Training for a Change [CLOSED]

Kei watched as the last of the flames died down. Her Zanpakutou briefly glowed before turning back to its sealed state. She had nearly been able to reignite Entenka one more time, but it wasn't enough. She was getting stronger. She would be able to serve as a Captain. She wasn't going to release her Bankai—which she did need to train—yet. She knew its name and was confident in her ability to call it back out. She just didn't want to risk the damage, even if she were in the recessed 5th Division training grounds.

The training ground was basically a pit with stone walls with a strong Kidou barrier around the top of the pit. The Fifth Division used it for practicing rather destructive Kidou. It was one thing to practice a Shakkahō. That was done at the Academy with novices. It was another thing to practice Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō. You needed to have a natural barrier behind it to stop the Kidou from destroying more than need be. That's what she was doing—using that barrier to stop excess fire and Kidou from escaping. And Kei was going to go one step further today.

Kei, exhausted, didn't stop to take a drink of water despite the sweat. She sheathed her Zanpakutou, breathing in and out deeply. Kei extended her left hand, feeling her Reiryoku flowing. She closed her eyes as she focused. "Limit of the thousands hands, respectful hands, unable to touch the darkness. Shooting hands unable to reflect the blue sky. Ten blobs of energy began to form around her. They crackled in and out of formation, unstable. She opened her eyes, a red ring surrounding her iris." The road that basks in light, the wind that ignited the embers, time that gathers when both are together, there is no need to be hesitant, obey my orders. Light bullets, eight bodies, nine items, book of heaven, diseased treasure, great wheel, grey fortress tower. Aim far away, scatter brightly and cleanly when fired."

And so Kei called out its name. "Hadō Number 91. Senjū Kōten Taihō." The streaks stabilized briefly before flickering out of existence. She almost sighed and gave up before the scream of them reappearing and firing towards the far wall tore through the grounds. Kei stared in amazement as the blast cleared. The wall was protected by the barrier—mostly. New cracks appeared in the stones behind the barrier, showing the sheer force had damaged them. She allowed herself a brief, satisfied smile. It was her first time successfully casting a Kidou that high of a number. As Captain of the Fifth, she'd need to be able to cast them all. She was now one closer to the goal.

Kei tensed at the sudden voice. Her mind raced through recollections. She recognized it as... friendly. She moved her hand away from the sheathed Entenka. Frowning, she turned around. Kei eyed him up and down before noticing the badge on his left arm. Lieutenant... Nomura, right? She was pretty sure that was his name. He held out a water bottle, offering it. She didn't take it immediately. She didn't know if it actually was hers or if anything had been done to it. Kei frowned as he spoke further.

Kei began walking to a bag of her items, grabbing the water as she passed by. She placed it within her bag, making a note mentally to throw it away. She wasn't really trying to be rude, but it was just how she was. "A few hours." Kei knew exactly how long she had been out there—three hours and forty-two minutes. She wasn't going to tell him that. She always stayed out training for four hours. If he figured that out and went to hurt her...

Kei sighed as she sat down. She wiped the sweat off of her forehead with her sleeve. She thought about drinking that water, but her defensive instincts kept the thought at bay. Kei thought Lieutenant Nomura was mostly harmless. As in, he didn't look like he'd hurt her. But those were more dangerous than the ones that looked like they would. She might end up letting her guard down... again. "So why were you looking for me?" She asked him. The exhaustion was feeding her tone, which might have seemed like she was in a bad mood. But she wasn't. In fact, she was gleaming with pride. She just had six Bakudou and 8 Hadou to learn how to use now.

Kei pursed her lips. Oh great. That. She had enough to worry about and now this guy was bringing up the one thing she was extremely stressed over. She did, at the very least, appreciate how far away he was standing. He wasn't blocking the breeze. "It's... complicated." Kei stopped leaning backwards and sat upright. "If the rumors are already spreading... That's just annoying." There was a frustrated whine as she finished speaking.

Kei looked at him, her grey-blue eyes holding strong. She didn't dare make full eye contact though. "After Captain Fujisaki saw my Bankai, he basically shoehorned me into taking the exam..." Kei shrugged lightly, sighing again. "I haven't done so yet, but I'm going to. And I'll probably pass it..." Although Kei might have sounded like she was overly-confident there, the fact was she probably would pass it. Now that her Kidou was unrestricted and she had Bankai, the only things holding her back were gone. "So, probably will be your new Captain, yes."

Kei stayed silent for just a moment before continuing, her eyes narrowing. "Do you have a problem with me being your Captain or something?" Why would he ask her about that kind of rumor, huh? Just wait until the appointment is made. Although, maybe he just didn't want that paperwork from being acting Captain anymore.

Sota was wrong about one thing. It wasn't that she didn't like him. Disliking someone was different than being suspicious of them. And Kei was, well, suspicious of most everyone. The only people she weren't suspicious of were the tiny, young girls that she didn't have to worry about. It was part of why she preferred breasts over dangly bits. But that wasn't a subject for this strange man, who was currently her superior, to talk about with.

When Sota said he preferred her being his Captain, she narrowed her eyes again, actually making eye contact for a moment. His logic was sound, but it was just... weird. She didn't have any friends in the division. Why would anyone want her to be the Captain? He was right on one thing. She would be changing things up. Part of Kei's problem when she joined the Gotei was her Kidou. She was assigned to the 5th not because she was great, but because she needed the skill of people who knew what they were doing. It ended up not being her fault, and that actually helped Kei come to terms with some of her own shortcomings. So, Kei was going to make that a policy. If there were any graduates who had struggled with Kidou like she had, they would be offered a spot in the Fifth to bolster their skills.

Kei silently nodded as he seemingly finished, but then he had to open his mouth. Again. Kei's frown somehow deepened. More suspicion washed over her face. "Why would you ask that if you just said you preferred me as your Captain?" Kei looked at him hard before continuing. "There's no one I'd really want for the job, so might as well keep it with someone who knows what they're doing." Kei spoke a little more relaxedly as she went on before asking him point-blank "Are you tired of being a Lieutenant or something?"

Kei did not change her statement. The fact was, he was contradicting himself a lot in her mind. Every single time he mentioned stepping down, that said "I don't want this position." Yet he always came back with "Yes I want to be your Lieutenant!" It was confusing her, and she didn't like it. "The only thing that's making me uncomfortable right now," Kei lied, "is that you're acting like you just really don't want to be my Lieutenant while spouting off that you want me as a Captain." Kei's only lie was that it being the only thing making her uncomfortable.

"Besides, as I said, I don't have anyone else I'd want as a Lieutenant. Changing up the entire leadership is just going to be more confusion and far more goddamn annoying. I've already got enough problems as it is going into this. I don't need more." Kei sighed then. She felt her blood pressure rising. She was getting too annoyed with Sota. It wasn't exactly his fault this had been thrust upon her. "Besides... I owe a lot to the Fifth. If you're telling the truth on how much you 'cherish' it, there's no one better for the job." It was true. Kei valued the Fifth more than a lot of people would guess. And he seemed to feel the same way. There was something about the way she spoke that had the first bit of gentle truth of anything she had been saying. Maybe she was being too hard on this guy who only just seemed...


Why he was defensive. Why he was so adamant about offering her his resignation if she wanted it. Kei cocked an eyebrow, her frown turning more into a straight line. "...You think I don't like you, don't you?"