[Private] Training day [Kurama/Akane]

After Kurama's solo incursion into Hueco Mundo life was finally getting back to normal. He didn't have any pressing matters to attend to in terms of his captain duties nor were there any mission request clogging up his desk and as far as he could tell, Ika hadn't started any fights recently: So all seemed peaceful.

With all the free time in the world Kurama decided to partake in one of his favorite pass times: Seeking out promising Shinigami to train up. Kurama strongly believed it was his responsibility to be the tide that raises all ships, so to speak: If he could strengthen the weakest link in a chain, then everyone benefits, including his own squad. Sitting at his desk with a cigarette in mouth he slowly began to finger through the files of some of the more recent recruits into the gotei.

After about a half hour one file eventually caught his eye. "Akane Makishima...hmm." Kurama started to flip through her file, interested in the details.

"Divisionless, fresh out of the academy. Scores aren't outstanding but.." Kurama's eyes narrowed on a small mention in the file about her potent spiritual reserves. Some might see this combination as a sign of incompetence, someone unable to simply control power but to Kurama it read as a diamond in the rough, someone with potential. But he would have to see for himself to confirm.

After looking up the patrol schedule, Kurama walked out of his division office in search for his new student. Of course, that wasn't set in stone she could always reject the offer, but then very few did turn down the chance to train with one of the stronger Captains, save for a few cowards. Eventually Kurama arrived where the schedule said she should be, lo and behold a solitary female Shinigami with flowing red hair was tending to duties as normal.

"Akane Makishima?" Kurama asked as he walked up to her, a small wisp of smoking blowing out the side of his mouth as he did. "If you're free, how about you come with me to Squad 2? I'm interested in giving you some training. Besides, us red heads are rare. Gotta stick together, right?" Kurama's voice was low and cool as it always was, although he did try to inject some more life into his little punchline at the end, hoping to ease any tension there might be from being approached so suddenly by a higher up.

Granted, Kurama didn't bother to introduce himself but he assumed she'd at the very least know of him, he was decently well known at this point after all.

The captain would find Akane easy to locate, as she happened to be leaving a meeting with someone else based around the central command of the Gotei. Though the girl was reading over a small scroll, so focused on the writing that she wouldn't immediately recognize she was being addressed. Luckily, it dawned on her a few moments later when she turned, rolling up the scroll to pocked it in her uniform, now facing the man who had called her out. Blinking to gather herself while trying to remember who he might be. After all, unlike a good many shinigami, Akane had only been around the soul society for a few years. "Oh! Captain Tōzaburō. sorry! I didn't see you there" she offered the man a polite bow as she waited to hear what he had to say.

It was highly unusual for her really, having found little interest from many of the squads to having two contact her in one day to be highly irregular. "Training? That's very kind of you. I would love to!" She nodded enthusiastically, smiling at the red-head comment. "If you don't mind, could I ask why you're offering personal training though?" An innocent enough request seeing as for all anyone would care she was a bit underwhelming when it came to pure talent.

Assuming his reason wasn't something ridiculous, she would of course follow along a few paces behind to the Division 2 training grounds. It was now that the girl remembered what it was that Division 2 specialized in. The covert operations specialists of the Gotei 7. This only raises further questions, she never showed particular skill in stealth... much the opposite really, her latent spiritual power was a constant beacon and she had little control over that. Perhaps her reasonable speed was what had drawn them in. Only time would tell.

Kurama gave Akane a warm smile in response to her enthusiasm, although generally keeping a more neutral attitude her willingness to learn and general personality was slightly infectious. Although Kurama wasn't very good at sensing the spiritual pressure of others, even he could feel her constant out pouring of power. It intrigued him even more than what the file let on. He jerked his head softly the way he came, intending for her to follow so they could walk and talk. Assuming she followed he would go on to answer her question.

"Simply put, I have nothing better to do so on days like this I go around finding promising recruits or trouble cases to train up. Those of my squad train with me and with each other on a regular basis, so I'm not particularly worried about them. I figure if I can help raise up the weaker links of the rest of the Gotei, I make the Gotei stronger and if the Gotei is stronger, more people stay alive." Kurama pulled out a cigarette, lightning it before continuing.

