Author's Note:
Cringey, yes. But eh, it is what it is. Also, lacking in some parts from the source material still bugs me at this point. Just assume that aside from just Hakuda, Hoho, Zanjutsu and Kido classes, there are other classes like basic arithmetics, law and political structure and such.
Enjoy m8 :vv

Chapter 6: Finals, Ambush, and Decision.

Time passed and its now the middle of the Second Year of Shugo's enrollment within the Shin'o Academy. As planned, his focus of study for the year are Hoho and Hakuda. You ask what of his Kido and Zanjutsu studies last year?

The instructors of the Zanjutsu classes did not bother giving him any form of exam, given that he was already allowed to not participate in the classes by the Chief Instructor himself. And as if to reinforce that ruling, the young man achieved Shikai just before the normal schedule of the exams. Thus, the instructors agreed to pass the young man in Zanjutsu exam with the highest mark.

As to Kido, while it was not as absurd as to his achievements in Zanjutsu, he excelled in casting speed and overall Kido spell mastery as a whole. He did not specialize in any particular Kido category, just that he is able to utilize them effectively enough to render specialization null for him. But, because of that, he was only within the top 3 of the class. That gave the instructors of the Kido classes a breath of relief and allowed other students to not feel so outclassed by the top ranker.

Chief Instructor Onabara nodded in satisfaction when he viewed Shugo's results in the first year.

Back to the present, like the previous year, he splits Hoho and Hakuda into 6 months each. In case he somehow managed to finish the course in less than 6 months, he would be able to use the free time to learn on Konso, or Soul Burial, since he already has a proper Zanpakuto.

It is not as if he needs to have a proper Zanpakuto beforehand. However, it is simply a matter of insurance, since if he is to be deployed into the World of the Living, then at the very least he could very well dispose of Hollows (or any other threats that might crop up) that might attack him when he is busy with performing Konso on souls in the Living World.

Also, he would use the free time to learn more on the World of the Living, and maybe attain info on the current state of it. Because he knows all too well that things in the World of the Living can change in a very short amount of time. Even if the worlds are different, some principles remain the same, or so how he goes with that line of thinking in regards of progress of the Living World.

Regarding his studies in Hoho, it was easy enough since it involves fast movement of the footwork of the user. As to why this is the case, this is mainly due to his pre-existing abilities to utilize fast movements, such as Hissatsu: Gyoten and Hissatsu: Yaten from his Samurai job, and Shukichi from his Ninja job.

The issue, however, lies within the fact that those moves from his Samurai job are rather combat oriented, with Gyoten being to close into an enemy within the range of 9,144 m (decimals, not thousand) and deal a couple of attacks as the whole moveset, while Yaten is for pulling back from the target (same range as Gyoten), while attacking before pulling back.

'Mayhap Shukichi be the nearest in regards of function.' Shugo pondered as he listened to the lecture in Hoho.

The instructor was lecturing the class in Hoho. To be specific, it was about Shunpo, or Flash Step.

"If your attainment in Hoho is high enough, then you'd be able to use Shunpo. Unlike normal Hoho, Shunpo would allow you to move faster while reducing the steps taken to the least amount to go from point A to B in the shortest time possible." The instructor explained as he showed a video, courtesy of the 12th Division, projected onto the board at the front of the class.

The video shown of a Shinigami moving extremely fast enough to turn into a blur before reappearing at a distance away from their original spot. Another Shinigami was using normal Hoho, hence while their movement was fast, it was still comparatively slower since they took more time and steps to get to the designated location.

Shugo overall understood the concept. It was similar enough to Shukichi, and by extension, both Gyoten and Yaten. The difference being perhaps in range, as Shunpo could cover more range than even Shukichi that has double the range of either Gyoten or Yaten. Though this was based on the limitations placed upon himself unconsciously back on Hydaelyn. As he is now, though…

'Unless I perform several experiments to see for myself, this will remain as a mere hypothesis…' He squinted his eyes in the thought of it.

While Shukichi may rival Shunpo now that he lacks the limitations, Shunpo is perhaps more convenient, given that it does not require him to use a smoke bomb every time he uses it.

As to normal Hoho, his Sprint skill covers it more than enough, though the cooldown until he can use it is less than desirable, it is nonetheless convenient since it does not drain his stamina (not that he needs to bother, since from sheer endurance he could go on without sleep, rest or food for a very long time).

When the time came for the exercise of Hoho, he was, to no one's surprise, top of the class. Because of his experience with Sprint, and that his stamina is nearly endless, it was easy enough to endure Hoho. At one point during an exercise, he very nearly gotten into Shunpo. However, the feel of Shunpo still eluded him for some time.

