the Shinigami who was to teach him. Derrick was nowhere to be seen though. Nikitio tried to sense his reiatsu but he couldn’t. Was he okay? Derrick didn’t seem like the type to skip out of a lesson without telling anyone. Nikitio didn’t sense anyone near by. What was going on here? He turned around and began to walk the area. He still didn’t see anything. Nothing made sense here. Where the hell was Derrick?

Nikitio felt something brush by. He turned around but nothing was there. He did another search, but sensed nothing. He looked around and noticed a slight change of the grass. There was a faint shape in them. It was made by light steps though as the shape wasn’t too deep. Nikitio walked to one of them and knelt by it. He traced what he saw with his finger and smiled to himself as he realized what it was. It was a footprint. He stood up and giggled to himself and at Derrick wherever he was. ”Derrick. I know you’re there. Might as well come out!”

The Shinigami came out of hiding right in front of Nikki. It shocked him, and Nikitio fell backwards. Derrick laughed and smiled at Nikitio. ”Bakudo number twenty-six. Kyokko. It makes you invisible to the eye, and hides your reiatsu. On top of that, it can be used on whatever you wish for it to be used on. So while most people might use it on themselves. It is important to remember that it can be used on objects as well. If you ever want to hide something this is the spell for you. Interested?” Nikitio lit up like a light in darkness at the offer. ”Hell yeah I’m interested!” He shouted happily.

Derrick smiled and laughed. ”Well we have some other Bakudo to go over first. I promise I will teach you that today though. For now, it’s time to teach you about incantations.” He motioned for Nikitio to have a seat, and the younger Shinigami did. Derrick took a seat as well and rolled his neck. ”Hm. Anywho, some Kido require an incantation to say. Well, they don’t require it. But they do have incantations to say. Some Kido do not, like the ones we went over yesterday. The kido that do have an incantation with it, can be said without it. The purpose of the incantation is not only to use the Kido, but to increase it’s power. With the incantation, the power of the Kido will be far higher than those without it.

As I said before your kido power is effected by your reiatsu. This is important when it comes to the use of incantations. I’ll let you think about that and when you think you have an answer tell me. Actually, tell me at the end of class. Onto learning your first incantation! This spell is known as Geki. It paralysis the target completely in a red light. The incantation is as follows. Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!! Look upon yourself with horror and tear out your own throat.”

Nikitio began to think about it instantly. As he thought he looked at Derrick. The use of incantations seemed to be a drag. By the time you said it you could be dead. A question came to mind, and Nikitio didn’t think that Derrick would mind if he asked it. ”Can incantations be recited while on the move?” Derrick nodded and smiled as if pleased that Nikitio asked that question. ”Yes they can be said while your on the move. It might be easier to say if you are stay still, but that’s not always an option. Allow me to show you how Geki works. I will have to use it on you though, so forgive me. It is needed though. You cannot truly begin to understand a power until you feel it. You need to fear a power to use it to it’s full extent. You need to have your power be turned upon you to tame it.”

Derrick looked at Nikitio and pointed at him. Nikitio relaxed his body. Derrick’s eyes iced over. ”Geki.”Nikitio at fist didn’t feel anything. Nothing felt different at all. He tried to move his body and that’s when he noticed it. He couldn’t show it, but the smile on Derrick’s face told him that he knew it worked. Then it sunk into Nikitio. He felt hot at first. Then he felt cold. After that it was nothing. He couldn’t feel at all. There was nothing inside of him. He couldn’t hear his heart. He couldn’t think properly. Nikitio found it was difficult to breath, but very much possible.

Derrick finally released Nikitio and smiled at him. ”Now than you have seen, felt, and heard about Geki. Do it. Try it on the bugs in this area.” Nikitio nodded and felt his body. He ran his hands from his face to his feet. He didn’t know what he was looking for it. He didn’t know what he was trying to prove to himself. He just felt that he had to do it. When he was satisfied nothing was missing he let out a sigh of relief. He shook his head to clear away any lingering doubts in his mind. Standing up he looked at Derrick. Derrick nodded to him to do it.

Nikitio looked around and spotted a green mantis that was walking through the grass. He let out a soft sigh and searched his memory. Luckily for Nikitio, his memory was superb. He found the words and parted his lips. He softly spoke the incantation saying it fluidly, but at the same time it sounded like he was reading it. In a way he was. He saw the words written before him in his Mind’s Eye. “Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini. Look upon yourself with horror and tear out your own throat. Bakudo number nine, Geki.” At first nothing happened to the mantis. He then seemed to tense up. His head gained a red outlining, but that was it. Nothing else happened.

Nikitio had to stop worrying about the incantation. He needed to focus on the bug, and what he wanted. If he didn’t he would never get this. “Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini. Look upon yourself with horror and tear out your own throat. Bakudo number nine, Geki.” This time Nikitio was totally focused on the mantis. He wanted the bug to stop moving. He wanted it to feel as he felt. The fact that he wanted it was scary. He couldn’t believe he was going to wish such an empty feeling upon another living being. He did though. He wanted to force this upon the bug. Nothing happened though. He was getting frustrated with this. “Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and tear out your own throat! Bakudo number nine, Geki!”

This time, the bug gained the red outline immediately. Nikitio dropped his hand and looked at what he had done. The bug didn’t move. It couldn’t move. Nikitio knew what was going on in it’s head. He knew what the bug was thinking. He let it go. Nikitio turned around to Derrick, and Derrick didn’t smile. ”Do you see the dangers of not knowing your power? You can know it inside and out. You can be as good as you want with it. Until you truly KNOW it, you’ll never be it’s master. I understand how you felt about that. I understand what is going through your mind. It went through mine too when my Kido teacher told me this. All I can say is that it gets easier with time. It’s up to you though, if that that makes you a monster or more human.”

Nikitio nodded and shuffled his foot in the grass. He didn’t know what to say. It felt weird. He felt like he was going to vomit. Derrick stood up and pointed at Nikitio. “Bakudo number nine. Horin!” Nikitio looked up as a orange and yellow rope wrapped around Nikitio. He tried to break free, but it wasn’t happening anytime soon. He couldn’t move at all. It seemed like the more he struggled the more it tightened. Derrick held the end of the rope. The Kido teacher laughed and smiled. ”Onto a bright subject. This is called Horin. It is similar to Bakudo number four. As you can see though, it is quite different as well. On that note of difference, there is one important difference. You can cast this out of both of your hands. You can also join together two Horin to combine it around a target.”

Derrick smiled and released Nikitio. Nikki rubbed his arm and smiled at Derrick. He always seemed to be in a good mood. Nothing seemed to get this man down. No matter how sad something was. No matter how painful he moved on. A single word rang in his ear. ”Strength.” Nikitio smiled as he realized who it was that kept whispering into his ear. ”This spell also has an incantation. The unique thing about it is that it is the same as Geki. So there is nothing more for you to remember. As long as you know the Geki incantation, you know Horin.” Nikitio nodded and looked at the tree. It was still damaged from yesterday’s fight.

Nikitio pointed at the tree and spoke the incantation. “Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini. Look upon yourself with horror and tear out your own throat. Bakudo number nine, Horin.” The cord produced, wrapped around the tree, but Nikitio failed to grab his end, and the rope faded. Nikitio frowned at that. He almost had it. At the end of it though, his concentration slipped for a moment. He pointed at the tree again. His soft lips parted. He took in a soft breath as he began to recite the incantation. “Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini. Look upon yourself with horror and tear out your own throat. Bakudo number nine, Geki.” The rope shot out. Wrapped around the tree and held on tight. Nikitio managed to hold onto his end of the rope.

Derrick smiled and clapped at Nikitio. ”Good job! This next one is going to be rather interesting. I think you will like it quite a bit. It’s name is Sekienton. It can be quite a handy tool when you are outnumbered and need a quick breather.” Derrick put his hands together. ”Bakudo number twenty-one. Sekienton!” He slammed his hands on the ground and smoke shot up in an explosion. It wasn’t a violent damaging explosion. Just a smoke screen. Nikito closed his eyes and coughed as he waved his hand through it. His attempts to clear it were in vain. There was too much smoke. When it cleared Derrick was smiling at Nikitio. ”Your turn. This one is rather easy, so I doubt you’ll have problems with it.”

Nikitio nodded and looked at his hands. It seemed like he would have to focus Kido energy into his hands to do this. It seemed simple enough actually. He doubted anything could truly go wrong with it. It was just too simple. Geki was harder than this. He shook his head. That was his pride talking. Things always seemed harder than they really were. He rubbed his hands together. ”Bakudo number twenty-one. Sekienton.” He pushed his hands onto the ground and smoke came out. It leaked away though. There was no explosion like when Derrick did it. Nikitio sighed and rolled his neck a bit. Nothing is ever as easy as it seems.

He focused on his hands. Kido worked if you wanted it to. If you knew what you wanted it to do, it would do it. Nikitio sighed and tried again. ”Bakudo number twenty-one. Sekienton!” This time a small cloud of smoke was produced. He was tired of this. ”Bakudo number, twenty-one! Sekienton!” This time there was an explosion. There was smoke as well. The area was covered, but Nikki was safe. He smiled and claps. The smoke faded away and Derrick clapped with him. ”And now comes your favorite part. Learning invisibility. You must be tired though. Let’s rest a little bit before we do any heavy lifting.” Nikitio nodded and fell on the ground.

He winced a little bit because of his back, but over all he was doing fine. Derrick walked over to him and sat down next to him. ”I truly am impressed with your, Nikitio. For someone who is going into the Onmitsukido you are quite a natural with Kido. You should consider contacting the Kido Corps. They are a bit less controversial in terms of their duty. Not to try and discourage you, just to offer you more chances. I can set up a meeting if you’re interested.” Derrick smiled down at Nikitio. Nikki shook his head with a smile. “No, it’s okay. I am too much in love with Hakuda. It just feels right for me. I am flexible as well, so it makes it even better. Bakudo can be used to assist in the assassinations as well.”

Derrick laughed and nodded. ”I suppose so. Oh well. As long as your kido skills go to good use, I couldn’t care less if you become a standard guard. When you are leading the Onmitsukido into greatness don’t forget me. If you do I will remind you who is the boss around here.” He laughed, and Nikitio laughed with him. ”You’d have to catch me first. I’m pretty sure I’ll be faster than you by that time.” He giggled, and Derrick rolled his eyes. ”I am pretty sure that I could hold you still for a moment or three.” Nikitio stuck his tongue out childishly and Derrick laughed.

Derrick helped Nikitio up and began to teach him about the invisibility Bakudo. Nikitio was extremely happy to learn about this one. He was so ready to learn it. [color=blue]”As I said before, this Kido is used to hide things from sights. It can also suppress their reiatsu one hundred percent. Its name is Kyokko. Lucky for you, it has no incantation either. You can just use it. Go try it. It is Bakudo number twenty-six.” Nikitio nodded happily as the information was given to him. He smiled and took in a deep breath.

He would really have to concentrate to pull this one off. Nikitio focused on his body. He pictured himself being invisible. He saw himself as nothing but air. He held his hands to his side and spoke. ”Bakudo number twenty-six. Kyokko.” Nikitio didn’t feel any different, but he lifted his hands up and didn’t see them. Nothing was there. He smiled and looked up to see Derrick smiling. ”Close, but your reiatsu is very much there.” Nikitio frowned and let the Kido fall. He tried again this time keeping in mind his reiatsu. He wanted it to be low. He willed it to be nothing. ”Bakudo number twenty-six. Kyokko.” This time he looked up at Derrick first.

Derrick laughed and fell back on his rear. Nikitio looked down. He was still visible. Derrick looked at him. ”You masked your reiatsu but not your body.” Nikitio sighed. He would try it one more time and then he was moving on. ”Bakudo number twenty-six. Kyokko.” Derrick looked at him and clapped. Nikitio smiled. He had done it. Kyokko would certainly be one that he used for a while. Derrick signaled for him to stop. Nikitio dropped the Kido and smiled at Derrick. Derrick gave Nikitio a gently pat on the shoulder. ”Because of your progress I will teach you another Bakudo spell. This one is called Shitotsu Sansen. It can pin your enemy in a triangle like shape. Watch. Bakudo number thirty. Shitotsu Sansen!”

