I am back early and with a new chapter! The initial reception on the first chapter caused me to rethink of the plot line I have planned for this story. Don't worry, it's all for the better (I hope, you'll be the ones to decide that).
Disclaimer: Nope, not any time soon. At least until I can scientifically prove the existence of a soul (which means seeing one).
Note: Warning at end notes.
"You know you can do better than this, Art-kun."
I huffed in between my panting. This wrinkly, short old man named Fuji was nothing but demanding. He would wake me up at dawn, feed me a nice breakfast, drag me to his dojo, let me gloat at lunch, then continue working out till dusk, then go have a dinner and go to sleep, ready for another tiring day. I admit in the first weeks, this schedule wasn't much of a problem. My body was fresh and rested, and I had no purple marks on my skin. Nowadays, although I had some muscle in my body, I had bruises covering my form, and my limbs would always throb. Some unlucky times, I would even have a bandage around my arm or leg after a rather intense practice.
"Fujishima-sensei... I need... a break... now," I managed between pants.
The old man raised a bushy white eyebrow. "I'm older than your grandparents and you still cannot land a clean hit on me, after almost a year of practice. You shouldn't be asking me for breaks, Art-kun."
Yes, I concede the fact that all what my sensei said was the truth. Ever since Mihane sent me to this place, Fuji took me in and trained me in his dojo. However, not everything he does is for free (apparently, even in this afterlife everyone talks about here, nothing is without a price). We have this agreement: Fuji will train me with the goal of entering the Shino Academy, and to repay him I must advertise his services. At first I was apprehensive of his motives, as I didn't know if there were evil people in this afterlife, but after a day or two I accepted. Did I mention that this includes free housing? Yes, even I don't know why I hesitated a year ago.
"You still have... decades of experience," I retorted, my breathing returning to normal.
My sensei changed into his beginning stance and I held back a groan. I moved into my own stance, shaky and pathetic, and he launched himself at me in a series of kicks and punches. I once asked him what style he was teaching me, to which he simply replied hakuda. I have no idea why hand-to-hand combat is important, but I hope this information is taught in the Shino Academy.
I was down in the ground in two minutes and twenty-three seconds, shorter than what I usually go down in. I laid in the ground, my heart beat erratic and beads of sweat rolling down my face. I tried to sit up, but my body screamed in protest.
"We still need to work on your offensive and defensive capabilities. Your speed is astounding, and so are your reflexes and flexibility, but all of this is naught if you cannot properly hit the opponent or defend yourself against a threat." My sensei extended his hand and helped me up. We bowed to each other– me going lower than him– and finished our lesson. By now the sun was in it's journey to disappear and the moon was about to come out and shine.
Souls in this world say that Soul Society is the afterlife. I cannot tell them how wrong they are, but if I tell them that they are but a figment of my imagination, they will not believe me. So I keep quiet and go along with my day, minding nothing, meanwhile I inwardly laugh at all of this. Also, this world is extremely contradicting. The shinigami say that this place is heaven and sublime, with everything being perfect. Yet why is there crime and poverty in the lower districts of Rukongai? Questions that haunt my mind...
Today was Sunday, and as such we got a visit from an old woman living in the first district. Personally, I liked her quite a lot. She was nice, minded her own business, and helped me out with my Japanese. It was hard for me to disguise my Italian and American heritage in here, for some reason this place was infested with Japanese culture. Perhaps my mind sent me to the wrong area... That is why Hanari helped me with all related to Japanese customs that my parents hadn't taught me. However, I had a sinking feeling that Hanari thought I was a little bit... slower than usual. Whenever I tried to confront her and tell her that my ignorance stemmed from not being part of the community, something interrupted us. I tried so many times that I ceased from attempting to explain myself. Besides, the old lady seemed fond of my lack of knowledge, so I let her have that portion of my dignity in gratitude for her help.
The dojo doors slid open and there she appeared. Old with her eyes half-closed, gray hair, small and frail, and carrying a basket of peaches with her. Oh, what a sneaky old woman. She wanted something. I could see the glint in her lidded eyes. I crossed my arms and pouted, not wanting to see the abominable peaches. There was no way I would give into temptation. Peaches were not my–
"Artemis-chan?" she called out.
Against my will, I opened one eye and peered at her. "Yes, Hanari-san?"
