I - Graduation

A bead of sweat began to slowly trickle down the side of Shizuka's face as she held the letter in her hands. The seal of the Shinō Academy was printed on the envelope. She knew exactly what was inside. She had been training to become a Shinigami and now she would finally find out if she was good enough. Sitting down at a table in her father's house, Shizuka placed the envelope down for a second before running both her hands through her luscious green hair. She began tying it into a pony-tail.

"Geez. You really must be nervous. You hate pony-tails!" A voice came from the doorway. Shizuka's father, Keisuke Baisotei, was a fairly burly figure but his voice contained nothing but comfort. He laughed casually before continuing. "Come on Shizuka, you know you as well as I do that you've passed. You even got to train with an ex-Captain." He smiled at his daughter lovingly and then made his way into the next room, sipping his morning cup of coffee.

Shizuka nodded confidently and changed her hair back to it's normal style. Her auburn eyes were determined now. Without any further hesitation, she ripped open the enveloped as her eyes scanned quickly through the letter. A few seconds later and her eyes widened as she tried to hold tears back.

"I'm so proud of you sweetie."

Shizuka jumped slightly to turn around and see her father again. She wondered how he got there so quick but soon forgot about it and gave him a hug. She closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to show too much emotion. She let go and wiped her face with the back of her hand quickly.

"Well, aren't you gonna say something?" Her dad smiled and gestured his hand out. His hazel eyes were so kind, Shizuka tried not to look into them. "Not even a 'Woo!' or a 'Yippee!'? Haha!" He joked, causing a wry smile to appear on Shizuka's face. But only for a second, as she had something to say.

"Do you...do you think Mom would be proud of me?" She bowed her head, she wasn't sure whether this was an apologetic bow or simply a way to hide her tears. Her dad walked over before kneeling down in front of her. He placed two of his fingers under Shizuka's chin and raised her head slowly. He wiped her eyes with his other hand and smiled.

"Your mother is proud of you. She always will be." He wiped Shizuka's hair to the side of her face. "She just wants you to be happy. So don't cry sweetie. Smile, like she would want you to." Her dad gave her another hug before giving Shizuka some space and leaving the room.

Shizuka clenched the letter in her right hand and looked across the room. She stared at a picture which sat on the mantlepiece.

"I did it Mom...I did it."

The graduation ceremony was glorious and extravagent. Decorations lay everywhere and confetti filled the skies. There was only one part of the day that Shizuka looked forward to though. Squad Designation. Today she would find out which of the 13 Court Guard Squads she would be placed into. The names were called out in alphabetical order so, luckily, she didn't have to wait too long.

"Baisotei, Shizuka?" The moderator's voice bellowed out, he didn't look like a very high ranking Shinigami. Shizuka stepped forward, almost silent with her footsteps. The Shinigami held his arms out in an unsure manner. "Well? Are you Baisotei?" Shizuka didn't answer, she simply nodded and kept her head low. "Humph, not much of a talker huh? Not sure we have a Squad for people who are unable to talk." As the Shinigami carried on talking, Shizuka grew impatient. She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. She wasn't even listening to him anymore, it was just noise coming out of his mouth. "And another thing! You-" He was interrupted as Shizuka snatched the papers from his hand and walked off. "Hey! Get back here! Pfft, you won't last even a week!"

She had caused a scene and most of the other students and Shinigami present had watched what had just happened. Shizuka found somewhere quiet and secluded to sit so she could read in peace. She smiled when she saw she had been placed into Squad 2. This Squad was closely linked to The Onmitsukidō, another faction which she hoped to make her way in to. Her dad wandered over, he thought it was best to leave Shizuka alone for a bit after what happened earlier. He decided not to mention it.

"So, which squad are you in?" He put his hand out, asking for the papers. Shizuka handed them over whilst answering.

"Squad 2. The Stealth Operations Squad." There was a hint of joy in her voice as she smiled at her dad.

"Hey! A smile! That's what I like to see! And Squad 2 was the one you wanted right?" He said as he handed back the papers. "I guess she really stayed true to her word..." He said in a quiter tone as he looked away slightly.

"Huh? What was that?" Shizuka asked.

"Oh, erm. Nothing. I'm just so happy for you." He placed his right hand on the back of his head and laughed. "I guess you should make your way to your barracks then. Don't forget to visit me, 'kay?"

"I'll visit once a week." Shizuka really didn't like the idea of moving out of her father's house but she stayed strong. She didn't want her father to worry too much. "I gotta get going Dad." They hugged before both going their separate ways.

The Squad 2 barracks looked very posh and fancy to Shizuka. The idea of living here was beginning to grow on her. The gates to the main accommodation building were huge and looked very heavy. They opened as she approached and she was greeted by a Shinigami. His clothes were different to the Shinigami she had the incident with earlier.

"Welcome to Squad 2. I'm Lieutenant Marechiyo Ōmaeda. Come on in and meet your other squad members!" He closed the door behind her.

It was clear who were new, recent additions to the squad. They were all excited and talking to each other in anticipation. Shizuka didn't really recognise any of them though, she only spoke to a few people whilst in the academy. She walked through the crowds of people and sat down on a small bench in the corner. The room became much quieter and she could hear what the odd voices were saying among the gasps of others.

"It's her..."

"She was the one from earlier!"

"It's the silent Shinigami!"

Shizuka tried to ignore them. She was well aware that they were talking about her but she didn't want to think about it. The volume level in the room began to rise again as everyone became settled again. Shizuka rested her chin on her first and let out a disgruntled sigh. Then she noticed a person standing before her. She looked like a new graduate from the academy too, she had pretty short, blonde hair with candy pink bangs framing her face. Her eyes were a steel gray and they looked large and childish.

"H-Hi. You're new too right? M-my name is Ikeda, Akio Ikeda." Her voice was soft and petite, it matched her body shape perfectly. "What's your name?"

Shizuka wasn't used to people approaching her. She certainly wasn't expecting anyone to after hearing what they were saying moments ago. She was a reserved character but she still liked to have a few friends. Shizuka figured this girl might be her only chance at making any.

"Baisotei. I'm Shizuka Baisotei."

"Great! Nice to meet you! Mind if I sit here?" Akio had completely changed. Suddenly she was energetic and loud. Shizuka sat almost in disbelief. Why was this girl so nervous before? Am I really that intimidating? Shizuka was about to ask her these questions but she didn't get the chance as a new figure stood before them. It was another woman, with black hair and much different clothing to what Shizuka had seen so far today.

"I'm Captain of Squad 2 and Commander of The Onmitsukidō" Her voice was stern and unforgiving.

Akio fell to her knees and bowed her head. "It's an honour to meet you, Captain!"

Shizuka wasn't too sure how to react. She didn't know if she was supposed to do the same as her new friend. Her Captain continued before she could decide what to do.

"I see you two have become acquainted with each other. Good. Tomorrow you two will go out on your first mission as Squad 2 Shinigami. Oh, and believe me. I won't make it easy."

Shizuka was left speechless as her Captain walked on.