Hakuda Training

Nikitio struggled to get to his next class. It got easier as he moved, he knew he had to just keep moving. The pain was only temporary, and would fade soon. It was something he had to deal with. Like his first instructor said, ignore the pain. He would deal with his injuries later, but for now there was nothing he could do about it. Tomorrow he would have to ask Derrick if he could heal with Kido. If only he had Kido class last, that way he could be healed after all his insane teachers were done with him. Nonetheless, it was just another pain he would have to ignore, and he would ignore. Nikitio went into a field like area where there was a single chair. He didn’t know if he should sit in it or not. About ten feet in front of the chair was a straw dummy, and a poll with many many pegs all over it He walked into the field and turned around hearing movement. His Kido Class was kicking in already. There was a female once more. She was tall, at least six foot, and had black hair that went down to her waist. Her eyes were a soft green, and her lips were full. Nikitio wondered if she was the instructor. His answer was soon met as if she could read his mind.

”My name is Yuki. I shall be your Hakuda instructor. Please have a seat. I have you for quite a while, so we don’t have to rush anything. Besides, Hakuda isn’t something that can be truly understood like Zanjutsu or Hoho. It is the physical manifestation of Kido, as you will soon learn.” Nikitio nodded and did as he was told. He wanted to cry and kiss her feet as well as the ground she walked on. He could sit down! This woman was a saint in Shinigami clothing. He took a seat in the chair and she stood next to the dolls. Her face was pleasing to look at. It was soft, kind, warm, friendly. It looked like the face of a mother. Her eyes though were something else. She looked annoyed as well as pleased. It was hard to feel for the emotion there, so clearly she was thinking. Nikitio wondered what she was thinking though. He had seen people who were masters at hiding their thoughts. Nikitio hoped that one day he was that good. Such a thing would help him greatly. When he was alive he was able to contain his feelings as well as a child could. He wanted to be able to be a statue in the presence of fear, sadness, jealousy, plotting. He wanted to be void of all emotions with a single thought. He would do this, even if he had to die (again) to do so.

Yuki looked at him and sighed shaking her head as if she didn’t know what to do. ”You have fought before haven’t you? I don’t mean arguing, or playful wrestling. I mean you have been in a struggle for your life.” Nikitio looked surprised for a moment, and forgot how to speak. He then nodded his head not trusting his voice. She smiled and looked him up and down. ”I bet you are wondering how I knew. It’s in your stance, your walk. It’s in the way you look. Your eyes bleed such ferocity. The way you sit too, so defensive, so ready to counter any surprise attacks. Your tense enough to add a bit of power into your attack, but relaxed enough to fool an untrained eye. By the end of my teachings, you will be able to be as alert as alert can be, and still look relaxed. You will be able to throw people twice your size, and maybe even punch through a wall. I doubt it, but I’ve seen it.” She flashed him a smile, and it was beautiful. Not romantic, or anything Nikitio was interested in, but she could have been a model.

She looked at him. ”Are you ready to learn? Nikitio nodded and sat up straight. ”Good. I apologize because a lot of today, if not most of it, will be me speaking. Hakuda is, like I said earlier, much like Kido. Derrick has told me he has a student who matches your description, which is why I didn’t ask for your name, Nikitio. Hakuda requires you to be aware of you space as well as your body. It demands your full attention, and your ability to sense others. If you cannot sense others, then you will die. You have to have balance, or you die. Your footing is deathly important, just like it is in Hoho and Zanjutsu. Let no man fool you, Nikitio Uril. Hakuda is the base of all that is important for the Shinigami. If you cannot understand Hakuda, you have no chance at understanding Zanjutsu, Hoho, and Kido. Even for those that attain the status of Kenpachi. Hakuda is their foundation, whether they know it or not. Footing, reaction time, endurance, it can all be traced back to Hakuda. Of course they had ties with other aspects of a Shinigami’s combat, but they weren’t always here. Our bodies were though.

“You will not always be able to strike with Kido. You will not always have your sword with you, unless you have a Zanpakuto that, in it’s Shikai or Bankai, is attached to you. You may not always be able to Shunpo anywhere. You will always have your body though. You will always be able to defend with your body. Before you ask, if you are missing limbs, then you are virtually screwed anyway. You cannot run without two legs. You cannot swing a sword when your sword is in your right hand which is ten feet away. So then you must make sure you are always protecting your body, always on guard, and always matching out for danger. Leave an opening if you know you can cover it in secret. Never give your opponent a chance to recover. Press them back, farther and farther. If it seems too easy, then kill them. There are certain things that one can do with Hakuda that can allow for easier use of Kido or easier use of a blade. The footing and stances you learn in Hakuda can be used to aid you with Shunpo as well. I cannot stress this enough, Hakuda is the base of all things. I have seen Shinigami who have failed to get into intermediate Hakuda, and still live. I have seen shinigami who failed at the basics of Hakuda, but someone conned their way into advanced, and they died. You need the basics, you need them more than you need your blade. You need them more than you need your Kido. This is a simple fact of life. This is one that you must never forget.

“Nikitio Uril. You were raised in the Rukongai. It follows you around like Death follows the old. You know the struggles of life and death more than these nobles that walk around here with their noses high in the air. They will never last. It’s the people like you, who know the true struggles that will understand that ways of Hakuda, the constant struggle of bodies. Understand this nature, Nikitio Uril. It is with this understanding that you will understand Hakuda, hand-to-hand combat. It’s always a struggle for survival. Even when you are just shadowboxing, you are doing it to live. It’s a constant struggle for life, for power, for protection.” When she stopped talking she just looked at Nikitio and stared. Yuki looked like she was trying to find something within his soul, some hidden meaning behind his face that was written with interest that just had to be false. She looked like nobody could possibly be as interested as Nikitio seemed. Nikitio was interested though. He loved the feel of his body moving with the enemy. It reminded him of poetry, something he enjoyed, in motion and that alone was enough for him to love it. The movement of bodies as one attacked and the other defended or dodged. Graceful movements, and deadly precision, he loved it all. This woman would open up many many doors for him.