"Would you like to have tea at my home?" she asked, giving me a gentle smile. I could see a glint in her eyes.
I turned to look at Fuji, pleading at him with my eyes that begged for him to do something that would require me not being able to go. "Fujishima-sensei, can I?"
Apparently, my actions were too subtle –or Fuji was going blinder– as the old man simply nodded at Hanari. I dreadfully turned to see the gentle smile widen into almost smirk. I inwardly shuddered; elderly people should not smirk.
"Come, Artemis-chan. Masashi, here are some peaches for your enjoyment." Hanari placed the basket of peaches on the floor, as there was no furniture in the wooden dojo, and turned.
"Thank you, Fusa. The fruits you bring are always sweet."
I felt indignation coursing through my veins. "Ah, Fujishima-sensei, are there going to be any peaches for me?" I asked quietly, my usual voice.
The wrinkly man stood in the middle of the dojo, looking pensive. "If you had only lasted one second longer, Art-kun," he finally said. "You've been too lazy this month."
The blow to my ego was not taken lightly. "Lazy? Anything but!" I cried, but it was just a faint shout. I felt my wrist come in contact with a small hand and felt a force dragging me away from my sensei. "Hanari-baasan?"
"Masashi will save some peaches for you, Artemis-chan, do not worry. However, I cannot say that I can save some patience for you today. You see, I never miss my tea at this time... I get quite irritated actually."
I gulped in dread. "I see..." I trailed off, not knowing what to say.
Hanari turned and smiled at me. "Do you? Good. I was afraid we would have to talk this out."
Oftentimes I wondered why I could die and have no qualms with it, but I could never fight against the elderly, even if they shouldn't be considered so. For now, I would just have to stay quiet until I can figure how to dispose of this respect.
We walked down the streets of Rukongai in silence. It was a small journey from the third district, Hokutan, to the first district, Junrinan. Hanari was a person who only talked when spoken to, and I was not in the mood to initiate conversation. There was no need to disturb this tranquility that had befallen, one that I had been robbed of ever since I started training with Fuji. I remember when he was teaching me how to do a backflip. That night I could feel my back bending without my consent. True, I eventually learned, and now I can do it without thinking about it, but I was surprised on the lengths my sensei went to teach me. One could call them quite unorthodox actually. But no one is complaining.
"Oof!" I collided with someone and fell back, the person I crashed into also falling. I noticed some square glasses in the ground next to me and took them, determined to give them back. I stood up and dusted myself, still not meeting eyes with the person I had bumped into. "Sorry... I was lost in my thoughts. Here are your glasses."
"Thank you," a voice said.
The voice sounded familiar, however, so I raised my head and turned to see the woman cleaning her glasses. The similarity was uncanny. Feeling bold, I asked, "Shirogane Mihane?"
She put on her glasses and met my eyes. "Yes? That is..." Her words died as she locked eyes with me. Actually, her cheeks paled of color and her eyes widened. "D-Do I k-know you?"
I frowned at her, not content in her feigning ignorance. I decided to play her game. "Yes, don't you remember, Mind-san? You performed that weird–Mff!" Now I was surprised as said woman launched at me and covered my mouth with her hand.
Before I could retaliate, she spoke, "D-D-Do you remember your past life?"
I narrowed my eyes at her. "Of carse I do. Woy?" I decided not to correct her on her use of past life. For now I had different goals I had to achieve.
Mihane tentatively removed her hand from my mouth. She looked quite pale, now that I noticed. "H-Have you told anyone?"
Frankly, I myself was getting confused at her behavior. "No, I keep things to myself." My eyes narrowed to slits. "Why do you ask?"
"Is there something wrong, Shinigami-san?" Hanari broke in, a dreadful smile on her face.
The shinigami, however, was too lost in her thoughts to pay attention on the choking aura around her. "Yes, there is... Ah, her... ano, her reiatsu is causing a disturbance in Rukongai, yes. I was sent to retrieve her."
Hanari looked around. To me, the crowd couldn't have looked more normal. "I think you're mistake, Shinigami-san. Artemis-chan has a good amount of reiryoku with her, but nothing that would disturb the people."
Mihane looked cornered. "I do not question the orders... I am merely doing my job."