It was not until the half of the 4th month that he finally mastered Hoho, and in turn, achieved Shunpo. Even the lecturer commented on how he often got very close to be able to use Shunpo in those 4 months but failed due to some invisible wall that blocked the feel from his senses.

With that, he was allowed to not participate in Hoho class. However, he still participated, mostly on exercises to help him in mastering Shunpo, and the various techniques that entails with it, such as Senka, Utsusemi and Speed Clones. Thanks to that, by the time the 6th month arrived, he was ready to face the final exam of the Hoho course, and eventually aced the exam with his mastery over Shunpo, achieving the rating of a Shunpo Expert.

As stated before, in the time between classes, he would learn upon the current state of the Living World from reports by the various divisions that were accessible to him. It mainly discussed how the people in the Living World having monitors that looked like giant boxes that displayed the news and such, of how communications within the Living World were slowly advancing, and of the makings of an information network that could span the entire Living World.

Of course, he also read of the political and social climate of the Living World, on how the world was slowly entering a new age in which the supposed ideology the humans call "communism" was slowly crumbling, as the nations that adopted it were crumbling due to the massive strain their policies put onto their economies, and the rise of the so-called "capitalism" in various parts of the world.

He also got to take a look at the map of the Living World. Although he could tell it was somewhat outdated, it gave him enough picture to know which region was which. In a way, it was similar to the continents on Hydaelyn, but different enough to disprove any ideas of Hydaelyn being some sort of a parallel Earth, or so what the humans call their world as.

Overall, the World of the Living was certainly more peaceful compared to what happened on Hydaelyn. But the political climate is certainly no different in terms of its intricacy and how it annoys him to no end. Not to mention, they would sometime try and involve him in some political struggle. Hence, his rather distaste of politics. Despite all that, however, his political sway within the Eorzean Alliance, and even by extension Doma and their allies, was ironically as large as a leader of a nation or a city-state.

Going back to his 2nd half of the 2nd year in the academy, the subject of study was Hakuda. In essence, Hakuda is an unarmed melee fighting style that relies on the user's body. Being a mixture of several martial arts from the Living World, Hakuda class determines the physical strength and skill of a Shinigami (or a Shinigami-to-be in this case).

Shugo had limited experience in this, since most of it were from his observations of his party members that were of the Monk job. He never got around to take the preceeding class, Pugilist, that was needed as a basis for taking the Monk job. While he knows the basic stances, he was still considered to be a beginner in terms of actual combat experience for unarmed melee.

'It would have been wise to take on the Pugilist Class beforehand…' He shook his head and sighed.

For Hakuda classes, they mostly take place in one of the academy's dojos since it was better to show the students the movesets directly before explaining the theory behind them and then having them exercise said movesets in a spar against fellow students. One of the movesets being Taijutsu, in which the user would overwhelm the enemy with high-speed attacks.

He was somewhat familiar with some movements, since he saw Lyse used it in her fights, of note was when she had a spar with him on the palm of Rhalgr's Statue in Rhalgr's Reach. He remembered fondly of that moment.

It was nearing dawn in Rhalgr's Reach, just before the start of the final battle in the Liberation of Ala Mhigo. Shugo was observing some of the Resistance fighters training with their respective dummy targets, when he heard footsteps approaching. He turned around and saw her. Wearing what he can only assume to be a traditional Ala Mhigan garbs, Lyse Hext looked admittingly stunning. Even Shugo could not help but blow a whistle as she approached.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting…" She apologized, before she twirled around and said, "Well, what do you think? I know it's a bit old-fashioned…but in a traditional sort of way. Yda wore it whenever she could…" feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Not that I'm pretending to be here or anything! Not again. It's just…if this is the last battle we fight to free Ala Mhigo, then she ought to be a part of it." She explained herself, referring to her stunts when he initially joined the Scions.

"It suits you." Shugo chuckled and answered.

She was expectedly happy, clasping her hand together before releasing them. "It's nice of you to say so. Aaand a bit embarrassing. But mostly nice." She smirked, before waving in embarrassment at his compliment.

She closed her eyes before refocusing on her initial intent, opened it again and said, "Anyway, the real reason I asked you here was to sneak in a warm-up before the final battle."

That got Shugo raising his brow in interest.

"There's this place I know where monks used to spar as part of their training. Care to join me?" She invited, clasping her right fist into her left palm.

