A whole new world
A new fantastic point of view
No one to tell us no
Or where to go
Or say we're only dreaming
--A Whole New World, Disney
--------------------------------
Renji took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders as he stood in the centre of the white cement road, directly before the large circular gates rimming the Seireitei.
The main road leading towards the massive group of buildings and hills from South Rukon was packed with bystanders on both sides, cheering and yelling as large groups of prospective Soul Reapers made their way up the street. Both behind him and before him, young men and women all trekked towards the large city, mostly dressed in identical loose black robes and white sashes tied around their waists. Renji, however, was dressed in his Rukon best: a sleeveless white tunic and a deep blue hakama that he had taken from a merchant who overcharged for his merchandise. Rukia was standing on his right side, looking radiant in a simple yet flattering blue dress with small flowers stitched into the fabric. Every here and there amongst the crowd, Renji could identify prospective initiates who were definitely from Rukon. Most of them were dressed much more shabbily than the initiates coming from nobility.
The sun was directly above, beating down on his unprotected neck and head. Rukia's hair was shining in the sunlight, looking sleek and glossy against the gleaming background of the 1st District of South Rukon. Up ahead, a massive wall of Sekkiseki stone cut a circular swath through Rukongai, separating it from the Seireitei. There was a large gap in the wall, where the initiates were streaming through. Next to the opening, a massive hulk of a man hovered over the crowd, his face expressionless as though carved from wood. He was easily ten times taller than any of the souls. Next to him, a Soul Reaper in dark robes was busy shepherding the initiates into the Seireitei. A small group of Hell Butterflies floated above the gate entrance, each broadcasting an identical message.
Welcome, initiates, to the Seireitei, the butterflies relayed. Please proceed past gatekeeper Hikonyūtō through the Red Hollow Gate and down the road to the seventh building up the street, the Soul Reaper Academy. Please have your entrance badge visible on your arm as you enter. There is no need to rush. Welcome, initiates, to the Seireitei. Please proceed...
"Can you believe it, Renji?" Rukia breathed next to him, her wide sapphire eyes fixed upon the grandiose city before them. "It's so beautiful! It's so different from the Rukongai. I can hardly wrap my head around it!"
"It is pretty amazing," Renji agreed, craning his neck to take in as much of the Seireitei as he could. Deep in the centre of the city, a large white tower rose upwards in a gleaming ivory spire. Next to it, a large circular hill dominated the horizon. "Oh, man. I can't wait to get in there and explore!" He felt tingling of excitement running across his arms to the tips of his fingers. Turning to Rukia, he grinned widely. "Come on! Let's hurry!" He tugged her toward the gate, sweeping them both into the throng of initiates making their way up the street.
Renji could hardly contain his excitement as they walked through the large open gate, past the hulking gatekeeper and into the streets of the Seireitei. The roads were immaculate and gleaming, composed of white granite. Soul Reapers peered at them from buildings, their heads turning left and right as they surveyed the new students.
The Soul Reaper Academy was immediately visible to Renji as he pulled Rukia through the crowd. It was a massive structure, towering over many of the other buildings, but not so high that it passed over the gate. Its roof was bright orange, and its length spanned almost the entire block. It was lined with windows in every direction. A smaller entrance building was directly in the centre, leading into the Academy. Renji tugged Rukia's hand and headed towards the entrance building, wading through the sea of initiates. Random bursts of conversation fell on his ears as he made his way through the crowd.
"Do you know how many entrance tests there are?"
"Four, I heard..."
"Really? I thought it was five..."
"Man, I'm really not looking forward to kidō..."
"I heard they've got a third seat presiding over the zanjutsu exam."
"Is there a written portion?"
"How much will we have to know about different types of Zanpakutō?"
Renji walked toward the open doorway, Rukia at his side. There was a booth set up next to the entrance, and a female Soul Reaper was seated at the table, looking slightly bored, but very prettily so. Renji swallowed and stepped up to the booth.
The Soul Reaper looked at him. She had long blond hair and bright emerald eyes, and a very piercing stare. However, the crinkles at the corners of her eyes suggested warmth, and she smiled easily at him as he approached. "Name?"
"Renji Abarai," he said quickly, tugging at his tunic's neck. The Soul Reaper looked down at a massive pile of paperwork, turning pages over as she scanned a list of names. Finally, she checked one off. "Yup, here you are. Academy Entrance badge?" Renji help up his right arm, where he had looped the badge around his right bicep. The Soul Reaper nodded at him. "Very good. Just step through the door and into the waiting room. You will be given further instructions." He nodded nervously. "T-thank you."
