Blazing Burning Tigers

A place such as the Kabuki District, throughout all of the Rukongai, was a rare sight. It's colorful lights, beautiful women, and ardent decorations could draw the attention of any traveler. Kyōkai Namikaze, a soul drunk off passion and bravado, was no exception. Though, he wasn't any less of a man because of it. Instead, like all of those who visited "the town that never slept", he sought pleasure and entertainment. However, the pleasure in which he sought was not that in which the beautiful maidens of the colorful district could offer. They, at most, could serve as eye candy for him. Then again, as a man on a mission, he probably wouldn't even bother with something as trivial as gawking at women. Though, precisely because he was a man, such desires couldn't easily be pushed to the back of his mind. That, as far as Kyōkai could discern, was why he was now walking around the district lost.

Engrossed in the beautiful decorations that covered the restless district, Kyōkai paced back and forth. He, having positioned himself within the center of the colorful madness that was the Kabuki District's most visited section, was beginning to lose his mind.

Amidst the lights and noise that could distract any wayward visitor, another particular sound was about to drown out the others. The very ground began to shake as people throughout the pathway of the village space began to move frantically to the sides. Screams of certain women could be heard, cursing of men was also present, and all centered toward the cause of the mayhem. From where Kyōkai stood, he would be able to see a large puff of dust surrounding a figure that was racing in his direction. As the smoke cleared, the shape of the disturbance's source could be ascertained. Charging toward Kyōkai was a young man wearing a martial arts gi, his face riddled with a sense of dread, exhaustion, and above all, embarrassment at the attention he was garnering. Still, exhaustion seemed to be the winner among them all, as the boy was gasping for air as he picked up speed with every step; causing more dust to fill the air as he kicked off. A rope was tied around the man's waist, connected to a large cart that lacked wheels of any kind, which was carrying a silver-haired man surrounded in a with his arms crossed. From the looks of it, this aura was contributing to the man's weight, as it appeared to pull on the cart more so than a man of his size should have been; it was clearly an instrument of training.

"M... Master! Isn't this a little too excessive?!" cried the young man as the silver-haired person merely gave off a hearty laugh. "Don't laughing at me! This is entirely too crazy!" the young man voiced out once more in protest, his rugged voice fluctuating in tone as he clung to his breath desperately. "There's no choice! Moving forward is the only way to become strong!" the man in the cart explained. "I am gonna die if you keep this up!" the boy retorted loudly over the sound of the cart digging into the dirt with every dash forward. "A short life filled with passion is better than a long life of indulgence!" the silver-haired man responded. "That doesn't help me at all, you jerk!" he roared in response.

In an instant, the boy running with the cart tied to his waist carrying the middle-aged man whizzed by Kyōkai, allowing the latter a brief glimpse close up at these two unusual individuals, as they continued onward and passed by the visitor and eventually disappeared from sight. One of the men nearby let out a growl of annoyance as he too witnessed what everybody else had their eyes fixated upon. "That damned Seireitou... Doing this shit right in the middle of town!" he spat.

Though, unlike the grouchy old coot that spat in annoyance, Kyōkai mused over the presence of the unusual duo. They, much like how he did, lived a life full of passion. Though, unlike Kyōkai, their passion didn't seem to be directed toward life as a whole. Instead, clearly having something to do with their rigorous training, it was directed at something they loved with all their heart. Kyōkai, of course, couldn't simply go without introducing himself to these men. So, without question, he began to tail them. Traveling at a speed, impressive for somebody as untrained as he, he kept his distance from the middle-aged man being escorted by the young boy. If he was lucky, and passionate enough, maybe they would allow him to bask in their presence.

Then again, they didn't know who he was. So, what exactly was the probability that they'd accept him? Well, given that he was chasing them at high speeds, the probability that he'd succeed in winning them over was slim. However, regardless of such, he continued sprinting! His heart, blazing with the passion deep within him, wasn't going to be extinguished by the unknown! Whatever he didn't know, bit it within his favor or not, wasn't enough to simply kill his passion! This man would accept him, and if he didn't, Kyōkai would just have to turn up the volume on his ardent passion.

Having heard the name from the old coot, Kyōkai began to cry out, "Seireitou-Sama! Seireitou-Sama! Seireitou-Sama!!!!!!" Following each cry, a pant resonated with his repetitive steps. He wasn't use to running this fast, or this long. Though, keeping his breathing calm and moderate, he continued regardless of the pain his muscles were in. "My name is Kyōkai Namikaze!" he mused. "I'm eighteen years old, and I was born on October 23! I'm 180 centimeters tall, and weigh 70 kilograms! I enjoy fighting, fishing, and eating! Do you have a moment? I would like to speak with you, Tora!"

