The Moon Master's Training

The First Steps
"I can not believe I'm doing this."

Kibou Injiki, 19-year-old son of the Injiki family, was moving through a mountainous region on foot. Starting from the city of Yūrei, he had already made a considerable distance. He had been continuous and relentless in his journey, which proved to be a rather irksome and obstacle-filled one as well. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have bothered to make this trip alone and would have someone like Midoriko with him. He wouldn't have come if he didn't have the important goal that he had within his mind.

Ever since Miharu defeated Takahashi, Kibō had felt that he had been robbed of his revenge. Sure, everyone hated his guts, but he was the one who and indirectly killed his mother and personally murdered his father. His attempt at revenge had failed miserably, with him being struck down early on in the fight. Miharu proved to be the showstopper that day, easily besting Takahashi before letting the Gotei 13 finish him off. This, as well as her attitude as of late, grew a resentment of the Kurosaki girl within heart. To him, she was proving nothing more than a child with a toy.

Miharu's dominance over him also made his uselessness and mortality ever so clearer. Whereas he failed, she had succeeded. If it wasn't for her, his parents would still be dead and buried in the ground. He had only her to thank for his fortune... and he hated it. What good would he be in the time that he needed to protect his family and friends himself? Was it his duty to be stuck where he was, hiding behind another as they killed the ones that threatened their lives? Would he be weak and pathetic forever?

He refused to be!

Shaking his head of his thoughts, he continued his trek through the mountains, briskly jogging in occasions in order to keep his blood flowing. Currently, he was searching for a man named Hanzei Kurosaki, a wanderer who spent his time in the mountains. He was supposed to be a powerful member of the Kurosaki family by reports that he heard, but of course reports wouldn't be enough evidence to prove that. He had to see for himself if the claims were true....

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

A loud, piercing scream was then heard, as Kibō looked off to the edge of the cliff he stood on, and immediately froze, seeing a man falling from the top of the mountain, leaving a trail of blood as he fell.

"You're not from around here, eh boy?" came an immediate voice from behind the young man.

"Fu--!!!"

Had he not seen the body falling, Kibou would have been more relaxed in his reaction towards the source of the sudden voice that was behind him. He would have even deduced the man falling because of a failure to keep a firm grip and stand on the mountainside. But of course, the blood trail meant that he had been killed, the injuries fresh. So upon hearing the masculine voice of the older man behind him, all thoughts of a neutral traveler were erased from his mind.

So he turned around with a vicious pivot, drawing his sword out and bringing his arm down the path of a backhand - a reflexive, instinctive move on his part.

The man would have his arm held out, using the very back of his fist to block the sword strike with minimal effort. He would shake his head slowly. "Not enough. Judging by the angle of the swing, I can only guess you've been trained under Shinigami in Shinō Academy, correct?" he asked, pushing his fist away only slightly, but even a slight movement such as that was enough to force the blade in the opposite direction, actually pulling on Kibō's arm. "Actually, don't answer that. I'm more curious as to why you're in these mountains, walking about with such a weak deposition for the sword arts." he remarked.

"Damn...."

Kibou had to stagger back a step when the stranger shoved his blade back, lowering his sword to his side while blinking in surprise for a moment. Apparently, fighters within these parts were clear outsiders of the Gotei 13. But their fighting style was no joke, maybe even more disciplined than that. This man already exuded the aura of a veteran, a master who had seen it all. For the moment, fighting was out of the question here.

"Weak, huh.....?" He repeated, a slight frown on his face at the indirect insult. "Then I guess I'm at near the right place. I'm looking for someone that goes by the name of Hanzei Kurosaki."

"Looking, are you? Found someone, I daresay you've done." the man professed, during his back to the young boy. "Where did you hear such a name?"

The sentence was rather confusing, and sadly, Kibou wasn't one for cryptic-sounding statements. He cocked a slight eyebrow as he balanced his sword on his shoulder. "Blood connections." He said. "My family is close friends with the Kurosaki, and that he was an ancestor of their line....supposedly." He was almost tempted to roll his eyes at the fact that the family wasn't even sure of their own bloodline anymore.

The man narrowed his eyes, and turned his back, his large white cloak fluttering in the wind. "If you are looking for Kurosaki Hanzei, go home. He doesn't bother fighting fools." he remarked, taking his initial steps away from Kibō.

So this first guy he met here had to be a dick.

