Chapter Three
Yuki's Challenge
Shichiyou stood completely still and speechless. Her new sensei may have only been one or two inches shorter than she was, and maybe no one else would notice, but she definitely did. She had never met anyone shorter than her since she was eleven years old. The only people that were shorter than her were usually half her age or younger. Yet here she was, face to face with someone who she could, in a sense, look down to.
"What are you staring at?" Her sensei asked angrily.
"Oh, um, nothing." Shichiyou replied blushing slightly. She wasn't really staring, so much as observing. Her sensei had lightly tanned skin and white hair that was spiked up with a single piece going up but then falling just over his left eye. He was about 4'4" and was wearing the same outfit as her, but with a captain's traditional white cloak over top. His eyes were what interested Shichiyou the most. They were a light green almost teal colour. They were so bright and vibrant. Shichiyou stared at his face and realized that he would be cute, if he wasn't scowling at her right this minute.
"Are you Shichiyou Hitohana?" He asked. His voice was stern and commanding. Not surprising considering he was a captain.
"Uh, yes…sir." Shichiyou added quickly.
"Well then, you might as well introduce yourself to the class seen as we've already wasted enough time as is." He said sighing angrily. Shichiyou swallowed and nodded. She turned around to see a whole bunch of eyes staring at her. She looked down and felt her face turn red. Shichiyou started playing with her hands nervously.
"Umm, h-hello. M-my name is S-Shichiyou Hitohana, a-and I-I hope I-I'll meet s-some new people w-while I'm here." Shichiyou said still fidgeting with her hands. She felt so stupid standing there while they all watched her like hawks.
"So how did you get your powers?" She heard a high-pitched voice asking. She knew right away it was Yuki and she glared angrily at her hands. She took a deep breath and looked up. Shichiyou knew Yuki was challenging her, trying to make her look weak, but there was no way Shichiyou was going to let her do that, at least she was going to try and not let it happen.
"M-my sister and I were out for a walk, and we stayed out later than usual. As we were w-walking back we ran into two soul reapers and they were drunk and they tried to…attack my sister and I. One of them grabbed my sister and I knew I had to help her. I-I'm not sure how it happened but I prayed for strength and the next thing I knew I was wearing this black outfit, with a sword covered in blood in my hand and the two soul reapers were gone." Shichiyou explained trying to ignore the parts about the voice and what the men were really planning to do with her and her sister.
Interested murmurs filled the air. Everyone was talking about what Shichiyou had just said. Shichiyou looked through the crowd to see Yuki giving her an evil glare. Shichiyou smiled sweetly back and Yuki's glare became deadly. Shichiyou ignored her and looked through the crowd until she finally caught eyes with Aserisk. He smiled when he saw she was looking at him and Shichiyou smiled back. Well, at least she knew someone was on her side.
"I think that's good enough, Hitohana get back to your place in line so I can start this class." Shichiyou's sensei ordered shooing her with his hand.
"Uh, yes sensei." She said while quickly bowing. She practically ran back to her place beside Aserisk and sighed with relief.
"You ok Shichiyou?" He asked sarcastically.
"Y-yeah, I just get nervous in front of other people." She explained feeling the colour drain away from her face slowly. Shichiyou wiped her forehead to try and get rid of the beaded sweat on her forehead.
"Oh, are you? I'm sorry if I had known I would have never asked for you to speak up there." Shichiyou looked over at Yuki who had an expertly mastered expression of remorse on her face. Shichiyou just smiled.
"Well I never said anything, and you never asked so I'm not surprised." She said sweetly. Already Shichiyou could see the sparks flaring between Yuki and herself. Yuki opened her mouth to retort when the same stern voice from before spoke up.
"Kurobara, Hitohana, incase you haven't noticed I am trying to start a class so if you two could shut your mouths I can get started." Yuki glared at Shichiyou before turning back to face forward.
"Yes Hitsugaya-sensei." She said. Shichiyou turned back forward as well.
"Yes Hitsugaya-sensei." Shichiyou repeated.
"Good, now seen as you've all just recently come back from a short and completely unnecessary break we'll be going over the basics." Shichiyou heard groans fill the group.
"Don't you all groan at me now take out your zanpaku-to and we can begin." Everyone pulled their katana out of their sheaths at the same time. Shichiyou looked around and nervously fumbled trying to pull her zanpaku-to out. She almost dropped it twice trying to pull it out. She heard Yuki chuckle and Aserisk threw her a dark glare. He then turned back to Shichiyou and smiled.
"Calm down. Just follow what I do and you'll figure it out." He said. Shichiyou nodded and looked forward. She held her zanpaku-to out in front of her like everyone else and waited for someone to move.
"Alright everyone, you know the drill, horizontal thrust, and you may begin." Hitsugaya-sensei said. Immediately everyone started thrusting their zanpaku-to. Shichiyou jumped slightly surprised and started following everyone else. Shichiyou swung her zanpaku-to like she was told. Well, this isn't so bad, she thought to herself, all I need to do is swing my zanpaku-to and I'll be fine.
