Kenpachi Zaraki sighed as he took his place in the captain's line up. Rukia Kuchiki looked up at the giant warrior and smiled softly seeming to feel a sense of amusement at the expense of the Squad 11 captain. It had been almost six years since the war with the Quincy, a memory that was still fresh within the Gotei 13's mind; even now, many wounds had still yet to heal from the experience.
Rukia looked over to the head captain, Shunsui Kyoraku, and let out a small sigh of her own; she guessed she understood were the squad 11 captain's frustrations came from; his squad was the strongest when it came to one on one combat styles; something that some of the officers had little experience with, many of their skills being that of Kido style attacks, even a lot of the Zanpakuto's being used derived from kido. There had been many captain's meetings over the past six months; and it seemed that the head captain had made his decision regarding an ever present issue—security.
"I guess I'll just cut to the chase, I asked for a number, how many officers have been picked for the new training program? I'm mainly looking for any weaknesses within seated officers." Shunsui asked the remaining twelve captains.
"I still don't understand why you feel it necessary to change the way the squads have been training." Isane interjected, still feeling a bit unsure of the changes, with this new system, two of her highest ranked officers would now be placed in boot camp instead of being with her in the medical unit.
"Well now, I'm sure I don't need to make you relive anything from six years ago; this is all for the sake of the soul society! I understand that this will be a transition and normally squads don't interact this way, but I've made my decision. Any high ranked seated officer who shows weak one on one fighting ability is to enter this new program Captain Zaraki and I have agreed on." Shunsui countered.
Kenpachi snorted as he heard the head captain make the claim of an agreement; Zaraki hadn't been thrilled about the idea of letting the weaker members of other squads enter his training grounds; not only did he have to continue training his own men, now he had to play babysitter and assign teams for the training program—what a pain in the ass!
"It has been narrowed down to thirty within various squads, most of them being lower seated officers, but no lower than 6th seat." Isane Kotetsu answered.
"Alright then, out of these thirty, who are the highest ranked and how many do we have?" Shunsui replied.
"Four Lieutenants and one 3rd seat." Isane sighed.
"Tch, Four Lieutenants?" Kenpachi shook his head.
Isane's brow furrowed at the reaction of the squad 11 captain, while it was no secret that the man held the strongest title, his crassness left her feeling a bit exasperated at times. Shunsui raised his eyebrows at captain Zaraki, giving him a look that represented his own exasperation—in order for everyone to benefit from the training, Zaraki would need to run a hard line. Shunsui shook his head before turning his attention back to the Squad 4 captain.
"I want the names, please." Shunsui continued.
"Very well, following your directions, the highest seats that have brought the most attention are as follows; Lieutenant Akon, of squad 12; Lieutenant Kotetsu, of squad 4; Lieutenant Hinamori of squad 5; Lieutenant Ise of squad 1; and 3rd seat Yamada of squad 4."
"Tch…" Kenpachi shook his head after hearing the names being called; two of the officers named hadn't even held a sword before—hell, when it came to swordsmanship the strongest one was Hinamori, if you can call being the strongest out of the weak "strong."
The rest of the captains ignored the scoff from the squad 11 captain, keeping their attention focused on the task at hand. Kenpachi turned his head and took a glance at the squad 1 lieutenant standing next to Kyoraku; Nanao Ise—who the fuck am I going to pair her with, that woman has an opinion about everything…
Kenpachi smirked and let out a low chuckle—Yumichika it is then, this should be interesting, but what about the others? Hinamori shows the most potential, from what I've seen she lacks self-confidence, her resolve needs work—I'll put her with Ikkaku, the rest I'll sort out later…
"I don't understand why my Lieutenant is even up for this so called "training" he has never been a combat oriented officer, he is a scientist!" Mayuri Kurotsuchi argued, bringing Kenpachi back from his inner monologue.
Shunsui sighed heavily.
"That may be the case, Captain Kurotsuchi, two of the others are healers; I can't afford to play favorites or base this on the skills someone already possess, I need them to know how to fight back given the situation; things may have been a little different if Akon had more training in the past…" Shunsui countered.
Mayuri sighed heavily as he raised his hand as if to say "whatever."
"Very well, am I to assume this round of officers will be the first ones chosen for this new "training?" Mayuri asked.