Shugo wordlessly nodded before Lyse took his answer and turned to look at the statue of Rhalgr. Specifically, the right palm of the statue. Without any further words, the two would go up and proceeded to that place.

Before long, they arrived. The two closed their eyes, with the sunrise soon being their cue to start their spar. Holding his then katana, Kiku-Ichimonji, while wearing his Myochin armor set, Shugo opened his eyes as the light of the sun peeked through the in-betweens of the mountains in the distance.

At the same time, Lyse, readying herself in her battle stance, with her right hand to her side, while her left hand straight to the front, and her left leg to the front while her right was to her back, at a ninety degrees angle. She too opened her eyes at the same time.

The two smiled at each other, before they rushed towards each other, meeting in the middle. His katana on his right hand, her gauntlet on her right arm. The two clashed with fervor, as blade meets gauntlet. The air cracked with every clash between the two. The surface of the statue's palm being riddled with slashes from the air of their clash. Even the waterfall would have some breaks between its fall due to the explosions in the air.

Her fist met his blade. As he pushed it back, he slashed forward only to be met with her fist. Pushing him back, she kicked forward from his left side. He used his blade to parry that kick and pushed her feet away. The two attacked and retaliate against each other in concert, as if they were dancing to a rhythm.

He opened his eyes, finished reminiscing of that moment. Right now, he is in the dojo, and he is about to face another student in a Hakuda spar. The instructor was at the side, giving out instructions before nodding.

"Hakuda exercise. Match 1: Kurenai Shugo vs. Toshikazu Ryuji. Exercise… Start!" The instructor said as he barked the start of the match.

The man before him had a dark green hair, tied to a back which made it a ponytail. Fair skin tone, a bit rough in terms of facial hair, and somewhat sharp eyes. At a height that's somewhat shorter than Shugo, Ryuji was certainly someone that oozes experience.

Shugo eyed his opponent, who went into a battle stance. The man was certainly wary of him, especially of his reputation within Zanjutsu and Hoho. He followed suit and went into his battle stance: he formed a four-finger palm and stretched his left arm to the front, while forming a fist on his right arm and pulled it to his right side, with his right foot on a horizontal position and to the back, while his left leg faces the front and is ahead at a distance from his right leg.

Ryuji squinted his eyes as he looked at this… Monster. What else would fit this guy better than a monster?

'He is inviting me over… Dammit, how should I approach this guy?!' He was sweating a bit, before sighing to relief the tension building inside him.

He grits his teeth as he dashed forward using Hoho and tried to kick Shugo with his right leg.

THWACK! PANG!

It was easily parried, before he immediately withdrew his right leg and switched to kick with his left leg. Before he could make any hit however, Shugo had already dodged with ease, dodging to the side that's just beyond Ryuji's leg range. He took Ryuji's leg and displaced him from standing, dropping him onto the floor.

THWACK! BOOM!

After that, Shugo jumped back. He allowed Ryuji to stand again. He needed more experience; hence he didn't end the battle there. Ryuji, who felt like Shugo was not being serious with him, felt angry and rushed at the man. He punched with his right fist before it was unceremoniously parried to the side, and he was elbowed at his chin by Shugo.

BOOF! THOOMP!

Being slightly on the air, Ryuji felt his head ringing. Before he could snap back, however, Shugo took his chance and this time, he strikes with his right palm at Ryuji's exposed body.

CHACK! SHUUNG!

Ryuji was thrown off from the sparring area, as the other students surrounding it immediately cleared the area to not get hit by his body. Shugo's palm smoked a bit before he lets out a long breath and jitter his hand to wear off the counterforce that was given to him after he palm-strike Ryuji's body.

After landing, Ryuji slumped a bit, his body felt weak. The man he faced was really a monster. That fear would be etched into his mind, if not for what was about to happen next: Shugo casted Cure on the man (not that Ryuji knows what Cure even is).

"W-winner: Kurenai Shugo!" The instructor stuttered before declaring the winner of the spar.

There was no cheer of sorts. His fellow classmates were no longer surprised by his feats. Some of them simply nodded, other were analyzing the moves he used and the counters they would have used in his stead. The few remaining were simply terrified.

This was perhaps the only time Shugo fought without holding back. He simply relied on mimicry of the moves he had seen from Lyse and other Monks, while using his brute strength to help reinforce his rather awkward techniques.

Hence, when he was offered to also be exempted from Hakuda classes, he declined, and said, "I did not have any formal training in unarmed combat. The reason I won in that spar was due to my brute strength and mimicry of techniques from what I had seen previously. Nothing more, nothing less."

