Chapter Eight: Class
Morning.
Juushirou pushed back the shutters, gazing out pensively across the school grounds as he watched the last rays of the rising sun spread their light across the budding trees and dew-soaked grass. District One was a far cry from his seaside home, and he always missed the scent of the sea and the soft lapping of the waves against the cove that had been such a part of his childhood. Yet this place was somewhere he had come to feel just as much at home, and he smiled, pausing for a moment to watch a pair of songbirds building their nest in the branches of a nearby elm tree.
It had been a busy start to the term, with seminars in Kidou, Hohou and Sakusen all on the first day and the pile of library books that sat on the chamber's small desk was testimony to the heavy project workload the Senior class had already been given to contend with. It was very different, he mused, to be given this time to complete their work on their own, but Juushirou found he did not dislike it. On the contrary, he felt that a certain amount of trust had been put on their shoulders, and he had relished the challenge.
Not that it will be all like this.
His gaze flitted to the top book, noting the three or four slithers of ribbon that already marked pages.
Kazoe-sensei made it clear when he finished his class that we'd have proper assessments once we'd submitted our written projects, and we still have to report once a week for more lectures and so on. And then there's Ouyoudou. We haven't even begun classwork in that yet, though most of us have been to the gymnasium at least once since term began. I guess I can see how Nagoya-senpai was able to organise my zanpakutou training around my schedule, though. If his time was as much his own as this, he must've been able to balance everything else he had to do so that he didn't disrupt my lessons. I'm learning a lot with every day about being a Senior. But it's not all plain sailing. This is the start of term, but I know that we're going to be far more involved in the lower school as term goes on. Coaching, study groups, implementing curfew...things like that. I suppose when all's said and done, I won't find I have a lot of free time.
"Ukitake?"
A knock at the door made him turn, crossing the floor and unfastening the lock, sliding the divide back. Kai stood on the other side, offering him a grin at the other boy's surprise.
"I know it's early, but I thought I saw you spacing out and staring out of the window as I came back from the gymnasium." He explained. "I collected my mail, and you have a letter already. I wasn't sure, but I thought it might be from your sister - it's from District Eight, because I recognise the messenger's mark."
"From Chi-chan?" Juushirou looked startled, taking it and glancing at it. "Yes, you're right. Thank you, Kai-kun. This is her handwriting...but I didn't expect to hear from her quite so soon as this. Term's only just started - I wonder what's up."
He offered Kai a smile, pushing back the door fully.
"You want to come in?" He asked. "It's unfriendly out in the hall - and wait, did you say you've been to the gymnasium already this morning?"
"Mm. Meimei Anshi and I like our early workout." Kai patted the black hilted weapon that hung at his waist. "Shihouin training regimes are quite intense, you should know that by now. I don't want to get out of practice by being here - Midori-nee wouldn't forgive me, since she has high hopes of me after graduation."
"To take over her new special force - isn't that what you said?" Juushirou sat down on his bed, slitting the letter's seal as he did so, and Kai nodded, coming into the chamber and pushing the door shut. He leant up against it, folding his arms absently across his chest.
"Onmitsukidou is the name she likes to use, though it sounds a fair bit too fancy for what will actually happen." He said, amused. "But Midori-nee is very keen on getting this off the ground. And that it won't be just a Shihouin thing in the long term but a far wider ranging organisation. She wants to use our Clan's innate skills in stalking and camouflage and all of that - and put it to the Gotei's benefit rather than using it as previous leaders have, as a form of secret assassination. I don't know, quite, what my job will work out like yet. But I think it's more my speed than fighting over haori or rank within Second Division, and so...I'm all right with it. I don't want Midori-nee's haori or position, so I wish she'd make like Kyouraku's brother and marry and produce spawn to inherit. But in the meantime, if I can do a good enough job of this Onmitsukidou business - which is better suited to me and my zanpakutou anyway - even if I did inherit the Clan, I might not have to change my rank of office."
Juushirou chuckled.
"I guess it's more complicated for Midori-sama to do that - marry and stuff - while she's still consolidating the Clan." He observed. "As a woman, she'd have to do the whole baby-having herself, and so..."
"That's what she says. That and the fact she has no interest at present in screaming, peeing, puking things that get in her way." Kai sighed. "Oh well. I can't pretend I don't know what she means about that. I'm not hugely excited about the prospect of babies either."
He shrugged.
"Everything all right with your sister, by the way?"
"Yes. She's fine, there's no problem there." Juushirou skimmed down the contents of the letter. "Though she's talking about being a little broody, so I guess Chi isn't quite on the same thought pattern as Midori-sama, huh?"
He pursed his lips.
"She heard about the Kuchiki assassination and she was worried about its implications on the rest of our family." He added, folding the letter and setting it aside. "I guess she must've heard that from Takeshi's position in Tokutarou-sama's guard. What do you think, Kai? It's concerned me a little too, but Sensei said the Kuchiki weren't in the habit of killing common folk over their Clan battles. You know the Clan world better than me - do you think there's any risk?"
"From the Kuchiki? Creating civil war in Six?" Kai looked thoughtful, then shook his head. "No. The Shihouin and the Kuchiki have had their issues, but I don't think they're the kind of Clan to sear through the countryside to prove a point. Mostly because they're a proud Clan when it comes down to it. To destroy their District would be to draw negative eyes their way - and they also think a lot of how pretty Six is, particularly with the sakura trees and everything else. While it wouldn't surprise me if this business created absolute chaos within the Kuchiki Clan - I doubt the peasant classes - no offence - will feel more than the slightest ripple. They aren't the Endou-ke. You don't need to worry about that."
"No offence taken." Juushirou smiled, relief in his hazel eyes. "That was my view of it too - but I wanted to check. Thank you, Kai-kun. I'll write back to Chi and tell her she needn't worry about everyone at home. The concerns are above their head - and I'm glad of it."
"You...are the only one that it might touch." Kai said pensively. "Being that you are such close friends with Seiren-dono's only son."
"Yes." Juushirou admitted. "But I promised Sensei not to get involved in the business and I plan on sticking to that. It might have consequences for my family if I did - so I won't. I'll listen, if Ryuu wants to talk. Mitsuki too. But more than that...isn't my place."
He sighed.
"And I have plenty to deal with already, because being Anideshi is not going to be any kind of a picnic."
"No, but you knew that before you said yes, right?" Kai arched an eyebrow. "I can't imagine you didn't see that Yamamoto and his friends would be bitter towards you."
