Author's Note: Oh wow, arigatou for the reviews and/or favorites and/or alerts! I really appreciate them!
A little note…you may have noticed that I don't use much vocabulary and descriptions. That's because I'm gonna keep things simple, therefore rating is thus, but I'm considering about changing it to T because of language and minor violence. XD
Disclaimer: Read previous chapter.
Just want to clarify things: Blah – normal; "blah" – speech; blah – flashback/dream/Japanese words; "blah" – thinking; blah – sound effect; "blah" – remembering speech from flashback, dream or anyone; blah and "blah" - emphasizing
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Scroll Two – The Shinigami Entrance Exams
As Ukitake had extended the exam date to the following Monday, Ichigo reckoned that he and Ishida had more than enough time to get ready for the big day. The koutei had offered all exam candidates free-of-charge rooms at the Shunpo Hotel, the largest and most luxurious hotel in the whole of the state of Seireitei, not to mention the most expensive. One room for one night could probably cost up to say, a million yen (A/N: Which is I don't know how much in S'pore dollars…). Of course, Ukitake was the one who wanted to pay for their hotel charges, but the hotel manager strongly insisted that he need not pay, for it was to do a good deed for the future heroes of the state. Ichigo was euphoric to get the chance to stay in the most expensive and majestic hotel for free.
When Ichigo opened the door to his hotel room, he could've sworn his eyeballs must've fallen out and popped themselves back in the sockets. The curtain was lined with gold thread, and the window grilles were manufactured with the sturdiest of steel. The king-sized bed consisted of the softest mattress and pillows as well as a blanket made of pure silk. What was more was the television set right in front of the bed with all the channels in the world. He had never seen a television set before. It wasn't because he was too poor to afford one; he didn't even know that in their days, television sets had already been invented. How Tamashii got hold of the stock, he would never know, unless he managed to guess that they imported them from other countries. The room itself was larger than he could imagine and was probably enough to squeeze twelve people inside without being deprived of oxygen.
Long story short, this was definitely the best hotel in the whole of Tamashii!
He couldn't wait till Ishida gets the news and come here; he was itching for another fight with that weird archer. The first time they fought was when they were five; Ichigo swung his stick around carelessly while Ishida would own him with a slingshot. In the end, Ichigo ran over to his mom, crying. The second time was on the first day of elementary school. Ishida still carried his slingshot around with him and Ichigo poked fun at him for not having the guts to start up a fight. Two seconds later, Ichigo ran home with tears streaming down his face and a huge bump on his forehead. The third time was the day before Ishida decided to go to Karakura Capital to take the entrance exam. He and Ichigo had a duel during archery lesson; with Ichigo returning home with bloody cuts all over his face and body, as well as a nosebleed which came with the package, and his continuous muttering of 'bastard'.
Grinning at the memories, even though he was the one who always lost in the end, Ichigo lied down on his bed with his hands on the back of his head. He was certain that he would defeat Ishida this time; a shinigami warrior's weapon-of-choice had always been a sword. Ishida even admitted that he was not good at sword fighting for he would usually either lose his grip on the hilt or worse, not able to swing properly and cut himself. Ichigo nearly laughed at the imaginary sight of minced Ishida – before he grimaced and felt like throwing up.
"Kurosaki-kun," the sharp voice penetrated the silence. Ichigo blinked. That sounded like…
"Ishida?!" Ichigo exclaimed as soon as he turned around. Pointing an accusing finger at the archer, Ichigo shouted, "Teme (bastard)! How'd you get here so fast?!"
Ishida Uryuu fished out his trusty slingshot and hurled a rock – not a pebble, not a stone, but a rock – towards the orange-haired teenager. As Ichigo moaned in pain, Ishida repositioned his spectacles and scoffed, "There's such a thing as transport, baka. I didn't walk here unlike someone who did."
"Oi! You're implying me?!"
Another rock, another moan.
"Who else but you, Kurosaki-kun, would be such a blockhead to walk here?" questioned Ishida, even though he didn't mean it as a question. Muttering a curse under his breath, Ichigo rubbed his head and folded his arms across his chest.
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When morning quickly came on the exciting day of the entrance examinations, Kurosaki Ichigo couldn't help but feel that something was seriously whacked up with the sundial. How could it be Monday so quickly?! It felt like as if it had only been five minutes! It was already time for the exams, at that, and hell, he didn't do anything to prepare himself! He knew he shouldn't have pissed Ishida off so many times over the weekends…
Speaking of Ishida, where the hell was he?
