Chapter Four: Kenjutsu
"Well, all of you have survived and made it to your second year."
Minabe Ayame, mistress of Kenjutsu, Hakuda and other practical skills that came under the general blanket of Ouyoudou strode across the gymnasium floor, turning to cast her gaze along the rows of pupils that flanked each side of the room. There were seventeen altogether – one less than had begun the first year – and as her eyes darted from student to student, she could feel the apprehension in their auras as they waited for her instruction. She had given them a hard baptism into the basic skills the previous year, after all – but that would be nothing, she reflected, to the wake-up call they were going to have this.
Her brows knitted together and she nodded her head.
"Very well." She said evenly. "Seventeen remains an inconvenient number, but we will work with it all the same. Last year all of you – even the most pathetic – managed to learn how to hold and swing a bokutou to a vaguely acceptable level. Today we will move on to the next stage – and this year each of you will complement last year's learnt skills by beginning to wield an asauchi."
A low murmur of conversation began to spread among the ranks of the lower class students, and Minabe wheeled around, casting them a dark look which silenced the whispering students almost at once.
"I have not finished speaking." She said coldly. "Unless you feel able to teach the class in kenjutsu, Nakamura, I do not want to hear your voice."
One of the girls blushed a deep scarlet at her words, and Minabe scowled, pursing her lips.
"Very well." She said, turning her attention back to the group as a whole. "Before we begin – how many of you have already done some training with swords? A few of you will, I suppose, feel yourselves somewhat proficient already in this skill."
A few hands went up from around the room, and Minabe nodded.
"Shihouin, Houjou, Kuchiki…Shiba…Kyouraku…" She murmured, then her eyes widened as she saw Hirata's hand raised hesitantly in the air. "Endou? You have done sword skills as well, have you?"
"Yes, Sensei." Hirata murmured, his cheeks red and his voice barely above a whisper as several of the other students sent him startled, incredulous glances. "Since I've been staying in D…Disrict Two, Ka…Shihouin-kun has…been helping me w…with my…practical skills."
"I see." Minabe's eyes became near slits, and her gaze rested for a moment on Kai. "So you've appointed yourself his sword shishou, have you, Shihouin?"
Kai bit his lip, shaking his head.
"Not shishou, exactly." He said slowly. "Just…Hirata's not very good at Ouyoudou. And since he was staying with us – I thought…since it's my best subject…"
Minabe eyed him for a moment, then a faint smile touched her lips and she nodded.
"I'm glad to hear it." She admitted. "The boy is pathetic and backwards enough when it comes to my class. If you have managed to do anything with him, Shihouin, it won't be my place to complain about it."
She turned her attention back to the mortified Hirata, gesturing for him to get to his feet.
"Stand, Endou. I want to see what kind of skills you've learnt since the last time we met."
Hirata looked horrified, and for a moment the young boy did not move. Then, as Minabe was about to go and physically haul him to his feet, he seemed to gather some courage, slowly getting up and walking hesitantly over towards her. He paused about two feet away, bowing his head slightly, then gazing up at her huge, broad form with a look that could only be described as abject terror.
Minabe gazed down at him, taking in the tension in his aura. Then she turned back to the class as a whole.
"Who else has held a sword? Raise your hands again." She instructed, and as the students did so, she nodded her head.
"Kyouraku, you'll do." She decided, and Shunsui's eyes opened in disbelief and consternation. "You're lazy enough and it'll do you good to get your blood flowing early in the lesson. I'll see the pair of you with swords."
"You want me…to fight Hirata, sensei?" Shunsui looked concerned, and Minabe nodded.
"Yes." She said briskly. "After all, an idle idiot like you is a better opponent than a skilled fighter of Shihouin or Houjou's level. I won't be taking any laziness from you this year, Kyouraku. I mean to start you how I intend you to go on."
Shunsui sighed heavily, but obediently got to his feet, padding across the polished floor to where the teacher and Hirata were already waiting. He could not be more different than his frightened, bespectacled classmate in his demeanour, Minabe reflected darkly – where Hirata showed terror, Shunsui simply showed a reluctance that bordered on insubordination. She frowned, grabbing up two sheathed asauchi from the rack and holding them out, hilt first.
"I expect to see your effort in this class equal your grades in other classes, Kyouraku." She said quietly. "If you truly have held a sword before – I'd like to see you prove it to me. If you simply think you can avoid intensive training by saying you have experience, I will soon discover it. I know better, after all, than to take you simply at your word."
"Yes, Sensei." Shunsui took the weapon in his left hand, holding it for a moment, then nodding his head. "I'll do my best."
"See that you do." Minabe warned. "Well? You too, Endou. Take the blade and then unsheathe it. Both of you. You needn't try to kill one another. I just want an idea of your technique."
"Y…yes, Sensei." Hirata looked uncertain, but obediently unsheathed his blade, gripping it tightly in his right hand as he gazed nervously at his opponent. At his expression, Shunsui grinned, removing the scabbard from his own weapon and setting it aside.
"Don't worry, I'm not about to kill you." He said evenly. "I'm not Kai, after all – if you've trained with him and lived, you have nothing to fear from me."
"Prepare your stances." Minabe instructed. "I want simply to see one of you try to disarm the other. There is no need to spill blood – do you both understand?"
"Yes, Sensei." The two boys agreed as one, and Minabe stood back, observing both students as they took up their positions.