"I've given up caring if people are small-minded enough to use my District birth as a reason to hate or resent me." Juushirou said pragmatically. "I'm not letting it, or them, interfere in my becoming a shinigami, and Sensei didn't offer the role to Yamamoto-kun. He offered it to me - and me alone - and to refuse it would have been to say I didn't have faith in myself, wouldn't it? If Sensei has faith in me, that's enough to tell me I can do this job. So I will do it. Even if I did expect some trouble, once I knew Sensei was challenging me, I knew I wouldn't refuse."
"Of course not." Kai's eyes twinkled. "You're stubborn like that."
He laughed.
"I still remember how you overrode my every attempt to hate you when we were first years." He added nostalgically. "It's very frustrating wanting to hate someone and not being able to. I imagine Yamamoto and the others will find the same - that in the end, they can't win against your obstinate insistance on being friends with the world."
"Kindness moves you further than fear." Juushirou said sagely. "Father used to say that, sometimes, and I think he was right."
He grinned.
"And you don't regret it, do you? Us becoming friends."
"No..." Kai looked thoughtful. "My entire outlook on life, the world, my Clan and everything has changed since I came here. But I'm glad I did. And that I was a part of this class. It will be odd when that's over - I really think that my Uncle and Shouichi-sama underestimated Genryuusai-sensei and his ability to instill values in the students here. But they also underestimated the influence of being in close quarters with so many different people. Different Clans, different ideals, different opinions. Kyouraku's words to me about being unable to change anything if you're dead still sticks with me now."
"Mm." Juushirou nodded. "It's good advice."
He smiled ruefully.
"Even coming from Shunsui, it's good advice. As shinigami, I guess none of us will know what the future holds. And whether we'll go into danger. But...so long as we hang onto that thought...I think we'll come through those things and be fine. If you want life, Kai - I don't think it can be easily taken away from you. You only lose it if you give it up."
"That's a tad naive." Kai chided. "There are plenty of people who die who don't want to. What about your own folks?"
"Mother died to give me life. That was her choice." Juushirou said seriously. "She chose death for my sake, therefore she accepted it. Father too - he risked himself to protect me from the Hollow, therefore he accepted that risk before he acted. I don't like it, or think them weak for it. But...they were decisions they both made. Death over life."
"Perhaps." Kai acknowledged. "My Clan has been far too steeped in blood and death for far too long - and its members far too willing to sacrifice their lives for pride or honour or revenge. I'm not really in that mould - so I'm not looking to sacrifice my life. While I'm alive, I will support and fight for my Clan - but I don't intend to go seeking death."
"This is a grim conversation." Juushirou looked rueful. "So we shouldn't continue it."
"Probably not." Kai agreed. "Though I think the death of Ribari-sama has made everyone a lot more aware of how suddenly death can come. He was nineteen, you know - the same age as Hirata. And he wasn't a weakling. I guess it shows that we're still living in a dangerous world, and the only enemies aren't the Hollows."
"I know." Juushirou nodded gravely. "That's why I intend on becoming the best shinigami I can be. I can't do anything for the Kuchiki at the moment - in fact, being that my bloodline is as dodgy as it is that way, it'd probably be far better if I didn't do anything - but if I can become a strong shinigami, maybe I can help in other ways. In a bigger picture, in the longer term."
He frowned.
"I haven't written to Mitsuki or Ryuu because of that dodgy bloodline and because of who I am." He added. "I keep thinking I should, then I remember...what Ryuu and Mitsuki found out about my blood grandfather and my mother's past and...I stop. I don't know whether Guren-sama does or doesn't know all of that story, but right now with the Clan in chaos...I'm the worst person to be writing to any of the members. I hate it, but I've held back. I hope that that at least is the right thing - if it's the only thing I can do, not creating greater chaos."
"I think your judgement is sound." Kai agreed. "The Kuchiki are the strictest Clan about things like bloodline and so on. Kuchiki and Edogawa will both realise why you've held back, and they'll appreciate it."
He sighed.
"Well, breakfast calls." He added, as a gong rang out through the school. "You and I are up, so we should head downstairs. The first years have a habit of pushing in the queues in, and if we're Seniors, we ought to stop that at least. It's a hassle, but rather that than a lecture from whichever sensei is on duty instead."
"Agreed." Juushirou nodded, getting to his feet. "We'll go down now - and make sure everything is calm. Do you suppose anyone else is up? It might be better to go in force."
"Not sure." Kai admitted. "Like you, I'm rooming alone at the moment, so I haven't seen anyone else this morning. But we can knock on doors and find out - though you can take the blame if we wake Kyouraku before he's ready to get out of bed."
"He's been surprisingly prompt so far this term." Juushirou said reflectively, grabbing his sheathed zanpakutou from the unit and sliding into his obi. "All right, I'm ready. Let's go."
"It's a nice privilege, isn't it, being able to carry zanpakutou without needing special reason to do so." Kai observed as they stepped out into the hallway, Juushirou closing and locking his door behind him as they did so. "Makes me feel like I really am almost a shinigami."
"I know." Juushirou agreed. "Though it's also a little bit strange as well. I don't come from a military family like you, so I'm not used to carrying my sword at all times. I suppose I'll get used to that, though, as time goes on. At home, I tended to leave it in my chamber a lot unless I was going out to do some kind of practice at the beach. Honestly, if I'm going to the library or to class, I'm more likely to leave Sougyo here."
"That makes sense." Kai nodded. "But just having the right to carry the thing - shows that Sensei has faith in us, doesn't it?"
"It does." Juushirou responded. "Strengthening the bond between zanpakutou and wielder."
"It's a lot more new a sensation to us than it is to you, though." Kai laughed. "Since you've had Sougyo a full year longer or more than most of us. The novelty's still there for me - I've only had Meimei Anshi for about six months, and I still like the feel of having him at my side all the time."
"I guess so." Juushirou acknowledged. "Though Sougyo isn't what you'd call an easy sword to master, so I'm not sure about that. There's still a ton of stuff for me to learn about it even now."
"Good morning, Kai-kun. Good morning, Juushirou-kun." As they passed Shunsui and Hirata's door, it slid back, revealing the youngest member of their class who offered them a smile as he rubbed the lenses of his spectacles against the sleeve of his hakamashita. "I thought I heard your voices - are you going down to breakfast?"
"We are, and you're welcome to join us." Kai replied warmly. "Kyouraku up or still asleep?"
"Asleep." Hirata replaced his glasses on his nose, stepping into the hall and softly shutting the bedroom door behind him. "I woke up a good while ago and was reading something for our Hohou assignment, but he hasn't stirred at all. When I heard you going by, I thought I'd come tag along - and let him sleep a while more. We don't have to be up early, and he never seems to mind if he misses breakfast."
"Are we going to call on Houjou too?" Kai wondered. "He and Souryou both are quite early risers."
