Notes:
Gurenge (紅蓮牙) - "Red Lotus Fang"
joge buri (上下振り) - lit. "swinging up and down", the most basic kendo practice
bokuto (木刀) - lit. "wooden sword"
kanzashi (簪) - combs, pins and other hair ornaments, often of great variety and complexity, originally used in the Jomon period. Some say it was also a great place to hide a secret weapon.
shimada mage (島田髷) - a complex bun in several sections worn by Edo-period women, and still worn by geisha. There are a myriad of different styles, and even more types of kanzashi to wear in them.
Chapter One
Abarai Renji started his day every morning with fifty joge buri with his bokutō. After wiping down with a moist towel and washing his face, he would normally head for the sixth division. However, today was somewhat special, in that he would be accompanying Kuchiki Taichō on his annual perusal of Spiritual Arts Academy graduates. If there were any standouts, the captain would request them for his division. Unsurprisingly, this didn't happen often, and unlike other divisions, most recruits were forced on Kuchiki Taichō when he failed to accept the bare minimum each year.
But in this group of graduates, there was someone Byakuya had high expectations for. A noble of the Kadenokōji clan, which, like the Kuchiki and the Shihōin, was another of the four noble families. If this person failed to impress the choosy captain, Renji was in for a bad day. Unfortunately, they'd already heard quite a colorful mix of rumors about her. Other nobles had little to say, other than that she tended to smile too much for a noblewoman. But there had been one or two rumors, among the academy mostly, that there might be a discipline problem. For a noble, that was unthinkable, and depending on the scale of the problem, Renji predicted that Byakuya might well suffer some kind of fit. He just prayed this girl would have a tolerable amount of decorum.
After all living captains and lieutenants of the thirteen divisions gathered outside the academy gates, Renji and the other lieutenants followed their captains up some stairs to a balcony above the largest sparring arena, which lay just inside the walls of the academy. He went to stand beside and slightly behind Byakuya. There was an air of heaviness in the arena, absent of most of the usual chatter. This graduation ceremony was more important than most. The war with Aizen had left several important positions empty, and there were not enough experienced shinigami, even after including the Visored like Hirako, to fill those places. A skilled graduate might find a fast promotion waiting, if they impressed any of the captains today.
There was the usual mix of skilled and unskilled graduates that day, and a few that impressed Renji enough to want them in the division. But Byakuya remained stoically unmoved. After knowing him for so long, Renji could practically feel his annoyance building. Only a few graduates remained, and one of those was the one they had come here to see.
At that point, one of the instructors stepped to the center of the arena and gestured to his right. "Kadenokōji Seren. Step forward."
A tall girl stepped from the ranks. She gave a summary bow, but Renji's whole body tensed when her head rose and he saw her expression. She was smirking. Not smiling, not stoically trying to impress anyone. Smirking, like there was something vaguely funny going on. She glanced at the instructor, then to Renji's shock, she scratched the back of her neck absently. His mouth fell open.
Trying to stop himself from trembling with fear, he very hesitantly looked down at Kuchiki Taichō. The captain's eyes were a mask of anger. This woman, Kadenokōji Seren, was the fourth daughter of Kadenokōji Masatsugu, head of the Kadenokōji clan. Albeit she was his youngest child and therefore unlikely to ever head the clan herself, nor inherit much land or money, this was a noblewoman. Worse, a daughter of a family second only to the Kuchiki in terms of wealth, and perhaps third overall in terms of status. Having a single hair out of place was enough to cause shock. But more strange news awaited them.
Something rather odd was happening. The instructor was looking to his left and then his right with an expression that said he was between a rock and a hard place. Weirdly, though up until that moment every single person had seemed on tenterhooks and desperate to show off, no one seemed willing to look him in the eye as he searched for a sparring partner for this girl.
"Are there…any volunteers to spar with Kadenokōji-kun?" he asked after an awkward pause.
And yet no one would meet his gaze. Renji glanced at his captain. The nobleman raised a brow. Likely, he was thinking the same thing Renji was: either this girl was so hopelessly bad that fighting her would simply embarrass anyone who tried, or…the others were all afraid of her. Afraid? Renji questioned to himself, frowning as he observed her. She didn't look scary.
She had plain, dark hair and unusually tanned skin for a noble. Her face and build had a somewhat androgynous feel, more handsome than beautiful, with slightly drooping eyes that held an air of irony. Her only real identifying feature was a lacquered wood kanzashi which only held back some of her hair in the middle, brightly painted with lotus flowers, a symbol of the Kadenokōji. Something so valuable-looking didn't really suit her.
