It's been too long since I updated this. My other story, "The New World", seems to be the favorite so I have to focus more on that story from time to time. But lately, I've been feeling this story much more so I decided to devote a little more effort to this one. In fact, the next chapter is already done! I just have to send it to my beta reader, Whitecloud, for some fine tuning.
Kenshin slid back from the last attack. His breathing was haggard and his aching muscles begged him to stop, but he refused to listen. Through the searing pain, Kenshin struggled to resume his stance and faced his opponent.
"Maybe we should stop for now…" Yumichika suggested several feet away from Kenshin. "It doesn't look like you can stand anymore."
"Do you see me lying on the ground licking my wounds?" Kenshin snapped. "No? Then keep fighting!"
"No need to be testy," Yumichika said, slightly surprised by his comrades anger. "I'm only concerned for your health."
"I can still swing my zanpakutō; you don't need to be concerned," he bit out.
"Very well," Yumichika sighed, and then rushed at Kenshin.
Kenshin made an attempt to charge as well, but he couldn't stop himself from limping. He tried his best to raise his sword to perform a strike, but his movements were sluggish, making it easy for Yumichika to grab his wrist and push Kenshin to the ground.
"You see? You're in no condition to fight," Yumichika stated.
"Stop treating me like a child!" Kenshin snapped once more.
"Enough!"
Kenshin turned his head to look at Ikkaku, who had been overseeing the fight.
"Yumichika is right," he stated. "I respect your desire to continue fighting, but this is just sad."
"I'm not done!" Kenshin shouted, getting back up.
"Shut up!" Ikkaku snapped. "Don't be an idiot. You've been fighting for two hours now. Only fools go into battle exhausted."
Kenshin hated to admit it, but Ikkaku was right. He could barely stand and his entire body was bruised.
"Yumichika will take you to the Fourth Division to get you patched up. You done more than enough today," Ikkaku said with finality. Kenshin hung his head in defeat.
'Three years…' he thought to himself. 'Three years and I've only come this far!'
After his first and only fight with his captain and being called weak, Kenshin trained each and every day without rest. As a result, he was incredibly fit and his skills had improved much. Yumichika and Ikkaku even said he was ready for a seated position, but his captain refused to see him so it was unlikely he would receive such a promotion.
Yet despite it all, it still wasn't enough. Kenshin didn't have much skill in kido or his zanpakutō to back him up. He was forced to rely on raw power and speed from the very beginning. In the Eleventh Division, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
'Have I reached my limit?' Kenshin wondered if it was indeed the best he could do.
From the window of his office, Kenpachi watched the fight. He had to admit, the kid had improved from a few years back. If he had to guess, he was at a level higher than a Tenth Seat. Even so, he still wasn't ready.
'It's been three years damnit!' he thought in frustration. 'I'm getting sick of waiting!'
He watched as Yumichika helped Kenshin to the Fourth Division. Kenpachi couldn't help but smirk at Kenshin's need to continue the fight despite his injuries. It reminded him of himself. This only made him want to fight Kenshin even more.
"How long do I have to wait damnit!" Kenpachi shouted, slamming his fist down onto his desk. The desk exploded into a thousand pieces.
"Just great…" Kenpachi muttered, looking at his decimated desk. Just another thing to aggravate him.
After having been discharged from the Fourth Division later that afternoon, Kenshin wandered out of the Seireitei to meet up with his friends in the Rukon District. He was still depressed about his earlier sparring match with Yumichika, but once he saw the smiling face of Captain Unohana, it helped him forget his inadequacy, if only for a little while. Sometimes Kenshin wished he were better at Kido. That way he could've joined Captain Unohana's squad.
Kenshin met up with his Lisa, Gin, and Rangiku in rather cozy restaurant in the First District. It was the first time the four of them had gathered in a long time. His friends had changed very little. Gin's fox grin was present on his face as always and the only different thing about Lisa was that she was the one that taunted Kenshin about his height. After Kenshin saved Rangiku three years ago, she had ceased her teasing and Lisa was more than happy to pick up her mantle.
With their drinks in hand, the foursome toasted to their friendship. Kenshin tried to keep his face happy, but he was too focused on his shortcomings for his smile to be genuine. Fortunately for him, his friends were quite perceptive and picked up on his mood.