Shunsui nodded his head to affirm the squad 12 captains assumption, succeeding in annoying the genius even further.
"And what exactly are we captain's supposed to do in the meantime without our second in command?" Mayuri continued.
"That's up to you captain's to figure out." Shunsui stated bluntly.
Mayuri scoffed before crossing his arms over his chest, the thought of having his lab fall out of sync fueling his agitation.
"I trust you'll be able to handle this line up, Captain Zaraki?" Shunsui continued.
Kenpachi turned his head and smirked sarcastically.
"We'll see if their up for the challenge." Kenpachi retorted.
"Alright then, I hereby order the named officers to report to the squad 11 barracks tomorrow morning promptly at eight AM." Shunsui stated.
The group of captain's fell out of line, making their way to the doors to leave the room, now that the head captain had said his final word, there was no point in arguing. Isane Kotetsu paused in front of captain Zaraki, her eyes filled with concern.
"Please, don't break my sister or my 3rd seat." Isane whispered.
Kenpachi chuckled.
"I won't make any promises, whether they break or not is on them…" Kenpachi countered.
Isane frowned before turning away from the squad 11 captain; while she did respect the man, it didn't mean she had to like his training style; Isane had lost count of how many squad 11 members had been ushered into her medical unit needing healing from a simple sparing lesson with the captain.
"Your two won't be fighting me, if that makes you feel any better…" Kenpachi called to her back, deciding to ease the captain's worry for her subordinates—I'm not that much of an asshole.
Isane turned her head slightly, allowing herself to smile softly at the man who held nothing more than a bored emotionless expression, she guessed when it came to a man like Captain Zaraki that was as much reassurance as she was ever going to get.
Nanao Ise turned to her captain then, her brow furrowed with apparent apprehension.
"I understand your concern on my skill level, head captain, but, are you sure this is the proper measure to take?" Nanao asked.
Shunsui smiled softy as he met his niece's gaze.
"Don't worry, Nanao, it's not like I'm asking you to fight Zaraki himself, you'll be placed with one of his subordinates. It's only for six weeks, and then you'll be right back here with me." Shunsui replied.
Nanao's face flushed.
"Wait, I…I have to live with squad 11?" Nanao sputtered.
Shunsui laughed as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Captain Zaraki and I felt it would be easier to have each group stay at the squad 11 barracks during training…" Shunsui answered.
"But, Head Captain…you really can't expect me to sleep under the same roof as these roughnecks!" Nanao frowned.
"I'm sure you and the other two ladies will be given a room of your own, if that's what you're worried about." Shunsui offered.
Nanao sighed as her uncle dropped his hand from her shoulder and walked away from her. It really wasn't much of a surprise that she would be selected to hone her swordsmanship skills, even she would admit she lacked proper training in that department; but to live as a member of squad 11? It was like a sheep being tossed into a wolf den; the men were crude and downright barbaric—I just hope the door to my room comes with a sturdy lock!
Momo Hinamori lifted her hand to her stomach as a wave of nervous energy assaulted her; she paused for a second outside of the squad 11 practice room and inhaled a deep breath, trying to gain enough courage to walk inside the room. When her captain had given her the orders to pack and arrive at squad 11 in the morning, she hadn't known what to think.
"Are my skills really that low?" Momo had asked.
Shinji Hirako had looked over at her and shrugged his shoulders at her nonchalantly before he'd replied.
"I would say out of all of them you're the one with the most skill. Just pay attention to whoever your paired with and learn as much as you can, show the head captain you've learned something and it will be over, it's really not that hard, Momo."
"Good morning, Lieutenant Hinamori." Another female greeted her.
Momo lifted her head and smiled as Nanao Ise stood by her side, her expression wary.
"Good morning! It looks like I'm not the only one who's nervous." Momo noted.
Nanao turned her gaze to the other woman and offered a forced smile, she had done nothing but toss and turn all night, her mind playing havoc on her nerves, the anxiety of who she would be expected to train with ate at her horribly—my position as a Lieutenant means nothing right now.
Kenpachi Zaraki filled the doorway in front of the two women still trying to gain enough nerve to walk inside. Kenpachi sighed as he took in their expressions; it was hard enough training the men who wanted to be on his squad, now he had to deal with this…
"The others are already here and in line, I ain't got all day to wait for ya." Kenpachi barked.
