Training a Young Shinigami: Ahatake's Training

Class begins
Ahatake was sitting up in a tree resting from his battle with Ryuka. He had fought for so long the parmedics actually took his body away thinking it was in a coma or something. He didn't care. He preffered life as a Shinigami to a human with the exception of his Hollow.

"I'm getting there kid!!" The Hollow's voice cam from Ahatake's concioussness. "Soon all your power will be mine!"

"GO AWAY!!!!!!!"

Suddenly Ahatake felt a strong spiritual pressure coming from around him and called "Who's there?"

Ryan Getsueikirite, a shinigami and captain of the 10th Squad appeared above, in the skies of Karakura town. It had been several months since his previous visit to the small town and he was enjoying the air. His personal mission was to track down and find a boy who had obtained hollow powers before the Soul Society found out.

"He's up there?" Ahatake thought jumping up from the tree into the air and standing right in front of the captain.

"Who are you?" Ahatake asked. "Why do you feel so powerful?" Ryan turned around, looking rather comical at the boy, "Why do I feel so powerful? Well that could be for several reasons. For one, I am a user of bankai and two, Im like you." Ahatake looked confused at this. Ryan snickered and made a motion with his hand, summoning his hollow mask to his hand. "See, I'm just like you." he said to the boy.

"A.... Hollow mask!" Ahatake said taking a look at it. "But what's Bankai?"

Ryan gave the boy a puzzled look and then responded, "Well it's hard to explain. Bankai or final release, is the second stage of a zanpakuto. Since I'm a shinigami captain, I am required to know bankai." Ryan explained making his hollow mask vanish. "But in order to know bankai, one must first know shikai. Do you even know your zanpakuto's name?" Ryan asked, almost sarcastically.

"You named your Zanpakutou?" Ahatake asked looking slightly puzzeled.

Ryan looked dumbfounded at the boy, but knowing that the boy mostly trained himself, this was not a surprise to the captain, "Ok listen up, shikai is first "upgraded" form available to a zanpakutō. To activate it, a Shinigami needs to learn the name of their zanpakutō. This is not as easy as simply picking a name for the blade, as the living spirit of a zanpakutō already has its own name. Therefore, a Shinigami must be able to communicate with their zanpakutō effectively, which requires being able to speak to the spirit within its world." Ryan allowed this to sink in before continuing.

"You can't just start talking to the metal blade so I'll do some exercises with you so that the zanpakuto will speak to you and mabey you will be able to hear it's name." he explained. He took the boy by his arm and used shunpo to transport them outside of the city and onto the rocky shores of Japan's coast. "Okay, your first exercise is to try and cut these two bells off of my belt." he explained, fastening two bells to his belt. Ryan also drew his zanpakuto and dropped into a defensive stance.

"Ok!" Ahatake said his mask forming, knowing he would need enhanced power and speed. "What's your name by the way?"

"My name is Ryan." he replied to the boy, "and what is yours?"

"Ahatake Noriko Kurosaki." Ahatakle replied. "Now sir, let's begin."

Bell test
Ahatake used shunpo to get straight at the captain, aiming staright for the bells with his Zanpakutou.

Ryan arced his blade sideways to block the oncoming attack. "Just for demonstration purposes..." he said pushing Ahatake away, "Let our wrath be known to all creation, Butaimaru!!" he yelled, his blade becoming it's shikai form.

"Such spiritual pressure!" Ahatake thought looking at it. "So that's shikai."

Ahatake used his Zanpakutou to cut his hand and fired a cero out crying "Sangre Cero!"

Ryan slashed the cero in two, "You forget, I'm a Vizard too. Cero is second nature to me. The reason you cannot communicate correctly with your sword's spirit is simple, you are too hollow-like. You rely too much on your hollow powers and it is causing a tension between you and your zanpakuto. Take off that mask for now, we will work on your hollow powers later, for now, focus on harmonizing with your zanpakuto." he lectured charging at Ahatake and knocking him into the ground.

Ahatake cracked his mask. "Yes sir..." he said

Ahatake used shunpo to get behind the Captain and made a swipe for the bells and at the same time slashed at him with his sword.

