Chapter 4
Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Shunpo, and Kidou are the four types of combat for shinigami.They are sword combat, hand-to-hand combat, flash step and spell technique. One must master all these techniques to become a shinigami and specialize in at least one category. When I entered the Shinigami Academy, I was given a new uniform, a training katana and was assigned to Class 1 for the "immense" power I had during the test. I thought it was somewhat a fluke; I found out that I was one of the weakest in Class 1 anyways. I found out that I was good with handling kidou, but I was below average with everyone in everything else.
"Our Spirit Technique institute is an academic institution with a long tradition in creating future secret Mobile Corps and Gotei 13 squad members. Welcome, new students to Class 1. You were all placed here because you all did exemplary in your exams. We expect all of you to pass the graduation exam, six years from now and become shinigami. This is zanjutsu training class. You were all given a training stick when you entered the classroom. These swords are not to use for playing, but used for training."
I looked at the stick. It was really plain; it just had a, hilt and a long "blade" which was the regular pole.
"Our first exercise," he continued, "is learning how to strike a opponent. Get into pairs and use your training equipment."
I paired up with a girl and obtained a regular wooden pole. We weren't allowed to use swords because we were still beginners at it. I got in a fighting stance and focused on the pole of my opponent. Her grip was hard and tense in contrast to my weak hold on my "sword".
"Here I come," she said. I held up my stick as she lunged for me and I tried to block the messy swings she used. I admitted, my reaction wasn't the best and I fell down when she put all her might on one blow.
"Ahhhh!" We both fell down at once. I did because of the strike she gave me and my partner fell because she put all her weight on it. She collapsed on my stomach and rubbed her head. We stared at each other and laughed it off a few seconds later.
"Here."
"Thanks." I reached for her hand and got up.
"Sorry, it's my fault for not controlling my attack," she smiled.
"If I was able to block them right, we wouldn't have fallen anyways. By the way, name's Hisana."
"Hisana? What a pretty name," she reached out for a handshake. "Chan Rena. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
I looked at her gesture. It was strange. This was the first time I shook anyone's hand. Back in Rukongai, we would just make friends with the words in our mouths. I slowly reached for it and gripped it delicately. Her grasp overcame mine and she took our bond with her other hand.
"Your hand is rough. A Rukongai girl are you?"
"Um, yes."
I took a good look at her. Her dark raven hair was up to her shoulders and she had dark brown eyes. Her pale cheeks were lightly flushed with pink and her lips were bright red. She deeply reminded me of Sachiko; not because of her looks, but because of her smile.
"We should be going to next class. I have a friend waiting for me there," she told me.
"Alright."
I watched her back as she walked. Her walk was casual, but she had an air of dignity too, unlike me. I held my arms into my heart like I was folding myself into a cowardly position. People were watching us as she passed. Some stared dumbly and others gave us quick glances in small intervals. She didn't seem to mind.
"Rena, where are you from?"
"Eh? Oh I'm not from Rukongai like you. I'm...Oh good morning sensei!" She looked back at me. "I'm from Seireitei, Hisana. Noble blood."
From that moment, I looked at her from far away. Nobles were among the highest in Soul Society. They had higher spiritual power and were gifted from day one. They were born here and not from the material world. She walked to the back of one of three lines in the room. This was kidou training.
"Group 1, step forward! ...Group 2! Group 3!"
I stepped forward and looked at the small target across the room.
"Ye Lord, mask of blood and flesh! All creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man, inferno and pandemonium! The sea barrier surges, march on to the south. Way of Destruction number 31, Red Flame Cannon!"
A red ball of light came from my hand and I fired it at the target. It soared through the air and shot off half of the white board. I gasped.
"Great job, Hisana!" A random student shouted from the lines.
I jumped in joy from my excitement, but then heard a sound like a mini explosion. Red light blasted from behind me. A white target board next to mine shattered into small pieces from an immense spell. I looked at the one wielding the power. It was a tall student with hair as dark as Rena's. He wore a strange headpiece and a white cloak. He didn't even seem to be amused by his own skill. He walked back to the end of the line and started reading a book. I glanced back at the board. It was completely gone and steam still rose up from the pole that supported the target.
"Well done Byakuya-sama! I couldn't even reach that target!"