The more senior instructors who were keen enough to notice his stiff techniques nodded in agreement. They agreed with his decision, given that to them, he is a diamond in the rough. He may not be a genius in Hakuda, he does have some potential to be an expert at the very least. Some would project he could reach Mastery in a century or even less.

Because of this, he would be more proactive in learning Hakuda when compared to Kido, since he needed to learn from scratch in a sense. To be precise, he had been paying more attention since the beginning of Hakuda classes, but it was a matter of devoting more time to it. Hence, he spent less time on learning Konso and other knowledge.

By the time he was nearing the end of his overall study in the 2nd year since his admission, he barely reached Expert rank in Hakuda before he graduated from the class. With the few time remaining in his academic tenure, Onabara agreed to send him to the Living World, alongside the 6th years for practical experience in performing Konso and combatting Hollows as part of Shugo's graduation exam.

1982 AD

Two years had passed since Shugo's arrival into Soul Society, and today was his first time going to the world of the Living. He had read much beforehand about the current state of the world of the Living, though he still had not grasped on the culture that seems to evolve every year.

Alongside a few of his classmates that were able to keep up with his progress and other students from various other classes (numbering around 60 combined) were the sixth-year students which numbered around a dozen or so. Just before their departure, some of them were worrying about having to babysit the younger students.

He was perhaps the only one they viewed as their pure equal, having heard from Onabara and other instructors of how he already achieved Shikai in the end of his first year, and basically finished six years' worth of curriculum in just two with rather over-the-top scores.

"Listen up, you rookies." The leading sixth year student, a rather tall male named Choryuu Kyotai, snapped up.

"Right now, we're standing above a city in the Living World called Naruki City." He began explaining.

"We'll be splitting up into groups. Each of you will be in a group of five, under the lead of one of us sixth-years." He pointed at the numerous juniors before at his friends.

"The mission's simple: Perform three Soul Burials and exterminate at least five fake Hollows that we've set up around here. Your seniors will NOT be helping you, unless you're in mortal danger. Should that happen however…" He said before pausing.

There were already murmurs amongst the junior students, including a couple of Shugo's classmates. However, Kyotai clapped his hands to silence them.

"…you will be sent back immediately to Soul Society and considered to have failed your exam. Remember to NOT try to be a hero, because there's a VERY REAL CHANCE of you DYING here. No one's gonna hold your hands on this one, kiddos." Kyotai sternly warned them.

Shugo shrugged. It was not as if he did not care about dying (he died numerous times before being revived with a Raise spell or other resurrection spells during combat thanks to his Echo ability back on Hydaelyn). It was rather him being all too used to it: Dying. This time, however, he would still try to make an effort to not die or having anyone else around him dying in this aspect.

"Any questions?" Kyotai asked.

No one raised their hands. While there were sounds of the city's activity in the nighttime, however, Kyotai's voice was loud enough for them to hear clearly.

"Good. Then follow the arranged grouping." He nodded before proceeding to divide them into groups, based on the list he had in his mind.

Shugo simply waited for him getting drafted into a group. It did not matter much to him, since he was there more for the practical experience of performing a Soul Burial and one example of combat against a Hollow. What he would not expect, however, was that a certain captain would try and use this as his chance to influence him.

Aizen smirked as he observed from a monitor inside an unknown location within Seireitei, accompanied by Gin and Tosen, for obvious reasons. The monitor was showing the students in Naruki City, grouping themselves before spreading out.

Seeing Shugo getting into a group, Aizen gestured at Gin, who nodded in understanding and inputted some commands with a keyboard.

"The bait has been casted, and now, we only need to wait." Aizen said.

Tosen remained silent, he simply considers this as a way for him to enact his justice. Gin kept his fox-like smile, though he was silently cursing at the Captain of the Fifth Division.

"May you find happiness in the next life, young one." Shugo prayed as he performed a Soul Burial onto the spirit of a young boy.

He stamped the pommel of his Zanpakuto onto the child's forehead, causing the boy to be surrounded by blue light before he slowly descends into the pool of blue light. He sighed, sad at the boy who passed on. He was so young, yet he died. So much potential, perhaps even a bright future, wasted.

"Good job, Kurenai. That's the last Soul Burial you need to do. Get ready to kill five fake Hollows." His group leader nodded in satisfaction.

The group he was in had already performed Soul Burials by each junior member. Shugo was the last one, since the group leader decided to put the man as the last one to do so, under the consideration that it would have been easy for the man to perform it in a short time. They were at a distance away from where they arrived. The whole area in general is some sort of an industrial area, and there were no one aside from them.