As Derrick spoke the name he formed a triangle with his finger. The yellow triangle, upon completion, shot out at Nikitio and pinned him against the wall. His body shaped a perfect triangle. He couldn’t move no matter how hard he fought against it. He struggled, but the more he fought it the more nothing happened. Derrick released him and smiled. ”Think you can do it?” Nikitio nodded and pointed at Derrick. ”Bakudo number thirty. Shiotsu Sansen!” He forgot to draw the triangle though, and so nothing happened. Derrick laughed hard at Nikitio, and Nikki felt really stupid.

He tried again while Derrick was getting up. ”Bakudo number thirty. Shiotsu Sansen!” This time he made the triangle, and it hit Derrick. Sadly, it fell apart before he hit the fall, and Derrick landed on his knees. Nikitio focused once more and drew the triangle once more while saying the name. ”Bakudo number thirty. Shiotsu Sansen!” The triangle shot out. It hit Derrick. Derrick was pinned to the wall in a perfect triangle. Derrick laughed and Nikitio dismissed the Kido. ”Good job Nikitio. Very good job indeed. I think I have more for you to do. Are you interested?”

Nikitio nodded and Derrick clapped. ”Alright then. Let me just have a chat with your other teachers real fast. If you can stay then you’ll be here and learn more Kido. If not. Well…always tomorrow.” Nikitio smiled and sat down as Derrick left him. He had learned so much, and he was going to learn a whole lot more.


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388

Nikitio waited for a while and while he did he practiced his Hakuda. He did a little shadow boxing. Moving from one position to the next felt so right. He was doing it swiftly. He had to admit that Yuki had done wonders. He didn’t realize that he was learning but he was. He did a few flips and landing in a perfect split. It was amazing what he could do now. His balance was getting better as well. He smiled as he moved from foot to foot. He was happy doing this. He couldn’t believe that he had gotten so much better. With the speed and grace of a feline he moved. His mind was a blank as he did this. It was so amazing. He felt so alive.

Derrick came back as Nikitio was in his final flip. When he landed Derrick clapped. ”Yuki must be truly proud of you. I can see she is doing wonders for you.” Nikitio blushed and smiled. He nodded and walked up to him. ”Well it looks like you can stay. Do you want to start Hado? Bakudo gets much harder from here.” Nikitio smiled and already knew his answer. ”Bakudo. I wanna continue to learn Bakudo.” Derrick nodded and smiled. ”Very well. This next one you have to come up here to see.”

Derrick moved to the lowest roof as he said this, and Nikitio followed. ”Now this Bakudo is really handy if you’re ever in the need of a soft landing place. The drawback is that it needs anchors. It has to have a place to hook onto or it won’t work. It does work though if in the right conditions. I have used it a few times but oh well. Anyway, the name of this Bakudo is Tsuriboshi. Bakudo number thirty-seven. Tsuriboshi.” He pointed at the field and fired a icy blue blob. Tentacles came out and latched onto the walls and roof. Nikitio looked at it and then to Derrick. ”Go on. Jump on it.”

Nikitio jumped onto the Kido and it was soft. It was almost bouncy as well. He looked up at Derrick, and the Bakudo was dismissed. Nikitio reacted instantly and landed on all fours. He glared up Derrick who was laughing. Nikitio got back up onto the roof and ignored Derrick. He looked at the space he was going to fire the Bakudo and let out a soft sigh. He pointed and spoke. ”Bakudo number thirty-seven. Tsuriboshi.” Nothing came out except for a small translucent bubble when shot out small tentacles before faded from existence. Derrick said nothing, but he looked away. He might as well have said something. Nikitio just rolled his eyes. He pointed again and commanded the spell to work. ”Bakudo number thirty-seven. Tsuriboshi.” This time the blob came out, but the tentacles never came out. It just crashed into the ground and exploded on contact shooting blue goo everywhere.

Nikitio and Derrick took cover and Derrick laughed. He couldn’t help it. It just came out of there. Nikitio in his frustration pointed and did it one more time. He imagined how it would go. He painted the picture for the Kido to copy. This was how it was supposed t be done. This is how it WOULD be done. Or so help him, Nikitio would kill Derrick with his bare hands. Nikitio had to do this. He had to focus on this. He wanted this to work and he wanted to get better.

He had a feeling that this would work this time. He thought about strength. He thought about his Zanpakuto Spirit. He wished he could be teach him. Maybe tonight he might see him and train with him for a little bit. Maybe he could even learn his name tonight. That was off topic though. He had to focus right now on the situation at hand. He had to focus on casting this Bakudo. If he didn’t do it then he would give up and study Hado for a while. It only made sense since the Bakudo was giving him problems.

”Bakudo number thirty-seven. Tsuriboshi!” He felt power surge through him and out of his finger. From his finger was produced the icy blue orb that Derrick had created. This time it worked like Derrick’s did as well. Tentacles shot out and stuck to the roof and to the wall. Nikitio jumped down into it and it felt like Derrick’s did as well. It was perfect like Derrick’s. He did it and he was so so happy. Derrick clapped slowly for Nikitio and looked at the Bakudo net. Nikitio dismissed the net and smiled proudly at Derrick.

”You might be able to use the next one as well. Maybe not. Depends on you and how you use it. There is no incantation with this, thankfully. If there was it’d be a pain to use, and I doubt anyone would use it. It is a shield spell, and the first one as well as the weakest. It can block a variety of attacks, but as for kido, we don’t know yet. The name of this kido is Enkosen. It can be used rather effectively if used properly.” Derrick signaled for Nikitio to come hit him. Derrick readied himself and Nikitio jumped at him.

He spun and extended his leg. Derrick held up his hands and spoke. ”Bakudo number thirty-nine. Enkosen!” A soft yellow orange shield formed and protected Derrick. Nikitio glared at the shield and assaulted it with various attacks. Nothing broke it though. It wouldn’t be broken so easily. He stopped when he realized it was futile. He couldn’t do it anymore. Derrick dropped the Bakudo and smiled at Nikitio. ”Interested?” Nikitio nodded and Derrick motioned for him to proceed.

Nikitio took in a soft breath and held his hands out. ”Bakudo number thirty-nine. Enkosen.” A small shield was produced, but it wasn’t big enough. Nikitio added more power to it and it got a bit bigger. Derrick walked up to Nikitio who was straining to hold it. He tapped it once and the disc shattered. Nikitio glared. Derrick shrugged. Nikitio was not happy right now. Shook out his arms and loosened his muscles. He focused on the shield painting an image for his Kido energy again. He made a template for it to follow. It would follow it. If it didn’t, he’d be pissed. Someone was going to die if he couldn’t get this within the next three tries. It was a mid level Bakudo, but he had learned so much already. He couldn’t stop now.

He looked at his hands and rubbed them together. Nikitio took in a deep breath. He closed his eyes. He focused on the image of a disc. He thought about protection. He felt safety. He felt warmth. He thought about security. He focused one more time and he would make this work. He held out his hands and took in a deep breath. ”Bakudo number thirty-nine. Enkosen.”The shield formed. It held up for a while and he continued to hold it. He needed this to be held. He tried to hold this shield up. He broke a small sweat trying to hold it. It felt like the shield was being torn apart. He couldn’t quiet get it to work for him. It felt like the shield wanted to be away from Nikki. Nikki wanted to hold it. The shield wanted to go. It didn’t even want to be together. The shield wanted to be broken and shattered.

Derrick saw this but didn’t say anything. He looked at Nikitio with stoic eyes. He wasn’t laughing, he was serious. It distracted Nikitio and the shield exploded. Nikitio threw up his hands to cover his face. ”Damnit. Why can’t I get this to work? The first one was so much easier than this one. I don’t understand why I can’t do this.” Derrick sat Nikitio down, and Derrick sat next to him. ”The reason you cannot do it, is because this acts differently. This one is using your energy as a shield. It’s protecting you. It’s nature is different. You cannot force it to do anything it doesn’t want to do. You have to coax it into it.” Derrick paused and looked around nervously.

Nikitio looked at him, and Derrick looked back. ”Don’t tell anyone.” Derrick took out a cigarette and a lighter. He lit up and inhaled deeply and let it out. A small stream of smoke came out and he smiled at Nikitio. ”Yuki would kill me if she found out.” Nikitio chuckled. He wasn’t going to tell. Derrick took another hit and looked at Nikitio. [color=blue]”Anyway. Think of this Bakudo as a river. You can’t force it to do anything. You cannot do anything to change it’s mind. You can however do small thing. You can do simple things. You can alter it to do things for you. Or you can trick it. Let it do what it wants, but let it do it in a way that you gain.

“Just. Relax. That’s all you can do for shields. Shield Bakudo are nothing to be toyed with and forced to do as you wish. It just won’t happen. Bakudo want to do their own thing. They want to have fun and mess around. Hado wants to burn and destroy. Hado wants to see the world burned. Most people don’t understand this. Kido isn’t a tool. Tools are emotionless. Guns have no feelings. Arrows do not think. Kido thinks. Kido feels. Kido understands. It may not be how we would see it, but it’s true. Ask any true Kido Master. They will tell you the same thing. Kido cannot be forced to bend to anyone’s will. It will work WITH you. It will work AGAINST you. It all depends on how you treat it.

“Sitting here, forcing it like you are, it won’t work. Guide it. Be it’s friend. Help it. Assist it. Do not whip it. Let me tell you something. You grew up in the Rukongai. That is Kido. A struggle for survival. The Soul Society is Kido. Great, vast, unknown. Hueco Mundo is Kido. Dark, depressing, isolated. Earth is Kido. In a constant struggle. There is nothing that cannot be traced back to Kido. You and I are Kido. The Sotaicho is kido. Yuki is Kido. Do not think for a moment that life in and of itself isn’t Kido. This Bakudo. Other Bakudo. It is all Kido that has it’s own mind and purpose. It has a way it wants to act like you do and I do. Don’t fight it. Embrace it. Love it. Respect it. Enjoy it. Trust it.

“Listen to me ramble on. Ha! Sorry, I just get really into it sometimes.” Derrick was done with his cig and tossed it. Nikitio smiled as he listened. It was something that he would think about. He really did think about it. He enjoyed listening to it because it was something so true. He stood up and thought about how to do this. He would embrace it. He would love it. He wouldn’t get mad at this. He wouldn’t hate this. He would relax and have patients with this. He couldn’t force it to work. He couldn’t make this do what he wanted it to do. So he would just relax. He would allow this to run it’s course. If it worked then that was great. If it didn’t, oh well. But he couldn’t force this.

Nikitio took a breath and sent a silent prayer to whatever powers that be. He wanted this to work and he would assist it. He painted the picture for the Kido. He pictured the shield and him using it. ”Bakudo number thirty-nine. Enkosen.” He felt the flow of reiatsu as it formed in front of him in a circle. He watched as it was made and it seemed to hold on. Nikitio didn’t try to make anything happen. He just let it run it’s course. The Kido knew what it was doing. Nikitio smiled as it held up. There was no turmoil in it. Derrick stood up and looked at the Shield. He inspected it. He walked around Nikitio and nodded. He made sounds that seemed like he was pleased.

Derrick stopped in front of it and punched it. He kicked it. He punched it again. The shield didn’t even waver in the least. Derrick nodded and Nikitio let it drop. Then Nikitio dropped. He fell on the roof and slid down hitting the ground hard. Derrick laughed hard enough to fall over. He didn’t slide off though. Nikitio glared up at Derrick. ”You should get to bed. We’ve been doing this all day. You deserved a good nights rest.” Nikitio nodded and Derrick dropped down to help him up.

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306

Nikitio got out of bed and looked around. He didn’t see what Derrick was talking about. There was no Zanpakuto around. Just as he thought that he saw them. A lovely pair of Zanpakuto hanging off his hips. Wait, a pair?! Nikitio looked at the hilts that stuck out from under some papers on his nightstand. He pulled them out and his mouth dropped. Not just a pair, but twin daggers. The hilts were black. The darkness that people fear. The darkness that people avoid. It was something that it was interesting to Nikitio. The spirit’s eyes were yellow. The hilts were black. They weren’t the most fearsome thing about these blades though. Along the hilts were three gems on one side. The gems were a dull yellow color. The three gems went from the hilt to the start of the blade. The gems were pushed into the hilt though so it was still smooth. Despite that, it was still odd in it’s own right. He looked at the blade of the dagger. The blades were interesting to say the least..