"What is the problem?" Byakuya asked coldly, and his tone sent shivers through every graduate present.
The instructor visibly shuddered. Quickly he answered, "Ah…well, Kadenokōji-kun's shikai is somewhat of a…"
"This child has attained shikai?" the Captain Commander interrupted.
"Y-yes, Sōtaichō-dono."
"Then by all means, we must see it." The old man turned in his seat to look over the captains and lieutenants present. Eventually, his eyes fell on the sixth division. "Kuchiki Byakuya."
Kuchiki calmly sat forward, intending to stand as instructed. However, an unexpected voice rose at that.
"Ah…no disrespect or anything." All eyes immediately rounded on the graduate in question, still standing like a vagabond with one hand resting on her zanpakutō's hilt and the other on the back of her neck. "Quite the contrary actually," she added with a chuckle. "I'm afraid a single bout with Kuchiki Byakuya's Senbonzakura would mean an early grave for me. I might stand a better chance with his lieutenant, though. I mean, if he's agreeable."
Byakuya's eyes narrowed. He stood in spite of her protests. "You presume I would use my full strength on an infant such as yourself?" he asked in an icy tone. Renji wasn't sure she was aware of this, but it was likely that her high birth was the only reason Byakuya was acknowledging her existence at all.
Kadenokōji blinked. Then she laughed, unknowingly driving Byakuya's anger to even higher pitch. "Sorry, that's not exactly what I meant, but…well, suffice it to say I'm pretty sure I would die. Whether you meant to kill me or not."
Byakuya's brows drew together in the slightest expression of uncertainty, still tinged with anger. He glanced back at Renji, then closed his eyes in irritation and returned to his seat. After a moment, "Renji," he said simply.
"Got it," Renji replied. He stepped lightly up to the railing of the balcony, then easily jumped down to the arena. He watched the girl with interest as he stepped up to face her, himself not un-fond of impetuous people. But he still had no idea what was going on, and decided to keep his guard up.
"Face your opponent. Bow," said the instructor, and Kadenokōji and Renji bowed to one another. The fact that she was still looking somewhat amused was disturbing, but he kept his wits about him and focused on reading her movements. "Begin!"
"All right. Time to impress me, kid. If you make me use my shikai, you win," Renji said, gaining a confident smirk.
A somewhat rueful expression graced her face at that. "I see. In that case, I'm afraid I already have the advantage, Abarai Fukutaichō. Though I suspect I'll still lose."
"What?" he muttered in mild irritation.
"If you don't mind then, I'll show you what I've got," she said, changing the subject with another smirk.
Renji met her smile with one of his own. He drew Zabimaru and took a watchful stance. "Bring it on, brat."
She nodded. Then, to his surprise, she closed her eyes. "Time to go. Satore, Gurenge."
Renji frowned. He didn't know what kanji that name might use, though he thought he recognized the word guren ("crimson"), but her command "satore" could only mean "attain enlightenment". Just what kind of shikai was this exactly?
As he watched, her sword began to glow a deep pink or perhaps faint red, the color of a red lotus flower. Slowly, a small, hooked blade seemed to blossom from near the tip. Then another, this one lower down. Three more such hooks grew, then the glowing faded, though the vulgar color remained. Her sword was now much the same shape as before, with the exception of these uneven hooks which seemed designed to grasp an opponent's sword. Just judging by the look of it, Renji had to say it didn't seem very impressive. But he reminded himself that there had to be a reason for her classmates' reaction, and put up his guard.
However, after producing her shikai, she remained still, watchful. He frowned. They stayed this way, simply watching one another and waiting, for almost a full minute. At length, she chuckled and tilted her head.
"Is something wrong, Fukutaichō?" she asked, smiling.
He sighed. "I don't attack girls first," he admitted.
Her smile faded abruptly. "Ah," she said, after a moment. "So you're a dick."
"A…what?"
She shook her head and gestured dismissively, even taking one hand off her sword to do so. Her lack of care was starting to piss him off. "Probably a discussion best left for another time. If you won't attack, I suppose I'll have to, though I have to say I'm much better at retreating." She chuckled again, looking as if she expected him to laugh too. He didn't.
Suddenly, her sword was bearing down on him. He definitely had to react fast to block it, but it wasn't captain-class speed. Not enough to account for the strange reaction to her. However, the moment their swords struck, two lotus petals fell from the place they touched. He glanced down at them, and almost missed a second strike from her sword.
