(A/N: Another chapter for the new series. Many thanks to Xerosonic for his help in working with me. I forgot to credit you for helping me with the exam questions in the last chapter. My apologies, so take the credit now. Anyways, moving on…enjoy)
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Tales of the Abyss
Luke's pov
It's been several weeks since Asch and my first day at the academy, during that time my hair has returned to its normal length. I like it here at the Shino Academy. I'm learning a lot.
3rd person pov (Earlier)
Luke is sitting in the library reading up on a case study having to do with a riot within the Kuchiki family quelled 20 years ago by the current head of the family Kuchiki Byakuya. Luke is turning the pages of the book slowly. Suddenly he gets up and violently flips the table over
"Gah this is so going over my head!"
Asch who had been across the room gets up and leaves before he gets dragged into Luke's tantrum
Luke's pov (present)
I like the food here.
3rd Person pov (earlier)
Luke crosses by with his tray and notices a peculiar looking dish being served.
"What is this?" He reads the sign, "Pie-sa? Never heard of it, I wonder if it's any good."
Luke's pov (present)
The instructors seem friendly.
3rd Person pov (earlier)
"Good morning Vice Captain Ise is that a new glass frame?"
Nanao coughed "Ah yes it is, you noticed?"
Kiss up, Asch grumbled in his mind.
Luke's pov (present)
Asch did some research about the difference in time between Soul Society and our world. I don't want to spend a lot of time here, but according to Asch time flows 6 times faster here than it does in Auldrant. Plus our bodies won't get any older because souls age differently. We could spend six years here that means and only a year will have passed since we left. Interestingly enough Asch doesn't seem in all that much of a hurry to go back. I see him talking to Vice Captain Ise, one of our Kido instructors, a lot, maybe there's something there. I don't know.
More importantly we never saw our test results, but apparently we were both good enough for the intermediate track. If there are three things I'm good at here in the Academy they're Zanpakuto training, Kendo and Kido. Mostly everything else goes right over my head. I seriously don't know if I could possibly handle four years of this garbage.
After four years you're put in what's called the recruitment division where Captains and Vice Captains periodically come down and check up on divisions to see what's what. However, if you pass all regulations or do something impressive sometimes you catch the eye of important figures. Of course I haven't done anything to draw attention to myself. If I'm going to be recruited it's going to be by the book.
3rd Person pov (earlier)
"Luke Fon Fabre get off the roof now!" one of the instructors was shouting.
"But you said we could approach the targets for Hado 4 at any angle!" I called back.
"From the ground you moron! Do you want to get called to the administrator's office!" the instructor shouted back.
"Baka," Asch muttered under his breath.
Luke's pov (present)
Asch seems to avoid me constantly and keep to himself. I don't know why he doesn't see me as someone to hang around with. He's so anti-social.
Asch's pov
That dreck has done nothing, but cause trouble since we've been here. It's such an embarrassment to be seen with him. I find it hard to even be associated with him at times. This academy is well structured. The tests aren't that hard.
3rd Person pov (earlier)
That dreck was smiling as we got our algorithm scores back. Mine was a 79, "What're you smiling about?" I asked him. I didn't bother to wait for a response when I saw he got an 85.
Bastard how'd he do better than me?Asch's pov (present)
I don't like eating in large groups. Normally I keep to myself.
3
rd Person pov (earlier)"Good morning Asch-sama, do you mind some company?" Vice Captain Ise requested as she passed me by. I was sitting at a small table alone.
"Feel free to sit wherever you'd like." I said.
Asch's pov (present)
I don't have any problems with the instructors.
3rd Person pov (earlier)
"Asch you're going to cut someone's head off, most likely yours, with that starting position angle," Vice Captain Matsumoto grabbed my wrists and pulled me tightly toward her to guide me. "Here let me help you," I did not need anyone's help I knew what I was doing with this particular Kido and did she always have to be so clingy? Still I didn't want to cause an incident by complaining
Asch's pov (present)
I found out that 6 years passing in this world is only equal to one in Auldrant. I'm in no hurry to get back, but that dreck didn't seem to want to find that information on his own so I did it for him. I'm more curious about how long it's going to be until someone recognizes my talents. I do not want to be placed into a recruitment division. My skills are too well honed for that. I'll feel like I'd failed my life if I don't get accepted into a squad before then. Of course I'm not going to do anything brash to speed up the process.