Dark enough to seem like it was darker than night itself. But it was also light. It was an odd mixture. The oddest thing is that they weren’t black. The blades were a dark blue. Midnight blue. The shade was a bit darker than usual though. The blade design was simple. It wasn’t anything flashy or unique really. It was double edged though which was odd. It would be perfect for cutting or stabbing. Nikitio twirled the daggers around a few times to tell them out. He held one in a reverse grip and one normally. He in a few runs, moving from one step to the other. He twisted and turned and accidentally cut his curtain down. It was a clean cut though. It wasn’t something jagged. Nikitio looked at the curtain and looked at the blade. So odd. He went to the school store and purchased a belt with crossed sheaths for the daggers. The holders for the daggers was on the back so it rested on his waist. It was just above it rear, and that was fine. He put the daggers in there and got his ass to class.

He arrived to the Kido area to find Derrick practicing his Bakudo and Hado skills with Sai and Sho. Nikitio smiled at him and Derrick smiled back. He instructed Nikitio to turn around and he did. From the back you saw one dagger with the gems facing the public, and the other with just a black hilt. The one with the black hilt was just hiding the gems. They were facing Nikki’s back. Nikitio turned around and smiled. Derrick gave him a thumbs up. ”Alright! Good job on getting a Zanpakuto finally! Nikitio smiled and bowed his head in thanks. ”Thank you. So…can we learn some more Kido. Bakudo is preferred.” Derrick laughed and smiled. ”Very well. This one is Bakudo number twelve. Sorry we are going back, but I just thought about it. By this point though you should have no problem casting it. I’ll do it and then you do. I am sure you can do it.”

Derrick smiled and Nikitio nodded. Derrick took in a breath. He let it out and spoke. ”Bakudo number twelve. Fushibi.” All around them things changed in feeling. Nothing was visible though. He couldn’t see it but he felt it. He could tell something was there. He wasn’t sure though. He couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Derrick picked up a stone and threw it forward. After about fifteen feet it stopped and the trap was shown. It was a massive web of orange. Derrick smiled as Nikitio visible stiffened. He was afraid to move. ”It’s perfect for security. It’s power lies within the ability of explosion. Fushibi can be used with Hado thirty-one for a massive explosion.” Derrick grinned. Nikitio shuttered and nodded. The damage this could do scared him. Derrick snapped and the Bakudo vanished.

He signaled for Nikitio to do it now, and Nikitio didn’t have any problem with it. ”Bakudo number twelve. Fushibi.” Nothing was shown, but again the feeling was there that something had changed. Derrick looked at Nikitio. Nikitio looked at Derrick. Derrick made a sign for tossing, and Nikitio nodded. Nikitio picked up a stone and tossed it forward. It ran into the net. The net became visible, but it didn’t seem tight. It was still pretty loose. Derrick shrugged. ”No problem. Try again.” Nikitio nodded and dismissed the Bakudo. He took in a breath and imagined the net. He then spoke. ”Bakudo number twelve. Fushibi.” The air felt different. Nikitio tossed the stone. Things showed up. The net was there. It was perfect. It was dense. Nothing was getting through to him. He smiled and let it go.

Derrick smiled at Nikitio. ”Good job. Another Kido for your brain. How about another? This one is harder. We’re going back up to the thirties. This Bakudo is used for tracking. Ever want to find anyone, you just whip up this baby and you’ll find them in a heartbeat. It does require an incantation. That is okay though. It’s not meant for battle. Here is the incantation. Heart of the south, eye of the north, fingertip of the west, foot of the east, arrive with the wind and depart with the rain. Get it? Got it? Good. Do. Not. For. Get. This.” Derrick smiled at Nikitio as he said this. He was serious, but he was not dead serious. Forgetting this incantation often got you interesting results.

Nikitio nodded and looked to Derrick. ”Okay. So here it goes. I’ll say the incantation for your sake this time around. Heart of the south, eye of the north, fingertip of the west, foot of the east, arrive with the wind and depart with the rain. Bakudo number fifty-eight. Kakushitsuijaku.” He placed his hands on the ground where a circle was previously drawn with sumbols in four corners. Nikitio looked at the symbol as it began to glow. It was steady at first but then the blue glow overtook the circle and it was a bright brilliance. Symbols ran down the circle for a few seconds. When they stopped there were two numbers. Derrick looked up at Nikitio. ”This is where you are. It tracked your reiatsu to well…here.” Derrick smiled and stood up breaking the Bakudo. He rubbed the circle out with his foot.

Nikitio looked at Derrick like he had three heads. ”So I guess I have to make my own circle? Derrick thought about it for a moment. ”Yes. Yes you do. Hop to it grasshopper.” Nikitio rolled his eyes and laughed. He knelt down and closed his eyes. He thought about the circle that Derrick had made and began to make one of his own. The circle was perfectly round more or less. He split it up into four parts. Each part got it’s own character. He sat on his knees. He looked at the circle he drew. He looked up at Derrick, and Derrick looked down at him with a nod. He approved of the circle and Nikitio nodded.

Nikitio parted his lips. He began to speak slowly. “Heart of the south, eye of the north, fingertip of the west, foot of the east, arrive with the wind and depart with the rain. Bakudo number fifty-eight. Kakushitsuijaku.” Nikitio placed his hands on the circle but nothing happened. He frowned and shook his head. It was a difficult thing. Tracking, that is. Nikitio would probably need this spell though. He had to get this right. Derrick didn’t move to offer assistance and so he dissected this Bakudo himself. It tracked reiatsu. Kido fed from the user. He would have to tackle this differently. He wouldn’t guide the Kido so much as to what to do. The Kido knew what to do. It knew what do expect. He shouldn’t paint the picture for it. Rather he should focus on the person he wanted to find.

Nikitio knew what reiatsu he should find. Derrick. He took in a deep breath and spoke again. ” Heart of the south, eye of the north, fingertip of the west, foot of the east, arrive with the wind and depart with the rain. Bakudo number fifty-eight. Kakushitsuijaku.” He placed his hands on the ground. The circle began to glow. Characters ran down the circle. The circle was working fine. The Bakudo stopped on two characters and Nikitio looked at where Derrick was standing. He looked back at the circle. It worked. Derrick smiled at Nikitio. The young Shinigami stood up and stretched. He let the Bakudo fall and he erased the circle with his foot. Derrick smiled at Nikitio and pointed at him. Nikitio knew he was using another Bakudo, but which one?

”Bakudo number sixty-one. Rikujōkōrō.” As he said this he pointed to Nikitio. Before he could even blink it happened. Six rods. All made of light. All stuck in him. All of them working to prevent him from moving. Nikitio couldn’t move an inch. He could barely breath. Even his legs which weren’t touched refused to move. He was totally frozen. Nothing was happening to him. His body didn’t want to do anything. He was fucked from top to bottom. But not in the good way. Derrick smiled at Nikitio. ” Rikujōkōrō. A handy little Bakudo. I am sure you will love it very much. This one, as you can see, freezes your target. Think of it like Geki, but five times worse. This one effects your body. You can’t even blink. You are bound to the position you were in before this hit. Even the parts that weren’t hit cannot move. During this time you want to attack. You want to use another kido with it. Or something powerful like that.” Derrick snapped and Nikitio fell to his knees.

Nikitio was going to learn this Bakudo. Something like that could certainly come in handy. Such a tool would be quiet useful. Yes. More and more, Bakudo was getting better. He was learning. He was seeing more. He feared more. Such a thing was important as Derrick had told him not so long ago. He looked at Derrick and was given the okay. Nikitio centered himself. The feeling of the daggers on his waist was a bit new to him. He wasn’t used to the slight weight. He was a bit thrown off by it, but nothing big. It would take only slight adjustments in movement. That shouldn’t effect his Bakudo though.

Nikitio stood up and looked at Derrick. He took in slow breathes. It was to calm his nerves. He wanted this to work. He closed his eyes for a while and opened them. He looked at his instructor and pointed his finger at him. Derrick held up his hand. ”Wait. I almost forgot to tell you. There is an incantation that goes with this.” Nikitio nodded and smiled at that. Derrick blushed a bit but he began to recite the incantation for Nikki. ”Carriage of Thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six!” Nikitio said this in his mind. He mouthed it to himself. He said it one more time in his head and nodded to Derrick that he was ready. Derrick nodded and signaled for Nikki to proceed.

Nikitio pointed at Derrick and spoke the words. ”Carriage of Thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Bakudo number sixty-one. Rikujōkōrō ! Nothing happened at first. Still nothing happened after a few minuets. He couldn’t do it. It wasn’t working. He let out a sigh and he tried again. It just wasn’t happening the first time. None of them really did work the first time around, but it was okay. This was a high level Kido. It would take a while to master or at least be able to use. He would do it though. Like Derrick said yesterday. Bakudo and Hado have personalities. They have nature and they have thoughts. They are alive. He took in a breath and tried again pouring more will into it. ”Carriage of Thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Bakudo number sixty-one. Rikujōkōrō ! Still this time nothing happened. He frowned and shook his head. He pointed one more time at Derrick. It had to work or he was going to ask for help. He didn’t want to ask for help. He didn’t like to. He wanted to figure things out on his own.

He pointed at Derrick. This had to work. He thought about the Kido. This had to work. He closed his eyes. This will work. This will work. This can work. This would work. He took in a deep breath and let it out. This will work. He pictured light. It was blinding. He imagined it in the form of a circle and then in the shape of rods. Six rods. Six points of contact. He could pull this off. Six rods of light. All of them parts of this Bakudo. All of them were this Bakudo. He opened his eyes and Derrick was still there. He was just standing there. He smiled and nodded to Nikitio.

Nikki took in a slow breath and let it out. ”Carriage of Thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Bakudo number sixty-one. Rikujōkōrō ! Three rods of light pierced Derrick. He grunted for a second and closed his eyes. He did open them though. His legs didn’t move. ”I can speak, and I can move my arms. It seems my lower half is all that was effected. What is not effected is just my upper half. Well…my fingers are paralyzed too. Oh well. Nonetheless. This is pretty good for starters. Keep trying. You are almost thee, Nikitio. Do. Not. Give. Up.” The way he said it wass broken. He used each word individually. He was stressing not to give up. He couldn’t give up. Nothing was worth giving up. He would do this. If he died, he died learning this. He died because he knew it. He died after finishing it.

Nikitio nodded for a moment and touched the handle of his newly acquired Zanpakuto. It gave him some form of comfort. To feel the coldness of the handles. It made him feel like the Spirit, whoever he was, was there. He remembered his lesson on strength. He remembered claiming his power. He had the Alpha and the Omega with him. He could do this if he just focused his power. All Shinigami had the potential to learn this Bakudo. It was a matter of will. He had to truly want this. He had to focus. He had to desire. He focused on the light. He could do this if he tried. He could do this if he wanted it enough. Derrick looked at him. His eyes were hopeful. Those too blue eyes were so so hopeful. He believed that Nikitio could do this. The least he could do was back that belief up.

Nikitio took in a deep breath. Everything seemed like it was moving in slow motion. Like it was too good to be true. It almost was. How could this be? He had come so far. It was depending upon this. If he couldn’t master this kido, then what? What could he do? What could he learn? Would he just be stuck here? If he couldn’t move on from this what else was there? He had heard rumor of ones known as Kenpachi. He had never truly seen a Kenpachi though. They were supposed to be brutes. They rarely if ever used kido, and few of them used Shunpo. They went in head first. Was that what he would become. Is that what would happen if he couldn’t do this?! No. No. No. That couldn’t be him. That wouldn’t be his fate.

Nikitio heard a voice ring in his ear. The same voice that had been silently guiding him. ”You are strong. You are brave. You are bold. You can do this. If anyone can, you can. I promise you that if you learn this, I will tell you valuable information. I never go back on my word. Master this Kido, and information you could only dream of is yours. This I promise you. Do it. Cast it. Say the words with me. Speak them and set yourself free. Nikitio Uril. Master.”

As the voice faded from his ears, Nikitio felt confident in himself. He could do this. He could make this work. He had Derrick’s support, his own support, and the spirit’s support. He had the support of people he wanted. He could do this. He said each word carefully. ”Carriage of Thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Bakudo number sixty-one. Rikujōkōrō ! For a split second Nikitio doubted himself. For a split second. After that second was up, they were there. Six brilliant beams of light. Six beams that froze Derrick. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t blink. He could barely breath. Nikitio looked at the Bakudo. It was so beautiful. It looked so wonderful. He was so happy. He did it. He learned another Bakudo. Rikujōkōrō! Six Rods Prison of Light. It was now his to control. He did it, and he smiled and cheered to prove his joy.

