"Hiyaka-chan!" I called over, boastful pride dripping from my voice. "You know I know all of the Bakudo kido, you were asking for that one."
"Urusai!" She sat up sharply, and I could see a temple throbbing. "Don't use that arrogant tone on me, Shikuma! Don't think I'm done yet!"
"Well even if your not done, I am. I'm bored. You bored me. Your boring, Hiyaka-chan." I cast her a look of impatience as I went over and grabbed her hand to help her up.
"Fine, I guess we'll be done for tod-AYYYYY!!!" She finished with a scream as I swung her by the arm over my head and tossed her back down to the ground. I burst out laughing, but before she could retalliate, I took off sprinting out of the training grounds, and shouted over my shoulder, "You gotta admit, Hiyaka, I got you that time!" I chortled with laughter as I ran, even when I sensed her reiatsu come barreling towards me. I only stopped to catch her kick that she sent towards my back. I turned around to face her with a grin plastered to my face.
"I can't believe I fell for that, but I had it coming. Anyway, shouldn't we practice some zanjutsu? I mean, you haven't practest zanjutsu with me in over 5 months." I frowned and scratched my head.
"Really? It's been that long?"
"You sure are good at playing dumb, Shikuma."
"I'm not playing dumb, I am dumb! See, nothing there!" I tapped my head for emphasis, and she rolled her eyes.
"Which totally explains why you've already graduated from the acadamy. I know somethings up, so you might as well tell me." She popped her hip in an impatient manner as she slung her zanpakuto over her shoulder. I stared blankly at her sharp features for a moment before saying non-chalantly, "I don't know what your talking about, Hiyaka-chan."
"Abazureon'na," I hissed under my breath, hating the fact Hiyaka was a keen observer. Also hating the fact that she was my best friend, and I felt guilty about keeping this from her. "Alright, already. I'll tell you, but you have to promise to keep it to yourself and only yourself!" I glanced around warily before rushing over to her and whispering in her ear the secret.
"NANI?! YOU MASTERED YOUR BANKAI?!" She screeched at the top of her lungs. Her expression changed from impatient to shocked to pride back to impatient as I slammed the palm of my hand against her mouth, and all that switching happened faster than a mortal's stop light.
"Shhhhhh!!" I hissed in her ear. But it was too late, people were already looking out of buildings at us. I glanced up at all of them for a moment or two as I gulped before laughing nervously and ushering Hiyaka down the road away from their eyes. "Heheheh, Just ignore my friend! Acadamy exams are getting to her, making her crazy in the mind!" I heard countless huffs of irritation as they realized it was all a hoax before going back into their designated buildings. When we were far away from that spot and I was sure no one was listening, I removed my hand slowly, casting her a gaze that warned if she opened her mouth again, I muffle her speech, I'd most likely suffocate her.
"What were you thinking! When I mean tell no one, I definitly mean don't freaking scream it out to the world, ahou!" I bellowed. She folded her arms crossly, pointing her nose upwards rather snootily.
"Who's the one screaming now." She muttered. My eye twitched and I masaged my temples, calming myself. "Besides, can you blame me? Hearing you-" I shot her a glare and she instantly corrected herself. "Hearing news like that, is difficult to react calmly too. I mean, it was a shock when you graduated last year, but this is kind of the shocker of all shocks."
"Yeah, well, I want you to keep your mouth shut about it, because at the moment I don't want the world to know."
"But why not, you've always talked about how much you want to become a Captain, in fact you've never shut up about it. If the other captains knew you'd be able to get Captain almost instantly."
"Yeah, I talked about it all the time because I thought I'd become one when I'm older. I mean, not that I wouldn't mind being a Captain now, it's just that I don't want to be lumped in the same category as the midget Toshirou." Hiyaka gasped, and I turned to face her, an innocent look on my face.
"It's not disrespect if it's-"
"If it's what?" A familiar voice said from behind me. I jumped and then cringed because I knew just exactly who it was. I turned around slowly on my heel, and put on a sheepish grin.
"A-anou, it's not disrespect, if it's um...if it's..." I paused trying to think of something. "If it's said about your younger brother, who has the name of Toshirou!" I said quickly. He slid a hand down his face before folding his arms.
"Your pathetic..." He trailed off through gritted teeth.
"Shikuma!" I finished for him cheerfully.
"Who supplies they're own name for an insult directed at them?"
"Me." I said as though I couldn't fathom why others wouldn't do the same. Before he could clench his fists in frustration, I started to say something I hoped he'd agree with. "So, anou...Why are you here, Toshi-" My mouth was covered by Hiyaka's this time, and she finished for me.
"What are you doing here, so far away from you're squads building, Hitsugaya-taicho."
"Someone heard a loud squeal about someone mastering a bankai. I just happened to be the nearest one next to the reports." He said, more than slightly disgruntled. Hiyaka released me as she fidgeded for a desperate lie to convince him the squeal wasn't hers.
