Chapter 9: Teacher and Student, The Gravitational Pull of Fate
"What are you talking about?"
Ichigo blurted out his usual line before he could stop himself.
Seeing his completely stunned expression, Aizen looked rather pleased. His smile deepened, like a prank had landed exactly as intended.
"Let me make this clear first. I am not joking."
"Shimiya-kun has been with you day and night. With his powers of observation and his intelligence, I am sure he has a good grasp of your situation. On top of that, the instructors at the Spirit Arts Academy are hardly incompetent, yet none of them have been able to give you any useful advice. That alone is enough to show that, to them, your situation looks unsolvable."
"Kurosaki-kun, your spiritual pressure is too strong. It is so strong that you cannot control it, which is why every time you use Kido you cannot limit its power and end up blowing yourself up."
"Of course, I do have a way to avoid that."
Aizen paused for a moment.
"But if we do that, a different problem will appear."
"What problem?"
Ichigo leaned forward, seizing onto that thin thread of hope.
"It is still because the power is too strong, right?"
Takeru reacted almost instantly, cutting straight to the point.
"Yes."
Aizen adjusted his glasses, first acknowledging Takeru's answer, then continued his explanation at an unhurried pace.
"Even if you manage to cast Kido successfully, the root problem remains. Your spiritual pressure is still overwhelmingly strong and difficult to control."
"Imagine this. You intend to use Hadō 1: Sho, just to knock the sword out of an enemy's hand. Instead, you shatter their sword, their arm, and half of their body in one blow."
"..."
Ichigo pictured that scene. The unwillingness on his face slowly hardened into something heavier. It was obvious he had a strong aversion to senseless, uncontrollable brutality.
If that kind of result was unavoidable, then he would rather give up on Kido entirely and rely only on his sword.
"However, if we change our angle of approach, Kaido does not sound like such a bad option."
Aizen suddenly shifted the topic.
"Huh? Bakudo?"
Ichigo's thoughts almost failed to keep up.
Takeru, on the other hand, followed the logic with ease.
"Sensei means this. Since your offensive Kido is too destructive to control, why not specialize in Bakudo instead?"
"For healing techniques, the stronger the effect, the better. You can restore your own injuries in the middle of a fight and provide emergency treatment to your teammates. That would give your overwhelming spiritual pressure a proper outlet."
"What Shimiya-kun has said is exactly what I wanted to express."
Aizen nodded in approval.
"Even if you abandon destructive Kido, you still have your Zanpakuto, your Zanjutsu, and your Hakuda. If you add Bakudo to that, which can be activated directly without an incantation, it becomes a very unique combination of offense and defense."
"Even if your opponent is much stronger than you, they will still have to work very hard to put you down. It is a troublesome fighting style to face."
That was certainly true.
Right now in all of Soul Society, there was only one Shinigami who could heal himself while cutting down enemies in front of him like that.
Takeru could not help thinking of that person.
"I get the idea, but from what I have heard, Bakudo is not easy to learn..."
Ichigo hesitated.
The Spirit Arts Academy did offer Bakudo courses, but they were notoriously difficult. On top of that, because they were healing arts, most students considered them useless in direct combat, so it was one of the least popular electives.
"I understand your worries, but they are unnecessary."
Aizen shook his head gently.
"Perhaps you have not noticed it yourself, but you actually possess outstanding talent in spiritual power control."
"Otherwise, your spiritual pressure would have long since become so unstable that it had to be sealed away. The fact that you can stand here like this proves that, at the very least, your power is still within your grasp. With enough training, you will be able to handle it in a far more delicate way."
"If that were not the case, I would not have the confidence to help you at all. In a situation like yours, no amount of experience or technique alone would make a difference."
Those words lit a fire in Ichigo's chest.
"I understand. Bakudo, right? I will definitely master it."
"Then next, I will teach you some practical Kido techniques. With the help of the Spiritual Power Restoration Chamber, we can greatly raise your training efficiency. Kurosaki-kun's problem will not be difficult to resolve."
"After that, you can learn the basic Bakudo courses through the Spirit Arts Academy. Once you pass them, I will recommend you to assist at the Fourth Division's comprehensive treatment center to gain real experience."
Aizen's gaze shifted to Takeru, who had barely made a sound this whole time. His expression softened into an almost gentle smile.
"As for you, Shimiya-kun..."
"As the highest scoring first year in the history of the Spirit Arts Academy, I doubt anything there can truly stump you anymore."
"But watching and helping the growth of my juniors is one of my duties as a Gotei 13 Captain and a lecturer at the Spirit Arts Academy. Whether it is Kido or anything else, you are welcome to come to me whenever you wish."
"Really?"
Takeru was a little taken aback. The attitude was almost too good. Was Aizen trying to quietly draw him into the coming rebellion already?
"Of course. I sincerely look forward to seeing how far you will go on the path of a Shinigami."
Aizen's bright, relaxed words were a contrast to the heaviness beneath them. Takeru could not quite see through him.
But he found that he did not particularly care.
Just as he had told Rindo Yu before, intentions did not matter as much as actions.
"Then I will be in your care from now on, sensei."
Takeru bowed deeply.
Seeing that, Ichigo remembered how much Aizen had already done for him and hurried to straighten his posture, bowing with proper form as well.
...
Night fell before they knew it.
Aizen personally walked the two of them to the edge of the barracks, watched their young figures disappear into the distance, then turned and went back inside.
On the veranda outside his room, a slender figure leaned against a pillar, standing in the shadows beyond the reach of the moonlight.
"My my, Captain Aizen actually spent a whole day training those two kids."
Ichimaru Gin's voice floated out lazily.
"Is Captain Aizen planning to find some colleagues for me and Kaname? They are very sharp little ones, but it does not look like they will be useful any time soon."
"Are you trying to say I am wasting my time, Gin?"
"I never said that."
Gin spread his hands in an exaggerated shrug.
"Captain Aizen always has his reasons. It just feels a little different from your usual style, so I am a bit curious, is all."
His tone was playful and empty, like a snake or a fox, always cold no matter how it moved, always cunning no matter the angle.
"My style, hm. Sounds like you have been watching closely, Gin."
Aizen smiled, a hint of humor in his eyes.
"To be a good subordinate, you have to understand what your superior likes, don't you?"
"In that case, you should work even harder."
"..."
Gin paused for a heartbeat.
"If you really understood me, you would remember what I told you before."
"Developments that are not part of the plan can also count as gains that exceed the plan."
Aizen looked up at the sky. His calm gaze settled on the moon.
The scattered moonlight broke against the lenses of his glasses. Dark clouds drifted slowly around it, like thoughts circling in his eyes.
"The deceased Ichigo Kurosaki."
"And that boy who appeared out of nowhere, whose potential is no less than his."
"I can feel the pull of destiny from both of them."
"However, there is one thing I cannot deny. This little joke is far more interesting than this disappointing world. It makes me want to take action."
"If you think my style looks different, that is probably the reason why."
"..."
Gin frowned slightly. He did not understand what Aizen meant. Even with all his talent, he could not grasp Aizen's current state of mind.
That was only natural.
A man who has abandoned his comrades and chosen to shoulder everything alone can never truly empathize with someone who has been alone from the beginning.
He cannot understand the shock of meeting a soul that resembles his own.
He cannot understand what it feels like when his casual choices allow that person to gain companions who can walk by his side, sparing him from walking forward alone.
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