Chapter 1: The Test
What the hell is taking so long! The thought blazed across my mind. I had been waiting in this room for over an hour now. This is fucking ridiculous! Don't they know how important today is to me? I scowled and let out a moan of disappointment. This was supposed to be the day I joined my squad; the day I officially became a Soul Reaper! I dropped onto all fours and started doing pushups. My armor clanked as I moved, I got to fifty pushups and stopped, my arms starting to feel sore. I looked down at the paper I had left beside me, and then proceeded to add another fifty onto the total. "Ok that's a new total of two hundred and fifty pushups." I muttered to myself. Damn it at this rate I'll break my personal record of pushups in a day. Sitting down, my armor sounded like a bunch of pots and pans getting bashed together by a toddler. Soul reapers didn't usually wear armor; most of the time they were the typical Shihakushō. For some reason however the department of research and development had issued me a suit of crusader like armor along with my zanpakuto. I didn't question it that much, the armor was comforting, its weight seamed familiar to me for some reason. I lay down on the floor, with a crash that seem like it resonated throughout the room. Closing my eyes, remembering how I got here. My name is Avitus Veteranus; I was a no name kid from the Rukan district. I got picked up by a passing soul reaper when he saw me sparring with some friends. He took me to the soul reaper academy, and the rest is history. Just then the door slid open and I looked up. A woman with lieutenant's badge walked in smiling at me. She had violet eyes and short black hair. She wore the standard Shihakshou, with white tekkou that went up to her elbows. "Sorry I'm late, I got caught up in paperwork and lost track of time." She said warmly. I flew up to attention, smashing my gauntleted fist into my cuirass in a salute, the metal ringing out loudly. "Ma'am no apology needed ma'am!" She took a step back in surprise. "Um…. ok you're quite the energetic one" she said in a confused voice. However she recovered quickly and sat down. "Ok, let's get started; my name is Rukia Kuchiki; you will address me as Lieutenant Kuchiki, or lady Rukia. As you should know however, our captain is very ill and therefore I am usually in charge. So it is perfectly understandable if you accidently call me Captain Kuchiki!" she laughed at her own joke, and stopped when she saw that I had not joined her. She looked me up and down with an appraising eye. After a moment of silence she stood up. "Come with me" she stated with a smile and led me out of the room. We walked through the barracks, as we walked she gave me the rundown of the squads obligations, and its duties. Finally we arrived at the barrack's practice field. "Ok. This is where the tour ends and the training begins" Lieutenant Kuchiki stated eagerly with her hands on her hips. "Are you ready to begin?" I looked around a little confused; "Um, ma'am we are in the sparring circle correct?"
"Correct" the Lieutenant stated as she reached for her sword. I stared a bit dumbfounded; is she expecting me to fight her? She's a fucking lieutenant! Her sheer spiritual pressure dwarfs mine. I'm not even a seated officer! I drew my sword; unlike most soul reapers, whose zanpakuto resembled katana, mine resembled a western bastard sword. Its hilt was two handed, with black cord and silver trim. The blade was two feet of double edged steel, a blood drain running down the middle stopping just above the cross guard; the cross guard was just a simple bar of steel that gave the sword its stereotyped T shape. I raised the blade into a guard stance, and readied myself for the oncoming onslaught. Staring down my blade at my opponent I saw that she had this little elf like mischievous grin. She is mocking me! I screamed inside my head; She knows that I stand no chance of beating her, and she has the gall to mock me! I scowled and advanced on her, blade coming down in a looping arc aimed at her head. She easily parried, but I took my bottom hand off my hilt and threw a backhand at her face. I should have felt contact, even through my gauntlet, but I didn't. My hand just passed through air. I had been staring right at her the entire time. It was as if she just vanished! "That was a smart move, using your sword to close in and make a faint. It probably would have worked too, if you were just a bit faster" I heard whispered in my ear. I grabbed my blade once again with both hands and swung the blade parallel to the ground in a wide sweeping arc. I should have cleaved her in half, but again all I cut was air. "Your technique is good; however you seem quite prone to giving into your anger."