"Well, anyway, I'm suprised. That event happened about 10 minutes ago, and here in the Seireitei, I figured a Captain could be here in less than a half a minute. What's with the delay, taicho?" I sneered, putting extra emphasis on the word taicho to question his ranking. I could tell by the look on Toshirou's face that he was seriously considdering punching me in the jaw. But the expression didn't phase me, and I watched him inquisitively as he pulled out his soul pager and glanced at it.
"I was in the middle of a training session, so I had to finish it before I came." Hmm, he hadn't said anything about my reiatsu, but I wasn't going to be foolish enough to think that he hadn't noticed. He was a captain afterall.
"Well, you might want to explain why your here, Toushirou-kohai, because I thought it was highly unusual for captains to go off duty to talk to a couple of kids who aren't even seated officers in the Gotei 13. So there must be some important reason you're here, ne?" At first I saw his temple throb at the incredibly rude use of honorifics, but then I saw his eyebrows rise as he listened to my flawless logic.
"Aa, I'm here to ask, did one of you really master Bankai?" He glanced at my zanpakuto, and Hiyaka's wooden one.
"No," I said quickly, while Hiyaka said Yes at the same time. We glanced each other, and my gaze warned her not to say anything, but she ignored the warning and continued on before I could stop her. "Yeah, Shikuma did." I pinched the bridge of my nose, and flicked her off behind my back so Toshirou couldn't see it. Both of his eyebrows were arched perfectly and I couldn't help but wonder if he plucked his eyebrows.
"Did you really, or is this just a waste of my time?"
"Well, I'm guessing if I say no, you won't believe me anyway. So, yes, I do have my bankai mastered."
"Then I'm afraid I will have to ask you to show it to Yamamoto-taicho."
"I will not use my zanpakuto unless there is a decent reason for it, and sorry, but this isn't a decent reason, gaki."
"I could still take you to him for disrespecting a captain." He snarled. "Wouldn't you rather go there to possibly become a captain, versus getting punished?"
"True, I would rather be there for the former, but I've said it before and I'll say it again. No, I will not go with you to show my bankai."
"Then I guess I have no choice."
"No choice for what?" I asked suspiciously. I turned to Hiyaka and said. "Hiyaka, go home, I'll catch up with you later, I promise." She glanced between me and Toshirou, and understanding the circumstances turned around and started running back towards her house. We both watched her leave, before he advanced. He took a flash step towards me but I easily sidestepped it.
"How could you have done that if your not even in the top 50 of your squad?" He asked in disbelief. I shrugged.
"Listen, if your going to attempt to force me to go with you, can you make your efforts quick, I have more important things to do." He glared at me before taking another flash step towards me, quicker this time. He had pulled out his sword during this, and I was able to block it with my own.
"Now that your friend's gone, I want to know where is your reiatsu? I couldn't sense it, and it wasn't detected on my soul pager." I didn't bother answering, and instead released a large blast of my reiatsu, and his eyes widened. He tried to back away but his movements were slow and heavy and I knew the force of my reiatsu was weighing him down.
"Taicho!" A females voice suddenly shouted, and I glanced up to see his big busted lieutenant. I stopped the flow of my reiatsu, and turned around.
"Relax. He's okay. I was just leaving anyway." I told her, before starting to walk away. But after a step, I sensed Toshirou coming towards me in a flash again, and I spun around quickly and gripped his sword. He gasped and I let go.
"Alright already! I'm not in a mood for this. How 'bout I go along, and we'll see what happens from there, Toshirou-chan." I heard a muffled snorting sound and I turned to face Rangiku-san, who was trying to stifle her laughter. Toshirou whipped his head to the side, casting her a glare out of the corner of his eye. She seemed unphased, in fact she actually laughed harder.
"This girl called you Toshirou-chan! And I can't even get away with calling you Toshirou-taicho!" He ignored her, and opened his soul pager, dialing a number at incredible speed. I listened to the end of his conversation in fascination.
"Hai, it's me Hitsugaya. I found the source of the commotion downtown. I thought you might like to see her." There was a pause, and I waited in anticipation. When he finally spoke again, he said, "Hai." And with that he closed the phone.
"So I'm going to go see the Commander-taicho?"
"Aa. Follow us."
I observed the building and realized it was kind of low tech for the first squad building, but said nothing, for I was still intrigued none the less. I closed my eyes and felt for the prescence of other reiatsu in the building besides mine, Toshirou's, and Rangiku-san's. I sensed a few minor ones, and then I felt 4 incredibly strong ones in the room next to us. Rangiku-san slid open the door that led into the said room, and they walked through first. I followed cautiously until I saw the Commander-taicho on the farside of the room, for that was where they made me stop. I stood directly in front of him, with 3 other captains surrounding us plus Toshirou. Shunsei-taicho of squad 8 was there, as were Byakuya Kuchiki and Zuraki Kempachi.