Momo's eyes widened as she felt her stomach flip; angering captain Zaraki wasn't the way she wanted to start her training!
"I…I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Captain Zaraki." Momo offered as she quickly walked forward.
Kenpachi turned his body allowing the woman to pass into the room as the squad 1 Lieutenant narrowed her gaze at him, giving him a look that told him all he needed to know—she doesn't want to be here…well, that makes two of us.
Nanao sighed before hoisting her duffle bag up on her shoulder and walking forward—I might as well make the most of it.
Kenpachi turned and walked to the front of the room as Nanao entered and took a look around. The room was pretty much empty, other than a set of four benches that framed each wall. Above them hung large wooden racks that stored the wooden practice swords the squad used.
Nanao turned her attention to the men that filled the large empty space and the urge to run filled her; the men stared back at her with almost mocking expressions, some even smiled at her. Nanao turned her gaze forward and with one final internal push she walked across the room with her shoulders squared and stood next to the four other officers who had been selected.
"Now that everyone's showed up, let's get down to business. Listen up; I'm only gonna say this once." Kenpachi ordered.
The room fell silent as the man's commanding voice brought everyone to attention.
"These five officers are here to train with us for the next six weeks, I don't wanna hear any complaints, and I don't wanna deal with any bullshit; that understood?" Kenpachi barked.
"Yes, Captain!" shouted the room in unison, a wave of masculine baritone voices.
"Since you've yet to even hold a sword, Akon, I'll be placing you with my 10th seat." Kenpachi announced.
Akon turned his gaze to the man Kenpachi pointed at and nodded before walking forward to stand by the man's side, the two shared a quick nod but kept silent as Kenpachi continued to speak.
"Yamada, you'll be placed with my 12th seat for now…" Kenpachi instructed.
Hanataro Yamada stood shaking as his wide eyes looked over to the man he was expected to train with—goodness, does he have to glare at me so harshly?
"Kotestu, you're with my 6th seat." Kenpachi pointed.
Kiyone nodded before she replied.
"Yes Sir!"
"Ise, you're with Yumichika." Kenpachi stated.
Nanao's lips parted and at first she thought she'd heard the man wrong—Yumichika? But, he's the 3rd seat, why would he place me with someone that skilled?
"Hinamori, you're with Ikkaku." Kenpachi continued.
Momo's eyes widened as she looked across the room at the Squad 11 Lieutenant. Ikkaku nodded at her, his face held a blank expression that was hard to read.
"You're placing Momo with your Lieutenant?" Nanao questioned.
Kenpachi turned and stared down at the woman with his one uncovered eye. Nanao realized her mistake by the way the man's lips lifted into a half-sneer.
"What? You think you have enough skills to train with him yourself?" Kenpachi called her out.
Nanao sputtered at his comment.
"I…I just think the match up may be too far apart in skill, that's all." Nanao replied.
"When I want your opinion, I'll ask you for it." Kenpachi countered.
Nanao's jaw fell at the man's tone; it left nothing up for discussion what-so-ever—is this really how Zaraki runs his squad?
"Now that that's settled, let's get started. We're going on a two mile run, no flash step; no tricks, just run." Kenpachi ordered as he stepped towards the door, not even a minute passed before the woman opened her mouth again.
"Are we women expected to run at the same pace as the men?" Nanao asked.
Kenpachi paused, but didn't even bother to turn to look at her.
"This isn't about what's between your legs, woman, it's about judging your stamina, show me what you got." Kenpachi countered.
Momo glanced over at Nanao, feeling a bit embarrassed for her.
"The fact that you're a woman really isn't a factor when it comes to this squad." Yumichika stated as he came to Nanao's side.
Nanao sighed as she met the 3rd seats violet gaze and realized her error; the squad 11 captain's abrasive nature was hard to read at times.
"I see. My mistake." Nanao replied.
"Drop your stuff over by the door and follow me." Ikkaku ordered as he came over to Momo's side.
Momo glanced up at the Lieutenant and allowed herself to smile nervously at him—if captain Zaraki placed me with Ikkaku that must mean he sees a lot of potential in me, I'll have to do my best not to let him down!