"We could." Juushirou nodded, pausing to knock on the door of their other friend's room. "So long as we're not waking anyone, I don't mind."
"What if Souryou-kun comes too?" Hirata looked apprehensive, and Juushirou shrugged.
"I don't have anything against him or anyone else." He said frankly. "He hasn't said anything unpleasant to me, and Enishi seems to like him enough, so..."
He stopped midflow as the door slid back, revealing the subject of their conversation, and at their startled expressions, Kanshi shot them a quizzical look.
"Why are you looking at me like that? You people knocked, didn't you?" He asked. "Did you not expect anyone to answer?"
"We were wondering if you guys were coming down to breakfast." Kai recovered himself first, offering Kanshi a grin. "Since someone will need to keep an eye on the kids going in, and it should be some of us."
"Me included, huh?" Kanshi raised an eyebrow, shooting Juushirou a questioning look. "That's all right with you, is it, Anideshi?"
"Why wouldn't it be?" Juushirou was surprised. "I don't have any reason not to include you - if you wanted to come. I don't have control over who does and doesn't enter the Dining Hall - and besides, I'm not looking to carve out rivalries with anyone."
"I see." Kanshi shot him a thoughtful look, then grinned. "Well, I appreciate that. And you needn't worry. I'm not for carving holes in other people either, if you want the truth. Whether you should be Anideshi or not, I don't know - but I dare say I'll find out soon enough, and till then, I'm reserving judgement. In the meantime..."
He shrugged.
"I'll come down with you." he agreed. "Akira and Aoi were heading to the gymnasium to do some sword drill, but I'm not really interested in fighting before I'm fed, and I've nothing better to do."
He paused, then,
"But Houjou isn't here, and I know it's him you came looking for." He added. "He's gone to see Kazoe about something. Kidou, logically - though he didn't really tell me much about it. Just that he'd agreed to go straight there this morning - he woke me getting dressed before dawn."
"Enishi's going to skip breakfast again?" Kai looked startled, and Kanshi grinned.
"No, I think he said he'd grab something quickly en route and then go." He replied as he joined them in the hallway. "Does he not like Kidou or something? He seemed glum."
"He doesn't." Juushirou agreed. "Since first year, we've helped him with it as much as we could, and in return he's helped us with our sword skills. Enishi is pretty strong, Souryou-kun. But nobody can be strong in all areas, and Kidou is his weak link."
"Ah. That makes sense." Souryou nodded sagely. "I got that impression - he's very straight down the line. A powerhouse if ever there was one, but the kind of guy who wouldn't hurt a fly unless he had strict orders that it needed to be taken out for the good of everyone else. It surprised me too when I found out how old he was - older than I am, even though he's only just been promoted up. I guess this is why?"
"No...Houjou has always been with us." Kai shook his head. "The age has never really mattered. Not with any of us - right Hirata?"
"Mm." Hirata nodded slowly, though he shot Kanshi an apprehensive glance, and Kanshi grinned.
"You're the Endou kid, aren't you?" He remarked, and Hirata nodded again. "Yes, I thought so. I've heard a few things about you being some kind of prodigy - though I hear that about a lot of people, and I never believe it till I see it for myself."
"I'm not trying to be a prodigy." Hirata said quietly. "I'm just trying to be a good shinigami and not let my family down."
"Mm." Kanshi's expression became serious. "I'm sorry. That was a mite insensitive, maybe. I know that District Seven's had a lot of stuff happen in recent years...I should learn to hold my tongue, else you'll think I do have a vendetta against you people."
"Will Yamamoto bother if you eat with us?" Kai wondered, and Kanshi snorted.
"I'll whack it out of him if he tries." He said bluntly. "Akira and I have been friends a long time, since before we were old enough to think about being shinigami, because his mother and mine were educated together and when we were small we spent a lot of time together. I know him better than probably anyone else does at this Academy. He knows well enough that I'll do as I like and have what opinions I choose, just as he will and as he does. I don't base my actions on his preferences or vice versa. He can live with it, or he can hate it - but it doesn't make a difference to me."
He cast Juushirou a glance.
"Now, if you had done something to really spite him - then that'd be different." He added evenly. "I stick up for my friends and I don't forgive things like that. But right now, it's all about a decision neither of you made. And that's completely different. Besides, I already like Houjou. And I'm not really all that bothered about the students left behind - some of them drove me crazy, and more than one of them I was inches away from mangling in Ouyoudou before the end of last semester. If you guys can provide more of a challenge than that - bring it on."
Juushirou chuckled.
"That sounds like something I can work with." He agreed. "All right. I don't mind if you reserve judgement on me or on whether Sensei was right until later. I think we'll all be doing that - me included. And I don't mind if Yamamoto-kun doesn't want to work with me or accept me either. That's up to him. I'm not going to force him to do so - or to consider me anything other than his classmate."
"Oh-oh. Those are dangerous words." Kai looked amused, and Juushirou shot him a confused look.
"Huh? What are?"
"You saying you won't force anyone to do anything." Kai laughed. "That's what you said to me, too, remember? In first year. That you weren't going to force me or anyone to be friends with you - yet here we are, four years on."
"Silly." Juushirou snorted, swiping his hand playfully in his companion's direction. "That was different. And besides, I didn't force you. You decided it, not me, so shut up."
"Speaking of shutting up..." Kai ducked deftly out of Juushirou's reach, gesturing to the corridor ahead. "I hear kids. Noisy kids. And we should do something about it before we get the blame."
"Agreed." Juushirou nodded. "Well, there are four of us...so..."
"Ah, that idiot Kamaki is in the middle of it." Kanshi pulled a graphic face. "A kinsman of mine, I'm afraid - and a decidedly annoying one at the best of times. Leave him to me, huh? I'll handle the Fifth years. He'll throw his weight about and push to the front of the queue if he thinks he has a better right to be there than the younger ones - but he'll listen to me, probably. He won't even look at you."
"But Juushirou-kun is Anideshi." Hirata said doubtfully. Juushirou shook his head.
"Souryou-kun is right." He said matter-of-factly. "It's too soon for last year's left down Fifth years to meekly accept us promotees as Seniors and senpai as opposed to kouhai. We'll deal with everyone else - thank you, Souryou-kun."
He flashed Kanshi a grin.
"I'm glad you came down with us."
"Idiots are idiots, no matter what class you put them in." Kanshi shrugged his shoulders. "And like I said, he's kin. Therefore it's my responsibility to thwack him before he causes a bigger problem."
With that he was gone towards the midst of the melee, where Azusa was indeed holding forth to a bunch of juniors about something none of them could make out, and Hirata sighed.
