Training to a Point

Ai let his smile grow back onto his face as Hotaru readied herself for yet another training exercise and she was eager to try. He raised his bow and then placed his right hand to the side of the bow and pulled it back as an arrow appeared in his grasp

"Wonderful, remember, you just have to shoot in the same direction as I do, you don't have to strike them all but it is encouraged."

With that he raised his bow to aim toward the sky once more figured he'd follow the simular ways he did before but instead, he quickly aimed it back toward Hotaru and released a arrow to fire over her head, another to her left and then another straight into the air. He then turned on the heel of his foot and fired four into a single tree not even a few yards away from him. He then went to a knee and shot several more shots straight into the air in a nice line.

'Please let me get it right this time.'

With a new arrow made, the girl kept her focus on his actions, namely the direction in which his bow pointed. As his bow raised to the sky, hers followed suit, only to be drawn back down as he aimed a shot over her head which she returned at least half a foot over his. Drawing back on her bow again she then followed into shooting at her instructor's left before pointing her bow straight up and firing. As he turned she followed suit if not a moment behind in firing four shots. Noticing out of the corner of her eye that he had taken a knee she did the same and attempted to shoot the same amount that he had toward the sky.

Ai glanced as she seemed to keep up well enough and followed his directions better this time around. As he fired the seven shots into the air he did not slow his pace as he raised back up, firing two more shots into the air and then turning toward the river and fired a single shot into the water and then aimed back toward the rock and fired at it and then ten more from it, along the steam bed and the tenth one straight down the opposite end.

After doing this, he kicked off the ground and up into a tree where he was hidden from sight and fired another arrow into the stream amidst the now riding water from his past shots but would have been in a straight line in front of her.

Counting her shots she made sure to try to match his directly given there was a slight lag in his shots compared to hers due to reaction times. Gradually, though, it was becoming apparent that Hotaru's pace was starting to slow as she worked to keep up with the teacher in this training. Still though she worked to mimic him as she stood upright and shot twice more to the sky before turning toward the riverbed as well, each of the next ten shots mimicking his.

It was then that she saw him move out of her sight. Looking about it was only when she saw the final arrow shot that she turned back and pulled back on her bowstring one last time, firing a straight shot in a similar path to what she spotted. After the last shot was finished the female Quincy seemed to be fatigued but made sure to keep at her ready in case the practice were to continue.

"Sorry, Kazuma-sensei... I couldn't exactly get that last one right I'm sure."

Ai held his bow in the direction of the river bed as the water was still lightly falling back down in a mist. He looked at Hotaru from the small break in the leaves he had just made with his shot and listened as she then spoke about her last shot. He raised his hand up and waved

"Oh, that's okay miss Nakano. The training is just that, training. There is no wrong, just a little off and that is something that can be put a little on. Just have to keep at it. Your eyes are the one thing you have to let do there job."

He jumped back down as his bow flickered and faded as he raised his hand up to push his glasses onto his face and then continued as he walked toward her

"You always hear about people who close there eyes to increase there other senses. But it is a two way street, if you block out your ears and smell, you can excel in your own sight. In battle, you don't have time to wait for things to come into your sight, you have to be able to see them before you normally would."

As Ai finally made his presence visible to the girl again she followed suit in letting her bow dissipate for now. Being able to relax at last from the training she felt the full force of the fatigue it seemed, especially due to the Hirenkyaku marathon not too long ago. From the looks of it the practical portion of training was likely finished. However the lesson seemed to continue through words.

"Sight is one of the most important things for us, isn't it Sensei? I mean I had to follow your actions here and really archery seems to require sight, right? But, out of curiosity, what if there comes a time when you cannot trust your eyes or you become unable to see? What would you do then?"

Ai let himself come to a stop just a few feet from the stream as Hotaru was on the other side. He listened as she spoke about sight and then nodded his head and she went on about what if there sight was un-reliable. He let his hand take hold of his glasses and pulled them down and off of his face as he then held them in his hands and looked down at them before closing them and holding them up lightly

"Well, it is true that sight is a very important part of us. It is important for all things that have the ability to see. Even the greatest swordsman who trains night and day could only go so far without his eyes. Do not put all your faith in such illusions of fairytale's. But you also have a point..."

