|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 9:00 pm
:Suri entered an open field, the grass stretching out, green and soft beneath her feet. She was barefoot, her black jean capri hugging tightly to her legs, coming down barely a half-inch below her knees. She wore her usual black halter, two strips of cloth going aroung her neck before coming down to create a V-shaped neckline, revealing the upper part of her back where her shoulderblades were. The hem of the shirt cut down diagnolly, just wavy enough that it didn't restrict her breathing and created the illusion of a seductive, clubbing clothes rather than battle attire. Surprisingly, both fabrics were incredibly difficult to cut or tear. Her hair was in the typical long braid down her back, gleaming and elegant.
Suri raised her arms, stretching with a smile flitting briefly across her face. There was a clear sky and bright sun, not anywhere close to her element, but the wind was surprisingly cold. It would make for more difficult practice since the tree stumps and scarecrows in the distance were miniscule from where she stood, but Suri decided it would be better with the wind. At least that would let her practice on her aim also.
With one final grasp at the sky, Suri settled down in the grass to wait for Nagi, her legs tucked neatly beneath her as she sat with one arm propping her up and a rose twirling in her other hand, almost as if she was posing for a picture.:
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 10:43 am
It didn't look so sunny out to Nagi anymore for the tinted glasses he wore blocked out most of the harmful rays. Summer was definately the last on his list of favorites but today was actually quite nice for the breeze had a lovely chill to it. Despite this, he still made sure to have plenty of water with him in the gear bag he always brought to training.
The moment Nagi caught sight of his student far out in the field, he thought he had entered some kind of painting. For some reason, he always had some difficulty remembering that Suri usually wore civilian clothes instead of the black shinigami uniform. He didn't mind it all that much as long as they didn't get in the way of her training and didn't distract him from his teaching. In this case, he was a bit distracted, but had enough will power to keep his thoughts clean.
"Hey, sorry I'm late." he smiled as he approached the area where she was sitting. When he reached the end of his walk, he relived his sunburned shoulders and sat his gear bag down. He could have kicked himself for not wearing enough sunscreen when he went to the beach event. Luckily his uniform didn't rub on his raw skin too much. "So, what would you like to learn today? Name anything and we'll get started."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 3:12 pm
:Suri stood up, brushing off the back of her pants legs and tossing the rose to the side, saying quickly, "Hado number 4, byakurai!"
With two fingers pointed at the rose, Suri shot a bolt of lightning, instantly zapping the rose and creating an ashen replication of the stem which drifted to the ground, as fragile and wispy as wet paper, barely holding together.
"Of course we should start on mastering 'simpler' kidos," Suri answered after a brief pause of watching the stem float to the grass. "Such as Hado 31 and 33, shakkaho and sokatsui, but if possible I would like to learn hado 54 or bakudo 58, haien and kakushitsuijaku. I believe the latter, kakushitsuijaku, would be most helpful in a battle, and it is always a good idea to balance a knowledge of hado with a knowledge of bakudo."
She glanced down, as if noticing for the first time that her feet were bare. Tentatively she ran her toes through the grass in short, rounded arcs, hoping that her request wouldn't be seen as too demanding or impertinent.:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 9:40 am
Nagi's painting was suddenly smeared as he briefly wondered why she'd desecrate such a pretty thing. Despite this concern, he continued to smile his usual friendly smile as though he wasn't.
"I don't have a problem at all teaching you those." He said, observing that she looked a little tense. For some reason, he felt somewhat guilty for this. "You've waited a long time for training and I apologize for it. You may say that I have no reason to be sorry but in all those times our training was interrupted, I was still the one in charge and at fault. This is the reason why I believe you have free reign to learn whatever you want. Some may take some time, but I believe it'll be worth your while."
With that, he clapped his hands together, expressing his motivation. He knew very well that Suri wasn't as hyper as some of his previous students so her silent nature would take some getting used to.
"We'll do Kakushitsuijaku first." he proposed while glancing away from her and out into the scenery with good training activity in mind. This field was large with plenty of room. It was perfect. "I haven't had the chance to use this kido very much but it's extremely useful for finding hidden enemies. Practicing here will be easy and possibly fun if you believe it as such. Are you ready to do this one first?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 1:32 pm
:Suri glanced up, a corner of her lips curling up just slightly. She nodded, thinking that it would be best to practice a kido that required more reiatsu first so that she would not waste any energy on lower level kidos.