Well, well. Endou's stance has improved after all.
She pursed her lips, taking in the line of his body and nodding her head approvingly.
He no longer looks about to drop it and run – that's progress in itself. And Kyouraku…
She frowned, holding up her hand.
"Wait a minute! Kyouraku, why are you holding that sword in your left hand?"
"Sensei?" Shunsui lowered the weapon, looking surprised.
"You train right-handed." Minabe's eyebrows knitted together. "I already told you that I wouldn't tolerate your stupidity this term. Stop trying to waste time and energy – it is an insult to your opponent if you don't take him seriously."
"Yes, Sensei." Shunsui shrugged, obediently transferring the sword over to his right hand. "If that's what you want me to do."
Minabe eyed him warily for a moment, then nodded.
"Then begin." She instructed, bringing her hand down as if to mark the start of a bout.
It was a far cry, she reflected, from the bokutou spar she had presided over a year earlier – where Enishi and Kai had both shown their classmates the high levels of their practical skill. And although it was her custom to begin the year with one such student battle, she somehow found herself watching this one with more interest than she had that, taking in the tentative yet resolute swings and slashes that the young Endou boy managed in between Shunsui's lazy parries and strikes.
Hirata was no natural swordsman, but he had not lied to her. He had, at least, a basic grounding in how to hold and swing an asauchi, and in this Minabe found some relief.
Genryuusai-sama is determined that the boy must learn Ouyoudou, else I'd have had him out of my class. But this is a different attitude to the one I'd seen so far…if this effort persists, then I imagine it isn't a lost cause at all.
Her gaze fell on Shunsui, and her eyes narrowed.
"Kyouraku!" She exclaimed. "I know I said this was not a blood fight, but I expect to see at least some effort from you!"
"I'm sorry, Sensei." Shunsui looked apologetic, as both boys stepped back away from one another. "But I'm more used to wielding a sword in my left hand. If you want me to swing more strongly, then…"
"What are you talking about?" Minabe glared at him, as a faint gasp at his temerity spread around the gymnasium. "You trained all last year right-handed. I know you well enough to know that. Why now do you want to swing a sword with your left?"
"Because the bokutou we were using were longer, Sensei, than the asauchi." Shunsui lowered his sword, eying the teacher earnestly. "I guess it's just instinct. As a boy I was always made to train with bokken in my right hand – but when I did a bit of sword training with Oniisama, he let me choose and I tended to favour doing it left-handed."
Minabe stared at him for a moment, then sighed, shaking her head.
"Very well." She said flatly. "Enough of this."
She turned to glance at the other students, then,
"Shihouin, Houjou, Shiba, Kuchiki – take asauchi and go down the end of the gymnasium." She instructed, swinging her meaty fist in the direction of the far wall. "Pair yourselves as you see fit, and run through some basic moves. I will come oversee them presently."
"Yes, Sensei!" Realising their teacher was in no mood for games, the students scrambled to do as they were bidden, and Minabe frowned.
"Class Four, plus Ukitake, Edogawa, Shikibu and Endou, take to the other end of the gymnasium, please." She said quietly. "Each take an asauchi and wait for my further instruction. If you wish, you may take bokutou from the racks and spar a little among yourselves. However, anyone unsheathing a sword without my permission will find themselves in grave trouble – do not let me have to say that twice."
"Yes, Sensei." Minabe caught Juushirou's glance of concern as he turned his head to meet Shunsui's gaze, but neither he nor Hirata made any demur, taking the indicated swords and making their way to the other end of the gymnasium.
"What about me, Sensei?" Shunsui raised an apprehensive gaze to his teacher, and Minabe smiled – her usual, terrifying smile that had most of her students cowering back in fear.
"You seem to have an answer for everything today, Kyouraku." She said quietly. "Since you evidently want to be the centre of attention, I intend to give you my full attention. You will show me exactly how well you fight with your left hand – and I expect you to give it your all, else you will be nursing some serious bruises come the end of the day."
"You…want me to swing my sword at you now, Sensei?" Shunsui's eyes widened, and Minabe nodded.
"Yes." She agreed lightly. "I'll see for myself exactly what kind of magic skill your left hand apparently has."
She moved closer to him, bending so that her gaze pierced into his, then,
"I have taught many students." She said softly. "Some right-handed, some left. But I have never yet encountered one who fought one way with their right and another with their left. It's a ridiculous idea – are you seriously planning on continuing to train with a bokutou in your right hand but a sword in your left?"
"If that's all right, Sensei." Shunsui agreed lightly, and a mischievous grin touched his lips despite himself. "I could have one in each hand, if you'd like – that way I'd be doing twice the training everyone else is all in one go."
At his flippant response, Minabe frowned, quelling the anger that stirred inside of her and resisting the urge to hit out at her companion.
"I have had enough of your games and excuses and flat out insubordination over the course of our acquaintance." She said flatly. "A first year may be forgiven ignorance in several areas. A second year may not."
"But Sensei, I…"
"Enough." Minabe shook her head, pulling her own customised asauchi from its perch against the window. She jabbed its sheathed form up against Shunsui's chest, pushing him backwards a few steps as she did so.
"You will work properly in my class." She told him coldly. "Or else you will suffer the consequences. To think Genryuusai-sama said you were of a level high enough to jump into third year from first! I'm only glad he didn't do it. A boy with your arrogance and attitude needs the sense beaten into him for as long as is possible – and I intend to start it now."