He slowly let himself take a few more steps forward and then kneel down to the stream and lowered his glasses down and just lightly let them enter the water, the rim of one side submerged.

"Think of it like this. You see my glasses right now with your eyes, you know they are in the stream. That is your sight, you see them there. But, think about down the stream where you can't, no matter how you might strain your eyes, you wont be able to see them or be able to tell...."

He raised his glasses out of the water and continued

"if they are still there or not. But, you are not a normal human miss Nakano, no, Hotaru Nakano. You are a quincy, you are a master in your own right and stand higher than any hollow or soul reaper. There are a few things that can help you when your actual eyes can not. Take these words to heart and never reveal them to the enemy or any other who is outside the quincy."

He points his glasses at her to make it a point for her to pay attention and waited for her to agree or disagree.

Hotaru listened as the teacher continued this lesson on sight. She sat upon her knees on the forest floor and watched as he gave the demonstration, using his glasses and the stream as an example. As he continued to say that there would be a way to help when actual sight was not to be trusted her look showed slight surprise. However she took in his words with trust and nodded while giving her reply.

"So a secret meant only for the clan. To never be revealed to others. I understand, Kazuma-sensei."

Ai watched as she seemed more than intent and seemed to take his words to heart. This was a good thing as this showed just how serious she was in her training. He nodded his head as he leaned forward and straightened his posture and held out his glasses for her to see clearly

"This is not something that is easily learned and is something you need to take a little bit of time everyday to practice and learn how to do it. But there are two ways to establish what your normal eyes can't. Spirit Particles are things that the quincy know better than any soul reaper, any HEART PONY! and we master them and thus..."

He raised his left hand up as his cross hovered in his hand and his bow slowly started to form, the particles forming into place as he spoke till it was fully formed

"you are able to use these to your advantage. These are my particles now, I know what they feel like, I know what they look like. And another would be as such...."

He slowly took in a deep breath as he then exhaled and closed his eyes. For a few moments, nothing seemed to be happening until a light blue ribbon fluttered through the air. A couple of white ones mixed in here and there but the numbers were few as he let out a deep breath

"These are Reiraku or spirit ribbons, different colors mean different beings. White are humans, Blue are Quincy, Red are soul reapers, Purple are hollows. The colors that differ within those are faint so the general describes what it is that you are looking at. This technique is very strenuous and to make it visible is even more so."

He held a ribbon that flowed from the girl was held firmly in his hand before the ribbons started to dissipate until gone all together. He lowered his hand down as he raised his glasses down and continued

"That is something that takes more time and more effort but is also very helpful when you can at least start to see one ribbon. It's best to try and focus on your own and then try to focus on seeing more and then after that, try finding one person out of the bunch and finally aim for distance and radius. But now, I'm going to teach you one that is easier to learn. Are you following thus far?"

While remaining seated on the floor of the forest, Hotaru's focus remained on the instructor while the training moved on to this next step. As his own bow was starting to take shape, the particles he called forth moving in the process, she found her gaze going down to the glove on her right hand, though she didn't follow through on the action herself. She was still recovering from all the training up to this point and if Ai had other plans it would be senseless to waste energy now.

Looking back up from her hand though Hotaru saw him do something else that she had yet to see done until now. As he stood there with his eyes closed, seeming to focus, several ribbons seemingly from nowhere had formed. He held a light blue one in his hand, explaining what it was and what the color of it stood for. She didn't really notice that it was her ribbon that was in Ai's hand before it disappeared.

'So that one was the Quincy one. Others humans.'

Once the ribbon was gone she turned her amber eyes to focus on Ai's face as he explained what it was they were likely about to do next. With his question asked, she finally gave a response.

"I am. It sounds like it would be worth a try but...what exactly do you do to get those to show like that, Sensei."

