Disclaimer: You people love reminding me of what I wish to be but cannot!

Warning: The language toned down, but there are still some mentions my friends.

Note: Chapter 9 has been replaced into another REAL chapter. Read chapter 9 first before reading on.

Chapter 10: Bad Luck

They say a broken heart takes years to heal.

Unlike those girls in movies and chick-flicks I've seen in my whole life, the person I love didn't cheat on me, leave me for another girl, or just hurt me emotionally that it left me into insanity.

… Actually, the last part was pretty much similar to my situation, but my life is definitely not a chick-flick.

Sojiro did hurt me emotionally, only not the way those movies or books usually describe it. He left me, yes, but for another reason. He left me to fight for his rights. To fight for his freedom. To fight for the place he loved so much that he would lay down his life for it.

He knew that if he fought, he would die. He knew that if he walked out of those Academy doors, his fate would be inevitable. He knew that if he were to die, he expected me to carry out his dream and protect the Soul Society. He knew all of these things, and yet he still urged to move on.

I loved him deeply, but I can never bring myself to protect Soul Society whole-heartedly or sincerely.

Soul Society was the reason he died. Specifically speaking, Central 46. Those old bastards forced him and Toshiro into a life-and-death battle, with only the victor allowed to live. They said that they should fight one on one only with no help.

But I knew it was a faux. Old fuckers saw more talent in Toshiro than in Sojiro, causing them to summon the Punishment Force and eliminate Sojiro and let Toshiro live instead. They unfairly killed Sojiro before he could even prove his worth to te place he wanted to protect with his life.

Hatred was something I was very familiar with. But this kind of hatred was different— it felt stronger than anything I've ever felt before. It was as if I had this new habit to glare at any stranger who gives me odd stares and whispers behind my back or even dares talk about Sojiro whenever I'm inside the room or within hearing range.

I've changed drastically after Sojiro's death. Instead sulking like I did when Rukia left me for the Kuchiki clan, I became, in my opinion, stronger and calmer. My senses sharpened and no longer did I think naïve thoughts or did anything comical or things that are deemed childish in other's eyes.

I didn't exactly care what those people in the Academy thought of me. I've lost interest in stupid gossip years ago. Besides, if I listened, I might accidentally bash their heads until they bleed.

My attitude turned quiet and chilling, somewhat similar to a closed-off person. I never bothered into other's affairs nor did they bother mine. I became curt, blunt, and cold to others. Ironic since my zanpakuto was originally a fire elemental.

The others were surprised when I changed. I no longer acknowledged Momo's presence, only giving her a greeting before ignoring her existence completely. I stopped hanging out with Renji by the special spot in the school garden and focused more on getting stronger. I rarely talked to Izuru or Kenta about anything about anything.

I was absolutely closed-off from the world.

The only person I was willing to talk to was my own zanpakuto. Being part of my soul, she understood the feelings I hold inside me, making me feel safe whenever I talk to her. Maybe it was because she looked like a mythical being, but she sounded very wise for a bird.

My conversations with Takitsukeru were either comforting or annoying. At times she would console me and help me with my problems, while she bugs me that while my skills and abilities were becoming stronger and known, my delusional mind would hinder me from unleashing my full potential.

I didn't know what she was talking about. I wasn't the least bit delusional nor was I being weak.

Years passed ever since my contact with my friends and soon, I found myself graduating with flying colors. The ceremony was grand for the fact that the Captain Commander and the captains themselves would show up and stand in front of the Academy.

Being closed-off didn't mean that I was emotionless. I just lacked the empathy and chose to appear as if I didn't care. But truth be told— I was a nervous wreck.

We didn't get diplomas unlike what ordinary high schools do in my previous life. Instead, they bestow upon us a shihakuso and praise from the Captain Commander for being able to graduate.

The day arrived with us graduates standing on top of the stage, proudly showing our faces to the Academy as we bid them farewell. I stood between Kenta and Renji and I felt a tinge of annoyance cross me.

'4 fucking years and I only grew two inches…' I growled menacingly inside my head. I suppressed my annoyance by biting my tongue.

When I was given a shihakuso, my hands trembled and my knees threatened to shake and collapse. It took willpower to stand up brave and high as well as emotionless when you feel like the air around you is trying to push you down.

