PROTECT 01

[Luke]

for an impenetrable shield...

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PROTECT 01:HUMOR
STAND INSIDE YOURSELF[/right][/font]

Light footsteps were heard as Akisaka Toshiro stepped out of the Kyubantai barracks and toward an area less inhabited--he didn't want to be disturbed. The 'journey' that he was about to embark on would require quite a bit of concentration...and that was just something he probably wouldn't find in the confines of the barracks. He walked for a good ten minutes before finding an out of the way spot for his afternoon activity.

He sat down and placed his Zanpakuto across his lap.

"Here it goes..."

It took quite a bit of time for Toshiro to enter a state of calm--and even more time to enter the Jinzen trance. He paid no attention to the outside world or petty things like time. There All that mattered was inside; he needed to speak to Shugorei.

----
Toshiro opened his eyes and looked around at the torches illuminating the stone walls and most of the room. He noticed several doors and a staircase leading up toward the vast ceiling and couldn't help but wonder how large this whole place was. He quickly shoved this to the back of his mind as he heard someone calling his name. "Toshi-kun! You're here!" the voice called out in an overly excited tone. His gaze quickly shifted to the middle of the room where a man sat at a table, grinning from ear to ear.

He smiled back at the spirit.

"Ah! Hello, Shugorei!"

The spirit quickly hopped over the table and pulled Toshiro into a hug. "It's so nice to see you!" he cried out. He paused for a moment before speaking again. "You hardly ever come by for visits!" he said. After that was said, he almost looked huffy for a moment. He quickly got over it before holding Toshiro out at arms length.

"Well...before I speak further...I want to hear a joke!"

Toshiro looked confused.

"A joke?" he asked, staring at Shugorei for a good minute. It was apparent that the man was drawing blank as the only material he had on call were knock knock jokes and limerick about a man from Nantucket. He scratched the back of his head as he stood there for a good five minutes, looking stumped.

Shugorei looked disappointed.

"No no! Don't look like that! I'll come up with something!" Toshiro cried as he flailed about, trying to keep the spirit from becoming upset. The last thing that he needed was an upset Zanpakuto spirit that would be unwilling to help him because he hadn't told a funny enough joke. No sir...that would be counterproductive to his goals. Finally, he dug deep down into the confines of his being and found it.

Toshiro cleared his throat.

"What do you call a cow with no legs?"

Shugorei looked at him as if it were the most exciting thing he'd heard all day. "I don't know! What do you call it!?" he asked. He looked on with wide eyes as Toshiro paused for comedic effect. He was almost dying of anticipation! What DID you call it!?

"...GROUND BEEF!"

For a split second, Shugorei gave the classic deadpan face. "...that...." he started before he cracked into a smile and started snorting. "Is the funniest thing I've ever heard!" he shouted before breaking out into complete hysterical laughter.

Toshiro blinked.

"...um, thanks!"

Shugorei waved it off as he continued laughing for a solid minute. He clutched his sides with tears streaming down his face as he fell sideways and managed to catch himself with his elbow on the edge of the table. "Okay okay! We can talk now! Just give me a minute!"

Toshiro smiled. "Well...I'm ready when you are~!" he stated before sitting down at the table.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify]

[Luke]

After several more minutes of roaring laughter, Shugorei sighed in content and sat down on the opposite side of Toshiro. He placed his arms on the table and interlaced his fingers and rested his chin on them before staring intently at the shinigami. "So." he started, his voice filled with excitement.

"You needed something?"

Toshiro nodded slightly before shifting in his seat. "I do, actually." he replied. He placed his hands on the table and looked Shugorei right in the eyes. "I need to get stronger." he stated. He waited for a moment, attempting to get a reading of Shugorei's reaction--but it was still the wide eyed excitement as usual. Needless to say, he was fairly surprised when the zanpakuto spirit nodded vigorously with a grin.

"Of course you do!"

Toshiro raised an eyebrow.

Shugorei caught sight of this and chuckled slightly. "I'm just agreeing with you, silly! No need to look so offended!" he said. The spirit stared at Toshiro for a moment or two before a light bulb seemed to go off above his head. "Oh! You wanted to know how!" he cried out. Noticing the look on Toshiro's face, he continued a second later. "That's really up to you, Toshi-kun! You've got the will to go after it--but whether or not you take a step to the next level...well as I just stated, that's entirely up to you!"

Toshiro scratched the back of his head.

"I don't...."

"Understand?" Shugorei finished Toshiro's sentence for him, still looking as if this was the most exciting thing to happen all day (it probably was). "Well, I really don't know how to make it any more clear, to be honest!" he added--rubbing his chin. After a moment of silence, he raised a finger and shouted, "Aha!"

"Basically....the only way for you to get stronger is to train!"

Toshiro facepalmed.

"Well, I knew that! But I was wanting to train with you!" he said as he attempted not to shake the spirit. He watched as a smile slid onto Shugorei's features. "...well, I was wanting to play a game!" he said--his smile turning into a full on grin. Toshiro sighed inaudibly before he straightened up in his chair.

"What kind of game?"

Shugorei leaned forward in his seat with his eyes seeming to sparkle.

"Tell me, Toshiro! How good are you at Hide and Seek?"

Toshiro stared for what seemed like ages, wondering if Shugorei was serious. The look on his face hadn't changed one bit...so he was fairly certain that he was about to be apart of a game that he hadn't played in about two centuries. He tried not to sigh and put on a smile before shrugging slightly. "I wouldn't really know. I haven't played in such a long time..."

Shugorei clapped his hands together, looking excited.

