The loud clap of heels meeting pavement filled the empty street as a blonde wove in and out of view, highlighted by the sickly yellow shine of the street lamps. Half of her hair bounced as she ran, the ponytail tie barely holding it up at the movement. Swearing under her breath, the girl's blue eyes scanned over the surroundings, holding something tightly.
Her clothes spoke of a night filled with partying, though she had only been hanging out at a friend's house. A small tube top barely covered her chest, laying over top a long-sleeved fishnet shirt. Tight leather pants hung low on her hips, gripping all the proper curves in just the right places as her tall boots completed the look.
She spun on her heel, taking off down a tight alley way, her bag brushing the aged bricks occasionally. Sighing some as her pants reached sleeping ears the girl spun again, gripping the bottom rungs of a fire escape dangling above the ground. Hoisting up onto it, the silver object slipped from grasp, heading towards the ground. The f-word was muttered as quick movements took place; a leg hooked over a higher metal rung and hands released their tight grasp, letting the girl and her golden locks hang upside down arms outstretched. Catching the object she grunted, abs working to pull her torso back up.
"Stupid thing, un." She said aloud, to no one really, as she resumed climbing. Lifting open a window on the third level she crept in silently, closing it behind her just as soundlessly. Crossing the small room she checked the time on the clock, it was indeed late.
Dropping the wrapped box into her book bag she took a deep breath, and ruffled her hair up some, looking as if she had just woken up.
The latch slid out of its cradle under her touch, letting the handle-less door swing open at the slightest push of her finger tips. Sighing she called out to her foster family, the bustle of the main street before the apartment beginning to pick up and filter it's racket through the thin walls. "Hey, did I miss dinner, un?" she asked meekly. All she got in response was a grunt and disapproving glare as she made her way into the living room. "Sumimasen, Mr. and Ms. Graidosa, un." She murmured with a deep bow. She still got a wooden spoon across the back.
The man in the chair snickered at the crack as he shifted the sake jug in his hand. He had skipped the cup again tonight. "Good 'un!" he applauded his wife, who was just as large as he was.
"You stupid girl! How dare you sleep through dinner! We go out of our way to put you up, and you can't even grace our table! We are the only family with enough money to feed a third mouth and you don't even put the food we buy for you in it!" she scolded, bringing the utensil down a few more times across the blonde's back, leaving her gasping for air by the time the seventh blow came. "See if we spend any money on your food for a WEEK!" she shouted, her shrill voice piercing through the din of the street and the small record player.
Deidei said nothing; she simply nodded and touched a hand to her ribs. They were definitely bruised, one might have been cracked. She would survive though, but her academy performance would be hindered again, just like it had been last week. The Captains… they would never notice her hard work if she didn't amount to something special, even if she was still in school! Gritting her teeth she straightened, keeping her blue eyes to the ground to keep from being hit again.
Turning sharply on her heel, she bolted up to her room. Throwing the latch into place, she turned the desk so that its widest part was against the door and the corner, the chair finding its way under the handle as she crouched in the corner, trying to ignore the bangs and shouts of her keepers. They hated when she ran off, but tomorrow was the last day of school for that week. Then she had a day off, she couldn't afford to risk tomorrow's attendance.
Her lips parted as she attempted to sooth her mind, enough that she might be able to drift off to sleep and be ready for the next day. The captain's were coming to her excel classes; she would be able to show how much she had grown in the ways of a shinigami! "Boku wa morote wo higare subete wo yurushi taito negaeba…(1)" she whispered, her quiet tone a song so sad that it almost brought tears to her itching eyes. "Kimi wa sora kara oritatsu… shinjitsu nante mono wa boku no naka niwa nanimonakatta…. Ikiru imi sae shiranai…(2)" she continued, fighting the urge to yawn and break the trance she was pulling herself into, feeling her back burning and the twinge of pain she felt at every inhale.
Soon… she was asleep.
