Chapter 3 – Shinigami Training, Pt 1
Later that day, after everyone not on the soccer team filled in the bleachers, Jack, Sally and I made our way to the locker rooms. Upon our arrival, I noticed Shiro and Renji in the school side stands at the very top. Renji was looking for me in a rather desperate manner before I waved up at him. He waved and grinned like an idiot. Being that PhysEd was the last class of the day for us seniors, we just stayed in our work out uniforms. The only thing we had to change about them was the bottoms. Sally, me and the other girls ducked under the metal bleachers to change our shorts.
"…and introducing the hometown wonders of Academic Options High School, the AOHS Tigers," the announcer called over the loudspeakers.
Just as the boys were coming out of the locker room, we joined them from under the bleachers. I high-fived Jack as Sally and I caught up to him. He smiled and returned the gesture. When we were in our designated area in front of the school side bleachers, I looked over my shoulder to see Renji looking for me again. I whistled and waved before I managed to catch his attention. He waved back with the world's goofiest grin on his face.
"Please put your hands together for the soccer extraordinaires from Karakura Town, Tokyo, Japan, the Karakura Turtles!"
When I saw then opposing team, I noticed that they were a bunch of elementary school aged girls. One of them had straight black hair and looked to be bored half out of her mind. There were no more than thirty people in the Japanese stands, but only three…no make that five…people stood out to me. Two were in black like Shiro's spirit form: one had dark hair pulled back in a covered bun and the other had a mane of reddish blonde waves. One of the two male figures had bright orange hair while the other had to be in his late forties with a salt and pepper half beard. The last figure was smaller than the rest and had hair that had to be a shade darker than the orange haired boy next to her. The latter two were cheering like no tomorrow for the team opposite us.
"Can you believe these people? They act like kids in a candy store."
Jack snorted, Sally actually sniggered and I snuck another glance over my shoulder to see Renji staring at me and practically drooling. Shiro nudged him in the ribs and he managed to pull himself together enough to enjoy the game. I looked back at Boredom (a/n: that would be Karin) and glared daggers at her for a good ten seconds.
Let's do this, chick, I thought at her.
It was a good two hours later and the score was tied at two a piece. I dribbled the ball a little before kicking it to Jack. He kicked it around a few of the smaller girls, including Boredom, before passing it to Sally. She in turn kicked it past the goalie's head for the game winning goal. A loud buzzer went off while the entire team hoisted Sally up onto their shoulders. The "Turtles" were slow to keep up with us so I guess the name fit them well enough. Jack and I hugged, shouting and yelling for joy in each other's ears along with the rest of the team.
"Are you three done yet? We've got to get back for dinner."
Shiro and his temper. I glared at him for ruining our moment but the team managed to get back to the locker to make plans for the next two days. I grabbed my sports bag and met the two freaks at the door to the locker room. I waved to Jack and Sally telling them that I would call them later to make plans the next day. I followed Renji and Shiro to the third-story apartment that the three of us were sharing about a block from the school. After closing the door behind me, I dropped my gym bag by the door-jam and made a bee line for the shower. Not surprisingly, Shiro stopped me by the couch.
"We need to talk about something very important," he stated. "Sit down. You can take a shower when we're done in here. Care to join us, Abarai?"
The red-head walked in from the kitchen, a chunk of cheese in his hand. Shiro sat cross-legged on the floor while Renji plopped down on the couch next to me. I gave Shiro a look that told him to make it quick. He took a deep breath and let it out through his nose. He pinched the bridge of his nose as if in annoyance of my glares and looks.
"First and foremost, we are Shinigami, or Soul Reapers. We protect the living from beings called Hollows and Vizards. General Yamamoto and Captain Komamura did some rather extensive research about you and your family before sending us here to find you. Your mother was a Shinigami, like us, only on a much more powerful level before she was killed by a former subordinate turned Vizard. She was the General of the North American bound Soul Reapers. By protecting you from that same Vizard, she handed both her position and her power to you. In order for you to come completely into that inheritance, you will need to be trained by either one of us or both at all times. When we think that you are capable of holding your own, we will send you to General Yamamoto for your officer training. Do you understand, Hatake-kun?"
"I think I do," I answered. "So basically, Mom was a Soul Reaper before she was killed, protecting me. After she was killed by that Vizard, her position of general and her power were passed on to me. But in order for me to get that status and that power I have to go into some kind of special training under either you and, or Red. After that, I will be trained by this General Yamamoto person. Does that sound about right, Hitsugaya?"