"I guess I understand what he means." He said quietly. "But Juushirou-kun, they...have to accept it, sooner or later. Your authority, I mean. Otherwise..."
"Otherwise there isn't a point in me having it. I know." Juushirou's eyes clouded and he nodded his head. "But for now, Hirata, having Souryou-kun not acting against us is a step forward. Enishi's said he seemed all right - direct and straight forward - and what he said made me feel better about the situation in the Senior Class. That this is simply an issue Yamamoto-kun has with not being chosen for Anideshi, so it might...it might not be so hard to handle. It will take a little time for everyone who's been displaced to come to terms with the new order, and I intend to be patient. In the meantime..."
"Anyone below Fifth year, plus our own former classmates will probably acknowledge Ukitake without a problem." Kai put in. "The years below ours are far more mixed with Clan and District, and so I doubt that issue is quite such a problem with most of them. They'll back up his authority by acting on it. And we're here to do that too, Hirata. To back him up. Kyouraku said it to me as well - that we need to do that. So we shouldn't worry about Yamamoto and we should just do our job as seniors. Come on. Let's go shut up some screeching brats and get them to line up properly. Hirata, you come with me - Ukitake can handle himself all right here."
"All right." Hirata looked troubled still, but he nodded his head. "I'm coming, Kai-kun."
With that he followed his dark-skinned friend across the Dining Room to help untangle a gaggle of Third year students apparently having some dispute over bowls, and Juushirou was once more left alone.
He sighed, rubbing his temples.
Hirata is right too - he often is. I'll keep it in mind, and do what I can to make sure other people do accept me. That I am Anideshi.
With that in mind, he moved purposefully to the head of the room, mounting the dais nimbly and taking his sheathed weapon from his belt, banging it down firmly against the smooth wooden surface of the lectern that stood there.
Several people, who had been unaware of the appearance of the Seniors, let alone their own Anideshi physically jumped, many turning guiltily to face the stage as though expecting a teacher to be standing there. A murmur began to spread across the hall as the students registered Juushirou's presence, and he frowned, nodding his head.
"What if it had been a sensei who came in and heard that?" He asked softly, his voice gentle yet carrying across the four corners of the chamber in the sudden lull of voices. "Everyone will get breakfast and there's plenty of time before morning classes begin. There's no need for a stampede or a riot. Queue properly, please."
"Senpai!" A second year girl raised her hand, looking put out. "Senpai, our dorm had a table at the back by the window, but another group came and took it, and..."
"Then find another table." Juushirou told her calmly. "I'm sure you know that tables are only fixed seating for the evening meal. Breakfast is another matter. If you were too late to get the table you wanted, find another table. You can still sit with your friends, so there shouldn't be a problem, should there?"
"Senpai, Baraya broke a bowl." A boy from the third year piped in. "There's rice all over the floor!"
"That's only cos you were shoving past me!" Another boy protested indignantly. "Charging in like some great oaf!"
"I did not!" The first boy looked obstinate. "I was just coming to line up and..."
"Stop it." Juushirou held up his hands, his gaze flitting across the room to where Kai and Hirata were watching. "Kai-kun, could you help them sort that out? I'll report the breakage to Sensei. It was obviously an accident, so nobody will get into trouble - but the chaos in here might see a lot of people in trouble, and none of us want that."
"No problem." Kai agreed, and Juushirou stepped down from the dais, taking in a deep breath as he registered that little by little the room had begun to take on a semblance of calm. Between Souryou's handling of the rebellious fifth years, his own interruption and Kai and Hirata's on-hand interventions, order had been restored to the Dining Hall - and just in time, for at that moment the door slid back to reveal the Hohou sensei Uebashi, with the school's Headmaster in tow. Several people drew a collective gasp into guilty lungs as they realised how close they had come to a proper scolding, and Juushirou let out his own breath in a rush.
"Just in time." he murmured, as Hirata came to join him across the busy chamber.
"Yes, but if we have this every day..." The younger boy rolled his eyes, and Juushirou sighed again.
"Don't." He begged. "Once is enough – let's hope they've got the message now. Besides, I'm hungry too. I don't want to be refereeing food-fights by the end of the year at the expense of my own meal."
Despite himself, Hirata smiled.
"They listened to you, though." He observed, and Juushirou nodded, opening his lips to reply. Before he could, however, he caught Azusa's eye, and was taken aback by the strength of the dislike in the other boy's gaze. He frowned, biting his lip.
"Well, let's hope it lasts." He said quietly. "Come on, Hirata. Now things are calm again - lets eat."
"Well, at the very least I'm glad to see you've arrived promptly."
As Enishi stepped apprehensively into the Kidou arena, he found his instructor already waiting for him, a thoughtful expression on his face. At his side, leaning up against the plaster facing of the surrounding stone wall was his customary wooden stick, and as Enishi's gaze flitted to it a smile twitched at his thin lips.
"I hope that won't be needed today." Was all he said, however, removing his glasses from his nose and wiping them absently on his sleeve before replacing them and fixing Enishi with a sharp look. "But you know as well as I do what's required of you now, don't you? That we've reached the end of the road in some respects – everything from now depends on you."
Enishi sighed, lowering his head meekly.
"Yes, sensei." He said softly. "Genryuusai-sama made it clear to me…that I was to do my best as always in attending these extra sessions. And I do…I always do, sir. I mean, it's not that I'm not trying – I just…"
"We'll save excuses for later." Kazoe cut across him, getting to his feet and gesturing towards the targets that lined the far end of the arena. "If excuses could pass your exams for you, I'm sure we wouldn't need these sessions – but sadly, they can't, and so here we are."
He sighed.
"This year is your last year, Houjou, is it not?" He asked frankly.
"Yes, sir." Enishi agreed, though he could hear the doubt in his own voice as he spoke the words, and Kazoe's eyes darkened.
"Well? Is it or isn't it?" He challenged, and Enishi faltered, slowly dropping his gaze.
"I…hope so." He admitted softly. "I want to…graduate…with everyone else. With my friends. At the end of this year."
"I see." Kazoe's lips thinned, and he nodded his head. "Well, then. If that's the case, we have work to do."
He tilted his head on one side, eying his companion for a moment, and Enishi could feel those sharp dark eyes boring into his broad frame.
"At the end of last year, you had about mastered firing a handful of basic spells and were moving towards some confidence in using binding magic." He remembered evenly. "Spells such as practical Soukatsui, of course, are mainly first year spells – that one is usually perfected at the latest by the early to mid-point of the second year. Still, you managed to fire it to some good level of accuracy before your final examinations. You even managed to produce a decent enough example during your final assessment – so that seems as good a place as any to begin our revision."
"Yes, sir." Enishi nodded, glancing at his hands for a moment as he tried to remember the right incantation. "Soukatsui…all right."