She finally stopped looking at him as if satisfied that he was telling the truth, or at least that his face was. She turned to look at the straw dummy. ”Now then. Try to keep up with my movements.” Before Nikitio could nod, she began her onslaught. Yuki moved from side to side, never in one spot for long. He hands were balled into fists as she aimed for the stomach, she then moved to the side in a spin and struck the side of it’s neck with the side of her open hand. Next she went low and hit it’s side then up and struck it’s arm pit. She them spun and went back to back, and flipped the doll over her shoulders. She turned to look at Nikitio with a smile. ”Hakuda can be your best friend, or your worse enemy. Class dismissed.” She smiled and vanished in the blink of an eye. Nikitio had completely forgotten about his wounds and he quickly stood up looking around for the woman. He was truly fascinated with her. He had forgotten all about Derrick, or his crazy Zanjutsu instructor, and his even crazier Hoho instructor. He wanted to spend all of his time here, with her. He wanted to learn to fight like her. He knew there were probably better Hakuda practitioners out there, but who cares. He didn’t know them, and they weren’t teaching him.

He winced now as the pain began to catch up with him. His legs were numb from sitting so long ,and his mind was filled with questions about Hakuda. He wondered what his extent was in this condition, and decided he better not test it. He could end up opening more wounds, or worsening the ones he already has. Both options were not pleasing to him. So he did the next thing he could do. He went to his dorm. The walk was long and slow as he was in no rush. The faster he went to sleep to faster he would have to face the facts that he would be here for a while. As this reality dawned on him, he sighed. He didn’t want to be here forever. He wanted to be out, and away from all these people. He was glad that he was a fast learner. Maybe he wouldn’t be here for as long as he thought he might be, but any length of time with his two insane teachers was too long. They were good though, he knew what they were doing. They were putting him in a situation where he would be forced to think quickly, and he would learn along the way. He despised the trickery, but he had to give them credit. They were good at what they do.

As he went through the halls he heard a voice up ahead. It was Derrick’s voice. ”So how was he?” He stopped at the corner because the voice was stationary, meaning he was right there. He assumed he was talking about him, but that was silly. All the kids he taught, there was no way he was talking about JUST him. ”Well…he seems….interested. I don’t know though. He is from the Rukongai, and that could lead to a lot of issues. A lot of these kids are though, so maybe he will move on like them. But…I don’t know. I think he will be just fine…I heard Claudia is teaching him.”

Nikitio heard the gentle sighs of the two of them as they walked away. Claudia was his Zanjutsu instructor. He tried to just stay focused and continue about his business after they left, but he found it rather difficult. He would go to his dorm to write it all down.


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154

Nikitio had gone to his Hoho class, and wasn’t sure how to feel. He had gotten there, and spent an hour in the field waiting, watching, wondering. Nothing came, nothing happened, nothing nothing nothing. He wasted an hour running from point A to point B trying his best to reduce his steps without leaping from one spot to another. He would be faster, and he would do it if it killed him…again. He shook his head as the thought began to give him a headache. He had had enough waiting, and decided to leave. She wasn’t coming. He wasn’t sure if he should be happy that he got to live to see another day, or sad that he wouldn’t get faster. He really wasn’t worried about her wellbeing. She would be fine, he was sure. Nikitio would have to just push her out of his mind for now. Maybe he would learn to be faster in his Hakuda class. He doubted it but hey, anything could happen. After all, he someone managed to work his way into the academy.

He figured he had a while to kill before his next class started so he would go to the Hakuda Training Area and see what training he could get in. He began walking to the area when he saw three bullies picking on a smaller male. At first Nikitio was going to ignore them, but the kid cried out as he was brutally punched in the face. Blood flowed freely from his nose, and even Nikitio could tell it was broken. Without a single cry, or hint, and with minimal sound Nikitio launched himself at the attacker. He jumped forward, spun his body, and kicked the first bully across his head. He landed and ducked as his friend threw a punch. The fist connected with the third bully and Nikitio jammed his elbow into the second attacker’s stomach. He dropped down, and Nikki rose up with an uppercut into the third male’s jaw.

They all lay on the floor and Nikitio looked at the victim. ”T-thank you!” He shouted and ran off. Nikki hoped he was going to go to the nurse but who knows. The bullies were coming to, and Nikitio didn’t want to be around when they realized that he was still there. He ran off also to head to the Hakuda grounds, and with the worry that they saw him run off in that direction in his mind, he ran faster than he thought he could. He arrived at the place eventually, but he was out of breath. As if that wasn’t bad enough, four people were there already. One being his teacher, and the other three being the bullies from before. How the hell had they gotten here before him?! He didn’t even see them. And why were they with his teacher? What was going on?

Nikitio walked out into the open and his trainer, Yuki, smiled at him. The boys looked at Nikitio and glared from behind Yuki. ”Nikitio, I’m glad you came. These boys said that they’d love to have some practice, and I suppose we can start your lessons early. Would you mind fighting them? I could just make you fight them, but I didn’t really show you anything yet, so I am not sure ho comfortable you are. But I suppose this is a good way to see how much you know. After all, it’d be a waste of time to teach you things you already know.” She shrugged and smiled. The boys grinned evilly at him. It was clear that if he didn’t fight them here with a witness, he would die and nobody would know how or who did it. Besides, he wanted to fight them. It would be a good way to release some of this pent up rage he felt. He had only just started and he was already pretty mad. A lot of it wasn’t from the Academy though, as much as the people he was paired up with. Who hated him so much that he was stuck with a crazy, psychotic psycho for a Hoho teacher, and a murderer for a Zanjutsu teacher?

