Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
Lessons (Or How to Teach an Old Cat New Tricks)
KenShuu
Maybe Shuuhei shouldn't have been quite as stunned as he seemed when Muguruma Kensei walked into the ninth division barracks in the white taichou's haori, but whether he should or shouldn't have was beside the point. He was, and so the first encounter they had with one another post their meeting on the battler field several months earlier, and before that one hundred years prior, began with a mutter of incoherent words, a deeply confused face, and a sprint to the third division barracks for as many sake gulps as Shuuhei thought he could get in before Kira cut him off.
The next morning, waking up on Kira's spare bed roll, Hisagi was kindly reminded that he was a light weight and was sent back to his new taichou with a hangover like none he'd experienced before and wounded pride for such poor behavior in the presence of someone he owed his life to in more ways than one.
"Feel like shit this morning kid?" Kensei asked when Hisagi made his way into the office for the first time that morning. In an effort to not seem entirely pathetic, Hisagi made it a point to walk taller. . .and hide the fact that he desperately wanted to throw up, in part because of nausea but mostly because he'd spent less than a day in the presence of his idol and so far it wasn't going well at all.
"Of course not Muguruma-taichou." He lied. Kensei smirked.
"Good, 'cause I thought we might spare today."
Hisagi felt his stomach drop like a rock.
"Yes. . .Sure?"
"Better be more sure than that kid, unless you want your ass handed to you." Kensei stated, slapping Hisagi twice on the back before walking out the room.
.:.:::.:.
Kensei walked into the sparing arena feeling a little sorry for the kid, though the thought was quickly dispelled. If he'd gotten any other fukutaichou who was not Hisagi Shuuhei, Kensei was convinced he wouldn't give a rat's ass what the moron did. As it was, Shuuhei was not the same kid he'd helped out so many years ago, and in him Hisagi sparked a kind of overbearing pride and responsibility for the idiot who'd tattoo'ed his number to his face. His fukutaichou had more promise than Kensei was willing to admit aloud, and the revelation that Shuuhei was so easily swayed by emotional connections to people, and Kensei assumed momentums as well, annoyed him beyond measure. Kensei grinned. If the kid had any bad attributes, and it was becoming clear that he did have a few, Kensei was confident that he could (and would) beat the bad right out of him before he was willing to let the kid walk around as his fukutaichou rather than simply a fukutaichou, or worse Tousen's fukutaichou.
"Taichou?" Hisagi called, walking into the arena. Kensei noticed immediately the waver in his voice.
If you're overwhelmed when engaging in battle with a person of significant standing in your life. Beat the intimidation out of you.
And so Kensei began the training battle.
.:.:::.:.
"In coming!" Kensei shouted, throwing Tachikaze at Hisagi. The young fukutaichou rolled to the side, drawing Kazeshini in the process. To slow, however, he realized Tachikaze was not the attack, but the distraction and a kick to the ribs sent Hisagi rolling to the side as Kensei went to retrieve his zanpakuto. "Come on kid, get up!"
"Yes, sir!" Hisagi moved to his knees, his thought process catching up to the sudden attack. Muguruma-taichou was not a conventional battler he decided with a frown and lunged forward. Kensei laughed at the kid's determination, despite his obvious discomfort and surprise.
"Call your zanpakuto Hisagi-fukutaichou." Kensei grinned pushing the sealed katana away. Hisagi ignored the order and lunged again.
Ignore a command. Beat the disobedience out of you.
With a swiftness Hisagi didn't know was possible Kensei brought his elbow down on the younger man's shoulder and Hisagi crumpled to the ground. Letting out a grunt as he fell, Hisagi glanced at his zanpakuto. Muguruma-taichou didn't understand the relationship he shared with his sword's spirit. He didn't need to call on Kazeshini to show Kensei that. He was sure. He'd prove that to his new taichou - To his hero - make him understand where he stood with the spirit. "Call it!" Kensei ordered. Hisagi ignored again, moving to stand up. Kensei stomped his foot into the black haired shinigami's back.
Create a rift in your spirt. Beat the order into you.
"Call it Shuuhei."
Hisagi stopped, surprised by the first name bases. Kensei gave him a stern look and Hisagi knew there had to be a reason behind his idol's motives, he stood.
"Kare. . . Kazeshini!"
"There we go kid!" Kensei laughed, running his hand over his face. A bone-chilling feeling ran up Shuuhei's spine when the white hollow mask presented itself over his taichou's face. "Now we've got ourselves a fight!" He lunged. Shuuhei deflected the attack with the sickle shaped zanpakuto. "Are you afraid?" Shuuhei stopped, frozen by the words. 'What is he doing?' with a realization Shuuhei hadn't considered before, he stepped back, deflecting Kensei's next attack. Everything Kensei had him doing was a direct contrast to what Tousen had taught him, and suddenly Shuuhei was back in his academy mindset where the only things he knew about becoming a shinigami, a warrior in general, were what he'd taken away from the fight he'd seen Muguruma-Taichou fight.
"Tousen-Taichou-"
"Taught you wrong" Kensei cackled.
Afraid of own moral compass. Beat the fear out of you.
.:.:::.:.
Kensei chuckled as Shuuhei walked into the barracks the next morning. If nothing else, Kensei was glad the kid made it a point not to show any outward signs of the beating he'd taken the previous day, excluding a bandage here or there. He was also pleased that the younger man was not hungover, and considering how terribly a spare went when one was hungover, Kensei doubted if Shuuhei would get drunk again anytime soon.
"Good morning Muguruma-Taichou." Shuuhei announced, making his way toward the older man's desk. Kensei was about to respond when the young fukutaichou set a bottle on his desk. Shuuhei smiled down on his longtime idol and current captain. Awed by his strength and dedication to reworking the squad's current mindset.
"The fuck's this?" Kensei muttered, grabbing the bottle and shaking it.
"A squirt bottle sir." Shuuhei stated, grinning. "If you are trying to reteach me, I'd much rather you do it as a person taming a cat goes about doing it."
Claw the furniture, get the rebellion squirted out of you.
"Fucking idiot." Kensei stated. "You're not getting out of anything that easily."
Honestly not pleased with this. . .and I may take it down. Shuuken is actually the only Yaoi couple I really like, but I just like them together in general :P So, I wrote for them as mentor/student because I don't really feel comfortable trying to write them as a couple. I'm lame, sorry ^^; Still, I hope it can be seen that way. . .since I put it as romance :?
Enjoy!