Of course, Kibou wasn't going to just stand and take it. He narrowed his eyes, scowl becoming even more distinct as he glared into the back of the slowly retreating figure. He lowered his sword again swiftly - one that could have been assumed to be a threatening motion, but really was a reaction to the statement. "Yeah?" He remarked, an annoyed but defiant tone in his voice. "Well, I didn't come up here all this way for your opinion, pal. I'd rather hear it from Hanzei himself."

The man continued to walk away, as if not caring much to what Kibō was saying, but decided to offer him a response. "You did just hear it from Hanzei himself, idiot. Don't tell me you came here looking for someone without having the slightest clue what they looked like, did you?"

"Well, it didn't exactly help that you were referring to yourself in third person...." Kibou thought to himself bitterly. The insult bristled at him like an aggravating pine. But he chose to shake it off, and because the man was walking away, had no choice but to follow him. "Times change and so do appearances, so pictures are pretty much pointless...." He stated, not bothering to hide his skepticism. Although this man was clearly a powerful being, that as well as his words didn't mark him automatically as Hanzei. As he walked briskly, he sheathed his sword, seeing that he didn't need it anymore.

"Besides.... so what if you managed to block my sword with your bare hands? You're powerful, but that's not going to convince me that you're not just making that up."

Hanzei's eye twitched, annoyed that this... this... what he considered, brat would dare question his statement. It was at this time that he turned to face Kibō, face-to-face. "I see. So you question my honestly, is that right? Well then, how exactly do you want me to show you I am who I say I am?"

The brown-haired boy smirked. "Show me an ability that only someone who mastered the Moon-type Zanpakutō can perform. It can be anything small, anything big, but it's got to be the work of someone who knows his stuff." He folded his arms across his chest.

Hanzei now narrowed both of his eyes, his annoyance furthering by the boy's request. He would slowly unsheathe his blade, and hold it up toward the sky. It was at that time that several strands of jet-black spiritual energy would rush out from the blade in all directions, encircling both him and the boy. He turned back toward Kibō. "When one has mastered the moon-type Zanpakutō, they can manipulate the signature Getsuga Tenshō however they wish. It is at the level where they may use it for attack, for defense, and even to heal others." he would explain.

The Man Known as Hanzei
After his explanation, Hanzei would resheathe his blade, the rings of spiritual energy around the pair would dissipate.

At the beginning of the display, Kibou's smug expression had vanished into a more concentrating and slightly astonished one.

His eyes fell onto the rings that had formed around him. While listening to the man with his ears, his eyes took in the qualities of the rings, his nerves taking in the feel of their aura. Despite it obviously being spiritual energy, it had a much more different feel to it, almost as if it was a completely different kind of power all together. As his eyes peered at the rings, he saw that each of them were complete in shape. There was no wisp, no flame-like warping effect that graced their surfaces and edges. It was so.... perfect.....

That's when he understood.

This man truly was Hanzei Kurosaki.

"So I guess you weren't trying to put up a tough aura after all....." He muttered, taking in a deep breath. Deciding to give humility a try now that he knew he was wrong, he gave a deep bow in order to indicate his expression of respect. "Please forgive me, sir, for my disrespect and skepticism. I came here to request your tutelage."

Hanzei's facial expression turned from annoyance to one of confusion. "My tutelage? My last student was of a family that was loosely tied into the Kurosaki Sōzōshin bloodline. And even then, my name is only known amongst the Kurosaki families." he stopped for a moment, and narrowed his eyes once more, his pupils focused heavily on Kibō's shoulder and stomach area, where the exothermal presence of spiritual energy is most abundant. "Judging from the flow of reiryoku I feel from you, you're not a Kurosaki. Granted... you do have suble traces of Kurosaki spiritual power inside you, but no more obtained via extended periods of being near full-blooded Kurosaki. So then... why exactly did you find me? And why me?" he would ask.

This prompted Kibō to take a deep breath, and he mentally hoped the truth would not brand him when he spoke his next words.

He rose his head up to look Hanzei in the eyes. "It could've been anyone else." He admitted. "But my family, the Injiki, hold a close connection to the bloodline of the Kurosaki, a bond, if you will. At times, it was faint, while at others, it was a neverending ocean that could never be ignored. I don't know whether we were part of the Kurosaki family, or that both sides simply stuck together before my time, or maybe it's another case of fate pulling the strings.... but I do know the strings of that bond exists, and they were pulling at me. I followed them, and...." He emphasized with a gesturing motion towards Hanzei. "Here you are, right at one's end. Out of all the people, the connection led me to you."