Nikitio smiled and nodded at Yuki. ”I’d be honored.” He said softly and she clapped. ”Roy will be your first opponent. No assisting him with words or gestures, Jake and Ryan. Understood?” The boys all nodded and made room for Nikitio and Roy. Roy was the boy who had been uppercut by Nikitio. He was kindda pissed and that was painfully clear in his dark brown eyes. The boy was a bit larger than Nikitio in terms of body fat, but he knew better than to assume that he was slow because of it. He was also a bit taller than Nikki by a good three inches. His face was more square than usual, and his hair was…well there was none.

Roy cracked his knuckles, neck, and oddly his toes. That last one made Nikitio wince as he hated feet with a burning passion. Roy wasted no time with his revenge. He charged at Nikitio and slid trying to kick his feet out from under him. So far, Yuki, Claudia, and his Hoho teacher, the name escaped him, had spoken to him about stance. He wasn’t a child to Hakuda, but the extent that they stressed it made it painfully clear that it was important. So he had to watch his feet. He jumped to the side and landed on his right foot then left. His feet were shoulder length apart, and his eyes focused on Roy as he got up. He was right not to underestimate Roy’s speed. Roy had gotten up as soon as Nikitio landed, and was charging again. He swung and Nikitio blocked, but Roy’s knee came up and hit him hard in the stomach.

Nikitio dropped and Roy picked him up violently by his arm and rolled him over. With a single hard kick, he sent Nikitio into the wall. Nikitio scrambled to get up but Roy was on top of him before he could. Roy rolled Nikki over and threw a punch at his face. Nikki grabbed the fist and moved it to the side, and shot his own fist up. He hit Roy square in the nose. He heard bones break, and this stunned Roy. The other male fell off of Nikitio and Nikkit stood up and backed away. He panted as he felt pain sear through his body. The kick had hurt a lot since it hit the spot of his previous bruised area. Roy groaned as he stood up. ”I’m going to kill you for that one. You filthy little piece of shit!” He charged again, but vanished after three steps in a shunpo.

Nikitio was taken by surprised, and was struck from behind. He felt Roy’s foot hit him hard in the back. Roy shunpo’d again and kicked Nikki while he was down. Nikitio rolled with it and quickly got up, but Roy was already in front of him and nailed him in the chest. Nikitio was sent back a few feet and landed hard on the ground. He heard, and obviously felt, the thud as the Earth hit him on his head. Roy just laughed and cracked his knuckles. Nikitio staggered up and shook his head. Roy just laughed more. ”C’mon kid. Hakuda separates the boys from men. If you can’t stand up against a STUDENT no way in HELL can you stand up against anyone else. We should hit up the Twelfth Division and feed you to the Gillian.” Nikitio kept a calm face as Roy and his friend’s laughed. They truly were starting to irritate Nikitio, but he wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of knowing that.

Nikitio took his stance. It was a stance he used often in the Rukongai. He didn’t care anymore. Anything goes now, and that meant tough luck for this Roy kid. He didn’t know Nikitio’s ways. He didn’t know Nikitio’s power. He didn’t know Nikitio. Nikitio stood slightly sideways. His left shoulder was facing Roy. He looked rather vulnerable. His arms and shoulders were relaxed, his hands open, and his legs not bent but they weren’t locked either. His feet were shoulder length apart, and his face was emotionless. Roy looked at Nikitio as if he was expecting something grand to happen. Nikitio smiled and broke out into a soft charming chuckle. His words were less than charming though, but the tone the were spoken was a different story. ”If only I could get you to fight as much as you talk. Maybe then I would have felt something from those blows.” Nikitio smiled again as it was clear he hit a nerve. He was done playing around. He had seen all he needed to see, and it was time to get serious.

Roy didn’t know what he was getting into but once again he charged at Nikitio. Out of Nikitio’s entire body, his chest was the most open area, but Nikitio’s stance allowed him to be ready for the attack. Roy clearly missed this slight hint in Nikitio’s stance, but his right foot wasn’t totally on the ground. It was slightly up, which make it easier to get a kick out to protect himself or to attack. When Roy threw a punch for Nikki’s chest, his leg came up as he leaned back. His foot kicked Roy’s arm away, and Nikitio was safe. The second part of the attack came when Nikki’s hand grabbed Roy’s wrist. He jerked him forward and slammed his right foot into Roy’s throat. Nikitio smiled as he felt Roy’s body go tense and him gasp for breath. The attack wasn’t hard enough to break his windpipe but it would certainly hurt quite a bit.

Nikitio, with his foot still on Roy’s throat, leaned forward, grabbed his shirt, and rolled back. He had forced Roy into a tomoe nage, and Roy was sent flying. Nikitio flipped up and looked at Roy with an emotionless face once more. He was silent as Roy lay there trying to recover. He was in quite a bit of pain. Maybe a bit more than Nikitio had anticipated, but whatever, he would live, or he would die. Either way, it was none of Nikitio’s concern. A direct kick to the throat, even from that range, would severely cut down your breathing capabilities for some time, and hurt like a bitch. Nikitio hoped he was thanking his lucky stars while he was on the ground. If he wasn’t then maybe the Fates would deem it okay for Nikitio to kill him, but if not then oh well. If Nikitio didn’t kill him someone, or something, else would, and that was perfectly fine with him.

Roy finally got up and was rubbing his throat. He was having trouble breathing, as Nikitio expected, and was very pissed. ”I have damaged a vital part of your repertory system. It will prevent you from doing your best. You can stop here if you wish, and that is what I would recommend. There is nothing for me to gain by defeating a weakling like yourself.” Nikitio smiled as he said this last part. He knew what he was doing, and could see the effects in Roy’s eyes. He didn’t truly believe that Roy was weak, he knew Roy was strong. By saying such words he was planting seeds of doubt into Roy though, and making him angry. Both would weaken him, and make victory easier for Nikki. Because of the words, Roy would attack fiercer, but his movements would also be more predictable. This was exactly what Nikitio wanted and that is exactly what Roy did.