"Kenshin, what's wrong with ya?" Gin asked first.
"What do you mean?" Kenshin asked, feigning ignorance.
"Cut the crap, shorty," Lisa said next, earning an annoyed glare from Kenshin. "How stupid do you think we are?"
"Just you…" Kenshin mumbled. He let out a yelp when he felt something hit his shin.
"I can hear you, you know," Lisa stated.
"Seriously, Kenshin, what's bothering you?" Rangiku asked.
Kenshin looked away from all of them, deciding to stare at his hands as they tensed up and gripped his hakama.
"Kenshin…" Rangiku spoke softly as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"We're all here for ya" Gin said with a grin.
"Just come out with it already!" Lisa said impatiently.
"Lisa!" Rangiku chided.
"Fine!" she said and took a deep breath. "Just tell us and you'll feel better."
"I doubt it," Kenshin mumbled and gave a long sigh.
"I just feel… like I'm just miles behind," he admitted.
"Miles behind what?" Rangiku asked, urging him to go on.
"Everyone. You, Gin, Lisa, everyone."
"Whadya mean?" Gin asked, confused.
"You graduated after one year at the academy and instantly became a Fifth Seat and then Third Seat that same year," He said, looking to Gin.
"Lisa became a Lieutenant as soon as she graduated and Rangiku's a Third Seat as well."
Everyone looked directly at Kenshin, waiting for him to finish.
"And me… my zanpakutō won't speak to me and I can barely perform even the most basic of Kido spells. My captain thinks I'm weak and won't let me go on missions anymore or even offer me a promotion," he explained.
"Three years as a Soul Reaper and I'm dead last…" Kenshin said, more to himself than his friends.
The three of them couldn't help, but feel sorry for him. Even Lisa was surprised with how much she pitied Kenshin. Rangiku got out of her chair and wrapped her arms around her little brother, comfortingly.
"You're not dead last," she said softly.
"Then what am I?"
"Just plain unlucky," Lisa stated with a shrug.
Kenshin raised a brow at her, unsure of how that would help him feel better.
"Think about it. You spend most of your life in one of the worst districts in the Rukon and get yourself beaten everyday by a group a wannabe thugs. You were the last one to learn of his spiritual powers. You had no talent for Kido at the academy, and and is totally ignored by his zanpakutō. You applied to Eleventh Division where you were greeted with beat down as a welcome, and tortured for a whole day by your Lieutenant. You were seriously injured in your shoulder during a mission…" Lisa held her hand up to prevent the protest Rangiku was starting, "and on the same day were declared a weakling by your own captain, and most likely to never go on another mission again or receive a promotion."
After she finished the list of Kenshin's every miserable failure, everyone stared at her blankly, wondering what her true intentions were.
"Uh, Lisa? Thanks for the recap of all my screw-ups, but please tell me that there's a part where you make feel better," Kenshin deadpanned.
"I'm getting to it," she said, waving her dismissively.
"You're only focusing on all the negative things that happened to you," she pointed out.
"Even though you grew up in the worst conditions, you gained a best friend and a sister. You may have been last to discover your power, but you still became a Soul Reaper and got a better life. You didn't excel in Kido, but you graduated as one of the top students in Hakuda and Zanjutsu. You became a personal favorite of Captain Unohana and she treats like a son. Once you found you could not communicate with your zanpakutō, it only encouraged you to get stronger. Before your falling out, you're captain brought you on a mission that by all rights you should not have gone on, much less participate in."
Lisa paused taking a sip from her glass. "As I said before, you're unlucky. However, good things still happened to you."
"She's got a point, Kenshin" Gin said. "Everyone's due for some good luck at some point."
Kenshin couldn't help but smile as he looked at his friends and sister.
"Thanks guys and thanks a lot Lisa. I know it was hard for you, and you have a very strange and mean way of doing it, but you actually made me feel better," Kenshin admitted.
"That's what I'm here for," she said smugly.
"Then where were you all those other years?" he asked dryly. He shouted in pain when he felt something hit his shin again. He glared at Lisa.
"One day I'm going to get you, Yadomaru," he growled.