With a sweep of her hand she discarded her scabbard, darting forward towards Shunsui with her blade raised. Though she was a large woman, she was agile on her feet, and even though she did not have her full strength behind her thrust, it was all her student could do to instinctively swing his weapon up to meet hers. A clash of metal on metal resounded through the gymnasium as he struggled to keep his footing, his fingers tightening around the hilt of the weapon until his knuckles began to turn white.
Minabe allowed her pressure to continue for a few moments, then she stepped back, tapping her blade idly against the leg of her hakama.
"It seems to be all you can do to defend." She said acidly. "Well, let's see what happens when I give you a little space. You come at me this time, Kyouraku. And we'll see exactly what kind of skill you think you have."
Shunsui bit his lip, but he nodded his head, swinging the sword experimentally once before launching himself towards the teacher's body. Even though Minabe was not poised to receive his attack, still she managed to swing her weapon across to meet his strike easily, and blade clashed with blade once more.
But there is potential in that swing. Power, perhaps, if he was to use it against one of his training level…and not cast it across with so little intent.
She swung her arm back, pushing him away from her and eying him pensively.
"Again." She instructed. "Don't try and aim so obviously. I want to see your skill, not your desperate lunges. You are supposed to be a Kyouraku, after all – or has their military history completely bypassed a generation and abandoned you?"
Shunsui's brows knitted together at her criticism, but he said nothing, shifting his stance slightly before launching a second attack at his companion. This time he twisted his weapon slightly, bringing it down at a more awkward angle and though Minabe met it, the speed and power of his swing caught her completely by surprise. As the clatter of metal rang out a third time across the open gymnasium, she found herself fielding a far more powerful strike than the previous ones had been – and her eyes narrowed as she interpreted this fact.
"I see." She murmured, pushing her student's sword away with hers and gesturing for him to sheath it. "You really are the most awkward, impossible individual that I've had the misfortune to teach since I started at the Academy – do you realise that, Kyouraku?"
Shunsui lowered his sword slowly, eying her with a hesitant look on his face, and Minabe sighed.
"Your left arm does have power, when you intend it to." She admitted grudgingly. "I still find it a ludicrous state of affairs – to train one way with one hand and the other with the other. Tell me – which hand do you commonly write with?"
"Right, Sensei." Shunsui looked startled. "Though I can letter with my left too, if I have to."
"And cast Kidou?"
"Whichever is most convenient."
"And yet you always train with a sword in your left hand?"
"No…not always." Shunsui frowned, then, "Just I found it easier that way. That's all."
"But you persist in taking the bokutou in your right?"
"Usually, Sensei, yes."
Minabe sighed again, shaking her head in resignation.
"I suppose I should expect such a haphazard style from a student like you." She said heavily. "Very well. In this class you may use whichever hand you choose – providing you show me your full effort every time. If I feel you are slacking, I will tie your left hand to your body, and make you train with your right. I am quite serious, after all – I will not let you lapse in any regard this year. Whether it be with bokutou, sword, or any other form of practical skill. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sensei." Shunsui bowed his head towards her, and Minabe nodded.
"Then go join Shihouin and the others." She told him firmly. "Make sure they swap you in and give you a chance to spar, too. I will be watching you from this point on – and will expect all the more of you as a result."
Shunsui's shoulders sagged slightly at this, but he did not demur, instead bowing his head a second time, and withdrawing to the back of the gymnasium to join the other more experienced sword users. Minabe watched him go for a moment, her lips thinning as she pondered his final strike.
If he would do the work, there would be killer intent behind a swing like that. If he had brought that blade against Endou, he would have disarmed the boy on the spot. Why, then, if he has power like that, will he not openly use it? Even if his other skills have improved, he only does just enough in this class to rank comfortably and no more. In that swing was the potential to rival Houjou or Shihouin's strength and skill. Yet he doesn't use it. Such a frustrating brat of a boy – I can see I will have to cause him considerable bruising this year if I am to make him reach his full potential.
"Sensei has it in for you today, it seems."
As Shunsui joined his classmates, Enishi lowered his blade, casting his classmate a sympathetic grin. "She's starting early this term – normally it takes her a week or two before she yells at you for coasting."
"Or flirting with the girls instead of concentrating." Sora put in, as she neatly parried Ryuu's strike, holding up her free hand to indicate that she wanted to stop the battle. "Still, I didn't know you were left-handed, Shunsui."
"I'm not. Not really." Shunsui grinned, shrugging his shoulders. "I use whichever hand is more convenient, that's all. It's too much bother to have a dominant hand – if both work, I might as well use them and share the burden between them."
"Somehow that makes total sense, seeing as it's you." Kai leant back against the wall, folding his arms across his chest and eying his friend in amusement. "Bokutou in one hand, sword in the other. I can't believe you actually suggested that to her face. One of these days she's going to whip you stupid for saying things like that."
"You heard, huh?" Shunsui looked sheepish, shrugging his shoulders. "Perhaps I did push it a bit, with that. But my left hand is stronger than my right when I'm holding a sword. It's a totally different tactic if it's a bokutou…I guess maybe I am just wired up strange."
"You said it." Enishi grinned. "Not us."