Nikitio braced himself as Roy shunpo’d away. He heard Roy as he stopped behind Nikitio. This was the first sign that his plan was working perfectly. The last few times Roy had been silent, but he was getting sloppy. Nikitio turned around and blocked a punch with crossed arms. Roy swung his leg at Nikitio’s feet, and Nikki hooked his foot under the leg and lifted. This threw Roy off-balance for a moment, and Nikitio’s punched Roy hard in the chest. The other male flew back a foot or two, and scrambled to get up. Nikitio was already on the case though, and pinned him back down with his foot. The tip of Nikitio’s foot was at Roy’s throat, and he could see the fear play across Roy’s face. From here, Roy’s windpipe was at Nikitio’s mercy. Roy tried to punch Nikki in the hips with both arms, but Nikki grabbed them and held tight. He went as far as to bend back the other male’s wrists to the point where he could feel the strain in Roy’s wrists.

Yuki clapped and smiled at Nikitio. Nikitio got off of Roy and bowed respectfully to Yuki, and then to him. Roy stood and grumbled. His voice was a harsh sound as he continued to rub his throat. He bowed to Yuki, and then Nikitio but it was clear he didn’t want to. Yuki signaled for him to go and he didn’t need to be told a second time. ”Interesting match, Nikitio. I feel there is much I can teach you, but so little for you to learn. Fighting in the Rukongai has truly shaped you and given you much knowledge in combat. Do not get cocky though. Remember that these are students you fight, and not true masters. Your style, assuming I am seeing it correctly, is a wonderful start. I will continue to think of ways to better your style. For now do you wish to continue? Nikitio nodded and looked to the remaining two boys. ”Very well. Jake, you are up.”

Jake was thin, and had wiry green hair. His eyes were a dark dark brown, and he wasn’t too happy with Nikitio it seemed. Jake was the boy that Nikitio had elbowed in the stomach. For a second, Nikitio looked at Ryan who seemed to be the leader, and the most annoyed, of all three boys. That split second of looking was all Jake needed. The next thing Nikitio felt was a fist hitting his stomach. Despite his thin body, Jake was strong enough to lift Nikitio into the air, using that balled fist, and throw him away. Nikitio recovered just before he hit the ground, and landed on his feet. Jake cracked his knuckles and came at Nikitio once more. The attack took him by surprise because he was far better in terms of speed and power than Roy. Jake nailed Nikitio in the chest, but shunpo’d behind him to grip his neck and force him down into the ground. Jake threw Nikitio forward, causing his face to get dirty, and some skin to rub off.

When Nikitio stood up his face was red, and skin was hanging loose. Jake grinned and shunpo’d in front of Nikitio. To Nikitio’s surprise he wasn’t on the ground though, but he was in the air. His leg was drawn back, and he swung it in a powerful, quick, and deadly kick to Nikki’s face. Nikki spun through the air as he flew left. He felt a sharp searing pain in his jaw. It wasn’t broken, but he knew it was bruised. Jake cracked his knuckles and his necked. He grinned at Nikitio and shook his head. He signaled for Nikitio to come at him. Nikitio obeyed and swung a punch at Jake after speeding to him. Jake dodged it effortlessly, and elbowed him in the stomach. Nikitio grunted and attempted an overhead smash. Jake sidestepped to the right and elbowed him again in the side. Nikitio didn’t have time to recover as Jake was now behind him, and locked his arms behind him. Jake pulled and pulled on Nikitio’s arms. The male leaned in close and began to whisper into Nikki’s ear.

”I can and will break you. You took a cheap shot at me, and got cocky. Don’t ever make that mistake again. You are MY bitch. You are MY prisoner. You are MY object to do with as I see fit. I hate male holes, but I’ll fuck you till you’re overflowing with my seed if I want to. I will-“ He was cut short as Nikitio brought his foot up into Jake’s crotch. Jake instantly let go, and fell to the ground. Nikitio flipped back, but it wasn’t high. He flipped low to the ground so that his left foot hit Jake in the back of his head with the sole of his foot. This forced Jake to the ground, and his right foot slammed into Jake’s back. Nikitio forced Jake’s face into the ground and pressed hard with his foot. When Jake’s hand came up for Nikki’s foot he jumped back, pushing off of Jake’s head. Nikitio landed and pushed off the ground again coming at Jake as he stood. He spun around quickly and nailed him in the side with all of his power. He felt and heard a few of Jake’s ribs shatter. Nikitio jumped back again as Jake’s cry of pain filled the air.

Jake stood up slowly and painfully. He still wanted to fight, even with broken ribs. It was a hard thing to do. He risked puncturing his lungs, and Nikitio wasn’t sure how bad they were broken. He was sure that they were broken though, for Jake’s sake they better hurt really bad really soon. If Nikki hit his ribs once more with a moderately powerful attack, then it would be over for Jake. He could be fatally injured or die. Nikki was too heartless to care if he died, but not heartless enough to kill him in training. Maybe one day Nikitio would grow to be that heartless. To him, emotions were pointless to have. They could be as helpful as they could be deadly. They were a liability that he didn’t want to have. Or at least not have control of. He would not show weakness to this man. He would not hesitate to strike him down. He couldn’t afford weakness. He couldn’t afford to die. He couldn’t afford to break to this fool. He would kill him if need be.

Jake was a bit slower this time, but he managed to run at Nikitio. The young academy student was stubborn, and this would cost him dearly. Nikitio looked at Yuki. She was not going to stop the fight. He wondered why. He wanted to know why she was letting this man throw his life away like this. Why was this male so willing to toss his life away? Was it for revenge? Was it pride? Was it an inferiority complex? Whatever it was, it was going to get him killed, and Yuki didn’t care. This was about to get really bad, really fast.