The Soul Reaper smiled encouragingly. "Don't worry. It was scary for me the first time I applied. But it's okay, it really isn't as hard as everyone makes it out to be."
The nervous constriction in his chest did not ease, but he deeply appreciated the effort. "Thank you."
"Good luck in there!" the Soul Reaper said brightly. "By the way, my name's Hina Akimoto. I look forward to seeing you in the Seireitei!" She turned to Rukia, who had watched the entire exchange with an apprehensive look. "Hi there. Name, please?"
"Rukia—"
Renji stepped inside the door and into the waiting area, looking around in wonder as he did so. The room was gigantic, larger than any room he had ever seen before. It was crowded with initiates, reclining against the walls and sitting in groups on benches that lined the perimeter of the room, waiting eagerly to be called for their entrance exams. There was an air of excited tension throughout the room. Renji could almost feel the nervous energy crackling in the air.
"Wow," someone from next to him whispered, and Renji turned to see Rukia stepping into the room. Her eyes grew bigger and bigger as she looked around. "It's massive, isn't it? We could fit a hundred of the shacks from Hanging Dog in here, easily!"
Renji nodded distractedly as he peered around the room. Who among these initiates were the strongest, the ones most likely to succeed? Those were the ones he wanted to find. His competition.
His hands resolutely curled into fists. I'm going to prove myself to everybody. This is my only chance to make a life for myself. I'm not going to blow it.
"Let's go find a seat," Rukia suggested, grabbing his hand; Renji followed her across the massive room, trying to look in every direction as he did so.
The room steadily grew more and more packed as they searched vainly for an empty bench. However, most of them were taken and full. Suddenly Rukia pointed to a bench near the back corner of the room. Only one person was sitting on it, a boy in a plain brown tunic and leggings.
"Hello," Rukia said warmly as she walked up to the boy. "Is it okay if we sit here?"
"Hey, help yourself," the boy responded amicably, waving his hand at the bench. "The more the merrier."
"Thank you." Rukia sat down next to him and Renji followed suit. "Where are you guys from?" the boy asked. Renji felt his face grow hot. They'd known the kid for all of ten seconds and he already wanted to know about whether they were from nobility.
"Renji and I are from the 78th District of South Rukon," Rukia replied easily, not sounding embarrassed in the least. "What about you?"
"Oh, you're from the Rukongai too?" the boy said, sounding delighted. "I'm from West Rukon, District 42. I'm really glad to have met you. I was afraid none of the other kids would want to talk to me, since I'm a Rukon grunt and they're from nobility and all."
"Nobility doesn't mean anything," Rukia sniffed. "Plus, we'll show them that we don't have to be from money to become better Soul Reapers than they are!"
"Got that right," the boy said, grinning. He had a youthful smile and bright brown eyes, and a messy halo of dark chocolate coloured hair. He stuck out his hand. "I'm Tatsuyoshi Kita. Pleased to meet you."
Renji watched as Rukia beamed at him and took his hand, telling him her name. Maybe this kid isn't so bad after all, he thought. "I'm Renji Abarai."
"You've got really cool hair," Tatsuyoshi said, looking up at his ponytail. "I wish I had hair like that."
"Really?" Renji said, surprised. Most people hated his hair. It was the main reason he had been picked on so often back in Hanging Dog.
"Yeah," Tatsuyoshi replied, nodding fervently. "At least you look interesting. Me, I look like a bookworm. Nobody's going to take me seriously."
"Guess you'll just have to make 'em respect you," Renji said. Tatsuyoshi smirked. "Yeah, I can't wait for the exams. I know a lot about the Soul Society, so the written part should be a piece of cake."
"Do you know much about the entrance tests?" Renji asked.
"Sure. My brother's a Soul Reaper, he's been in the 13 Court Guard Squads for two years. He says there are four physical aptitude tests you have to take: hakuda, hohō, zanjutsu, and kidō. Then there's a written portion, where you basically have to talk about the history of the Soul Reapers, how to recognize types of Hollows, that kind of jazz. My brother says it's really easy."
Shit. Kidō? Looks like there's one test I'm definitely going to fail, Renji thought miserably.
