Late Night Training (James)

Kiku yawned as she tugged her sweater closer to her. She did a slow flip and looked up at Suterusiki, who she affectionatly nicknamed "Siki-kun." Kiku was currently performing Jinzen, which helped establish the connection between the zanpakutou and their master. She had been training for Bankai for a while now, but she was aware it would take a while to learn. She learned Shikai under different circumstances, which helped solidify her rank amonsgt the legion of psychopomps in the Seireitai. Kiku performed another drifting flip. She floated lazily towards the two chairs sitting on the curved and cobblestoned ocean floor. Suterusiki frowned at her, still overprotective as ever. Kiku looked up at him and smiled. "What's wrong Siki-kun? Still worryin' about me goin' towards dat giant hole?" Kiku said innocently as she pointed towards the hole. Suterusiki nodded, mainly because he was aware of what lay there for Kiku. It was something he wasn't willing for her to own just yet. But he knew, with her level of power, she'd earn it somehow. Kiku smiled and wandered towards him, wrapping her tiny pale aroms around his shoulders. "Dun worry Siki-kun." Kiku murmured, hugging him gently. Suterusiki smiled and set her down. "Do you hear that?" Suterusiki mumbled, his ears pricking at the slightest noise of a screaming sound. Kiku nodded to him.

"Yesh....I do. Maybe I shoud go check what it is....I think it's coming from the Outer World...." Kiku said back to him. she flashed him a quick devious grin and hugged him rapidly. If she wouldn't have let go, she would've most likely crushed the poor zanpaktou spirit. Suterusiki rolled his eyes but returned a sympathetic smile. "Okay then Kiku-chan. Be careful out there, ok?" Suterusiki said to her, a pitch of worry in his voice. Kiku waved lazily to him, as if to say his worries are ridiculous. "Relaaaax Siki-kun. I'll bring ya a pot of some tea next time I perform Jinzen, mmk??" Kiku shouted to him. She grinned as she disappeared, only to open her eyes sitting in her room at the 4th Division barracks. She looked around and spotted a teapot spewing steam from the spout, and sighed. "So that's what it was....." Kiku mumbled to herself. She shunpo'd to the hot teapot sitting on the burner and gently lifted it off. She glanced to the left to see around ten empty cups sitting on a tiny serving tray. Kiku gripped the teapot by the handle and poured some tea into each cup, smiling as the warm aroma of vanilla and green tea leaves wafted throughout the 4th Division. She handed a cup to each patient in the room, seeing as it wasn't very busy at the moment. Once she had passed out all the tea and cleaned up, she walked outside into the brisk winter air. It was unusually cold for a Seireitai day, it was usually just right. Kiku shrugged casually as she looked up at the stars. She began to wander around the streets of Seireitai, already reassured that her duties had been done. She finally stumbled upon the Shinigami Training Grounds, and realized that a good fight would do her well in workin her way towards Bankai. She drifted down there, hoping to see a person or two to train with.

James had been training for bankai for quiet soem time, ever since he got Shikia a long time ago. He used very different method then most and he was actually already impossibly close to his Zanpakuto. He treated her with more respect then most women he meets. Though now he was just working on the power part of Bankai, which he was still quiet far off from.

Tonight he was in the training grounds, doing the normal thing to do there. He had been there all day and had not stopped. He was not tired, but sweaty and was currently sparring with a wooden dummy after he used up all his real opponents. Who he, if he could remember right, put most in a medical ward. Penny expertly being use in his wrong hand while his right was tied behind his back. The five foot black Kilij seeming to flow as a part of James himself.

He was in teh normal uniform, except the top half was torn off and he was shown off his full seven foot two heavily scarred body. Quiet a fearsome looking man if you did not know him to be a real softie. Though in battle was a different story. Still he continued on his training, in his ongoing attempt for bankai state.

Kiku jumped as she suddenly picked up the pressure of another shinigami and the sharp sound of a wooden dummy being hit rather viciously and loudly. She tiptoed forward, masking her reiatsu completely. She used one quick shunpo towards the man swinging at the dummy and whipped out her umbrella. It was a dark olive green, with other multicolored green patches of cloth sealing up the formerly bare spots where rain would leak through. The top dulled spike on the umbrella was a subtle brown. Thin grey wires held the unbrella perfectly, like a skeleton of a human. She gently poked the shoulder of the man and grinned up at him eeriely, with a slight menacing feel. "Sooooooooo mister, you wouldn't happen ta be down a sparring partner, would ya? Because I iz very very very very bored and i'm the hunt for my Bankai!" Kiku exclaimed to the man. The symbolic flower for the 4th Division sat on the back as well as the front of her creamy ivory white sweater. She gently smoothed down her crimson red pants that extended from her waist all the way down to her tiny and slightly rounded upper thighs. Just below her knees were softened red and pure white striped leg warmers that extended down to her thick bamboo sandals. A tanned leather strap held them secured in place on each foot. The dark red sleeves of a shirt hung from the shorter sleeves of the sweater. White cloth wrapped around from the edges of her pants to a few inches above her knees. Tight brown gloves held tight at her palms yet flared at the ends. She waved with her umbrella to the man, a huge smile spread on her face and her eyes squinted like a familiar traitorous shinigami, Gin Ichimaru, who she also knew. A saddened moan escaped from teh umbrella, and Kiku flashed an angry glare to it even though it couldn't see it. "Kiku-chaaaaaaaaaaaan, why don't cha just go to bed instead of trainin'.....I don't need ya gettin' tired out. I hate listening to you getting yelled at.....it disrupts my napping...." Suterusiki cried out, the end of his sentence ending with a low mutter. Kiku growled and slammed the umbrella against the floor. "Sssssssssshhhh shut up! Shut up already dammit!" Kiku yelled to the zanpaktou.When viewed from afar, the situation was quite hilarious. Although Kiku was beating Suterusiki against the ground, they both were aware she was simply doing it out of the close sibling like bond between the two.

James stopped what he was doing and looked at the girl strangely. Shrugging though at her oddness. He thought for a second before ripping his right hand loose of its binds and putting Penny in his right hand. He nodded at the girl, " Sure. I am working for it too so. A spar would be nice, so think fast! " He said with lightning quickness bringing Penny straight down to cleave her in two, a feat of pure speed, but with some strength behind it, that if it missed it would demolish the ground surrounding.

Afterwards he would Shunpo behind her with a tired battle worn expression his face, the face of him trying. This face meant that he was no longer Shinigami, but a warrior with no other means that to fight till teh end. The face he usually put on in Bankai training, when He and Penny thought as one.