The head of the Academy spared a last look of approval before he walked down the stage. In his stead, Captain Commander Yamamoto walked up. Whether he did it on purpose or not, his reiatsu flared high.

My breathe hitched in my throat and my stomach dropped. With each thud of his cane, the air grew heavier and heavier for me to inhale. I almost wanted to fall on the ground and gasp for breathe.

Almost.

I was a professional. I knew what Yamamoto wanted. He was testing us to see if we can withstand the pressure of at least a pint of his reiatsu in a near range. If we were to faint or grovel into the floor now, it would deem us unworthy of being called Soul Reapers.

I glanced to my side, finding the others in the same tight situation as I am. Momo's unease and Izuru's were the ones most noticeable, seeing that beads of sweat rolled down their faces and their eyes can't keep focused on one object for more than a moment.

Finally, he stopped in front of us. He opened both his eyes, revealing steely dark pupils, focusing them on us.

"Abarai Renji! Kira Izuru! Hinamori Momo! Kagamine Yuriko!"

All five of us stared at Yamamoto. There were fear and hesitation located in each of our eyes, but we quickly covered them with a face of determination and stubborn will.

"Henceforth, you are all Soul Reapers! Deem yourselves worthy and pledge your allegiance to Soul Society!"

We bowed down on one knee and placed our right fists on the ground with our heads bowed down in synchronization.

"Yes sir!" we cried all together.

"Protect Soul Society with your lives! Offer your life and soul to the Soul Society! And deem yourselves worthy of the title of Soul Reaper!"

We spoke nothing, but all of us understood fully what Yamamoto meant. A sour expression came across my face, but it was ignored. Perhaps they mistook it for nerves or they saw that it bore no malice of ill intention whatsoever.

'Never.' I thought defiantly. 'I will never protect this place. I will protect only those who matter. You old shriveling bastards could rot in a hole for all I could care.'

But no one heard my true feelings. With a last thud of his cane, Yamamoto declared us as official Soul Reapers.

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Today was my first day being inside Seireitei.

Us graduates are required to wear the shihakuso given to us and report in the Seireitei later in the entrance of the Academy and await a member of one of the Goteo 13 who will teach us the standard procedures.

The shihakuso given to me was pretty confusing to wear at first. But with some help from Momo, I was able to wear it. There was a white short knee length kimono under the outfit and another black one that goes over it. The hakama pants are worn over the shirt and a really long white bandage was used to tie the pants in place.

Me wearing a shihakuso for a first time surprised me in a way. Never had I thought that it would feel… comfy and warm. Perhaps it was the detergent they used or whatever, but it felt very comfortable. Also, the clothes were made from light but thick material. It would protect us from the cold but at the same time give us allowance and freedom when moving our bodies.

I confirmed this when I did a series of high length kicked and gymnastics without being bothered by the outfit. Huh. Soul Society does have its uses after all.

Our Asauchi used became our permanent weapons. I strapped mine between the white sash tied around my waist and looked in the full body length mirror laid in front of me.

I tilted my head to the right as I peered at reflection. My outfit… was actually pretty boring. Believe it or not, I still care about my appearance. I am a female, if I must remind you.

The only distinguishable trait about me is that along with the Soul Reaper uniform, I wore Hiruka's red scarf around my neck and wore two red clips that clipped my left bangs away from my face. Also, I adopted Byakuya's look and wore some white tekkou gloves. The reason behind that is because it makes me feel separated.

All of us arrived at the meeting place, only to find a huge crowd of students awaiting our arrival. All had eager eyes and expressions of admiration as they gawked at us.

I rolled my eyes when I saw Renji smirk from the corner of my eye. Momo seemed a bit uneasy with the attention while Toshiro and Izuru just stayed silent.

Soon enough, the crowd of students began to flood us with questions. Momo just looked flustered and confused, Renji opted to answer most of them but failed because no one listened, while I just stayed separate from the group.

I leaned my back against the wall, my gaze wondering only on the floor. My left arm was on my side while I fiddled with my scarf with my right arm. I inhaled the soft scent of lilies inside my scarf. Lilies were my favorite flowers.

I heard someone approach me and I looked to my left and found it to be Toshiro. My emotions went down the drain as I faced him fully, unnerved but also curious of why he walked up to me.

"What do you want?" I asked him monotonously.

Toshiro looked at me, hesitating. "… Congratulations on graduating."

"Thank you."

"I hope we can be comrades in the future."