Ichigo leaned against the windowsill and peered through the transparent glass. Below him was the familiar blue-head wearing an informal kimono, repositioning his spectacles and reading a scroll or two. Ichigo smirked and rushed downstairs in his kimono-like pajamas. Nearly bumping into the hotel staff, the orange strawberry came to the small garden where Ishida was and cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting, "Yo, Ishida!" Ishida looked up from his scrolls and turned to face the running Ichigo. Panting a little but still smirking, Ichigo asked, "You all ready for the entrance exam?"
Ishida scoffed, "Hmph. Unlike you, Kurosaki-kun, I came prepared."
Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, smarty-pants. I get the idea." Eyeing the scrolls in Ishida's possession, Ichigo proceeded to shoot him a question, "The shinigami entrance exams won't include written stuff, teme. Why the hell are you studying so damn hard for?"
Displaying his fetish for repositioning his spectacles, Ishida then retorted with another question that Ichigo didn't know how to answer, "And how do you know exactly the exams won't include written exams, Kurosaki-kun?" Ichigo opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out, and he closed it like a goldfish. Ishida smirked at the stumped reaction from Ichigo. "Well then, I'll tell you the exam formats. First off, all candidates will have to report to the Karakura Battle Stadium when the sundial reads ten a.m. and according to alphabetical order, one of the candidates will have to display his specialization." At that, Ishida's smirk grew like as if he had known what Ichigo was thinking.
Looks like catching up to Ishida Uryuu would be milestones away for Kurosaki Ichigo…
"…Define specialization, Ishida," Ichigo requested, hoping that it wasn't what he expected.
"For example, if you were to take the practical exam right now, you'd be using a sword, whereas I would be using a bow and arrows since I excel in that," Ishida emphasized, obviously taking his archery skills into pride.
"…Damn you, Ishida."
Ignoring the curse directed at him, Ishida continued, "After that, they conduct the written examinations to test you on the topics of swordsmanship, defending Tamashii and so on and so forth. Finally, the soutaichou and all the taichous of the Gotei 13 will interview you and since the koutei and the koushi will be witnessing the entrance exams this year, they'll also be present for the interview." Remembering the kind-hearted Ukitake-koutei and the cocky kid of a son, Ichigo felt more confident and less confident at the same time. More confident, because he knew that the koutei would be on his side for he was a Zarakian. Less confident, because the koushi already had a bad impression of him due to his improper conduct. Somehow, Ichigo felt that he was going to fail the interview, with the soutaichou on the koushi's side as well. Ishida continued, "If you pass in all three aspects, the soutaichou will call you back for one last interview and short survey to determine which division of the Gotei 13 you will belong to. That's about all to the entrance exam."
Staring at him wide-eyed, Ichigo's eyebrow twitched. He sighed for his fate that would be doomed soon after…
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"Ukitake-koutei!" Kiyone acknowledged his majesty as she bowed. "Yamamoto-soutaichou sent me here to inform you that the shinigami entrance exams will begin in five minutes' time!"
Ukitake smiled at his servant. "Thank you, Kiyone. Please inform Yamamoto-soutaichou that I will be there when my Toushirou-aisoku is ready."
Her eyes sparkling with elation, mainly because the idiot Sentarou wasn't there to steal the limelight from her, Kiyone bowed once more. "Hai!" she replied as she turned and rushed off.
Ukitake chuckled at his personal servant's enthusiasm. He then stole a glance at his son's bedroom, wondering why his precious baby was taking such a long time. Hitsugaya was usually one who was punctual for nearly everything. Nearly. He hated taking royal baths with his father but that was a different story. Ukitake decided that he should go in and see what Hitsugaya was up to. Just in case. He knocked on the door of his son's room, and called out, "Toushirou? My koushi-aisoku? Are you ready?" When there was no reply, Ukitake then asked, "May I come in?" Taking silence as a yes, the white-haired koutei opened the door.
Now, if you thought Shunpo Hotel was glamorous enough, wait till you see the koushi's room.
The room was about one quarter the size of a football field, which had not been constructed during that point of the ancient times, and the ground was carpeted with the smoothest of tiles and the cleanest of floor mats. Even the pillars supporting the ceiling were made with the best materials that could be found in the whole of Tamashii. Ukitake walked towards the left where Hitsugaya's bed was located. The bed was twice the size of the bed that could be found in Shunpo Hotel's rooms, and a translucent golden net hung from the top of the bed. The mattress was made of the finest of golden silks and so were the pillows and the blanket. Ukitake peered through the translucent net and saw the familiar outline figure of his son…and his hair. He went over and pulled the net back like a curtain, scaring Hitsugaya a little as he jolted back and his head snapped to see who had raised the net. When he saw that it was only his father, he mentally heaved a sigh of relief, and muttered, "…Koutei-otousan."