The girl, Rena was talking to him and nudged his shoulder. I wanted to approach him as well to congratulate him, but something inside told me not to go near him. His strong reiatsu held me back and I couldn't see how she could approach him with his fierce spirit energy. He didn't seem to mind her presence and acknowledged her with a nod and a barely noticeable grin.
"Hisana, please step to the back of the line."
"Oh, oh I'm so sorry sensei."
His name was Kuchiki Byakuya, I found out later by another student.
"Did you see that? From when he was a child, everyone thought he would be a great shinigami one day. He got the highest score on the entrance exams and he was given a small assignment from Gotei 13 on his first day! People say he might be the strongest head of the noble Kuchiki clan ever!"
Kuchiki Byakuya. I didn't want to go near him. His eyes were always tense and they showed no emotion. No one dared to talk to him, except for that Rena girl. I admit she was weird, but I guess she had a right to talk to him since they were both nobles, but I felt envious. I wasn't as free spirited as she was, and for that, I was often in my own little world, looking at the unreachable void in front of me.
"Hi-sa-na." I turned to see Rena. She put her hand on my shoulder and gave me a wide grin. "I thought that when I shook your hand, we could be friends. Why do you pretend you don't see me when we are at lunch? You say you have things to tend to, but you use that excuse all of the time."
"Rena..."
"It's lunchtime, and I finally got a hold of you. Byakuya-sama and I are eating under the sakura tree, so why don't you come along?"
"Wait, Kuchiki..."
There he was standing a few feet from us. He didn't say anything as he crossed his arms and looked out the window.
"I'm sorry, I can't right now."
"Hey, hey don't say that. Come!"
She grabbed my arm and we started walking. Kuchiki-dono walked ahead of us. Even though I assumed he was Rena's friend, yet he seemed distant from her and everyone else. It was strange.
"Listen Hisana," she began. "Just because I'm a noble doesn't mean I think you're of less value than me. I'm just as bad as a fighter as you are. So don't think that you should distance yourself from me. We're the same, right?"
"Yes, Rena-san."
"Everyone calls me Chan-chan. Do you know why? Because really, I don't act like a noble is supposed to. I think I should just be myself, even if it is not expected. Hisana, I feel that you want to have a good experience here. You want to make friends and want to talk to people don't you? You should think of what you want, and not what everyone wants."
What I want. In Rukongai, I wanted to selfishly live, even if it meant abandoning Rukia. I wanted to be a shinigami, even if it meant deserting the kids that were stuck in Inuzuri. I looked down. She opened her mouth to say something, but she hesitated.
"Rena," Byakuya called. It was the first time I heard his voice. It was deep and made me shiver inside.
"Oh, we're here," Rena sat down on the grass and started eating her sushi with her bare hands. She was strange. Kuchiki placed a mat on the grass before eating. I felt like I was rude to stand so I sat down next to Rena.
"Oh yea, we're killing dummy hollows next month Byakuya-sama. Hisana, do you want to go as a group with us?"
"I don't think you would want me on your team."
"Is that so? Hey, with Byakuya-sama on our team, he'll kill everything before we get the chance to get hit."
I chuckled. She got up and gave her lunch to me.
"I have to get something. Be right back."
She ran back into the school, leaving me with Byakuya-sama. I didn't know what to say so I continued nibbling on my rice. The wind blew softly and a sakura petal flew by. It landed in my meal, but before I could pick it up, I heard a voice coming from beside me.
"Do you like cherry blossoms?"
"Um yes, actually I like them very much," I answered, bewildered. I never thought that he would actually start a conversation between us.
"I see," he replied. "Rena likes plum blossoms more."
I didn't answer back when he looked at me. It was a strange look. I couldn't tell if he was happy, sad, or anything. It was a look of no emotion. He looked back down at his lunch and continued eating like nothing happened. I couldn't say anything else to him. I didn't know why. Usually, I could make friends great by just speaking about what's on my mind, but now, I decided to stay silent. Rena came running back with her kidou notes and squatted right between us.
--
"Wow, Byakuya, I'm impressed by your grades."
"Feh, little Byakuya, you would at least say thank you or something like that. I'll be leaving the academy soon ya' know. Say something while I'm still here!"
"Shihouin." Byakuya gave the older student a strict look. She didn't seem fazed by it and smiled. She was Shihouin Yoruichi, another one of the Noble Families. She had dark purple hair, a dark skin tone and sharp yellow eyes. It was strange how the nobles knew each other so well...
