((Author's Note: Hey everyone. Sorry it took me a little longer to get this out. Since it's been a while so I'm going to recap.
Recap: Keichi dies saving Kami from a Hollow attack. He learns from Captains Renji and Rukia of a man named Ichigo that disappeared 200 years ago. At first, he is unnerved by the similarities between himself and this man, but after some encouraging words from former captain Ukitake, Keichi decides to enter the Shingami Academy to get stronger. While he's there, more eyes are on Keichi than he realizes. His accelerated learning and measureless depth of untapped power worries those in Central 46. In the mean time, Kami gets word from an anonymous caller of a Hollow invasion, which turns out to be the Shinigami Academy's training field day in the human world. Will she and Keichi meet?))
Keichi blinked several times. His eyes needed a moment to adjust to the sudden darkness. Darkness? He looked around. Others stood by with similar half dazed expressions. It had been daytime when they left Soul Society. Also, the Senkaimon gates glowed with a bright intensity inside. Now, Keichi had only the light from the stars on a moonless night to illuminate his surroundings.
Hmph…I wonder if time flows differently here…
"Ok freshmen. Listen closely because I'm only going to say this once," the proctor, a female sixth year, raised her voice over the noisy rabble.
"There are several wards surrounding a 1.6km radius from this point. The 12 teams will spread out: three to the North, three to the East, three to the South, and another three to the West. You have all been assigned colors to represent those directions. Black goes north. Blue to the east. Red to the south. White to west. Division 12 has already planted the Hollow. When you arrive at your assigned spots, be on your guard. We sixth years will supervise all actions and provide medical attention if needed. Questions?"
She only waited a second for any response, then, she raised her arm and slashed it down in one smooth motion. "Go!"
The students dashed off to their assigned areas to hunt for hollow. Keichi looked around at his teammates bewildered. Color what color?
"Come on Keichi. We're black remember? We go North," Anora said with an irritated tone. Her legs were already itching to flash step away.
"Uh r-right," he managed to stutter in response as he tried to catch up. He glanced at Taro with a nervous laugh who, in turn, simply shook his head dismissively.
Man…these guys are pretty tense. Then again, Hollow are tough. But these aren't real Hollow right? They were developed in the science lab. Probably made weaker than an actual Hollow… Keichi thought with a tinge of disappointment. He really wanted to test out his skills on something other than training partners.
He hadn't forgotten his encounter with the past few Hollows when he was alive. Not that he was out for revenge, but it would give him some piece of mind if he knew he could keep those creatures from attacking other humans. It'd be the most service he'd ever done for mankind.
They reached the end of the open field and plunged into the forest. Keichi and Taro struggled to keep up with Anora. "Come on…wait up!" Keichi tried to call out. The girl paid no attention and sped forward. They were very close to their destination.
Slow down girl. We're a team remember? He complained inwardly.
Suddenly, Keichi smacked hard into Anora, knocking her over. Taro slid to a halt just missing Keichi.
"Ah, what the hell was that for?" Keichi looked at Anora and rubbed his forehead. "Why'd you stop so—?"
He followed her stunned gaze to an small clearing. It didn't look like it had been a clearing for very long. Solid trees had splintered like toothpicks and the ground looked like it had sunk several meters. Keichi looked around for clues as to what could have done this.
"Hm…musta been big," he said calmly and cautiously approached the dented land. "The other teams should be here by now. Perhaps it went after them?"
Anora shook herself from her stunned silence. "Right. We should track it and kill it before they can then."
Keichi grinned. "What was that all about? Scared of a little fake hollow?" he teased. It was nice to see Anora unnerved for once. Had she ever seen or fought a hollow? Had Taro?
Anora glared at Keichi and marched past him before flash-stepping forward once more.
Taro sighed with exasperation, "Way to go…you pissed her off."
"S-sorry," Keichi tried not to smile as he remembered Taro was more of the kido expert than physical skill-man.
Suddenly they heard a scream that pierced through the night air from Anora's direction. Keichi and Taro bolted toward the cry. Anora lay crumpled in a mass. He rushed to her side and found her clutching her side.
"Anora what's wrong?"
"S-something attacked me. I couldn't see…ahh!" she grit her teeth against the pain while Keichi helped her stand.
In front of her, six shinigami students lay scattered about.
Keichi gasped at the sight of the massacre. He could faintly hear Taro retching behind him. Bodies, parts of bodies, hung in trees or were squashed to the ground. The ground was stained with red. The air stank of the sweet sickly smell of blood, forever imprinting itself in his memory. Keichi's knees felt weak and he thought he was about to faint as darkness lurked behind his eyes.