Noticing the sorrow, even at its slightest, in his son's voice, Ukitake's face fell and he sat next to Hitsugaya. Smiling falsely, he spoke softly, "Come, my koushi-aisoku, don't look so glum. The entrance exams are about to start."
Initially, he figured that mentioning the entrance exams would cheer his son up since it was the first time the koushi would be witnessing such a big event, but to his shock, his son looked even sadder than before and even looked away with a bigger frown. There was a pause before Hitsugaya muttered, "Koutei-otousan…" After that, he let out an upset – and envious?! – sigh and continued, "Why won't you let me take part in the entrance exams too?"
At the question shot by his twelve-year-old son, Ukitake's face fell once more. "…You know the exact reason why."
"But I don't understand," Hitsugaya's voice was full of bitterness. "It's not fair, father. If I have to take your place as koutei in the future, how am I able to make decisions to protect the country when I don't know how to protect it in the first place?"
Ukitake's face was showing utter seriousness as he looked at Hitsugaya directly in the eye. "I don't want you to get hurt."
"I don't care if I get hurt, koutei-otousan. It's to protect the people!" Hitsugaya began to protest.
"I know that, my aisoku, but that's not what I meant," Ukitake grimly replied. "Everyone knows that you hold the power of a koushi and that's why you're in constant danger. There are people out there who want to be ruler of this country, but those who desire power are those who only care about themselves. I won't have any villains running the country, and I won't have any villains taking my only son away from me!"
Hitsugaya was speechless at first, seeing that he realized how precious he was to his father, but he still stood firm in his belief, "…What if I tell you I won't let myself get taken away, koutei-otousan?"
Ukitake sighed, "But you will someday, my koushi-aisoku. That's why I can't take the risk." At that, he paused and muttered something under his breath, and looked back at Hitsugaya in the eye. "We should go now. Let's not keep them waiting." With that, Ukitake smiled and went on ahead.
Hitsugaya stared at the ground, looking as grim as ever before he stood up and followed. Whatever his father said under his breath, he heard it perfectly.
"I don't want you ending up like your mother."
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"The exciting – and worth observing – shinigami entrance exam will now begin!"
Random cheers and woots and fangirl squeals could be heard from the large crowd which consisted of all the residents in Karakura Capital. It was amazing how the stadium could accommodate so many people.
"I am your emcee for the day, Kurotsuchi Mayuri!"
Cricket, cricket
A little desert dust ball rolled by…
The masked shinigami with golden eyes and a blotch of blue hair sticking out from the back of his head deliberately cleared his throat at the unusual silence from the crowd. His white ceramic hand clutched onto the imported microphone as he spoke, "Yes…Well, let us welcome my future test subje-I mean, the future heroes of Tamashii, the exam candidates!" Mayuri announced with false enthusiasm as he flicked his hand towards the gate, the really loooong blue fingernail ruining the moment (A/N: Sorry, I'm doing this for humor's sake XD). The once silent crowd cheered with gusto as the candidates stepped into the stadium according to alphabetical order. Something that disappointed the crowd was the number of candidates taking the exam; the number was getting lesser and lesser with every year.
That certain year only had ten candidates.
It just showed how high the standard even for getting into the exam was, and the standard just kept getting higher and higher. Either that or there were already too many shinigamis in the Gotei 13 so the soutaichou didn't want too many fresh faces.
"Will the test subj-I mean, the candidates stand horizontally so that I am able to examine you more properly? I mean, so that the examiners are able to get this over with before I experiment on you? I mean-"
Damn.
Mayuri kept messing up.
Yamamoto couldn't take it anymore and he stood up from his seat in the panel of judges-cum-examiners, walking towards the freaky clown. "Kurotsuchi-taichou, I'm afraid we'll have to change emcees for the day."
"B-but soutaichou, my test subjects!"
"I will not tolerate any more of your scientific nonsense, Kurotsuchi-taichou. The koutei and koushi will not be pleased with your performance."