"My, my little Byakuya, you've gotten a lot meaner since the last time we've talked like this. You should learn something from Rena-chan and get sincerity in your thick skull."
"Shihouin Yoruichi, we'll be leaving now."
"Goodbye, Yoruichi!" Rena waved a little as she walked backwards. I bowed a little and ran off.
--
The gates opened up and a light shined at our faces. It has been a couple of months since I first came to the academy, and honestly, I felt that I still didn't fit it. Rena opened her arms to me in an attempt to make friends, but most of the time, I avoided her. I wasn't a noble, and I felt like I didn't deserve to be around the two, even if Rena was at the same level as I was.
"Please stay in your groups and try not to tackle the hollows alone! This training is mostly about teamwork and strategy. Ok, now we disperse!" A six year shouted out to us.
Rena pulled me forward as Byakuya walked in front. It seemed like he walked slower than others, but he was always ahead of us. Our first dummy hollow appeared behind a wall and attacked us. I saw a back cloth fly right past my eye and a second later, the hollow split in two. Byakuya jumped back onto the ground and put his katana back into his sheath.
"W..Wow."
Another hollow appeared from the shadows.
"O Lord, mask of flesh and bone! All creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man, truth and temperance! Upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws! Way of Destruction number 33, Blue Fireball!"
A blue ball of energy shot the hollow's mask from my hands and it fell to the ground moaning. Rena slammed her sword between its teeth and it diminished in front of my eyes. She gave me a wide smile and I returned it. Blasting, slashing, blasting, we were destroying a lot of them. Byakuya killed them in one hit while it took us more time. He was always ahead of us, running with sword in hand. We tagged behind, laughing along the way until I saw a small hollow behind a building.
"Rena, do you see that?"
"Oh, a small hollow. Hisana, you can get that one. I have to tell Byakuya-sama that he's going too fast for his own good."
"Alright."
The hollow started to run away. As much as I wanted to kill it, it was quite cute for a hollow. It bounced like a rabbit and its mask was small and round like a small child's face. I laughed at its small cute bird sounds. When it reached a dead end I giggled a little more. Those people would actually make a dummy so small. I swung down my sword and sliced it in half. Now I felt guilty for the little thing. Before I could think of anything more, I heard a blood-curdling scream.
"What?"
People were running away from the direction that Rena went. I went out of the dead end to see a huge black figure in the distance. It was amazing. It towered over everything and wore the hugest mask I've ever seen. It was attacking the buildings and even from the distance i was at, I could see the blood between its teeth. There was pandemonium everywhere and people were crying. I saw an older student with his arm all bloodied. The giant hollow gave out an immense roar.
"What is that?"
A student bumped into me screaming something that I thought sounded like: Menos. I realized that Rena and Byakuya-sama might be in trouble. I wanted to run back for them, but a six year told us to run. I glanced back and forth. What should I do? I decided that I should try and get them out of there. I was probably just too stupid to run for my safety, but I thought, running wasn't the way. I ran from my problems all of my life and I didn't want to continue.
"Rena-chan! Byakuya-sama! Where are you?"
Men and women in white coats scattered the area. They were the captains of the Gotei 13, replying the cry for help sent to the Court of Pure Souls. Off in the distance, I saw bodies on the floor. All of them were bleeding profusely and one of them; I saw had the kenseikan headpiece: the one that Byakuya wore. One of them was on the floor, smashed into pieces.
"Byakuya-sama, Rena!"
She was motionless on the ground, bleeding from a wound on her torso and there was blood coming out from her head and mouth. Byakuya wasn't as badly hurt, but that wasn't much of a difference. He was knocked unconscious with his sword on the floor beside him.
"Someone, please help them!" I screamed.
I held their heads in my arms and cried loudly. I saw a flashback. Sachiko and Kiyoshi came back into my mind. They fell, bloody like this and I was the only one not hurt. Don't die, I screamed in my mind. Don't leave me here. A captain and her vice-captain swooped down and used a healing technique with their hands. My hands shook from my fear so I couldn't even try to help. The captain glanced at me and whispered.
"They are going to be alright. Leave it to us."
The vice captain put Rena on her shoulder and the captain did the same with Byakuya-sama. A shinigami took me by the hand and jumped, carrying me. I looked back to see white coats jump across the sky. Blood came out of the hollow as it screamed like a monster. Those screams terrified me so much.
"Please..."