"Which number Hadou is Soukatsui, by the way?" Kazoe asked quizzically, and Enishi offered him a rueful smile.
"Thirty three, sir." He said wryly. "That much at least I know, thanks to Ukitake's drilling me on them over and over again at the end of last year."
"Good." Despite himself, Kazoe returned the smile with a dry one of his own. "Then if you're aware of that fact, there shouldn't be a problem. Aim for the middle target, please – and try not to set any bushes alight. I still remember the chaos at the beginning of last year when you nearly managed to set fire to the forestland beyond with Haien – so we'll avoid that, if you don't mind."
"Yes…yes, sir." Enishi agreed apprehensively, flexing his fingers then nodding his head. "All right. The middle target, sir? I'm ready."
He closed his eyes, focusing his thoughts as he dredged through his memory for the right incantation. Juushirou had spent a lot of time testing him on these as well, for ever since they had first covered Soukatsui and Shakkahou in first year theory he had struggled to remember which incantation belonged to which. To fire red flame instead of blue flame now would be an embarrassment, and he screwed up his eyes in concentration.
"Kunrinsha yo!" He muttered, sweat beading on his brow as he struggled to keep his powerful reiatsu focused only on the palm of his hand. "Chiniku no kamen, banshou…h…habataki, hito no na o kansu mono yo!"
He took a deep breath, knowing that so far he was correct, for Kazoe's stick had not come down on his hand to stop him, nor had the teacher's voice broken the silence of his concentration. Now was the important bit. Which half of the spell was it? Something to do with walls…wasn't that what Juushirou had taught him? He swallowed hard. If he hesitated for too long, the spell would not work anyway, and he decided to take the gamble.
"Souka no kabe ni, souren no kizamo." He continued reluctantly, half-expecting something awful to happen at any moment. "T…Taika no fuchi o enten ni tematsu! Hadou no Sanjuu San! Soukatsui!"
A burst of energy shot forth from his palm at this juncture, and he opened one eye cautiously, letting out a sigh of relief as he realised he had made the right call. The flare of magic was indeed blue – and more, though it had sparked a little at the edges and lacked the perfect form of some of his more capable classmates, it had not exploded in mid-flight. On the contrary, it blasted through the target, leaving only the very right hand edge in tact, and Enishi sighed again, lowering his hand as he turned to face his companion.
Kazoe looked thoughtful, and for a moment he didn't speak. Then he nodded.
"I'm glad you haven't forgotten." He observed softly. "That was a well-executed spell, Houjou – but you hesitated for rather a long time in mid-incantation. You should know that by doing so you make the job of firing more difficult on yourself – the longer you have to hold your reiryoku together, the more chance you'll make a mistake."
"Yes sir." Enishi looked sheepish. "The truth is, I was trying to…to make sure, sir. That I fired the right spell…and not Shakkahou instead."
"You really do have trouble with incantations, don't you?" Kazoe sighed, and Enishi nodded.
"Yes sir. I do."
"Well, I suppose it can't be helped." Kazoe seemed resigned. "In either regard, you fired that in an acceptable manner – and safely, too. Providing you can speed up your recall on the incantation, I think you could even fire it more cleanly – there was a good level of control even despite a few stray sparks at the beginning."
"Yes, sir."
Enishi sighed.
"But that's considered an easy spell, isn't it, sir? I mean, it's a basic incantation – we learnt the spell words back at the start the first year. Ukitake and Kyouraku were firing it easily even that year…and yet…"
"Ukitake and Kyouraku are very skilled at Kidou." Kazoe agreed evenly. "And you are not. Using them as your benchmark is a futile gesture from the start, Houjou – I suggest you drop such aspirations right now. You will probably never reach their level of Kidou proficiency, so to aspire to it seems somewhat foolish."
Enishi's heart clenched and he stared at his companion in dismay.
"But sir, I'm a Senior now! And if I can't…surely, if I don't…I must…"
"Listen to me." Kazoe folded his arms across his chest, coming to stand before his student. Enishi towered over him, yet even though he lowered his gaze to meet the teacher's, still somehow he felt cowed by the piercing look he found there.
"Kidou is your weakness." Kazoe continued softly. "Four years of teaching you has told me that, and should have taught you likewise. You say you try your best – and the sad truth is, I know you do. You have always tried your best, and yet even so, here we are. This will never be a strength for you – I think it unlikely that you will ever master the level of spells I intend on teaching your classmates over the course of this year. True, some of them will not master them fully either. But for you…I won't even begin to teach them. There is just no point – it would only be dangerous."
Enishi's shoulders slumped, and he nodded his head hopelessly.
"Yes, sensei."
"Now, don't look like that." Kazoe sounded impatient. "I told you to listen to me. Kidou is not the only art in becoming a shinigami, and nor is it always the most important. You have very potent reiryoku and great physical strength – such students are rarely given to the delicate precision that Kidou requires. That doesn't make you a weakling…or a failure."
"But I want to graduate with the others." Enishi looked helpless. "I know…last year, my Kidou grade was a bad one. I wondered…if I was promoted to the Senior Class because everyone else was, and because as the oldest it would have looked strange if I was kept down. I know my grades weren't good enough to promote me…and so…I wanted to do my best this year. In this class especially. Because…I don't want to be left behind."
"Mm." Kazoe pushed his spectacles further up his nose, regarding Enishi pensively. "This is also a subject that Genryuusai-sensei and I have discussed in some detail regarding your education. Whether you graduate or not will be up to you, Houjou – whether you grasp the duties and responsibilities of being a Senior and prove to everyone that you are capable of entering a squad when this year ends. I can't tell you how to do that, or even if you will succeed. What I can tell you is that I don't intend on teaching you advanced Kidou. You will focus on third and fourth year level spells, and revise the ones you learnt before that, too. You will perfect them and we will go over them again and again until you are safe. Because nobody will let you graduate from here and join a squad if you can't use those skills safely."
"With that level…can I still graduate?" Enishi was doubtful.
"You have classmates who don't excel in the areas you do, I'm sure." Kazoe reminded him. "I doubt that Endou can take your sword – and I know that Edogawa has stopped taking Ouyoudou classes completely now, hasn't she?"
"That's true." Enishi brightened somewhat. "Even though Edogawa's training as a healer, the others have trouble fighting me blade to blade. Shihouin is the only member of our class who's ever been able to best me, and he can best everyone. I always aim to overreach him in class lists and I've come very close sometimes. Last year I had an almost perfect score in kenjutsu and I was one of the few chosen to study hakuda as an additional at the end of Third Year. And everyone thought I'd have trouble with Hohou, but really it's quite simple once you get your head around it. I guess I'm still shaky on writing up theory reports for it – but I can do it, and Uebashi-sensei said I performed well on our assessments at the end of last year."