Dust was kicked up in the wake of the boy's dragging of his mentor on the wheel-less cart, so much so that any ordinary person would not have been able to hear the repeated callings of Kyōkai. Though Seireitou was no such mundane, his ears immediately perked up, much like a fox recognizing a sound of interest, as he turned his head to see the boy giving chase.

Seireitou's eyes narrowed immediately as he stared at this boy. "...How many times must I tell you lot... I don't want any boy scout cookies!" he yelled, as he pulled out a black whip from the inside of his robe, cracking it in the air momentarily before striking the boy pulling him by cart. "Faster, Minato-kun! Faster!" he voiced out as Minato merely groaned in agony as he was forced to move even faster, creating an even greater distance between them and Kyōkai.

Though, within a moment's time, Seireitou and Minato had completely left Kyōkai's view. The young Soul, not use to sprinting for such a long period of time, was beginning to fall prey to his own limitations. The passion he had demonstrated, upon meeting Seireitou, was slowly beginning to fade. However, instead of acknowledging the physical barrier that stood before him, he laughed. If he were to admit he was in pain, then this would truly be his limit. Though, he wasn't one to quit! His passion knew no bounds! The word "limit", wasn't in his dictionary! Something as trivial as exhaustion, no matter how intense it was, wasn't going to stop him. So, upon realizing he was beginning to miss his chance to bask in greatness, he tapped into a hidden reservoir of strength. Throwing himself to the ground, smashing his stomach against the earth beneath him, he began to crawl! Swinging his arms, and his legs, he charged at Seireitou and Minato like some comedic beast. He wouldn't let this mere obstacle of Seireitou's stop him!

"Seireitou-Sama! Seireitou-Sama! I need to speak with you, Tora! It's very important! Can you please pull over?"

Seireitou turned his gaze back onto the young boy just as he had fallen to the ground and began crawling his way toward the cart. Darkness shrouded his eyes from sight as he stared in comic silence with his mouth hanging out and frozen at this strange situation. "Oiii! What shit is this?! When did I step into this shoddy sequel to the Grudge?!" the silver-haired roared, though seemingly chattering to himself.

---

Eventually, the cart finally stopped as Minato nosedived into the ground adjacent to a large wooden gate, bringing the cart to a stop as Minato was definitely out of it; his pupils replaced with a hazy grey showing that he was unconscious after that set of three hundred laps. Once the cart came to a screeching halt, Seireitou swiftly jumped out of the cart, his eyes focused upon Minato as he merely grinned. "Excellent, that should be enough for today." the man remarked, as Minato only uttered insensible gibberish in his dazed state of mind.

It was at that point that Seireitou turned to see the boy that had followed them for the final five laps of Minato's three hundred lap training sessions, just making his way toward the gate as well. "You are definitely a persistent one, kid." Seireitou remarked as he scratched the back of his head.

Kyōkai, however, was in a state similar to Minato's. So, logically, there was no real way he could respond. His body was slumped over a stick, which acted as a cane, and his body was shrivelled up to the point a skeleton looked fat in comparison. His clothes, obstructed some time ago, were no more. The only thing he wore, which was around his waist, was a large piece of ox fur. It to, like the rest of his body, was covered in dirt and sweat. Whatever miracle it was that allowed him to run those five laps, was indeed something only God could perform. Though, in exchange for such a miracle, it was safe to say the young soul had lost about five years of his life.

"Seireitou-Sama...." Manging to speak, Kyōkai stumbled forward on his cane. His voice, raspy like that of a ghost, dissipated into the sky. Though, there was something off about the appearance of his breath. It was blue, misty, and looked as if it was full of life...Wait! That wasn't his breath! It was his very soul! He had ran so hard, that his soul was literally on the verge of leaving his body. It was even caring ghostly luggage! Did it really want to leave his body that bad?

"So...Passionate..."

Fatal Meeting
The silver-haired man stood before the collapsed boy, bearing yet another look consisting of darkened eyes. He was unsure of what to make of this boy; truly he was passionate at whatever it was he was trying to do, but Seireitou was unsure as to what exactly he was trying to do anyways. As he stepped closer to the boy, he lightly began tapping at his arm with his toes. "You're quite the persistent boy scout. But I told you I wasn't interested in any cookies." he spoke toward the dazed visitor.

Extending his arm, so as to grasp the ankle of Seireitou, Kyōkai groaned. The passion inside of him, reignited upon hearing the middle-aged man call him persistent, was beginning to return strength to his body. Though, aware that he had long since passed his physical limits, Kyōkai wasn't quick to over exert himself once again. If he was to show Seireitou his passion, at its pinnacle, he would have to start acting rationally. So, after making sure Seireitou knew he was alive, the young Soul propped himself up on his cane. Standing erect, with a slight lean, he coughed and groaned once more. "My name is Namikaze Kyōkai. I'm not a boy scout, Tora! I'm the young tiger cub of the Namikaze Family! I come to you, oh passionate Seireitou-Sama, seeking your aid! Will you, like you did with your cart puller over there, allow me to bask in your passion? Can you show me your flame of passion, Tora!?"