"How long do we have to wait before we take the tests?" Rukia asked. Tatsuyoshi shrugged. "They've been calling students' names all morning. Guess it's just a matter of time."
They sat there for the better part of an hour, watching the room fill up and empty slowly. Every now and then, a Hell Butterfly would call a name throughout the room, and an initiate would leave the room through a set of doors on the right, into the test chamber. Through it all, Renji sat, tense and nervous. Rukia seemed just as edgy. Tatsuyoshi, however, leaned against the wall with one leg drawn up and his arm draped carelessly over his knee, seemingly completely at ease. Renji's nerves seemed to grow tighter as time floated by. Then:
"Kita, Tatsuyoshi!"
"Guess that's my cue," the brown haired boy said, getting to his feet and cracking his knuckles. "'Bout damn time!"
"Good luck, Tatsuyoshi!" Rukia said encouragingly. Renji echoed her. The other boy laughed and winked. "Hey, no problem." He made his way across the room, vanishing into the doorway.
"Do you think he'll do well?" Rukia asked, watching the door close behind him.
Renji shrugged. "I think so. He seems pretty confident."
About half an hour later, Tatsuyoshi walked back into the room, looking extraordinarily pleased with himself. He spotted them immediately and made his way over, grinning like a loon.
"How did you do?" Rukia asked excitedly. Tatsuyoshi folded his hands behind his head. "Aced it. I'm in. I even got put into the advanced placement class."
"Well done!" Rukia squealed, giving him a hug. Renji was astonished; it was as though she had known him for years. "That's so great!"
"Congratulations," Renji said, grinning. Tatsuyoshi smiled back. "Thanks, Renji."
"What were the tests like?" Rukia peppered him with questions.
"I can't really say much, but they're basically like what I told you. There are three instructors that go over the aptitude tests with you. The written exam happens at the end; apparently we all have to take it together."
About twenty minutes later, Rukia was called. She stood up, looking queasy.
"Relax," Renji said soothingly, squeezing her hand. "You'll do fine."
"Thanks, Renji," she whispered, squeezing back. Then she raised her head resolutely and made her way through the doors and out of sight.
"Do you think she'll do okay?"
"I hope so," Renji murmured, watching the doorway with apprehension. If she doesn't get in, I'm not even going to take the exams. I don't care. I'm not going without Rukia. She's the only family I've got.
Eventually Rukia re-entered the room, looking very pale. Renji leapt to his feet as she walked across the room towards him.
"How did you do?" he asked frantically. "You got in, right?"
"Yeah," Rukia replied, and Renji felt an enormous wave of relief pass through him. "But I didn't make it into the advanced class."
"Who cares?" Renji laughed, drawing her into a hug and swinging her around. "You made it, Rukia! You're in! I knew you would do it."
"Yeah," she murmured, starting to look a little more cheerful. She smiled at him and buried her face into his chest. "Thanks, Renji."
"Way to go, Rukia," Tatsuyoshi said approvingly. He turned to Renji. "Looks like you're the last one, eh?"
"Looks that way," Renji replied quietly. His palms were starting to sweat and his heart was beating faster and faster with each passing minute. He found his eyes being drawn to the Hell Butterflies in the air every few seconds, tensing each time they called out a name.
New students continued to pour into the room. Most were just blank faces to him, but he did catch a couple that caught his attention.
One was a muscular, tall youth, with dark hazel eyes and spiky black hair with a streak of red in it. He had a large, ropy scar running down the left side of his jaw. He leaned against the wall some distance away, arms crossed over his massive chest, towering over the other students. He had been called earlier, Renji recalled. I wonder how he did?
To the left of the muscled giant there was a short, athletic-looking girl dressed in long white robes, rimmed with pale blue at the openings. Her sleeves were wide and hung at her forearms, and her leggings ended just above her knees. Her face was striking, even from his distance; large violet eyes surveyed the crowd with interest, roving over the initiates. Around her neck was a red cloth, and her hair was covered with a long grey scarf, draped over her head like a bandana and wrapped elegantly. It made her look both exotic and dangerous.
She looks familiar, Renji mused. Have I seen her somewhere before...?
Before he could give it any more thought, the Hell Butterfly called out: "Abarai, Renji!"
His heart stopped, then started up again, faster than ever.
"Good luck, Renji," Tatsuyoshi said, looking sympathetic. "Don't look so down. You're not heading to your execution, you know."
