Disclaimer, as always, applies.
A/N: okay, so, it's taken me longer than it should have to post this, gomen, I was being lazy and forgot…to make up for it, I'll post the next chapter within the week.
PART ONE – EARLY YEARS
PRE-ACADEMY TEEN YEARS
JYUUSHIRO
Jyuushiro watched the students as they walked around the marketplace in their uniforms.
Students of the Shinigami Academy that had been founded not even a full decade ago.
The warm summer breeze rustled his short hair and he ran his fingers through it impatiently.
With four other siblings now, not including Saburo, Jyuushiro had inevitably been forced to cut off his ponytail, his siblings while they were still so young, found themselves attracted to the silky white hair of their aniki, always finding ways to grab hold of it and pull hard, refusing to let go on more than one occasion.
"Nii-chan?" Saburo, now seven, tugged at his brother's sleeve. "What are you stopping for? What are you staring at?"
Jyuushiro pointed. "See those men? They are training to be shinigami."
"You want to be a shinigami, do you not, nii-chan? Are you going to be dressed up like that one day?"
Jyuushiro looked surprised, he had never really fully thought about it before, but he truly did like the idea of becoming a shinigami in the future. To do so, he would need to find out how to join the Academy…not to mention convince his parents to let him go in the first place.
He smiled down at his brother.
"You are right, ototo-kun, I will need to be."
Saburo grinned at being right about something.
"Now, come, we need to buy something for dinner," Jyuushiro grasped his brother's hand firmly in his, despite protests, and led him to a stall.
"Nii-chan, are you really cooking for us tonight?"
"You like it when I cook,"
"Yes, but kaa-chan and tou-chan left Moe-san in charge on cooking and cleaning."
"Moe-san herself is not enough to do everything in our home. She is so busy looking after al you little rascals that I decided to help her. I am old enough after all."
Following the births of Taizo, Miyako, Yokichi, and most recently, Koji, the Ukitake-ke funds had continued to dwindle and now only allowed them a very small number of servants (if they wanted to keep from going hungry), which currently consisted of Moe-san, their ninsapu, Ringo-san the gardener, and Chihiro-san, their housekeeper who had gone with his parents on their trip.
"The tofu looks good today," Jyuushiro observed. "Perhaps I'll make inari zushi*."
Saburo nodded, watching in fascination as his nii-chan spoke to the shop manager, before getting sidetracked.
Jyuushiro felt his brother's presence leave his side and spun around.
"Saburo!" he chased after him, grabbing hold of his arm.
"But nii-chan, they're doing magic better than yours, maybe one of them can teach you," Saburo squirmed to get out of his aniki's hold.
He elbowed Jyuushiro's tender ribs and bolted the second Jyuushiro's grip slackened as he broke off in a nasty cough.
Jyuushiro stumbled after his troublesome ototo to where the shinigami students were showing off some of their talents. A bid for more students, Jyuushiro assumed.
"Oya-ji*,"
Jyuushiro looked around at the sound of his brother's voice and spotted him pulling at an older man's sleeve; a Gotei taicho, judging from the white haori with its small black diamond shapes along the trim.
He rushed over, hoping to prevent his brother saying anything offensive or causing too much trouble.
"How do you become a shinigami?" Saburo asked boldly.
"Well, if you want to go to the shinigami academy then all you have to do is take a little test. If you pass, you can come and learn everything required to become a shinigami," the taicho explained in a gruff voice (A/N: is gruff the right word to use to describe Yamamoto's voice?). "Do you wish to become a shinigami?"
Saburo shook his head. "Not me, just nii-chan, he already knows some magic,"
"Magic hey? What kind of magic?"
"Almost like that," Saburo pointed.
"Really? And how old is your nii-chan?"
"Sixteen and a half,"
"Is that so? Can I meet your nii-chan?"
Saburo grinned and nodded, looking around for Jyuushiro.
"Nii-chan!" he called and waved him over.
"I am so sorry sir," Jyuushiro apologized, bowing. "I hope my ototo has not been too annoying, he escaped before I could stop him."
"Not at all, he was just telling me all about his nii-chan who can perform magic. I presume that is you?"
Jyuushiro nodded hesitantly.
"Have you ever had any formal kidou training?"
Jyuushiro shook his head. "A shinigami a few years back gave me a few pointers, I had never even tried before then."
"I hear that you are considering joining my academy–"
"Your academy?" Jyuushiro was surprised enough that he forgot about being polite to his elders and interrupted. "Then, you are the Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni."
Yamamoto nodded once.
Jyuushiro bowed formally. "It's an honor to meet you sir, I am Ukitake Jyuushiro, and this is my ototo Ukitake Saburo."
"What a coincidence, a subordinate of mine mentioned your name to me when he heard we were traveling in this area. He informed me that you showed tremendous potential when you were still just a young boy."
Jyuushiro blushed, he could only assume that the subordinate had been the shinigami he had met all those years ago.
"I am sure he speaks too highly of me,"
"I would like to find out myself then,"
Jyuushiro glanced at his feet. "Even if I were to prove myself, sir, my family cannot afford to send me to such a school."
"If you are as promising as Hama-san says, I would be happy to supply you with a scholarship,"
Jyuushiro glanced up in surprise.
"Go on onii-chan," Saburo pouted.
"Saburo, you know it isn't that easy," Jyuushiro reprimanded gently.
"Why ever not?" Yamamoto raised an eyebrow.
"It's my health, sir, it isn't very good, kaa-san and tou-san aren't likely to want me to go even if you were to give me a scholarship."
"Sounds like you are making excuses,"
Jyuushiro's hackles rose at the challenge to his pride.
"What do you want me to do to prove it?"
Jyuushiro couldn't believe that he was here.
He was standing in front of the entrance to Shinoreijutsuin.
He took a deep breath and grinned.
It was time for him to take his life fully into his own hands.
A/N: don't forget the review.
*Inari zushi = stuffed tofu sushi
*Oya-ji = old man