Throwing his hands up, as he stumbled forward, Kyōkai attempted yet another display of passion. Though, as his body and mind were still groggy from exhaustion, the farthest he could raise his arms was to shoulder length. "Teach me how to ignite the fire in my heart, Seireitou-Sama!!" he cried.

One of Seireitou's eyes twitched, almost in utter annoyance, as a deep sigh subsequently emanated from his person. "You're not... all there, are you?" the silver-haired man uttered as the large wooden gates slowly opened. Creaking from the age of the wood, dragging against the dirt and causing some smoke to fill the air, there stood two individuals on the other side. One was a young boy with messy hair and a large sword strapped to his back and the other an older gentlemen with a goatee wearing a simplistic robe; both of them staring at the young boy at Seireitou's feet.

"Oh... What's this? A visitor?" spoke the older gentleman as the young man took a couple steps forward to further examine the situation. "Nah... It's just some homeless kid trying to scrounge up food, Rinnōbō... or something." the young boy remarked. Rinnōbō took a couple steps forward as well, "Always the one with the greatest deductive powers, aren't you, Kuniharu-kun." he answered, in a rather sarcastic tone, earning him an annoyed glare from Kuniharu.

Seireitou held his arms crossed against his chest, his eyes fixated upon Kyōkai's figure. "Just take it easy for a moment." he instructed.

Taking a deep breath, Kyōkai nodded, and rose from his kneeling stance. Bowing, as a greeting to both Kuniharu and Rinnōbō, he introduced himself yet again. "My name is Namikaze Kyōkai! I'm eighteen years old, and I was born on October 23! I'm 180 centimeters tall, and weigh 70 kilograms! I enjoy fighting, fishing, and eating! I am here, after watching Seireitou and his cart puller charge through town, with the hopes of learning how to be just as passionate as they! By the way, I'm not homeless, Tora!" Though, unlike before, he didn't speak in a tone that suggested exhaustion. Most of his stamina had returned, and he had finally gained an audience with Seireitou. Everything was now running smoothly, and he could proceed with his original goal; seeking entertainment.

Though, as Seireitou had instructed him to take it easy, he felt obligated to do as the silver-haired man commanded. So, adjusting what little clothing material he had left, he stood straight and awaited for command. However, recalling that he hadn't sincerely acknowledged the appearance of the two new entities, he stepped forward. Thinking back, on how they addressed each other, he spoke. "It is nice to meet you, Rinnōbō and Kuniharu-dono! Are you two, much like the cart puller, here to bask in Seireitou-Sama's passion? If so, allow us to get along, Tora!"

Reaching into the back portion of his sash, practically pulling it from thin air, Kyōkai then presented to them a box. The box, green and white, had the symbol of a cartoon-like boy with his thumbs up. "Would you like some cookies? Seireitou-Sama kept talking about boy scout cookies. So, on the third lap, I detoured and picked some up for him."

"Passion? Him?" Rinnōbō and Kuniharu spoke in unison, looking toward Seireitou as they then looked at each other, almost dumbfounded, before bursting out in laughter. Almost as if they heard the best joke in ages, Seireitou's face etched with murderous intent. "You want me to kill you, bastards?" he retorted, though calmly as though it were second nature to speak in this way to one another. The silver-haired man then looked over to Kyōkai who had just pulled out some cookies. "So then... Might I ask what it is you're here for?"

Narrowing his eyes, Kyōkai gave Seireitou a confused look. Had he, after the Soul spoke about it several times, not understood what he was wanting? Well, it was a given, seeing as Kyōkai was new to this dsitrict. People, mainly Seireitou and his band of esoteric individuals, clearly did things different. So, taking that into account, Kyōkai decided to be a blunt as possible. Though, before he spoke, he tucked the box of cookies into the Santa hat that suddenly appeared on top o fhis head. "Make me a better person. Whether it be physically, mentally, or emotionally. Though, I'd perfer if it was all of the above, Seireitou-Sama. You seem strong, and passionate."

Rolling his shoulder, with his hand placed upon it, Kyōkai yawned and began to stretch. As far as talking went, he was already tired of it. Now, with his proposal on the table, he was ready for some action. Whether they would take him serious or not, all depended on his attitude from this point on. "I'm prepared to go through some tests in order for you to accept me, Tora!"