"You'll do brilliantly, Renji!" Rukia whispered, kissing him on the cheek. "Good luck!"
"Yeah," Renji muttered, his stomach twisting and roiling as though he had eaten five helpings of taiyaki. Rukia and Tatsuyoshi both got in. Now I just have to make sure I don't screw this up. Swallowing hard, he stood up and made his way across the room, conscious of all the eyes in the waiting area boring into his back.
The test chamber was a large circular room, mostly empty apart from a desk at the right end. Three Soul Reapers sat at the desk, dressed in identical black robes. One was a purple-haired woman with solemn eyes. The other two were male.
The woman looked up as he entered. "You are Renji Abarai?" He nodded.
"Good. My name is Ayane Nakajima, and these are Takezo Himura and Daichi Anzai. We will be the ones presiding over your entrance exams." Her voice echoed with tiredness, indicating that she had repeated that speech hundreds of times that day.
Renji nodded, ever aware of his pounding heart.
Ayane's dark blue eyes were slightly puffy from exhaustion. "We will start with the hakuda test. Hakuda is hand-to-hand combat, which is a great asset for Soul Reapers, particularly those interested in joining the Stealth Force. If your scores are high enough, we will put in a notification to Captain Soifon, the Commander-in-chief of the Stealth Force and Captain of Squad 2."
Renji struggled to absorb it all. What the hell's the Stealth Force? He had never even heard of it. He immediately felt panic shoot through his veins. Did they expect us to know about that? What if it's on the written exam? Shit, shit, shit.
"Let us begin," Ayane suggested, standing from her desk and walking around it to face him. "In this test, I will begin to spar with you. You will stay on the defensive at first and attempt to block my strikes. If you can do so, attempt to land hits of your own. You must hit me five times in order to pass. Is that understood?"
Renji nodded, casting away his doubts and settling into a fighting stance. Just don't think about it. Act. You've had plenty of fights in Hanging Dog, so this should be a piece of cake.
Ayane likewise settled into a fighting stance, her black robes tight across her chest. She looked at him. "Are you ready?"
Renji observed her carefully. Most of her weight was settled into her right leg, which was closest to him. Depending on how she fights, I'll know how to take her down. "Ready."
"Then begin!"
She propelled herself off the floor and was flying towards him before he could even blink. Her right hand flashed out, aiming a punch directly at his face. He brought his own hand up and knocked her punch away, bringing his left knee upwards. Ayane quickly twisted in midair, using her left hand to launch herself off his knee and somersault upward over his head.
She's good, Renji thought, spinning around to counter another two punches. She's fast. But so am I!
Ayane aimed a flurry of punches and kicks towards him, her movements graceful and strong. Renji blocked them all, using a combination of dodging and his own limbs to counter the attacks. Ayane was grinning as she attacked, apparently pleased to have decent competition.
"You've got some skill with hakuda, kid!" she called out, sweeping her left leg out in a dizzying arc, attempting to sweep his feet out from under him.
Renji was caught off guard, but even as he fell, he twisting his body to land on his outstretched palm, immediately propelling himself into a back flip over Ayane. As he was in the air over her, he stretched out his right leg, landing a solid kick on her shoulder.
She grunted softly as his leg made contact, staggering back. One. Renji landed, spun around and landed a quick blow on her momentarily unprotected midsection. That's two. However, Ayane recovered quickly and increased her speed, knocking away his hits and kicking him squarely in the chest, sending him flying.
"Come on," she yelled, grinning brightly. "You can do better!"
Renji grinned back at her. "If you insist!" He increased the speed of his movements, aiming blow after blow, kick after kick. They crashed and collided together in rapid movements, each trying to ward off the other's attacks. After five minutes, Renji managed to hit Ayane three more times, twice on her left side and once on her back. At last, she called a halt.
"Well done," she said, sounding pleased; sweat had formed at her forehead and her purple hair was slick around her cheeks. "That was a very good performance." She nodded at the other two Soul Reapers, who had been observing the fight, jotting notes down into a sheaf of papers. At this, one of the men stood up.
"I'm Daichi," he said. He was lithe and thin in his Soul Reaper robes, with a dark green headband tied around his forehead, looping under his spiky black hair. His eyes were a friendly shade of brown and he had an easygoing smile. "I'm going to test you now in kidō."
Shit, Renji grumbled internally. I hate kidō.