But nothing special seemed to be happening. They parried a few more times, and each time more lotus petals fell. Soon they were walking on a blanket of crimson lotus petals.
Strangely, though Renji couldn't see why, Kadenokōji Seren's smile seemed to grow more and more excited the longer they fought. "You're amazing, Fukutaichō. Your spiritual power just keeps coming, doesn't it?"
He thought absently that that was an odd way to put it, but scoffed at her observation. "Kid, you have no idea. And I still see no need to use my shikai."
"Hm," she murmured, though he thought he saw a trace of sadness in her eyes. Then he was forced to parry another strike.
But gradually, something noticeable was happening. Two things, actually. Her strikes almost seemed to be getting faster. And stronger. Before he realized it, Renji was getting out of breath, though strangely, Kadenokōji looked more energetic than ever. Then things started to get very difficult for him.
She backed off at one point, gaining a strange stance that seemed more like dance than swordplay. He'd never seen anything like it. She raised her sword to point at him from a distance, then began a series of fluid movements that were difficult for him to follow. She seemed to move like water, soft and unpredictable, the light shimmering as it hit her sword or her kanzashi and deceiving his eye. He thought it was just an illusion, but suddenly he realized he had actually misjudged the distance of her sword. It got within his guard, and just barely brushed his shoulder, giving his shihakushō a miniscule slice.
They remained in this position, Renji panting and nearly frozen with shock, Seren's arm still extended in a lunge, for a tense moment. Sadly, she cast her eyes down. Then she retreated, and dissolved her shikai. Renji blinked at the action. She smiled at him, and sheathed her sword.
"I'm afraid the fight is over, Fukutaichō. And I have lost."
"What?" he hissed in rage, an anger that was fueled by the humiliation of the idea of a fresh graduate telling him something he didn't know.
"Child, what is the meaning of this?" asked the Captain Commander.
"Ah…well, I think those were the rules. I only win if the lieutenant uses his shikai," she said, and though she was smiling, her voice seemed much humbler than before. To Renji, she almost sounded ashamed.
"You haven't lost either, as far as I can see," replied Genryūsai.
She looked at the ground and scratched her neck again, showing definite signs of discomfort now. Reluctantly, she turned to Renji. "Hey. Sorry, I should have warned you. This…probably won't be much fun."
"What are you talking about?" he growled, still maintaining his stance, sword pointed at her.
"Abarai Fukutaichō," she said softly, so that only he could hear. "Please try to produce your shikai."
"Why?"
She met his eyes with a sad gaze. "It's the easiest way to show you what just happened."
Renji could hardly stop from trembling with rage. He had no idea what this brat was talking about, but he was ready to teach her a lesson. "Your funeral," he growled, and raised his sword. "Wake up, Zabimaru. Hoero."
A long, tense silence passed. Suddenly, up in the balcony, Kuchiki Byakuya got to his feet, staring intensely down at them. Renji's hands were shaking. He stared at Zabimaru. At its plain, flat edge. He tried. He could not produce his shikai.
"Zabimaru!" he shouted. "What are you doing in there? Hoero!"
But still, nothing happened.
"I'm afraid it will be a while before you can use it again," said Kadenokōji, softly.
"What is that supposed to mean?!"
"Renji," Byakuya's voice came from the stands. Renji glanced up at him, not doing well to hide his irritation at the distraction. But Byakuya's eyes were far more intense at that moment than he remembered seeing them for a long time. Eventually he said, "Are you lowering your spiritual energy intentionally?"
Renji's eyes went wide. In shock, he looked down at his own hands. He removed one from Zabimaru to stare at it. Though it was not easy to see his own spiritual energy, and that was not his forte anyway, he could feel it. It was not even half what it normally was. He hadn't even noticed as it was stolen from him.
"The flowers."
His head whipped up to stare at the girl before him. She met his gaze with a hint of guilt in hers, then pointed to the ground.
He followed her finger to look more closely at them. His mouth fell open. There it was. The spiritual energy she'd stolen from him, scattered all over the ground. He'd been stepping on it.
"My sword takes spiritual energy from anything it touches, and disperses it harmlessly into lotus petals. Not much use to me, but it doesn't take long to have a big effect on my opponent. Of course, it has to briefly pass through my body every time, so too much at once and I'd be in trouble. Hence, I'd rather not fight your captain." Renji was still frozen, staring at the flowers, and eventually back at Zabimaru. Kadenokōji's smile faded, and her gaze shifted away. "With your power, it shouldn't take long, Fukutaichō," Kadenokōji continued, softly. "Maybe a half an hour for your shikai, a couple of hours for your bankai, then you'll be all back to normal. And…again, I'm sorry."
