Bleach: Gazing Mirage

He sighed deeply, still chewing on his thumbnail as the plan formed. He’d have to be more careful than ever. Moving forward, everything move he would make would need to be perfectly thought out. He couldn’t afford any more mistakes, not in such a dangerous situation.

 

Yuichi finally stopped chewing his nail and sat up, calming himself. He gently picked up Miel, holding her close. “Miel,” he whispered. “Things have become much more dangerous than before. I need you to get stronger, or we’ll both die before we even understand how.”

 

Miel looked up at him, her eyes full of fear and nervousness. She gave a small nod perhaps due to fear, and Yuichi felt a headache at this fearful hollow. Whatever Urahara sealed her inside must have been traumatizing for her but Yuichi didn’t know how to help her.

 

For now, he decided to keep Miel with him but with precautions. She would stay hidden during the day, in his dorm where he would cloak her with his self-made kido Bakudō Kakushi Kekkai. Now they could only train together at night hidden in the underground training ground, refining her abilities while Yuichi honed his own skills.

 

Deciding that he needed a very large carrot to motivate Miel in order for her to overcome her own fear. Yuichi soundproof barrier kido sealing off all sound in his room.

 

“Miel listen I promised to make you stronger right?” Miel nodded to this question so Yuichi continued. “If you follow me and listen to what I say then I’ll make you the lord of Heuco Mundo.”

 

Yuichi’s words hung in the air, a promise that seemed impossible but held the weight of a binding oath. Miel’s eyes widened in disbelief. The lord of Hueco Mundo? For a hollow like her, who had lived in fear and darkness, the idea was unimaginable. But Yuichi's tone was serious, his gaze unwavering, and she could sense the determination behind his words.

 

“I’m not joking, Miel,” Yuichi said, his voice firm but gentle. “I know it sounds impossible, but I’ve seen the potential in you. If we work together, if you grow stronger, then I can help you achieve strength greater than even Captain-class Soul Reapers. And I will help you every step of the way. I promise.”

 

Miel trembled slightly in his arms, still overwhelmed by the magnitude of his promise. But there was a spark of something else—a desire for power. She had never dreamed of power or ambition; she had only wanted to survive, to escape the torment she had endured. But now, Yuichi was offering her something more, something beyond mere survival.

 

“But… how?” Miel’s voice was small, hesitant, as she finally spoke. “I’m not strong… I don’t know how to become stronger…”

 

Yuichi smiled faintly, relieved that she was engaging with him instead of retreating into fear. “We’ll start small,” he explained. “I’ll show you a technique I developed thinking of you. I want you to train every night, down in the underground chamber. It’ll be painful but if you can endure then you’ll be a new you. But you have to trust me, Miel. You have to trust and do everything I let you. The first thing is to submit to me completely not because of fear but a bond where we live and die together.”

 

Yuichi’s words were heavy with resolve, a resolve that cut through the fear that had gripped Miel since the days spent at Urahara’s house. She could sense the sincerity in his voice, she knew he believed it but could he really do it? This was not a promise made lightly, nor one that could be easily broken.

 

For a moment, Miel was silent, her mind racing with many thoughts. The idea of becoming the lord of Hueco Mundo was beyond anything she had ever imagined. It was a position of unimaginable power, far beyond the reach of most Vasto Lorde much less a small hollow like her. Yet, here was Yuichi, promising to help her achieve it. Could she trust him? Could she trust herself to rise to such heights?

 

The look of conviction she saw from Yuichi sparked something within her. It was a small flame, fragile and uncertain, but it was there. A desire for power, a longing to be more than just a frightened hollow hiding in the shadows.

 

“Okay,” Miel whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and newfound courage. “I’ll… I’ll do it. I’ll follow you, Lord Yuichi. I’ll trust you. I’ll obey you and place my life wholeheartedly in your hands. If you tell me to do something I shall do so without question.”

 

“Good, we’ll start tonight,” Yuichi said, his voice steady. “We’ll go to the underground chamber, and I’ll show you the technique I’ve been working on. It won’t be easy, but I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

 

Miel nodded, her fear still present but tempered by the trust she was placing in Yuichi. As Yuichi held Miel close, he couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of concern. His future was now tied to hers. She needed to become stronger, at the very least enough to fight a captain meaning she needed to become an Adjuchas. However, since they were inside Soul Society that would obviously be impossible to achieve. So he needed to lay the ground work in the years befe Aizen forces Urahara to flee the Soul Society.

 

He would train Meil in the art of turning her reishi body into a denser subtain. Hollows naturally do so as they evolve but becoming a Gillian while keeping one’s individuality was rare. However, if Miel was denser than the other hollow once the feeding frenzy began Yuichi hypothesized that he would become the core personally of the Gillian. S Yuichi would make her focus on making her soul as dense as possible.