"This part of the exam is relatively simple," Daichi said. "As you know, kidō is the technique of focusing your spiritual energy into magical abilities, such as combat spells, including attack and defense, or healing spells. Kidō is separated into two divisions, and each spell is graded on a scale from 1 to 99, the latter being the most powerful and dangerous. They're also the most difficult to execute. Here, you will demonstrate the first spells for both Bakudō, the way of binding, and Hadō, the way of destruction."
Renji nodded glumly. "Okay."
Daichi laughed. "Don't look so down. If your scores are high, you'll receive special credit and we'll put in a notification to the Kidō Corps branch of the military." Daichi walked around to face Renji as Ayane returned to the desk. "If you're ready, please demonstrate Bakudō No. 1: Sai."
Renji sighed. Guess there's nothing else for it.
Pointing his right hand at Daichi with his index and middle finger extended upward, Renji took a deep breath. "Bakudō No. 1: Sai!" As he spoke he whipped his hand to the side. To his immense surprise, Daichi's hands were immediately locked behind his back. However, in less than two seconds, he had shattered Renji's feeble spell and was flexing his wrists. "Not bad," he said. "Hadō now."
Renji inclined his head. Then he pointed his right hand again, this time focusing his energy to his index finger. "Hadō No. 1: Shō!"
Instead of causing a bright circle of blue light to knock Daichi away, the spell backfired with a loud boom that sent a blue shockwave throughout the room. Both Renji and Daichi were blasted backwards, the former slamming into the doorway and the latter into the marking desk. Renji felt embarrassment well up in his chest as Ayane and the other Soul Reaper stared dubiously at him.
"Interesting," Daichi panted, getting to his feet once more, looking very windswept. "Too much power and backlash, though. Not the best. You're going to need to learn how to control that."
Renji's face flamed. "Y-yes, sir! I'm sorry, sir!"
Daichi waved his hand in an airy manner. "Forget the formalities. Just call me Daichi."
"Yes, sir!"
Daichi rolled his eyes and chuckled. "All right. I guess we move on to hohō now. Ayane?"
Renji picked himself off the floor as the purple-haired girl stepped into the centre of the room, smiling at him. "Ready for round two?" Her eyes were bright with challenge.
Renji grinned back at her. "You bet I am!"
She laughed. "Good. This test, Renji, is focused on speed. All you need to do is try to keep up with me. Hohō is central to any Soul Reaper's repertoire, and it's a must if you're applying for the Stealth Force, or for a seated position. For the first part, I'm going to use Shunpo, otherwise known as flash step, to attack you. Try to dodge my blows... if you can."
Renji settled back into a fighting stance, his body hot with exertion and his limbs eager for more. "Sounds like a challenge. Let's do it!"
Ayane smirked. "For the second part, I'm going to try to avoid you. You have to chase me and tag me five times. Got it?"
Renji nodded.
"Then go!"
She suddenly vanished.
Renji's eyes widened. What the...?
A flicker of movement at the corner of his eye shouted out a warning, and he barely managed to turn in time to dodge a punch aimed at the left side of his face as Ayane materialized into view once more.
Her pink lips turned up playfully. "Little too fast for you?"
Renji gave a short laugh. "You wish!"
He whirled and struck out with his foot in a roundhouse kick. Ayane vanished once again, and this time he could just barely make out dark flickers of movement as she ran around the room.
I can see her, but only just. I need to track her movements more. Maybe she has a routine...?
She burst towards him once more. Renji almost fell backwards as one of the dark lines shooting around the room suddenly became Ayane. He spun around and managed to leap aside from her kick, and the next two in quick succession. Sweat formed on his brow and rolled down his temple.
Shit. I've got to take her down fast, or she's going to hit me eventually.
They engaged in a furious dance, Renji dodging and rolling as Ayane swirled around him, raining blow after blow upon him. After about five minutes, Renji's limbs were watery and sore. And he still hadn't managed to find any opening with which to attack Ayane.
Damn it! He raged inside his head, somersaulting backwards as Ayane tried to deliver a bicycle kick to him. There must be some way to get past her defenses!
Wait...
He stopped moving and stood stock still, breathing hard. He could still hear the soft rushes of wind behind him as Ayane circled the room. He closed his eyes, concentrating.
The wind shifted.
Gotcha.