Morning broke early that day, the birds trilling happily as Deidei cracked her eye open. Wincing at the orange light of the sun she groaned and pushed herself to a sitting position. "…" She needed to get ready; thankfully she had sparring as her first class that day, so she would get a shower at school. Grabbing her wide brush she began to drag it through her thick blonde locks, sighing as she felt the weight of the tangles disappear beneath the pull of the bristles.
Her ribbon tied tightly around the top half of her hair, keeping it in a tight bun, she smiled into her compact mirror and grabbed for her lipstick, applying just enough to redden her plump lips. "It's time…un…" she stated to herself, packing what little she had into a duffle bag. Just enough money to buy food for a month, one other change of clothes besides her outfit from the night before and her school uniform, as well as her small odds and ends, that was all she had really. And it was escaping with her today, she wasn't coming back. She couldn't.
Pushing her window open she slipped out onto the fire escape and jumped from the fire escape, letting the wind billow her clothes. Landing easily, she didn't wait to recover before she was sprinting; joined by another academy student she didn't know. They always went to school together… simply because it was lonely not too.
The small silver gift still resided in Deidei's bag, and she remembered it suddenly. Grabbing it as she continued running she tore off the paper. Letting the wind grab at the now useless material she looked in the box and smiled softly. So… she had gotten a good omen after all.
The box held a charm for the hilt of a Zanpakuto, with a small eleven hidden inside the thin swirls and engravings.
Her lucky number.
Once the two reached the academy, they spilt ways. The blonde headed straight to class and set her things against the wall on the far end. There was a man talking to the teacher when she spotted him.
Her blue eyes swept up through her bangs to locate the patch on his arm, it certainly confirmed who he was… Captain of the Eleventh Squad?! Perhaps that had been a good omen.
A silver haired man soon entered the room as well, joining the Captain with the corn-rowed spikes. His uniform was similar, Captain of the Third Squad.
Deciding to ignore the men, she retrieved her wooden practice sword from the wall and gripped it tightly; white knuckles the only indication of her nerves. She was on edge around these men.
The Captain of the Third Squad looked over at her, smiling widely and strangely. "Oh? A student here at this hour?" he cooed, suddenly not too far away from the blonde. "You must be a rather special student to arrive two hours before the first bell. Are you top of your class? Is that why you come so early? How noble of you, Academy-chan~!"
The blonde didn't beam in the recognition, instead she felt sick to her stomach. This man's words seemed laced with poison; dripped with sugary sweet addiction and false-hearted cheeriness that seeped into her veins, leaving her temporarily speech-less and uneasy, but oh so hooked to him. Like a… story tale fox almost. The clever trickster who always managed to get his way through words. She mused to herself with a slight gulp.
"I'm not the most exceptional of student, Ichimaru-taicho, un. I'm simply a girl who knows a few good tricks, nothing more, un." She said defiantly, lifting her chin some, and snapping her gaze to the man's closed eyes. Oh how she longed to see past though lids of his, to gaze into his eyes and see what his soul had to offer… but he obviously didn't allow that pleasure.
The silver-haired man practically giggled, rubbing his hands together happily as he straightened. "Feisty, you'll make a fine shinigami, Academy-chan." He cooed.
"Stop calling me chan, un!" she snapped, eyes narrowing in annoyance. "I'm not a child, nor am I your friend, un." She said coldly, before spinning on her heel, grabbing her heavy bags and stalking off to the girl's locker room where neither male could follow her.
Gin and Kenpachi traded looks. "I like her guts." The darker man said. Gin simply smiled.
What neither man knew however was that Deidei was banging her forehead off the lockers and scolding herself for being so rash and speaking so freely to the Captain.
When the only other female excel student came into the locker room, she was flustered. "Aboto-san! Did you see yet? All thirteen captains are out there, how pressuring!" she whined, waving a hand at herself, a vain attempt to calm down.