Shugo nodded after listening to his group leader and jumps back into the air before standing in the air. The group was about to leave, before Shugo's senses alarmed him. His eyes sharpened as he stopped following the group.

"What the hell you're doing, Kurenai? We gotta go and find those fake Hollows!" A fellow junior member shouted.

Shugo simply turned around and pointed at a non-descript direction. Mere seconds after he pointed, a large group of Hollows appeared from the direction he pointed at.

"Shit! Rookies, get outta here now! Get back to the meeting spot!" The group leader sweated as he barked his orders.

'Fuck! Is this a repeat of that incident years ago?!' He recalled a similar thing happening some time ago, involving those from the 2066th batch.

The rest of the members ran back as the group leader remained, shaking on his feet. Luckily for those that ran, the way they went were mysteriously free of Hollows. Though perhaps, it was not luck. Rather, it was deliberately done, or so Shugo's instincts screamed.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU STILL THERE FOR, KURENAI! RUN!" The group leader shouted at him, looking a tad desperate.

"Leader, one piece of advice for you." Shugo sighed as he said that and turned towards the guy.

"Do not try to be a hero in this one. Especially if you have not stained yourself in blood." He crisply continued as he turned back to face the coming tide of Hollows.

The Hollows were coming at them with ferociousness. Some that were fast enough were almost upon Shugo, who only shook his head.

'Mindless creatures. Bent on feasting upon the souls of people. Not too dissimilar to the Voidsent or the Sin Eaters.' He recalled.

Voidsent were originally the denizens of the Thirteen Shard. However, due to the meddling of Loghrif, the realm and its denizens was ultimately consumed and transformed by Darkness after the Shard's balance was broken with the absence of Light.

Sin Eaters, in the meantime, were the same in concept as the Voidsent. Difference being that Sin Eaters were born of corrupted aether of Light, born after a catastrophe known as the Flood of Light ravaged the realm of the First Shard due to the oversaturation of Light aether. Only the continent of Norvrandt was spared due to the intervention of the Oracle of Light, Minfilia, who used her powers to halt it at a region known as Ahm Araeng.

Those attacked by the Sin Eaters are almost guaranteed to be corrupted and eventually transformed into a Sin Eater. Those powerful enough would become a Lightwarden should they become infected.

Those two "races" of opponents were what he was reminded off when he learned about Hollows, on how they consume normal souls for their humanity and transform those souls into Hollows as a consequence.

Shugo snapped back as he unsheathed his Zanpakuto. Without even bothering to release it, he used Enpi at the incoming speedy Hollows.

SWISH! SWISH! SHUNG! SHUNG!

Two separate slash blasts hit the two front Hollows, causing them to disperse into nothingness. He readied himself as another two was approaching him.

'Meikyo Shisui.' He raised his Zanpakuto and gripped it again with his left hand, as he unleashed Mangetsu (Full Moon), slashed in a clockwise circular motion within an instant and killed the two incoming Hollows. 'Getsu' was gained after he used Mangetsu. He also gained 10 Kenki energy.

He ran forward as he lets out a visible breath, and unleashed Oka, slashing in a counterclockwise circular motion, as if the wind was carrying petals of cherry blossom. That killed a group of Hollows he passed through. 'Ka' was gained after Oka was used. Another 10 Kenki Energy was gained.

"KURENAI! TCH, DAMMIT!" The group leader tried to follow suit, before he was engaged by a Hollow, conveniently enough.

'Yaten!' He slashed twice at the front, killing another two Hollows before dashing back around 9 meters.

SLASH! SLASH!

He used Enpi once more and killed another Hollow. He sheathed his Zanpakuto as he prepared to finish another group of Hollows.

SWISH! SHUNG!

'Tenka Goken!' After confirming that he had 'Getsu' and 'Ka' within Sen, he unsheathed his Zanpakuto in a flash, unleashing five slashes diagonally from bottom left to top right in a 7,3 meter by 7,3-meter cone spread, before slashing horizontally from the right to left in that same cone and attack.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

The attack mercilessly hits multiple Hollows at once, killing them instantly. Before another group could overwhelm him however…

'Kaeshi: Goken!' He unleashed another Tenka Goken via the skill known as Tsubame-gaeshi, which allows him to repeat the Iaijutsu he had just used with more potent damage.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

The other group of Hollows was slashed after the first one went down.

'Kenki gauge at… 20.' He thought as he unleashed Yukikaze, granting him 'Setsu' and 15 Kenki Energy. The frost from his attack also froze the Hollow, perhaps as a side effect of the infusing reishi into his attacks so far instead of normal ones.