He turned and caught Ayane's foot in the middle of her kick. Her eyes widened in surprise just before Renji gave a shout and spun around, throwing her hard into the air. She flew towards the wall, but managed to turn the momentum of the toss into a back flip and land safely.
The two stared at each other for a moment, both breathing hard and drenched in sweat. Then Ayane beamed at him and clapped her hands. "Excellent! That was one of the best displays we've seen so far. How did you know where I was going to strike?"
"You always tried to confuse me with your movements, then come at me from behind," Renji explained, wiping his forehead on his sleeve. "Eventually I realized your pattern and anticipated your next attack. You would go for my upper body from behind. So I just waited and caught the next attack."
She looked very pleased. "Well done." She arched her back. "But we're not done yet!"
She vanished again. Renji gritted his teeth and began pumping his feet, running after her.
Trying to catch Ayane was like trying to catch smoke. He could barely make out glimpses of her light purple hair as she leaped lightly around the room, and every time he reached out for her all he felt was the soft whisper of the hem of her robes. After two minutes of unsuccessful grabbing, Renji decided to change tactics.
Instead of running after her, Renji turned around midstride and ran in the opposite direction. Sure enough, as Ayane circled, he managed to slip past her right side, tapping her twice in quick succession. He saw her mouth twitch as she danced away, moving ever faster.
Renji took off again, focusing his reiatsu in a warming glow across his legs and into the balls of his feet. Suddenly, it seemed as though he were floating, as though each step he took carried him more than three times its original distance. Whooping wildly, he easily leaped into Ayane's range and tagged her again. A minute later it was over.
"Excellent," Ayane said, smiling at him as she came to a stop. "You're a natural."
She went back to sit at the desk, tugging the v-neck of her robes down slightly and fanning herself. Renji was grateful for his already flushed cheeks as he looked determinedly at the ceiling.
"Guess we've only got one more to go," the last Soul Reaper said. "I'm Takezo. You and I are going to be sparring in zanjutsu."
Renji grinned widely. This was what he had been waiting for.
"Please select a wooden sword from the rack against the wall," Takezo said, motioning to a wide display rack on the right side of the room, lined from floor to ceiling with identical wooden swords. Renji walked over and selected one before turning to Takezo.
The Soul Reaper pulled out a wood sword of his own. His eyes were a dark brown, almost black, and his body well muscled and strong. Renji could tell right away that he was accustomed to swordplay.
"This is probably the most straightforward test," Takezo said, hefting the sword and resting it against his shoulder. "Zanjutsu is sword combat. If you want to be a Soul Reaper, you need to be able to use a Zanpakutō effectively. This is the most fundamental aspect of being a Soul Reaper. Are you ready?"
Renji nodded, raising the sword.
"Then come at me, and show no mercy."
Renji leaped forward and swung the sword downward in an overhead blow. Takezo blocked it and responded with a sideways swipe, aiming at Renji's ribs. He knocked the sword away and swung again, stabbing at Takezo's ribs. The Soul Reaper danced away and flourished his sword, and Renji took off after him.
Ten minutes passed in a furious struggle. Renji leaped and twisted, dueling with the Soul Reaper instructor, clashing swords again and again. Sweat formed on his face and rolled down his neck, but he didn't stop. He had been knocking sticks around for as long as he could remember. He wasn't going to lose this one.
Takezo came at him again, teeth gritted as he swung at Renji's face. With a hoarse grunt, Renji knocked the sword away, then barrelled towards Takezo with a raging flurry of blows, using every ounce of his strength to batter the Soul Reaper's defences. The instructor tried to parry, but Renji's assault had caught him off guard. Yelling, he slammed the sword down with such force that it shattered Takezo's sword in half, sending wood splinters spinning off into the air.
Takezo froze, standing stock still and staring at Renji, holding the broken pieces of his sword in his hand. Renji took deep, gulping breaths, his sword still raised and ready. Behind Takezo, Ayane and Daichi were gaping at him with astonishment.
"Excellent!" Takezo suddenly roared, tossing his sword pieces away and beaming widely. Renji blinked in surprise, not expecting the outburst from such a reserved looking man. "Friggin' amazing! Where'd you learn that kind of swordsmanship?"
Renji lowered his sword, still breathing heavily. "I grew up in Hanging Dog, South Rukon. We had to fight to survive back there. It was grow stronger, or die."
