A Lesson in Persistence [Kaito, Byakuya]

The idea of being selected to train under Byakuya Kuchiki was something Kaito had never considered or thought was a feasible achievement. But, even in him lashing out against the nobleman, he still accepted the apology and offered to train him.

Despite the warnings that it would be a grueling, difficult endeavor, he had no problems agreeing to that. He was already someone who trained tirelessly to try and achieve the strength he had heard of through the stories and history of Soul Society -- this was just another stepping stone to reach that.

However, another trait he had been developing as of late was waking up even earlier than normal, to drill through the routines Byakuya had instructed him the day prior as a warm-up. Arriving early to the Kuchiki manor, he knocked on the door, standing up just a little bit straighter than usual.

Rarely did anyone other than a servant answer the door of the Kuchiki manor. The idea of Byakuya himself answering it was unheard of, but it was indeed him who answered the door this early morning. Dressed in training garb and ready to go, he nodded to Kaito and left the door open for the man to follow him in. Of course, Kaito would know to close the door behind him once inside and follow Byakuya.

Out in the training yard, as they had been the last couple of times Kaito trained here, there were a few target dummies set up on a large area of dirt away from the main manor. "How have you been fairing with the exercises I provided you?"

While Byakuya's methods were strict, they weren't overwhelming. He was very much about routine and consistency. Any routines he gave Kaito were pretty calculated, a good mixture of stretches, light and heavy exercises, while focusing on cardio and muscle building. He did not favor one over the other, allowing himself to become a rather well-rounded fighter himself. This was his goal for Kaito and Hiro alike. The more well-rounded they were, the better. Specialization comes later.

Byakuya answering the door himself caused him to jump slightly. Every time beforehand that the door had opened, it had been answered by a servant. Not a word was needed as Byakuya nodded and let Kaito follow him in, quietly closing the door behind him. He didn't dare break the silence as they made their way through the manor and out into the training yard.

Despite the last few times he had been on the grounds, he still felt anxious about the whole ordeal. He appreciated the training, yet he couldn't stop that anxiety from taking hold. Perhaps part of it was the events of late -- seeing some figure in the background. He was still getting enough sleep and food, so, it didn't seem like they were hallucinations...maybe Byakuya had a better idea to what it was.

"I like to think I've been fairing well. The more I do them, the easier they become, the more energy and stamina I have, and, well, the stronger I feel."

"Good," Byakuya said, giving a curt nod. "Until today, I have guided you in honing your strength and agility. Do you know why we focus on these fundamentals?"

"I'm...not really sure. Because the basics are one's greatest strength?" Kaito said.

"The stronger your foundation, the further your advanced techniques can reach," Byakuya explained. "The masters of their craft always return to the basics. Keep that in mind when you think about what you want to specialize in."

Byakuya let that sink in for a moment and then asked, "What do you want to specialize in? From here on out, the end of our training sessions will focus on that."

"Whatever will help my home the most. I've heard of something called 'Saisenko' in passing, which uses Kido. So, if I had to choose, it would probably be that."

Ambitious. Byakuya took a moment to think. "Saisenko is a very advanced technique," Byakuya said, "I have only recently begun training it. To get to such a level, you will need to master that of zanjutsu and kido. You can choose to do so separately or simultaneously. Which path do you wish to take?"

"Simultaneously."

Byakuya nodded and stepped away from the dummies, taking a stand about twenty feet from them. He gestured for Kaito to come stand next him. At the first one, he pointed two fingers at. "Hadō, number four, Byakurai." What was definitely a very finely controlled, thin, and precise line of blue lightning-esque reiryoku fired from the tip of Byakuya's fingers. Upon impact directly in the middle of the dummy, the reiryoku scorched the surface and dissipated in smoke. "Show me your aim, power, and control. You need all three to successfully perform most known kido."

In a way, he wasn't wrong. The masters always had the basics to rely on, even when branching out and creating their own techniques and styles. He had heard that Saisenko was considerably more advanced and scarce than anything he had learned at the academy -- so much so that barely anyone had even heard of it.

However, in spite of the rather ambitious goals he wanted to achieve, he was aware of his shortcomings. That was part of why he wanted to train in both Zanjutsu and Kido, to allow him to overcome these weaknesses, become stronger, better. So, as Byakuya released a single, precise Byakurai, Kaito took a few steps forward to stand next to him.

He held up a hand, grasping his wrist with his other arm, just to brace himself in case something went wrong. He channeled and gathered a small amount of energy into his fingertips, curling three of them back and pointing the remaining digits toward the dummy next to the one Byakuya had fired at.

"Hadō #4: Byakurai."

Mimicking the Kido that his teacher had cast, Kaito figured that it would serve as a decent benchmark. He knew that he was capable of going higher, but, the higher spells he used, the less control he had over it. As the name of the spell was uttered, a small, but thick line of blue lightning fired from his fingers.