He was looking at me with a shocked look in his eyes. Renji on the other hand looked about ready to fall off the couch from both boredom AND exhaustion. I poked him in the ribs before returning my attention to the short ice cold freak sitting before me. He had managed to somehow regain his icy composure before snorting at my short-handed paraphrased version of what he had just told me. I smiled at him. What can I say? I'm a quick learner.
"Never ceases to amaze me," he muttered. "Alright, Abarai. This is where you come in with all the Kido stuff. I'll have to get Yoruichi-san over here to go more in depth about it all."
"I'm no good with stuff like that, Taichou," Renji retorted. "I'm exhausted. Wake me up when you get a hold of her. I'll be in the bath tub. Tell Kiskue that I need more Soul Candy while you're at it."
"Before you get comfortable, Red, I need to take a shower more than anything."
Renji stopped in his tracks. I stood and pushed past him to get my pajamas and some clean underwear. I went into the bathroom and shut door, locking it in the process. I turned the water on and stripped out of my sweaty grass stained soccer uniform before stepping under the hot water.
Man, this feels good, I thought to myself. Why couldn't Shiro have waited until I was done with this before telling me all that stuff about Mom? I want my old life from before Mom died three years back. Dear God, what have I done to deserve this?
"Think fast!"
I immediately dropped to my hands and knees as I felt a draft run across the exposed flesh along my spine. I turned my head to the left slightly to see a sword of some kind buried in the wall. I reached around the curtain to grab my towel off the toilet to wrap it around my 5'9", hundred and thirty-seven pound frame.
"I could get used to this," I heard from the doorway. "You might want to get the locks changed in this place before stuff like this happens everyday, girlie."
I looked up to see the orange-haired boy from the soccer game. The way he was dressed told me that he was like Shiro and Renji. He was a Soul Reaper. I glared long and hard at him before turning the water off.
"Shiro! Red! There's a perverted freak in my bathroom! Get him out before I start kicking some major ass in here!"
"Trust me to piss off the girl that's staying with Hitsugaya and Abarai. Karin is going to kill me when I get back to the hotel."
Shiro and Renji barged in without so much as a knock. (a/n: then again they didn't need to, right?) Renji started laughing before grabbing Orange in a headlock and giving him what Mom always called Noogies with his free hand. I faintly heard something along the lines of itchy go.
"Let go, Renji," Orange said. "I promise to never walk in on a girl in the shower again. I swear! Now GET OFF, DAMMIT!"
Somehow, Orange managed to wiggle out of Renji's grip but not before he was tackled in the hallway by Shiro. Renji smiled and closed the door behind himself. Finally I was left to my own thoughts. I dried my shoulder length light brown hair and wrapped it up in my towel. I grabbed another towel from under the sink to dry off my still damp skin. After that I pulled on my pajamas and brushed my teeth. When I spit out the frothy part of the toothpaste, I straightened up to see that Orange's HUMAN body was standing there like nobody's business. I turned. I used my momentum to swing a hard sucker punch at his right cheek. I had a twitch working on the corner of my left eye and my hand was starting to hurt.
"GET OUT, YOU PERVERT!"
The door was opened for a second time that night. Shiro grabbed him by his collar and dragged him out into the living room. I gathered up my dirty uniform and crossed the hall to my bedroom. I dropped the bundle under my left arm into the laundry basket before taking the towel around my hair off and putting it in the same place. I grabbed a brush off my dresser and began yanking it through the tangled mess that was my hair. When that was done, I stretched my sore muscles and made my way to the living room. Upon my arrival, I saw a brown and yellow something coming AT MY FACE. I ducked and the object landed in the hallway with a muffled "oomph." Shiro's two forms were trying to keep Orange and Renji from getting at each other's throats. The thing that was aimed at my head brushed past my legs and began running around calling something out over and over again. It sounded like rue key ah.
"Hey, guys! If you two colored freaks are fighting over me, then forget it. I'm taken. Get over yourselves and let's get this done and over with. I'm worn out after that game against that Japanese team."
"Meet Ichigo Kurosaki, Hatake-kun. He is a little higher up than you, but he still has a lot to learn. If it takes you less than three days to reach Bankai, then you can split your time between us and General Yamamoto. Understood?"