"Is what I usually do anyway but in this case." He removed her file from the inside of his uniform, showing it to her before speaking further. "I took a personal interest. Based off the personnel reports I've read, I think you're a diamond in the rough. I'd like to confirm my own suspicions and if true, I'd like to help you grow. Just as Captain Commander Ika did for me when I was starting out." Kurama explained as he let out a soft silvery cloud of smoke before knocking some ash off the tip.

Turning back to look at the girl following him he'd offer her a soft smile as they walked towards the 2nd division Dojo. "If you're interested anyway. Does that answer your question, Ms. Makishima?" Kurama turned back to face forward, leading the way. The division barracks weren't very far from their current location so it should be an overall short walk. Although it was true Akane's issue would make stealth missions potentially difficult Kurama was already thinking of ideas to help with that, should things go his way, specifically Research and Development had all kind of useful devices for forcibly suppressing one's energy. But even if she chose to go a different direction, at the very least he wanted a hand in raising Akane to her full potential. It was rather rare for Kurama to take this much of a personal interest in someone, so he wasn't going to let the chance slip by.

For the man essentially leading the Black Ops force for the Gotei, Kurama seemed awfully nice! At least, that's what the younger shinigami could figure from what she had seen of him so far. Taking note of his subtle directions back toward the Squad 2 barracks, she would quickly step in line and follow him along as they talked. Seeming rather engaged with the conversation. After all, this was all new to her which made it all rather exciting! It was always a learning experience around the soul society.

"Oh, well that's a good way of thinking about it" Akane nodded, seemingly happy with his explanation so far. Though she was more than a little surprised at her file being drawn out to review. She had heard the term applied to her before, not that it was something she really understood. It was frustrating for her, most basic things expected of a shinigami turned out to be far more difficult than they should be. For a time, she couldn't even constrain her zanpakuto to a reasonable size.

"Well if you think it might be worth the time, I'll try my best sir" She seemed happy to continue from here, so the pair would head off properly to the training grounds. Her focus now wasn't really going over her potential issues with stealth of course. It was already likely she didn't have the right temperament for the missions that the Second Division had a focus on. Clearly a little too gentle, though who knows what could happen if someone could properly focus her latent power. "So, what should I be expecting? Or is this training supposed to be a surprise?" She queried, seeing as they were almost there it might be prudent to get into the right space mentally before anything happened.

Kurama would exhale one last stream of smoke before crushing out and pocketing the now finished cigarette. "The training in this case isn't anything very fancy, it's going to be pretty similar to muscle training in concept." Kurama explained as they finally entered into the Squad 2 barracks. It looked pretty standard save for the signs of recent repair and renovation. Kurama continued to talk as they walked through the barracks to the dojo he had built for his squad.

"You're going to come at me with every ounce of power you have. I'm going to push you towards your absolute limit and you're going to try to overcome that limit, even just by a tiny margin. If you do this constantly and steadily, eventually you'll grow strong. Though I won't lie, it might hurt a bit." Kurama commented as he momentarily flashed back to his vice-captain days under now Captain Commander Ika. His training was much the same, throwing his body against a brick wall until eventually he was able to put a crack into the damn thing, although it was hard to argue with the results.

By this time they would have arrived at the Dojo: It was rather massive compared to the standard and was filled to the brim with any kind of training equipment you could imagine, it even had a climbable rock wall made of sekkiseki stone, so people can't cheat past the physicality of it. Kurama walked over to the left corner near the entrance which held numerous lockers. He'd remove his Captain's jacket and even remove the top half of his Shihakusho, tying it neatly around his waist. Despite what one might expect given Kurama's reputation, he actually wasn't very muscular, instead being toned though overall lean.

Looking back towards Akane he would point to a room behind her on the other side of the entrance. "You can keep your normal outfit on if you'd like or if you go through those doors you'll find a changing room with a lot of gi. You're welcome to them so your standard stuff doesn't get damaged." With that said he would unsheath his Zanpakuto and reverse it's blade so it would be blunt and walked towards the center of the training area waiting for Akane, rather she choose to change outfits or not.