As Jake closed the distance between the two of them, Nikitio sighed. He cleared all emotion from his body. He couldn’t afford them. His eyes glossed over with Winter’s chill. He jumped back as Jake neared him. Jake glared at Nikki and came at him again. Nikitio just rolled to the side and jumped away. Jake was going to either kill himself or tire himself out. Either way, Nikitio wouldn’t kill him if he could help it. Jake came at him again but this time picked up dust and threw it into Nikitio’s eyes. Nikki resisted letting out a howl as the dirt hit his bare eyes. Jake punched Nikitio over and over as his foe was blinded. Nikitio couldn’t see. He couldn’t see or open his eyes. He was blind to the world, and at Jake’s mercy once more.

Nikitio tried to get away, but even in this harmed state, Jake was still fairly quick. He gripped Nikitio’s arm which was a bad move. This allowed him to know where he was. Nikitio swung his arm at Jake in a punch. Jake barely got out of the way and realized his mistake. Nikitio was quicker than that though, and stuck out his leg in a kick to the area he assumed Jake’s stomach would be. Luckily he hit Jake. Unfortunately he missed Jake’s stomach. Having aimed too high, he hit Jake’s ribs. This shattered the ribs that weren’t fully broken, and worsened the ones that were already partially broken. He heard a sharp, painful gasp emit from Jake. His lungs had be pierced. Nikitio guessed there were multiple wounds since nearly all of his ribs had been broken. He had less than an hour to live. Between the wounds, the fact that he was still trying to breath, and his heart rate: he would bleed out soon enough.

Nikitio felt hands on him but they weren’t threatening. He guessed it was the hands of Yuki. He was lead somewhere and felt water on his face. Soon his eyes were cleared and he was able to see again. The first was he saw was Yuki’s. Her eyes were warm, but not friendly. They were without comfort. They just held a warmth that they always seemed to have. She sighed and patted his shoulder lightly. ”Deaths happen. Do you know why I didn’t stop you?” Nikitio thought for a moment. He couldn’t figure out anything, and so he shook his head. ”To teach you a valuable lesson. Shinigami have many weaknesses. Whether it be their speed, or their power, or durability. All this can be changed though so it is a false weakness. A Shinigami’s true weakness is his pride. I do not know why, but after becoming a Shinigami, you get very very prideful. It starts in your student years and grows as you get stronger. I let you kill him because it was needed. He was a threat to you and to all who exist here. I let you kill him to prove a vital point. Pride kills.”

Yuki walked away at that and then stopped. “I have decided that you WILL fight Ryan. It doesn’t matter if you want to or not. You need to. He told me how you attacked them in the hallway. It doesn’t matter why you did it. You took it upon yourself to attack them to protect that other kid. He should have been stronger. That in and of itself is a small branch of pride. You will not survive my course if you wish to exhibit such pride. You will fight, and you will win, or you will die trying.” She walked away from Nikki once more and this time continued walking. Nikitio knew he didn’t have a choice. He had to fight Ryan, and he had to win. Yuki had made it clear she knew Jake was going to die, and she had no intentions of stopping it. Nikki didn’t feel it was her right to pick who lives and who dies, but they were sparring. Accidents happened, and Nikitio had an accident.

Nikitio walked back with a heavy heart to face the music. When he got there he knew something was up. The look in Ryan’s eyes was far too confident. When he looked at Yuki, she refused to meet his eyes. Nikitio didn’t know what was going on, but he didn’t like it. Yuki looked at Nikki finally and her eyes were COMPLETELY emotionless. ”Ryan is a student who has failed to graduate twice. Despite this he has managed to achieve his Shikai form with his Zanpakuto.” She sighed and shook her head. Nikitio was confused. This was a Hakuda class. What did a Zanpakuto have to do with anything here? Why did a zanpakuto even matter? He had a feeling he wasn’t going to like what was going on here. And that feeling only grew with the grin that spread across Ryan’s face.

”Ryan’s Zanpakuto is unique in that it is best suited for close combat. Because of your need for conditioning, and his desire for revenge, you will fight him in his Shikai form. Don’t worry. I won’t allow you to die. There is no better way for you to learn the dangers of pride than this. There are also no other ways to sate his thirst for revenge. I would rather have him fight you here and be under my protection than die a dishonorable death in your bed tonight. I know you have not had much time to heal which is why I have taken the liberty of having someone fetch someone from the 4th Division here.” Yuki pointed behind Nikitio and he nearly tripped over himself when he saw a short, white haired, green eyed male there. He didn’t even know he had come in! He would have to work on this sensing thing that Derrick mentioned. The boy looked pleased that he was there and ready to do what he was told. Yuki pointed to him, and then to Nikitio. Nikki wondered why she didn’t just tell him. The look showed on Nikki’s face because as the boy placed his hands over Nikki’s chest and a green glow emitted he spoke. ”I am deaf, and so I have learned to read lips as well as sign language. Don’t feel bad. Everyone wonders at one point or another.” He smiled up and Nikki as he finished his job.

Nikitio felt great! He felt like a new man, but that was before he say Ryan. The hulking figure that was Ryan was muscled, large, and looked more threatening than a meteor heading straight for you. Nikitio felt the soft and cold touch of fear on his spine. Ryan drew his Zanpakuto from his back. The hilt was hidden by his golden hair, which is why Nikitio never noticed it before now. When they met in the hall, he hadn’t been wearing it. ”Kill, Pacchiri.” Ryan’s Zanpakuto vanished and his body seemed to have a slight shine to it. Other than that he didn’t seem to be too different. He noticed the slightest point of a hilt. His sword had returned to its sheath. Strange, but that was fine with Nikki. Ryan vanished from sight and Nikitio fell backwards in surprise. He was incredibly fast! As he fell back, Ryan appeared behind him, grabbed his arm, and swung him around forcing him to hit the wall.