Water poured from Butaimaru's blade in the form of a shark, which swirled around and protected the captain. The captain then struck out with his sword to clash blades with Ahatake. "You're too reckless! Focus! Try to communicate with your zanpakuto! If you don't...mine might overwhelm yours."

"Water... our natural enemy." Came a voice much different from his inner Hollow.

Ahatake gripped his sword tightly. "If you do have a soul, please trust me." Ahatake thought as he took a swing at Ryan.

Ryan felt a noticeable difference in the power of this swing. It wasn't full powered, but it would be momentarily. He thrust his blade forward again shoving Ahatake off. Ryan's next blow was strong enough to slightly crack Ahatake's blade. "That's it! Focus!" Water poured out of Butaimaru again, completely engulfing Ahatake.

"Trust me." Ahatake thought to his sword, "And I'll trust you. My power is yours."

Ahatake swung again, aiming not for the bells but for the Captain.

"It seems they now hold each others trust. Now for the final push." he thought to himself. Ryan used his free, left hand and balled it into a fist. Green energy formed a horizontal line across the horizon, morphed into a ball and then fired in the form of Ryan's own green cero.

Ahatake tried to duck but was hit full on with the cero.

"This is a Captain's power?!?!?" Ahatake thought to himself. "I feel... fear.... and he's not even using full strength..."

"What is this emotion I feel from you Ahatake?" Came the voice again serious this time. "Why do you fear him? Stand and fight!"

Ahatake was motionless taking in every word. "If you truly trust me..." and Ahatake saw the fierly black Dragon around him, "the call out my name!"

Ahatake cried out as he readied his sword.

"Kaji no Yubiwa!!"

And his sword changed to a golden sword with edges on the side and his spiritual pressure increased.

"Captain..." Ahatake said as he raised his blade. "Try to dodge. I'm not sure I can control this..."

Ahatake swept his blade down sending a gigantic mass of flame at Ryan.

"Now to start the next lesson." he though as Ahatake's flames flew at him, "Bankai!" The captain, erupted with green reiatsu and water. When he emerged, he possessed a serpents tail made of water. His reiatsu had blown the fire away. "Now for the next lesson. I applaud you on achieving shikai, our next step, is to master it. Mastery of shikai is marked by learning an attack and it's name from your zanpakuto. Since you will need to achieve bankai later on, you will need to fight my bankai while trying to master your shikai." he explained.

"All right sir." Ahatake said. ''"Now please let's fight together this time."

"All right," the dragon responded. "You'll learn as you go."

Ahatake released all his spiritual pressure and his sword burst into flame and he grew wings of fire. Ahatake literally flew high up into the air.

Master your power
"Alright I can fly!" Ahatake thought as he was up in the air.

"Focus Ahatake." the Dragon told him sternly. "You must master all of my abilities."

"Right!" Ahatake thought trying to remember how he pulled off that technique earlier.

"Captain try this on for size!" Ahatake yelled pouring a huge amount of spirit energy into sword and shooting out a huge flaming crescent from the tip.

"You learn fast." The dragon complimented him. "Listen and remember this well. An attacks strength differs greatly whether or not you know it's name. That technique is called the enen wangetsu."

"Enen... Wangetsu..." Ahatake echoed. "I'll remember that."

Suddenly Ahatake's Inner Hollow Flashed in front of his face and he heard the Hollow's maniacal laughter.

"Damn!" Ahatake thought, "Go away!"

"Just a little longer kid...."

Ryan chuckled, "So, it seems you just can't knock that Hollow off of ya, huh?" he stated as he approached Ahatake closely and punched his gut, making him unconcious.

Within the Realm
Ahatake soon awoke in a very bright land, where Ryan was sitting down, waiting for him to awake.

"Where the hell am I?" Ahatake asked out loud

"Reiji Maigo." replied Ryan who now faced Ahatake. "This will be the sight of your training from here on."

"I see." Ahatake said getting up and grasping his sword. "Out of curiosity am I ready to learn Bankai yet?"

"Don't ask me, ask him." he stated, as another figure came out from nowhere. "He will oversee that descision."

Ahatake turned to look at the new figure. "Who are you?"

The figure looked over, "You can call me Sei." he replied to Ahatake as he jumped off, meeting the two eye to eye.