"A-anora, you're the fastest. Get back to the proctor and tell them we need help," Keichi's voice shook.
Anora nodded and turned to move.
A trap. A voice in the back of his mind jolted his body into motion. A blue-white light shot straight for her head. Keichi blocked it with his shinai instinctively just in time to avoid a fatal blow.
Keichi looked around but he could see nothing. "Hurry Anora! We'll hold it off."
It's here. Keichi back pedaled toward Taro, dodging another arrow-like light.
"Taro watch your back man," he said, trying to help his teammate recover while staying alert.
"The trees," Taro gasped. Keichi could feel the young man shaking underneath his robes.
Damn it all…I need to get them somewhere safe.
More arrows shot out now, from several directions. What the? There's more than one? He gathered Taro on his back and dashed as quickly as he could while avoiding the invisible onslaught. He had to get to the overseers. What ever was attacking them was not a science lab Hollow.
"Agh!" an arrow caught Keichi in the shoulder, causing him to stumble forward and drop his companion.
Keichi spun around to face his attacker. "Come out you cowards!" he shouted, pacing some distance away from Taro.
The ground shook beneath his feet. Keichi jumped to be greeted by another barrage of arrows. He took his trainee's sword out and knocked away what he could. Below, a huge Hollow with a worm-like face full of large sharp teeth snapped at him in the trees.
"Hado #4 Byakurai!" a pale white lightning shot forth at the Hollow. Keichi looked down to see a pale and shaken Taro with his finger extended.
"You concentrate on what's in the trees. I'll distract the Hollow until help arrives."
Keichi nodded, "Don't get yourself killed while I'm gone."
He wasn't sure if Taro was making the best choice, but he couldn't tell the guy to run, not when it was already so obvious that he was scared enough to soil his hakama.
As for these invisible attackers, they had to be some distance away. Several shots had gone wide and he could not sense anyone within the immediate vicinity. Keichi spread his senses out to find the reiatsu he was looking for. About 30.5 meters away he sensed movement. It was difficult to get a peg on how many there were. Arrow shots had become more accurate. Keichi kept his guard up.
He could sense a presence within him. One he had struggled to feel for the past few months while training. One he had felt very clearly the night he died.
"Come on…whoever you are," he mumbled to himself. "If you're there I could really use your help."
Above!
Keichi twisted just in time to avoid an attack from overhead. This time, he could see a white clothed human figure outlined against the moonlight with a glowing blue bow in hand. Another arrow appeared like an angry accusing finger pointed right at him.
"Die shinigami," the figure mouthed.
Keichi's eyes widened. Who the hell was this guy?
Block!
Keichi's sword arm knocked the arrow away with a clang, but the force behind the attack sent him flying backward to the ground. His sword spun free of his hand and landed some distance away, split in half.
As if summoned by his moment of flatfoot, arrows from around him came forth like hail. The ground trembled once more like before. Keichi struggled to jump to the side, but his wounds slowed him. The Hollow landworm launched forth, thankfully taking the brunt of the attack, but slicing a nice gape into Keichi's leg. He cried out in pain, clutching the wound and trying not to think what had become of Taro and Anora.
Where was the backup? Who were these people? What would happen if he died here again? Keichi grit his teeth. The hollow turned to Keichi, the only clear prey in its limited range of sight.
No. Not this time. I've come too far to die here. I still got a lot to do so… "Fuck off!"
Energy swelled beneath his right hand like a warm river. Reitsu poured from some reservoir deep within and out through his palm. In the back of his mind he heard a name as clear as if it was his own. With it came a source of strength unlike any he had ever imagined. Keichi stared in amazement before looking down at his sword. It was long, longer and straighter than the normal katana he saw shinigami wear*.
The release command fell from Keichi's lips without a thought, "Rip through the darkness (Kurayami ni yoru sakeme**)." Then he called the name he only heard in whispers in his dreams, "Devil Moon (Akumegetsu***)."
The sword glowed with an eerie red light as it pulsed, hungry to be released. It pulsed like a beating heart, and as it did so, the blade turned red and seemed to run with blood until it transformed. In less than a second, it became a long scythe-like blade with an oddly shaped staff about half Keichi's height. Instinctively, Keichi sliced the blade into the ground.
"Red eye of the Demon Lord (Oni no nushi no shakume!****)" Keichi shouted the attack, trusting the voice inside of him as a friend without knowing what power would come forth. A light shined like blood in a full circle beneath the Hollow. As the wind of his reiatsu rushed around his clothes and hair, Keichi felt time freeze as the surge of energy shot directly up to the sky in an endless pillar of red reiatsu. The Hollow screamed in pain as it evaporated.