Nikitio pushed off the wall and ran at his foe. Ryan jumped up and pushed his foot out, connecting with Nikki’s left shoulder. He then twisted his upper body to the left, and swung his right foot out at Nikki’s head. Nikitio barely got a hand up to soften the blow before he was hit. Despite the last minuet block, Nikitio was still forced to the right, and landed on his shoulder. Nikitio slid a few more feet before he stopped and began to get back up. Ryan was just grinning at him. He hadn’t drawn his sword, that must be part of a secret agreement. He can use Shikai, but cannot draw his sword. Ryan spat to his right, and Nikitio made a foolish mistake of tracing it as it made it’s way to the ground. Ryan was instantly on Nikitio and began to punch him repeatedly.

Nikitio was helpless to block the punches because Ryan’s knees were on his shoulders. This prevented him from moving his arms up enough to block or deflect or do much of anything. Fist after fist crashed into Nikitio’s face. The young Shinigami felt blood beginning to pour out of a nose which he felt might be broken by now. His lip was cut outside and inside, and his eye was certainly blackened. Nikitio tried to ignore the pain. His Zanjutsu teacher made it clear that pain was an enemy. He had to ignore pain to win. To win, pain must not exist. No matter how bad he wanted to give in, he couldn’t submit to pain. He might not win this battle, but he wouldn’t show weakness either.

Working past his urge to scream in pain, which he hadn’t done yet, he forced his lower half of his body to come up, kicking Ryan in the back of the head. Ryan fell forward, his massive torso covering Nikitio’s face, and Nikki used this opportunity to slide out from under him. Ryan was not just strong, he was bestial. Nikitio didn’t know it was possible to be so strong. Was this the power of Shikai? Was this what power he would be given? Nikitio was determined now. He would live to find out. He would live to see himself attain this Shikai form. He had to, because he didn’t come this far only to die in training. He knew Yuki said she’d save him, but he was so powerful. Could she really stop him while he was in this strange new form?

Ryan got up and cracked his neck. ”Nice shot, but you’re a dead man now.” Ryan vanished and he was even faster! He had to have been holding back before. Nikitio barely had time to register that he was in front of him before he felt the first punch. Then he felt the second. After that there was a kick, a punch, a punch, an elbow, and ending with an uppercut. Nikitio looked up at the too blue sky as he moved backwards through the air. It was a beautiful sky. He wondered if he died here, would he be able to fly in the sky? Would he become a part of this world? Or would he be doomed to something darker? Ryan’s combination had done a lot of damage to him. He felt his left collarbone had broken. This meant that his left arm was useless. The bones of his right arm were bruised, and his chest hurt terribly.

Nikitio readied himself for Ryan’s next attack. It was so hard to fight him with his usual style. He had no practice with it against opponents with ethereal speed and power. How could he effectively counter against something he couldn’t even see? He didn’t even have the ability to sense energy. Well, he didn’t have it to the point where he could do it like it was first nature. He had been trying something…new, maybe it could work. Or he could end up getting himself killed. Then again, with this guy’s speed and power he might die anyway. Nikitio stood up straight and slowed his breathing. He looked at Ryan, but he really looked at him. He noticed all the muscles working in his body. They were all so tense, and most were flexing. He wondered if he was feeling any stain. His muscles were working constantly in this state. There must be a limit to how much he could handle.

Ryan charged him, and Nikitio instinctively rolled to the left. He dodged the first attack, but upon completing the roll he felt a heavy kick to his lower back. The kick sent him rolling forward, but he went with it this time and got up quickly. He had just enough time to see Ryan moving and swinging his left leg out. Nikitio grabbed his leg and held on for all he was worth, but the kick has still managed to hit him and do a bit of damage to his stomach. Ryan grinned, and jerked his leg back, pulling Nikitio with him. Nikki fell forward, and Ryan pushed his leg out again, forcing Nikitio to fly back and hit a wall. Ryan shook his head and spat at Nikitio’s feet. ”You can’t win. I may not have graduated, but you can’t even fight. Look at you. You’re PATHETIC. You’re weak, hopeless, and a dead man. You’re WEAK, Nikitio. W-E-A-“

Ryan was forced to stop as Nikitio vanished from sight to reappear in front of him. Nikitio’s fist connected with Ryan’s face sending him sprawling. Ryan stood up clearly taken by surprise at what just happened. Nikitio’s eyes were void of all human recognition. He was running on pure instinct now. Bestial skills were all he knew. Logic and reason were gone. All that remained was Nikitio’s body, and the animal instinct that he held within. Even the beast knew that he might die, but the beast refused to back down if such a fate was his. He was going to make sure everyone knew that Nikitio wasn’t weak. He died a warrior. Nikki vanished in a shunpo and appeared on top of Ryan bashing his face in with his only good arm. Ryan used his brute strength to get Nikki off of him, but Nikitio landed on all fours and growled. He charged at Ryan again. Nikki was fast, but Ryan was faster thanks to his boost.

The fight between the two boys quickly changed into a shunpo based battle. They would vanished and reappear somewhere. Legs locked, fists connecting, someone sent flying. They were moving quickly, and the battle seemed to be at a standstill. Nothing was going on. Both men were killing each other. Ryan appeared in the middle of the field panting. He was bruised and broken in several spots, and bleeding from his nose. He looked around and wondered where Nikki went. ”WHERE ARE YOU, YOU COWARD!” Nikitio appeared just above him. His right foot crashed into Ryan’s face. He then pushed off Ryans face with his left, flipping back in the air to land on his two feet. Ryan glared at Nikitio as he got up. Nikitio used shunpo to go next to Yuki. Ryan audibly growled and glared. ”What the fuck! Get over here and FIGHT! The fuck are you doing?! WE AREN’T DONE!” Nikitio just shook his head.