As it zipped through the air toward the target, it suddenly tilted upward, veering from the midsection to the dummy's head, violently exploding upon contact. Compared to Byakuya's, it...certainly was not the intended effect. Kaito looked to the side awkwardly, rubbing his arm lightly in embarrassment.

"Even though I'm getting better, I...still struggle some with this."

Byakuya held more hope for his students than expected. As Kaito built the reiryoku, Byakuya paid close attention to his flow. He could sense the reiryoku’s instability and knew there would be an unintended result when the kido was fired. Luckily, it wasn’t some sort of backfire. Byakuya did not want to rush Kaito to his family healer, though at least they were nearby. As the byakurai blasted the head of the dummy, Byakuya began the planning stages of upcoming training sessions. If Kaito wanted to master either zanjutsu or kido, he had his work cut out for him.

The dummy showed Kaito had a lot of raw power behind his kido. Once he learned how to control his output, Kaito’s kido would become formidable. Turning back to his student, “You’re struggling with reiryoku control. When you cast, how does it feel? Are you trying to hold yourself back? Or are you trying to force something out? That will help me understand whether your struggle comes from the inability to measure your output or call on your reiryoku. Attempt once more if you're unsure.”

Byakuya stepped to the side, away from the dummy to give Kaito enough room to try again if he felt the need. Byakuya assumed he would need another chance to fire in order accurately answer his question, since it would help him in the long run.

He knew his struggles -- it was something that he still strived to get a handle over. Even if he was able to perform the spell, there would always be something that went wrong. A deviation in the intended direction, the spell being more violent than it was meant to,. or just generally looking and feeling far more primitive than demonstrations.

Yet, he was still unsure of what was the problem. So, when Byakuya asked him how it felt, he didn't know how to answer. He took a few minutes to think, but, eventually silently brought his arm back up, going through the same motions as before. He took a breath, channeling energy as he mumbled the name of the spell again.

It was little different to the prior attempt -- there was a tremendous amount of energy being poured into it, and when it came out, it veered off-kilter again, exploding violently upon contact with the dummy. But, this time, he kept note of how it felt, the energy flow, the expulsion of it out of his body and into the air, how it felt when he gathered the energy.

Taking a moment to look at the dummy, then his hands as he pondered, he eventually turned back to face Byakuya.

"It's...sort of a mix of the two. I'm trying to temper the output so that it looks like the demonstrations, but then it becomes difficult to get the spell to actually cast."

Byakuya observed Kaito’s next attempt and focused again on his output. Kaito’s description sounded like he had a block, as if his control wavered at the last second before cast. It could be a mental or mechanical issue. Was Kaito losing his confidence at the moment of cast? Or was something actually going wrong?

"We’ll focus on your zanpakuto for now,” Byakuya said, pulling his from his belt. He planned to figure out a training regimen designed to further help Kaito with his reiryoku control, but he would not come up with something effective in the next few minutes. So, today’s lessons were to be about advancing his focus and even communicating with is zanpakuto spirit. “We'll meditate, and then spar."

"Come, follow me." Byakuya said. Closer to the manor, there was a small grassy area, decorated with smooth stones and well-trimmed plants. Two cushions sat in the middle, waiting for them both. Byakuya took his seat on one and placed his zanpakuto over his lap. With a straightened back and a balancing exhale, he invited Kaito to do the same. This exercise would hopefully help Kaito connect with his zanpakuto spirit, but also calm his mind enough to focus on their upcoming spar.

It took him a moment to process the sudden shift in subject, but he felt a little bit of shame at his lack of control. But, he wasn't going to argue with Byakuya, so, he held his tongue, nodding and following the nobleman as they walked closer to the manor. He pulled his Asauchi out, sitting down across from Byakuya and placing it across his lap.

Sitting up straight like his teacher, Kaito took in a deep breath, before quietly exhaling. He had heard a voice calling to him in his dreams from time to time, and even saw a masked figured in the distant haze of his dreams. Was that what his Zanpakuto Spirit looked and sounded like?

"Byakuya, sir...what exactly am I looking for when it comes to connecting with my Zanpakuto Spirit? Am I supposed to...see or hear something specific? I've seen and heard some...figure calling out to me in my dreams, but, I'm not sure whether or not it's the spirit."

His experience allowed a quick connection with Senbonzakura. Their recent training was their main subject: Saisenko. He planned to figure it out soon enough. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before Kaito brought Byakuya out of his inner world. So, Kaito had yet to obtain his own epiphany moment? Interesting.

"Do not let this stress you out," Byakuya said. "Most shinigami struggle with the connection until something in their method clicks, and suddenly they understand their zanpakuto on a deeper level. Do you ever experience hearing a voice, as if someone is trying to reach you? And when you try and reach back, they're gone? It is possible that they are your zanpakuto spirit and you've just never noticed it."