The battle was over in seconds. Keichi did not feel like he was in control of his own body. Somewhere inside his mind, he stood among the ruins of an old city beneath a pale moonlit sky. It must have once been a great place full of skyscrapers, but he could find no signs that indicated where he was.
"And you won't," a voice said behind him.
Keichi spun around. He recognized the voice instantly. "Akumegetsu…" He squinted in the darkness against the shining light, but still could not make out the figure.
Akumegetsu nodded. "You're finally starting to listen. But now is not the time for pleasantries. There are still enemies around you."
Keichi regained his senses. Now a furious onslaught of arrows came like never before. He could see 20, maybe 30 white robed figures dashing about and aiming at him. But everything was in slow motion.
Keichi jumped and slashed at one of the figures with his blade. The man fell with a cry of pain. Then Keichi turned to another foe that tried to attack him from behind. He cut the enemy's hand off without hesitation. As many that came, Keichi cut them down.
"Stop!" a woman's voice called out as Keichi made his way to dispatching his 8th or 9th foe. "Fall back!"
Keichi spun toward a new figure that had arrived. This one was dressed differently. While the others wore stylized white suits with monk-like robes, the girl was covered head to toe in an all white outfit similar to that of an English nun. A long blue cross that started at her collar carried down the center of the one piece, broken only by a short shawl that covered her chest and draped over her head like a hood. It was because of this piece, Keichi could not make out her face.
The girl pulled back the hood to reveal familiar midnight blue eyes that stared at him with strict determination. Kami Ishida. She pointed a gun at Keichi and fired. The bolt that came forth was not an arrow but a spherical bullet of light.
Keichi was stunned. His body moved on its own accord as he spun around her shots and closed the distance between them. His blade came up to her throat, but he stopped before it could connect. Instead, he pinned her to the ground and shouted.
"Kami! Kami it's me!"
She paused for a minute, staring blankly. Then, she pulled up her legs and kicked Keichi in the gut before backpeddaling and firing more shots.
"You will die for what you've done here Shinigami," she growled, thinking of her fallen comrades.
"You think your kind can just enter the human world and take over? What's worse, you use the Hollow to attack humans as well?"
Keichi continued dodging and blocking her attacks. "What are you talking about? Kami it's me! Keichi. Snap out of it!"
Kami felt something burn in the back of her mind. Keichi? No it couldn't be. It's a trick. This shinigami is your enemy.
"I swear, I didn't know these guys were with you," Keichi tried to explain. "They attacked first."
Kami stood still for a moment, adjusting her glasses from when the shinigami pinned her. At the same time she withdrew a Seele Schneider she had concealed in her long billowing sleeve.
"Don't make excuses," she said and then tossed the reiatsu absorbing blade with deadly accuracy at Keichi, "for your sins!"
Keichi dodged the blade in just the manner she expected. She was ready. Kami fired a shot point blank at his chest. Keichi brought up his blade just in time to deflect most of the damage. But when it connected, it threw him up and backward until his back connected with a tree to stop his momentum.
Keichi coughed until blood trickled from his mouth. "S-shit…You forgot me already…" he said through struggled breaths.
That attack is strong. Don't let it hit you again. Akumegetsu warned inside his head.
Duh…I know that.
Attack her when she's off guard.
No! I-I can't. She's the one that saved me…twice! I have to reason with her.
And if you fail you die.
Yeah yeah…big deal…hmph. "I already died once right?"
Kami paused but did not lower her weapon. She watched cautiously as the shinigami stood to his feet.
"Kami. Look at me," Keichi rose his hands and dropped his weapon. Akumegetsu returned to its sealed form. "We were from the same class. You saved me from a hollow. I uh…I sort of…you know."
The girl looked at him in bewilderment. "K-Kurosaki?"
Her head hurt to remember, but it was there, on the murky edges of her mind. Why had she began to forget? How? "N-no. It's a trick," her weakening resolve argued.
Keichi took another step closer. "I'm not going to fight you ok? I just need to know what happened to the other trainees."
"Trainees?" Her mind was still hazy with pain.
"Yes. The ones we found scattered about the forest. Was that the hollow that did that?"
Kami shook her head. "No. I don't know. They were already that way when I arrived. Kurosaki-san? What are you doing here?"
He sighed, now close enough to put his hands on her shoulders, but his hands remained in the air. "I should ask you the same thing. I didn't know if you got away."
Kami still stared. Her memories had begun to return and with it she felt her eyes burn with shame. "I-I'm fine. Kurosaki. You're turning into a shinigami? How?"