"Then I'll tell you something that I want you to give some serious thought." Kazoe said gravely. "Your Kidou must be made safe. There is no question about that. But to graduate the Academy, you have to pass a certain number of units and you have to prove yourself ready for squad life. I won't tell you how to do the latter – that is up to each individual student to realise for themselves. But you just told me yourself you're studying hakuda. That's an advanced Ouyoudou class that very few students undertake at the Academy – most only learn those skills within their Clan or in the squads themselves. I expect your physical strength probably gives you an edge in such things – am I right?"
"Yes, sir, though I'm quite quick and agile too, and the Hohou helps." Enishi agreed eagerly.
"Then probably you will be assessed in that for your final grades, rather than this class." Kazoe tapped his fingers thoughtfully against the fabric of his hakama. "Genryuusai-sensei didn't say as much to me, since it isn't my area – but I imagine he's mentioned it to Minabe-sensei already."
"Really?" Enishi's eyes widened. "Can I…I mean, I could do that? Instead?"
"You will still be required to take Kidou, and make yourself safe in it." Kazoe said cuttingly. "I will not be assessing you at Senior level, but I will be assessing you and if you fail I will not be recommending you for graduation. I want you to work just as hard this year as you have the last four – if you do that, I think we can at least steady your abilities and make you able to use a basic array of Kidou without being a danger to other people. The rest is up to you – but I don't want you to think that you've now found an easy path. Just that by studying more basic spells than your companions, you aren't necessarily doomed to repeat Senior year."
Enishi's brows knitted together, and slowly he nodded his head.
"I understand, sir." He said solemnly. "I had decided already to work hard in Kidou this year, and what you've said…has made me feel better. At least…somewhat."
"Mm. I imagine it hurts your pride a little to know that the majority of the classmates you've now left behind scored more highly than you did last year." Kazoe mused, and Enishi nodded his head once more.
"It does." He admitted. "Although…I'm quite used to it. In a way…that people don't expect me to achieve very much. My family aren't particularly bothered when I fail at something – it's as though they wait for it, sometimes. So I really don't want to be held back at all. I don't want to prove them right."
He sighed.
"They might laugh, some of them, if they knew my Kidou was being held back this far." He owned. "That I can't even manage fourth year spells properly yet, even though I've been put in the top class. My Father was surprised, you know, when he got the letter from Genryuusai-sensei – and I heard him say to my mother that Clan ties had obviously had some part to play in it. I don't think…they believe I can be a proper shinigami. Not on my own merit."
"Then why would they send you to the Academy in the first place?" Kazoe was surprised, and Enishi offered a wry smile.
"Because if they did that, it meant that they didn't have to deal with my lack of social awareness or my constantly putting my foot in my mouth at events." He said with a resigned shrug. "Nor answer questions about why I'm nearly twenty four but not yet wed or even promised in marriage. I'm big and ungainly, and I don't really understand all the etiquette rules Clan folk are meant to. I understand girls even less than that, if I'm honest – it's as though they speak a language that I just don't."
He shrugged.
"My people love me, and support me - but I think they are embarrassed by me, sometimes." He concluded. "So when I showed some aptitude with Ouyoudou, they decided that they might as well send me here."
"Do you enjoy being here, Houjou?" Kazoe demanded, and Enishi started, then nodded his head.
"Yes, sir. I like it very much."
"Then do you believe you can be a proper shinigami?"
Enishi paused.
"I don't know, yet." He owned. "The Kidou…has bothered me for a while. Even though I summoned my sword at the end of last year…even though I know that it and I have forged an understanding…I haven't ever been completely sure. But with what you've said today…I suppose it's up to me, isn't it?"
"It is." Kazoe agreed. "On which note, we'll get back to work. I will still require you to write the same theory assignments as your classmates, whatever practical work you may or may not do – so be aware, I don't intend to be lenient."
"I'd rather it was that way." Enishi owned, rubbing his sooty fingers together as he settled his reiatsu for the next spell. "I'd rather…they didn't know that I was only doing basic Kidou this year, if you don't mind. I mean…"
He looked sheepish.
"I know it's bad, but I suppose I do feel…that being the eldest, it's a matter of pride and so on." He acknowledged. "I'd like for once for people to look at me and see what I can do, not focus on what I can't. I can't do Kidou and I don't really like it but…I'll do as you say and I trust you to help me as much as you can. But as a Senior…I want to be…like the rest are. Considered that I should be there…because I'm good enough to be."
"As you said, that's up to you." Kazoe dismissed this with a flick of his fingers. "I have no business spreading rumours about one student to others anyway, and I certainly don't have time to do it, either. You work hard and you will graduate. That's the truth for every student in Senior Class. You aren't the only one with weaknesses – and believe it or not, you aren't the worst student I've ever had, either."
"Really?" Despite himself Enishi was surprised, and Kazoe smiled.
"Really." He agreed. "So that should give you some hope, I think? Let's get back to work, Houjou. Your timetable is more flexible than mine and I have first year theory to take in less than half an hour. In that time I want to make sure we've thoroughly revised all the things you ought to know – so let's begin."
"Sensei's late this morning."
Thus Kira Hideharu as he glanced out of the gymnasium window, a troubled expression on his thin face as he gauged the position of the sun over the big school building. "That's unusual, you know – for us to get to class and for the teacher not to be here after the bell has rung."
"True, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing." Iwai Kenji leant up against the wall, casting his classmate an amused grin. "I would've thought you'd be happy about it, Kira. You hate Ouyoudou, don't you? If Minabe's late for once, that means less of her yelling at you – surely?"
"I don't hate it. I'm just not good at it." Kira reddened. "But Minabe isn't often late. You don't suppose something's happened, do you? Maybe someone's in trouble or something like that."
"More likely she had a meeting with Genryuusai-sensei and that's the reason why." Kamitani Jun put in sensibly. "Calm down, Kira. I'm sure everything is fine…and she'll be here soon enough, like Iwai says. If we're just standing around talking, she'll probably be cross when she gets here – so we should grab sticks and start warming up."
"It feels strange having class like this, though." Kira reflected, obediently moving to take a wooden bokutou from the rack and testing it for weight. "I mean, in the past we've always been with…but now we're not, and it feels…well…strange."
"Hostile is the word I'd use, but the hostility is directed upwards, so it's all the same to me." Iwai put in reflectively. "It's not so weird for Kyouraku and the others to get promoted – they were always leagues ahead of the rest of us, and we all know it. But I know what you mean, Kira,"
He paused, swinging his bokutou experimentally.