Deidei gulped, "When I got here, only two captains were out there, un." And oh how infuriating one was. She added silently.
"You really do get here early don't you?" the girl said with a slightly furrowed brow, "Ryuu said that they were all here when he got here, and that was half an hour ago!"
The blonde shrugged, "That was half an hour ago, un. An hour and a half ago there were only two, un." She retorted with a hint of disinterest, choosing instead to smooth out her bun and readjust her clothes, making sure her appearance was perfect. Rolling her shoulders she grabbed her assigned practice Kantana, its dark polished wood fitting snuggly into the tie on her hip as she spun on her heel.
The girl frowned a bit, "You're going to show us up like always Aboto-san, you're the only one of us who seems so calm right now!" she whined, her own hair tie pulling her long black hair back. Deidei giggled.
"I'm not calm at all, un. I'm wicked nervous, but those men can probably smell fear, you just have to put on the fearless act and view them as nothing more than new teachers, un!" she advised before waving and heading out, completely used to the weight of the sword on her hip, her charm temporarily attached to it.
As she entered the large room she took a deep breath and let her blue eyes scan over the area, spotting thirteen adults standing against the wall, shoulders back and heads held high. I hate this… why did they decide to come down to MY year? She thought, but quickly pushed the feelings away, instead crossing over to her teacher and taking her traditional spot next to three other boys who were gossiping like young girls. Turning she glared at them. "Just like always, you're acting like a gaggle of first year girls, un. Shut it, will you, un." She said to them, softly and just loud enough for them to hear.
One of the boys blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Aha, caught us Aboto-san! Gossiping isn't just a girl thing though, you know that! Personally you act like an old man in school, always proper and boring!" he said with a slight laugh. Deidei felt her eye twitch.
"Ryuu… watch your mouth before I shut it for you, un." Deidei growled.
Ryuu let his eyes narrow and a small smirk come to his features. "I'd like to see you try, you're such a sore sport and a girl, and I bet that you couldn't land more than three hits on me!" he challenged loudly.
Deidei looked stunned for a moment, before she threw all dignity to the wind and tackled him, her fist connecting with his jaw.
Ryuu grunted; his head snapping to the side as the teacher jumped out of the way of Deidei's body, which had been sent flying back. Twisting mid-air, Deidei kicked off the wall and sent herself back at the teen, evading a punch and pushing him back against the wall. Her fist was brought back again, and was about to connect when it was grabbed. Twisting out of Ryuu's grasp she brought her foot up and spun some, letting her heel connect with the top of his head. Jumping out of the way of his practice sword she drew her own, the charm shining in the light as she parried and skidded back. "Resorting to weapons already, huh, un?! Can't hit me in hand to hand, un?!" she instigated, drawing a war cry and a charge from the other boy.
High block countered a wild swing and Deidei gritted her teeth against the force of the blow, bending her elbows to soak the impact. Pushing her arms forward she crouched down, using the same move she had used in an earlier match. Her leg swept out at the boy's feet, knocking him down and towards the wooden sword that had been thrust upwards towards his stomach.
Twisting, Ryuu managed to barely hit the outstretched weapon, instead taking a heavy blow to the ribs. Succeeding in knocking the wind out of him, he fell to the floor where Deidei kicked him, pushing him away from her. He skidded along the floor some, to land at a man's feet. Captain Kuchiki raised a brow and took a small step back, letting the boy recover himself instead of offering assistance to a student who didn't know when to back down from someone with more skill. A lesson everyone needed to learn their own.
"Seems like I didn't have to hit you more than three times, DOBE, un!" she shouted at him, slipping her sword into the tie on her hip and stalking back to the wall, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the wall in a huff as the boys broke out laughing at their friend.
Umino-sensei sweat dropped and scratched the back of his head. "Uh… it seems like nothing changes here, even with the Squad Captain's present…" he said with a nervous laugh. Deidei felt a sweat drop of her own formed as she looked up through her bangs at the thirteen tall, and one rather short, people standing against the wall.