"Any questions before we start? If not, then come at me with everything you've got. In fact, I'd suggest you come at me just as if you're trying to slay a powerful hollow, full intent included." Kurama took up a stance reminiscent to human fencing, with one arm behind his back, side ways standing with his blade presented at the ready. Although some might think there was a reason behind this stance, the truth was much sadder and simplier: Kurama had absolutely no talent for the sword and simply thought this stance was cool. But as it stood right now, him using the back of his blade was safer than him using his hands. She'd have to earn that.

The training sounded reasonable at least, though it was always hard to tell just how extreme some of these captains could be. Pushing her limits was certainly one way to get results, how he intended to bring out this power could only remain to be seen though. For now, she had accepted the session so there was little else to do here than finish their journey and get to training!

Thankfully, that trip was all very quick, they weren't too far from the division barracks. Before she knew it, Akane was confronted with the rather sizable training arena. Apparently still under repair, or perhaps the final stages of repair. It seemed like more than enough room for a proper sparring session, in fact she felt that maybe this wouldn't end up in another building collapsing due to pressure or structural damage. A place like this was sure to be able to handle her power as it was, assuming Kurama didn't destroy something else. All of the captains were particularly potent when it came to their abilities after all, the girl just assumed she wasn't going to be able to muster enough strength to force the man to respond in kind.

By the time she had gathered her thoughts, Akane was confronted with a shirtless Captain and told she could change. Which she would quickly do, perhaps with a hint of red at the unexpected disrobing. She quickly changed, returning wearing the second division Gi that had been provided to her. Having calmed herself enough now to not embarras herself immediately, Akane entered the arena and stood opposite the Captain. First taking note that he seemed to be holding his blade in reverse and then the strange stance he held. It was almost like he was making it up as he went along. She shook her head and ignored it, deciding Kurama knew what he was doing.

"No questions sir, I'm ready" She nodded, dropping into her own stance, her blade still sheathed as she gripped the handle tightly. He wanted to fight her at full strength so that is what she would do. Releasing what little restraint she had, there was a noticible shift in spiritual energy in the room. For most it would be daunting and oppresive, though at his level Kurama would likely be unphased. What came next however was certain to be a surprise.

In a split second, her power peaked and the girl would move forward at incredible speed. Utilizing what seemed to be the steps for shunpo while attacking from the draw. What was more interesting perhaps was two-fold. She had reached this elevated level of energy without releasing her zanpakuto's first form, and her blade seemed to be invisible. At such a speed it made avoiding or blocking much more difficult. She hadn't finished her assault however, assuming she managed to pass by during her attack, she would lash out at the air between them. Forming a dense crescent of energy that was aimed diagonally across his body.

Techniques Used:

Kurama couldn't help but smile as Akane took her fighting stance and began to let her power out, she was taking right to this without any reservations. It wasn't uncommon for people to hesitate in a situation like this after all, attacking a comrade with killing intent, but Akane seemed to have good judgement to realize Kurama wasn't in much if any danger. That said the stance she was taking was interesting although rather direct, low to the ground, weapon still sheathed, the intent was pretty clear. He figured it must be a fast attack if she was being this obvious about the telegraph and wouldn't you know it, Kurama was right on the money.

Akane burst forth with something Kurama was extremely well versed in fighting already, thanks to his many spars with Captain Commander Ika: A shunpo speed attack. Kurama shifting ever so slightly to the side to avoid the weapon strike by a hairs breath was more instinct than anything at this point shaped by many shunpo speed fist taken to the face at point blank range. Kurama spun his body around, following the girl to her logical destination which seemed to be behind him and just in time to see her firing off a crescent shaped energy strike.

He'd have more options to deal with something like this if he was released but seeing as he was keeping his power in check none of that would work, so it left him with the simplest option, a shunpo of his own. Kurama would use his own shunpo shortly before the strike would have otherwise impacted, settling himself directly besides Akane on her right side before swinging his own blunted sword down at half force towards her sword which likely was lowered still from her own previous strike.

That said, he'd stop short of impacting the invisible blade, judging it's general height by the position of her hands holding it. The force imparted by the short-stop strike would cause a decently large gust of wind to blow throughout the dojo, rattling the mats, wall and equipment. It would be here he began to talk, although he was still open for attack since he wasn't physically restraining her, that would be up to Akane.