After a while he remembered Derrick and stopped. He unfroze him and Derrick collapsed to his knees. Derrick looked at Nikitio with a smile and a soft chuckle. Nikitio looked back with a soft wink. He was so proud of himself. Derrick looked proud too. Even though he couldn’t hear the spirit he knew he was happy. Or maybe he just wasn’t voicing his opinion. No matter what it was he knew how he felt. Things were looking bright for Nikitio. He knew he onl had a few more Bakudo to master before the big one. Number ninty-nine. At that point in time he would know all the Bakudo. He wondered what it was that the spirit had wanted to tell Nikitio. What could be so important that he won’t tell him under any other circumstance? He would have to wait until he got to his dorm to know. Or maybe now. He felt a little woozy and it must have shown. Derrick walked over to Nikitio. ”H-hey. I think I have to go for a bit. I’ll be back soon…I think…” Everything went black and Nikitio fainted. Derrick seemed to understand and sat down.

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484

Nikitio was inside the world of his Zanpakuto. The man took him by surprise with a rather friendly hug. This was followed by a pat on the back ”You did good Kiddo. I am proud of you. There are harder kido to learn. You can do it though. Never give in, remember that.” Nikitio nodded and smiled at the compliment. ”I won’t hold you long, Nikitio. I promised you valuable information. So here it is. There are two Kido outside of Bakudo and Hado. These Kido are extremely powerful. They are super hard to learn. To my knowledge more people die learning them than live. I believe you might be able to do it. I don’t know if it’s possible…” He was going to continue but he stopped and shook his head.

”No. Forget that last part. Look into the kido if you wish. They are forbidden, however. So you’ll be challenged to find someone who knows. Someone who will admit it, and will teach it. It just doesn’t happen that often. Go now though. Do not seek answers under the Sun’s eye. Seek it in Darkness’ embrace.” Nikitio smiled and bowed his head in thanks. After he did he came to in the field where he originally was with Derrick. Derrick was sitting on his rock looking at Nikitio.

Derrick smiled at Nikitio as he awoke. ”Well. Well. Well. I’m glad to see you are awake. I hope your spirit had some good news. If you want to tell me you can. It’s okay, you can count on me.” Derrick smiled and Nikitio smiled back. ”Well…he said something about two forbidden kido. Do you know them? Derrick froze at the question. He shook his head quickly and smiled. ”No. No I don’t. We should move on with our lesson. Now that you have rested up a bit you should be good to go. All this back to back casting is good. It helps you to build energy and power. This means when you cast them in the future they will be stronger. When we go over Hado, it will be easier. Of course practice also helps too. Just make sure you know your limit.”

Nikitio thought it was odd how quickly Derrick changed the subject. He must know something. He didn’t pressure the male though. He let it fall to the floor. Nikitio nodded when Derrick was done talking. ”Good. Now then. This next Kido is kind of cool. It also pins your target. Unlike before it can hit multiple targets though. This is assuming your targets are in the same area. It can also be quite tricky as it starts off as one and then splits up into many. Hyapporankan is the name of this Bakudo. Bakudo number sixty-two. Hyapporankan!” He pushed his hands together and then moved them apart. As he did a large rod of energy formed. After it was formed he threw it at Nikitio. It didn’t split up at first. After a few seconds it split up into plenty of shorter versions.

Nikitio was flung up against a way. He couldn’t really move, but it wasn’t like before. It was more like number thirty. Derrick released Nikitio and all the rods vanished. Nikitio didn’t notice how many rods there were. He just knew there were a lot. There had to be at least one hundred. It took less than fifteen to pin someone. All the different positions possible. All the different people in a single fight. Yeah, this Bakudo could do some nice crowd control. Nikitio looked at Derrick and Derrick nodded for Nikitio to continue. He wasn’t offering any help as of late. He was letting Nikitio find things out on his own. Nikki liked that. He didn’t want constant support and attention. He was looking for a teacher, not a hand to hold. He didn’t want anyone to carry him. He didn’t want a babysitter. He didn’t want a softy. He wanted a teacher. Someone who would help him if he asked. Someone who would give him valuable information. But most of all someone who would do just that. Teach.

Nikitio didn’t want to mess this one up. He looked at Derrick and smiled. ”Can you do that again so I can see it?” Derrick nodded and did it again. [color=blue]”Bakudo number sixty-one. Hyapporankan.” This time rather than Nikitio, Derrick hit some dummies. He managed to trap three of them. They all just hung there. They were immobile from the start. But now even if they could move, they wouldn’t be able to. Nikitio observed how such a Bakudo was done and thought for a moment. Derrick released the dummies after a while of holding it. Nikitio was lost in thought by that point. The look on his face told Derrick this, and so he left him alone to his mind for a while.

Nikitio looked at his muscle movements as he had formed the rod. He hands had started together. They began to separate. The rod formed as they moved away. Once his hands were past his shoulder’s length apart it was done. The rod was there and ready to be thrown. He pulled back his arm, and threw it like a spear. Once it was out of his grip, the rod flew at the enemy. At one point it breaks up. The rod splits into many shorter rods. These rods pin the enemy to a surface rendering them unable to move. The effects of this kido can range from one person to many. Derrick hit three dolls. Whether the people there make a difference on how quickly they break free is unknown. Nikitio would assume so.

He looked at the dolls and thought for a moment. How best to do this? What kind of personality did this Bakudo have? How could he manipulate the situation to best suit his needs. He couldn’t force it to split. It already knew how to split. Nikitio had to get it to split on time. He had to get it to do it properly. Timing was the key. If it didn’t split on time, then the entire thing was in shambles. If it split too late, the enemy could be long gone. It if split too early, they could find ways around it. There is always a second of opportunity. While reaction time is key to avoid this Bakudo. There are at least one hundred rods. Avoiding them all would be hard to do. It would be very hard to do. Not impossible. There are ways around it, Nikki assumed, but is it worth it? In the long run, yeah. But if the fight is nearing it’s end is it really worth it?

Nikitio shook his head and looked at Derrick who was observing Nikitio. He smiled when Nikitio looked at him. Nikitio smiled back and was embarrassed. He turned away before he could blush and looked at the long line of dummies. Nikitio clapped his hands together and focused. He knew what he wanted to make. He closed his eyes and took some breaths. ”Bakudo number sixty-one. Hyapporankan.” He opened his hands. He continued to until they were where they should be. Nikitio slowly opened his eyes and frowned. It wasn’t remotely straight. Derrick found that amusing and fell off the rock laughing. Nikitio glared and rolled his eyes. Derrick slowly began to stop laughing and Nikitio sighed. Nikitio felt a slight headache coming on. It wasn’t Derrick’s fault. Nikitio was just hungry. He hadn’t eaten yet.

Nikitio rolled his next and sighed for a moment. He looked at the dummies and remembered what Derrick did. He recalled the rod and how it looked. He thought about the edges of it. He thought about the color and feel. He pressed his hands together ”Bakudo number sixty-one. Hyapporankan.” He parted his hands slowly and looked down at it. It was forming slowly but surely. In his hands was a rod that would split up into X amount. When the rod had formed Nikitio took a breath. Maintaining this was hard. He needed to split this up fast.

Nikitio pulled his arm back and let the rod fly through the air. It was aimed at the middle dummy of three. He tracked the rod with his eyes. He willed it to part. Nothing happened though. He just stood there like an idiot. The Kido ran into the doll. It impaled him in the stomach. Nikitio winced for him and dismissed the rod. It didn’t even split up. It was supposed to split up into a bunch of rods. That clearly didn’t happen. Nikitio sighed and rubbed his temples. He didn’t know what else to do. He had one idea. What if he used less? Less energy so that it broke apart. Maybe that would work. Maybe it wouldn’t. He could wip up a few more ideas if need be. He didn’t feel tired though which was good. It meant that he was getting stronger. Last week he would have probably collapsed.

He put his hands together and looked at the other dummies. He closed his eyes and focused on control. He didn’t want a ton of energy going into this one. The less energy, the more rods. That had to be what was up. But then the Bakudo would be weaker. So that might not be it. It was a good start though. He softly spoke the words of the Bakudo. ”Bakudo number sixty-one. Hyapporankan.” He slowly parted his hands. He was careful to control the flow of reiatsu. When the rod was complete he lifted his arm. He pulled his arm back and the rod disintegrated in his hand. ”Damnit. I need to rethink this.” He walked over to the pond and sat down.

He looked at the water and the fish tat swam. Derrick remained quite as Nikitio thought. He placed his hands in the water and tilted his head as the fish moved around. It rang a bell of a thought. He couldn’t grasp it though. It was right there though on the tip of his tongue. Nikitio moved his hand around in the water. The coolness felt good around his skin. He saw the thought then. It just came to him. It struck him light lightning. He stood up and walked back to the dummies.

He had an idea. If this worked then it would be amazing. It was tricky though. It required a bit of manipulation. What was it that Derrick said? He said something about a river. Or maybe it was a pond? Nonetheless it was smart. Manipulating to your advantage. It was smart advice. It was also his kido. He could manipulate it to his liking. He would have to be very careful here. He didn’t want to mess this up. If something want wrong then it could be bad. He looked at the dummies again and let out a sigh. He placed his hands together. He had to really concentrate for this to work. He took in a breath and opened in eyes. ”Bakudo number..” He coughed a bit as he choked on air. It was silly yes, but it happens. He shook his head and placed his hands together again.

”Bakudo number sixty-one. Hyapporankan.” He slowly took his hands away from each other. The rod formed. He was extremely careful to make this. He got the idea from water. If the bonds were loose enough they could be broken through the force of being thrown. They had to be tight enough though to keep it in one shape. He would practice it more to refine it so that it would work naturally. He relaxed and let things come naturally to him. He trusted in the Bakudo. He pulled it back when it was done. He took another breath and threw it. Once it was about half way across it split into many shorter rods and pinned the dolls. Nikitio cheered and jumped. He was so happy he did it. One more Bakudo he knew.

Derrick smiled and clapped slowly at Nikitio. He walked over to him and circled. He let out a soft sigh and smiled again. There was something in his eyes though. Something that hurt. It was a pain that Nikitio had seen before. He looked into Nikitio’s eyes. ”If you want to be Onmitsukido. I can help you get a leg up on the rest of the captains. To my knowledge they are unaware of this kido. Or at least unaware of how to do it. Having this would give you a leg up on interrogations. It can be used as an effective torture method. It can also be an effective way to be rid of annoying guards if you are ever imprisoned. There is a danger in this kido though. Morally, I don’t agree with it. Then again, some people don’t’ agree with my smoking. That is life though. Always a supporter and someone to fight against it.” He smiled and shrugged.

Derrick walked away and walked back in with two chained, gagged, and blinded men. He walked out and came back in with another two. Finally he came in with a fifth one. He set them all down before Nikitio. ”This kido is dangerous. It can go horribly wrong, very fast. I don’t like to use it, so I won’t use it on you. You know to fear your own powers by now. You are no fool, Nikitio. I want you to understand the power you wield. This Bakudo is rather dependant upon your target. It doesn’t matter how big or strong you are. It doesn’t care how big or strong the enemy is. It will work it’s magic. It targets the mind. It hurts them mentally. If used for long enough then it can kill. It shatters your target’s mind. It breaks them down. Torturing them for however long you wish. Extended periods of time, or repeated use with no breaks, can result in death of the enemy.

I will show you how to use this. That is it though. I will do this once, and only once. I cannot bare to do this Bakudo. Call me a wuss or a coward. I don’t care. This is not something I enjoy knowing. If I could erase it from my memory, I would. Make no mistakes. I do not approve of anyone knowing this kido. I don’t even approve of this Kido being in existence. It can help you thought. It can get you out of some sticky situations. It’s good for truly silent kills. This kido has no number as of now. It has a name though. It’s name is Hakufuku. White Crawl.” Derrick looked at one of the men and closed his eyes. When he opened them he didn’t twitch. He just spoke. ”Bakudo. Hakufuku.” The air became dense. It was heavy and full. Nothing seemed right. It was like nature itself was fighting against itself. Things were falling apart.