As if on cue, a pair of chestnut-eyed shinigami, one with a haori and the other with a strap to her left arm, appeared in front of Yamamoto. The taller male shinigami, who was obviously a taichou, bowed while the shorter female shinigami, who had her hair tied up in a bun, knelt on one knee as a form of respect. "I apologize for being so late, soutaichou," the captain apologized.
"It…it was my fault…" the fukutaichou mumbled as if on the brink of tears. "If I hadn't woken up so late, Aizen-taichou wouldn't be so late…Gomenasai…"
"I am not angry with you, Aizen-taichou and Hinamori-fukutaichou of the 5th Division. In fact, it is a timely arrival," Yamamoto simply spoke as he brushed his braided beard. "Aizen-taichou, would you like to take over Kurotsuchi's job as the emcee for the practical exam?"
At this, Hinamori became elated and she jumped to her feet, tugging at Aizen's haori sleeve. "A…Aizen-taichou! Say yes! Say yes! I know you'll do a great job!"
Smiling warmly at his fukutaichou's quick response, he patted her on the head and said to Yamamoto, "Since Hinamori-kun has so much faith that I'll do a good job, I'm willing to take over Kurotsuchi's job as emcee."
"That is good to hear, Aizen-taichou," Yamamoto replied with satisfaction. "Kurotsuchi-taichou, the microphone, please."
With a hmph, Mayuri handed the microphone (reluctantly) over to Aizen as he stomped away to take over Aizen's job as one of the judges-cum-examiners for the practical exam. Aizen accepted it with a smile as he patted Hinamori on the head again. The euphoric bun girl then rushed to take over her fellow colleague's shift as the shinigami standing guard at the gate. Aizen spoke into the microphone when Yamamoto went back to his seat, "We apologize for the inconvenience. We've had a change in emcees for the day, so I shall begin introducing myself. I am Aizen Sousuke, your new emcee for the day."
SCREAM SQUEAL
"AIZEN!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!" a random fangirl screamed at the top of her voice from the crowd, earning herself an envious glare from Hinamori, but the bun girl looked away as quickly as possible.
Not chuckling into the microphone, Aizen spoke once more, "Before we commence the shinigami entrance exams, we'll have the guest-of-honors taking their entrance first. Please welcome the koutei and koushi of our nation."
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM
SQUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAL
Apparently and very clearly, Ukitake Jyuushirou and his precious son Hitsugaya/Ukitake Toushirou were very popular among the Karakura Capital residents, even more so than Aizen. Everyone agreed that the koutei and koushi were just about every fangirl's dreams; one was born with a heart of gold and with an exceptionally strong will, while the other was cold and aloof but was very very cute. Some of the men who disliked having children immediately longed for children and quickly had a family of at least two children once they laid their eyes on the young prince. This obviously showed that the koushi had a great impact on the citizens.
And sometimes, that was never a good sign…
Hinamori Momo blinked at the koushi as Ukitake and Hitsugaya made their rounds of wishing the candidates the best of luck.
The white tuft of hair was so…familiar…
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"Oi, stop ruffling my hair, Bedwetter!" the young white-haired boy ordered as he pushed her hand away.
"Aww, why not, Shirou-chan?"
"And stop calling me Shirou-chan! It's embarrassing!" he protested, folding his arms with a scoff.
"Why? It suits your fluffy white hair!"
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Those piercing green eyes…
That short little body…
Everything about him seemed so…so…nostalgic…
Wait…he was…!
"Shirou-chan?! What's he doing here?!" Hinamori thought to herself in a panic. "No, wait…He's the koushi?! Why didn't he tell me? And why is it that everyone knows except for me?"
As Hinamori was trying to figure it out, Ukitake and Hitsugaya were about to come to the end of the line of candidates when the next one in line was none other than Kurosaki Ichigo himself. Ishida was to be tested before Ichigo, since it was according to alphabetical order of their family names, and when Ukitake wished him the best of luck, Ishida just knew that he was going to surpass Ichigo. He had always been surpassing his orange-haired classmate since toddler age, after all; why would this be any different? (A/N: If I'm making Ishida a little OOC with his 'proud as a peacock' attitude, I'm sorry because to me, he's pretty competitive with Ichigo and sometimes he gets a little proud…You know?)
And Ishida became even more certain when Ichigo suddenly went all informal with the royalties. "Yoz!" Ichigo greeted, raising his palm in Hitsugaya's direction. "You're the little shorty, Toushirou!"
GASP!
All went eerily silent in the stadium.