Keichi shrugged, a little proud, "I don't know really. I guess that's what happens when people die."
"Impossible!" Kami protested. "Shinigami are cruel and evil. They're no better than hollow they pretend to fight."
"Pretend? No Kami you got it all wrong," he said. He heard someone approach and turned to see. No sooner did he realize that troop of shinigami had arrived did he notice that Kami, and the rest of her people, had disappeared.
Anora and Taro ran forward, shouting to him. The shinigami secured the area, but they also stared warily at Keichi. He suddenly felt extremely tired. He didn't realize he had used up most of his reiatsu when he had killed the Hollow. Keichi picked up his sword and looked at it with blank wonder.
"Akumegetsu…" he muttered. Even sealed, he could feel the power coursing through the blade. It frightened and amazed him. The sword seemed to have a natural killing instinct. But, now was too soon for Keichi to worry if he could control it. The darkness returned behind his eyes and he swayed for a moment.
Keichi stayed conscious long enough to feel a strong hand catch him by the chest and steady him. He looked down to see Renji's tattooed hand and then succumbed to sleep.
Keichi's sword
*sealed form: Uchigatana
**release: Kurayami ni yoru sakeme (rip through the darkness)暗闇による裂け
-》 くらやみによるさけめ
***name: Akumegetsu (devil moon) 悪魔月 -》 あくめげつ
****shikai attack: oni no nushi no shakume (red eye of the demon lord)
鬼の主の赤目 -》鬼主しゃくめ
Keichi opened his eyes to a sterile white ceiling with green walls intruding on the edges. He knew immediately where he was. 4th squad barracks. He had been dreaming, but he couldn't remember of what. Then he recalled the name in his head. Keichi looked around frantically for his zanpakuto. It lay on the table beside him in a simple black sheath. Keichi stared at it for a moment until he realized he was grinning like an idiot.
Kami's face popped into his mind as he reached for his sword. A tinge of guilt raised in his mind. Self-defense or not, he still hurt quite a few of her companions, whoever or whatever they were. He remembered something she had said to him awhile back. Quincy. Didn't Renji and Rukia also talk about them when they mentioned Ichigo? They were suppose to have died off centuries ago, but there was one or two left.
Keichi wondered…how could they return then? And from what he saw, there was quite a few. He had a feeling that was just the tip of the iceberg. Kami said they had always been looking for new recruits too. How did a human become a Quincy? No one ever told him, but Kami had seemed sure it was possible for him.
"Why does she hate Shinigami so much? That war was so long ago. She couldn't possibly be upset about that, could she?"
It was too much for Keichi to try to figure out with a throbbing in the back of his head. His body also had several hastily wrapped bandages.
A meek looking man entered. Keichi recognized him, but could not remember his name. "Oh. You're awake. Are you feeling better?"
The man came forward and laid the towels he carried onto the foot of Keichi's bed. "Yeah um…?"
"Oh I'm Hanataro. I don't think I officially introduced myself," he said a slight bow and a gentle smile.
Hanataro leaned in close after a moment and spoke in quiet tones, "Is it true you went up against a whole bunch of Quincy and a Huge Hollow? And that sword of yours, did you really learn to use it after only three months? Was that red beam of light everyone saw its power? What is it called?"
Hanataro's eyes widened with each question as he excitedly pressed closer.
"Ah…I don't, I mean—"
"He means for you to stop pestering him while he's trying to rest," Renji's fist came across the back of Hanataro's head hard enough to leave a bump.
"C-captain Abarai," Hanataro rubbed the knot tenderly. He bowed to Keichi, "I'm sorry. Everyone's been talking about it so…"
Keichi looked from Hanataro to Renji, his brow slowly raising. "Everyone seems to know a lot more than me right now."
Renji folded his arms, his forehead knit in thought. "The hollow the 12th squad had prepared were somehow corrupted. Captain Kurotsuchi is looking into now. Whoever it was had the brains to alter them into real hollow. Those things attacked all the other training squads as well. Out of the 12, only yours suffered no casualties."
Keichi's shoulders relaxed. "So Anora and Taro are alright," he said in relief.
Renji nodded. "Anora seemed to have gotten shot with something. Taro is pretty beat up, but more exhausted than anything. Besides the aggressive hollow, what we don't understand is why the Quincy were there. We captured several injured, but they refuse to speak."
Keichi kept silent. Renji looked at him for a long moment. "You mentioned awhile ago that the girl who helped you was a Quincy."
Keichi shrugged and stared at his sword. "Yeah, but I don't know anything."