Nikitio looked at Derrick. His face was steady, but his eyes were painful. The man was sweating. He had a hard time staying still. His muscles were tense. His chest rose up and down quickly. Then it was over. The air loosened. Things were still. Chaos ceased to run free. Derrick closed his eyes and mumbled something. Nikitio assumed it was a prayer. Derrick looked at Nikitio and motioned to him to start practicing. Nikitio found himself wondering who these people were. What had they signed up for? Was this ethical? Could he truly do this? He didn’t want to. He wanted to get this over with. He wanted to just do it and end it. This could unlock options for his career, but was it worth this? The torment of innocents. The pain and suffering of others. Even if these men had done something wrong, what was it? Did they deserve this? Did they deserve such pain? Physical pain could be healed. Some people had fragile minds. This kido could destroy them. Was it worth this?

”Strength. Ignore your fear. Ignore the pain. Shut out the voices. Strength.” The voice rang in his head and he knew it was correct. This had to be done. ”Bakudo. Hakufuku” Nikitio was focusing on the guy next to the one who had been just hit with this. Instantly his world changed. He only thought about it. He willed for this man’s mind to be hurt. He willed for his memory to be plucked. He wanted him to hurt. He wanted him to submit. Nikitio was forced out of this trance though. He somehow knew this wasn’t done properly. He took in a slow and shallow breath. He didn’t want to rush this. Part of him did though. What could be done about it? He needed this. He wanted this. He would have this.

He closed his eyes and shut off his heart. He didn’t want to feel. He didn’t want to be hurt. He blocked himself away from emotion. He needed to focus. He blocked out his morals. He blocked out his desire to cause little pain. He wanted this to work. He would need to know how to do a lot before he could do a little. He moved onto another target. He looked at him and shook his head. He couldn’t think of what to say to him. He said nothing to him. What was there to say? Sorry? No. Nikitio wasn’t sorry. Is this when he becomes the monster? When he stops caring is be a Hollow. Or at least no better than one. A mindless beast. A brute. Someone who has no feelings, but has them. He couldn’t imagine such a life. It was difficult. He shook his head with a sigh. Nothing was going to be easy with this kido. He had to be the monster. He had to be the bad guy. So be it. Strength.

”Bakudo. Hakufuku” Nikitio focused his mind on the man. He forced himself into his space. He forced his mental state upon his own. His Mind’s Eye peeking into this man’s. He saw his fears, and his desires. He toyed with them. He twisted them. He wanted his victim to suffer. To crack under him. Nikitio focused on this man. He forced himself into his mind. He forced this man to submit. He was unaware of reality. He didn’t see what happened around him. He didn’t care what happened around him. He only saw shadows of black into purple. He saw nothing but the man. His eyes were focused, and his mind intrusive. He knew this man was hurting. He could see it in his face. He could see it in his muscles. He could see it by the way he breathed. He knew this man was suffering a great deal. Nikitio just kept plucking at the strings of his minds.

Nikitio knew he was done now. He could do Hakufuku. He ended the Bakudo and the man fell over. He was exhausted. The stress that being attacked can cause you is big. Especially if that attack is mental. Nikitio shook his head and looked at Derrick. Derrick shunpo’d these men away. When he returned he shook his head solemnly. He didn’t want to show Nikitio. He didn’t like this Kido. He hated it. That much was very clear. The way he moved. The way he spoke. The way he looked. All of it hinted at this one fact. Nikitio didn’t mind though. He couldn’t mind. What was done was done. He now knew this Kido. Derrick sat down and shook his head. He regretted showing Nikitio this kido. Derrick stood and sighed. ”What’s done is done. I cannot take it back. We shall move on in lessons. This next Kido you pretty much already know, more or less. It is nothing hard to do since you already know it. Well. Let me correct myself. You know the basic version. Let me lecture you for a moment if I may. It will make sense afterwards.

“Kido is like a snowball. It piles up. Either you keep up and your snowball becomes perfectly round and firm. Or you mess up a few miles back, and later on it causes you problems. You shouldn’t have any problems that I can think about. You are doing wonderfully. Your thoughts are precise. Your thinking unique. Your casting fantastic. Your memory wonderful. The marks of a true Kido Master. Shame you don’t want to go into the Kido Corps. Oh well. You’ll be a powerful Onmitsukido Captain. Anyway, I digress. Kido can be built upon. It can be mixed with other Kido. It can be fused with others for…interesting effects. Interesting to say the least that is. There is a little know fact. I will teach you this now. Bakudo number four. From this Bakudo you can go into Bakudo number sixty-one. How? Simple. The light from Bakudo four, allows you to form the rods. It is simple to do. I could have told you this earlier. But I didn’t want to ruin your training. It would have been bad have told you while you were learning sixty-one. Nonetheless. This Bakudo you are about to learn is a restraint.

This Bakudo is similar to Bakudo number four. Actually, it is exactly the same. It looks exactly like it. It seems like a more refined version though. It is sharper and smoothing. It moves more like a snake. It doesn’t seem so jerky. It is also impossible to break with sheer force. Or at least it is rumored to be. There is one tale that says otherwise, but it’s only one. The Bakudo is more like a chain of light rather than a rope. My recommendation for practice of this? Cast Number four for a while. When you think you can make a powered up version of four, then do this one. Lucky for you, no incantation. There is none. It is also like number four in that aspect. That is my recommendation of course. You are free to do as you wish. I have a bit more speaking to do though so bare with me. Don’t worry. This will be over soon.

You struggled a bit with this last Kido. You noticed something few people do. The way a Kido acts cannot be changed. What it is supposed to do cannot be changed. It will always do what it is meant to do. There are more ways than one, however, to reach this. You don’t have to worry about that. If you feel like it is difficult to work your kido one way. Try it a different way. You can pull inspiration from anywhere. I told you already. Kido is in everything. Kido IS everything. It’s everywhere. It’s everyone. Do not be afraid to find inspiration. Creativity can be seen anywhere. It can lead to useful information. What you did was a challenge. It was inspiring. You managed to work your way around a problem rather than suffer through it. For this, I congratulate you. Now then. I wanted to tell you that there are things I know. There are…special things you can do.

You need to be taught these things. You will be taught them in time. By either me or someone else. I am betting money it will be me though. I don’t plan on dying anytime soon. There are Kido without names. They are incredibly powerful Kido. You will learn them in time. Now then. Allow me to show you this Bakudo. It is rather special. I enjoy it quite a bit. It is so elegant. It is also incredibly power, as you know. Bakudo number sixty-three. Sajo Sabaku.” The entire time that Derrick spoke, Nikitio listened. He didn’t want to miss a single thing he said. He paid attention and stored it away. Powerful Kido? What could they be? Nikitio was so excited. He wanted to learn them. He wanted Derrick to teach them to him. He didn’t care about this new Kido. He wanted to learn those Kido. If they didn’t have a name yet though, they had to be powerful. New kido maybe?

Nikki looked at Derrick as he spoke. His hands moved as he spoke. Gesticulating was something Nikki did now and then. Nikki looked at Derricks body as he walked too and fro. He was happy to talk about this. The way he spoke. So passionate about Kido. Nikitio understood why. Nikki was as passionate about Hakuda. He could go on for hours on end about it. About the feel of a punch. The thrill of a kick. Nikitio went through a phase where he only used his legs to attack. He used his hands to deflect and to guard. It was rather interesting to do. It was a bit hard at first, but he adjusted. Now he only uses that style in extreme cases. He was deadly with his legs. That was always true. Being here, only made it that much worse. If you could avoid getting hit by his legs, do so. In the Rukongai, Nikitio had built up a reputation for himself. No Hands Nikki. That’s what he was called. He had never killed in the Rukongai, but he had come pretty damn close. This was all without using his hands as an offensive tool.

Nikitio thought about that for a moment. No Hands Nikki. He got picked on a lot. The title wasn’t very threatening. It didn’t strike fear into the hearts of men. It was just a title. Nobody was scared by it. That’s why he always got into fights. Not to mention his odd hair color. That was enough to be mad about. At least in there eyes it was. Maybe he would dye his hair. But he liked his silver locks. They were who he was. Could he really do that to himself? It was something that would require a lot of thought.

Nikki returned his full attention to Derrick. He was getting ready to perform the kido. He had heard the recommendation. He thought it was pretty good. He would have to go through all the Kido he could do to see how long he could hold them for. He looked as Derrick did called the Bakudo. ” Bakudo number sixty-three. Sajo Sabaku.” He pointed to Nikitio and from his fingers snaked a bright yellow chain. It did look like Bakudo number 4. It looked a lot like number four. Nikkitio stood still as the Bakudo came to him. There wasn’t much that he could do though. The Bakudo was fast as shit. He blinked and it was upon him. The chain coiled around him like a snake. He tightened on him. Nikitio grunted as he was gripped to death. He couldn’t even begin to move his arms. His chest was also restricted a bit as well. He looked at Derrick. Derrick held the Bakudo for a while, and finally let it go. Nikitio panted to catch his breath. He smiled at Derrick.

”Bakudo number one. Sai!” He pointed behind Derrick. He got the effect he wanted though. The older male flinched expecting to be hit. Rather a dummy was hit. It’s arms pulled behind his back. Nikitio breathed to continue the Bakudo. He held it. His concentration loosened a bit. He fixed it quickly. He held up Sai for about four minuets before he had to let go. He took a breather before getting up to do the next Bakudo. The one that was the lower form of the one he was going to try to do. ”Bakudo number four. Hainawa.” Nikitio pointed and the jagged light sped out of his finger. It zipped all over before finding it’s target. When it did, it zig zagged all over it before tightening. Nikitio dropped his hand and slowly breathed. He concentrated on holding the Bakudo. He focused on restraining the dummy. He kept count in his head as to how long he could do this. When he finally had to let go he got four minuets and thirty-three seconds. Nikitio took another break for a bit. He was determined to see how long he could restrain people. This wasn’t accurate of course. It was a dummy, not a real person.

Nikitio turned to Derrick. Derrick knew what Nikitio wanted and he nodded. Nikitio pointed at Derrick and spoke. ” Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat! Bakudo number nine! Geki!” Nikitio spoke the incantation. Even before this though, the kido seemed to want to work. He would need a bit more practice before he could use it without an incantation. Nonetheless, the Bakudo worked. Derrick was covered in a red light. He couldn’t move. Nikitio held his focus. He willed the kido to be strong. He reinforced it with sheer will. When he couldn’t hold it anymore, he dropped it. He could feel Derrick’s energy explode out of it. He had been fighting, but Nikitio didn’t know. He had held Derrick in there for five minuets. Derrick smiled and nodded a good job. ”If you want to use me for practice you may.” Nikitio looked at Derrick, and he nodded.

Nikitio took a rest for about ten minuets. In those minuets he ate and relaxed. He stood up and Derrick smiled. ” Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat! Bakudo number nine! Horin!” He pointed at Derrick. The spell shot out and wrapped around him. It bound his arms. Nikitio held onto his end of the rope. He looked at a dummy and had an idea. He pointed at it and spoke again. ” Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat! Bakudo number nine! Horin!” Another orange cord shot out and wrapped around the dummy. He moved it so that the two cords melted together, and Derrick was wrapped up with the doll. Derrick smiled. ”Good idea. Now how long can you hold that?” Nikitio smiled and then focused. He focused hard on the Bakudo. He focused on keeping these two restrained. He wasn’t going to let go until he had to. He felt himself getting weaker and loosing focus. He narrowed his eyes, and focused himself once more. He held onto the Bakudo tightly. He released it shortly afterwards. He held it for four minuets and ten seconds.

Derrick smiled and nodded a good job to him. Nikitio panted a bit and smiled back. He was sweating bullets. His body was under immense stress right now. He rested for about thirty minuets. He just laid there. He took a twenty minuet nap during that time as well. He went to visit his Zanpakuto Spirit as well. The Spirit was quite emotionless. He was also very vague in his compliments. They were bittersweet almost. When he awoke he felt better. He stood up and looked at Derrick. ”Ready to go on?” Nikitio nodded and stretched a bit. He smiled and pointed at Derrick. Derrick held his hands out. He knew what was coming. ”Bakudo number thirty. Shiotsu Sansen!” As he spoke he drew a triangle. A yellow line followed his finger until he was done. The triangle was formed, and launched at Derrick. It pinned him against the wall and he held him there for a moment.

His body in a triangle formation. His body was just hanging there. This time, Nikki felt the resistance. IT was draining his energy. Having to fight to hold him there was taking energy away. More energy than just him staying there. Nikitio pushed against Derrick’s force with his reiatsu. He wouldn’t let go. He wouldn’t surrender just yet. He held Derrick there for a while longer. He saw the signs of cracking on the Bakudo, and he reinforced it. Some of the cracks faded. Some of them stayed. In the end though Nikitio had to drop the Bakudo. He managed to hold Derrick there for five minuets and five seconds. Derrick stretched his arms a bit. Derrick smiled and chuckled. ”Good job. You did very well. Onto the next kido?” Nikitio nodded and smiled.

