Welcome to Gaia! ::

Where those with high amounts of spirit energy train and learn the ways of the Shinigami in hopes of joining one of the squads of the Gotei 13. Founded by Commander General Yamamoto following the end of the Great Hollow War.

Soen had been sitting in his office munching on some spicy curry and rice when suddenly he felt the presence of a certain student wandering the halls. He set down his snack and looked through the files that he had received earlier that day. It seemed as though there was one student in particular that the academy had decided to assign to Soen's instruction personally. He was teaching a class on transitioning from zanjutsu to hand to hand combat under extreme conditions, but they decided to discontinue that course just so that Soen's schedule would open up. After a few moments of shuffling through papers he finally came to Iosuke's personal records. He read through them briefly, looked at the picture of the black haired student, and re-read the outlined section that sated that this particular student was quite powerful but had no control over that power and thus would be a distraction for the other students.

A grin appeared on Soen's face as he stood up from his desk. "A student like that shouldn't be too hard to find..." He said to himself as he set the file down and headed out of his office, closing the door behind him as he did so. He sauntered down the hallway, greeting former students of his and faculty as he passed by them. His eyes focused on the spiritual form of Iosuke. Even though he could not see him from where he walked, he could feel his spiritual pressure so clearly that it was as if he had x-ray vision and could see through the several walls that stood between them perfectly. Quickly he made his way toward the student and finally he caught up to him.

"Why so sad?" Asked the teacher in a dark voice, "Don't tell me that the other kids are picking on you."

"Very good to meet you, San-san," Soen replied, instantly giving the student a short nickname. It would be very easy to remember until he finally learned the full name to perfect memory. "I am Instructor Soen Sukkiri. If you follow me I can direct you to your first class. It's just this way." He motioned for Sanozuke to follow and began to lead the way down the hallway. He lead him out into a rather open area that was clearly not a classroom of any kind. There were no other students or teachers around, only an open grassland with plenty of rocks and a stream flowing through it. On the edge of the grassland sat a forest that would become dense the farther you venture into it. He made his way out into the field and sat down on a large rock, waiting for the student to follow.

"Welcome to your first day of class, Sanozuke. You may call me Soen-sensei. I don't like the name Sukkiri-sensei, so just use my first name. So tell me... the others don't like to be around you because you make them sick, right? It's not like you're ugly or smell bad, but your power is enough to drop them to their knees, right? Well, I've been assigned to change that."

"First of all, don't bring your books to class. I'll assign readings for you to do. You won't be tested on those readings, but know that they are for your benefit to read and if you don't do it, well then it's your loss. Concepts learned from the reading will be of great use to you in class and in your role as a shinigami in the future. Class out here will be more of a hands on course." Soen paused for a moment as he was pacing back and forth as he was speaking. He knew that pacing could make some students feel a bit uneasy and he didn't know how San would react.

"Okay, so let me get to the reasoning on why it is you and only you here." He began again, "Your power has been noticed as being of use when controllable, but a danger to yourself and others if left for too long. They picked me to teach you because I one was part of the Stealth Force portion of the Special Forces. As a leader in that division I was required to learn complete control over my own reiatsu. If you would notice, you probably can't even feel my presence here other than by sight and sound. Most shinigami can reduce their reiatsu to low levels, but it takes a special talent of concentration and control to make it drop to zero. That's my plan for you. But before we even think about that we have to go over the basics. Take hold of your sword."

Soen smiled. The student seemed a bit uneasy about the training he would be receiving, but Soen would not take no for an answer. Once Sanozuke drew his blade he followed suit. His left hand drifted down and slid the blade out from behind his back slowly, holding it so that the tsuba sat snugly against the outside edge of his hand. He brought his zanpakuto in front of him and slid his right foot back a little. "We are not going to fight just yet. I want you to come at me. Swing your blade as close as you can to me and stop it without touching me or my sword. The closer you get to hitting me and halting your attack, the more control you display. Once you can show me good control over your sword we will move on to the next lesson."

"You're trying too hard. Watch me." Soen said as he dug his feet into the ground a little more before dashing forward. He made a horizontal slash for Sanozuke's neck, but stopped himself not more than an inch away from slicing a horrible wound into the student's throat. He backed off and began again, "You see, you're putting a lot of strength, both physically and spiritually into each strike, but you aren't putting enough mental strength into it. I don't expect you to master this technique in one session, but you will need to practice the mental focus of simply stopping your blade mid-strike before you can gain control of your reiatsu, let alone learn the name of your Zanpakuto. Try again. But instead of just rushing in for an attack close your eyes, take a deep breath, and picture my form in front of you. Once you can clearly see me without actually looking at me with your eyes open them and make your attack. Picture yourself locking blades with me, but stop just before it actually happens. Go."

Soen nodded as Sanozuke tried his hardest each time. "Better. Much better than before. Sheathe your sword now. Take a seat across from me." Soen found a nice spot with plenty of grass to sit on. He slid his sword back into its sheath and then pulled it from its place behind his back. He then brought it in front of his chest and placed it so that the tip of the sheath rested on the ground while the hilt stood in the air. "Next we're going to try to speak with our Zanpakuto spirits. There are many ways that you can try this, but I feel that this is the most effective way. I generally like to close my eyes and focus on feeling the spirit within my sword. Try it. Listen first, then visualize. Most people can hear its voice before they can see it, but it may be different for you. Give it a shot."

Kaimi walked along the building, ears twitching here and there. She would be in class, but all the beginner teachers had kicked her out. She knew as to why, but the fact that they actually did had upset her. She was told of another class, and was headed that way. The person said it was an unusual class, seing as how it was the one teacher and student, not to mention outdoors.

She stopped and looked around, sniffing the air, and hearing what she could. She followed along her path, and soon came to a garden. She watched the two sitting there, and decided to keep quiet. Her tail twitched a little behind her, seeing the student appear as if trying to contact his Zanpakuto.