Kuro's Shikai training.

Kuro settled down in the room he had found, away from the rest of the academy and other people. He calmed his breathing, in and out, in and out. He reflected on his mission. His goal was to finally gain shikai. He wanted to help his squad and the soul society, and to do that he needed to get stronger. This was the first step. He kept breathing, growing calmer and calmer. He was being totally serious, a rare occurance for him.

He finally closed his eyes. He entered his inner world. He opened his eyes and looked around. There was absolutely nothing that he could see, only darkness. No he would wait for his zanpakto spirit, so that he could finally gain shikai. He readied himself, drawing his blade...

Kuro heard a growl, recognizing his zanpakto spirit. He faced the general direction of the noise and replied. He believed he was ready to learn his shikai. He was tired of feeling powerless when going up against other opponents, always needing to dodge.

"I am here, spirit, because I have need to gain my shikai. I need it to help those I want to protect. Please, lend me your strength so that I may acheive my goal."

He heard the noises of paws on ground, and took a battle stance. He heard what his spirit had to say, and accepted his challenge. He would master his power, no matter what it took. He slid his zanpakto through the air in a fluid motion, issuing his challenge to his spirit. Then he charged at his spirit. He used his ears to try to detect where it was. If he found it, he would perform a vertical downword slash with his zanpakto, just aiming at it's general body area.

This was going to be a tough fight. Kuro knew that much. He couldn't afford to hold anything back. This was probably the most important fight that Kuro has yet participated in. He badly needed the strength, so he would give it his all...