Gengoro Onabara surveyed the group of men and women before him. He'd been told that there was some real talent in this group, unlike in the last few semesters. He saw the children of some of the lesser nobility; it would be fun knocking them into their place. There were a few tough looking men from the mean streets of Rukongai; he would be teaching them some respect. Ah, there. There was the sixteen year old girl, who he'd been told had brought her own zanpakuto; he would have to be especially tough on her. The uneasy silence had stretched out long enough, time to speak.

"You all have been placed in my class because you have shown potential when taking the entrance exams. That may have meant something when you took them, but I assure you all that once I have finished this introduction, it will mean nothing. Because you showed promise, more will be expected of you. And aside from your instructors and I, we are all equal in my class. You have to work to excel; some of you may be more familiar with that than others. And, some of you may be proud of what you think you already have accomplished. That brings us to some of the core principals of the Shino Academy.

Some among you are used to fine things, but here you are taught this: do not seek beauty in battle. War and bloodshed are not a fine art. All things have their place, and it is the duty of a shinigami to make sure those things are in their place, and balanced. If you find beauty in that, look no further for that is the only beauty you will find here.

Some of you are used to making a living with your strength and courage, but as a shinigami you are taught this: do not, do NOT seek virtue in death! Death is meaningless, and it is one of the great tragedies that men try to make more of death than it really is. You are here to balance death, not to glory in it.

I can see from the looks of your faces that nearly all of you are people of pride; but as a shinigami it is a vital thing to not make the mistake of considering you own life only. Like it or not we are all on the same team here; if you want to survive you'll have to rely on each other for support.

Furthermore, the duties of a shinigami require intellect- gut feelings and your emotions should play a small role, though they do have their uses on occasion. So, if you must protect that which needs protection, slice down the threat from behind; foolishly rushing into battle based on your emotions and instinct is dangerous. Strive to remain in control of your emotions during battle.

And, as of now, you are all officially students at the Shino Academy! Congratulations." Gengoro waited- not yet, not yet... there! Someone had begun clapping. The others slowly joined in. He let the applause continue for a minute before motioning for silence. "Your first swordsmanship class is in thirty minutes, so you will have a small bit of time to introduce yourselves before making your way there." Gengoro nodded, and walked off. Perhaps this year would be different after all.

A tall girl with wavy black hair next to Kari introduced herself. "Haruhi Mikoto," Kari and Haruhi shook hands. "Is that a Tensa Zangetsu replica you have wrapped up in there?"

Before Kari could answer, a tall young man at her left broke in. "They still make those things?"

"Yes, I saw five people with them on the way here! Oh, and that obnoxious twat to your left is my brother."

He smiled. "Kyon Mikoto, at your service. And anyways, Haruhi, her sword is too small to be a Tensa Zangetsu replica."

"And they didn't sell them in my district of Rukongai, either. I found him in a cave. Oh, and I'm Kari Kuraka; nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too, Kari. Hey, which Squad do you want to be in when you graduate?"

"I don't know, but it would be interesting to see what Fifth Squad is like..." The Mikoto siblings nodded. Most residents of Rukongai and Seiretei knew Fifth Squad was where Aizen got his start.

"I'd like to see Fifth Squad, too. I've heard Sanjiro became Captain of it after the Winter War."

Kyon scoffed, "Honestly Haruhi, you need to just throw away that old copy of Avalanche and Wind-Shadow. Enjoji and Sanjiro are way out of your league." Haruhi blushed slightly at this, as she had long been enamored with the great sparring match and its participants. "As for me, Kari, I'd like to serve under one of the more senior Captains. Maybe Eighth Squad, with Captain Ise- I mean, Captain Kyoraku."

It was Haruhi's turn to act high and mighty. "Ha! Honestly Kyon, you would have better luck in another Squad. Vice-Captain Ise is way out of your league."

Kyon shrugged. "Well, they don't call sake 'The Great Equalizer' for nothing."

Haruhi turned to Kari. "Do you see what I've had to live with?" Kari grinned, as Kyon's smooth manner reminded her of Sasuke- but Kyon was more handsome.

"Oh, but you know you love me anyways sis. Now, may I escort you fine ladies to class?" Kyon had offered his arm to Kari, but withdrew it when he saw the look in her eyes. "Ahem. Lead on, sister."

The rest of the day had gone well. The swordsmanship class had been a breeze for Kari, as it seemed what they were teaching was just a more structured version of what she had already been practicing. And then, they had worked with the basics of spells. Kari had never heard of shinigami using them before, but she immediately fell in love with it. Haruhi looked to be doing well with them too. Next was the unarmed combat class. Kari felt at ease here, and the movements filled her with the sense of peace she had felt on her walks in the mountains. Next was the step method class, where they learned the beginnings of using flash steps and solidifying spirit particles under their feet to gain traction in the air. Kari had a bit of trouble at first, but was confident she would get better soon. The rest of the classes dealt with all the other duties of the shinigami: performing soul burials, writing up reports for their Captain; and the various tasks that needed doing around Seiretei.

And throughout the day, Kari could feel the strength and purpose radiating from Slayer growing even stronger, as if he approved of her now.