Summer is Gone, Winter is Here [Fuuen, Makoto]

While Fuuen had quite enjoyed his travels with Yugiri, their mutual natures had led to a parting of ways. Not permanently, by any means, simply a mutual agreement that they would see each other again soon. He was not the sort of man that obsessed over a departed lover when away from her, of course, but he had made something of a realization during his time alone afterward.

He was, in fact, rather remarkably lacking compared to her. His technique was likely superior, of course, but when everything was considered, could he really be called much of her equal? The thought had crossed his mind before, when he was training Elyss, and it crossed his mind again upon his return to the Soul Society. That was two people he had little ability to properly match, and all the more reason in his life to match them. So he found himself at Shin'o Academy, reaching out to one of the teachers he'd been directed toward to resolve this.

"Vice Captain Arima? Fuuen, Substitute of the 7th Division, here to see you. I was instructed to speak with you regarding zanjutsu training."

Of course, he had strictly been meant to learn the shinigami arts sooner than this, but Fuuen's own nature meant that he had put that off simply for the sake of travel. Now, however, with his memories returned, he had difficulty finding that decision anything other than...well, questionable, to be quite generous toward himself. Completely absurd, if he was being more frank.

She was walking down the halls when the individual interrupted her and made her look up from the papers that she was reading, red eyes assessing him and his introduction. A couple of moments filled with silence before she put the papers down to her side and looked him over a bit more thoroughly. Two swords, Makoto was deign to be so blunt with him but guessing from the longer one on his back she could safely assume that it was not an asauchi and just an additional sword.

"Is that so? I suppose I can make time for you, how far have you progressed with your asauchi? I'm presuming that as a substitute you have either completed the curriculum of the Shin'o Academy or you are in the process of it and have been following the instructions of spending as much time as possible with the asauchi, becoming aquainted and providing ample opportunity for yourself to imprint on the zanpakuto?"

It came out more accusatory than she meant it to by inquiring as to why he'd be carrying around a second sword when he had his asauchi. Maybe it was for some esoteric fighting style, irregardless Makoto wanted to assess exactly where this potential student was sitting on the ladder of training. She couldn't train someone properly if she didn't know their capabilities, she could teach him the basics and he could already be past them or she could teach him more advanced material and find him unable to keep up.

All coming down to how she needed to approach this individual to train them in zanjutsu.

If he were a more dishonest man, Fuuen might have made some effort to lie, or to pretend that he had been making far more effort to bond with his asauchi than he actually had been. However, this was a matter of his own word, and perhaps as pressingly, it was a matter of his own mastery. What good would it do him to lie and claim further efforts than he had actually given?

"I have kept the asauchi on my person, yes, though I will concede that I have not been using and familiarizing myself with it in combat. It is a somewhat awkward weapon for me to utilize with my style of swordsmanship, so perhaps that is the chief concern, but I have found the blade seems no more attuned to myself than when I first acquired it."

He knew exceptionally little about zanjutsu, of course, but he did know that not using it in combat was not something he could realistically maintain forever. Even so, that in itself seemed as though it were a valid matter to bring up. Typically, even an absentminded user of the asauchi would have attuned to it to some degree, right?

So he was a novice is what she was getting here, Makoto looked to the side for a moment while trying to think of the best way to handle this scenario. Honestly she would deign to refer to him as a novice either, Makoto might've thought that he could be a day one academy student with that kind of beligerent attitude towards his asauchi.

"Hmm. Have you been performing jinzen?"

Well, maybe she couldn't condemn him so quickly to the gallows for being a sorry excuse of a shinigami. Maybe he had been trying to perform jinzen, there was more to using it as a tool after all. It was a spiritual connection and most pressingly, it required a lot of time to get to that point. Frankly, his answer was very well something to determine whether he would forever be considered a dunce in her head or not.

"I have, yes, though it does not feel as though the matter is providing much in the way of progress. It is my understanding that jinzen is intended to allow one to connect with the blade, and by extension, with the spirit, but it does not feel particularly different."

Admittedly, Fuuen was not exactly certain if he was performing it correctly, but he supposed that was part of why he had come here for guidance on the matter, wasn't it? Realistically, he could certainly have asked Elyss, or even Yugiri, but that would have been more than a slight blow to his pride.

"Apologies if this is all quite basic questioning. My time in the Academy was previously quite minimal on account of concerns with my memory that have now been addressed."

That was actually true, at least, and even on his record. Perhaps it was for the best that he'd been seen by that frightening captain.

"That other sword, you're quite attached to it. No?"

It was a hunch, an abrupt statement that was almost accusatory. The manifestations which form inside of a shinigami's souls could be tempermental, clash with the wielder and their personalities not align. At the same time, she could understand why a zanpakuto spirit may be hesitant, if not outright refuse to communicate, with their shinigami if they preferred something else.

Makoto had heard of some shinigami that pursued power through other means, further mastery of the other zankensoki which left their zanjutsu neglected. On one hand, that was fine however many of those individuals attempted to reconcile and comfort their zanpakuto - or had achieved it beforehand.

Fuuen was not giving it a chance at all. It spoke a little bit of the kind of person she could attempt to analyse him through this course. Not exactly the kind that she liked but Makoto was far more tolerable of people than she used to be.

While most might have found the question rather sudden, Fuuen was not nearly such a fool as to miss the purpose of it. It would not have occurred to him that the Yuudachi might have gotten in the way of his connection to the asauchi, but he certainly felt he ought elaborate on it for her sake.

"Very much so, yes. This sword has been with me since my previous life, and has accompanied me in the centuries since. I am certainly not so qualified as to explain the manner in which that occurred, but it has always been at my side."

Now his thoughts were already racing, likely further ahead than they actually should have gone. After all, he was hardly an expert on these matters when compared to Makoto, and if he made any assumptions, he could easily worsen the whole situation for himself. Better to let her discern any problems.

"I see. Then spend less time with it, put it in the closet and spend more time with your asauchi to help it grow and develop."

A zanpakuto and shinigami were a partnership, where they relied on each other and had to develop together. It was a duo, whatever the Yuudachi was only got in the way of such an important fundamental part of growth. A weak foundation couldn't build up at all.

"...or you can instead favour that other sword and neglect your sword, a matter of personal preference really."

"I think that it would be a failing as a shinigami, even if I am simply considered a substitute, were I to completely disregard the zanpakuto."

Fuuen spoke rather confidently about that one, fully willing to concede that his own attachment to the Yuudachi may well have held him back for an extended period of time. Of course, that did not mean he would abandon it forever. But he wished to grow, to develop himself rather than stagnating. It seemed foolish to do anything other than follow her advice.

"I have noticed that there are some members of the Gotei who seem to ignore particular aspects of the zankensōki, for the purpose of extensive mastery of some other school. While I certainly understand the nature of mastery, I think that to do so is to ignore the nature of the zankensōki as a complete art, rather than simply a collection of four separate arts. It would be a disservice to that art if I were to neglect my zanpakuto, yes?"

"You would be correct, a shinigami that neglects one of their shinigami arts is a personal failure on their part. We practice the zankensōki which are a school in its own right. A swordsman that neglects his school isn't much of a swordsman, a shinigami that neglects the zankensōki isn't much of a shinigami."

Makoto gave him a more focused look now, thinking about his words. It was more philosophical than she expected to see out of shinigami students. Maybe it had something to do with him being a substitute that it felt more particular to her.

"So what do you intend to do then?"