It wasn't a lie. He could remember what she said, but it all sounded like nonsense. He couldn't understand a word of what she meant. Shinigami allying with Hollow? Keichi wouldn't call himself an expert on the subject, but that just seemed impossible. And what of the Quincy? Why did they attack the students? How did they even know where they'd be? The area had been sealed off so no one could enter or leave. The only conclusion then would be that the Quincy had known beforehand the location of the training grounds.
But what does it all mean?
Renji understood Keichi's silence. "If you want to talk about it later, be sure to come to me or Rukia first. Now on a different note," he nodded to Keichi's sword and grinned. "Looks like you learned something new. Let's test it out."
Renji put his hand on his sword but Hanataro pulled at his arm. "No no! Captain Abarai you just said he needs his rest!" he shouted.
"No I said you need to stop pestering him!" Renji shouted back.
"B-but you can't fight in the 4th squad barracks! You'll disturb other patients!"
Renji argued. "I wasn't going to here. We'll take it outside."
Keichi stood and headed toward the door while they argued. "I'm feeling better already. I need to check on the others."
"Not so fast," Renji said, serious once more. "They sent me here to pick you up if you were feeling better."
"Who?"
"Head Teacher Sasakibe," Renji said solemnly.
Keichi remembered the name. He had only met the man once during his entrance exam. Afterward, he had seen him in passing. It had felt like the old man's amber eyes were searching for something inside Keichi. Wary of what the head teacher could possibly want with him, Kurosaki searched Renji's face for a sign, but Renji kept his face solemn. So Keichi's shoulders sunk, resigned to his fate.
The main meeting room of the Shinigami Academy was a large square equipped with a screen the head teacher could sit behind. Sasakibe however chose to sit in front of the screen. Several cushions lined against either wall where the other teachers sat sipping tea. Keichi sat in the middle of the room feeling extremely uncomfortable. It reminded him of the time he stood before the Captain Commander except this time Renji sat behind his left. His presence felt a little encouraging.
"Kurosaki Keichi," Sasakibe called. While the other teachers wore formal Japanese robes, he sat in an old English military uniform decorated with a few medals. Keichi wondered if those medals meant something, or did the man simply pin them on to look more official.
"Do you know why you are here today?" Sasakibe asked.
Keichi thought for a moment. It clearly had something to do with the field study but he shook his head no.
Gengoro Onabara, Keichi's class one examiner, had been sitting behind Sasakibe's right. He handed a file to the head teacher without taking his eyes off Keichi. Sasakibe flipped through a couple of pages and read several comments.
"Reckless, stubborn, temperamental…These are your words Onabara-sensei, correct?"
"That is correct Head Master Sasakibe."
He flipped several more pages and continued reading.
"Student shows accelerated learning, advanced leadership skills, unique adaptability…These are also your words Onabara-sensei?"
"That's right."
"The academy lost many promising students two nights ago despite our preparation to avoid any incidents. However, one student was able to overcome this unexpected intrusion. Had your team member Anora not arrived as soon as she did, it is likely we would have experienced more casualties."
Sasakibe sighed and folded the file. He glanced to Onabara, "What do you think of Keichi's performance in the field exam?"
Onabara took a long moment to stare at his student which made Keichi shift uncomfortably. "It is difficult to say because I wasn't there. But it seems that Kurosaki has proven his ability to be a superb shinigami."
Keichi made an audible gasp to which a few of the teachers on the chuckled. Sasakibe nodded and smiled. The tense atmosphere in the room began to lift.
"Indeed he does." Sasakibe stood. "Come forward Kurosaki."
Keichi glanced at Renji who smiled knowingly.
Onabara handed Sasakibe a box. "Kurosaki. Because you have performed above and beyond your duties as a student, because you have learned more than this academy can teach, and because these dark times will need resilient people like you to show the way, this academy and the teachers within are honored to graduate you from the six year program. May you endure."
Sasakibe handed the box to Keichi who bowed lower than he had ever done. "Uh…thanks," he stammered.
Sasakibe laughed. "Thank your new captain as well Kurosaki. He requested you personally when he discovered our decision."
Keichi turned to see Renji grinning from ear to ear. "Heh, I told you I'd be the one to test your skills, didn't I?"
Keichi smiled and nodded, still at a lost for words. "Thank you Ren—uh Captian Abarai."
((Keichi has graduated faster than any Shinigami from the Academy. But what did Sasakibe mean by "dark times"? What did Kami mean when she encountered Keichi? Who could have possibly manipulated the Hollow, Shinigami, and Quincy all in one field? What is behind the power of Akumegetsu? There are still a lot of things Keichi needs to learn.))