Back in the balcony, Kuchiki Byakuya's eyes were wide as he watched them. Slowly, he regained his emotionless facade. He glanced to his superior. "Yamamoto Sōtaichō," he said. "I request this graduate join my division, at the rank of fifth seat."
Old man Genryūsai considered this for a moment. Then without a flicker of doubt he said, "Granted."
Renji was still struggling to cope with what had just happened, but when Byakuya ordered him to sheath his sword and return to the balcony, he obeyed. There were a few more graduates to see before the ceremony finished. Then the captains chatted for a while, dividing up the remainder evenly. A few minutes later, Byakuya deigned to come down so he could discuss something with the instructor, bringing Renji with him.
"I have seen that student's scores," Byakuya said, in his usual, intimidating bass. "Why is she not top of her class?"
The instructor flinched, obviously terrified of Byakuya. "Kuchiki-taichō, I don't mean to question your decision, certainly she has the skill, but I would rethink giving her a rank if I were you. Oh, by all means, take her in your division, but…"
"But what?"
"Well…" Another sigh. "I suppose she would have been top of her class. If she had attended classes. Or followed instructions. Or showed any signs of being interested in what we had to teach her."
"And she did none of these things?"
The instructor shook his head ruefully.
Byakuya closed his eyes in thought, and Renji could tell he was irritated again. "A discipline problem."
"I'm afraid so…"
He considered for a moment, then nodded. "We can handle that. Instruct her to gather her things and move to the sixth division barracks to await further orders."
"Yes, Kuchiki-dono."
Byakuya narrowed his eyes slightly in the tiniest show of irritation at the man's uncertainty at how to address him, then turned and gestured for Renji to follow him. As they walked, though Renji would normally have made conversation about the day's events, he found he was unable to focus on anything but Zabimaru. He could still barely hear him. He'd never in his life experienced a drop in spiritual energy that did no harm on his body. Physically he felt fine. It was only his soul that was weak. It felt like he'd been suddenly regressed back to childhood, that helpless time before he met Zabimaru and gained some control over his destiny.
Byakuya glanced at him as they walked. Then he returned his gaze forward. For a time, he said nothing. Eventually he asked, "You felt nothing as she took it from you?"
Renji's grip on Zabimaru tightened, his teeth clenching. "No, sir."
Byakuya thought for a moment. "And her swordplay?"
Renji shrugged. "Not bad. For a seated officer," he said with significance, causing Byakuya's eyes to widen. "Certainly too good to be a mere graduate," he added, almost under his breath. "Taichō, no offense, but this is bullshit. What rock did she crawl out from under?"
Byakuya closed his eyes again to consider. "A prodigy coming from a noble family without warning is not unheard of," he said, and Renji heard a little pride there. He resisted the urge to scoff. "At the same time, if discipline has been a consistent problem for her, I can certainly understand the instinct to keep her out of the public view."
"So? What's the plan?"
Byakuya sighed. "Teach her discipline, or find her a new division to work for."
Renji had to concur with that thinking. And so the sixth division began the next day with the bare minimum of new recruits as usual, plus one potentially big annoyance for its commanding officers.
...
A few days earlier, Kadenokōji Seren's life had been very different. Her eldest sister had forbidden her from staying in the dorms, like most students, so even her somewhat desperate move of becoming a shinigami did not bring her much freedom at first. She started each day, as she was instructed, by having breakfast with her family. For her, it was a daily reminder of her own powerlessness.
None of her friends from the academy, nor probably anyone she knew from the outside world, would recognize her during these times. She still wore her kanzashi, but inside the Kadenokōji home, all women wore a perfect shimada mage. She did not wear shihakusho, nor her normal lounge kimono that she wore during down time, but one of her many elaborate and expensive long-sleeved kimonos. It signified her status as the only unmarried daughter of the Kadenokōji, the rest of whom all wore short-sleeved (but still ridiculously expensive) kimonos.
Today her servant had selected a fashionable garment to match the season, a subtle yellow with a grass shoot design. As she ate, silently as always, she clasped one sleeve with perfect, practiced movements to keep it out of the way while she used her free hand to use chopsticks. Normally, no one in her family spoke during this time. But on this day, her father had some words for her.