Ai listened as she spoke about what it was that she had to do in order for the ribbons to appear. He held his glasses still in his hand as he raised them up to the side of his head and tapped them against his head as he then spoke

"Spirit Ribbons are the visualization of Reiryoku into threads which spiritually aware people can follow. In order to be able to see these threads, you have to focus your own spiritual power on one person or many. You know what your own spiritual power feels like and thus you are able to your your own easier than others. Try to find the disturbances in the air itself, separate the particles from one another and visualize the ribbon."

He then held out the glasses and pointed them toward Hotaru and then continued

"But that is something that will be more time and energy consuming to pace yourself when practicing. I am telling you now, do Not over-exert yourself. If you collapse or show too much fatigue then that will raise questions and that will risk both you and me of getting into serious boiling water. But there is one more way that is easier to do things."

As he tapped the side of his head with his glasses Hotaru seemed to tilt her head to the side slightly out of curiosity for what it was he had to say. To her it did make sense as in order to do much of anything as a Quincy it was almost required to know one's own. Nodding that she understood as he went, Hotaru straightened her posture again as he stressed that she was not under any circumstances to over-exert herself. She didn't want to think of the consequences that would arise if she did just that, though she really did wish to improve in her skills. It wasn't as common to train outside of school hours so questions would certainly be raised if she did just that. Nodding again the girl responded to make it clear that she got what he was saying.

"I understand and will try not to push myself too far, Sensei. If I may ask though, what is this easier way of which you speak? Is it something that I would be able to try?"

Ai watched as she started to take the speech more and more seriously as he wanted to make it a point to understand that it was a serious issue and not to be taken lightly. He listened as she the spoke about his other way and if it was one that she could do herself. He nodded his head before speaking and then held up both his glasses and his bow

"For this, it is your own bow and arrows that will be your guide. Your bow and arrows are of particles that you know, like I had stated earlier. That means, you know they they are yours and you know what they feel like. To begin this, you need to close your eyes and focus on your bow and the way it feels and then its shape from your mind. Visualize it in your head, never look at it."

He lowered the glasses and then held his bow up above him before crouching down and then tossing his glasses into the air as hard as he could muster before pulling back on the bow and making a arrow

"Just like the spirit ribbons, you have to trace your bow and the arrows. With that, you can now use it like a bat or a dolphin does with the sounds they make in order to know what is around them. But with us, we still have to hit something...."

He shot his arrow and let it fly through the air till it hit his glasses, cutting them in two as the two pieces feel to the ground at different spots and he continued

"Now, because my arrow has come in contact with my glasses, I should be able to follow the spirit particles of my arrow to find the parts of my glasses..."

He held his bow out in front of him and released and arrow as it shot straight and finally came to a stop in a tree a few yards away

"And I know that right now, there is nothing in the straight line between me and the tree I hit. There is no need for me to use my eyes or any other sense besides the ones that were given to us Quincy."

He started walking forward with his hand and his bow out as he slowly felt around and then kept walking forward as he tried to get closer to one part of his glasses which within a few more steps he reached down and took hold of them with a smile.

'My own bow?'

Almost as a reflex Hotaru's attention brought her to the glove she wore. It was true that she knew those like the back of her hand, it was just a matter of recognizing it when it wasn't in her hand. Gazing back up she saw him throw his glasses into the air as he continued, only to shoot them. This act in truth surprised her and she watched with wide eyes as she had thought he had need of the glasses. However instead of saying anything Hotaru remained silent to allow the explanation to continue without interruption.

Once he had mentioned that he would then be able to follow the traces that remained from the arrow it suddenly seemed to make more sense to her. After all if she focused on being able to recognize the particles she manipulated it would be possible to find them on whatever target. In a way she also realized that she had started to do this the other night, after bursting that arrow. What it struck seemed to form a target that Hotaru could sense. If she were to work on mastering that ability more, she then figured that perhaps this would be even more possible for her. Without word though she watched as he then shot the tree before walking, apparently to retrieve part of the glasses he had broken through the previous arrow.

"Am I supposed to try this all now or should it wait, Kazuma-sensei?"