"I was hoping I'd be able to disarm a couple of them this year. It's quite a disappointment not to get that chance, since I've been practicing a lot over the break."
"More likely they'd break you." Kamitani reflected. "We're talking about Seniors with zanpakutou at the ready. Not all of us are even near that standard yet – only one or two of us even have zanpakutou we can call on, and even that is shaky at best. There's still no contest, Iwai. We're not Senior material yet."
"I don't begrudge it them." Iwai shook his head. "And I know what you mean. But in a fight of straight sticks or asauchi…I had hoped I might take on Shiba or Shikibu at the least this year. Being beaten by girls is kinda embarrassing, and I still owe Shiba at least some bruises."
"You might take Endou." Kamitani looked amused. "And definitely Edogawa-san, since she hasn't done proper Ouyoudou since the second year. But I wouldn't count out Shiba-san or Shikibu-san if I were you."
"And there are people to challenge all the same." Kira pointed out. "Last year's Fifth years aren't going to be weaklings either – you will have to work hard to disarm them first, Iwai-kun."
"I'm not really bothered by any of them." Iwai snorted, twirling the bokutou defiantly. "Everyone knows that the Fifth years last year who were the scariest with a sword were Michihashi and Yamamoto. They're both promoted, so not our problem – although I would like to see the pair of them take on Houjou and Shihouin in a proper all out match. But the rest of them? I'm sure I could take them. No problem."
"I guess we'll find out soon enough." Kamitani reflected. "Since Kamaki's coming over this way. I guess he's wanting to warm up too – you should ask him for a practice spar, just until Minabe arrives."
"I should, too." Iwai agreed. "Hey, Kamaki! Are you game for a little stick combat before Sensei gets here? It's nice to spar new opponents and I've been looking forward to finally getting back into the gymnasium this year!"
"We've heard that you guys are pretty strong opponents." Kamitani added. "It's a big change for all of us, and we've not had much chance to mix yet, with one thing or another."
"No chance at all." Azusa pursed his lips, then nodded. "All right. Iwai, isn't it?"
"Yes." Iwai agreed, bowing his head slightly in playful acknowledgement. "These are Kira and Kamitani, too. We look forward to working with you – may the best Fifth year win."
"Doesn't it bother you guys at all that it's like this?" As he grabbed a bokutou from the rack, Azusa cast the three a quizzical glance.
"Like what?" Kamitani looked confused, and Azusa snorted.
"That you guys were held back while that bunch were pushed up to lord it over you all as Seniors?"
"Not really." Kamitani shook his head. "We've worked with them for a long time so…well, it kinda makes sense, to be honest."
"Kamitani-kun is right." Kira agreed thoughtfully. "I mean, not that you people were held back!" He added hurriedly, as a dark glint entered Azusa's eyes. "But that Ukitake-kun and the rest were promoted how they were. Both Ukitake-kun and Kyouraku-kun had their zanpakutou released before the end of Third Year, and Endou-kun was working with his too before we started last year's zanpakutou sword classes."
"Ironic, really, considering Endou is hopeless with a sword." Iwai parried his bokutou lazily, then nodded. "I could take him, absolutely for sure. So long as it was just sticks or katana, and not his zanpakutou."
"Well, I guess you guys haven't been cheated." Azusa reflected bitterly. "You're where you should be. Fifth years. There's no shame in you being held back to progress through normally. But holding back almost a whole class is unheard of. One student here and there, maybe, but a whole class? It's insanity. It's like saying we failed Fifth year – which none of us did. That we're not good enough to compete with kouhai – and now one of them is telling us what to do as though he rules the school."
"That would be Ukitake-kun." Kamitani said wisely, and Azusa snorted.
"I know his name." He muttered. "The District boy – everyone knows his name. Sensei's favourite, so I've heard…but that he'd take it to this extreme is unheard of. All this kind of thing does is go to the brat's head – the way he spoke to me on first day, you'd think I was a first year and he'd been in the Senior Class for generations."
"Kira's District, too." Iwai said mildly, and Azusa peered at the pale boy, before shrugging his shoulders.
"I'm Shiba. I don't have a problem with District kids, if they can do the same as the rest of us." He said simply. "It's that one personally I have a problem with – talking down to me as though he's my senpai. No matter what classes we're in – that'll never be the case. If that's the attitude he has for the rest of the year…a lot of people's noses are gonna be out of joint."
"I think you probably got him on a bad day, then." Iwai reflected. "Ukitake's quite level-headed, really. I mean, for someone with the reiatsu he has, he doesn't shout about it a lot. He's pretty damn strong, Kamaki – even for a skinny District guy. No offence, Kira…but you know what I mean."
"Ukitake-kun is strong." Kira agreed thoughtfully. "It's all right, Iwai-kun. I know what you mean and I'm not offended."
"Well, all I can say is that promotion obviously doesn't agree with him." Azusa brought his bokutou through the air in a vicious swipe as if to emphasise his point. "Because he snapped at me and yelled at everyone as though he was suddenly Sensei himself. That ain't going down well with me – Anideshi or otherwise. He'll have to learn, like everyone else. There's an order to things and you respect it, else you find life hard."
Kamitani and Kira exchanged glances, and Kira saw Kamitani's clever pale eyes flit to Azusa, as if assessing the tension in the other boy's aura. Then he smiled, reaching out to tap his fair-haired classmate on the arm.
"If Minabe turns up now, we really will be in trouble for standing around. Kira, you and I should go over here and practice. We'll get in Iwai and Kamaki's way if we stay here, and we can't spar as four."
"All right." Kira sent Azusa a worried look, but nodded his head, obediently separating himself from where Iwai and Azusa were standing. Kamitani led the way across the gym, and once they were out of earshot, he shot Kira a grimace.
"I didn't really want to get any more involved in that." He admitted. "And I didn't think you did too. I like Ukitake – and I know you do too. And we know the kind of person he is, so Kamaki probably just got him on a bad day, like Iwai said. But I'm not looking to fight with our new classmates. It makes for bad feeling and I don't want that."
"No, I agree with you." Kira said fervently. "Besides, Ukitake-kun is a good choice as Anideshi. Everyone in District Six was very excited about it too, you know. His mother told mine and they were talking about it for ages."
"What has it to do with your family?" Kamitani looked surprised, and Kira grinned.
"A lot, as it happens." He said lightly. "Since my younger sister Hikari is betrothed to his brother Hiroyuki. So from this autumn we'll be family. They could marry now, since both are old enough. Only they don't want to formalise it until Hiroyuki-kun turns twenty officially, because since Ukitake-kun is becoming a shinigami now, Hiroyuki-kun is taking over his father's estate properly when that happens. And Hikari will be…part of that too. So we'll all be family, in fact."