Momo walked over to the side of the room and dropped her duffle bag down to the ground and quickly walked over to the open doors where Ikkaku waited for her.
"I'll do my best to keep up with you, Lieutenant Madarame." Momo offered with a smile.
Ikkaku half-grinned as he looked down at the woman—at least she's eager…
"Alright then, let's see if you can." Ikkaku replied as the two of them stepped outside, Nanao and Yumichika followed not far behind.
"If we're going to train together, we'll need to get one thing straight." Yumichika stated.
Nanao paused and turned her gaze to the 3rd seat.
"What would that be?" Nanao replied, with a raised brow.
"Your rank means nothing to me right now, my captain has given me orders to train you and that is what I intend to do, so you'll need to learn how to listen." Yumichika answered.
Nanao huffed as she watched the 3rd seat walk forward.
"For your information, 3rd seat Ayasegawa, I do know how to listen!" Nanao blurted, feeling her face flush with a wave of agitation.
Yumichika didn't reply, instead he walked forward with his shoulders squared and his head held high—if it's one thing that man has an abundance of, It's arrogance!
Nanao let out a rough sigh as she picked up the pace, already seeing herself falling behind.
"Are you just going to ignore me?" Nanao continued as she came to Yumichika's side.
Nanao watched as the man turned and smirked at her with a mischievous look in his eyes.
"I'm interested to see just how far out of your comfort zone I'll be able to push you." Yumichika admitted, catching Nanao off guard.
"Comfort zone?" Nanao repeated.
"That's right. I intend to push you as far as I can, to see just how much you are capable of. It's my understanding that if the Head Captain had not been there to help you, your fear and inexperience would have ended you, I'll teach you the skills you need to make sure that doesn't happen again." Yumichika explained.
Nanao caught herself smiling as she looked over at the 3rd seat, and for the first time since she found out she would be expected to participate in the new program she felt a flutter of excitement wash over her; under the guidance of the squad 11 men she had no doubt her skills were about to be tested; her body and mind pushed to the brink of her endurance.
"You might want to start running; I'm not going to hold back for you, either." Yumichika spoke over his shoulder before breaking out into a full sprint.
Nanao let out a gasp as she watched the distance being put between her and her partner; surly he didn't expect her to be able to keep up with his pace? Nanao dug deep as she allowed herself to let go of her apprehension, deciding to see how far she could go, she eased her body forward into a slight jog and once she felt her body warming up to the exercise she pushed herself even farther managing to gain enough speed to pass some of the lower members of the 11th division. With her gaze forward on Yumichika's back Nanao promised herself; by the end of the six weeks she would be able to run by his side.
Momo lifted her right forearm to wipe the sweat from her brow as her breath came ragged; trying to keep up with the Squad 11 Lieutenant had proved to be almost impossible for her with the difference of their body structure. Ikkaku stood a good foot taller than her and his stride was much longer. Still, Momo kept pushing herself even though it had been about ten minutes since she lost sight of her partner; she was sure he was running by Captain Zaraki's side at the front by now.
Momo allowed herself to look around at the other men; and then peeked back behind her spotting Nanao and Akon down at the back of the crowd, she wasn't able to spot the two other from squad 4. It seemed Momo had more stamina then the other two Lieutenants at least, which only fueled her to keep going, to show the members of squad 11 that just because she was small and her personality was sweet didn't mean she was weak—I used to be weak, but I'm not that girl anymore!
Momo winced as she pressed her hand into the left side of her ribcage, if she would have known she would be expected to run she would have skipped on the breakfast she had forced herself to eat. The cramp in her side making it harder to keep her lead on the other Lieutenants; now she understood why Captain Zaraki trained this way; to run full force for a long period of time made the body stronger in many ways; not only could she feel the strain in her calves and ankles but also in the joints of her knees as her feet hit the dirt pathway.
Her breathing was uneven and her ability to maintain her oxygen levels seemed to be poor as she had to gasp for breath every few seconds, her heartbeat pounded in her ears telling her she was almost at her bodies limit. One by one the squad 11 men began to pass her by as she had no other choice but to slow her speed, her small frame almost to the point of exhaustion—I start out strong but I wear out too quickly!