Ai slowly raised himself up and felt over the clean cut of his shot as he moved them into his jacket and slid them inside a pocket. He then turned himself to the side and raised his bow up once more and pulled back yet another arrow and released it as it hit a tree just a few feet from him. He paused before walking toward it and stopping a few inches from it and walked around it and turned his head up and aimed his bow at a branch and fired.

He watched as the other half of the glasses fell down and he turned his head down and reached down and as he took hold of the other side of his glasses before blinking a few times and turned around before looking back at Hotaru and dissipated his bow as he held open his jacket and put the glasses away in the inner pocket before walking toward her and stopping where he was in front of the stream and then looked at her

"No, no, I've already worn you down enough. I am just teaching you by word and demonstration. This is so you can do it in your spare time when no one is watching and try and perfect it."

While waiting for her answer from the instructor, Hotaru remained seated in anticipation as she watched him gather up the parts of his glasses, which apparently required firing an arrow up into the tree. After gathering up the pieces she watched his approach while still waiting. Upon finally hearing that she wouldn't be beginning this next lesson right now, she let out a sigh of relief and seemed to relax a little while she closed her eyes. A small smile graced her face as she brought her left hand up to her chest as if to erase any nerves that she'd had built up over the prospect.

"Thank goodness. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to practice it very well. Today has been a lot, Sensei, but I feel as though this lesson and what comes from it could be useful."

Opening her eyes again, Hotaru looked up at Ai and smiled.

"Thank you for teaching me like this. Even though I'm sure I messed up likely more than once in the process."

Ai watched Hotaru as she seemed to find a bit of relief from what he said. He laughed lightly as she the went on to speak about her own willingness to do better with what she had already done would have effected what she did from that point on. He smiled as she spoke about how useful the information was going to be. He moved his hands into his pockets as he then spoke in a reply

"That is what I'm here for, to teach, right? I guess my job just never ends in the classroom."

He looked at Hotaru once more as she lit up with a smile and he let his eyes wander off to the side as he moved one hand to the back of his head and rubbed it lightly as he then glanced back at her

"Like I stated before, this was training, there was no messing up, you did good. I'm sure next time will give us more time and we'll be able to do more."

Knowing that for now her training was wrapping up, Hotaru stood, brushing off any dirt and debris from her legs after sitting on the ground over a period of time. Though he tried to deny that he was doing anything more than he should, she didn't quite feel the same and tried to get him to see that with her next, honest response.

"Yes, it may be your job to teach. However I know that some of the other teachers here probably wouldn't put in the effort you have for me so that I could improve, Kazuma-sensei. This is the second time you've trained or tested me, after all. Until next time I'll be trying to take some time in order to practice this, rain or shine."

Ai watched as Hotaru rose up into a standing posture and then cleaned herself off. He then listened as she went on to speak about how his teaching her was something that not every teacher would do. He moved his hands down and let them find a way into his pockets at his sides

"You are being way to kind to me miss Nakano. Just remember, you have to keep your head on your shoulders and your aim straight. Don't go picking fights you can't win and running away isn't something to be ashamed of if it means saving your own life."

He nodded his head firmly before raising his hands from his pockets and clapping them together

"Well, I've talked your ear off enough for one day."

He walked forward and then leaped the small distance over the stream and moved his hands down into his pockets as he walked passed Hotaru and continued forward

"C'mon, lets head back and get something to eat, my treat for a good days worth of training."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. And really, I don't think that I am being too kind."

Once he had passed her after crossing the stream, Hotaru turned to follow him out from the forest. She remained a step behind of Ai though normally she would have surpassed him. At the moment she was feeling tired from how the training had pushed her.

"A good meal sounds like a nice way to finish out the day, Sensei. Hopefully there will be some good stuff on the menu."

Ai looked over his shoulder and back to Hotaru as she spoke about a good meal. He nodded and looked forward as he raised one of his hands from his pocket and rubbed the bridge of his nose and then continued

"I will treat you to some of the food in the teachers lounge. We got some pretty good stuff in there."

He chuckled as he then continued forward, with the way things had progressed, it was looking to be a bright future. But he would still have to make sure to pace himself so as not to push her.