Chapter One
13th seat of Squad 4, Ryouta Fukui, relaxed atop the roof of the Squad 4 barracks, allowing the wind to gently caress his face. His hands rested casually behind his head and his knee was bent upward, Fukui's eyes closed tight as if in deep concentration. He opened his left eye slowly as he felt the presence of another beside him. Ryouta sighed gently and closed his eye again.
"Ryouta-kun," A female voice called from a few yards away. Ryouta didn't move and seemed to ignore the voice. The girl stepped into view and sat next to the resting shinigami. She held her knees to her chest and looked down at him with slight adoration in her topaz eyes.
"Ryouta-kun, aren't you going to watch the procession?"
Ryouta opened his eyes and sat up with a grunt, his gaze wandering until it fell upon a gurney covered with a white cloth. Several seated members of the Gotei 13 stood alongside the gurney as the Captain of whatever squad it happened to be followed behind it. His eyes focused on the squad Captain and he spoke softly to the girl next to him.
"Captain Kyoraku," Ryouta said as he leaned forward a bit, resiting his elbow on his upturned knee, the thick chain around his left hand clinking audibly. "Who was it in his squad?" His eyes continued to watch as even the Captain himself couldn't help but drink at a time such as this. His lieutenant was visibly scolding him, though in a quiet manner, the procession turning the corner and going out of Ryouta's view.
"I think it was their third seat. I heard he died in his sleep." The girl responded, bowing her head and clapping her hands in prayer. Ryouta gazed at her and sighed.
"At least it was peaceful. This won't rattle Squad 8 any though. Not with the way Captain Kyoraku acts." Ryouta stood up and offered his hand to the girl beside him, if only to assist her in standing up. "Is there a reason you aren't holed up in the Squad 6 barracks?"
The girl took Ryouta's hand and scowled playfully as she stood up and dusted herself off. "You know that Captain Kuchiki doesn't lock us in like animals, Ryouta-kun." She took his arm and snuggled against him, again just as playfully.
Ryouta's face dropped and he pushed Chou away, looking to her in a confused and angered manner. "As 4th seat you should act more... proper." He watched Chou's face turn a slight shade of pink as her hands pounded the air at her sides. He took slight pleasure in making Chou mad, but it wasn't always fun.
"You're such a meanie Ryouta-kun," She turned her back to him and began to storm away. Fukui sighed and followed after her, watching as Chou's steps slowly became more upbeat and the girl began to skip and hum as if nothing had ever been said. It was another one of her traits: not being able to stay mad at her friends for very long.
The two made their way down from the rooftop and continued to pace along the walkways that connected the different areas of the Seireitei. Chou Mizushima had always been close to Ryouta, and since their induction into the Gotei 13, they had never let petty things like being split into two different divisions ruin their friendship. Ryouta was always silent, and the rare times he spoke it was out of concern for those around him. It suited his demeanor well for being placed in Squad 4, however his thoughts would always be directed towards his friends.
Chou was placed in Squad 6 under Captain Kuchiki and Lieutenant Abarai, moving up the ranks towards the 4th seat in her division. She was always happy to have been selected for Squad 6, partially because it was Lieutenant Abarai who had made the selection in Kuchiki's absence. When Chou laid eyes on the lieutenant of her squad, she seemingly swooned and fell into Ryouta's arms as they stood side by side.
"This test determines which of you will be placed into a division of the Gotei 13 and which of you will not." Lieutenant Abarai told them, each of the nervous recruits standing before two lieutenants from different squads as well as one of the captains. It just so happened that Renji Abarai, Nemu Kurotsuchi, and Kenpachi Zaraki stood before them, though there was really no guarantee that the squads that these individuals represented would accept them. Captain Zaraki would vouch for himself, and possibly Lieutenant Kurotsuchi, that these kinds of things were best left to those who had an interest in this sort of thing.
Kenpachi leaned into Renji as he spoke, grumbling audibly as if to whisper. "Hurry this up Renji, there isn't one of these recruits whose spiritual pressure is anywhere near desireable for my squad." The Captain complained, and Renji strained to keep from yelling at the captain.
"I agree." Nemu said aloud. "Captain Kurotsuchi would be most displeased with these recruits as well." She said plainly, as if the recruits weren't standing before them. The whole entire assembly was silent as they eyed the impressive size of Captain Zaraki and the intimidating, half-lidded glare of Lieutenant Kurotsuchi.