The group leader had managed to just defeat the Hollow in front of him when he finally saw the carnage that was happening. Shugo was bathed in blood of Hollows. His attacks rang true, each killing them in one powerful stroke.

Shugo used 'Fuga', slashing horizontally from the left to right, as whirlwind cuts through from the sheer force of his slash, killing three Hollows within 4,5 meters in the cone attack range. Before any more could attack him, 'Mangetsu' was used again, killing the Hollows around him in a single circular clockwise stroke. He gained 5 and 10 Kenki Energy respectively.

This was followed with another 'Fuga' and then 'Oka', which gave him 'Ka' along with 5 and 10 Kenki energies. He instantly knew that he had enough within his Kenki gauge to unleash a powerful instant-kill move.

'Hissatsu: Guren!' He slashed vertically to the bottom, unleashing multiple bright red slashes in a 9 meter by 9-meter straight line.

SHING! SHING! SHING! SHING! SHING!

That was finally enough to finish off the last of the Hollow tide in his area. He sighed, letting out a steamy breath. He swung his Zanpakuto to shed the blood from the blade, before using his Shihakusho sleeve on his left arm to wipe off any remnant on the blade. That said, his Shihakusho was still drenched in Hollow blood though.

Sheathing his Zanpakuto into its scabbard, he turned around to his surprised group leader, and much more to his own surprise, a Captain who was accompanied by his Lieutenant and several other active duty Shinigamis. He raised his brow, before he felt his Echo activating.

"Grrr…." He grits his teeth as he's withstanding the side effect of the Echo's recalling ability, holding his head due to the splitting headache side effect.

The female Lieutenant immediately went to his side, worried of the student.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" She asked with a soft, somewhat young voice.

He could barely see the armband on her left arm and the division insignia on that armband. After several seconds, the pain subsided, and he shook his head in shudder. He held his hand, stopping the Lieutenant from approaching him.

"I am… Fine. It…is merely a… Headache." He said, in a pained voice before he shrugged it off.

He had just saw the very reason of the Hollow tide just now. Looking at the captain who had just landed, he kept a neutral face. This man was as scheming as Hades was, even perhaps more like Elidibus or Fandaniel. That last name really made him angry for a moment, before he immediately suppressed the feeling back to normal.

"Are you injured in anyways, student…?" Aizen asked with a sympathetic tone.

"Kurenai. Kurenai Shugo. And to answer your question, no, I am not, Captain Aizen." Shugo shook his head and kept a stoic face.

While in the academy, he was also given the basic information on the current active members within the Gotei 13, mostly the captains and their lieutenants. Hence, he at least knew who this captain, and his lieutenant was. Captain of the Fifth Division, Aizen Sosuke, and the Lieutenant, Hinamori Momo.

"Very well. I am glad that you are not injured." Aizen smiled, seemingly in relief.

'How deceiving. This man certainly knows his cards.' Shugo mentally squinted his eyes.

"Seeing as I have completed the task given at hand, may I return to the meeting point now, Captain Aizen?" Shugo politely asked.

Aizen looked at the young man, taking note of his guard, before keeping his smile and said, "Yes you may, Kurenai-kun."

Shugo only nodded perfunctorily, before looking at the female Lieutenant next to him. He only sighed, and said, "Thank you for your worry, Lieutenant Hinamori, but I am uninjured. I shall be leaving now." Before he went up the air and back to the meeting point.

Aizen was very much surprised. The young man seemed to have sensed something and kept his guard up while still appearing to be amenable. Hinamori went back to her captain, her face still showed some worry. Seeing his Lieutenant's face, he pats her shoulder.

"Are you worried about that young man, Hinamori?" He asked with a soft smile.

"Somewhat, Captain. He says he is fine, but…" Hinamori looked a bit downcast.

"We will just have to trust the young man. And as you have seen, he was at least able to move unhindered." He consoled her.

"Come now, we should check onto other students. I'm sure they will require our aid." He smiled as he gestured her to follow him.

"Yes, Captain Aizen!" She smiled and followed behind the man.

The results of the overall field practice, or the graduation exam for Shugo, was mixed, to put it mildly. The sudden ambush of massive Hollow tides against the groups of students were unexpected. Some still died, though the rest were saved by the timely arrival of Captain Aizen and his Fifth Division. Once more, he was hailed as the saviors of the students of the academy there. From a total of 60 people deployed for the practice, including the twelve sixth years, around 40 remained. That meant at least four groups perished, or a third of the twelve groups.

