Captain's office

Ryohei knocks on the door as he enters

"You called me captain?" he peeks his head round the door

*Aki sat on the kotatsu with a few papers in front of her*

"Come in Ryohei sit have some tea cake. And pie"

Ryohei takes a seat at the table and looks at his captain

"My my you do like to spoil us with your cooking now don't you" he grins as he starts eyeing up the cake infront of him

"I do like cooking. I wish the kitchen was my room. But too dangerous. Now tell me what were you in a past life?"

*She sipped her tea and pushed her glasses up*

"My past life..." he sighs swirling round his cup of tea in his hand

"I was little more than a soldier on the battlefield, I joined young, when i was 16 in fact. I'm amazed i lived for so long."

Taking a sip of tea he continues his story

"When i first went to war i was a young boy eager to fight and kill i saw it as some sort of grand adventure. My naivety soon wore off when i found out the harsh truth of war and conflict, my friends dying around me, years passed, i got promoted so many times only because i managed to survive for so long"

"I died not too long after i heard about my younger brother's death, i guess i wasn't thinking straight, lost my concentration."

He looked at his captain and smiled

"Yes so basically i'm a military man, you'll have to forgive me if im too formal at times but its my nature"

*She sipped her tea and looked at him with no expression*

"I see, military huh? That's gonna be hard. You see I'm more of the flexible free willed fighter. You fought based on orders. our muscles are kind of stiff cause of the trainning you go through.Hanzo was really swift when he fought me. You tell me, how do you like to fight?"

"Well i prefer my swordplay compared to my hand to hand fighting and kido magic. I prefer to weaken my enemy piece by piece with relentless attacks and then move in for the kill..."

He chuckles as he relised what he had just said

"You'll have to forgive me, old habits die hard"

*Aki leaned back using her arms for support*

"Swordplay huh? I like that. Kido isn't my favorite either. Hand to hand combat puts your limbs on risk. Besides I stink at those. Swordplay it is. Have you tried to talk to your inner soul to activate shikai?"

"Ah yes i have indeed tried to open conversation with my sword during my time in the academy however i was unsuccessful" he sighed as he bit into a piece of cake

"Don't understand why, something about my attitude according to one of my trainers but i never did figure it out..."

"Your atitude huh? Well finding your shikai is talking to your soul. Your soul might be thinking differently than your mind. You might want to find Hanzo while your soul wants to move on. I can't guarntee shikai right now but a lil chat is possible. place your sword on he table and try concentrating"

*She put her sword on the table*

"Your sword isyour friend. *smiles*"

"Ok then.." he says placing his zanpakuto on the table in front of them

He holds is hands out over the sword and closes his eyes

"Come on talk to me talk to me...." he mutters under his breathe, a vain throbbing on the side of his head

He opens one eye and looks with it at the captain

"Is it working...?"

*She crossed her arms.*

"Considering your still talking to me not at all. The place where you'll go s different for each person. When I talk tomy zanpaktou it's prtty dark. Concentrate on what you want."

*She placed a little doll on the center of the table*

"Just to help the spritual pressure to flow better. It'll help."

Ryohei nods and shuts his eyes again

"Ok ok concentrate..." he thinks to himself as he pictures the sword on the table in front of him in his mind.

It feels like an age passes, time suddenly comes to a standstill until only he and his zanpakuto exist floating in darkness.

"Can you hear me...?" he says to it as a slight chill runs down his spine he opens his eyes and catches a brief glimpse of a snowy field before returning to the captains office once again

Doubled over and catching his breathe he looks up to his captain

"Ok thats new..." he pants

"What did you see? Or feel?"

*She poured him a new cup of tea. You've been out for awhile*

"Darkness mostly, it was just me and the sword like there was nothing else"

He shuddered as he sipped on the freshly poured tea

"Then for a moment, it was cold, freezing like winter and silent..."

*she sipped her tea as well*

"Did you talk with your sword? How long do you think you were in that area?"

"I tried to, i didn't get a response though..."

He shakes his head as he thinks to himself

"Time seemed to have no flow, it was like everything stopped. Until i reached the snowy field then it was like catching up to me all at once"

"Well Yesh let me tell you, it took you a rel long time in the real world. one day has passed. Time flows differently in each place, its goos you got contct, now try to have a conversation."

Once again Ryohei relaxes as he sits in front of the zanpakuto and shuts his eyes once more. The only two things in the room were himself and his zanpakuto

Floating in the darkness he tried to grab his sword but his hand passed right through it like a ghost.

"Why can't i grab hold of you now..." he said growing frustrated with his blade

"Do you really think you're ready to weild me yet?" it replied in a drone of a voice

"Yes! I need the power, so i can help my brother" he snatched at it again and once again his hand passed through it

"You're brother is your resolve, but what if you find him, will i be cast aside as you will have no need for me then?"

"No.. of course not, i erm..." Ryohei answered back to quickly without thinking through the question

"Return when you have found your true resolve and not just this half-hearted attempt to find your little brother"

In a flash Ryohei returned to the room

"Dammit" he growled punching his fist into the floor

*Aki woke up as she was sleeping, she was wearing a blanket over herself*

"Hmm how was it? Got a conversation through? Must have been seris, it got really cold in here "

"I spoke with my sword yes" he sighed "But i messed up"

"I need to find my resolve to fight? apparantly just wanting to save my brother is not enough for this blade to allow me to use it..."

"No kidding, your sword is your partner and friend. It feels used if your only reason to wield is to find your brother. Find your true reslove, the soul think differently than the mind."

*She smiled and gave Ryohei a pat on the head*

"You did excellent though"

Ryohei held his head in his hands for a moment, stood up and clutched onto his zanpakuto

"Yes captain, thankyou, now if you'll excuse me" he said leaving the office with new found determination

"Hai, do wel Ryohei I have confidence. Now than..."

*She goes undr he kotatsu*

"I need some sleep"