"Are we talking about Kyouraku's hands or are we going to do as we were instructed?" Ryuu's arch tones interrupted the discussion at that moment. "It's all very well, commenting on his ambidextrous skills, but we are meant to be practicing our sparring. And if we don't, it will be us who Sensei punishes, in the end."
"Kuchiki's right." Sora nodded. "Minabe-sensei's not in the mood to be messed with and the longer she stays down the other end with Mitsuki and Juushirou and the others, the less time she's spending breathing down our necks. We shouldn't push it too hard."
She cast Shunsui a grin.
"I'll spar you, if you like." She suggested. "I'd like to see this left-handed style for myself, since I've only ever clashed bokutou with you so far."
"I'm not sure I could beat you, Sora-chan." Shunsui eyed her doubtfully. "Nii-sama might have things to say, if I accidentally caused you some harm."
"Ooh, are you that sure you can disarm me?" Sora's pride rallied at this, and Shunsui laughed, holding up his hands.
"All right, if you like, I'll spar you." He said evenly. "Just don't say I didn't warn you. Nii-sama taught me, after all, the best way to swing a sword."
"I'm surprised he could pin you down long enough to do so." Sora said frankly. "But even if that's true – Okaasama saw to Tokutarou-nii's training. And I learnt from Okaasama. So in the end, there's no reason to suppose your strength or skill is superior to mine. Is there?"
"Then I'll spar Kuchiki, since I don't suppose it's safe to let Kuchiki and Shihouin spar each other." Enishi observed frankly, casting Ryuu a questioning look. "Is that all right with you?"
"I have no objection." Ryuu nodded his head.
"Which leaves me to sit it out, if everyone's too scared to spar me." Kai's golden eyes glittered with wry humour. "Houjou's the only one who voluntarily meets my blade – is it that daunting a prospect, fighting with me?"
"It's far too much work." Shunsui shot him a playful grin. "Because you fight seriously, and we all know it. Enishi's the only one who can keep up with you – and the rest of us are smart enough to know it."
"I wouldn't put it as simply as that, Kyouraku." Ryuu cast him a glance, and Shunsui chuckled at the censure in the grey eyes. "Even if Shihouin is top of the class – you shouldn't praise him so out of hand. It can only be bad for his ego – even if he tops this class, both you and I outrank him overall."
"And we'll start sparring now, before this becomes a Clan war." Enishi laughed, raising his sword and shifting his large feet into position as he did so. "All right, Kuchiki. Ready when you are – let's go."
"Houjou is getting far better at reading moments like that." Sora reflected, casting Kai a glance, then readying her own sword. "He seems to realise letting you two alone together is a recipe for homicide right from the start."
"Maybe." Kai shrugged his shoulders. "Overall, too, Kuchiki's right. But in this class, he'll always be playing catch-up – so I've no real desire to rub it in. Besides,"
He grinned.
"I'm more interested in seeing you two go at it." He teased. "You spar verbally pretty much all the time – but this will be a first with blades attached. I'm curious to see who wins."
"A gentleman shouldn't want to fight a lady." Shunsui intoned gravely, though the humour in his eyes gave him away. "But if that's how things are, then I suppose I have no choice but to begin."
He lifted his sword, tilting the blade slightly as he gauged Sora's position. "Give us starter's orders, Kai-kun. I don't want anyone claiming unfair advantage."
"Like I'd need to do that to get one over on you." Sora snorted. "You really do think you're going to beat me, don't you? I wonder if you are."
"Let's see." Kai grinned. "Hajime!"
At his command, Shunsui darted forward, meeting Sora's blade with his almost before she had time to move, and she grimaced, leaping deftly back as she prepared herself for her own attack.
"Naïve shots like that won't do anything." She taunted. "Stop playing gentle, Shunsui. You barely touched me then – at least try and disarm me, else I'll come slash your arms off for you."
"Minabe would be so proud to hear you talk like that." Shunsui neatly sidestepped Sora's stroke, bringing up his arm and swinging his blade back against hers to push her away from his body. "Though I think that Yama-jii might have something to say if you started parting his students from their body parts – I don't think that technique is in the second year curriculum."
"No, maybe not, but I'm serious." Sora said frankly, swinging around and launching a fresh attack from a new angle, taking Shunsui momentarily off guard. "And you're dreaming, Shunsui…pay attention, else I really will be slicing you up."
"It's really not ladylike, you know, being so thirsty for blood." Shunsui scolded, as their weapons met again, clattering together in the space between them before parting as both readied for a fresh assault. "I wonder what Kyouki-sama's been teaching you – you'll never make a noble marriage match if you go at things so aggressively."
"And you'll never make one if you continue being such an ass around women." Sora shot back, darting to her right before springing forward, blade lowered as she aimed for Shunsui's torso. "These blades are blunted, so I can't cut you open – but you're full of holes and I could take you down as easy as anything if you fight like…"
She faltered in mid-sentence, as Shunsui drew his left arm down swiftly, meeting her blade at an awkward angle and forcing it back from his body with a sweeping gesture of his own.
"Thanks for the advice." He murmured. "I'll keep it in mind."
"How the hell?" Sora's brows knitted together. "There's no way you should've been able to block that shot! You were way out of it, and…"
"Well, I did block it, so I guess fortune is on my side today." Shunsui said calmly, bringing his weapon back and casting it a quick glance. "So you'll have to think of something else."
He shrugged.