"Alright switch." She heard Hitsugaya-sensei order. Suddenly everyone started swinging vertically, jabbed once, swung horizontally, and then started all over again. It took Shichiyou a few missed swings in order for her to pick up the pattern. I think I spoke too soon…I hope no one noticed. She looked around, but everyone seemed to be more concentrated on their own drills than on Shichiyou's mistakes.
Shichiyou kept up the pace as well as she could, but after almost half an hour of doing the same drills she could already feel the ache in her shoulders and small beads of sweat on her brow. She looked around and was shocked to find no one else was even sweating! They looked like this came as naturally as eating or breathing. What in the world have I signed myself up for? Shichiyou thought her face falling.
Suddenly a flicker of white hair caught Shichiyou's eye and she looked over to see Hitsugaya-sensei walking by everyone. Shichiyou felt her heartbeat quicken. She did her best to keep up with the others but she could feel her hands shaking. If she wanted to survive she needed to prove herself to Hitsugaya-sensei, but she could already feel her clammy hands start to lose grip on her zanpaku-to. Oh no, I'm going to drop it! Shichiyou realized with horror. She felt the hilt slowly slide forward and just as she was about to lose it a loud voice filled the air.
"Stop!" It ordered. Everyone stopped and Shichiyou stopped just in time to take hold of her zanpaku-to. Shichiyou stood straight like the others with her zanpaku-to in front of her. Suddenly Hitsugaya-sensei was standing in front of her. Shichiyou swallowed hard. Oh God, did I do something wrong? She wondered.
"Hitohana, what happened to your zanpaku-to?" He suddenly asked. Shichiyou was caught off guard.
"W-what?" She asked confused.
"I don't like repeating myself Hitohana I suggest you keep that in mind. I asked, what happened to your zanpaku-to?" He said the ending of his sentence slowly.
"I-I don't know. It was like this when I got it…Hitsugaya-sensei." She added. Hitsugaya-sensei looked at her zanpaku-to. Shichiyou felt her face flush. Hitsugaya-sensei grabbed the blade lightly examining it.
"Son of a bitch better let go of me. No man touches me without my permission."
"What Hitsugaya-sensei?" Shichiyou asked.
"I didn't say anything Hitohana. And I'd prefer it if you said 'pardon' or 'excuse me' instead of 'what'." He said without looking up at Shichiyou.
"Yes Hitsugaya-sensei." Shichiyou replied. She felt everyone staring at her and her face burned red.
"This is one of the oddest zanpaku-to I have ever seen. These cracks, they don't make sense. Tell me, Hitohana, did you break it at all?"
"No Hitsugaya-sensei. It was like this when I unsheathed it. I don't know why it's cracked." Shichiyou explained.
"I see, I suppose it's fine, as long as your zanpaku-to doesn't break in the middle of a battle it shouldn't be too useless." Hitsugaya-sensei said. He flicked the blade as if to test it and then walked back to the front of the class.
"You son of a bitch I dare you to come back here and say that to my face! I'll kick your ass! 'Useless', you wouldn't know usefulness if it came out of nowhere and kicked the shit out of you!" Shichiyou heard the voice again. She blinked and looked around. No one seemed to have moved their mouth and she couldn't figure out where it had come from. Suddenly Shichiyou saw a pale hand shoot up into the air.
"Hitsugaya-sensei!" Shichiyou groaned as she heard the high-pitched voice she had come to hate.
"Ugh, what is it now Kurobara?" Hitsugaya-sensei asked annoyed.
"I was wondering, since we're done the drills, is there a chance I could…test Hitohana?" Shichiyou froze. What was Yuki talking about, "testing" her?
"What are you talking about Kurobara?" Hitsugaya-sensei asked.
"What I'm saying is that I think it would be a good idea to test Hitohana's abilities. Maybe in a, oh I don't know, one-on-one fight? Just Hitohana and myself. It won't be anything horrible, just a normal sword fight with just our zanpaku-to. She did take on two graduated soul reapers by herself, so I should be no problem for her. This is also a good way to check for any…flaws in her zanpaku-to. If it breaks during our fight then it'll be useless." Yuki eyed Shichiyou slyly. Shichiyou was frozen. Sure, she may have beaten those two soul reapers, but she was protecting her sister, and in some sort of, adrenaline rush induced trance. She hardly remembered what she did. On top of all that the soul reapers were drunk and delusional! To fight Yuki, an already trained and completely aware soul reaper, was suicide.
Hitsugaya-sensei groaned.
"Alright fine, I can't take much more of your interruptions anyway. Hitohana, Kurobara get to the sparring field." He said. Everyone moved off towards an area blocked off from the rest of the training area by a two-foot wall.
"Hitsugaya-sensei, maybe I should fight Shi- I mean Hitohana. She'll be more comfortable fighting someone she knows. This is one of her first fights after all." Aserisk tried to defend.