3rd Person pov (earlier)
"Unforgiving demons open the gates to your world and bring about tremendous ruin," I positioned my Zanpakuto so that it pointed towards the ground with my hands over it, "Let all who dwell on earth bear witness to your destructive purpose," I raised it and held my hands over my head, "Hado 71!" I slammed my sword into the ground, "Kiretsu!" (Fissure) Instantly a sharp 2 foot deep, and very large crevasse opened along the training grounds.
"Asch Fon Fabre what are you thinking attempting a level 71 Hado at your level of skill!" the instructor scolded.
"I did it didn't I?" I asked.
"It was a perfect execution, but if even the slightest thing went wrong, at your level of skill you could've caused serious hazards to the well being of yourself and the others around you."
"I knew what I was doing," I said and brushed passed him to go sit down.
Asch's pov (present)
I'm tired of waiting. Every day that passes by is a day I could be out their protecting lives instead of wasting away here in the academy. That dreck and I are constantly competing for top marks. There's no reason we have to sit here on our asses waiting for opportunity to come knocking.
Knock knock
I sighed, "What do you want dreck?" I asked.
He slid open the adjoining door, "Hey Asch I'm having trouble with that lesson on spirit particle transfusion we were assigned have you done it yet?"
Damn I forgot to do that! , I thought up a quick answer, "I'm…" can't let him know he's ahead of me, "I'm having trouble myself, but I want to work on it alone, the same should go for you." I snapped.
"Fine," my replica surrendered shutting the door, "Man you never wanna do anything together," he stopped before he finished shutting the door and said, "Oh by the way Vice Captain Ise wants you in her office tomorrow after Kido practice, she said she was going to tell you tomorrow in the dining hall, but I just happened to pass her by on the way here."
Vice Captain Ise, "Did she say what she wanted?" I asked anxiously.
He shrugged, "I asked she said it was confidential."
"Thanks for the heads up," I said getting up off my bed.
"You're welcome, but where are you going?" he asked.
"To the library to work on that spirit particle assignment, don't follow me."
Luke's pov
Man Asch can be such a pain sometimes. It's bad enough that he and I get strange looks from a lot of students because we're from Junrinan, considered "noble territory", but does that seriously mean that he has to distance himself from me? Sighing I sat back down at my desk and looked back at my assignment. It was a worksheet asking questions about the process of utilizing spirit particles when using Kido. It was seriously going right over my head, even with the textbook. I didn't have Kido until the afternoon and I only had a couple questions left, maybe I could finish the rest during lunch. I shut the textbook with the worksheet inside it, went over to my bed and went to sleep. I dreamt of Tear.
The Next Day, afternoon
Asch's pov
After Kido practice I walked down the corridors of the academy to Vice Captain Ise's academy office. The door was closed so I knocked.
"Come in," she said from the other end of the door. I opened and stood behind the chair in front of her desk, "Good to see you Asch-sama," she gestured to the open chair, "Please have a seat." I sat down, "Allow me to get straight to the point," her voice sounded very serious, "I've been going over your file with Captain Kyoraku over the past few days and after which I have a proposal for you."
"What is it?" I asked.
"Well, while you still have yet to cover all that can be taught to you here in the academy, including Shunpo practice, that of which first years aren't taught, the captain and I would like to see if you're possibly ready to join the Gotei 13. It is highly irregular that students be recruited in their first year, and you still have a lot of ground to cover, but given your abilities already the Captain has agreed with me that you could still be part of the Gotei 13 and hold a seated officer's position."
"Are you inviting me to join your squad?" I asked.
"Yes, Captain Kyoraku is extending the position of 17th Seat of the 8th Squad to you, Asch Fon Fabre. You have every right to refuse this offer, but as your…"
I cut her off, "I accept."
"I, that's good to hear," I will begin on the paperwork to have you transferred immediately. It won't take a lot of time to have an Academy student brought into such a low ranking position given such a short time here so if you could just grab a map from the shelf behind you and gather your things, if you have anything, from your academy dorm, you should go and meet the captain in 8th Division."
"Hai, arigato gozai mas," I gave a bow to Vice Captain Ise and did as I was told. A seated officer's position, I smirked, "finally."
Luke's pov
I was back in my dormitory taking a nap when I heard noise coming from Asch's room, which woke me up. I slid open the adjoining door to see him gathering a couple of things from his room. "What are you doing?" I asked.
"Vice Captain Ise, wants me to join the 8th Squad as 17th Seat," he said. I could tell he was pretty pleased by this.
"That's great," I congratulated him.
"You're not jealous?" he asked.
"Jealous of what?" I asked back.
"Jealous of the fact that I got recruited into a squad before you did," he said.