He pointed at Derrick and took a deep breath. ”Bakudo number four. Hainawa!” The rope raced to Derrick. The instructor was taken back by this. He wasn’t expecting it. When the rope reached him he tried to physically fight it. The Bakudo won though and restrained him. Derrick looked at Nikitio with a smile. Nikitio switched his focus and commanded another kido. ”Bakudo number sixty-one. Rikujokoro.” Instantly the rope around Derrick changed into six rods of light. Nikitio smiled at Derrick. Derrick couldn’t respond, but he knew he saw Nikitio. Nikitio held the spell for a long while. He could feel Derrick’s mind forcing his reiatsu to fight against Nikitio. Nikitio fought back. Nikitio was still a bit tired though. He had to drop the kido after only four minuets and twenty seconds.

Nikki had one more left. He rested up while he thought about it. He readied his mind. He could do this. When he was ready he stood up. Derrick looked at him and smiled. Nikitio took a deep breath and let it out. He pointed at Derrick and smiled. ”Bakudo number sixty-three. Sajo Sabaku.” On the first time, for once, the Bakudo worked. It slithered out from Nikitio and wrapped around Derrick. Derrick tried to break free with his strength, but it didn’t work. Nikitio smiled as what he had said was proven. Derrick used his reiatsu to try and break free, Nikitio fought back. Nikitio was winning. He finally let Derrick go upon approaching the five minuet mark. He fell just short of it though. He got four minuets and fifty seconds. Nikitio smiled and fell over. Derrick walked over to Nikitio and sat down.

”Good job. Excuse me while I light up.” Derrick produced a cig and lit it up. He began to smoke and let out sighs of pleasure. He was about as stressed as Nikki was. That was understandable. Derrick had gotten the worst of things probably. Being subject to restraint after restraint was hard. Nikitio had respect for Derrick. He closed his eyes slowly as he began to drift off into a deep slumber. He was so tired. He would rest for a minuet or two. Who was he kidding? It would be longer than two minuets. It would be far far longer than two minuets. Maybe a short nap. Yeah. A nap sounded very nice right now. Derrick would understand. Maybe he would see that spirit of his.


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Nikitio was resting easy. The last thing his mind remembered was Derrick sitting by him. The other male had taken out a cig and lit it up. He let out a soft sigh. His eyes were heavy and dark. It seemed like he was thinking heavily upon something. Something he shouldn’t be thinking about. What was it? Was it this bad? Was it Nikki? Was it something he had done? Something he will do? Whatever it was, made Derrick shiver. Derrick stood up and looked down at Nikitio. Derrick’s eyes were dark. His face still. The cig was in his hand still. His lips were flat. His body still. He didn’t move. He didn’t breathe it seemed. He just looked at Nikitio. Nikitio, for what he could do, looked up at him. He was too tired to speak. Too exhausted to move. He wanted to know what was wrong. Derrick was never like this for long.

Nikitio couldn’t keep his eyes open for much longer. Derrick walked away with a sigh. He was thinking about something. Something dark and depressing. It was like he was battling himself. Nikitio would find out. He would wake up soon. When he did they would talk. Derrick would tell Nikitio everything. Nikitio couldn’t let Derrick go through this. Not alone anyway. Nikitio wanted to help him. Derrick would take his help. This wasn’t an option Derrick had. Derrick had helped Nikki. He helped him in many ways. He taught him things about himself. He showed him so many cool things. It wasn’t fair for him to have to go through this. Whatever the moral or inner issue was, Nikki would help. What else could he do? Sit around and let him just suffer? No. That wasn’t an option Nikitio was going to put on the table. Either he would help him, or he’d help him.

For now, Nikitio needed sleep. He couldn’t focus properly. He was too tired. Having cast and held all those kido. Derrick thought he was doing wonderful. Nikitio knew there were better. He knew people had done better. He even knew people WOULD do better. It wasn’t something he could control. He didn’t want to anyway. There was always going to be someone better than you at one point or another. On that note, he was taken away. By this point he was used to it. It also seemed a lot less restricted. He was free to move. Like the bridge was less crowded. Nikitio arrived in a familiar setting. This time though the man had company. Could it be called company? The other thing there was a humanoid. It was about the Spirit’s height. He had the same arm length. He had the same shouldn’t width. He had the same everything. He had no eyes though. No visible nose. No visible mouth. When he turned to look at Niktio is when he saw it. There were no facial features at all. He didn’t even have ears. How were you supposed to tell front from back?

Nikitio looked down and noticed the feet. They indicated front from back. It was looking at Nikitio. He didn’t know how, but it was. Nikitio looked from the thing to the spirit. He couldn’t tell which scared him more. They were both rather terrifying in their own right. It was just something Nikki would have to deal with. Nikitio looked at the spirit and smiled. The spirit nodded and looked to the shadow thing. He nodded and the shadow vanished. Nikitio looked around. It wasn’t a magician vanishing. It was the use of shunpo. He felt something shift behind him. Air currents. Why did he feel that though? Nikitio rolled forward nonetheless when he felt it. Luckily he did too. The humanoid figure threw a punch at the space his head had just occupied. Nikitio got to his feet. What was going on here? Why was he being attacked? Why wasn’t the spirit doing anything?

The shadow thing came after Nikitio again. It kicked, and Nikitio countered with his own. They met with crossed legs in the air. Nikitio and the shadow withdrew and jumped back. Nikitio looked at the spirit as the shadow stopped. ”This is a lesson for you. Don’t let your guard down. The more you do, the more likely you are to be surprised. Do not toy with elements you do not understand. Do not let your guard down. Do you insist on doing this?” This is how it had been last time too. Short and sweet. Well, maybe not sweet. His tone was apathetic. The yellow irises were still fearful, but lost some amusement. That made them look worse. Spirit had been acting strange lately. A Zanpakuto was a reflection, more or less. It was identical to the owner. Was Nikitio like this? Was this who he was? Did he want to be this?

Nikitio couldn’t make sense of any of this. This guy had changed greatly from the start of things. What was he supposed to do? Who was the true owner here? Nikitio knew who he was supposed to be in charge. But the power wasn’t his. The power belonged to the Spirit. It was not up to him what powers he was granted. He got what the spirit gave. Until he knew his name, he wouldn’t be allowed to know what the spirit’s name was. Nikitio knew what he was asking. He knew what he was talking about. Nikitio was a Hakuda lover. He understood it. He used it. He ate it. He breathed it. He slept with it. He awoke with it. Nothing could replace Hakuda. Despite his love for such a thing, he was here. Here, studying Kido. Here studying long range fighting. Here learning something other than Hakuda. Was he really prepared to continue with this? Hell yes. He was ready. He was going to do it. He was going to continue. He would find the balance between Hakuda and Kido. They are one in the same. Two halves of the same whole.

Nikitio looked at the spirit. He was looking for something. What was he looking for. Why did he care? He wanted information. Lately he had done things this way. He would seemingly dance around the bush. In reality though he was just fishing for answers. Why? Why had this suddenly changed? Why had he decided that this was better? Why? Why? Why? Nikitio wanted answers too. When he knew his name, he would ask. He would find out. He would be sure to figure these things out. For now, there was a question. For now he had something to answer. He had something to think about. No. He didn’t have to think about anything. He didn’t need to. He knew exactly what the answer was. He knew that the spirit wasn’t going to like it. He could go to Hell though. Nikitio didn’t care. This was his fight. It would help him. The spirit would either remember that or he wouldn’t.

”Damn straight I do. I am going to keep doing this. I will continue my Hakuda practice. I will continue my Hoho practice. I will continue my Kido practice. If you don’t like that then oh well. My fight. My life. My body.” The spirit chuckled and shook his head. ”You are such a human.” Nikitio was forced out of the flower world. Nikitio was not happy about that. His spirit was being childish. Or maybe he wasn’t be. Cryptic and evasive, yes. Infantile, no. He knew something. He thought something. He felt something odd. He knew that there was an underlining of something there. What was it though? Whatever it was, Nikitio would find out.

His eyes blinked once. He blinked twice. He blinked a third time. Finally his eyes fluttered. He turned over onto his back. It was dark outside. He should go back to his dorm. Surly Derrick was already gone. He sat up. He stretched. He yawned. He rubbed his eyes. He rolled onto his stomach and stretched again. He used his arms as a pillow and yawned again. He was terribly tired. Not physically, but emotionally. He didn’t know how much more he could handle. Nikitio suffered from minor depression and apathy. It wasn’t serious, but it was something that took a lot of energy from him. Fighting it off, that is. He was naturally pessimistic. Not a light one either. He suffered from severe pessimism, and bordered on the line of a fatalist. He kept up a nice act though. He sighed and shook his head. His face turned to burry it into his arms.

In the darkness of his arms, and of night, he heard things. He heard the wind. He heard the fish. He heard the water and laughter. He heard walking of guards and students. He also heard a heavy breathing. Not heavy breathing really. Just a loud exhale. It was rather close. Nikitio focused and expanded his conscious mind. He could sense some people in the halls. A few students by their reiatsu. He felt one behind him that surprised him. The reiatsu he felt was amazingly familiar. It was like a friend he hadn’t seen in a long time. He opened his eyes and rolled over onto his back. Looking up he saw Derrick. He sat in a tree with a cigarette in hand. The dull orange glow of the tip was visible in the night. Around the tree he sat in was a large upside down pyramid. It was blue and looked like it was a Bakudo. Nikitio had never seen a Hado. He wasn’t stupid though either. Unless this was some sort of explosive, it was a Bakudo.

Nikitio got up and looked up at Derrick. Derrick looked down at him. He gave a small wave. Nikitio returned the gesture. He walked to the pyramid. It looked sturdy. He knew a triangle was a very very sturdy shape. He knocked on it. No explosion. No danger. No pain. It was a Bakudo. Derrick waved the hand with the cigarette in it. An opening was created. Nikitio walked inside and the Bakudo closed behind him. He used Shunpo to get up into the tree with the other male. ”Good night. Before you ask. Yes this is a Bakudo. Yes. I will show it to you. Yes. It is easy. No. It doesn’t have anything to support it. You must do that on your own. A lot of people use Bakudo number thirty-seven with this. It makes for a nice base. This Bakudo is fairly strong. It’s good enough to be used as a makeshift base. It’s also rather quick to build. There is another one that is right side up. I will show you that one at some point. That one is crazy strong. We will get to it later though. Anyway. You have seen this. You know it. You are rather experienced in the use of Kido. You can do this. Use Bakudo number seventy-three. Tozansho.” Derrick dismissed the Bakudo.

Nikitio nodded and pictured the Kido. He thought about the shield he tried to make before. He remembered how it had failed. How he did it wrong. How it just didn’t work. He remembered all he was told. He remembered what he did. He needed to relax. He needed faith. He needed confidence. He needed understanding. He let out a soft breath and closed his eyes. ”Bakudo number seventy-three. Tozansho.” He opened his eyes slowly. Lines shot up from the base of the tree. Four lines. They rose up to the top of the tree, and moved to the right. When they moved to the right they formed the barrier. Nikitio frowned though. Derrick let out a soft chuckle. ”Close. Go on. Try again.”

Nikitio nodded. When he had first made it, it was too thin. It was way too thin. It wasn’t like a pyramid. Well, it was by definition. It just was too tall and too thin. There was little to no room there. Nikki took a breath and rolled his neck. He rubbed the back of his neck in a massaging manner. He rubbed his hands together. He pictured the Bakudo he wished to make. He would make it sooner or later. He just had to get the proportions. He would find them easy enough. Nikitio concentrated and let out a soft breath. ”Bakudo number seventy-three. Tozansho.” The lines came. They went up. They went to the right. They touched and connected. The walls rose. The pyramid was complete.

Nikitio frowned. It was too wide now. It was a problem because that would mean that it was weaker. The strongest would be even all around. It would only become weaker like this. It would be broken easier. It was too thin. It would be weak. Too wide. Weak. It had to be even all around. Nikitio dismissed the Bakudo. ”You can do it. I know you can.” Nikitio smiled at Derrick. Derrick nodded and motioned for him to continue. Nikitio was happy to have Derrick here. Derrick was always so encouraging. He always seemed to have faith in Nikki. Even if he didn’t have faith in himself. Nikitio took in a deep breath and held it.

