For the first time in four years, he could say that he was truly happy. Graduating not three days ago, Yoh had received his asauchi and was to be assigned to a squad today. Shortly after receiving his zanpakuto Yoh felt different, it was as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Now he could smile again and say he felt truly happy.
Walking down a long outdoor corridor had never been terrifying, but now he found his legs shaking in anticipation. He quickly and quietly followed the squad member in front of him until they reached a side door,

"You will wait here until one of our commanding officers comes by to officially except you." The door slid back into place without a sound and Yoh was left to wait. Standing nervously, he adjusted his reversed shihakusho. After having received it he noticed that it tied in the opposite direction of all the other Shinigami's shihakusho.
As if he was always at a funeral.
This didn't bother Yoh because it made him feel different, even special, because his was the only one like it. Luck would surely be on his side if no one looked long enough to notice it.
Several people shuffled noisily by but did not open the door. Yoh began to wonder if had been taken to the wrong squad barracks until,

"WHAT?! Why didn't you inform me sooner?" Yoh heard thumping footsteps approach the room where he was waiting.
WHACK!
"Sorry to make you wait! I'm fukutaicho Shiba Kaien. Pleased to meet you!" Yoh widened his eyes then remembering his manners he bowed,

"I'm Midori Yoh, pleased to meet you sir!"

"At ease Yoh. So you've been sent to Squad Thirteen to fulfil your contract with the Thirteen Court Guards Squads." Contract? You make it sound like I'm obligated to do this, "It's good to have you on board. Our taicho is in poor health at the moment so if you have any problems, don't be afraid to come and see me. When he's feeling better you should get the chance to meet our taicho. If he isn't flooded with paper work the moment he wakes up that is, aha ha ha!" Smiling Kaien looked closely at Yoh's face, "Say, do I know you from somewhere?"

"You were my Academy entrance examiner over five years ago."

"Right, that's where I've seen your face before! As you can see I'm much too busy to be doing something like that now." Kaien pulled out several documents regarding Yoh's work ethics, his different classes and graduation information. "It says here you skipped ahead a year and graduated with a recommendation. Unfortunately your graduation score is not high enough to be a seated officer upon entry into the squad," he put the sheets away, "But that doesn't matter. If you apply yourself diligently to your duties and to the squad, you may find yourself sharing a seat rather quickly. Effort is not overlooked in this squad." Kaien lowered his voice so Yoh could not hear him, "But if you manage to gain Shikai, no doubt other advancements would open up."

"I'm sorry sir, what did you say?"

"Mmm, oh! It doesn't matter," Kaien laughed, "Listen, I have to go now so Sentaro will show you around. SENTARO!" Kaien pulled back the door and a man, who had obviously been eavesdropping, stumbled in through the doorway.

"Yes fukutaicho!" He turned to face Yoh as Kaien left, "I am third seat Kotsubaki Sentaro and I will be giving you a tour of the barracks! Follow me!" Yoh winced every time Sentaro shouted. "Over there is the squad sleeping quarters, to your left is the mess hall, and in the back there are our training grounds! Finally to your right are the taicho and fukutaicho's quarters. You will find that the rest of the grounds are mostly open fields and forests with a few buildings used for different things. Our taicho likes the grounds as they were naturally found, so from time to time you might be assigned a job that has to do with the upkeep of some of the plants." They stopped beside a small pond, "I have to go now. You may have the rest of the day off to orientate yourself with everyone and your surroundings, but tomorrow be ready to work."

He bowed as Sentaro ran off, "Yes sir!" Relaxing, he looked around, finding the view very beautiful. "Now what will I do? Hmmmmm..." He began to walk along the edge of the pond. It was small and had numerous cat tails growing in the shallows. Across the opposite bank was heavily covered by over grown trees and weeds.
He he. That must be one of the not so well kept areas.
He discovered further along the bank a large gunnera manicata growing in full glory. He was glad that there was a familiar plant growing here, as no others he had seen could be found in the Rukon District or in the Seireitei gardens. Perhaps some of them had come from the human world. Deciding to come back later that evening, he walked over to the sleeping quarters hoping to find an open bed.

The room was mostly empty save the lazy few who had decided to sleep in that day. A small group of men and older boys were sitting in a corner playing an unfamiliar game. The game must have been very entertaining because Yoh stood watching them for several minutes until a man facing the door way looked up,

"Hey hey, lookie here! You must be the new member of our squad?" Yoh nodded and bowed.

"Yes I am. Pleased to meet you." The man got up and staggered, he had obviously been drinking.

"Well what are you doing here? There's nowhere for you to sleep here. Now go away!" The others sitting at the table laughed at the man as he tried to sit down again. Yoh stood there, not sure as to whether he was serious or not. After a few minutes had passed one of the men noticed Yoh still standing in the entranceway.

"What're you lookin' at? We told you to get lost!" Getting up swiftly he backed Yoh out of the room and onto the walkway. He raised his fist and was about to punch Yoh when a strong hand intercepted the blow.