"It depends."

"… I see."

"Why withdraw yourself from me Hitsugaya-san? Are you afraid so to avoid me as much as you could?"

Toshiro's lips pursued into a thin line. "No, I'm not afraid." He said simply.

He walked beside me and leaned against the wall as well, his gaze wandering on the floor. I followed in his steps, resuming my fiddling and thinking in silence.

Unfortunately, the silence was nowhere near comfortable. It was rather tense and shaky, just like how I felt. I haven't spoken a word to Toshiro ever since that day, and I don't deem it proper of myself to engage in light conversation with the person who gained power unjustly.

My attention shifted to the right, where I sensed our guide for Seireitei or so was to appear. Our guide was obviously male, with dark purplish hair and beady eyes. A three lined scar was evident on the right side of his face and a 69 was tattooed on the left of his cheek.

For once, I smirked. "Fancy meeting you so soon, Vice Captain Hisagi."

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

"I'm impressed Hisagi. 5 years and you're already Vice Captain."

Our group walked behind Shuhei as he guided us around the Seireitei. God, the architecture here was even more confusing than I thought it was when I watched the series. How Soul Reapers know the ways of the place without growing frustrated or getting lost is a mystery.

Shuhei held a proud grin. "Of course. Through hard work, my goal has been accomplished."

I can't help but feel curious. "Hisagi-san, of what squad do you lead?" I ask formally.

Shuhei paused and looked at me in surprise. "Since when have you started to call me Hisagi?" he asked.

I stayed silent and decided to push my question. "What squad do you lead?" I repeated.

Still feeling rather perplexed and confused, he answered, "I lead the ninth division under the guidance of Captain Kaname Tousen."

I nodded. 'Tosen, huh? So it comes to the blind bastard already…'

I mused over my thoughts, planning a strategy of avoiding Aizen and trouble as much as I could as well as listening to Shuhei's lecture the whole times. It was pretty easy to listen to Shuhei since I had an excellent memory… ish.

After the tour, Shuhei briefed us on the dorm rooms inside. Apparently, each barracks has a building consisting of rooms provided for each officer or squad member to attend to. Though it depended on our squad, we would have our own rooms and salary.

Shuhei reached to the inside of his shihakuso and pulled out five folded papers with our names written on top. "In each paper is your contract and squad you're chosen to. You would each have a quick evaluation to test your skills. After few days, your captain would decide what seat your worthy of. I've already taught you the designated squad areas around Seireitei, so don't get lost. Understand?"

All of us nodded as we all took the papers in our hands. With a last nod, Shuhei gave us a small grin and gave us an encouraging 'good luck' before flash stepping away.

My hands trembled slightly. What squad would I go to? If I were to pick, I think I would go with 6th division alongside with Renji. Wait… Renji, Momo, and Izuru are supposed to be in the 5th division with Aizen.

Aizen. The mere mention of his name was enough to brew anger and fury inside me while giving me chills to the bone.

I opened the neatly folded paper and read the contract. Rules… rules… rules…

Ew. Rules.

I skipped the rules and just gave it a quick scan before going to the marked and underlines words. My eyes grew wide and my mouth remained agape as I stared at my paper.

Momo paused in her joy-filled moment that she shared with Izuru and Renji because they were in the same division together and stared at me, noticing my guppy-like reaction. "What's wrong Yuri-chan?"

I shoved the paper in front of her face. Once she read the underlines words of the division assigned to me, she gasped.

Renji and Izuru joined in, peering on the paper on curiosity. Both their reactions were similar to mine. Toshiro saw it too but only blinked in surprise.

"I can't believe it Yuriko!" Renji said.

"This… this is amazing!" Izuru said.

"This is great for you Yuri-chan!" Momo said, beaming.

I swallowed a lump that formed on my throat as Toshiro examined my paper. He gave it back to me and nodded.

"Good luck Kagamine." He said with a wry smile.

Luck?

I think I'll need that.

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

"Tch, so you're our new fourth seat?"

I twitched my left eye, a sign that I was growing irritated. A man whose height quickly towered mine looked at me with confusion and distaste. His huge lips pursued into a thin line and his eyes stared at me.

"Either you cheated in the tests or you're mistaken. This is the 2nd division, girly! Go to your real division and leave."

Before I could so much as throw a smartass retort at him, a voice cut into our conversation.