Hanzei scratched his head, "You sound like a bad teenage drama script. Like that movie in the World of the Living about... vampires or something, I don't know." he would muse, turning his back as he began walking up the path to the top of the mountain. "If you are truly serious about being taught by me, there is no turning back. You will make the decision where you stand. You walk up this path, and you will be my student, and not leave until your training is complete. If you have even a single ounce of doubt or hesitation, then go back where you came from. Because I have no time to teach a baby how to breathe. The choice is yours, my young friend." he remarked, continuing the walk up the mountain path.

"No doubt...."

"No hesitation...."

"No fear...."

Kibou hadn't come up here all this way just to be scared now. He had willingly pushed himself to travel to such lengths just to come to where he stood to train under Hanzei. It wouldn't be easy, he understood this. But that was fine with him. He had nothing to lose, as far as he was concerned. He would not leave until his training was complete, and he would resist the annoying thing that was his more passionate feelings for the time that would pass.

So, after passing a deadpan look of comical annoyance at Hanzei's back for his earlier comment, the brown-haired boy did not hesitate to follow Hanzei right up the path.

As the pair reached the top of the inclined path, they arrived to an area that would sport grass patches scattered all around, to compliment the rough rocky surface of the mountaintop they were at. A ways off, a small house-like structure could be seen. Hanzei looked toward Kibō. "Get your rest. Tomorrow morning, when the sun rises, that is when your training will begin." he remarked, as he walked off toward the household structure. "I recommend sleeping in the grassy patch areas. When it gets cold at night, they serve as makeshift heating futons." he explained, stepping inside of the household structure, closing the door as he did, leaving Kibō to himself, the sun's bright yellow light beginning to dimmer into a soft mellow orange.

"....you've got to be kidding me."

When Hanzei disappeared, Kibou could only stare at the grass patches in disbelief, arms folded across his chest. Didn't grass normally get dewy over the night? If anything, it would be logical to--

He stopped himself right then and there, slapping his palm to his face. "You know what? Screw logic." He sniffed. "Seeing a guy cut in half and completely heal himself as if nothing happened disregarded whatever belief I had in it. I'm better off going with the flow."

Throwing his self-caution to the wind, he walked over to one of the patches and plopped himself on it, folding his hands behind his head and shifting one leg over the other. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in order to prepare himself for drifting off. If he was wrong and ended up getting wet, oh well. What would be wrong with a little dew on his back? Nothing. Only the prissy type of girl worried about that, and he definitely wasn't it. Besides, he didn't doubt his teacher one bit, considering who he was and all....

Thanks to the natural sounds around him, he was able to fall asleep within a matter of minutes.

Beginning
The absolute night sky above the mountaintop was soon pierced with a small shimmering ray of orange sunlight, creeping over the horizon. Even with this peaceful setting... CRASH! The ground shook, once, and then twice, and then thrice. It was Hanzei, a small distance from where Kibō was sleeping, setting massive rocks, not in size but in sheer weight, side-by-side, the ground shaking with each rock being set down.

"The fu--!!!"

Of course, Kibou was not going to sleep with such noise. Immediately, he sprung up to his face, his eyes widened and his heart beating rapidly. He jerked his gaze around, initially blind to the source of the noise. However, once his senses managed to clear up and his mind woke up completely, he blinked and rested his gaze on the sight of Hanzei placing the massive rocks onto the ground. However, he could barely find it in him to stand still - the ground was shaking with every rock, for crying out loud!

As best as he could, he made steps towards Hanzei, but remained silent until he was finished. With the loud noise going on, it would have been pointless to say anything.

Hanzei looked to the left of him, noticing the awoken Kibō. "Ah, good morning sleepy-head. I told you day-break, didn't I?" he began, as he walked behind the large rocks, lined up together in a square planar formation, picking up lengths of rope. He would walk toward Kibō, and without uttering a word or commend, began to tie the lengths of rope around the boy's two wrists, and then his ankles, tightly as he did. He pulled on the rope, forcing Kibō to, willingly or unwillingly, follow Hanzei's steps. He'd continue by tying the ends of those ropes to each of the four individual rocks, one rock for each limb. Hanzei soon finished, and faced Kibō again. "You'll do some warm-ups first. You'll run down to the base of the mountain, do fifty laps around said base, and then run back. If you can not do this before noon, you can forget being trained by me." he stated. "In addition, I should let you know... Each of these rocks, while they don't look it, pack a mass of at least ninety thousand kilograms. Good luck." he spoke.