Ok, so this was set after the winter war and Ichigo has his powers back. Karin is around 17 now so Ichigo would be…22? Ok? Everyone on board? Let's go then!
oxo…oxo
I blinked harshly as I opened my eyes, trying to get them used to the bright light of the sun above me. When that was done, I looked around. Where in the name of karma was I? I was in the middle of a bustling street that looked like a scene from the feudal era, that much I knew, but where was that? People all around me were wearing plain looking kimono's and some of the adults were running stalls while others were wandering around; in and out of the wooden buildings down either side of the street. A couple of deprived looking kids with dirt on their faces and in their hair raced past me carrying some sort of jar in their hands. I guessed they had stolen it from the commotion going on further down the road.
But none of that explained where I was or why I was here. The last thing I could remember was staring into my brothers sad and somewhat tear filled eyes, before placing his sword to my forehead. Wait - Ichigo had been crying? But he never cries…what had happened? I put a hand to my head in effort to remember. The memory came to me grudgingly. I had been walking along the path with Yuzu when I had felt a hollow. It had been close and in order to ensure my sisters safety I had bolted across the road to kill it. Thing was I had been too intent on killing the hollow I hadn't seen the car that was speeding down the road. I chuckled dryly at the irony; after spending years risking my life to kill hollows I was taken down by some rich playboy in their new Porsche.
"Are you ok down there?" a worried voice asked from above me causing me to look up in surprise. A woman with charcoal hair and misty grey eyes was staring at me with a concerned frown on her face. She, like everyone else, was wearing a kimono but hers looked slightly more well kept than some of the others I had seen. It was then that I realised I was sitting down in the middle of the street with a kimono of my own wrapped around my body. It was a dark blue and quite nice compared to the grey ones I could see all around me. I smiled at the woman gratefully before pulling myself unsteadily to my feet. She gripped my shoulder and smiled. "A newcomer?" she asked politely. I looked at her in confusion, struggling to work my brain well enough to understand.
"What do you mean?" I asked her, my speech slightly woozy. I cleared my throat slightly as she giggled.
"You are new to the soul society, aren't you?" she asked me with kind amusement. My eyes widened slightly. This was the soul society? I asked her and she nodded. "Yes. It seems you have heard of it before." She stated. It wasn't really a question but I answered her anyway.
"Yes; my brother was a substitute shinigami and I helped him fight hollows some times." I explained, my voice slightly regretful as I realised that my old life was gone; perhaps forever. The woman looked startled.
"You fought hollows?" she asked, her voice ringing with admiration and praise. I nodded and she gasped slightly. "That's amazing. You should go to the shinigami academy. Here; come with me and I will tell you more at my house. Places like this aren't very safe for meaningful conversation." She told me and I smiled at her before agreeing, following the woman down the street. She was very easy to talk to and I found myself telling her everything about me, my family, how I had died. She told me stories of her time here and I soon found out she was a servant in a noble's house though she never told me the name. After leading me into a nicer part of the large city, she took me to her house.
The little wooden building sat in a nice bed of flowers and seemed to be situated very close to the noble ground as I could see a set of large, old style mansion houses surrounded by a large garden not too far up the road. I supposed this was normal, having their staff so close. When we were inside she made us tea and we sat down under the kotatsu that was set out in the middle of the living room. The house was split in three with no upstairs; a living room, a bedroom and a kitchen and all three were fairly open to each other. I assumed the toilet was somewhere outside if they even needed to do such human things.
"So, shinigami have academies?" I asked the woman, whose name I had discovered was Akane. She smiled at me as I sipped my tea tentatively.
"Only one" she told me pointedly, and I looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "They only have one and you need a high spiritual pressure to get in. Are you hungry?" she asked me. I frowned at her in confusion before nodding.
"I am a bit, yes but what does that have to do with anything?" I asked her, my patience being tested for the fist time since I had met her.
"If you are hungry it means you have a high spiritual pressure. People without, like me, don't get hungry." She explained. I raised an eyebrow.
"Really? I asked her curiously and she nodded.
"Oh yes. We can eat, if we want to, but we never get hungry." She explained with a smile. I grinned.
"Cool. So how do I get into this academy then?" I asked her curiously. Maybe, if I became a shinigami, I would be able to see Ichigo again.
"Well, you need to pass an exam to get in but you are allowed to retake it if you don't pass." She told me and my grin widened. An exam? That would be easy. I had always been good at school, if bored stiff of it. I suppose I was a lot like Ichigo. Was. Damn; I'm already speaking like I was dead and, though I new I technically was, it felt demeaning to think it when I was sitting here talking to someone.
"When is it?" I asked, assuming there were set times for these tests. Akane thought about it for a moment before answering.
"Actually, I think the next one is tomorrow." She said thoughtfully. I blanched; tomorrow? That didn't give me much time.
"What do I need to know?" I asked her hurriedly, slightly panicked at the lack of time. Akane chuckled slightly.
"Calm down young one. You only really need to prove you have spiritual power and from what you've told me that should be easy for you." She assured me and I calmed down slightly. "Come." She told me, getting up and heading for the door. I watched her with wide eyes before scrambling to my feet and jogging swiftly out of the door after her.
"Where are we going?" I asked her as I came up to her side. She smiled down at me before answering.
"We need to enter you for this exam, don't we? Then you can stay at my house for the night and take the exam in the morning. I suppose I should buy some food for you too." She murmured the last part to herself, her fingers stroking her lips in thought. I stared at her. She was doing so much for me without anything in return, why? I asked her so and she looked at me in such a way that it made me uncomfortable, then she looked away with a sad look on her face. "You remind me of someone I knew a long, long time ago." She told me softly. I remained quiet, just following her through the streets as she walked dazedly towards wherever it was we were going.
"Thank you." I told her as we arrived at a large building that looked like it could house a school. She smiled at me before leading me inside.
"It's not a problem." She replied as we walked into the reception area of the large building. The place seemed quite small for the size of the school but something told me it was because this was the least important place in it. A girl in a white but red striped kosode with two red circles over both breasts and a red hakama sat at the desk doing some paperwork, her eyes entirely focused on her writing. Only when Akane cleared her throat did she look up in surprise.
"Oh, I'm sorry. What can I do for you?" she asked politely. I smirked slightly at her nervous posture. She didn't look like the kind of girl who interacted well with people.
"My friend Karin here would like to enter the exam tomorrow if possible. She only got here this morning so couldn't enter before." Akane explained smoothly. The girl nodded before fishing out a paper from one of the draws and studying it carefully. Then she nodded.
"Ok, it looks like there are a few places left so that's ok. Can you sign this please, putting your name, the date and the date of your arrival?" she asked me and I nodded, taking the piece of paper and pen she offered me and writing in the details she had asked for in what looked like a consent form. When I was finished I handed it back, letting her study it carefully for any flaws before leaving. When she smiled at me and told me I was to report in the first training arena at 9am tomorrow I nodded and left with Akane. Maybe dieing wouldn't be so bad after all.
oxo…oxo
Well, I hope you like this… it's going to be a Toushiro/Karin FF I believe though I don't know how long it will take for said soul reaper to show up…it will probably be focused mainly on Karin though I hope people don't mind if I somewhat skip the exam, I mean it will be there and stuff just it wont be in detail because I don't know what the exam is and it doesn't tell you on bleach wiki…
Second thoughts I'll make it up. ^_^
Please review!