Ichigo's booming voice sure was loud enough for the entire crowd to hear his…rudely informal greeting. He was talking to the koushi, for goodness sake! He didn't seem to treat him with any respect at all! The only thing that broke the silence was the sound of Ukitake stifling his laughter. "Come to think of it…My little Toushirou was born small…" Ukitake jokingly thought to himself, remembering the time when Hitsugaya was born.
How embarrassing…
Hitsugaya, on the other hand, the strict koushi was not going to let Ichigo get away with it. He let the 'short' comment slide him, just this once, but it wasn't the first time the orange-haired buffoon displayed rudeness. Damn, someone should just squeeze the discipline into this candidate's brain if he had one in the first place! A vein throbbing on his head, Hitsugaya corrected, "It's Hitsugaya-koushi!"
Grinning widely, Ichigo patted Hitsugaya on the head and ruffled his hair, which earned him some more gasps and stifled laughter from the koutei. Yamamoto and the various taichous were too shocked to say anything. "Don't be such a party pooper, Toushirou!"
"This idiot…Who does he think he is?" Hitsugaya angrily thought, gritting his teeth.
"I am not being a party pooper, you lowly strawberry," Hitsugaya retorted, trying to stay as calm as possible. "And for the last time, it's Hitsugaya-koushi!"
Ichigo blinked. Did the kid just call him…lowly strawberry?
Ishida gaped at this and instantly looked away, repositioning his spectacles as he wondered, deep in thought, "This is bad…Whoever called Kurosaki-kun a strawberry back in Zaraki ended up in the hospital for weeks…Not even I dare to call him that. Sure, Hitsugaya-koushi has power and authority over Kurosaki-kun, but I know how violent Kurosaki-kun can get when it comes to his name…"
After what seemed like an hour, when it was only a few quiet seconds other than Ukitake's chuckling in amusement, Ichigo joined Ukitake in his fit of laughter, holding his stomach and slapping his knees as he roared in laughter. Hitsugaya and Ishida sweat dropped at his erratic behaviour while the crowd just gasped one more time. "S-straw…b-b-berry…" Ichigo managed to choke out as he laughed. "G…good one, Toushi…Toushirou!"
Hitsugaya blinked in astonishment while Ishida's jaw fell to the ground. The young koushi turned to face Ishida and asked, a bit bewildered, "…Does he always react like this when someone makes fun of his name?"
"N…no," Ishida honestly replied, still in shock. "He'll kick the people who call him strawberry into next Sunday…"
Hitsugaya turned back to face the laughing Ichigo with his arms folded and his eyes, half-open in a chibified manner. "Oi, Strawberry, when are you going to stop laughing?"
At that, Ichigo suddenly stopped laughing and deliberately cleared his throat, regaining his composure. It sent shock and bewilderment into everyone's systems, even Ukitake. "Sorry. Lost control of myself back there. Where were we?"
Hitsugaya nearly fell down anime-style but he just scoffed at Ichigo's reaction. "I'll let you off this time, Strawberry." Ichigo stifled his laughter. Hitsugaya ignored him and continued, "But the next time I catch you referring to me other than my title, I'll be the one who'll kick you into next Sunday. Is that clear?"
Trying to contain his laughter, Ichigo choked out, "Clear as glass, Toushirou!"
Glaring at Ichigo once more before turning away, Hitsugaya muttered, "…Bakayaro."
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"Hmm…So that's the next heir to the throne…This is my first time meeting him in person," he thought to himself, rubbing his chin in interest. "I can sense a lot of powerful energy from within him…Very interesting. Very interesting indeed." He smiled in a twisted manner. "I shall have to watch him carefully…"
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A/N: …I like how I ended this chapter. XD Ok, clarifying something again: the so-called energy that person senses is something like sensing reiatsu. Just think of it as sensing reiatsu. It's different because the people are actually alive, not in their afterlives, so they have no reiatsu. Just some energy.
You may have noticed by now that it starts off with a kinda one-sided HitsuIchi with Ichigo seemingly taking a liking to Hitsugaya (squeals). XD Don't worry, it'll slowly grow to double-sided HitsuIchi.
Next chapter: The shinigami entrance exam begins and Ishida passes the practical exam with flying colours. Ichigo takes on the challenge but it won't be easy; he knows nothing about using the special art form of concentrating internal energy which is kidou. What's worse, kidou is an essential skill for all shinigamis and it'll determine the tick against his name. Will Ichigo make it to the written exams? And why's Aizen making a special request for Hitsugaya to try out the practical exam for fun?