For some reason I decided not to call out Mihane on her lie. She was going to get me somewhere, of that I was sure. She was the one who sent me here, so she probably had something to do with how I could get back. Even if I needed to lie to my surrogate grandmother (which was really someone I imagined).
I studied Hanari from the corner of my eye. Her frightful smile had left and instead there was a concerned frown. "Ah, Gotei, to what are you up to?" she murmured quietly, shaking her head. "Fine, I will let you have Artemis-chan for this evening. However, when you report to your superiors please remind them that my grandson, who I believe has graduated from Shino a while ago, had higher reiatsu than this young girl, and never one of them went for him." Her lidded eyes opened slightly, a warning flash going through them. Ah, I thank whoever I'm supposed to thank that I wasn't in the receiving end of that threat.
Mihane looked appalled but nodded, not about to drop her act now. "Yes, I will relay your message."
Hanari turned to me and smiled. "I'll tell Masashi what happened, Artemis-chan. If something happens, please know that my home and the dojo are always places for refuge."
"Thank you, Hanari-baasan. I appreciate that." I bowed slightly, and the sly grandma decided to ruffle my hair, knowing how much I abhorred the action. A twitch was the only sign of my irritation. Outside I had a fake small smile that was supposed to show my gratitude to the elderly woman.
"Costa-san, let's go," said Mihane, a little bit more controlled but still impatient.
I resisted rolling my eyes and dutifully walked behind her. I turned around to wave slightly at Hanari, who waved back and walked at the opposite side of where we were going. I sped to catch up with the nervous Mihane, who was purposely avoiding eye contact with me when I was walking side by side with her. "What is the meaning of this?" I asked quietly.
She shivered slightly. "What... What do you remember about your past life?"
I frowned slightly, but was otherwise composed. "I remember everything a human can remember from before I was shot." I did not like the way the woman referred my life as, and I wanted to send more than faint indicators of my preferences.
"So you remember your family and friends?"
"Yes."
"Any your memories of your childhood?"
"Without a doubt."
"Do you still have your previous talents?" Mihane's pace got faster until I almost had to jog to catch up with her.
"...I believe so, I don't see why not." I stopped waking and looked at her, who was a few feet ahead of me. She also halted but did not turn around to look at me. "Shirogane-san, your behavior is unsettling and exasperating. Why are you asking me all of these questions?"
"You won't know this because you haven't asked," Mihane said as she turned around and locked eyes with me, "but Souls aren't supposed to remember their past life. In fact, Souls don't remember their past lives. You, however, do."
I raised an eyebrow at her. "Mind-san, why do you make such obvious inquiries? I remember everything because I'm not dead. I'm merely in a coma, perhaps vegetative state, and this is a fight for my life right now."
Mihane sighed, thinking she was not getting through me. She shook her head and motioned for me to go beside her. I strolled to her, thinking of the situation at hand. Why in the world would Mihane be interested in me? Yes, I was a Soul who had memories of before she died, woo-hoo, yay me. First of all, I had no soul, because I was evil and a demon child. Second, I was most definitely not dead. Third... I don't need a third reason to prove my point.
"Listen, Costa-san, I beg you not to tell anyone that you remember anything," she said in a pleading voice that surprised me. "Unfortunately, I cannot let you remain here in Rukongai."
"Why?" I demanded incredulously, my voice actually raising to resemble a normal person's voice.
Mihane seemed to struggle here. "Well... You're my responsibility now. You're all confused and scared and hurting because of something I did wrong. If you enroll and graduate from Shino Academy, then not only can you be part of the Gotei 13 and possibly be in my squad, but you have something to do to take your mind off the pain."
If there was a time I had been thoroughly confused, it was now. "Confused? Hurt? Shirogane-san, what are you talking about?"
Her eyes conveyed pity I wanted to remove. "It is alright to hide your emotions, I know enough about those kinds of people," she finished muttering rather darkly. "But I feel responsible for what's happening right now. Even in Shino Academy I can have more access to you than if you're wandering around Rukongai."
"So you don't trust me," I deduced quietly, a small smirk on my face.
Mihane frantically waved her hands in front of me, her expression amusing. "N- N-No! T-That's not it!"
I chuckled quietly. "Do not worry, Shirogane-san, I am merely teasing you. Fine, I'll join Shino Academy as soon as possible. But how am I going to get in? The entrance exams were three weeks ago."