"Omaeda! What are you doing?"

I turned to look at the man in front of me and observe his reaction. Funny how earlier he was acting all snappy and tough when a single woman who was shorter than himself could make him shiver in fear.

Coward.

"C-captain Soi Fon! I-I was just telling this girl here that she's got the wrong barracks! There is no way that a puny midget like her could be our fourth se—"

BAM! POW! THWACK!

I sheathed my katana slowly, pleasantly ignoring the cries of pain that left Omaeda's lips. I glanced at him half-way, throwing him my signature glare.

"Oi! You're not supposed to abuse a Vice Captain and think you can get away with it!"

I narrowed my eyes. "Listen here Vice Captain," I said, straining the words 'vice captain', saying it slowly so he would see the sarcasm laced in it. "I respect people who I see worthy of it. Your rank means nothing to me, for I know that you must deserve your rank. Also, how you said that a woman can't be recognized as a strong alley is a major insult to my gender. Take your sexism out the window, fatass."

Omaeda blinked at me in shock while Soi Fon's face remained impassive, though I saw a glint of amusement in her eyes. Captain Soi Fon closed her momentarily before turning them to look at Omaeda.

"Omaeda, though I am your captain, I will NOT stand for it that you will insult someone of the same gender, for it is equivalent to insulting the Captain of the Punishment force itself." Soi Fon said.

Omaeda flinched and looked away while Soi Fon turned to me. "And you. You are only a rookie in this squad. You were placed here only because of your record and ability to flash step and coordinate much faster than the average latter. Prove yourself worthy of my recommendation for I do not wish to be made fun of."

I gave Soi Fon a respectful nod. "Yes Captain Soi Fon. I apologize for letting my feelings get the best of me."

As I bowed my head, I felt Soi Fon's eyes fixated on me. My gut was tingling, and that was considered either good or bad. Good if Soi Fon would manage to let this event slide and consider me into the Punishment force. Bad if she would let her patience run thin and shove my ass out of the Soul Reaper business.

I'd wish it wasn't the latter.

Soi Fon nodded. "Good." She said as she walked past us. A few steps forward before she halted in her tracks and turned to glance at me.

"I expect to meet you in the bamboo grounds in sector C area 6583 at 5 am. I would want to see your skills for myself. Also, you're room in the barracks is located in the east wing. Don't be late." Soi Fon said before flash stepping away from sight.

I blinked a few times before registering the words Soi Fon had just spoke.

Me? Spar with her? Is she nuts? I'm going to lose the first few seconds!

But… perhaps she won't go all out. I just need to use my strength and use it wisely at that. I must think quickly and act swiftly.

I exhaled and turned to look at my hands. 'Well it looks like hand-to-hand combat is my specialty from henceforth.' I reminded myself.

Though I really was surprised to see my squad arrangement, I was sort of glad I wasn't in squad 5. The last thing my mind needed was more stress from relieving information about Aizen and having to watch my moves carefully or I might end up being some sort of important tool for the said man.

My hands traveled to my katana and I found myself wondering. What should I do? My sword was very long, unlike the weapons used in execution. I can't possibly strap it on my back nor could I place it around my waist.

I sigh. Oh well, at least I won't have any problems now that I'm far away from Aizen and from Toshiro.

"Damn it, girly! You broke my nose!"

… I stand corrected.

[A/N:] GUESS WHO'S BAAAAAAAAAACCCCKKKKKKK!

I got out from the hospital just a few days ago! It was really nasty in my hospital room, and very boring. I thought I was going to go insane if I didn't get some fresh air. Good thing they let me out the minute they confirmed that my health was fine! Either they were glad I'm well and healthy, or they were glad that I wouldn't drive them crazy by escaping the hospital rooms numerous of times anymore.

Anyways, I think I have actually received my first flamer. And get a load of this; this moron reviews his complaints in after every single chapter. What I'm so confused is that why bother reading my fanfiction if it sucks so much? :\

I know that haters are just jealous people, but sometimes they really tick me off. Makes me want to sick Yuriko at them and go all "HADO NO 33: SOKATSUI!" at them.

Answer: Yuriko's name when translated into English means = "Child of the Lilies" which was inspired by her favorite flowers. You didn't think that she just randomly picked a Japanese sounding name just to fit in now do you? :3

Question: Favorite top 5 anime?

See you in the next update duckies~ :)))