”We are done. Beating you proves nothing, nor does beating me. Yuki spoke of the dangers of pride. You could do well to learn from her.” Ryan didn’t take that too kindly. He shunpo’d, and so did Yuki. When they were visible, Ryan was on the ground and Yuki had his arms with her foot on his back. She was pulling on his arms and he was in clear pain. ”Your work here is done Ryan. Beat it, before I break your arms. Do not tempt me, you know I can and will.” Yuki released him and returned to Nikki’s side. Ryan glared at the two of them before submitting to her. The shine of his body faded as his Zanpakuto returned to it’s sealed state. He got up and limped out of the area without a word.

Yuki signaled for the Fourth Division member to come and tend to Nikki. Nikitio resisted screaming as he felt his bones heal and fuse back together. It hurt almost as bad as getting the injuries. He thanked the boy, and he left. Yuki waved a hand at Nikitio. ”I have much work to do for you. Go. Get some rest, you deserve it. I will see you tomorrow.” Nikitio didn’t need to be told twice. He ran off and shook his head. Did he really use shunpo? He didn’t even knew he could do that. It was as if something else was fighting for him. He was running on pure instinct. He had no knowledge of what he was doing. He would have to practice to do it willingly. For now though he needed to get back to his dorm before he collapsed here in the halls of the Shinigami Academy.



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Nikitio arrived in his hakuda class and stopped suddenly. The sight took him by surprise. There were many many poles aligned in a large field. He looked at them all like he had never seen poles before. Shaking his head he looked to the other who was there. Yuki stood there leaning against one of them. She pointed up at the thirty foot poles and smiled to him. ”Get up there and move from spot to spot to sport. This will help your balance and coordination. Of course it will also help your reflexes. If you fall, you find your own way back up. So stop staring at me, and get your ass up there.” Yuki laughed and vanished appearing up on the poles. They were barely big enough for two feet.

Nikitio sighed and walked up to the pole. He began to use shunpo when Yuki stopped him. ”Oh! One more thing. Work your way up here WITHOUT shunpo.” Nikitio glared at her from below, and mumbled some choice words under his breath. He looked around the field and walked down the row of poles. It was a six by six field of poles. They were about eight feet apart. Because of the distance he couldn’t spider climb his way up there. He searched the base of the poles for holes or grips. He couldn’t find any. They were all totally smooth. As if things weren’t hard enough. He could make hole he assumed, but that would take too long to do, and he didn’t have that patients or time.

He looked to the pole at his left, and to the one at the right. He looked back at the left one. He looked up and then tapped the ground. It was solid. If he fell, it would hurt. If he fell, the Earth would hit him with all the force it had, and it wouldn’t be pretty. He sighed and shook his head. He had no choice. There was nothing to do, but jump. He walked out of the field and stood about ten feet away from the pole. He ran at it, jumped and touched his left foot to it. He then pushed off to the pole across from it and his right foot. As soon as it touched he pushed off and up. He did this moving back and forth, scaling up the poles. It was working rather well.

When he made the final push he reached out for the edge of the pole but he missed. On the final push his foot slipped a bit. He used his feet to try and regain his position but he had no grip. He looked down, and noticed he was falling fast. He had an idea, but he knew it would hurt. He thrust his fist into the pole. A nice hole was made, and he stopped falling. The sudden stop of his body caused pain in his shoulder. He would have assumed it was dislocated but it didn’t hurt near enough. He sighed and managed to punch another hole in above the one he made. It hurt his hand, but he ignored it. He had to ignore it.

He move the lower hand out and brought his feet up. He was suddenly very grateful that he was so flexible. He jammed his foot into the other hole once his first foot was secure. He fell backwards and barely slowed himself down enough to avoid a head injury. He took in a deep breath. He looked up and couldn’t see Yuki. He could always use Shunpo. No no, he couldn’t do that. If he was going to get up there it had to be the proper way. It had to be without Shunpo. He wanted to do this. And he would do this following the rules that are set in place by Yuki.

He got ready for something that he wasn’t sure would work. He got his arms extended with his palms flat on the pole. He bent them, and extended again. He flexed his arms as he did some breathing to ready himself. On the final flex he pushed with all his might. His body flew upwards, and his face was about to hit the pole, but he stopped himself with his hand. Using his hands he push himself back, and planted his feet on the other pole. He pushed off of that one, and the off of the marked one. He continued this pattern again. Once he got to the top he pushed with all that he had. This time his fingers gripped the edge.

Using his upper body strength, he managed to get himself on top of the pole. Because of the width of the circular top, it was a bit difficult. Nikitio had some good balance though so he managed to be okay. That doesn’t mean he didn’t wobble a bit, but he didn’t fall. He took a moment to adjust his footing to his liking, and when he got it where he wanted he smiled at himself. It pleased him that he had managed to get this far. He didn’t think he was ever going to make it up here. He looked down at the ground and shook his head. It was a long way down. He looked up and over at Yuki. He grinned and shrugged at her. The shrug wasn’t a confused shrug. The shrug was more like a what now shrug. Something that signaled it was too easy.

Yuki let out a laugh and shook her head. She smiled at Nikitio. He body moved gracefully from one to the other. For the first time, Nikitio noticed that the poles were made so that as you got closer to the center they got smaller. At the very center there was enough room for ONE foot. This meant only one person could fit there and currently Yuki was there. She looked at Nikitio, silently taunting him. She was daring him to come at her. She dared him to move. Nikitio took the dare without fear. He didn’t want to appear weak. He also wanted to get better. It wasn’t pride that ruled this choice. It wasn’t a temper either. It was the desire to progress.

He looked at Yuki and that smile on her face. He jumped from his space to another. He moved from that to another, and another. He tried to make it to Yuki as hard and fast as he could. He was about two poles away from her, but he slipped. When he slipped and fell he reached out with his hand. He found the edge of another pole, and continued to swing. He didn’t try to stop. In fact, when he passed it he used his foot to push off of the pole. He flipped back in air to grip the edge of another with his legs. He smiled up at the woman who watched him with slight amusement.

