So the cliffhanger is closed. Enjoy!
Chapter 2: Shino Academy
Hisana made her way into the room with the instructors who were going to administer her test. In all, there were three of them and they all looked intimidating. As she walked in, one gestured to sit in the open chair in front of them. With all her will, knowing that this test alone could greatly influence her future as a shinigami, Hisana did as she was trained to do as a noble and put on the most stoic face she could muster.
"So, you're Hisana Kuchiki?" One of the instructors asked. He was a rather large fellow Hisana noticed.
"Yes."
"We expect great things from you considering who you are related to" another of the shinigami teachers said. This one seemed to be the oldest and most senior member of the trio.
"I can't promise that I'll meet them, but I'll do what I am capable of doing" Hisana replied.
"Humble too, a good quality." This was said by the third, who to Hisana's embarrassment for not noticing earlier was female.
"Thank you."
"Well, now that the introductions are over, let us begin with the exam" proclaimed the first. Hisana couldn't help but notice that they didn't introduce themselves, but pushed those thoughts aside as the anxiety of the exam came forefront in her mind.
When the grueling test had finished, Hisana had both feelings of joy and terror. The joy was because intellectually she felt she did well. The terror came from her belief that her nerves ruined her performance on some parts of the exam. Either way she was happy it was over with. After she finished the instructors told her that there would be a bulletin posted in the morning the next day telling what class everyone was assigned to.
For the rest of the day she was given permission to explore around the academy. Only five minutes after starting, she managed to bump into Riko. The two of them exchanged pleasantries quickly and started to walk the halls together. Hisana thought it was kind of funny that they have only known each other for a handful of hours and already acted like best friends. As they were walking through the halls, they noticed how few students there were around. It was only after they asked one of the students did they learn that the reason there were so few was because it was holiday while new students were being recruited.
"How did you do on the test?" Riko asked out of the blue.
"I think I did fine, but I think I botched a few things. What about you?" Hisana replied.
Riko now had a frown suddenly, "I did terrible. At first I thought I was doing well. That was until I started looking at the faces of the examiners and they all looked disappointed and then I started doing worse. If there wasn't so many people applying this year I'd feel better, but that isn't the case."
"Even if you did fail it, you can take it next year."
"I know, but I don't want to go back home a disappointment."
"That's what I'm worried about."
"Oh right! You're a noble. How could I forget? Hell I probably shouldn't even be talking to you."
"No it's ok. I like your company. Besides, my dad taught me not to let class divide people."
"Is he anyone famous?"
"You could say that."
"Are you going to tell me who he is? It's not Byakuya Kuchiki-sama is it?"
"No"
"Then who?"
"I don't really feel comfortable talking about it."
"Oh. I'm sorry for prying."
"No it's ok, he is Ichigo Kurosaki" and at that, Riko's jaw dropped.
"Your dad is the Ichigo Kurosaki?" Riko couldn't believe it and to compound it, Hisana just nodded. After that Riko sent a barrage of questions one after another and just barely giving Hisana enough time to answer before the next one came. It took nearly an hour before Riko finally stopped questioning Hisana leaving her to explain why that was one of the reasons she doesn't want people to know. After talking further about it, Hisana made Riko swear to not tell anyone about it.
The next morning before the rush hit, Riko got Hisana and they checked the lists to see which they were on if any. To both of their surprise, they both made it into the advance class. Hisana's name was about a quarter of the way down the list while Riko's was second to last. As peoples started gather, the two girls decided to go to the class room the list specified early and talk about how they both managed to pull it into the special list. They sat in the room just talking as it slowly filled, and Hisana noticed that it was tiny compared to the others with only about twenty people in it.
Almost on the dot for when the class was scheduled to begin, a man wearing a shihakusho that shinigami typically wear. Hisana noticed that it was the same large instructor that was present at her testing. He observed the class for a few minutes without making so much as a sound. Finally he began to speak. "I am Gengoro Onabara. I have taught this special accelerated class for well over a century now, so believe me when I say that you all have the potential to become seated officers within the Gotei 13 or perhaps even one of the other two branches of our military, the Onmitsukido and the Kido Corps. Regardless of which branch you end up in, it is expected of you to excel at what you do and maybe even one of you will become a captain."
Onabara-sensei went on to explain the rules and codes of conduct of Shino Academy. From there, he went on to lecture about the curriculum that will be administered to the new students. After that, he easily slid his speech into a simple and brief summary of the various divisions. Lastly he explained that after this class, the new students will have a break until noon to get their uniform and eat a quick lunch before resuming the class. He ended by asking if anyone had any questions about what he went over, to which, nobody responded. Noticing the pointlessness of holding them any longer, Onabara-sensei released the class for the break.
Once the break had ended, all new students were dressed in their brand new uniforms. For some who came from the outskirts of Rukongai, these were the finest clothes they had ever worn. The class continued from where it left off and went into depth about the duties of a shinigami, the nature of hollows, and how a shinigami's ultimate purpose beyond everything else was to keep the balance of souls. This was the first day of many for Hisana to become a full fledged shinigami.
Sorry for having them be so short, but right now I'm just setting up the story. The idea of the story is to follow the life of Hisana and that what happens is the plot. Again, ideas are welcome as I've only got a general direction of where I want to go with this and a few plot points I specifically want.