"I remember this place." Yamaru thought as a familiar glow shone passed his closed eyes. Not opening his eyes he laid back, embracing the warmth of the light. After a little while, he began hear inaudible whispers again. "Who's there?" He asked looking around, the whispers not getting any clearer. "Are you my spirit partner? Why can't I hear you?" He stopped and laughed in spite of his question. "Even if you can hear me, if I can't understand the response there's no point." The light began to fade as Yamaru felt his consciousness returning to his body. "I'll be back, I promise." He called to the invisible voice. "At least there less pain this time."
Yamaru awoke to a familiar room within the Squad 4 barracks.
"How many times have I awoken to this ceiling now?" He asked himself, sitting up. Over the past year of training he hospitalized himself more times than he could remember.
"Awake already?" A familiar voice asked from his bedside.
Yamaru turned to see the instructor he faced earlier. "Sir, how did I do?" He asked with a grin.
"Were you not listening when I said defeat does not mean failure, or are you just a masochist?" He replied, sternly looking at Yamaru.
"You said to defeat you, as far as I see it I was following the instructions." Yamaru countered.
"You're Zanjutsu is leagues above your class, and you're talent in Hoho is exceptional. You also advanced during the exam, showing even further potential. Hakuda isn't comfortable for you; even a blind man could see that, and I'm not even going to mention Kido." He explained, ignoring Yamaru's comment. "Also, just so you know, you were the only first year to actually knock an instructor out, double KO, but still." Yamaru smirked a bit with pride. "Do you remember how you got behind me at the end?" He asked.
"Not really, sir." Yamaru replied shaking his head. "I just focused all my reiatsu into my legs and when you disappeared I knew you went behind me, so I just moved." He tried to explain.
"Do you realize how you got pass he though?" The instructor asked again. "You've got an exceptional Subayaiho, but I can still track it."
"You just let your guard down?" Yamaru asked weakly.
"You used a Shunpo, a weak and slow one, but a Shunpo none the less." He replied.
"You're kidding right? How did I do that? I've focused lots of reiatsu into my legs trying to master Subayaiho, I did nothing different then. Are you sure?" Yamaru questioned.
"I don't know, even I can't Shunpo." The instructor answered. "Either way, I grant you a passing grade, so rest well." He said, exiting the room.
"I passed?" Yamaru whispered to himself. Pulling the necklace out from his shirt he held it up and smiled. He fell back onto his usual pillow, exhausted for the exam. He was asleep in seconds, experiencing a strange, yet familiar dream.
Yamaru watched as a man in black Shihakusho led him through a dense forest.
"You keeping up back there, Yamaru?" The white haired stranger called.
"Keeping up? With your sluggish pace I was wondering if you may have hurt yourself or something Gabe." Yamaru heard himself reply.
The man turn back to look at Yamaru, a veil covering his eyes, as he smirked at his companion. "Sluggish? Please, this is about as slow as I can go without walking." He replied.
"So where are we going?" Yamaru asked.
"To the Barrens, I could use your help trying to get everything there in order." He replied, looking forward again. "Now that you've died I can make use of your skills, but I can't have you forgetting them after crossing over. So I'll bring you myself, that way you'll remember everything."
"Who is his guy? And just where are the Barrens?" Yamaru thought.
"I'll be happy to help you in anyway, Gabriel." Yamaru's dream self said, in a serious tone.
"Gabriel? I don't know a Gabriel. Wait, why did I forget all of this in the first place?" Yamaru pondered further as he watched himself and Gabriel running through the forest. Slowly everything faded, back into the distant memory it came from as Yamaru awoke.
Yamaru awoke to the slight rays of skylight that crept through the window. There were no classes for him today as the other classes were going through their exams for the next few days.
Feeling well enough to walk, he got up and put on his clothes, and left the Squad 4 barracks, thanking the staff for treating him, again.