"Hopefully it'll be the same day you reach adult height," she responded, unconcerned.
Kenshin was about to get up and make good on his threat, but Rangiku kept him pinned to his chair and told him to relax and take a breath. Even though he appeared to be angry, he was grinning on the inside. The melancholic mood amongst them foursome had disappeared and they resumed their lunch in much higher spirits.
Kenshin returned to his squad, sporting a grin instead of the grimace he had when he left. Yachiru was the first to greet him.
"Kenny-Two's back!" she cheered and dove for him.
Luckily, she had done this hundreds of times since Kenshin joined the squad, giving him more than enough chances predict her actions. Before she had collided with him, he caught her from under her arms and held her out.
"Why do you do that every time I come back home, Yachiru?"
"Cause it's fun!" she said cheerily. Kenshin sighed at her obvious answer that he heard oh so many times before. Still he smiled and allowed her to take her favorite spot on his shoulders.
"Are you going to fight with Baldy and Feathers again, Kenny-Two?"
"Hmm… no, I think I'll just relax for the rest of day," he said after giving it some thought. His outing with his friends and sister made him realized that he didn't need to kill himself to become stronger. Like Gin had said, good luck would present itself to him eventually; he just needed to be patient. On the way back to his room he ran into Ikkaku and Yumichika.
"Hey kid, you ready for another round?" Ikkaku asked.
"No thanks, I'm turning in for the day," he said, walking past them. Both looked at him in shock.
"That was unexpected," Yumichika pointed.
"What gives, Kenshin? You're in perfect health and you don't even wanna fight?" Ikkaku asked incredulously.
"Missing a few hours of training isn't going to have any serious affect on my performance as a Soul Reaper," he stated nonchalantly as he continued down the hall with Yachiru still on his shoulders. "I'll spar with you guys tomorrow."
Ikkaku and Yumichika watched with surprise as the same boy who early that day wanted to ignore his injuries and keep fighting blatantly refused to spar with them.
"What's with him?" Ikkaku asked out loud.
"Not sure, but I must admit, it is a relief to see him take it easy for a change," said Yumichika.
"I guess," Ikkaku said as he rubbed the back of his head. "I just don't want him getting sloppy. Captain Zaraki told me to keep him training."
"I have to say, I'm not really fond of the captain's decision regarding Kenshin."
"I can't disagree, but it's the captain's orders," Ikkaku said as he turned to make his way to the mess hall with Yumichika following close behind.
Kenshin laid back on his bed, his eyes closed. This was the first time in a long time he decided to skip a sparring match with Ikkaku or Yumichika and relax instead. Yachiru was sitting on the side of his bed kicking her feet.
"Kenny-Two, I'm bored!" she complained.
"I'm not making you stay here Yachiru," Kenshin said, keeping his eyes closed.
"How come you don't have any toys to play with?"
"Because I'm not a child."
"Then can we play a game?"
"I'm relaxing Yachiru," he said, determined not to get annoyed.
Yachiru pouted and hopped off the bed. She tiptoed to where Kenshin kept his zanpakutō and reached out to grab it.
"Leave it alone," Kenshin said, well aware of what she was doing.
Yachiru did as she was told and left the room to find something or someone else to play with… or torture. Kenshin sighed contently now that he was able to rest in peace. He thought about visiting Captain Unohana for tea or to practice Ikebana together.
"Emergency! Emergency!" Kenshin heard from a loud speaker outside his window.
"All captains are to report to the First Squad's barracks immediately. An anomaly has occurred with the Ninth Squad. The Ninth Squad's Captain Muguruma Kensei and Lieutenant Mashiro Kuna's spiritual pressure have completely vanished! An emergency meeting of all captains will commence immediately!"
Kenshin's eyes widened at the announcement. He had heard of the Ninth Division Captain's strength. What could have been strong enough to cause it to disappear? He decided to stay in his bed since the announcement said all captains had to report for an emergency meeting. That threw all his plans for visiting Captain Unohana out the window. There was nothing left for him to do but get a good night's sleep. He just hoped that whatever was going on, Captain Unohana would still be alright the next day.
I know this chapter was a bit shorter than the last one, but it mostly just to get this story back on track.
R&R please!