Suffice it to say, the incident was yet another mark in the jarring events that happened in recent memory, since something similar happened around thirty or so years ago.

However, only Shugo was aware of the truth of it. And it was not something he could speak lightly without proof. Thus, he kept quiet about it, even as his results were deemed to be sufficient for graduating from the academy. His graduation, along with classes from the 6th years and other fellow genius or talented students were set to be one month from now.

He was allowed to do whatever he wishes within that one month, given that it is within the academy grounds and does not infringe upon any of the rules within the academy and Soul Society. If he wishes to leave the academy grounds, he simply has to apply for a leave permit for a maximum period of a week.

When asked by the instructors on how everything went down during his graduation exam, he simply stated that everything the reports say were true, including the part where he fought against the Hollow tide in his group's area.

When even pressed by Onabara in a private discussion, he only said this: "The reports were not wrong, though I cannot say much as to the reason of why those Hollows appeared, Instructor."

Onabara eventually relented and did not press further, knowing what Shugo was implying from his words. Because of the incident, he was given commendations for his extraordinary deeds, and was swarmed by recruitment invitation from various divisions.

Since the start, he was only interested in a few. With the Fifth, Ninth and Third divisions out of his choices due to obvious reasons (to him, not to others), he kept the options of the First, Fourth, Eighth and Thirteenth open. The offer from the Second division… He did not reject it outright, only keeping it onto the side.

He made the decision to apply for a short leave, around three days or so. The permit was issued almost immediately, and he went to the Fourth Division's Complex on the same day.

"Hey, it's Kurenai-san! Welcome back!" Yamada Hanatarou greeted him.

Yamada Hanatarou is the leader of the 14th Relief Teams and the current Seventh Seat of the Division. He's rather… Plain, and lacking presence enough for others to notice him in normal circumstances. Not to mention, he's very easy to fool and rather naïve to the point he's bullied a lot. His short height didn't help either.

"Oh, Yamada-san. Is Captain Unohana present?" Shugo greeted back with a smile and asked.

"No, I don't think so. She's in a Captains meeting right now at the First Division's HQ." Yamada answered after pondering.

"I see. Then I shall stay here for the next two days. I have the permission for leave from the Academy, after all." Shugo said without thinking too much as he entered the complex.

"Oh, you're always welcome here! Anyways, I can brew you some tea while you wait!" Yamada offered.

"That would be preferable. Thank you, Yamada-san." Shugo smiled and thanked the young lad.

"No, it's nothing! Please think nothing of it! We rarely have guests here, so you can stay at the temporary residence while you wait!" Yamada shook his head and went off to the mess hall of the Fourth Division to get some tea leaves inside the mess hall's pantry and brew it.

Shugo nodded and made his way to the temporary residence that once housed him. The place did not change much, aside from the lack of his personal effects perhaps. At this moment, he was still carrying his Zanpakuto in its sealed state on his left hip and the leave permit in one of his pockets. He was wearing his normal armor instead of his Academy uniform.

He also brought the soul crystal along with him inside his inventory, which he could still use somehow, though the items contained within it were all missing, presumably the same with all the contents within the armory of the inventory which went missing as well.

Sitting down at the front of the temporary residence on a Zabuton that was available there, he enjoyed the rather serene ambience that the Fourth Division seems to just possess.

'It never ceases to amaze me how healing this place is… Especially for the heart.' He mentally remarked as he closed his eyes to enjoy the ambience.

Ten minutes later, Yamada came and brought him a pot of tea with one cup.

"Here you go, Kurenai-san." Yamada puts down the tray onto the slightly elevated table.

"Thank you, Yamada-san." Shugo thanked him as he picked up the pot of tea and poured into the teacup, before he picked up the filled teacup.

Wafting the aroma of the tea, he instantly recognized the leaves used for this tea.

"Basic green tea, huh… One cannot go wrong with such simplicity." He smirked as he sipped the tea.

"So, Yamada-san. Has the Fourth been busy since I left?" He asked.

"Uh… No. I don't think- wait. We had some students from the Academy admitted here. Apparently, they were injured when they went to the Living World for a field practice. Why do you ask?" Yamada explained before asking."

"It is nothing. Only that one event I see..." Shugo shook his head and said before murmuring at the last part.

The two simply talked some pleasantries, and he broke the news that he'll be graduating from the academy soon, to which it shocked Yamada.

"That's amazing, Kurenai-san! You're perhaps the second person to graduate that fast within Soul Society!" Yamada was very impressed and had this sparkling in his eyes.