"Or let's try one of my ideas instead." He suggested, darting suddenly forward and thrusting his weapon across towards hers with a force and intent that their playful sparring had so far lacked. As his weapon clattered against Sora's, it caught her blade once more at an ungainly angle and she let out an exclamation as the asauchi was forced from her grip, skidding across the polished floor with a clang and a clatter. It slid to a halt beneath the sill of the window, and as Shunsui lowered his weapon, Sora gazed at him in disbelief.
"Where did that come from?" She whispered. "One moment you were…and then you…"
"You wanted me to be serious. I was serious." Shunsui smiled at her, shrugging his shoulders. "My left arm is stronger than my right when it comes to that kind of combat, Sora-chan. You've taken my bokutou from my hand a few times, I know – but you'll have to go one better to disarm me like that."
"Ippon, Kyouraku." Kai grinned, looking impressed. "That last move was ruthless, you know – if you'd wanted to, you could've taken her out and not just her sword with a swing like that. There's nothing Sora'd've been able to do about it – if you'd wanted to slice her open, you could have done it with ease."
"Maybe." Shunsui shrugged his shoulders, reaching for his sword's sheath. "But I don't actually believe in hurting people if I don't have to. Especially not Sora. And this is only training, Kai-kun. Taking her sword is enough for the time being."
"Do you fight like that against Tokutarou-nii?" Slowly Sora retrieved her weapon, sending him an uncertain look, and Shunsui grinned, nodding his head.
"When I first came to live with him back at the main house, we used to train at least once a week." He agreed.
"And he taught you to do that?" Sora looked doubtful, and Shunsui shook his head.
"No. I kind of did that just on spec." He admitted. "I'm sorry, Sora-chan – it was a bit mean of me to not give you any advance warning. The thing is, Nii-sama stopped properly training me when I was fifteen or so – because by that point I'd already learnt to disarm him, and he thought it would look bad if too many people saw that happen."
"You…disarmed…Tokutarou-nii?" Sora's eyes became huge, and Shunsui nodded.
"Several times." He agreed. "And he was fine about it – he took it into his stride. But he was worried – because the politics in District Eight became so complicated, he thought it better that not many people saw me as a potential threat to his position. He trusted me, but after what happened with my Uncle…so it was decided that I'd stop training with him properly, then. I didn't mind. It meant less work, after all."
"Then I want to spar you." Kai decided. "Seriously, properly, one on one. I want to see what you can do, Kyouraku – when you really put your mind to it."
"Mm. Not today." Shunsui looked rueful, shaking his head. "I still wouldn't put myself in your league yet, Kai-kun – and I've already sparred Sensei and Sora. Let's leave that to another day."
"All right." Kai looked disappointed, but he nodded his head. "I will hold you to it, though. Ouyoudou's supposed to be your weakest subject – so I really want to know whether that's just because you're lazy after all."
"Weakest subject." Sora snorted. "When you're top in two and second in a third, coming fourth looks like 'weakest' but it's all relative in the end, Shihouin. I don't think Shunsui has a 'weak' subject. He just plays with us, that's all – and then neatly takes us to pieces, little by little."
"That makes me sound mean, Sora-chan." Shunsui objected. "Since when did I take anyone to pieces? I'm lazy, so I don't always score as well as maybe people tell me I should. That's not an attack on anyone else. It's just how I am."
His gaze flitted down to the far end of the gymnasium, and he smiled.
"Juu won't be with the beginners long, either." He murmured. "I'm sure of that. His Ouyoudou officially ranks over mine – it's just a case of him getting used to the sword weight and the feel of the weapon. He'll pick up the skill pretty quickly."
"Hirata looked better, too." Sora agreed. "You really have performed a miracle with him, Shihouin. Even in a short time."
"He has a long way to go before he's of a level enough to challenge Seimaru." Kai said frankly. "But at least he's not afraid to hold the thing now – and that's a victory in itself."
He reached across to scoop up his weapon, swinging it experimentally, then,
"I guess if Kyouraku won't spar me, that leaves you, Sora. Are you game?"
"If Shunsui can disarm me, I have no chance against you." Sora looked rueful. "But at least I might claw back a bit of pride in the fact you asked me. All right, Shihouin. Give me a moment to catch my breath and you're on."
"Well, that was something of a wake-up call."
As the students trouped out of the gymnasium, Shunsui nudged Juushirou's arm, casting him a playful grin. "I guess Minabe is keen to start us off with a bang – I didn't expect us to be handed the blades right from the start."
"Since when has Minabe-sensei been anything but direct?" Juushirou glanced up, offering his friend a faint smile. "And you were full of surprises, as ever. Though you know, by now I'm no longer even surprised when another of your hidden talents rears its head. In comparison to being able to shunpo and pass exams without trying, I think using your left hand for swordplay is quite a minor feat, really."
"I don't just use my left hand. I just have a stronger swing that way." Shunsui stretched his arm, flexing his fingers thoughtfully. "Nii-sama doesn't really understand it either, but my skills came on in leaps and bounds when I was practicing like that…so he let me carry on. I didn't really think much about it - one arm is as good as another, so far as I can see."
"It's an advantage, though, in battle. If you can use both hands, you have more options." Kai came up to join them, offering them a grin. "A lot of families try and train two-handedness into their soldiers in order to get the best effect out of them. Whether it works or not though is another matter – most of those don't have natural two-handed coordination, after all."