She smiled deviously at me. "Now trust me, Costa-san. You're going to get in." I peered curiously at her, my expression asking her to explain herself. "Ah, you see, although the entrance exams were three weeks ago, there is always a five-week grazing period. This is for the people that could not join for certain personal reasons. Applicants in this grazing period are graded more harshly and take the space in classrooms that haven't been filled, but I have no doubt you'll make it."
"I thought getting accepted was hard. A lieutenant once failed the entrance exam twice, correct?"
"You mean Shu– I mean Hisagi-fukutaichou? Well, I'll consider him a special case. Hisagi-fukutaichou was very immature in his younger years. He was merely rejected until he matured a little. No, the reason why becoming a shinigami is hard is not because Shino Academy doesn't accept many people, but mainly because the curriculum is rigorous. Many students drop out on their first year, and even more follow throughout. Most of the remaining are not exactly the most talented, but the most stubborn..."
"Hm, is that so? Well, I say that we could try, right?" Although her intentions were still somewhat hidden from me, I too have my own secret agenda. The reason why she wouldn't let me remain in Rukongai was a little weak, but this would have to do.
"That's the spirit, Costa-san."
I frowned lightly. "Please at least call me Artemis. It is not usual in my culture to call each other by our last name. I still haven't gotten used to calling people their last names."
"Very well, Artemis-san. But I expect the same," she replied, grinning slightly.
I allowed a small smile. "Of course, Mihane-san. I do have a question: is there anything I need to apply for the Shino Academy?"
From the distance I could see the heavily Japanese influenced building. It was imposing, yes, and noisy. Classes had started already, apparently.
"Just oneself." Mihane also looked forward, a serene smile in her face. "This place brings good memories. When you are inside, go to the furthermost building. You can't miss it, it's the biggest one." We came to a stop right in front of the grand gates of Shino Academy. They were open and inviting, surely to admit more people that were probably scared out of their wits. Mihane turned at me and smiled sadly. "Well, this is where I leave you, Artemis-san. Unfortunately I'm on slave duty this week, and I can't afford to be late, since my taichou could very well kill with a look."
"They sound scary, the Gotei 13 taichou, I mean. They sound very powerful."
Mihane nodded in thought. "There is a reason why there's just thirteen of them, soutaicho not included. He is in another level. It is good to aim to be in even a spectrum of their strength. It's bound to make you want to achieve greatness."
I was not interested in becoming strong enough to match a taichou; I was intent in finding a way to go back to the world of the living. If that required me to become stronger, so be it. Even if I had to kill... I would do it. Mainly because all of this could very well be something that was only happening inside certain comatose mind. "I'll make sure to find a suitable goal, Mihane-san. I do not wish to keep you or your taichou waiting any longer."
Mihane smiled gratefully and nodded, disappearing in a blur. I blinked thrice at it; this was the first time I had seen anything quite like it. If the Shino Academy taught this, then there was no doubt I would be enjoying my time in here. At least as much time as I would be allowed.
Inhaling deeply, I went through the imposing gates and stepped inside the academy. It resembled a college campus, with green areas around the courtyard that had some impressive ancient trees every once in a while. The beautiful sakura trees had already bloomed, and they were starting to fall (I still hadn't had the opportunity to see them in full bloom). The grass was a healthy green color and dewy, with life forms scurrying around. The late April breeze was pleasing under the heat but irritating, as my hair got in my way a good number of times. Around the courtyard were three main buildings, each heavily influenced from the Japanese culture. The largest one, my destination, was in the center and was the most imposing. There was a grand, hefty-looking wooden door in between the Shino Academy and me. There was this power flowing from the other side, a mixture of many joining to form something magnificent and more difficult to comprehend, that made me reconsider my initial plans of going back to my family.
For all one knows, I might learn something new from this experience. It may be that I would have to rethink my view point on this first-glance nuisance.
Of course, that would be whenever I found a way to deal with this insanity called Soul Society.
Any comments, criticisms, or concerns are widely accepted.
Warning: You read Art's thoughts, which means that all of her opinions may or may not be offensive regarding the subject of religion. Although this won't happen quite a lot, be mindful of the other readers if you review. This is done for humor... Reviews, maybe not. I can take it, but keep in mind that a debate on this is not the point of a story. Besides, the title is very explicit.
