A few months, and they are ready for their first mission! Well, sort of. It's a mock mission, but Izuru won't let that stop him from treating it like a real mission. Go to the human world, perform konso, kill the dummy hollows, and come back. It's as simple as that, really. It'll give them the experience they need to be proper shinigami after they graduate, after all.
As he stands and waits for the instructions, he finds himself standing near Abarai. They've grown closer over these past few months, which he finds himself glad for. With his smaller frame and shy demeanor, he's well aware that he makes for a prime target for bullies. By hanging near Abarai, the Bad Boy of the Advanced Class, that helps to provide some protection. Plus, Abarai is funny, good-looking (although Izuru will never admit that!), and overall makes for pleasant company despite his rough exterior.
But that is neither here nor there, and he can't help but be appalled when Abarai doesn't know who Hisagi-senpai is. After all, Hisagi-senpai is only the talk of the entire Academy. He says as much to his no-longer-best-friend.
"Hisagi-senpai is one of the top students right now. Word has it that he's already gotten himself a place within the Gotei 13. He's probably going to be a seated officer before the century's over, I think," he explains, before his expression shifts. He leans closer still, inwardly cursing Abarai's tallness when it's hard to reach, before tugging on his friend's hair to get him better within reach so that he can whisper his next words.
"The rumors say that it took him three tries to get into the Academy, you know. Since I'm at the top of our class, and I got in on my first try with some of the best grades, I suppose that means that I have more potential than him, don't you think?" Izuru isn't normally one to brag, but then, he doesn't normally have much to brag about either.
He pouts with betrayal when Abarai gives him a doubtful look of disbelief and a noncommittal hum, before returning his attention to Hisagi-senpai. So what if he may be just a tiny bit of a fanboy? He thinks he should be allowed, after all. It's not like he's stalking him (even if he had thought about it before), or anything like that.
As they are directed to find their group partners, Izuru pulls out the slip of paper from his pocket to identify what he'd need to look for. A quick glance reveals Abarai to be one of his partners, which he's grateful for. There's no one he'd trust more to have his back. But then the third…
"I think we're together!" He hears, and turns around to see Hinamori approaching. He hears Abarai greet her, before kicking his back. This causes him to stammer out a reply.
"A-A-Ah… L-L-Let's work well together, then," he mumbles nervously. He gets kicked again by Abarai as a result.
They step through the senkaimon, and Izuru can't help but look around curiously. He'd never been to the Human World before, and so he's very impressed by what he sees. Well, mostly impressed. It smells odd, and he isn't sure he likes how they design their buildings. Not to mention the lack of trees… Really, how could humans enjoy themselves like this?
The konso exercises go exactly as he'd imagined they would; boring and with very little effort. Abarai complains about the boredom, and Hinamori scolds him for it. Izuru meanwhile grips the hilt of his asauchi nervously, looking around. Next are the mock hollows, and those he suspects will give them much more trouble than a mere konso.
His fears are unfounded, he later realizes, as they kill their assigned mock hollow with very little trouble. Ignoring Abarai's boasting that he could have done it all by himself, Izuru busies himself with making sure that their little group had gotten through unscathed, before leading the way back to the meeting place. They are almost there, when they hear a blood curdling scream.
Izuru freezes, as does Hinamori and Abarai, and they all watch in horror as a large hollow, a real one, appears and kills two of the senpai. Their classmates all around them turn and start to flee, following the orders given by the only one left, Hisagi-senpai. Izuru and Abarai both turn to follow, only for Izuru to realize with a sinking feeling that Hinamori had not followed.
He turns his head and realizes that she's running towards the hollow and their senpai, who is essentially disabled if all that blood is anything to go by. With a low curse, Izuru calls it to Abarai's attention and they both turn to dart back to help. Just in time, too, they block the claws of the hollow right before it was able to kill their senpai.
"Our apologies for disobeying orders," Izuru grunts out as he pushes up against the hollow to try to give Hinamori more room. "But it looked like you needed some help, senpai!" There. She has enough room now, and Hinamori casts a Shakkaho. The hollow rears back with a loud cry before dying, and all four students breath out a sigh of relief.
Izuru sees Hisagi-senpai open his mouth, likely to scold them for disobeying orders, only for his expression to become horrified. Izuru soon realizes why, as more huge hollows appear, one after another. They all band closer together, pressing backs against each other and pointing asauchi outwards in preparation to defend themselves. But Izuru knows that it won't do any good. They had barely won against that last hollow, let alone this many.
"N-No… N-No…" Izuru finds himself mumbling as he begins to tremble, without even realizing it. He starts sinking down, before his legs give out completely and he falls to his knees on the ground. "I don't want to die!"
Just as he screams out that last sentence, he watches in a mixture of awe and terror as a white streak shoots through the air and cuts through one of the hollows' masks effortlessly. He turns his head and sees, his eyes still wide with terror and a few tears leaking out, that they have been saved.
"Y-You're," he hears Hisgai-senpai saying in just as much shock, "Captain Aizen and Lieutenant Ichimaru of the Fifth Division!"
Izuru watches as Captain Aizen pats his hand over Hinamori's head with a soft expression.
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, but you're alright now. It must have been frightening, right? There's no need to worry anymore, we're here now," the Captain murmurs, before returning his attention to the hollows. But it isn't the Captain who holds Izuru's attention; it's the Lieutenant.
He sees Lieutenant Ichimaru open his eyes just a sliver, revealing irises that are a startling, icy yet crystalline blue that takes his breath away.
"My, my. There certainly are a lot o' ya, ain' there?" The Lieutenant asks, although it's clearly a rhetorical question. "Impale them, Shinso."
Izuru watches the beauty and grace of the Lieutenant slaying the remaining hollows. Well, all but one. That one is killed by Captain Aizen, using a mere burst of spiritual pressure. It's impressive enough, but… His eyes remain glued on Lieutenant Ichimaru.
After making sure that there aren't any more baddies to get rid of, and even giving Izuru a playful pat on the head, Lieutenant Ichimaru returns his zanpakuto to its sheath and turns to follow his Captain back to the Seireitei. Izuru watches him the entire time, starstruck. He's pulled out of his daze when he hears Abarai tell Hinamori that it wasn't that impressive. Scowling just the slightest bit, he disagrees.
"No, it was impressive," he defends, glaring. His expression then softens, becoming less angry and more determined, as he looks back over the carcasses of the hollows, already turning into reishi and fading away. "I'm going to be like that, some day," he then decides. He absently hears an agreement from Hinamori, and a grunt that might be an agreement from Abarai as well.
Yes, they're going to get strong, and they are going to go far. He knows that, instinctively, somewhere deep down inside. So what if he's small, scrawny, and weak right now? There's no way that can last forever. For a moment, he thinks he hears the rattle of chains, but looking around reveals nothing. Shrugging it off, he scrambles after Abarai and Hinamori as they follow Hisagi-senpai through the senkaimon.