"Hinamori!" Nanao gasped as she came up to the younger soul reapers side.
Momo turned her head, realizing that she was now at the back of the pack with the other two Lieutenants.
"It would seem I have become too dependent on flash step." Nanao breathed as she tried to keep pushing herself forward.
"Are you alright Lieutenant Akon?" Nanao breathed as she watched the man slow his pace a little bit more, sweat dripping down the scientists face as he fought to keep up with the two women.
"You…depend on flash step…I…sit behind a desk…" Akon countered.
Momo allowed herself to slow to the squad 12 Lieutenants speed, not wanting to leave him behind; she knew it had to be hard for him, never having any form of physical training; when it came to the members of squad 12, their minds were their real weapon of choice.
"You can do it, Lieutenant Akon!" Momo encouraged him with a smile.
Akon half laughed as he looked over at her, his forearm rising to wipe the sweat from his face as he squinted. It seemed like every couple seconds his eyes filled with drops of his perspiration, making his eyes sting and his vision blur—if this was any indication of his current stamina, he sure had some rough weeks ahead of him.
"I can't believe Hanataro is ahead of us!" Nanao sighed.
"I can. He's always running around the Seireitei, he's not very good at flash step, so, he runs a lot." Momo explained.
"So his lack of skills gave him an advantage this time." Akon stated.
"It looks that way." Momo answered as she pressed her palm into her aching side.
"I hope we don't have too much longer to go!" Akon breathed feeling like he was about to run out of steam completely.
Nanao let out a moan of pure relief when she spotted the crowd of squad 11 men up ahead, the group circled around Captain Zaraki, all of them turned and watching the three of them struggling to catch up.
"This is embarrassing!" Momo called out as the three of them closed the distance coming up to meet the larger group.
Kenpachi stared down at the three of them, his expression less than impressed by their lack of physical stamina.
"Gotta say, I expected better…" Kenpachi stated.
Momo hung her head as she heard the captain's comment. Nanao was too busy trying to catch her breath to reply to the man's retort while Akon leaned forward with his hands on his thighs trying to regain his own composure.
Kenpachi turned his head and addressed the crowd.
"Pair up; we'll be practicing out in the open today." Kenpachi ordered before turning his attention to the two squad 4 members and grinned—out of the five of them he had expected the healers to be the stragglers.
Ikkaku stepped forward from the crowd, his features a blank expression as she made his way to Momo's side.
"So much for keeping up with me." He stated.
Momo lifted her head and met the man's gaze as her cheeks flushed from utter embarrassment.
"Come on; let's find some space to get started." Ikkaku ordered her.
Momo's brow furrowed in confusion but she followed the squad 11 Lieutenant as he led her away from the rest of the crowd, everyone else having been paired off. Momo paused as she realized the training wasn't even with swords, the men seemed to be sparing with their fists instead of mock blades.
"Lieutenant, what does this have to do with swordsmanship?" Momo asked.
"Tch. It's got a lot to do with it if you know what you're looking at. Sparing like this teaches you how to watch your opponent, to learn their movements; a strike with the fist isn't much different than a strike with a blade, the blade just extends the reach and increases the chances of a fatal blow." Ikkaku answered.
"I see…I've never spared with my fists before…" Momo admitted as she followed the Lieutenant a ways away from the other squad members.
Ikkaku turned and faced her as he came into a small clearing. Momo could see the other pairs of squad members close by, but they weren't within ear shot, giving her and the Lieutenant a fair amount of privacy for their training.
Momo looked up at him then, seeing the scowl on his face.
"You're a lot shorter then I remember…" Ikkaku sighed as he stepped forward.
Momo allowed herself to smile at his comment, she was rather petite, but she didn't see it as an issue.
"I'll do my best, Lieutenant Madarame." Momo replied.
Ikkaku nodded before his body changed before her eyes, his lean frame bending down into a fighting stance, his legs parted; his body weight distributed evenly across the balls of his feet. Momo realized then the strength the man really possessed and she had to admit, it left her feeling a bit awestruck as she gazed at his toned physique.
"Let's see how much power you have in your strikes. Stand in front of me and punch my palms as hard as you can." Ikkaku instructed her.