"Oh goody! Close your eyes and count to a thousand and six...and then try and find me!"

"B-b-but I didn't say I was gonna do this!" he cried out. His eyes widened as Shugorei started to pout and caused him to cave. "Okay okay! I'll play...." Toshiro said before closing his eyes and starting to count. "One...two...three..." he called out in a faux happy tone.

For a good minute, he could hear laughter all through the room and the pitter patter of footsteps upon stone. Eventually it all died out as time went by and Toshiro grew closer to the end of his counting. "One thousand four...one thousand five..." he cried out, before standing up and taking a step or two away from the table and finally opened his eyes.

"One thousand and six--Ready or not...here I come!"

Toshiro looked around at the vast expanse that was the castle.

"...shit."

[/justify]

[Luke]

AN INNOCENT GAME...

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It was turning out to be quite the turn of events. Having agreed to play a game of hide and seek with Shugorei, Toshiro was about to become better acquainted with a large portion of the castle. He shifted his gaze from one end of the room to the other, looking for some sort of clue that would lead him to the spirit. After several moments of complete failure, Toshiro decided to just go for the more obvious method--checking every room.

With his eyes on the door at the far end of the room, he made his way over--his footsteps echoing throughout the area. "Did I hear a door shut?" he pondered out loud as he reached for the knob. He paused for a moment as his fingers touched the cold metal and with one fluid movement, he flung the door open and took a step forward...and almost off the edge of a cliff.

TURNS DEADLY!

"GYAAAAAA!"

Toshiro wobbled at the edge of death for a split second, staring down into the maw of oblivion. Sighing in relief, he wiped a bit of sweat off his brow and started to back away. Though, his eyes widened as he felt the floor crumble beneath his feet and caused him to slip forward off the edge. In his moment of desperation, Toshiro twisted around and grabbed at whatever he could.

Nearly shouting thanks as he gripped what little edge there was left, Toshiro managed to muscle himself up back onto the ledge and through the doorway. He remained motionless on the floor for quite some time, staring up at the ceiling. "...damn it." he cursed between breaths, wondering if this was Shugorei's idea of a joke.

He sighed. "It wouldn't surprise me."

Toshiro got to his feet about five minutes later, still reeling from his near death experience. He looked around the room again and wondered what other death traps had been placed for this little game. Glancing toward the stairs, he let out another sigh and resumed his search.

"Next stop...floor number two."

As he trudged up the stairs, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy--what could be waiting for him up here? He had already fell once...so what other hoops was he supposed to jump through? When Toshiro finally reached the top of the stairs, his eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding me..."

The room was huge, with an outrageous number of doors covering the walls. As an added bonus, underneath every door was a little welcome mat with smiley face. Toshiro gave one last sigh before stepping fully into the room. "Alright, Shugorei. You want to play?"

He walked toward the first door and put his hand on the knob.

"Then let's play."[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify]

[Luke]

Throwing open the door proved to be a mistake (why Toshiro hadn't realized this beforehand was just mind boggling). Eyes widened in surprise, he watched as a giant boxing glove sped forwards, threatening to knock him back to the 1800's. At the last possible second, he jumped backwards to avoid the knock out blow. Landing a about five meters away, he had no time to jump back a second time when he realized that the glove wasn't stopping there.

"Shit!"

As it grew closer, he did the only thing he could think of. Timing it perfectly, the moment the glove reached him he held out his arms and pushed up from the top of the glove, vaulting over it. He sighed in relief as the glove crashed into the wall and stayed there motionless. "...what the hell is Shugorei trying to do?" Making his way to the next door, he realized how futile this whole thing was. How was he supposed to find him out of all these doors?

"Not to mention, if I keep this up...I might not be as lucky as the last two times."

As much as he wanted to turn around and walk away, he knew that he couldn't. Shugorei was doing this for a reason and he had to put his trust in the spirit. Placing his hand on the next knob, he moved to the side and quickly opened the door. After waiting several seconds and hearing nothing, he peaked around the door to catch a glimpse of an empty room. Closing the door, he looked over at the next one...and with a sigh, he moved toward it.

"Two down....about a three hundred more to go."

[Several Near Death Experiences Later]

Toshiro's clothes were in tatters and he was bleeding from the corner of his mouth where he had been hit by a rather heavy ball. His heart racing, he knew that he was going to have to find Shugorei soon--Toshiro wouldn't be able to continue searching for much longer. "What is he trying to get me to do?" he asked himself as he took a seat on the ground. There had to be a trick to this! Surely Shugorei didn't expect the shinigami to search EVERY door!

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself down. In the back of his mind, he heard a small voice. "You know where I am." Toshiro's eyes popped back open as he looked from side to side. Had he really just heard that? Sitting there for quite some time, attempting to make sense of out what he had just heard. "I know?" he asked, looking confused.

And then it hit him. Shugorei was apart of Toshiro now...and Toshiro, even though he knew that, hadn't actually taken the time to fully grasp that concept. He knew exactly where he was the whole time--he had just been too stupid to see it. Standing up, he made his way over to a door in the corner of the room--where a voice seemed to be calling him.

Throwing open the door, Toshiro was attacked by a hug. "You found me!" the spirit cried out happily. "I was hoping that it wouldn't take you much longer! I was getting bored just sitting in this room!" he added, grinning from ear to ear. Looking utterly confused, Toshiro scratched the back of his head and stayed silent for a moment or two. "...so...I needed to learn to listen to you, then." he said.

"Exactly! You see! If you continue this way...there might just be hope for you yet!"

Toshiro smiled.

"That's a nice thought." he said.

"...so what's next for round two?"

[/justify]