Derrick took another his of his cigarette. He let out a long sigh. Nikitio drew a few triangles in the air. He needed to see a perfect triangle first. He drew a few triangles. All of them had some flaws. He stood up on the branch. His balance was superb. He did a stretch or two to loosen up. He wondered what time it was. What time was it indeed? It had to be at least midnight. It was so dark. He could hear the movement of guards. The guards didn’t seem to be needed as of late. That isn’t to say they weren’t ever needed. But attacks were low. The captains, or what was left of them, had cleaned up nicely. He made a not to go through the history of the Soul Society later on. He wanted to know. He needed to know. He was going to be part of a squad that guarded the Soul Society.

Nikitio focused his thoughts. He felt like this was going to be it. He parted his lips. He closed his eyes. He spoke softly. color=indigo]”Bakudo number seventy-three. Tozansho.”[/color] The lines came up. They stopped. They moved to the right. They connected. The walls rose. It was perfect. Every side was equal. The barrier was at full strength. Nikitio looked back at Derrick, and Derrick smiled at him. ”Wonderful job. Wonderful job indeed. I am very proud of you. You are so close to mastering all the named, and categorized Bakudo. There are a few more that are Bakudo, but unnamed. Nikitio, you can go all the way if you want. I won’t force you. It is up to you.”

Nikitio sat down in the barrier he had made. He could feel the kido in his mind. He felt his conscious touching it. There were “strings” attached to his mind. He had full control over this prism. He smiled up at Derrick as he fished his cigarette. With a brief flare of his reiatsu, he put it out. He let it fall to the ground and looked at Nikitio. They both smiled. They knew the answer. Nikitio wasn’t going to stop yet. He wanted to learn all he could. He thirsted for knowledge. He would have all he asked for. Failure was not an option. He nodded at Derrick. Derrick nodded back. Both boys stood up. Derrick thought for a moment. ”Ever wanted to say something to someone, but they were too far away? Maybe you were stuck somewhere? They stuck somewhere? Need to warn someone real quick? Want to send a message to troops on the field? Well then this won’t help you one bit. The one after it will though.” Nikitio’s light in his eyes faded. He pouted and rolled his eyes. Nikitio folded his arms. Derrick just laughed at him.

”Relax. This Kido is very helpful as well. It can by you some time. This one drops five pillars on your target. Five large pillars. Five very heavy pillars. Five pillars connected by a chain. These pillars are near impossible to break. So they can certainly hold your enemy down for a while. It gives you a very nice time frame to regroup your thoughts. I can tell you from person experience. Using this spell can be your best friend. This can be your saving grace. This can be the answer to your prayers. This can turn the tables really quickly. The pillars are connected by chains. The Bakudo is called Gochutekkan. Bakudo number seventy-five.”

Nikitio dropped the barrier. He knew what was coming. ”Bakudo number seventy-five. Gochutekkan!” As soon as he said it, they fell down. It crushed Nikitio and it hurt bad. His body was going to be sore. There was no arguing about that. He might even have some red marks. Nikitio struggled against them. Nothing happened though. He couldn’t break them at all. Nikitio looked up as best he could at Derrick. Derrick slipped down and folded his arms. He tapped his lips while looking up. He looked back down at Nikitio and frowned. ”Shoot. I forgot to tell you the incantation. I suppose now is as good a time as ever. Not like you can go anywhere. I imagine those hurt bad right now. Hm....maybe I should inform you of something. Maybe I should just leave you there. What do you think? No. Save it. I will just tell you. No need to waste time. Here is the incantation. Walls of ironsand, a priestly pagoda, glowing ironclad fireflies. Standing upright, silent to the end. There you have it. The name. The number. Now you have the incantation. Don’t worry. Don’t worry. I’ll let you go now.”

Derrick snapped and the pillars broke. Derrick took cover. Nikitio wasn’t hit thankfully. He stood up and rubbed the points of contact. They all hurt really bad. He looked at his arms. He looked at his legs. He frowned at his marks. They weren’t anything terribly serious. He would heal within a few hours. It was still annoying though. He turned and looked at the dummies. He pointed to one of them and spoke the incantation. “Walls of ironsand, a priestly pagoda, glowing ironclad fireflies. Standing upright, silent to the end. Bakudo number seventy-five. Gochutekkan.” Nothing happened at first. Nothing at all. The air didn’t even feel remotely different. That annowed Nikitio. He focused himself and pointed once more.

“Walls of ironsand, a priestly pagoda, glowing ironclad fireflies. Standing upright, silent to the end. Bakudo number seventy-five. Gochutekkan.” Nothing happened yet again. The air got heavy, but that was about it. He couldn’t do it. It was annoying him. How was the best way to do this? The way that would give him the best results. He silently cursed. He rolled his neck and let out a soft breath. He shook his head to clear out any doubt in his mind. Being a pessimist there was plenty of doubt to go around. He let out a soft sigh. He parted his lips. He spoke.

“Walls of ironsand, a priestly pagoda, glowing ironclad fireflies. Standing upright, silent to the end. Bakudo number seventy-five. Gochutekkan.” This time nothing happened once more. He was getting frustrated. Nothing seemed to be working. He shook his head. Usually he felt something. Something happened. Nothing was working this time around though. Why? Why wasn’t this working? Why couldn’t he do this? Why? Why? Why?

Derrick placed a hand on Nikitio’s shoulder. ”Sorry. I forgot to tell you something. When you are first doing this you need to have your hands together. Try it. If you are doing it right you’ll know.” Nikitio looked at him and glared. ”Hey. I could have not told you at all.” He grinned and Nikitio laughed. It was true. He was still mad though. He looked at the dummie and placed his hands together, palm to palm. Derrick corrected him and slipped his fingers in between each other so he made one large fist. Derrick nodded. Nikitio nodded.

Nikitio let out a soft breath. He looked at the dummies and let out soft words. “Walls of ironsand, a priestly pagoda, glowing ironclad fireflies. Standing upright, silent to the end. Bakudo number seventy-five. Gochutekkan.” As he spoke small orange wisps arose from in between his fingers. As he continued to speak they lost the tails and became floating blobs. As he neared the end they circled around. When he stopped speaking they shot up into the air and came back down as pillars. Nikitio smiled as he did this. He dismissed it and then smiled. He put his hands together facing another dummy. He looked at the dummy and closed his eyes. He opened them and spoke again.

“Walls of ironsand, a priestly pagoda, glowing ironclad fireflies. Standing upright, silent to the end. Bakudo number seventy-five. Gochutekkan.” At the last minuet he changed targets to hit Derrick. He smiled at the male who was taken by surprise. ”Hey! Get me out of here!” He struggled against the Bakudo and Nikitio laughed. For once, it was Nikitio laughing. It wasn’t Derrick. Derrick glared at Nikitio. Nikitio just shrugged the glares off and sat down against the tree. Or what was left of it anyway. After the first attack by Derrick, the tree had seen better days. It would heal though. He looked at Derrick and shrugged resting his head against the back. Wasting energy on failed Kido was a drag. He drew his knees up to his chest. Derrick said some choice words. That made Nikitio giggle a bit more.

Nikitio did release Derrick. Derrick rubbed the pin points. He grumbled and rolled his eyes. ”Now then. If you are quiet done with this. Would you like to be able to communicate with people or not? I shouldn’t even tell you. Not after that little trick you pulled. As good as it was. You shouldn’t even get this.” He grumbled more and rolled his eyes. He sat across from the student. Nikitio grins and shrugs. ”I want to learn…Oh great master.” Nikitio grinned again. Derrick rolled his eyes and vanished. He came back within an instant. He carried a small pouch with him. He sat down hard. He placed the pouch between them. ”As I explained earlier. This can be used to communicate with others. The only catch is that it works one way. That way is from you to them. You can, however, speak to multiple people. Also, you or anyone near you can speak. You can hold it for long as need be also.

There is an incantation, however, but it’s okay. This isn’t exactly a battle oriented spell obviously. If you need to use it in a fight well…do it away from the actual battle. Or do it in safety. I shall now tell you the incantation. Black and white net. Twenty-two bridges, sixty-six crowns and belts. Footprints, distant thunder, sharp peak, engulfing land, hidden in the night, sea of clouds, blue line. Form a circle and fly though the heavens. It’s name is simple. Bakudo number seventy-seven. Tenteikura.” Nikitio nodded. He listened and heard everything. He stored it in his memory somewhere. He then remembered the pouch. He looked at it and then looked up at Derrick. Derrick shook his head. ”Sorry. I forgot about that. You have to use the ink to draw a symbol on your arm. I’ll show you this too.”

Derrick opened the pouch. Derrick rolled up his sleeve too. He dipped his fingers in the ink and then drew a tribal looking design on his bare arm. When it was done he showed it to Nikki. Nikki looked at it and drew a copy of it in the air with his finger. He nodded when he thought he had it. Nikitio rolled up his sleeve on his left arm. Afterwards he put his right fingers in the ink. He then drew the image on his arm. He frowned though shortly afterwards. It was wrong. He went backwards. He sighed and Derrick smiled. He left Nikitio for a while. Nikitio assumed he was getting water. Nikki was left alone and he felt a voice in his head. It told him to come. It said to come. It commanded him. It compelled him. It drove him. Nikitio closed his eyes and tapped into his Zanpakuto’s inner world.

Ever since he had obtained his Zanpakuto, things had been quiet easy for him. At least as far as getting in and out of his Zanpakuto’s world. He no longer needed the assistance of the Zanpakuto. He obeyed the command of the spirit and entered the flower world. He got there standing this time. The spirit was sitting. He looked up. Nikitio looked down. The spirit stood and stared. Nikitio held his ground. He faced the spirit. He looked into his eyes. Those eyes that he once feared and hated. He looked at the eyes and felt something stir. He still feared them. He feared what they could do. He feared what kind of damage could happen to his mind with those eyes. He wondered if the spirit was aware of them. Of course he was. Why wouldn’t he be? They were his eyes. He saw Nikitio’s first reaction. He knew they were fearsome. The yellow irises were a weapon.

The spirit shook his head. He motioned for Nikki to sit. Nikki sat without a word. He didn’t look away from those yellow hues yet. He wouldn’t. He would show him that he wasn’t afraid anymore. He wouldn’t fear his own Zanpakuto. The Zanpakuto sat down across from him and sighed. ”I am not a Kido based Zanpakuto. I can tell you that much right now. That doesn’t mean that I don’t know about kido. That doesn’t mean I cannot help. I will show you an easy way to master this Kido. It is one that a lot of people don’t truly know. It is quiet hard to master. It requires a more than healthy amount of concentration. It needs more reiatsu than a lot of the other Kido as well. This can be the end of you. This can be your savior. It all depends on how you use it.

Now then. I believe I have told you before about this place. There is another secret this world holds. It is something that I believe can help. It will help you on your self given mission to master this kido. There is a tree here. Find it.” That is all the spirit said. He didn’t offer some wise words. He didn’t play the master. He played him. He did him. There were no illusions here. He would leave Nikki alone to grow. Nikki needed to grow. He needed to become strong. That was all there was to it. Strength in numbers didn’t apply here. It was strength in oneself. Nikki failed alone. He died alone. He succeeded alone. He lived alone. That was all there was.

He looked around him but saw no tree. There were flowers though. Midnight blue roses. There were some fading in and fading out blue lights too. About the size of the firefly, they might be one. The Shinigami was lost. He didn’t understand. Maybe he had to look for it? He looked around. Everything looked the same. He ran to the right though. He eventually began using shunpo. He shunpo’d quickly and constantly. He would be there one moment. He’d be gone the next moment. He was like a ghost. He couldn’t be held down for long. He would always be gone in the next instant. He ran. He shunpo’d. He stopped. He rested. He ran. He shunpo’d. This is how it went. After about an hour he found himself back where he started. He looked around. The spirit was resting. His back in the air, and chest touching the ground. Nikitio went forward this time, to the spirit’s right in this case.

He repeated the process. He ran. He shunpo’d. He stopped. He rested. He ran. He shunpo’d. He stopped. He rested. This went on and on. He did this in all directions he could think off. He never saw a tree though. He got in a good shunpo exercise though. It was quite helpful. Shunpo wouldn’t help him here though. He needed to find this tree. He thought about this logically. What would be around for him to use? What could he see? What could he help? What could he alter? What couldn’t he alter? What can he do? He felt like he was supposed to remember something. Something important. Something he was forgetting all over again. What was it though? What was it that he was forgetting? It had to be important. If it wasn’t, then he wouldn’t have been here. Here. Yes. It was something about this place.