"Seimaru can fight with either hand." Hirata murmured, glancing at his own fingers. "He was trained that way, though his right is stronger than his left. But Kyouraku-kun, were you serious about using both at once? Could you do that – really?"
"No idea." Shunsui chuckled. "But it made her double-take, didn't it? Maybe I'll try it sometimes. It might be fun – wood in one hand, metal in the other."
"All in all it was quite a fun lesson." Enishi agreed. "I saw Kyouraku actually seriously disarm someone for the first time – and we got our hands on decent weaponry for a change. I think I'm going to enjoy spending most of our kenjutsu lessons with asauchi."
"You have an advantage, though. You've already done a lot of this training." Kai pointed out. "Like me and like Kuchiki and Sora. We know this stuff backwards – everyone else doesn't, even if they have done bokutou work before."
"It does make our groups uneven." Enishi nodded. "Though Hirata didn't look too bad, really, with a sword in his hand. And Ukitake's skills in Ouyoudou are probably good enough for him to grasp swordplay really quickly. So it will work out, in the end."
"I'd only just about mastered the bokutou when Kai-kun made me try a sword." Hirata admitted. "But I'm glad, in a way, that he did. At least I knew a little bit for today – Minabe-sensei was a little nicer to me because of it. Thank you, Kai-kun."
"Well, you're not a lot of use to anyone if you can't use a sword." Kai said pragmatically. "How can you summon a zanpakutou if you can't manage basic sword skills? That is what you're aiming to do, in the end, if you want to become a Shinigami. So it's common sense that you need to master these things one way or another. You're obviously not a natural, but if you work at it, you'll be okay. And Minabe could obviously see you were trying – she's hard but not unfair, not if you give everything you have."
"That depends if you're a Kuchiki." Ryuu muttered. "She's not particularly fair then."
"She did yell at Edogawa-san a fair bit today." Hirata cast the nearby Mitsuki a pensive glance. "She really doesn't like the Kuchiki-ke at all, does she?"
"There's probably some deep dark Clan reason for it that we'll never figure out." Shunsui said evenly. "But Kuchiki's right – she does give him and Mitsuki-chan a hard time."
"Mitsuki's never been trained, either, not like I have." Ryuu cast his cousin a sidelong glance, and at the attention she raised her head, meeting his look with a startled one of her own. "So it's worse on her. I, at least, have some skills in this subject."
"Ryuu-kun?" Mitsuki frowned. "Is something up? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"We were just discussing Minabe's crusade against the Kuchiki." Enishi explained. "And that she gives you a harder time than most because of it."
"Mm." Mitsuki sighed, shaking her head. "Well, I am useless at it. Hirata-kun is a lot better than I am, even though last year we were at the same level. I don't like holding a weapon – I don't want to cause anyone harm. So I suppose it gives me a mental block – I just freeze and don't know what to do."
"And you can't tell Minabe that it's because you're a healer, and so your instincts are different, can you?" Shunsui shot her a sympathetic glance. "Because you're a Kuchiki, not an Unohana, and Naoko-chan has all the bedside manner of a donkey when it comes to dealing with wounded people."
"I heard that, Kyouraku Shunsui." Naoko's indignant voice cut through the group of students, and Shunsui turned to smile at her ruefully.
"You know what I mean." He said frankly. "Mitsuki has far more healer's instinct than you have, even if you're a blood relation of the healer's Clan."
"I don't like sick people. They annoy me and get in my way." Naoko shrugged. "Not all Unohana are healers."
"And not all Kuchiki are fighters." Shunsui spread his hands. "I rest my case."
Mitsuki frowned, shooting Juushirou a questioning look.
"Ukitake-kun, are you all right?" She murmured, and at her question, Juushirou started, gazing at her in surprise and consternation.
"Edogawa-san?"
"You seem quiet today. That's all." Mitsuki pinkened, shrugging her shoulders. "Even though you were practicing hard earlier, it wasn't…you didn't talk a lot, and I wondered if you were okay."
"Juu wasn't talking? To Mitsuki?" Shunsui frowned, casting his friend a sidelong glance. "Were you concentrating that hard?"
"No…I don't think so." Juushirou looked sheepish, shaking his head. "I think I'm just a little…out of sorts this morning. That's all. I didn't sleep too well last night and it's catching up to me."
"Are you sick?" Hirata was anxious, and Juushirou held up his hands hurriedly, shaking his head once more.
"No, I'm not sick. You needn't worry – it's not that." He said hastily. "I've no fever and I feel all right. No…I think it was just…I always have a lot to think about when I come away to school and leave my family behind. That's all. I wonder if they're all all right – if the kids are crying, if Hiro's said something stupid and offended someone…if Chi is managing to keep them all in order. Whether Shinkei's focusing on his studies or climbing out of windows to escape them instead – things like that. And when you've a lot of things to think of, you wind up not getting much sleep."
"I guess when you've a family as big as yours, that's a lot of thinking to do." Kai said wryly, and Juushirou nodded.
"It is, rather." He agreed with a grin. "I'm sorry if I worried you, Edogawa-san. I didn't mean to space out on you."
"School starts with a jolt, too, after you've had a break for a few weeks." Shunsui said wisely. "And this year we're expected to actually know some things before we start – which is a touch unfair, but apparently part of being second years."
"Shunsui." Despite himself, Juushirou laughed.