"What are you doing, Goro?" The man's eyes widened.

"Nothing eighteenth seat Hotaka." Goro pulled his wrist out from Hotaka's firm grip. Hotaka smiled.

"Good. Why don't you go finish your game?" He turned to Yoh, "I'm sorry about that. Goro and his group always cause trouble for newcomers. I think they believe it's up to them to see if you belong in Squad Thirteen or not. They're actually a nice bunch apart from that. Now, why don't you take the place closest to the wall there? It's been vacant for a while now. If you have any personal belongings, don't be afraid to leave it here. If anything goes missing just report it to me." He bowed and Yoh returned the greeting, "I'm Isao Hotaka. Eighteenth seat first position of Squad Thirteen."

"Midori Yoh, sir."

"Good to meet you. I'm sure you're fed up with all the introductions by now but it's procedure. Before I go, I'll lay out some guidelines. First, you are not to be late for any assignment. Second, you should not be in here unless you have free time or you have been dismissed. Third, Zanpakuto are only to be carried around the barracks. If you are leaving the area, please leave it here. High-ranking officers are the only ones allowed to carry their zanpakuto outside of the barracks. If you have any questions don't be afraid to come and ask me." Without another word, he turned and left Yoh to his own devices.

"Everyone seems to come and go very quickly around here." He left his zanpakuto beside his bed and made his way over to the Squad Thirteen mess hall. Dinner was, as Yoh expected, not anything special. Some onigiri, dried fish and the choice of water or a sweet drink. For the next little while, he would have to get used to the dullness of eating a very similar menu, as his current rank did not pay him enough to dine out. As he followed the walkway back towards the sleeping quarters several voices could be heard from inside,

"Yeah... it looks so… weird."

"It belongs to the new guy, doesn't it?"

"I think so..." Yoh walked in to find the group that had been there earlier holding his zanpakuto. Their mouths gaping at his arrival they quickly set it down behind them and grinned sheepishly.

"What are you doing with my zanpakuto?" Yoh cried angrily. A younger member of the group began to speak up.

"Well you see, Goro liked the diamond shaped guard on your zanpakuto better than his circle shaped one so-" WHACK!

"Shut up!" Pushing his group to the back of the room, Goro lay down and pointedly put his back to Yoh. Yoh, silently fuming, grabbed his katana and stormed off into the night. As he strode towards the pond, the night watchmen began to light the lanterns. Upon reaching the water, he sat down beneath the gunnera manicata and set his sword beside him. He looked at it and he could understand why they were so fascinated with it. The guard was not flat but instead formed a 3-D diamond shape around the hilt having two longer points at the front and back of the sword.

"You haven't even been with me one day and you're already causing me trouble!" He waited for a response but it did not come. "Heh... Right, like you can talk." Lying on his side, Yoh rested his head on his hand. Watching the lantern light flicker in the distance and dance on the pond's surface he relaxed, ignoring his annoyance towards his zanpakuto. As he lay there watching the scene, his eyes grew heavy and began to close. Sprawling out on his back he planned to rest for only a moment, but found he was soon fast asleep.

"Yoh."
Ignoring the voice, he turned over in his sleep.
"Yoh... Yoh, wake up."
Sitting up took quite a bit of effort, and when he finally managed to lift himself, he kept his eyes closed. He tried to concentrate on the voice and where it was coming from, but it came from every direction. Each time it called, he was surrounded and filled by a deep warm voice. "Yoh. Open your eyes." As he did, the sight of the pond and the plants that he was expecting did not greet him. Instead, a vast forest spread before him, as far and as wide as he could see. Standing, he took a few steps towards the trees near the edge, wary of what might be near. Upon reaching the trees he reached out with his hand. Hesitating for only a moment, he reached out and touched the bark. Upon doing so, a dense fog slowly engulfed the area, cutting off visibility. "Do not be afraid, Yoh, I will not hurt you."

"Who's there?" Yoh whirled around trying to see the owner of the voice, it sounded near. "Where are you?"

"I am everywhere Yoh. Part of what you see, feel, hear and even smell. I would even say I am a part of you." Palms sweaty, he backed up against a tree.

"Huh. I don't think so. If you were, you'd show yourself." The voice sighed in disappointment.

"Ah Yoh, I already have." The world around him also seemed to sigh as it slowly dissolved away. The trees, all except the one he was leaning against, evaporated along with the ground, leaving him standing on the roots of his tree. The roots that supported him shifted and Yoh lost his balance. Reaching up as he fell, Yoh managed to grab a root.
"Yoh, you are not ready yet. We will meet again when you are." The roots shook him lose and he fell down through the darkness, only to snap awake to the morning daylight. He raised a hand to his face, blocking out the bright light.

"What was that?" Turning his head so he could see his zanpakuto, he reached out and raised it over head. Na, it couldn't be.