"Where shall I stand?" Suri asked, the thought floating through her head that position would be vital in any attempts to search out reiatsu.:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 3:01 pm
 "Right there is fine." Nagi grinned while turning. He walked on until he counted about six paces away from her. He then glanced around for a bald spot on the ground for it would have been a shame to rip up any grass. "I want you close enough to see what I'm about to do. I will be tracking you even though you are right there in front of me but that is not the point at the moment. As an instructor, I'm required to demonstrate a kido so the student has a visual reference. I honestly won't go all out here because I'm sure you know the full extent of any kido. You're a bright girl so I expect that you'll get this quickly." Kneeling down, Nagi reached into his white haori and into the pocket where he usually kept his glasses and pulled out a white piece of chalk. "You can draw this with anything as long as it is clear..." he explained while drawing a circle in the dirt. "I usually carry around chalk and a small palette of black paint for these types of kidos because you never know when you'll need them." Once he finished, he leaned back a bit so Suri could see the completed drawing. The circle was about a foot wide and was divided into four sections. Each piece of the "pie" had had the words "north" "south" "east" and "west" written inside them. ((I'm assuming this since it doesn't say what exactly is written in there. If you do know, you're more than welcome to correct me.)) "Okay, now to find out where you are... haha." Nagi smiled as he turned back to his drawing and placed only his right hand over top of it. His right eye dilated once more as his riatsu was summoned to the right side of his body and reflected down to his hand. "Heart of the south, eye of the north, finger of the west, foot of the east, arrive with the wind and depart with the rain." In a flash of light, the center of the circle began flickering words across it like a television screen. Reading the coordinates until it pin pointed the location, Nagi let out a laugh once he got what he wanted. "You are... right THERE." He said with a grin while pointing up at her, hoping she understood the general idea.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 12:49 pm
:Suri stepped towards Captain Nagi and bent down slightly, glancing at the circle he had drawn.
"So this gives you a sort of map," she stated inquisitively. "Maybe like a radar system...with dots that appear on a sort of grid. If you're smart enough to know right from left, you know what area each grid coordinate covers, and thus determine the location of the dot?"
Rather than trying to imitate the kidou before Captain Nagi could answer her, Suri kneeled down and started tracing a replica of the circle and symbols Nagi had drawn with her fingers, committing them to memory so that it would be one less thing to worry about when she actually tried to use the kidou.:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 8:34 pm
Smiling, Nagi nodded and backed away a bit to give his student some space. All the while, he examined her calm expression and straight-forward movements as if there were never any hesitation and no second thoughts in that head of hers. It was remarkable to him how Suri was able to concentrate so well. Out of everyone he ever trained, she was the most mentally stable and expressed much determination to learn. Even though she often saw herself as impatient about making Nagi get off his rear to train her, it motivated him as much as it did her and made him wonder what he'd do without someone to keep him on his feet all the time. All of this gave him reason to believe that she was more than capable of learning every kido and he'd help her in any way possible. "Pretty much." he laughed while lightly scratching his head as though he were a bit embarrassed. "I admit, I know my directions well enough to read this kido but honestly, my ability to read the actual coordinates isn't the best. Numbers have always confused me... That will be our secret though... Anyway, here's the plan: We are going to do a training exercise that is similar to "hide and seek." I will hide myself within the area and you have to use the kido to find me. It's as simple as that. Do you have any questions before we begin?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 5:37 pm
:Suri gave a slight nod, "In order to use this kidou, will it give you the location of any person with a reiatsu, or do you concentrate on a certain person that you're trying to find, and then use the kidou? If the latter, it would not be very helpful if facing an unknown adversary. And while you did clarify how it worked, you didn't explain how to read it..."
Silently, in her head, she kept going over the incantation, only sparing enough attention to Captain Nagi's responses so that she would be certain of how the kidou worked. Heart of the South, Eye of the North, Finger of the West, Foot of the East, arrive with the wind and depart with the rain...
She rummaged in a pocket of her capri and pulled out a gel-ink black pen that she always kept on her in case official matters, such as signing papers, should ever come up. It would be useless in the dirt though. With that thought, Suri backpedaled a bit to where the ashen rose stem laid. She picked it up carefully, and then crushed it in her palm until it was fine and dusty.