I shook my head, "What would be the point, if they think you're ready and not me. Who am I to complain?"
"Tch," was all the response I got, "Whatever, my captain wants to meet me while my Vice Captain fills out the paper work. Later dreck," Asch said and walked out of the room. It would be awkward now not to see Asch everyday here in both the dorm and in class, but I was glad he was accepted into a squad. He deserves to have some recognition for his actions after all that's happened. I'm not jealous of Asch, but I am a little disappointed that I haven't been asked to join a squad yet, but I'm sure my time will come, eventually. Sighing I grabbed my practice sword and my Zanpakuto and headed out of my dorm room and down the walkways to Kendo practice. However, when I got to the dojo there was a sign on the door for all students scheduled for my class to go down to the training ground for a demonstration assembly. Dashing I headed down there to get a good glimpse of the assembly. When I arrived Paruna-Sensei, a fairly tall and thin young looking woman with long black hair, was already waiting for everyone. I still managed to get a spot right where the action would be.
"Hello students," she greeted everyone after I waited a couple of minutes, "As you know here at the Shino academy, from time to time, we ask that some actual Gotei 13 high ranking officers come down for a demonstration. Today is such a day. Today I, Gina Paruna, will have a duel with one of the officers of the Gotei 13. He should be here shortly. He's always late so I told him to be here an hour before now."
What kind of guy needs to be told be an hour before a scheduled event in order to be on time? I asked myself putting my palm to my face. Suddenly a great wave of spiritual pressure rose up from behind us as a shadow leapt over my classmates and me. He landed in front of us and turned sharply on his right leg kicking up a cloud of dust. When it cleared I could see the person. He was really tall and was wearing a captain's haori. He had black hair that stuck up and out in various directions. And over his right eye he was wearing an eye-patch.
Paruna Sensei clapped her hands as she approached the tall captain, "That was quite an entrance Captain Zaraki," she said. Several students gasped in awe.
"Huh, what's the big deal?" I asked.
"Huh, don't you know who that is?" the guy next to me asked, "That's Kenpachi Zaraki, the Captain of Squad 11, he's the most ruthless and physically powerful captain there is. Rumor has it that he became a captain by defeating the previous captain of Squad 11 in a duel with one blow."
"So," Captain Zaraki said turning towards Paruna-sensei, "You called me all the way out here for a demonstration right. I assume you have a proper opponent for me."
Paruna-sensei nodded, "Yes," she drew out her sword.
"What you're fighting me?" he asked and rubbed the back of his neck, "Man I was hoping you had a prodigy or something amongst your students. You know I have trouble holding back right. Besides what makes you think that an instructor like you, could even lay a scratch on me."
"That's the point of today's demonstration. My reiatsu doesn't compare to yours and so,"
Captain Zaraki smiled widely, "Oh I see, I get it now. So that's what this is all about. Yachiru!"
Suddenly a little girl with pink hair crawled out from over Captain Zaraki's shoulder, "Yeah Kenny?" she asked.
Huh, who's she? I wondered.
"Go have a seat over by the students," he commanded.
"You got it," she ran over to where we were sitting. As she did I noticed the armband on her left arm.
No way, she's a lieutenant, and not just any lieutenant, but Captain Zaraki's lieutenant, how is a girl that small qualified to be a lieutenant. I swallowed, hard.
"Hi," came Yachiru's voice as she stood in front of me, "Mind if I sit here?" she asked.
"S-sure, go ahead," I said. I thought she was going to sit in front of me, but instead she sat right in my lap. I suddenly noticed that a lot of the kids around me had scuttled away. Were they afraid of her?
"So what's your name?" she asked.
"Luke, Luke Fon Fabre," I gave her my hand to shake, "You must be Captain Zaraki's vice captain. Nice to meet you."
She grabbed my fore and middle finger with her whole hand, "Yup I'm Yachiru Kusajishi, it's nice to me you Luke-oneechan."
Does she have nicknames for everyone? I wondered.
"Now then students, please watch closely," Paruna-sensei was saying. She held her sword at an angle in her right hand so that it pointed up towards her shoulder. She then placed her left arm over the length of the blade, "Wail, Yukai Mikazuki!" (Ghostly Scimitar) The sound of rushing wind sound as Paruna-sensei moved her arm up the blade as a cyclone wrapped around it. When it dissipated Paruna-sensei was left holding a scimitar like blade with a green and yellow handle. It was the first time I had even seen Paruna-sensei's Zanpakuto. "This lesson is to demonstrate the battle of spiritual pressure. Observe," she turned towards Captain Zaraki with a fierce gaze.