"I don't recall you releasing, but the amount of energy you put off and the fact your weapon is invisible, not to mention that energy attack just now.. I am guessing you've been in Shikai from the start?" Kurama's interest in the girl was only growing. Her movements were good, she attacked aggressively and she had a fucking invisible sword: That is tight. That said, Kurama had no interest in attacking her just yet, so he'd simply wait for her response and next attack for now, keeping relaxed.

Akane was somewhat out of her element here, she wasn't a particularly violent person and even knowing that this was simply a sparring session there was parts of her that wanted to hold back. However, she was determined to show her skill and wasn't about to let her more anxious side take over to ruin this. Perhaps she was already getting a little flustered, her first attack had been easily side-stepped and before she could even bring her sword down her new tutor had stopped her. The energy dissipated swiftly, her second strike cancelled at the last moment. It was daunting how fast he was, moving so quickly she could barely keep pace. It didn't bode well for what she could do from now on.

"I can't seal my Zanpakuto any more..." She admitted, knowing it wasn't a particularly common thing and that her issue was entirely due to her inability to control her spiritual pressure. It wasn't a problem that would be fixable when she was still growing in power. Unless instructed how to keep power in check at the very least.

'Why do you bother? Pathetic girl' Once more, the voice of her weapon rang through her mind. While little more than a faceless ghost to Akane so far, she knew the spirit didn't respect her in the slightest. Declaring her failure to restrain her energy as being completely unworthy to wield it. "Shut up" She spoke aloud, or more accurately hissed under her breath at her weapon, seemingly distracted from the fight before deciding what to do now, locking blades as she figured how to resolve the problem.

Luckily, this only took a moment. Instead of simply disengaging as would be expected, Kurama would feel the pressure of their blades to completely vanish. It seemed the blade was not only invisible, but she could either alter it's size or make it intangible at will. She continued her swing and in the same motion extanded it to turn on the spot to attempt again, hoping her little trick was enough to allow the energy she was focusing in the blade to release in a torrential wave of power toward him.

Kurama's eyebrows raised ever so slightly at the sudden loss of friction as if the weapon vanished for a moment. From his perspective either her sword could change shape, phase through things or something similar, but based off of the fact he felt no friction, he was leaning towards some kind of phasing ability. Either way it was an extremely good trick and should she be stronger or him weaker, Kurama would've been in trouble once a wave of energy started shooting towards him.

Kicking off the floor hard enough to leave a small crack in it Kurama tossed himself off the side allowing the strike of energy to fly by, crashing into the dojo wall causing a decent amount of damage to it. Gonna have to repair that later. Letting out an impressed and audible whistle he smiled softly, tapping his sword onto his shoulder, softly considering the blade was touching his skin.

"Now that was a neat trick. If this was an even match, I might've been in trouble." Kurama swung his sword back into proper position, flipping it over before sheathing it. "I'll show you a neat trick too. Lets see how you react." It was then Kurama used one of his favorite little tricks, a special series of rapid shunpos which resulted in four total identical looking Kurama's, one real and three clones.

All four of the Kurama would dash forward, lower than what his actual max speed was as he was attempting to test her, not prove a point of his own power. From Akane's perspective it would seem she was surrounded on all sides (Directly behind, in front, left and right side) by Kurama's clones and it was then he'd launch his attack: A single flick towards her forhead. While granted a powerful flick from Kurama was still enough to send her flying a bit, but at least it wouldn't cause serious injury if it happened to land. The real Kurama and thus the attack was directly in front of Akane with the rest of the clones simply being obfuscation.

Ability Used:

It seemed her trick had worked, well mostly anyway, it had gotten her opponent to make a little distance and let her show off more of her destructive power. She took a moment to breathe, hoping he would monologue just a little bit longer so she could properly rest as he declared he would be using his very own trick. It didn't bode well, but she was sure that it would be far more difficult than what had been going on so far. She moved back into a more defensive stance, readying herself for what was to come.