Shit… she thought to herself, now thoroughly embarrassed at her actions. I NEED TO LEARN TO CONTROL MY ANGER! She scolded herself mentally, even though she got a clap on the shoulder by another teen in the class, congratulating her on teaching Ryuu a lesson.
The blonde was still embarrassed. "It… was nothing, un. I really shouldn't have done that, un." And she was serious, not because she felt bad, but because that last move had strained her bandaged ribs, leaving a painful ache that would no doubt be affecting her concentration and performance in not only this class, but for the rest of the day as well.
Inhaling weakly, she felt her eyes water in pain and she touched Umino on the shoulder, "Sensei, please excuse me to the locker room for a moment, un?" she asked quietly, trying not to let the pain filter into her voice. As soon as she got the nod she took off, sprinting across the fighting hall and skidding into the room. Grabbing her bag, she pulled her shirt down over her shoulders. Wincing as she pulled the metal butterfly clip from her bandage she let the white gauze fall loose around her as she slowly pulled it off. Taking hold of its end, she placed it firmly against her side, stretching it tightly around her rib cage and binding it tight enough to keep down the swelling.
There was no doubt in her mind that the rib was cracked, which was just her luck of course. Sighing, and instantaneously regretting the action, she reached for an ace bandage, to secure over the white fabric. A tan hand blocked her path as she looked up at the other girl in her class. "Tsuna-san, un?" she asked, with a small frown. "Don't tell anyone, un."
"Of course not, Aboto-san." The girl said with a smile, "You're managing it, you never want people to know when you're hurt. Just let me help, ok?" The blonde gulped, before slowly nodding and lifting her arms out of the way.
The tan elastic wrapping was quickly wound around her, tight enough to stop the pain, but loose enough to allow breathing, and secured in place. "A-arigato, un." Deidei murmured with a slight blush, pulling the top of her outfit up and tying it in place.
A smile met her thanks, "It's was nothing Aboto-san! Just being a friend." Was her reply before the tall girl spun on her heel and headed out of the room with a wave.
"…" Deidei was silenced. The girl had said she was just being a friend… but to the blonde, a friend was a foreign term. She didn't know what it meant or what it was like, only that it was a normal thing she had yet to obtain…
Once her kimono was secured and proper she made sure her hair was smooth, and returned to the class. "Sorry about that Umino-sensei, my kimono had slipped some, un." She said in a soft voice to the teacher, receiving a knowing nod and a command to stand back in place until her name was called for the sparring.
She would be the last name, it was always like that. Umino-sensei kept her until the only other best student was left. She had the same partner every time too, Kisho. He was an annoying know it all, who knew his own limits but chose to ignore them to show off instead.
Sighing she leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest and looking cross. There was no use trying to put on a mask of proper actions to try and fool the captains, they had already seen two out bursts of her true nature, and if they were still interested in her skills after that she was certainly blessed by the Gods.
She jerked some as her name was called, walking forward to the center of the room, and bowing to the captains as the teacher had instructed them to do, Kisho following suit with a sly grin. He was going to try something stupid, Deidei could tell.
Sighing she bowed to Kisho some, a sign of respect between warriors as they took their stances, deciding to start hand to hand, rather than jumping to swords right away. A decision that was wise in close combat one on one fighting, but not against a hollow.
The silver haired Captain chuckled some, rubbing his hands together as he shared words with the tall brunette beside him, who shifted the glasses that sat on the bridge of his nose.
Deidei gulped, only imagining the poison that slid of the man's unheard words as the whistle sounded and she began to circle, Kisho following suit silently.
"You're going to lose, wench." Kisho said softly, a sly smirk across his face. Deidei grinned in a rather violent looking manner.
"Only if you've finally grown a pair of balls and gained some actual talent Kisho." She said, not bothering to try and lower her voice, making the teen gain a slight pink tint to his cheeks.