"It's quite concerning, really, that the top ranked student in our year has that attitude towards his studies." Ryuu observed. "It reflects rather badly on the rest of us, doesn't it?"
"When you put it that way, I suppose it does." Juushirou grinned. "But Shunsui is Shunsui. His genius balances his laziness, so he's a special case."
"I'm not a genius, and I've told you before about using that awful word." Shunsui shuddered. "It's entirely unjustified and very mean, Juu-kun – especially so early in the term."
"What do you think, though, Ukitake? You reckon you'll handle the transition from wood to metal pretty much okay?" Enishi changed the subject hurriedly before his District classmate could respond, and Juushirou looked thoughtful, pursing his lips as he considered the question.
"It was a weird feeling." He admitted. "I thought it would be just like the bokutou but…it's really not, is it?"
"It's heavier." Kai agreed. "But otherwise…you shouldn't have a problem shifting from one to the other."
"I didn't mean like that." Juushirou shook his head. "It was just…holding the sword, suddenly all of this seemed a whole lot more real. Like the whole Shinigami thing…was suddenly right there in front of me."
He looked sheepish.
"I know I sound crazy, don't I?" He murmured. "But I felt it, today. Something went through me when I held that sword for the first time. A buzz of something. Electricity…adrenalin…I don't know what it was. But it was like…holding a sword was the most natural thing I'd never done before. And I never felt like that with the bokutou. As though the sword…well…belonged with me."
"That's a good sign." Enishi clapped his friend on the back with a grin. "If it feels that way, you'll pick it up real quick."
"I don't know as it's usually that much of an epiphany, though." Shunsui pursed his lips. "Kai? Ryuu? Either of you ever get that feeling when you started wielding a sword? Because I know I didn't. It was just one big lump of weapon in one hand – that's all."
"I don't remember." Kai admitted. "I was four when I first started training, and probably about seven when I first held a sword."
He grimaced.
"Plus, I had at least one instructor who was a complete Neanderthal, so most of the time I was trying to work out ways of staying alive. I don't think I ever thought of the sword quite in that way. And now it's second nature to me – so I've moved past the point where I'd notice, I suppose."
"I also do not recall any special feeling." Ryuu acknowledged. "Except pride that I had reached a level whereby I was able to begin sword training."
"Then I guess it's just you, Juu-kun." Shunsui grinned. "We Clansfolk are far too jaded to glean special thoughts or memories from our firsts."
His gaze flitted to Mitsuki for a moment, then,
"What about you, Mitsuki-chan? Did you feel an epiphany today?"
"I was more worried about not dropping it." Mitsuki smiled sheepishly, a faint pink colour touching her cheek. "Ukitake-kun is good at kenjutsu. I'm really not. There's no way a sword would feel natural to me – so I guess that even with my senses, I don't feel that way."
She frowned, casting Juushirou a look, then,
"But I think…when Ukitake-kun said a jolt went through him – I think I felt that." She admitted. "I think that was why I was worried. There was something different in his aura when he had the sword. I guess that's what it was."
Juushirou bit his lip at this, and Shunsui frowned.
"Juu?" He murmured, and Juushirou shook his head.
"It's nothing." He said simply. "Just as you said. This is another novelty for me - the idea of being a Shinigami one day hasn't lost its appeal or shine just yet."
"Ukitake-kun." Mitsuki's eyes clouded, and she sighed.
"Let's talk about something else." She suggested. "Shihouin-kun, I wanted to ask you…about Onoe-kun and whether he…whether he's actually…how he is."
"Tomoyuki?" Kai's expression became startled, then troubled, and he shrugged.
"He's asleep." He said briskly. "Just as he's been since the day you and Madeki-senpai managed to pull him back from death. Honestly, Edogawa, I think you'd have been kinder letting him go. For his family as much as anything – it's been hard for them to deal with."
"I wondered that myself." Mitsuki looked guilty. "But he was afraid, Shihouin-kun. I could feel that fear radiating from him, and I couldn't just let him die. But if he never wakes up…I maybe did the wrong thing after all."
"I don't think it's ever wrong to save life." Juushirou reflected. "Onoe-kun may wake up, or he may not. But while he's alive, there's still that chance."
"His mother hopes for it, his father has disowned him." Kai said honestly. "If he did wake, it would be better that he didn't remember everything that happened to him here in District One. But if he didn't…to be shunned by his blood…"
He shook his head.
"I think it would've been better had he died." He concluded. "But Neesama promised Genryuusai-sama to at least give him time. Some people have slept for years in Eimin comas before coming back to consciousness – all hope hasn't gone quite yet."
"Why are you thinking about Onoe now, Mitsuki?" Naoko demanded. "He's long gone. It's a long time ago."
"Sensei mentioning that seventeen was an awkward number." Mitsuki replied. "Onoe-kun was the eighteenth. That's all."
"But it was a long time ago. Naoko is right." Sora slipped her arm into Mitsuki's. "So don't think about it any more. If he wakes, Shihouin will no doubt tell us. If he doesn't, then he's not in any pain. Okay?"
"Okay." Mitsuki nodded slowly. "I'm sorry, Sora. I suppose you're right."
Shunsui shot Juushirou a keen glance.
"Are you really okay?" He demanded. "Lack of sleep it may be, but you are definitely not yourself today – Mitsuki is right."