"That strange dream, was it a lost memory?" He wondered to himself making his way to the Academy. "I can think about that later, for now, I have places to go." He thought, entering his empty looking room. Still he had no roommate, which didn't bother him at all. He changed from his Academy uniform to some casual clothes and headed off towards the Rukongai.
After a couple hours long carriage ride, he stood in front of a familiar two story house.
"Sara-san! Are you home?" He called from the front door.
Shuffling could be heard from beyond the door before it finally opened revealing the long brown haired woman. "Ya-chan!" She gasped in excitement, throwing her slender arms around him. "How have you been? It's been so long since you left."
"I know I'm sorry Sara-san." Yamaru said. "I just got so caught up in my training."
"So everything is going well at Shinoreijutsuin?" Sara asked, releasing her embrace.
"Yeah, the graduation tests were yesterday for us first years." He said with a grin. "I passed."
"That's wonderful." She replied. "Come in and tell me all about it." She said, leading Yamaru inside.
Yamaru followed, and began to regale Sara with everything that had happened his first year in the Academy. He told her about his Zanjutsu and Hoho skills, and how he was top of his class, and how hard he worked to improve his Hakuda, an even his poor Kido and all the times it sent him to the hospital. Sara listened to Yamaru's stories with her full attention, proud of his skills and dedication to improve, concerned for his well being when his mentioned how often his kido sent him to the hospital, but mostly relieved he was enjoying his time at the Academy in general.
"Then he said I passed and left the room." Yamaru said, catching up to the present.
"It's wonderful that you passed." Sara said a gentle smile graced her face.
"He also told me I was the only first year in my class to defeat an instructor." Yamaru said with pride.
"It seems you're well on your way to becoming a great Shinigami." She replied.
"Is Kusonotsu-san still around here? I was hoping to see him too while I was around." He asked.
Sara's smile disappeared, and her eyes dimmed. "He was taken, by a hollow about four months ago Ya-chan." She said grimly.
"Kusonotsu-san was," Yamaru trailed off, stunned to hear the news. "Not just Taru-san and Kuro-san, but now Kusonotsu-san too?"
"Ya-chan, it was four months ago and again that's the risk of living so far away from Seireitei." Sara said, trying to comfort him.
"Did a Shinigami slay it at least?" Yamaru asked hopeful.
"No, it escaped before any arrived." She replied.
"Damn it all." He said, punching the floor. "Now I'll have to find that hollow one day, cleanse it and release Kusonotsu-san's soul so he can be reborn." He stated, looking up towards Sara. "Do you know what it looked like?"
"No." Sara said solemnly. "Though some of the witnesses said that there was something odd about that hollow."
"Strange how?" Yamaru asked.
"Only the top half of the mask was there, the bottom seemed to have fused with the face." Sara explained. "But I'm not sure myself."
"Fused?" Yamaru repeated.
"That's what I've heard." She confirmed.
"If I find it, I swear to cleanse it and rescue Kusonotsu-san." He pledged.
"Come on, you didn't come all this way just to hear such dismal news. Let's celebrate you graduation tonight. We have lots of food; let me make you something to eat." Sara said, standing up and moving to the kitchen. "Just sit there and wait a bit."
"Yes ma'am." Yamaru replied, licking his lips in anticipation of the meal. "First I become a Shinigami, and then I track and cleanse hollows. One step at a time." He thought, leaning against a wall, waiting for Sara to come back.
NRawk's Notes:
DUM DUM DUM! Oh no, a strange new type of hollow showed up and took Kusonotsu? And just who is this Gabriel man from Yamaru's past? Yamaru now has even more of a reason to become a Shinigami now, and with such an impressive grade from his exam he is well on his way.
I always wanted to do that. Anyways, so now Yamaru's first year at the Academy is done, and a new force is rearing its ugly head, along with a new friend from his forgotten past. Please R&R, seeds have been planted and plot is thickening, and I know the genre of this is Adventure/Romance, both are coming, so don't worry.