After a moment of silent circling and eying the other up, the two leapt together. Kisho threw a high punch, which Deidei deflected and countered with a right hook, her fist loose as it soared towards him. She gritted her teeth as he grabbed the fist, bringing a knee into her side instead. Twisting some, she grabbed a hold of his ankle before it dropped, twisting it as she ducked underneath, sending him cart wheeling over himself.
She giggled and broke off, keeping her hands in loose holds, fingers straight instead of balled. She fought like a woman, using his momentum against him with twists, instead of brute force and shows of muscular strength.
Kisho recovered quickly, sweeping Deidei's legs from beneath her, creating a loud smack as her back hit the floor, wind rushing from her. Coughing from pain that caused tears to well up in her eyes, she pushed up off the floor, swinging her legs around in a windmill as she did so, clearing him away from striking range. She placed a hand on her ribs unconsciously and ground her teeth together to stop thinking of the pain.
Lunging forward, she unsheathed the wooden sword, deciding the time for silly games was over as she met his sword. She gave a slight cry as she twisted to avoid a foot to the gut, twirling her sword down then up, and breaking them apart. Skidding back, she ground her feet into the floor, finger tips brushing the polished bamboo.
A woman with a thick braid that came to the front of her neck shifted uncomfortably, her calm eyes staring straight at the blonde with a set jaw.
Gulping, Deidei averted her eyes, twisting in midair as she pushed off the ground to meet blade with blade. That was when Kisho turned dirty; pulling his sheath from his side he swung it into Deidei's ribs with a sickening crack as it hit her already damaged bones.
White sparked in her vision and she pulled back, wheezing some as she stumbled. Kisho smiled triumphantly as he sheathed his sword again, and turned away, heading to the line of boys standing awed.
Deidei swayed some, fighting the urge to drop as she steadied herself with her sword. Her blue eyes snapped up, full of fury as she screamed out to the receding man. "HEY YOU PILE OF HOLLOW SHIT! NEVER TURN YOUR BACK WHEN YOUR OPPONENT CAN STILL FIGHT YOU PANSY PUSSIED ASSHOLE WHO LEARNED TO FIGHT FROM THEIVES!" she smirked insanely as her cry left the chattering boys silent and paused halfway through patting Kisho's back.
The Captain's were stunned, but not nearly half as much as Umino-sensei. All thirteen sets of eyes widened, and Ichimaru's smile grew, as some of the shifted some, unsure of how to respond to that.
Turning slowly, the boy looked at her sternly. "What did you just say to me?" he asked with a hint of disbelief.
Deidei chuckled darkly, resisting the urge to spit out the blood that was coming to her mouth. Damn ribs, she had definitely shattered one if she was coughing up blood now. "If you didn't hear it the first time, listen to the fucking echo." She said with a smile.
Kisho growled at her, enraged as he pulled his sword and charged. Deidei wasted no time dropping to her knee and holding her sword to the side, point angled to the floor. Swinging it out suddenly, she wielded it almost like a fan, bringing it down and over in complicated loops and curves. Kisho grunted as it connected with first his shin, then the back of his knee, his stomach and finally his shoulders.
Falling to all fours he coughed, kicking out and hitting Deidei's ankle from beneath her, sending her flying sideways to the floor again.
A strangled cry escaped her lips as she landed, blood splattering the floor before her as she coughed, holding her side tightly. "Damn…. Fucking… ribs…" she muttered, black starting to cloud her vision as she rolled over, bringing the handle of her sword into the back of Kisho's head, leaving him out cold. "And fuck you…" she finished, her vision giving out as the woman that had been watching her before rushed forward to her side.
The last thing she remembered was someone shouting for a medical kit, which was probably the only thing about to save her life, now that the small sliver of bone had forced its way towards her lung, resting hazardously against its thin membrane.
The teetering edge of life or death.