"I hope Paru-chan will be okay," Yachiru said.
"Huh, why?"
"Kenny's spiritual pressure's a lot higher than hers," she answered with a grim tone.
With a fierce battle cry Paruna-sensei rushed towards Kenpachi Zaraki and attacked him with her Zanpakuto. He didn't even motion to block or to dodge. Her Zanpakuto landed against her with a thud. Captain Zaraki didn't receive a scratch, but Paruna-sensei's hands were bleeding like crazy.
"Ah, Paruna-sensei!" I voiced loudly.
"Now," she said while flinching "When attacking an opponent much stronger than you, understand that attacking directly is ill advised. In a battle of spiritual pressure the weaker one will be countermanded and damaged in place of the stronger one. Captain Zaraki's spiritual pressure is," she coughed, "severely higher than my own therefore I was the one to receive damage when attacking him." She walked a few steps away from Captain Zaraki and assumed a stance with her knees bent and the handle of her sword near her face, both hands on it, "However, if you attack indirectly you won't receive any damage at all, and your attack will be amplified due to the lack of interference from an opponent's spiritual pressure." Paruna-sensei then flared her spiritual pressure, "Wail!" she shouted and a blast of wind headed straight towards Captain Zaraki. This time he did motion to block. He received no damage, but he was pushed back a few inches, only a few inches.
Is Captain Zaraki really that much stronger than Paruna-sensei? I can't even beat her in a practice duel. And here he is completely overpowering her without even trying.
Paruna-sensei coughed again, "As you can see, I received no external damage this time and Captain Zaraki was forced to brace himself for impact otherwise, though he still received no damage due to the large gap in our power. Your assignment for your next class is to write a report on what you've learned from today's demonstration. Your report should be no more than a page. Class dismissed," Everyone got up to leave, but I still wanted to make sure Paruna-sensei was okay. Thankfully I didn't have to wait for Yachiru to get off my lap since she had already bounded back to Captain Zaraki.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" I asked Paruna-sensei.
"Yeah, nothing a quick stop to the 4th Division won't fix," she said smiling. Suddenly I noticed Yachiru whispering something to Captain Zaraki.
"You sure?" he asked her.
"Mmmhmm, I'm one hundred percent absolutely positively sure Kenny."
"All right if you say so," he shrugged, "Gina," he turned towards Paruna-sensei, "Mind showing me this kid's records?"
"Luke-san's? I'm afraid there's not much to show he's only been in the academy a couple of weeks. However if you'll follow me I can…"
"Wait why do you need to look at my file?" I asked.
"Let's have Luke-oneechan come with us," Yachiru said.
"I suppose it couldn't hurt, especially if his file is up to your standards. Follow me, my office is this way." We all followed Paruna-sensei to her office. She reached into the drawer and pulled out a thin folder. With my name on it and handed it to Captain Zaraki. Yachiru peered over his shoulder as he looked at it.
"Ohhh," she sounded as she looked at whatever he was reading.
"Hmmm," Captain Zaraki stared intensely at my file. I sat in Paruna-sensei's office, Captain Zaraki's back to me, for a good amount of time before he handed her back my file.
"Well?" she asked.
"Luke," he said authoritatively.
"Yes," I jumped to my feet.
"Let's go you're coming with me," he said.
"Huh?" I blinked.
"I understand," Paruna-sensei said, "I'll begin on the paperwork to have him transferred."
"Transferred?" I asked blinking.
"Yay, yay, Luke-oneechan's gonna be in our squad!" Yachiru cheered.
It took my mind several seconds to process what was going on, but when it did I drew my fists towards me with an affirmative, "Yes!"
"It was nice having you here at the academy Luke," Paruna-sensei gave me her hand to shake.
"Yeah, thanks," I said shaking it.
"Well come on, I want to get to the barracks before it gets dark," Captain Zaraki said.
Before it gets dark, it's still the middle of the afternoon?
"Come on we'll take my shortcut!" Yachiru cried happily. In minutes I was running behind Captain Zaraki and Yachiru down the walkways of the Gotei 13's territory to the 11th Division barracks. I was eager to see what kind of position I would get when I arrived since I hadn't been told at the meeting, but I guess I'll find out when I get there."
(A/N: And thus Asch and Luke were given their first positions as officers of the Gotei 13. Asch has been recruited into the 8
th Squad and Luke into the 11th. What will come of this? You'll just have to wait for the next chapter of Noble Flames. Please don't forget to review subscribe and Fave. DH19 out!)