 

As the sun began to set, Yuichi prepared himself for the night. Taking a mediating posture Yuichi used his Ash Mirage kido to create an illusory mirage of himself while turning invisible to the naked eye. He checked the seals of the Bakudō Kakushi Kekkai, ensuring that no one would be able to sense that the meditating Yuichi was fake. The underground chamber awaited them.

 

When the time was right, Yuichi left the dorm and brought Miel to the chamber. The walls that looked like the sky were lined with barriers to dampen any spiritual energy that might leak out.

 

“Are you ready?” Yuichi asked, his voice calm but firm.

 

Miel hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Yes… I’m ready.”

 

Yuichi carefully explained the principle of the technique to Miel, understanding that she needed to grasp the complexities if she were to succeed. He began by reminding her of the "Reiki Shuusoku," a technique he had taught her before, which involved expelling her reiryoku from her body to mix with the ambient reishi in the air. Once the mixture was achieved, the combined energy was drawn back into the body, aiding in both swift recovery and the gradual expansion of one's reiryoku reserves.

 

"This technique," Yuichi started, "isn't just about regaining reiryoku. It’s a method to push your limits, to expand your capacity to hold reiryoku over time. But now, we need to take it a step further."

 

Miel listened intently, her eyes wide with concentration. This was her chance to grow stronger, and she couldn’t afford to miss a single detail.

 

Yuichi continued, "While you’re mixing your own reiryoku with the ambient reishi, there’s an additional step. You need to manually convert that reishi into reiryoku before your body absorbs it. This is the crucial part."

 

Miel furrowed her brow, trying to grasp the concept. “But… turning reishi into reiryoku outside the body? Isn’t that… impossible?”

 

“It’s not impossible,” Yuichi reassured her, “but it is incredibly difficult. Normally, our bodies do this conversion naturally when we absorb reishi, but only after it’s inside us. What I’m asking you to do is to force this conversion to happen externally. The challenge is that you have a very short window to make it happen before your body tries to absorb the reishi.”

 

Miel nodded slowly, the weight of the task beginning to settle on her. The difficulty was clear—it wasn’t just about manipulating energy but doing so with precision and speed that went against the natural order.

 

“You’ll need to focus on maintaining a delicate balance,” Yuichi explained further. “Too slow, and your body won’t be able to absorb the reiryoku. Too fast, and you’ll lose control of the process entirely. But if you can master this, Miel, you’ll not only increase your reiryoku capacity but also enhance the quality of your energy.”

 

Yuichi had come up with this technique for Miel because as a hollow her body naturally tempered her reiryoku as she ate souls. Reiki Shuusoku was used to feed her but if her meal became reiryoku then her body would automatically start strengthening her soul unlike him who had to manually do every step. Honestly Yuichi was jealous of hollows.

 

“We’ll start slowly,” Yuichi said gently, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “I’ll guide you through each step, and we’ll repeat the process until it becomes second nature. Remember, this isn’t just about getting stronger quickly. It’s about building a solid foundation so that your strength continues to grow.”

 

Miel took a deep breath and nodded, the fear in her eyes giving way to resolve. “I’ll do it, Yuichi. I’ll master this technique.”

 

Yuichi smiled, feeling a surge of pride in her. “Good. Let’s begin.”

 

He led her through the first steps, having her expel her reiryoku and mix it with the reishi in the air. The familiar process came easily enough to Miel, but when it came time to perform the conversion outside her body, she struggled. The energy would dissipate, or she would accidentally reabsorb it before it had fully converted, causing a painful backlash. This caused damage to her body which Yuichi attempted to heal with his kaid ō.

 

But Yuichi was patient. He corrected her mistakes, guiding her through each attempt with calm precision. Each time, Miel’s use of the technique grew a little more controlled. The process was exhausting, and she stumbled more than once.

 

Hours passed in the underground chamber as they repeated the technique over and over. Miel’s progress was slow, but it was there. Each attempt was a little more successful than the last. Her reiryoku was becoming more refined, and her control over the conversion process was more exact.

 

By the time they finally stopped, the chamber was filled with the faint glow of their combined energy. Miel was exhausted, her body trembling with the effort, but there was a spark in her eyes that hadn’t been there before.

 

“You did well,” Yuichi said, his voice filled with pride. “You’re getting stronger, Miel. I can see it.”

 

Miel looked up at him, a tired but grateful smile on her face. “Thank you, Lord Yuichi. I… I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you.”

 

Yuichi shook his head. “You’ll stay here and continue this training every night until you’ve mastered it. I won’t be able to come here every day but no one should bother you like before so stay and continue this training.”

 

Miel nodded, “Yes, I understand. I’ll keep going, Yuichi. I’ll keep getting stronger.”