"Seren," said the noble, a proud man of gray locks and perfect posture. His eyes were like hers, however, large and expressive, so she generally knew what he was thinking. He glanced up at her as she did at him. "I gather you will graduate from that school soon."
She very carefully kept her true emotions from her face as she produced a soft smile. Her father had never said its proper name since she joined the Spiritual Arts Academy. It was always "that school".
"Yes, Father," she said simply. Then she returned to her breakfast, secretly wanting to finish quickly and leave before he had a chance to say anything more.
Unfortunately, Masatsugu set down his chopsticks at that moment, and with graceful movements, folded his hands in his lap as he sat back in his chair. "Have you had any offers from captains?"
She kept the wince from her features, and merely adopted her usual, soft smile. "No, Father. Not that I know of."
"Hmph," he commented, proudly closing his eyes. "I can't imagine you expected anything different. That they would even accept someone so half-hearted is already more than I would have thought."
"Yes, Father," she said, somewhat amused at his attempts to dishearten her.
Her eldest sister, Sayuri, minimally lifted her gaze, and Seren prepared for something bad. In reality, Sayuri was the shadow king of the household. It was she who was generally the arbiter of all conversations during meal times (to make sure they were not taken up with idle chatter). The elegant woman put down her chopsticks and daintily patted her mouth with a napkin. Unlike Seren, in addition to the kimono and complex hairstyle, she also wore the perfect makeup and beautiful expressionless countenance of a noblewoman. It was just one of the reasons Seren was far more intimidated by her than by her father.
"Father," said Kadenokōji Sayuri, with her sweet, perfectly practiced voice. "If you recall, in the event that Seren is not accepted to any of the divisions immediately after graduation, she has agreed to accept your choice for a husband. Is that not so?"
Masatsugu nodded solemnly while Seren kept perfectly still for a moment, holding her chopsticks above her food. "Indeed. I have spoken with the Kuchiki. We are still discussing the dowry, but I am certain we will come to a satisfactory arrangement very soon."
If she had not had over two decades of practice at this dining table, Seren would have dropped her chopsticks in shock. "Father…" she murmured. He glared at her. She reflexively smiled, which was a defense mechanism of hers, but quickly erased it for fear of her sister catching her showing emotion. "Forgive me, did you say it was the Kuchiki you spoke with?"
Masatsugu's eyes narrowed. As always, he was automatically critical when his youngest daughter spoke up out of turn. In the Kadenokōji household, women – young ones in particular – needed a good reason to speak. "Yes," he said after a tense silence. "Your intended husband is Kuchiki Byakuya."
Seren's hand tightened on her chopsticks. Her sisters all looked disapprovingly at her for a moment, then continued eating as if nothing had happened. "Kuchiki…Byakuya?" she repeated.
"Yes," replied her father in challenging tone. "Are you displeased with my choice?"
Seren opened her mouth, but could find no words. She briefly thought she caught a smirk on Sayuri's face as the refined woman returned to her breakfast. "But…" Seren murmured, and the rest of the household all stared at her once again. She swallowed, but braved her fear of chastisement. "…as you say, that is only if I am not accepted…isn't that right?"
Masatsugu watched his daughter with cold eyes for a long few moments. Finally, he picked up his chopsticks again. "If you are accepted immediately, I will be very much surprised. But yes, if that happens, you will be free of the arrangement." Seren breathed a sigh of relief. With perhaps a hint of vindictiveness, her father added, "At least for another year."
Now, she did drop her chopsticks. They clattered against her tray and caused her other sisters to glance up in shock. "But…" she murmured.
"I am still speaking, Seren," growled the ancient noble, his spiritual energy flaring up and causing all four girls to flinch. He resettled himself in his seat, calmly. "Sayuri and I have been discussing it. Surely a year is enough time for you to play. While having a captain in the family would bring the equivalent honor of marrying well, someone like you even coming close to that rank is highly unlikely. And for anything less than that, your sister and I agreed that it was no place for you. A Kadenokōji woman knows her place." His cold eyes flicked up to her. "Is that not so, Seren?"
She could not manage to speak for almost a minute, and the dining room was in total silence. Finally, she produced her token, soft smile. She lowered her gaze. In a tone that was nothing like her own voice, and sounded strange even to her, she murmured, "Yes, Father."
So. She had been given one year. One year of freedom, then from her point of view, her life would end. She certainly wasn't about to waste it following orders.