"I have heard that before, Yamada-san. Though I do recall there was someone else that graduated even faster than I did. I believe it was Captain Ichimaru, was it not?" Shugo shrugged.

"Yeah. He supposedly graduated in just one year. Can you imagine, six years of education being completed in one? He's certainly something else." Yamada sighed in admiration.

Just as the two were conversing, Captain Unohana had arrived back at the complex, alongside Lieutenant Isane.

"Ah, captain and the lieutenant's back! Wait here, Kurenai-san! I'll tell the captain you're here!" Yamada immediately ran off towards the two people who had just entered through the complex's entrance.

"Welcome back, Shugo-san." Unohana greeted with a warm smile.

"I'm back, Unohana-san." He smiled back.

The captain had him follow her to her office, with Isane in tow as well. After sitting down, the trio had some small talk, pleasantries and stuff. Admittedly, he was feeling rather attached to Unohana. Be it because she was her benefactor, or because she felt more like a mother to him than his biological mother was. Regardless, he did not mind the thought, when the topic shifted.

"So, what brought you here?" Unohana asked.

"I'm…seeking your wisdom, Unohana-san." Shugo answered.

That gave her a pause.

"Are you meaning to say that…" Isane was about to ask before Unohana answered the question.

"Yes, Isane. He has graduated from the academy, or soon to be, if I'm correct. Am I right, Shugo-san?" Unohana nodded at Isane before turning to Shugo and asked with a smile.

"You are indeed correct, Unohana-san. In one month, I shall be graduated from the Academy." He answered.

"Congratulations, Shugo-san!" Isane congratulated him.

"Thank you, Isane-san." He nodded in acceptance.

"Truly a joyous occasion. Isane, feel free to bring out some refreshments for us." Unohana said with a smile.

"Y-yes, Captain! Right away!" Isane blushed before she rushed away.

Unohana's smile waned a bit before she looked at Shugo.

"Am I correct in assuming that you wish to ask which division you should join?" Unohana asked.

"…Yes, you are." He sighed.

"Then speak your mind. I will hear it before I say anything else." She replied.

"Very well…" He trailed on as he gave her his considerations on the options he has on the table, based on the invitations he got and from his own target.

Unohana pondered for a moment, before she opened her eyes.

"I believe you should join either the First, Tenth or the Thirteenth Division." She said with a bit of frankness.

Shugo blinked for a moment, before he sighed.

"I…actually wanted to join your division, Unohana-san." He felt a bit melancholic saying that.

Unohana smiled softly at the young man in front of her.

"While I would be more than happy if you do, however, it would be irresponsible of me to squander your other talents." She shook her head.

"I…do not know what to say. Truly." He was a tad sad hearing her words.

She felt a bit remorseful for reproaching the young man. She would be more than happy to have him in her division, but something is telling her that his place is somewhere else.

"You can still come by here and stay for some time. Don't forget that." She pats his shoulder.

"I would be lying if I do not say this now, but aside from the ambience of this division that I liked, the other reason I wish to join your division is…well… You, Unohana-san." Shugo explained, stumbling at the end as he swallows his own gut feelings and said it.

That certainly gave Unohana a pause, as Isane entered and puts down the tray filled with a pot of tea and three cups and some snacks. She heard the last part as well, so she was flabbergasted.

"Shugo-san?" Isane asked in shock.

"It…would do you a disservice if I'm being dishonest with you now. I think of you as…well…a sort of…Mother to me." He struggled hard to get that last part out.

Isane's eyes widened. Someone else felt similarly towards Captain Unohana aside from just her. She smiled, knowing that she was not alone in feeling something like that.

"I'm happy that you think of that to me, Shugo-san. And if you think of me like that, then you know why I'm suggesting other divisions than me. I simply wish for your success and happiness." Unohana smiled and explained.

"…If you must insist such, then I will follow your words, dearest mother." He sighed and made that last remark, which made Isane blush red and Unohana smile.

"Oh my, if you start to call me that, then I would have to consider giving you Isane as your partner." Unohana teased.

"C-captain!" Isane was shocked, her face blushing red in embarrassment.

Shugo's jaw dropped in the meantime. He did not know how to respond to that.

"I jest. So, what will be your decision, Shugo?" Unohana chuckled and asked.

"I…" Shugo gave his answer before they celebrate his graduation early.

He went back the day after tomorrow. After arriving back at the Academy, he went up to instructor Onabara and was brought to the Headmaster. He then gave his answer, to which the headmaster nodded and promised he would write the recommendation up to the Gotei 13.

He then went back to his dorm room and slumped back onto his Futon. Now, it was only a matter of waiting until then.