This time though, she wasn't nearly fast enough to not only figure out which clone was the real one, but really defend against the attack in any meaningful way. His strength propelling the girl rapidly away. She took a moment to try and right herself while flying backwards, managing to twist enough to land with a crash on her feet, standing parrellel to the floor while apparently casting a kidou spell. 'Bakudo 21, Sekienton'

A cloud of billowing red smoke burst forth, obscuring her for just a moment before she exploded forwards much as she had done at the beginning of the fight. Trying to take back the initiative as best she could. Though it was really the same as her opening attack, perhaps the extra moment of confusion she could cause with her spell would allow her a better chance of connecting. At least it was a good showing so far, she was clearly more versatile having access to kidou spells, if only those of a lower number at the moment.

Techniques Used:

"Alright that's good enough." Kurama commented while he for a short five or so seconds allowed his Reaitsu to flair up to it's maximum. Even sealed the crushing force should be enough to give pause to Akane's counter attack, assuming she could even manage to breath. Once the fight had come to a full stop Kurama would go back to restraining himself as he normally does and offer a smile towards Akane.

"I'm impressed. Your fighting instinct is top notch, you have impressive speed and power. All you need is experience." Kurama walked over to the locker, returning his outfit and captain's jacket to their rightful place as he spoke, after which he would walk towards a desk that was situated towards the front of the dojo, similar to a reception desk.

Motioning for Akane to come closer he would continue to speak. "So, tell me Akane, honestly. Are you interested in mastering and growing your power to your limits? Or do you have other goals in the Gotei?." As he spoke to Akane, Kurama laid flat a piece of parchment and began writing a letter.

The sudden burst of spiritual pressure was enough to slow the girl down, though he would note that she seemed to be working her own spiritual power to resist it. In fact, it was almost as though her untapped energy was overcoming it to an extent. Of course it was only for the briefest of moments, and she was promptly brought to one knee, balancing her blade to steady her body as she looked up at the man until he restrained his strength so she could stand once more. The girl sheathed her blade and offered a polite bow as he praised her ability so far. "Thank you Sir"

She followed along once prompted, standing before the desk while Kurama asked his question. It wasn't something that she had ever really thought too much about. "Well... Yes, I do want to see how far I can go" she looked upwards, thinking on how to better explain her thinking. "I suppose I never really had a chance to do anything important in life, so maybe I can do it here" Seeing as he had read her file, it was quite clear that Akane's life had been cut horribly short, which made this odd strength of her's more surprising really.

Kurama would finish writing his letter before too long, blowing on it to dry the ink before neatly folding it and applying squad 2's seal upon it. "Well then I know the perfect way to help you achieve that, though regrettably it won't be with me or in Squad 2. Though I am happy to train with you anytime you'd like. Especially as you grow stronger." Kurama turned around and handed Akane the letter he had just wrote.

"Take this letter over and deliver it directly to Captain Commander Ika. I was his Vice-captain when I started out, before he got his current position. Only if that is what you truly desire. I can promise he'll make you strong, but it won't be easy. No shame in burning that letter and forgetting about it if you're scared." Kurama spoke in a a teasing tone, although he was sure she had no intentions of doing such a thing. Everything he had seen today spoke to Akane's determination and strength, so he was rather confident Ika would take her in.

Akane just watched on as the man finished off his letter, ending with a neat seal to properly mark it as a more official document. The girl took the letter into her hands, only to look back up at the Second Division Captain curiously. It wasn't as though she expected to be given an invitation to his squad but if that wasn't the intent where exactly did he think she would best grow stronger?

"Are you sure Sir?" It wasn't the option she might have thought of right away, the First Division were supposed to be the elite after all, which she certainly didn't consider herself right now.

'Elite? What a joke! Perhaps this is a trick, so you make a fool of yourself in front of the Captain Commander' The spirit giggled in the back of her mind, antagonizing the girl as she often did, even now after all the praise she might have gotten. "No... You're right. This is what I should do" She would carefully stow the letter away and bow once more. "Thank you for the sparring session Sir, I promise I won't let you down" and with that, she would offer her goodbyes before parting ways, darting away to the locker rooms to change into her uniform before waving cheerfully on her way out!

Today was certainly an interesting day!

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