Takezo nodded, looking satisfied. "It paid off." He headed back to the desk. Daichi tossed him a towel and he wrapped it around his neck, wiping his face. "Well done, Renji."
He stood nervously before the judges, twisting his hands. "So..."
Ayane smiled benignly at him. "In order to be admitted to the Soul Reaper Academy, one must pass two out of these four tests. If you pass three or all of them, you are admitted to the advanced placement class."
Daichi nodded. "Each test is scored out of ten. Your grades will give us an indicator as to what you need to improve on."
"However," Takezo said, "these grades remain confidential for now. Suffice it to say, you've passed. You're in, Renji."
He felt his breath hitch in his throat. "I'm...?"
Ayane winked at him. "Not only that, but you've shown incredible skill. We have a place for you in the advanced class, if you'd like."
A powerful tide of joy welled up inside his stomach, overwhelming in its intensity. He couldn't stop a wide grin from breaking out across his face. "Y-yes, ma'am! Thank you very much, ma'am!"
Ayane giggled. "It's Ayane, Renji. Please go back to the waiting room. Soon, the aptitude tests will be over and you will be called to write your written entrance exam."
He nodded, still beaming like an idiot. "Thank you very much, Ayane, Takezo, Daichi."
Daichi waved his hand again. "Go on, kid."
Renji stepped back into the waiting room, scanning it for Rukia and Tatsuyoshi. He spotted them over at the corner of the room, each watching him apprehensively. He made his way over, unable to stop himself from breaking out into another grin.
"You got in!" Rukia nearly shrieked when he drew closer.
"Yeah," Renji said happily. "And I got into the advanced class, too!"
"Hey, way to go!" Tatsuyoshi clapped him on the shoulder. "Guess I'm going to have some competition, aren't I?"
"So it would seem," Renji said, grinning. Everything seemed so much brighter now.
"You big jerk!" Rukia exclaimed angrily. Now that she was sure Renji had been accepted, she seemed to have reverted to her old argumentative self. "How did you get into the advanced class instead of me?!"
"Guess they just recognize talent when they see it," Renji said smugly. A vein throbbed on her forehead. "You're such a—"
"I wonder if we'll get any classes together," Tatsuyoshi said loudly, cutting off their argument. "I hear that they've got a student teaching zanjutsu who's already taking orders from the 13 Court Guard Squads. Can you believe it? Not even graduated and already doing missions!" Tatsuyoshi grinned in reverence. "I can't wait to meet him."
Renji sat back against the bench, looking out across the room. "I hope he's good. It'll be fun to learn some new moves."
The examinations continued over the next two hours. Throughout it all, he talked excitedly with Rukia and Tatsuyoshi about what the Academy would be like, what classes they would take, and so on. He felt eagerness flood throughout his system and he fidgeted constantly, hardly able to wait to get going. He also looked around the room, wanting to catch another glimpse of that pale, beautiful girl in the grey scarf. But she seemed to have vanished.
At long last, the Hell Butterfly called out: "Attention, students! Please proceed through the door on the far left to the examination hall. Select a desk and prepare to write your written test!"
Renji got to his feet with the others, cracking his neck. "Finally."
"This should be fun," Tatsuyoshi said. "Let's go knock 'em dead."
They trekked together along with the chattering crowd into the large examination room, which was a wide, spacious hall filled with rows and rows of desks. Several Soul Reapers were walking around through the spaces between the desks, distributing papers. "Everyone grab a seat!" one of them called.
Renji quickly chose a desk next to Rukia, and Tatsuyoshi sat in front of him. He craned his neck, looking around the room as the students began sitting at desks, looking for anyone of interest. He spotted the strong-looking youth with the scar on his face about seven rows in front of him. And there, to his left, about three rows up, was the girl with the scarf, sitting with her chin in her hand and watching the other students with that same interest.
"All right, everyone settle down," one of the Soul Reapers called. Slowly, the chatter died out and the room became silent.
"You have an hour to write this exam," the Soul Reaper continued. "We will give you further instructions when you finish. If you finish early, please wait the remainder of the hour for the others to finish." He looked out across the rows of desks. "You may begin."
There was a rustle of papers across the room as everyone turned over their papers. On his right, Rukia was already scribbling away.
Renji looked at the page, and the first question met his eyes. Describe the characteristics of a Zanpakutō, and discuss its role in a soul burial.
Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. With a slight smile on his face, Renji leaned over and began to write.