Seireitou's face was now the picture of seriousness as he properly acknowledged Kyōkai's request, crossing his arms against his chest as he shut his eyes in solemn thought. He then opened his eyes and gazed upon the boy's figure, before taking a couple steps closer. At first, he grabbed onto Kyōkai's wrist gently and lifted it up, examining certain spots around his arm, before moving over to his other arm, analyzing it as well. It was then obvious what he was doing: measuring Kyōkai's musculature. Seireitou then took another step back and placed his fingers to his chin, gently stroking the skin as he stared at Kyōkai. "You have passion, but no form... A flame with no control. Strong and resolute, but one that will burn out far too quickly... Tell me, boy. For what reason do you have for seeking out my tutelage?" the elder master asked.

"To be completely honest with you, I originally wanted to kill some time. Though, when I chased after you guys, I realized that I wasn't near as physically prepared as I thought I was. You see, I'm somewhat of a trickster, Tora! I like to play jokes on people, and I like to mess around. When I chased you guys, I originally thought you guys were trouble makers. I mean, you guys distrupted the events of the Kabuki District, and it was only with your presence." Taking a step back, Kyōkai rotated his wrists. Whatever it was Seireitou had done, it had made Kyōkai feel somewhat threatened. It was as if, upon seeing him stroke his chin, that Seireitou was sizing him up. Kyōkai, of course, didn't like this. Though, he wasn't going to openly state it. His chance to get strong depended on how he reacted, and the attitude he presented. If he wasn't certain, or honest, his very chance at becoming something great could be sweeped out from under his feet.

"It wasn't until I started running those laps, did I notice you were training. Actually, that boy over there was the one working hard. It seemed like second nature to you, and that further ignited the passion burning deep within me," he continued. "Though, apparently my flame isn't one that'll last long? I don't believe that, Tora! I've lived my whole life working hard, and dedicating myself to whatever it is I chose to do. How is it that my flame isn't as big and bright as the sun?" Taking a step to the side, he pointed at Rinnōbō and Kuniharu. "Be honest with me, do I not seem passionate enough!? I'm the young Tiger Cub of the Namikaze! I have to be strong and resolute! That isn't anything new. Though, my flame can't be that weak. A fire, that cannot stay lit long enough to warm those around it, shoudln't be considered a flame,Tora! That, Seireitou-Sama, is a spark! I'm not a spark!"

Shoving his foot into the ground, with so much force that a wave of dust was kicked up, Kyōkai returned his gaze to Seireitou. "A flame that is as hot as mine, shall never remain short lived! Seireitou-Sama, teach me! I will not remain a cub forever!"

Seireitou blinked for a moment as he brought his hands down to cross them against his chest once more, closing his eyes for a brief moment before reopening them. In that instance, the visage of a blonde stranger briefly appeared beside the passionate Kyōkai. It was clear that the person he had imagined was somehow similar to that of Kyōkai. But not in a good way. The expression written upon the silver-haired man's face made it rather clear that this was a memory he had no fondness for whatsoever. With a subtle shake of the head, he turned his body away from Kyōkai and began walking toward his home's wooden gate. "Go home, kid. I have no interest in training a dying flame like you." the silver-haired master coldly declared. Rinnōbō followed suit, straying only to pick up the unconscious Minato and placed him over his shoulder, before finally heading inside along with Seireitou. Only Kuniharu, watching the two make their way inside stood on the outside, making a slow motion of his head toward the dismissed Kyōkai.

Though, regardless of being dismissed, the young Soul didn't budge from his standing position. Instead, curling his fingers into the palm of his hand, he formed a fist. His eyes set upon Kuniharu, and then shifted to Seireitou's vanishing figure. In that moment, despite being overcome with rage, Kyōkai began to smile. This middle-aged man, who was capable of discerning a man's worth with a simple glance, had made the biggest mistake of his life. Kyōkai, a dying flame, wasn't worth his tutelage? Get real! Kyōkai, if anything, was a flame waiting to engulf everything. Actually, seeing as Seireitou gave Kyōkai somewhat of a disgusted look, it was possible he already knew that. That, of course, was then what made Kyōkai's smile partially fade. Seireitou didn't turn him down because he was weak or worthless, he turned him down because he was an unadulterated flame ready to set fire to everything.

"I'm not the kind of flame you think I am, Seireitou-Sama!!" Kyōkai cried out. "My flame won't be put out so easily! I'll show you, regardless of what kind of wind you throw at me, my blazing passion won't flicker! Just you watch, Tora!" Turning his back to the legendary master, and further tightening his clenched fist, Kyōkai began to leave the presence of Kuniharu. However, after reaching a certain distance away from him, the young soul turned around. Smiling, he raised up his hand. "I apologize for wasting your time. I thought I came in with a genuine sense of advancement. Though, I won't let this stop me. I'll be back tomorrow. Just you watch! I'll make him train me. I swear it, Tora!"

Kuniharu was the sole person who acknowledged Kyōkai's loud remarks, offering a sigh in response as he too turned toward the school.