Returning to the slightly open area, Suri bent down and used one finger to tap into the ashes and started to draw the marks, glancing up at Nagi's drawing every once in a while to make sure she didn't mess up.:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 2:54 pm
Nagi let out a small laugh as the question was stated. She was right about him forgetting to tell her how to read the kido and felt like a dummy for it. This was typical for him. "In all, this kido seeks out whatever type of riatsu you wish to find." Nagi explained, readying himself for a long explanation. "As you know, everyone's spirit energy registers different to our senses. Most with basic skills can read it by how much energy that individual has. Surely a captain has higher riatsu than a lieutenant or seated member so one may automatically assume that when they feel the higher riatsu, they're sensing a captain or high ranking enemy. Then there are others with more advanced skills who can feel a particular difference in spirit energy that sets them apart. If you are capable of doing this, then using this kido to find a certain individual will be a piece of cake. On the other hand, to find a certain person is actually quite difficult if you don't know who you are looking for, which is indeed the downside to this kido. If you wish to find multiple targets or a particular force, just focus on finding a certain range of spiritual energy. It may take a while as you have to wait for each of the coordinates to come up one by one but it's good if there are enemies trying to hide from you." Releasing a held breath, Nagi walked over to his bag and knelt down to open the drawstring. "I don't know why I didn't bring this out before..." He uttered while pulling out a small black notebook and a folded piece of parchment. "Those numbers are coordinates of longitude and latitude. That is why I have a map here and my notes so I don't forget exactly how they are read." With that, he opened up the folded piece of paper to reveal a large map of the entire sereitei. It contained every building and their names written in what looked like to be an ink brush. Across the entire sheet of paper where grid lines with numbers at the base of each one. Lying it between them in the grass, Nagi placed a rock he had found on the ground so that it wouldn't blow away. "As I said earlier, I'm always forgetting so therefore, I always write this stuff down..." Nagi grinned as he opened up the notebook to a certain page where there where instructions and little doodles scribbled all over it. Nagi also didn't have the best handwriting, but he could read it and that's all that mattered. Once again, he took in a deep breath, ready to explain why this kido was so complicated for it was about to be turned into a land navigation class... "Okay, this kido shows you six digit coordinates. Six digit coordinates are supposed to locate a point within 100 meters so it's accurate to sight distance. Always remember, right, than up. West, then north. The first two numbers are the grid numbers going west while the third number indicates where within that little square by using a plotting scale. Unfortunately, I do not have the measuring tool used to do this so you're going to have to go by your best judgment here. Just like the first two numbers, the fourth and fifth are your grid coordinates going north while the sixth is another plot point." As he explained this, he had his finger on the map, using it to show her where the grid numbers where and so on. He then paused to glance back at her with an apologetic smile. "I know this is a lot to take in... We don't usually use a map while in battle either but after a while, you'll start to remember this with enough practice to where you wont need any tools at all. I don't use this kido for that reason... I'm just not good with remembering numbers. So, did I loose you on this?" ((Once again, I'm ending a long explanation with a question to let you catch up. And I apologize for going into this stuff in depth like this ><))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 7:34 pm
:Suri closed her eyes shortly, memorizing the map and coordinates that Captain Nagi had just shown her. She had a remarkable ability to remember things such as maps, numbers, and locations, but she had always done poorly at remembering names and faces. However, she had no doubt at the moment of her being able to master the map quickly.
She grinned evilly, saying aloud, "Well then Captain Nagi, I guess you better run fast, because I think I'm about to start this kidou." Her tone changed to something more serious as she added, "I can't promise good results though, and even though it seems like a harmless kidou, I don't know how well I can concentrate and use reiatsu for this, so maybe it would be best if you did not go so far away as to not be able to calm anything potentially dangerous."
With that said, Suri finished drawing up the mark, and she dusted off the ashes into a small plastic bag that she had in her pocket. It was a worn bag and had probably held many other oddities in its lifetime.
Brushing her bangs aside, Suri placed both her hands over the marking, knowing that she was not as adept as Captain Nagi to expel reiatsu for this size kidou with only one hand. Her gray eyes starting flickering to a lively, warm amber color as her reiatsu level rose.
"Heart of the South, Eye of the North, Finger of the West, Foot of the East, arrive with the wind and depart with the rain!" Suri barked, her reiatsu shooting out of her palms. The kidou was slower to react then when Captain Nagi had performed it, and Suri had to concentrate fiercely on the reiatsu she often associated with Nagi. It was not distinctive yet, but it was definitely strong, and Suri was sure that with enough concentration she would be able to pick it out from a crowd of Captains.:
((Your long explanation is not a problem. I suppose it was a bit ridiculous of me to ask such an in-depth question. I'm guessing the part of "reading" it is one of those things that people just "know" when they do the kidou =P))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 8:50 pm
((Haha. Yup, I couldn't agree with you more, and you even learned some military map navigation today.)) Nagi's facial expression turned to nothing but shock to see Suri give him that look. Ever since she joined his division, all he ever really knew of her was how serious and quiet she usually was. To see such a devious look and out spoken remark was quite a surprise. Nagi grinned too. "Running fast" was an understatement to the former second division member. The moment the girl started to chant, he disappeared in the blink of an eye. He was going to heed her request not to go too far away. His first intention was not to leave the division grounds anyway. Though he knew Suri was very smart and was confident in her ability, he wasn't about to make her search for him all day. Nagi bounded through the field, flickering every six hundred meters or so. He shun-poed in sort of a zig-zag pattern around natural obstacles so that she couldn't attempt to "peek" by following his path. Once he was out of the field, he continued on into a small grove of trees, eventually landing on a thick tree branch high up in a large oak. Once he finally stopped moving, he let out a gasp of breath as he suddenly began panting, placing his hand over his racing chest.