He shook his head at her and let out a small laugh. It was a game between them. It wasn’t something serious. Despite Yuki’s hard exterior, inside she was sweet. She loved games as much as he did. Nikki used his legs to swing himself forward. He didn’t make it up of course, but he wasn’t aiming to. He flipped in a sphere and used his feet to push off the length of a pole he landed on. The push was enough to launch him into the air, and onto the top of the pole. He shook for a moment as he nearly lost his balance. He leaned back, and then leaned forward. He went from side to side. His hips move this way and that. He eventually found his balance. He let out a breath of air he didn’t know he had held.

His eyes once again looked at Yuki and shook his head. She wasn’t going to come after him, he had to go after her. She was the ruler of this area. He was just a guest. He would soon dethrone her though. He was determined. He jumped from spot to spot once more. He landed on the edge of one pole, and pushed. He was launched at Yuki, but she merely jumped up. In air she flipped in place. Nikitio went over the spot and landed on the pole “behind” it. When Yuki landed she spun and kicked at Nikitio’s face. Nikitio ducked and stood back up. He threw a punch as quick as he could. Yuki grabbed his fist and pulled him forward. Nikitio fell and she watched him fall.

Nikitio managed to get back up. On the final push up he was coming for Yuki. She leaned back at an impossible degree and Nikitio soared over her. She straightened herself and brushed her outfit off. The way in which she did it hinted that she was barely impressed. Nikitio had trouble standing on this pole. It was so tiny. He had three fourths of his right foot hanging off. He careful adjusted his footing so that his left foot was three fourths off. His right leg was the dominate side. He couldn’t afford to trust the footing of his weaker leg. It wasn’t that it was weaker exactly, but it wasn’t as good as his right one. He supposed that made it weaker. The term weaker implied things that weren’t true about it. He really didn’t know what to call his left leg.

Yuki stood so still. She hadn’t wavered in the list bit since getting there. She literally had one foot on the pole, and the pole wasn’t wide enough to hold her entire foot. It was about twenty-five percent of the center of her foot. It would have been hard to do for Nikitio. He shook his head as he re-thought this. Because of the size of the poles, he had to be super careful. He couldn’t just jump around now. Yuki deemed he had enough time. She jumped forward. By the time Nikitio’s mind processed what happened, she foot was already planted in his chest. He flew back several poles and crashed into one of the last one. His back was hit hard against the edge of it. His wound from that morning raged to life, and his eyes shut tight. Time seemed to move so slowly for him now. He was sliding, on the wound, down off the pole. He saw Yuki with one arm folded across her chest, the right one, and her hand was hooked onto her left arm. The left hand was waving bye at Nikitio.

Nikitio growled at that. He was more determined than ever to knock her off that pole. First he had to deal with his sliding off of his safety. He wasn’t sure if a thirty foot drop would kill a Shinigami, but he didn’t want to find out this way. He planted his feet on the pole, and his sandals took a beating. He pushed for all he was worth and did another bound from that pole. Unlike before, he wasn’t moving back and forth. Also, as he moved he made holes with his fist. These would serve his purpose. The Onmitsukido were stealthy. He had to be stealthy as well. He had to find other ways to find his goal. If the direct approach wouldn’t work, another option was always there in the shadows. Assassinations were fragile things. You usually get one shot. If you don’t kill your target on the first try, then you might not get a second. This could be either because you died, or the target moved. If you do get a second chance, you can bet your bottom dollar that their security will be far tighter than before.

Nikitio moved from pole to pole. He caught glimpses of Yuki. She seemed to follow him even without seeing him. That disturbed him greatly. He didn’t want to be sensed. He would have to learn how to suppress his energy. He finally worked his way around to the pole “next” to Yuki, on her right, and swung up. As predicted, she was following his movements. She turned as Nikitio swung his body up. Nikitio was prepared though. The way he swung up was legs up and his head down. When Yuki’s leg came out to hit his face, he bent backwards. Her foot flashed across his face, and his hands came out to grab her.

Nikitio forced his legs to come down in front of him. He was suddenly very grateful for his more feminine frame. He held on tight to Yuki’s ankle, and forced her to come down with him. He spun once and let her fly through the air. Nikitio landed on the side of a pole, and pushed off. He found one of his handles and grabbed it. When he did he made more and more holes, climbing his way up. When he reached the top he let out a long sigh. It felt so good to be up here. He wasn’t at the center but Yuki wasn’t in sight. He was sure she would appear somewhere though. He knew for a fact that a drop like this wouldn’t kill her. It didn’t seem likely.

Nikitio didn’t think about her and her life. He just tried to get to the center pole. He carefully moved from one to the other. His feet back to hurt as he felt the pressure of the poles, and the weakness in his legs. He managed to do it though. He was one jump away from the center pole. No sooner had he gotten his one foot on it, than did Yuki show up having used shunpo and kick him off.

When Nikitio flew off, Yuki shunpo’d after him. She dove down, grabbed his arm, and hurled him at the ground. Nikitio saw Yuki grin as he flew down at the ground like a meteor. He blinked, and he was on the ground. The Earth came out to hit him hard. He rolled over onto his stomach and struggled to his hands and knees. Yuki appeared in front of him clapping. Nikitio looked up at her and she helped him to his feet. ”You cheated…you said no using shunpo.” Yuki laughed and shook her head. ”No. I said for you not to use shunpo. You did well though. A lot better than a lot of people I could name. You are quite skilled. We can go over this again next class. You should head to your dorm. Claudia told me to tell you that you don’t have to worry about class tomorrow. She has to do an assignment.” Nikitio nodded and bowed as best as his battered body could.

Yuki walked away and left Nikitio there for a moment. Nikitio let out a sigh and looked back at the poles. He would be on that center pole. He would learn more kido. He would become a captain. Those were things that were nonnegotiable. He walked out of the area and into the halls of the Shinigami Academy. His eyes were void of all emotion.


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