"And by association, Ukitake will be sort of your brother in law." Kamitani observed. Kira nodded.
"Sort of. Yes."
He grinned.
"It isn't quite Clan grandiosity, but everyone is happy about it regardless. Hikari-chan and Hiroyuki-kun have always been close, and this is just…what is going on over there now?"
As a sudden crash of wood echoed through the gymnasium, making both boys jump.
"Looks like that bout didn't last very long." Kamitani observed, as they saw a rueful Iwai bend to pick up his bokutou, dusting it down and giving his opponent a grudging nod of approval. "For all his words, I guess Kamaki isn't a pushover in the combat department either."
"No. I guess not." Kira pursed his lips. "Or our talking made him angry. You don't think he will do anything to make life hard for Ukitake-kun, do you?"
"I don't know." Kamitani's eyes became thoughtful. "I'd like to say not, but it's hard to tell. He might just have been spouting off...and that'll be the end of it. Let's hope so, huh?"
"Yes." Kira agreed. "I just want a quiet year, really – and to work hard on rounding up my grades so that next year I'm not left behind when you all become Seniors. So I…I think that if we can distract Kamaki, and…you know…involve him in what our Class are doing…"
"That makes sense." Kamitani nodded. "If we can. They and we are still quite separate at the moment, but Kamaki wasn't unpleasant towards us just now. And he isn't prejudiced against District kids, either, which means you, Atsudane and Nakamura-san shouldn't have any trouble with him. I think he's the leader of those who were left down – so like you, I'd like to be as cooperative as we can with him."
He sighed.
"Of course, there's no accounting for Nakamura-san in general." He reflected absently, and Kira nodded, his gaze flitting to where Nakamura Hanako, the only District girl in their year and an outspoken young lady at the best of times was choosing between two bokutou for weight and size.
"True." He admitted. "Maybe…we should warn…someone about that?"
"Erm…only if you want Nakamura-san to hunt you down." Kamitani shook his head emphatically. "Your funeral not mine, Kira. Stay out of it. The only one who can pacify Nakamura-san's tempests is Kyouraku and he's no longer on hand to smooth things over. I still don't know what on earth he did to her to make her so docile around him – but whatever it was, I wish he'd left notes."
"That sounds like something Atsudane-kun would say." Kira observed, faint amusement in his blue eyes, and Kamitani nodded.
"He did. More than once." He agreed sheepishly. "But he's right, so I'll say it too."
"Are you going to pick a weapon or are you going to stand there stopping everyone else getting to the rack?" A voice cut through the gymnasium, and Kira winced instinctively as he saw a broad, brawny individual square up to Hanako, glaring at her as he reached out to grab one of the bokutou with his meaty fist. "There isn't time for a princess to pick her tools – if you can't tell one from t'other by looking at it, there's not much point you being here."
"Whoops." Kamitani murmured, and Kira nodded in agreement as Hanako swung around, fixing the brute with a hard, indignant glare.
"I'm sorry, I don't know who you are." She said coldly, reaching out to grab the bokutou back and pulling it roughly from his hands, dropping it pointedly back down into the rack. "But if you can't wait for a girl to finish before coming in like an ape and wrestling for a stick, maybe you ought to go down to fourth year, rather than be kept back in Fifth."
"You shut your face, you little…" Anger coursed across the male student's broad face, but before he could react, Hanako had brought her hand clean across his cheek, a resounding slap echoing through the gymnasium and causing silence to fall across the whole chamber.
"Where I come from, men are raised to give respect to women." She said acidly. "And people are taught to wait their turn. I wonder what things they teach Clansfolk sometimes, when they can't even observe simple manners."
And with that she pushed him aside, stalking resolutely across the gymnasium with her preferred bokutou in hand.
"What the…hell was that?" The boy stood there, staring after her in disbelief, and despite himself, Kira sighed.
"I think it's going to be a long year, Kamitani-kun." He said plaintively. "And it's only just begun."
"And I hear footsteps." Kamitani said frankly, shifting his feet into a proper striking stance as he readied his grasp on his weapon. "I think Minabe-sensei's on her way, so let's at least pretend we're practicing."
"Got it." Kira obediently followed suit, and their bokutou had touched ends a few times as the gymnasium door was flung open and the school's Ouyoudou mistress strode in, a frustrated look on her face as she glared around at her waiting students. Seeing that most of them were occupied with bokutou, however, she sighed, seemingly somewhat mollified that they had not been wasting their time.
"Wretched first years fighting in the halls." She muttered, more than half under her breath as she thumped her way across the room, but Kira's sharp ears picked up her words and he inwardly decided not to do anything that class to antagonise the monstrous woman any more than his meagre skills usually did. "Well? Kobayashi, why are you standing staring at the bokutou as if they might eat you? Everyone else has a stick and is warming up – surely by now you don't need me to tell you protocol!"
"No, Sensei." The brute of a boy whose name Kira now knew was Kobayashi suddenly seemed to become meek as a mouse, grasping a stick from the rack and hurrying to join Azusa and a couple of the others. As he reached them, Kira saw his gaze meet Azusa's, and he bit his lip, again wishing that Hanako had some restraint over her tongue.
But it's done. It's done now and they'll soon realise she's like that with most people.
He glanced down at his bokutou pensively.
What Kamitani-kun and I were talking about is a bigger problem. I really hope Kamaki-kun and his friends aren't going to be out to make trouble for the Seniors this year. But I'm a little afraid they are. And that they might try to get us involved in it…
He sighed heavily, and Kamitani shot him a curious glance.
"Kira? What's up?"
"Nothing." Kira shook his head. "I'm just remembering how many bruises I normally pick up in this class. That's all."
"Time to get a few more, then." Kamitani offered him a grin. "But they say no pain no gain, right? So chin up and let's go."
Author's Note: OCs
Especially when writing lately, I realised this - there are a lot of Kuchiki moments in this story. And even though all of it is devised as the history leading up to Byakuya's Clan - none of those Kuchiki are canon characters.
The biggest trouble with Meifu from the start has been that there are only what...four characters who are absolute central canon who can be involved? Juu, Shun, Retsu & Yama-jii. There are other canon characters who have cameos and others again whose ancestors do. But the vast majority of the story has to be structured around the actions of OCs. It worries me a little at times that folk might get put off by that, though it hasn't happened yet.
Juu and Shun do have significant roles to play in this story, but panning them out takes a little more time I suppose. Hopefully folk will bear with me on this xD. *bribes with cookies*
On another note, I'm really happy lately to have seen the love for Enishi in the reviews =D And...I hope people appreciate the double meaning of this chapter's title!