Chapter 59: Art of a Certain Beauty

[Neutral POV]

[Current Day: ~900 A.D.]

Kenji lounged under the hanging canopy of a Wisteria. Taking shade from the moon, he awaited his disciple's return to reality. Knelt before him was a young woman with tangled black hair and shabby clothes. He smiled seeing her vacant expression. A twinge of jealousy shot through him as he considered falling asleep himself. Empty bottles sat at his side while the alcohol-induced lethargy crept over his mind. 

He tilted his head and gazed up at the host of hanging flowers. Rich, regal purples occupied his slowly fading vision. However, his slack-faced disciple began to stir. Her dry eyes had remained open the entire time. 

Sounds of bafflement buzzed from Kenji's disciple. 

'Mm~?'

Yachiru's eyelids rapidly flickered, dousing her overly dry eyes. She squinted upon seeing her flushed face master. For a few seconds, Yachiru studied her unique master. Kenji's rebellious red locks, sharp eyebrows, straight nose, round lips, slight stubble: all of it was stowed away in her mind. 

Curiosity fed her impulsive instincts.

Kenji's awareness was soaked in heaviness. He settled at the brink, peering into slumber's abyss. Muscles in his body eased. All the tension and worries were allayed. Breath by breath, his mind trudged, welcomed to sleep till morning. 

But his eyebrow twitched…

A puzzling, airy heat contacted Kenji's face. Vapors of a spicy and sweet aroma prickled his nose. Rhythmic sounds repeatedly disturbed his tranquil consciousness. 

Kenji's eyelids broke open. Bothered at the fringe of sleep, he discovered his disciple's face inches away from his own. 

Close enough to feel each other's breath, they stared at each other. 

Seconds passed until Kenji's lips parted. Amusement and the odor of alcohol enriched his raspy voice. 

"Yachiru? Can I ask what you're doing?"

Maintaining her perceptive stare, Yachiru replied in kind. Her voice stayed honest to a fault.

"I'm studying your face Shishō…"

"Yeah? But why though?"

Kenji's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he questioned her behavior. Yachiru's mouth opened, yet no words were spoken. Her lips lingered ajar as she mused over an appropriate answer. 

Ill-equipped to assuage her master, she innocently spat out the truth. 

'…I don't know…'

Kenji nodded his head in understanding. He closed his eyes and cheekily conferred with himself. 

"Mmm~. Ah, yes. It seems I've been gifted with an idiot for a disciple. Souls smile upon me…"

Grime and dirt masked Yachiru's light blush and thinning lips. Heightening the embarrassment, Kenji raised his hand and fully palmed Yachiru's face. 

He slowly pushed her face away and teased her, shedding fake tears as he acted out his tragedy. 

"I'll have to teach you about personal space. My~. The drawbacks of being a master. Simply sorrowful. *sniff* My poor heart won't last at this rate."

Shame and coyness laced Yachiru's mouse-like voice.

'I apologize for my actions Shishō.'

"Forget it, we haven't finished your first lesson."

Hearing Kenji's stern quality, Yachiru slid back on her knees and sat straight. Kenji's disciple dropped the matter and recollected herself. Astute and intense, her blue eyes aimed to glean every speck of knowledge she could. 

Seeing her enthusiasm, Kenji made a playful smirk. He condensed the earlier session.

"Names. They gain meaning over time. They'll eventually tie in with the third path. But that's far in the future. For now, don't worry about real names. Having two might be a good thing."

"Is that so?" 

Kenji casually shrugged at her cursory question, resolving the small insecurities Yachiru hid. 

"I don't see why not. Two names might actually give you some options. Don't worry about it for now. I want to see your weapon arts at some point. It's important you hone them to match the path and emotion. Stand up."

Both rose to their feet. Kenji extracted Muhō and stabbed it into the ground. The mahogany sheath clutched in his right hand. He rationalized their capabilities. 

"If we were humans, we wouldn't be able to accomplish much. Weapon arts are limited to spiritual beings. The Shinigami academies teach a handful of elementary arts. Generally, they guide you to select moves with high survivability. Since enrollment at academies is around 6-9 years at most, they can't spare enough time for every student. But that's beside the point. Arts could be as basic as a thrust or as complex as a twenty-step move. Furoufushi has managed to perform one such art: The Blossoming Six-fold Slash. Let's put that aside for now. Weapon arts are goal-oriented moves. What I mean is, these arts pursue a specific outcome. Typically, destruction, deflection, or delay. But these arts aren't invincible. If someone identifies the flaws, you'll have to diverge from the art into a variation. This is why it's safer to rely on the fundamentals. For instance…"

Flexing his knees, Kenji took up a mid-guard sword stance with his right hand. He smoothly cocked his right elbow and released a quick thrust into the air. 

*Shu*

"A fundamental thrust. Now, a weapon art: The Seven Slaying Keys."

He assumed the same mid-guard stance. Repeating the motion, his elbow rocked back and shot forth. Without pause, he retracted his arm and fired another thrust. He duplicated the attack five more times, each successive thrust becoming progressively faster than the last.

*Shu*

*Shu* *Shu*

*Shun* *Shun* *Shun*

*Shun~*

His last thrust rang as a result of the blurred speed. Kenji turned to Yachiru and stimulated his disciple's critical thinking. 

"What's the principle behind the thrust?"

"Precision."

"Good. What was the principle behind the Seven Slaying Keys?"

"Precision…"

Kenji shook his head and readjusted Yachiru's view. 