"Who is this child, and is it true of the bankai rumor?" Byakuya asked, his face remaining impassive.
"This is Shikuma Owasai, and that is what we are here to find out." The commander's voice was raspy, deep, and forceful, but it still had a mildly calming effect.
"Commander-taicho, with all due respect, you will have a hard time getting her to do so. She's stubborn and I went through hell just trying to get her here."
"I wouldn't say I put him through hell..." I trailed off. "But anyway, do I need to fight one of you?"
"Not necessarily. Unless you wish to fight someone. You only have to show us you're shikai and bankai." I pondered this for a moment, before nodding once and stepping back. I pulled out my zanpakuto from it's sheath on my back and swung it in a half arc so it was straight in front of me.
"Maiagaru, Kohakutaka." I muttered. I watched as the familiar process took place and the blade transformed from metal to amber colored feathers that drifted around lazily until I directed them with the hilt of my sword or my hands. I began moving both expertly controlling them into two separate waves before slamming them into a nearby pillar. It instantly turned into crystallized Amber. Another feather touched it and it shattered. I waited until all feathers returned to the hilt and transformed back to metal, before releasing some of my reiatsu into it to activate the next stage.
"Maiagaru, Inazuma Kohakutaka." I muttered once more, and the room was suddenly illuminated with the glow of my bright purple reiatsu, and the even more illuminating glow of the lightning that was coming from my sword and my back. I saw the look of surpise on everyones faces, so I let my bankai recede before any real damage could be done and I promptly sat down cross-legged on the floor. I glanced up at the four captain's that surrounded me, and by the looks on their faces, they thought I was nuts for sitting on the ground. But as long as there was no rule against it, I wasn't about to get up for some wierd looks.
"You're reiatsu is powerful. Very powerful. In fact I think it might be a match for Zuraki-taicho here." He cracked a manic grin at me.
"We will fight sometime. And it will be a very interesting fight." I smiled but turned to face the sotaicho again. He didn't break my gaze, but said, "Her bankai is very controlled for her age and for a shinigami in general. She also knows how to stop it on command as well, which is something most captains can't do. What you, captains of squads 6, 8, 10, and 11 think of this child. Do you think she should become a captain?" The room fell into silence as they all contemplated. I looked at all their faces, from Byakuya's beautifully impssive one, to Shunshei's relaxed one, Zuraki's scarred one, and Toshirou's serious one. I thought with them, contemplating what they could possibly say. I shifted weight between feet as I waited.
"By the abilities of her zanpakuto and control over it, I say she'd make an excellent captain. But we know almost nothing about her, and in human years she's probably only 4 years older than Toshirou. We have no idea of her experience or skills in the other 3 elements of shinigami fighting." Byakuya said slowly as he mulled things over.
"However, if I recall, This was the child that graduated from the acadamy last year. She's been working in a non-important role in the Gotei 13 since then." Said Rangiku. "If she were to have graduated that early, there's a reason behind it."
"What were your grades and specialties?" Toshirou asked me shortly.
"I came in the top of my class."
"Can you do Hado and Bakuda kido?" Sotaicho asked.
"Duh!" I exclaimed before I could stop myself. "I mean...uh...Duh, sir?" I tried once again, causing Shunshei to burst out laughing.
"Yama-jii, this kid has a sense of humor too! The Gotei 13 needs more of that!" Yamamoto-sotaicho cast him a serious look before glancing back at me.
"Yamamoto-sotaicho, this gaki has no proof of her power unless she battles someone." Kempachi suggested.
"Enough, Kempachi-taicho. We have already seen her bankai and from our information she is another child prodigy like Hitsugaya-taicho. We are also 3 captains short, and she should make an exceptional captain. We can immediatly suspend her the moment she gives us a reason to believe that she isn't." The four nodded and they all looked at me. I glanced at all of them not quite sure what to say. However, Yamamoto-sotaicho said something to break the silence.
"Congratulations, Owasai-taicho. From this point onwards, you will be assigned to squad 9, and you will recieve your haori tomorrow."
"Hai. Arigatou Gozaimasu, Yamamoto-sotaicho, taicho's." I bowed first to Yamamoto, and then to the four other captains.
"For the time being, you may stay in the 9th precinct building. You will have paper work to fill out about general information on yourself, and duties of a captain. You're lieutenant will be notified as soon as possible." I nodded once more. "Dismissed." I bowed again, before flash stepping in elation out of the building.
"Yama-jii, that child is more powerful than Hitsugaya-kun. Her reiatsu was completely concealed, there wasn't a trace of it until shikai form and even then, the level was that of a human. She's supressing it and controlling it somehow." Shunshui told Yamamoto as soon as Shikuma was out of sight.
"This child is truly extraordinary. I can tell, her leadership will not be wasted."
"Aa."