"Be quiet!" I screamed. "I'll fucking cleave you in half!" Lieutenant Kuchiki appeared in front of me, I brought my sword to bear and locked blades with hers, the edges of the blades grinding, and sparking. I grabbed hold of her robe, and then smacked her blade away with my own. I raised my great sword up and prepared to bring it down full force. "Hado number eight; Seki!" the lieutenant shouted just as my blade was about to make contact. A small glowing round shield appeared at the spot my sword would have hit. When my blade struck, I felt it being shoved back at me. I stumbled backward, and tried to recover, but the lieutenant was already upon me. I dodged her attacks as best I could, but she landed some very good hits. I knew my armor would not be able to take too much more; I had already lost my left pauldron. Damn it all! If I don't do something quick I'm done for! I jumped back giving myself some distance. Ok, I didn't want to do this right off the bat, but if I don't do it now I'm not going to have the chance. I concentrated on calling my swords name. Trying to listen to his call, hear his name. My eyes snapped open, the wind picked up; swirling under my feet. "Bring all under my banner, Victor!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. Time seamed to slow down just a bit after. My body then lost its weariness and my wounds stopped hurting. My blade glowed and transformed into its shikai form. Where I had once held a two foot, hand and a half broad sword, I now held a three and a half foot zweihänder; the inner blade a pitch black while the outside edge remained silver. My armor had also changed. No longer the chain and plate style of the crusades but instead replaced with the solid plates of a fourteenth century knight. I snarled loudly and resumed attacking the lieutenant, who stood quite shocked at the fact that this recruit had already achieved shikai state. I brought my blade down with all my might and she raised her blade to block the attack head on. I felt the blades make contact, and I saw the strain on the lieutenant's face. I kept pushing as the earth around us collapsed inward. We stood locked in combat, in the center of a good sized crater. I could smell the smoke of things burning, but I didn't much care about that right now. "dividere et vincere!" I shouted as my blade glowed purple, shrank down and split in two. Now I brandished a long sword in my right hand and a chivalric mace in my left. Making sure I kept her sword locked with mine, I swung the mace at her head. The blow stuck her full on in the temple, and sent her hurtling sideways. Her body crashed into the wall on the other side of the practice field. At this point all the other squad members had stopped their training and were watching the bout. A few were cheering for me, but most held their tongues as they waited to see what their Lieutenant would do. A rush of cold air was the response we received, in almost a whisper I heard "dance, Sode no Shirayuki." I watched her, as she spun her blade in a circle; it's completely white surface was legendary; it held the title of the most beautiful zanpakuto in the whole soul society, but as I felt the cold wind emanating off of it, I would have ranked it one of the most terrifying. I readied myself for her counter attack. Holding my sword extended out in front of me, my mace over my head. I didn't have to wait long however, as I saw the lieutenant puncturing the ground four times in a semi-circle in front of her. "Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" she spoke and launched a massive avalanche of snow which roared towards me. I leapt out of the way and saw the entire area I had once been standing was frozen solid inside of the snow wall. I looked back at were Lieutenant Kuchiki had launched her attack, only she was no longer there, I looked all around me, but saw nothing. Then a shadow fell over me and I looked up. Down came the Lieutenant, like a striking eagle from above. Her blade thrust into my shoulder, easily piercing the plates as if they were made of paper. She stood on top of me for a moment then yanked the blade free and did a backflip off of me. I stood their shocked; I felt warm blood trickle down my shoulder, it flowed freely down my right side. I couldn't hold the weight of my sword anymore, and it fell to the ground in a clatter. My mace was getting heavy; I stumbled about, trying to get steady footing while I retreated. Meanwhile I could see Lieutenant Kuchiki watching me, her eyes as cold as a predator's, she started to advance towards me, I attempted to raise my mace in defense, but that threw off my balance and I fell to the ground with a crash. My sight was getting blurry. I could see the silhouette of the Lieutenant standing over me, and another next to her that I could not identify. "So what do you think of him Rukia?"
"He is strong, but a bit unstable. He reminds me a little of Ichigo." I heard Lieutenant Kuchiki reply. Then the voice from the silhouette that I could not place spoke again: "Let's get him into the barracks; we don't want our newest member dying on his first day." I felt some rough hands grab my arms and start to pull me into the barracks. Darkness started to close in on me, my eyelids felt as heavy as my armor. I couldn't keep conscious any longer and soon past out as the hands placed me onto a bed.