Momo smiled a bit sheepishly as she stepped forward and balled up her small fist and swung out. Ikkaku felt the hit in his palm and was taken a little by surprise by the force behind it—she may be small, but she packed a decent punch.
"Keep 'em coming, alternate between hands; don't just use your right!" Ikkaku encouraged her as he paid attention to her stance, while she made contact with his palms and the impact was decent, her rotation was off affecting the power behind her blow. Momo reached out with her left hand crossing her body she aimed for his palm. Ikkaku lifted his free hand and patted the side of her head jarring her from the unexpected touch; he hadn't hit her, just a soft pat intended to show her how open she was to attack. Momo looked up at him as he stared down at her.
"Block me." Ikkaku demanded as he raised his palms up again for her.
Momo felt herself getting a little flustered as she looked up at the Squad 11 Lieutenant and she couldn't even place the reason behind her reaction; she had been around Ikkaku plenty of times before, but something seemed a little bit different to her now. Ikkaku reached his hand out again, giving her another soft pat on the side of her skull.
"You're spacing out too much; you need to concentrate, Hinamori!" Ikkaku demanded.
"I…I'm sorry." Momo whispered as she brought her concentration forward, ignoring the strange sensations that had started to creep up on her.
"Don't apologize, just pay attention." Ikkaku countered.
Momo let out a soft grunt as she reached her right arm up trying to hit his raised hand but fell a little short as she over extended and only ended up falling over.
Ikkaku sighed as he watched the woman catch herself on her hands—at least she was able to break the fall...
"Alright, enough with the fists do the same thing only this time, kick." Ikkaku instructed.
Momo pushed herself up from the grass and looked up at him a bit wary before she righted herself and raised her right leg, the bottom of her foot hit its mark, but Ikkaku wrapped his hand around her and pushed forward knocking Momo off her balance, she fell backwards right on her ass.
Momo stared up at him with an almost hurt expression as she searched his stoic features.
"That was pretty mean, Lieutenant Madarame." Momo complained as she tried to lift herself up from the grass. Ikkaku bent down grabbing her by the forearms, he hauled her up off her backside back to her feet.
"You leave yourself open, you can call it mean all you want; I'm not here to hold your hand." Ikkaku retorted.
Momo sighed at his reasoning, deep down she felt more than embarrassed about her lack of coordination all of a sudden—I never had these problems sparing with a sword.
"I'm better than this, I promise." Momo breathed, hoping Ikkaku would hear her out.
"I've seen you spar before, Himamori. Using a blade gives you a longer reach, like I said. You're attack style is also derived from Kido, so when you use your Shikai you have the advantage of distance." Ikkaku replied.
"I see. I guess now I understand why I was chosen for this program." Momo replied, her brown eyes filling with what looked like a bit of sadness.
Ikkaku's brow furrowed as he watched her, the woman was so soft, much too soft for squad 11; for his style of training. Ikkaku sighed as he reached his hand out taking a hold of her chin. Momo's gazes widened as she felt him tip her head back, his dark gaze meeting hers.
"You're gonna have to learn how to toughen up a little if you want to get stronger, Hinamori." Ikkaku stated.
Momo's lips parted as she looked up at the man, his features blank, giving her nothing to gauge his mood, and it made her heart skip a beat—the hold he had on her chin felt a little…intimate—surly the lieutenant is just trying to get his point across, I mean, he wouldn't be interested in someone like me, right?
Ikkaku pulled his hand back as he watched the woman's gaze change from sadness to something else, something he couldn't pinpoint. Ikkaku shook his head before turning his back on her; if this was an indication of the next six weeks he had his work cut out for him—should I ask the captain to place her with someone else?
Ikkaku sighed as he turned his head and looked back at the woman, her soft features and big brown eyes pleading with him to have patients with her, something Ikkaku wasn't all that great at, but what took him even more by surprise was the way she was looking at him now—has she always stared up at me like this, or am I just seeing shit that's not there?
"I would like to continue, if that is alright with you, Lieutenant." Momo spoke softly, hoping that he would give her another chance to prove herself, to show him that she could toughen up.
Ikkaku allowed the sides of his mouth to lift into a half smile as he met her determined gaze.
"Alright then, shorty. It's time to really show me what you got…"