"Holy cow... I suppose it's been a while since I moved like that..." Removing his tinted glasses with a shaky hand, he was at least glad to find some shade from the sun for a while. A downside to this was that he didn't bring any water with him. All that shun-po made him work up a sweat. "Oh well... hope she finds me before I die of heat stroke..." he chuckled to himself as he placed his arms behind his head and glanced up at all the leaves and beams of sunlight shining through. The cool wind picked up again, rustling the leaves. All the while, the calm mood eased his shortness of breath. It was such a perfect day. Letting out a sigh, Nagi seated himself on the branch, leaning his back against the tree trunk. He made sure to hide quite a bit of his riatsu, letting only just a little trickle out- just to throw her off a bit. Maybe if she took long enough, he could get a nap in...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 5:16 pm
:Suri did not look up when Nagi dashed away, knowing that she would not be able to follow him by eye. Rather, she studied the map on the ground as it bloomed into life. Watching the lines connect, she tried to go off what she had attempted to memorize, remembering what her coordinate was and trying to think of how far away Captain Nagi would go. Her memory failed her at certain grid points, but when she was sure she had the right coordinates, Suri traced the numbers in the dirt and then stood up, picking up the map that Captain Nagi had thoughtfully left.
Sighing, Suri found the spot on the map, double-checking to make sure that her memory had not played tricks on her, and then she was off. She did not try to find a common path to walk - instead, she tried taking the most direct path, stepping carefully around trees but trying to keep her bearings straight. It was hard since it was a forest area, so there were no major landmarks to know if she was going in the right direction. From what she could tell though, she had had to go in a diagonal direction that was slightly more left of where she had started out. She kept track by studying odd knots that had been twisted on tree trunks, or certain clearings that could have only been made by certain animals.
It was a fair distance walk, and to be sure that she did not wander too far, Suri kept track of the distance by counting her footsteps, toe to heel. Her foot was about a foot long, so she had no issues keeping distance. What puzzled her was how Nagi's reiatsu seemed to get stronger and than weaker, as if he was trying to throw her off her path. However much she was tempted to though, Suri kept pace, not walking too fast that she would lose count. About every 100 feet, she would make a slice in a tree trunk with her zanpaku~to in a snowflake shape so that if she lost track, she could always go to the nearest marked tree and start count over again.
That was not a problem except once or twice, and when Suri reached the spot where she was sure Captain Nagi would be, it had been almost a half hour of seeking. She glanced up in the shaded trees, trying to make out a dim figure sitting high above, dozing off a bit.
"Found you, Captain," Suri called up the tree, cupping her hands around her mouth.:
((Sorry about the delay. School started again stare ))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 5:29 pm
((Understood. I've been pretty busy myself! ^^' I almost don't have enough time for naps anymore. Haha) Nagi was almost fast asleep when he heard the voice of Suri on the ground below him. He was in such a daze that he didn't even hear her approach the tree nor did he feel her spirit energy as it drew closer. This was what he got for not keeping himself hydrated. "Hey, good work! I knew you could do it!" Nagi smiled even though he realized that he was looking at two Suris. Thus he was presented with the problem of possibly landing on her if he tried to jump down. Being this unhealthy at the moment was embarrassing for him enough. Just aim for the middle one...Laughing out loud from the suggestion that his other half was telling him, Nagi regained his confidence and slid off the branch and landed softly next to his student though clumsily stumbled a bit once on both feet. Cold sweat ran down his arms and his skin was a bit paler than usual but he ignored the symptoms of heat stroke and let out a chuckle. He knew very well that it was pointless to deny his little issue at the moment because he knew Suri was smarter than that. Hopefully she wouldn't worry for that was the last thing Nagi wanted. "Let's head back, shall we?" he suggested, trying to ignore the shakes. "There's something I need before we continue..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 5:15 pm
:With one glance at her bumbling instructor, Suri's eyes narrowed. It was plain he was not feeling well, although she could not tell exactly what was wrong. However, she knew that the heat of the burning sun probably was not helping.
With that, Suri drew out her zanpaku~to, muttering, "Frost over and be still, touketsu~shin."
Her blade glowed white momentarily, although it was not super bright in the sunlight. Moments later, she held a snowflake shaped blade, but it was not compressed into a broadsword form this time. She bowed apologetically before slashing Nagi's sleeve with her zanpaku~to, causing his clothes to frost over rather than freeze stiff.
"Hopefully you can make it back alive," Suri commented, sliding her zanpaku~to back into its sheath. "I don't believe we're that far away from all the supplies if I marked my path correctly."
She began heading back towards the clearing, keeping one eye on her tree markers and the other on Captain Nagi to make sure that he did not pass out any time soon.:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