"It's an aspect of the art but not the principle. Perfecting the basic thrust leads to an evolution. The Seven Slaying Keys is based on momentum, it's precision is already built in. The first step or thrust targets the liver. The next two steps aim for the kidneys. The following three sought to destroy the lungs and heart. And lastly, the brain. These are accurate strikes meant to pierce vital organs in escalating tempo. But there's a glaring weakness. Momentum takes meticulous cultivation and time. A skilled enemy can intercept the gap between the third and fourth steps, leaving you open to a counterattack. Now watch this…"

In the mid-guard stance, Kenji closed his eyes. A second later, Yachiru could perceive a thin mirage-like veneer coating his body. Kenji's eyes flickered open. His elbow cocked back as he announced his movement. 

"Thrust…"

*Zhu~*

Resembling a bolt of scarlet lightning, Kenji's thrust ruptured the air, voiding sound at its lack of impact. 

He quickly recovered from the formidable strike and prepared for the next sequence. His stance was reset. This time his free hand lifted parallel to his primed path of attack. Two fingers of his free hand aimed for phantom organs. 

A chilly breeze carried Kenji's immersion along its current. 

'Disillusionment: Seven Slaying Keys'

*FVUN* *Tsss~*

A flat roar exhaled a fiery hiss. Yachiru's eyes widened as her mind recorded the unbelievable display. Seven branches of crackling crimson lightning flashed in an instant. Afterimages dissolved in synchrony. Steam rose from the mahogany sheath as Kenji leaned it over his shoulder. 

He explained the method behind the magical sight. 

"Weapon arts are effective against adversaries with less technical expertise. Facing someone similar, the outcome depends on the person. For someone of a higher skill level, they're bound to uncover the weakness of most arts. But here's the thing. Weapon arts can be enhanced by a sword path. You just saw me use the first path, Emotional Expression. Essentially, the Seven Slaying Keys had a qualitative improvement, thus the art can contend with Captain-class opponents. Do you know why I want you to learn these?"

Yachiru softly shook her head, listening with rapt attention. Kenji made a sour expression as he defended his reason. 

"I did it because I don't want you fully relying on the Shikai or Bankai abilities you'll obtain. Reliance breeds incompetence. Comfort fosters stagnation. Once you're met with a situation where you can't rely on your Zanpakutou, you'll be feeding the worms forevermore. Very few people can make such a strategy work. Even then they become extremely predictable. Flexibility is crucial. Do you like the sword?"

"Of course."

Blue eyes gleamed in certainty. Kenji firmly nodded his head in appreciation, reinforcing her motivation with fervency. 

"Keep that attitude. Swordplay is about creativity and passion. Weapon arts will die out as life transitions from experience-driven to convenience-driven. But that just means you'll have lived more than anyone else. Okay! Enough rambling, back to the Seven Slaying Keys. I mentioned something before I used the art, what did I say?"

"Disillusionment."

"Excellent. Exactly that, disillusionment. By verbalizing it, it became easier to funnel the primary emotion into the art. A few minor emotions stabilized the art's energy. Of course, you don't need to attach a primary emotion. For example, the Thrust beforehand was a streamlined one-step art using all the emotions I had accumulated. I used the first path, but I didn't attribute a primary emotion. I'll do that now…"

Kenji reset his body and released the technique. 

"Sincerity: Thrust…"

*ZUN~*

A red streak of lightning channeled in a splintering trajectory. Finishing the presentation, Kenji plucked Muhō from the earth and sheathed it. Hoisting his Zanpakutō over his shoulder, he reviewed the lecture. 

"So, now that you know about the first path, let's return to something we talked about earlier. The Blossoming Six-fold Slash. Furoufushi can perform the art. I haven't seen her use it in tandem with Emotional Expression, but I assume she can do it. Interestingly enough, the art's primary emotion fits in with her archetype. Usually, you'd pair Appreciation with the Blossoming Six-fold, but you can exchange emotions for others. Depending on the emotion you can change the core aspect of the art. Appreciation: Blossoming Sixfold is a destructive weapon art, quick and lethal. Penitence: Blossoming Sixfold becomes a disruptive art, heavy and burdened. It's extremely difficult to change the core into deflective. Deflective weapon arts are generally conventional and rigid; there's little prospect of altering their cores. It's mostly because they're used for one thing, deflections or parries. That isn't to say there's no arts based on counterattacks. But that's for the future as well. I just wanted you to get a taste of the possibilities. Okay~. I think that's about it. Questions?"

"What's the first one I'll learn?"

Yachiru immediately unraveled her fascinated mind. Glints of excitement glittered in her pupils like the sparkling blue sea. A knowing smirk spread on Kenji's face. But he swiftly extinguished her elation. 

"That'd be spoiling the fun and anticipation. First, we'll polish your slashes, cleaves, thrusts, lunges, sweeps, parries, blocks, and dodges. It sounds like a lot, but all of them serve as the base for advanced arts. Tomorrow, you can pick up the training with your seniors. It's getting late, let's see how those idiots are doing." 

An iota of disappointment dampened Yachiru's mood. She waited to shadow Kenji. Perplexity was shoved onto Yachiru as Kenji nonchalantly handed Muhō to his disciple. 

He confidently nodded as he walked and talked. 

"A disciple should always carry their master's weapon. It's common sense. Come along, I get the feeling you'll have to carry some more stuff home."

Kenji and Yachiru abandoned the Wisteria's shade, ambling out of the enchanting courtyard.

A sacred bond had bloomed as a disciple traced her master's soft strides. As she followed, he smiled. The two paced down the creaking engawa, vacating the stunning vista. 

At their departure, late Autumn breathed new life into the Wisteria's flowers. Fading shafts of light brightened the royal parade of purples, marking the bond shared beneath its awning.