"I'm fine." Juushirou nodded impatiently. "More than, in fact, since I just had a physical class and I'm not really out of breath. My lungs aren't aching and I feel all right. Maybe that's what's bothering you – the fact that we're leaving the gym and I'm not coughing."
"Yeah. Maybe it is that." Shunsui looked rueful. "You have been practicing a lot in the holiday, though, haven't you?"
"Mm."Juushirou nodded again. "But it's more than that, too. Before I began first year, it'd only been about a year and a half since I'd been really ill – and I had no real training on how to manage my reiatsu at all. I just suppressed it all the time. But now I've had a year's training, and aside from odd events, I've had no real return to that state at all. I spent eighteen months more or less bedridden after Father died. But I've bounced back quickly from every haibyou episode I've had since I started here. That means my health is more stable than it's been in a long time and that I'm learning to work with it – you've nothing to worry about at all."
"As soon as anyone says that, I immediately start looking for things to worry about." Kai murmured. "One year at the Academy has generally taught me that if things look like they're fine, they're probably about to crumble."
"You know, I liked it a lot better when you kept to yourself and didn't insist on inflicting your opinions or your company on us at such frequent intervals." Ryuu interjected, casting Kai a dark look. "I have never understood why it is you latched on to us so easily – but I really wish sometimes you'd keep quiet."
"I could say the same things about you, since your social skills are pretty basic most days." Kai raised his eyebrow. "But if I do, it'll annoy other people. So I'm willing to deal with it. It's a pity you can't look at it the same way."
"Deal with it?" Ryuu's eyes narrowed. "I am a Kuchiki – the acknowledged strongest of the Eight Clans of Seireitei. You are a Shihouin, the most recently disgraced. There is a complete disparity in status, class and position. You are not in a position to be offended by my company, even given the rivalry our families have long since had. I, on the other hand…"
"Kuchiki, shut up." Shunsui said bluntly, before Ryuu could embark on one of his long, laborious speeches about why the Kuchiki were superior to the Shihouin. "You might hate Kai, and he might hate you. But the rest of us couldn't give a damn either way. So far as we're concerned, there's two of you or none of you. We're not taking sides – so don't start drawing lines in the sand."
"What Kyouraku said." Enishi nodded. "You can hate each other on your own time. When it's our time, you should try and get along."
"I'm not the one causing the problem." Kai said lightly. "But it's fine, both of you. I know. I'm okay with it. If Kuchiki's here, then he's here. I've shared a dorm with him for a year without dying. I can manage to keep the peace."
Ryuu looked obstinate, folding his arms across his chest, but he did not respond, and Juushirou sighed.
"Yes. Don't fight, please. Either of you." He said heavily. "We've moved past all of those things now – let's at least try not to fall out on first day?"
"There are first years heading for the gymnasium now, look." Hirata murmured, nudging Juushirou and indicating across the grass to the other side of the big stone building. "They look apprehensive. I know how they feel."
"It takes a strong-stomached individual not to be apprehensive before a class with Minabe, regardless of your year." Shunsui said candidly. "What do we know about this year's first year, anyway? Clan or District? What's the story?"
"I think it's about half and half." Sora frowned. "Juushirou's gained the school quite a reputation, after all, as a prominent District student, and other families are starting to send their children here. There are twenty new first years, so I understand. Eight are girls. And I think…nine are not Clan."
"That's progress. Only four in our year aren't Clan." Enishi remarked, and Shunsui nodded.
"Thanks to Juu's reputation, as Sora said." He said mischievously, and Juushirou's face flooded red.
"No." He said firmly. "Thanks to Genryuusai-sama's, not mine. Just because people gossip, it doesn't mean that this is anything to do with me. Maybe when I'm a graduate, it'll be different. But it's too soon to think that I've made any kind of a difference, so don't tease me."
"Some of those students are probably our age." Kai reflected. "Older than you, Hirata…you have the jump on them even at sixteen."
"I know. It feels weird." Hirata admitted. "I felt so-o-o much younger than you all last year. Now…even though nothing's changed…I sort of don't any more."
"You grew up a lot." Shunsui told him, and Sora grinned.
"And Shunsui grew down, which helped too." She teased, casting her classmate a playful glance. Shunsui looked rueful, nodding good-naturedly.
"Probably." He agreed lightly. "But you know, it's going to be funny if any of those kids refer to me as 'senpai'. Then I'll start to feel like I need to actually do some work, as opposed to just turn up."
"I doubt it." Juushirou shook his head, a grin touching his own features. "It'd take a much bigger crisis for you to do that, Shunsui. We all know by now - nobody's fooled for a moment."
"I can't even imagine being called 'senpai'." Hirata murmured. "Especially by people who are older than me."
"It is an odd thought." Kai pursed his lips. "But something we need to get used to. Eventually, if we finish schooling here, we're supposed to be aiming for rank of some kind, after all. And rank means..."
"People above and people below you." Sora said thoughtfully. "Shihouin's right. In that way, school isn't that different from what the squads will be like, is it?"
"We're still a long way from squads." Juushirou pointed out. "A long, long way. Last years Seniors had been here mostly for six years by the time they graduated. We're only second years. We've a way to go yet."
"Mm." Shunsui nodded his head, his expression pensive. "A lot can happen in that many years, though. I guess we'll just have to see where we end up...and what kind of a world we'll be graduating into when it comes to being our turn."