Chou gulped audibly and all eyes turned to her. Everyone arched away from her without moving their feet, leaving a slight opening in the ranks as the two lieutenants and the captain stared at the poor girl who had uttered a sound. All was silent aside from a chuckle that formed in Zaraki's throat.
Ryouta shifted his eyes towards Chou and leaned in to whisper to her as Lieutenant Abarai approached. "Chou, just stay calm--" Another male student chuckled as well, his hand clamped over his mouth as he strained to withhold his laughter, clearly interrupting whatver Ryouta was about to say.
"Yeah Mizushima, Squad 6 is notorious for not taking any crap from anyone. Hehe..haha...hahahah!" The male student continued to laugh and burst into laughter, the other recruits stepping further and further away from him than they had for Chou. The student was so busy laughing that he didn't notice Renji standing right in his face.
"Recruit Tachibana!" Renji screamed, and the laughing recruit lurched forward and stood frozen as his head came inches from Lieutenant Abarai's. The recruit began to shiver as sweat dripped down his brow, seeing that Captain Zaraki was smiling out of his peripheral vision.
"Y-y-yes sir!" Recruit Tachibana responded and Renji again could feel the vein pulse in his head as he eyed the newest recruit. His gaze shifted over to Chou and then his gaze locked with Ryouta's. It was brief, yet to Fukui it was like staring into the eyes of a snake, knowing that at any second a cold, venom-filled strike could instantly end him. He stood rigid as well, but the three of them were instantly confronted with Abarai and his list of names.
"Ken'ichi Tachibana, Chou Mizushima, and Ryouta Fukui. Congratulations, you're going to be the first recruits to take the test against a batch of real Hollows." Renji eyed them to guage their reactions: Ken'ichi looking visibly shaken, Chou on the verge of fainting, and Ryouta standing firm, yet he too found himself gulping at the prospect of fighting a Hollow.
"Recruits? Did you hear me?" Renji questioned, arching his eyebrow in curiousity. The fact that they hadn't responded showed him how nervous they were. Part of him didn't want to send them out, but for disrupting the assembly he had to show some measure of authority. Especially after Captain Zaraki had started to laugh when Renji had first approached the students.
"Sir, yes sir!" The three said in unision as Renji rejoined Kenpachi and Nemu at the head of the assembled recruits. Ryouta would never have thought that even though he had said but a few words to his companion, that he would be thrown into a group with her and someone who appeared to be a troublemaker slash instigator.
Late that evening, Ryouta returned to the Squad 4 barracks, having walked Chou back to her quarters at the Squad 6 barracks only moments before. It wasn't after curfew for those who resided within the Gotei 13, but Ryouta preferred to return quickly and promptly in case he was needed for any duties that Captain Unohana or Lieutenant Kotetsu may have needed him for.
He slid his door open and entered, his hand clenching tight on the chain that ran the wrapped length of his arm as he sat on the straw mat that served as a bed. His room was always bare, never botherig to furnish it in any way. Ryouta was used to living a meager existence, and even before his time as a member of Squad 4, he never once had lived the life of luxury. He never desired it at all.
Fukui tilted himself backwards and leaned against the wall, sighing once more as his eyes closed and he focused on his thoughts. Chou wasn't aware that he had been present during the operation to save Captain Kyoraku's subordinate. True, he had died in his sleep, but it was taken upon Squad 4 to heal him of a most grievous injury. It was funny in a sense that during the entire operation, every member of Squad 4 was present to prevent infection, to hand supplies to Captain Unohana and to monitor the patients lifesigns, yet with all of the hustle and bustle in the operating room, Ryouta didn't even know the patients name.
Ryouta lurched forward and coughed once, holding his hand to his mouth as the bitter taste of vomit nearly filled his mouth. Another cough released it and he immediately turned to the side to allow it room to make a mess. He groaned and held himself there momentarily, his chest heaving and his shoulders shuddering. Ryouta's chained hand held firm against the wall as he coughed once more, just to clear his throat.
He stood slowly and wobbled a bit, struggling to gain his balance and staggered towards his mat at the end of the room. Ryouta collapsed and eyed his doorway for only a moment longer as he slowly slipped into the gentle relief of sleep...