He thought about the Kido. What did he need for the kido. He could talk to one person, or multiple people. Either way he would need concentration. He’d need his mind. Mind. Yes. He felt himself getting closer. He was so close to the answer. Or at least what he thought was the answer. He had a wonderful memory. So why was this so hard? Why couldn’t he remember this? Of course his memory would choose now to let him down. He thought about Derrick. He didn’t want to let him down too. His spirit was still sleeping. Of course he was. Nothing was going to happen. He wasn’t going to get any help from him. Great. He was alone on this. He would figure it out. Nikitio didn’t mind. The spirit didn’t matter. That was it! Mind over matter. That’s what it was. Things here were only real if they mattered. If you minded them.

He touched a flower Or he tried to anyway. His hand went through it. He focused his mind on the flower. He thought about the soft touch of petals. He focused his mind on the flower. He wanted to touch the flower. He extended his hand, His fingers touched them. He touched the flowers. He smiled. Touching flowers was easy though. The real challenge was finding the tree. He couldn’t possibly find a tree like he did the flower. Why not though? It was apart of this world. He should be able to. He thought about the tree. He wanted the tree. He wanted to see the tree. He longed for the tree. His mind expanded. He searched for the tree with his mind. He expanded his consciousness. His mind searched. He looked with his Mind’s Eye. He pictured the tree. He knew what he wanted. He willed the tree to show itself. He felt a pulse then. He looked around and saw a faint outlining. He smiled and it faded.

He thought harder. He concentrated harder. He desperately wanted to find this tree. Closing his eyes he pictured the tree. There was a pulse again. He felt the tree coming into existence. He touched the heart of the tree. He could feel it. He could hear it. He could touch it. The tree was becoming more and more real. There it was. The pulse. The hint of life. It was here. Now. He opened his eyes and saw it. It was a common tree of unusual color. A tall weeping sakura tree. Also know as a weeping cherry blossom tree. It was not white or pink though. No. It was violet. A soft, velvet, silk looking color. Nikitio stared at the tree and got lost. ”There. That is the secret to this Bakudo. Goodbye.” With that Nikitio was forced out.

When he came to in the Soul Society, Derrick was coming back with water. He placed the bowl down. Nikitio gladly accepted the water and washed off the tattoo. He nodded his head in thanks. Derrick just smiled. Nikitio drew the symbol correctly on his arm this time. He focused for a while and let out a sigh. He looked at Derrick, and Derrick walked away. Nikitio was supposed to send Derrick a message. He made sure the design was right, and it was. He let out a soft sigh. This was going to work. He understood his spirit’s help with the Bakudo. It required the use of his mental prowess. More than the other Bakudo did anyway. Nkitio smiled when it was all okay. He got on his knees and held his hands out. He spoke the incantation. He spoke the name. There was a bright blue box. The ink faded from his arm. It moved from there to the box. From the box it spread out. He thought about Derrick. He could feel him. He could feel his mind. He could feel his mind melt in with Derricks. He wanted to push himself though. He touched Yuki’s mind. He touched Claudia. He touched his Hoho teacher too. He spoke the message carefully and quickly.

”Thank you all. You’ve all been a wonderful help. When I become a Captain, I will remember you. If anyone gives you all a hard time, I’ll beat them up for you.” He stopped speaking and dropped the Bakudo. It was incredibly hard to hold up for that long. Such a thing was quite hard to do. He shook his head and Derrick came back in. He smiled and clapped. Nikitio had learned another Bakudo. Two more left.

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Derrick had left for a while. Nikitio was left alone. He understood that he needed a break. Nikitio wasn’t going to get any better just by constant drilling to the point of death. Well, maybe he would. It would not be pretty though. Nikitio was used to this though. His constant use of kido lessons helped. It made his reiatsu stronger. It allowed him to cast more. It allowed him to do more. This was the least of his problems at this point. But it also was a concern. Was he going to lose himself in this? Would he move away from Hakuda? No. Never. He would never do that. That would be like cutting off his own foot! He refused to do such a thing. He would learn Bakudo. He would use it. He would respect it. But his heart wouldn’t. His heart could never love Kido. His mind could. His mind already did. But his body didn’t. His soul didn’t. His heart didn’t. They resided with Hakuda. They lived for Hakuda. They loved Hakuda. HE loved Hakuda. He could never give it up.

At the thought of Hakuda he stood up. He looked up at the night sky. It was so beautiful out tonight. This was the first night he hadn’t slept. Instead he just practiced his Hakuda. He wanted to learn more. He wanted to learn more Hakuda. He wanted to learn more Bakudo. Hell, he wanted to learn Kido. But unlike Hakuda, Kido is limited. It can stop. It has it’s learning cap. Hakuda is limited by your imagination. It is limited by nothing but yourself. You limit Hakuda. You limit your close combat skills. You limit the way your body moves. If you keep up with it then you will live. If not you will die. Simple as that.

Nikitio stretched a bit. He let out a sigh and smiled at the moon. He drew his blades and spun them in his hands. He held them tight and began. He moved from one slash to another. He moved from stab to stab. He moved from block to attack. He moved quickly. He didn’t hesitate. He couldn’t hesitate. He needed to ignore morales. He needed to ignore everything. It was him and his enemy. It was him and life. It was him and death. Kill or be killed. He had to choose. He wanted to die though. He welcomed Death to his home. He invited it into his body. He loved it. He had relationships with it. He smiled at this thought. Why did he do this? Because. If you fear Death you will not live. You will fight for the wrong reasons. You will fight to live. Not to protect or to save. You will fight for you. Not for someone else or an idea. You will fight without purpose. You will be a droid. You will be a shell. Just a body with a heart.

He looked to the door as he sensed someone coming. It wasn’t Derrick. He squinted his eyes slowly and awaited. When they entered it was someone who looked no older than him. It was another student. It was a boy. He had no hair though. He was totally bald. He had a friendly smile. He walked over to Nikitio. ”Hi. Sorry if I am interrupting. I heard you practicing. You sounded good! I was just wondering if I could spend a while here. I don’t want to interrupt you though.” Nikitio looked this boy up and down. He shrugged after a while. He wasn’t thrilled about having this one here. He didn’t want him to be there. He wasn’t a jerk though. Well…some days he wasn’t. He put his daggers away and sat down. He motioned for the male to do the same.

The male smiled and sat down. He looked up at the night sky and then at Nikki. He was a bit shorter than Nikki. He had emerald eyes. He was kind of lanky too. He didn’t seem to have any muscles. Nikki wondered if he was sick. He almost asked. He didn’t though. He stopped himself from doing it. It would be rude and impolite of him to do such a thing. The kid looked at him and smiled. ”Hey! Wanna hear what I learned in class today?” He looked so hopeful. Nikitio had to say yes. He didn’t want to deny this kid the chance to speak his mind. ”Sure. Go for it. What did you learn?”

The kid looked super excited. ”Well. We learn about Hueco Mundo as well as Soul Society? Do you know about them? Well I will tell you anyway! I will tell you exactly what my teach said word for word. I wrote it all down!” Nikitio rolled his eyes. “Hueco Mundo. Home of the Hollow. Home of creatures dark and powerful. Home of many secrets lost to all. Home of nothing, and of everything. Who is to say what lies within the world of sand and bloody roars. Who is to say indeed. Who is to tell you that it is dangerous? Who is to say it is not? Who is to say that things are easy to find here? Who is to say it is not? Who would dare to look you in the eyes here? Who would dare to blink? Who is the fool? Who is the ignorant? Who? Who? Who? The weak, that’s who. Those that would seek to disillusion you. Those that would seek to harm you. Those that are jealous. Those that hate. Those that are mad. Hueco Mundo…

It is here in Hueco Mundo that there are three significant places. The infamous Las Noches. The massive fortress built longer than anyone cares to remember. Not that anyone is still alive to remember it’s construction. If anyone is still alive to remember…well, they are certainly on their death bed. Las Noches is home of the most powerful Hollow. The Espada. Numbers ten to zero. Though, most of the lower Hollow don’t know this information. Within the confinements of Las Noches lies a King as well. He is rarely seen, however. Many question his extistence. Those that don’t question it? Well they usually don’t know. Las Noches is the most easily spotted thing in Hueco Mundo. Just standing outside it’s wall is enough to break weaker Hollow.

The second is the most commonly known. The White Sands Dessert. It is here where Adjucha roam. What are the Adjucha? Well to put it simply. They are beasts. They are far more beastly than any of the Hollow. It is at this point in the Hollow’s life where they truly find what they are. Many Hollow don’t make it past this point in there life. But some do. They go on to be something….powerful. We will discuss this part later though. Now then. The White Sands Dessert, more or less, IS Hueco Mundo. It covers everything. It extends from one side to the other. From top to bottom. It hides the Menos Forrest. It touches Las Noches. It is everything that Hueco Mundo has to offer.

The third thing is the Menos Forrest. It is not truly a forest though. Well…I suppose it could be. Who is to say? It depends on how you view a forest. It is not made of trees from nature. No. It is made of quartz. I suppose in a way it is nature. But this is neither the time nor the place to discuss this. The Menos Forest is home to the weakest Hollow. The Menos Grande. They are tall beasts. Powerful too. Raw, untamed, unchecked power. It takes a handful of Shinigami to take down one. It may be the weakest as far as evolution is concerned though. But do not let that cloud your judgement. It. Can. And. Will. KILL. You. It. Can. And. Will. KILL. You. Don’t forget that. Meno Grande roam this forest. They kill each other. They feast. Sometimes they will come out. That is when we get involved. We will kill them. As we must. We are Shinigami. We are strong. We are powerful. We are valiant. We. Are. Shinigami. Strong. Powerful. Valiant. And the only ones who can defend against the Hollow.

It is our duty. It is our right. We were chosen by the Powers That Be. We were chosen by our Zanpakuto. We can do this. Now then. Are you ready to go? Or will you stay here and cower in fear? Will you be weak? Or will you be strong? No matter. I am going out anyway. It is what is right. It is what is needed. I am going. Come with me if you wish. Remember. They. Can. And. Will. Kill. You…Say it with me damnit! They. Can. And. Will. Kill. You. Good. I think you get it then. For the King! For glory! For honor! And of course fawning women.”[/color]

Nikitio inwardly sighed. It was almost painful. He knew about Hueco Mundo. And what was that ending? That made NO sense. He was supposed to deal with this? Hell no. But he couldn’t do anything. He was too nice. He could kill this kid though. Shame. He was so young. He couldn’t do it. Nikitio felt he was going to regret this. The kid flipped through his notes. He furrowed his brow. He was confused on something. Nikitio looked up. Derrick was coming. Thank god. He didn’t know how much more he could take.

Derrick walked in and looked at the boy. He looked to Nikitio. He looked to the boy. He was confused. That much was clear. Derrick shook his head and smiled at the boy. ”I’m sorry. We have things to do. I hate to ask you to leave, but can you?
We are rather busy. You can chat with him later.” The kid smiled and blushed. He nodded and stood. He looked down at Nikitio. ”Thank you for listening. Bye!” He ran off. Derrick waited until he was gone. He waited until his reiatsu was not within sensing range. He then smiled at Nikitio. ”Congratulations on surviving that. Now then. This next Bakudo I shall teach you is the strongest shield that is categorized. It’s nake is Danku. Bakudo number eighty-one. At this point you have plenty of skill. You have much experience and skill with shield. You will be able to do this. I know.”

Nikitio nodded. He knew Danku. He had seen it before. He wanted it bad. He really wanted it. He had seen it. He had read of it. He dreamed of it. He even practiced in his spare time for it. He didn’t really cast it though. He didn’t know the number. So he could not cast it. But now he had it. He knew what he was going to do. He could do it. He knew he could. He took in a deep breath. He let it out. He held up one hand. He closed his eyes. ”Bakudo number eighty-one. Danku!” He felt different. He opened his eyes. He laughed and jumped up. There standing before him it was. It was a tall and wide Danku. Derrick nodded.

He stepped back from it. He stood a good while away. He casted a Hado that Nikitio missed. A large, LARGE, lightning bolt like beam slammed against the Bakudo. It didn’t budge though. It didn’t fail. It didn’t crack. It held there. Derrick smiled at Nikitio. ”Congrats. You have learned Danku.”

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