"Hydelas that is exactly why Kurobara should fight Hitohana. She will be fighting Hollows eventually and as you know it is impossible to be comfortable fighting them for even a minute. Also we already know this is Hitohana's second fight so she should therefore have no problem." Hitsugaya-sensei stated crossing his arms.
"But, but tou- I mean Hitsugaya-sensei she, there's no way she-"
"Hydelas that's enough. It's a simple fight. They won't be saying their zanpaku-to names and if it gets out of hand I will step in to stop it." Hitsugaya-sensei stated finally. Aserisk opened his mouth to defend Shichiyou but closed it when he realized it was useless. When Hitsugaya-sensei used that tone, it meant what he said was final. Aserisk walked over to Shichiyou and led her to the sparring field.
"Look, here's a 30 second run down of how to fight. Make sure to keep your guard up, watch your opponent's movements, and make sure to not let them see what you're going to do next. As long as you can read your opponent and they can't read you, you should be fine."
"But Aserisk I have no idea how to read people. I don't know what I'm doing!" Shichiyou said.
"It's mostly instinct. If worse comes to worse your soul reaper instincts will kick in. If they don't work, Hitsugaya-sensei will step in if it gets out of hand. At least that's what he said. I'll be there too, ok, so try not too worried about it." Aserisk smiled as sweetly as he could. Shichiyou tried to smile, but it quickly faded as they drew nearer to the sparring field. They came to the 2-foot wall. Aserisk took Shichiyou's hand and helped lift her up on it and then down into the field. And they said chivalry was dead, Shichiyou thought trying to calm the churning feeling in her stomach.
Shichiyou walked to the middle of the field where Yuki was already waiting for her. Yuki glared darkly at Shichiyou. Hitsugaya-sensei walked onto the field and stood a few feet away from Shichiyou and Yuki.
"Hitohana, Kurobara, this will be a clean fight using zanpaku-to and your own physical strength as weapons. Anything goes but the only thing I will not allow is for you to call the name of your zanpaku-to. Understand?"
"Why of course Hitsugaya-sensei." Yuki replied sweetly.
"Yes Hitsugaya-sensei." Shichiyou agreed. Actually she had no idea what Hitsugaya-sensei was talking about, so it wasn't really that important that she couldn't call her zanpaku-to name. She didn't even know zanpaku-to had names. And if they did, she didn't know the name of hers. That didn't matter now, all that mattered was that she had to somehow find a way to defeat Yuki.
"Good, then you can begin as soon as you're ready." Hitsugaya-sensei said and then gracefully left the field. Yuki unsheathed her zanpaku-to and Shichiyou did as well trying to look like she knew what she was doing.
"So, are you going to make the first strike or am I?" Yuki asked.
"Uh…"
"Too slow." Suddenly Yuki was lunging herself at Shichiyou. Shichiyou stumbled back shocked and fell backwards narrowly dodging a horizontal strike. Suddenly I'm very thankful of being clumsy. Shichiyou thought breathing a sigh of relief. She quickly stood and stood as strong as she could manage. Yuki lunged at her again and this time Shichiyou put her zanpaku-to up just in time to block a direct jab at her stomach. She flew from Yuki and landed hard on her back. The wind was knocked out of her and she found herself gasping for breath. Shichiyou slowly lifted herself from the ground using her zanpaku-to for support. Yuki was smiling at her. Shichiyou couldn't believe such a shock of power could come from such a small girl.
"Done already? I have to admit I'm quite disappointed." Yuki smiled slyly.
"Stupid bitch, I'll slice her in half…" Again the weird voice sounded out. Shichiyou shook her head trying to ignore it and lifted herself back up.
"I'm not finished yet." Shichiyou said pointing her zanpaku-to at Yuki. Yuki's smile fell and she threw herself at Shichiyou again. Shichiyou put up her zanpaku-to ready for Yuki's attack. Shichiyou braced herself and just as she was about to parry Yuki's attack, Yuki moved to the right and sliced Shichiyou across the back. Shichiyou cringed and gasped in pain. She leaned forward and instinctively reached for her back. She forgot about Yuki, all she could think about was the pain.
"Oh, does that hurt? I'm so sorry!" Yuki said while kicking Shichiyou in the back exactly where she had just slashed her. Shichiyou screamed. She fell forward and blood trickled down her back.
"Shichiyou, you stupid bitch, get up!"
"But, it hurts, it hurts so much." Shichiyou whispered. Tears were falling down her face.
"Look you little whining idiot I have been embarrassed enough through this fight I am not going to let you keep abusing my reputation like this! Now get up and kick the shit out of that little bitch now!"
"But how? I have no idea what I'm doing." Shichiyou said slowly bringing herself to her knees.
"How pathetic, she's so pitiful she's talking to herself." Yuki said. Small giggles filled the area.
"Shichiyou, come on get up! I know you can do it!" Shichiyou looked over to see Aserisk cheering for her. His face was filled with concern. Shichiyou smiled.
"He believes in me." She whispered to herself happily.
"Of course he does, but he won't if you just sit there dicking around." The voice said. Shichiyou slowly pushed herself to her feet. She turned to face Yuki. The tears had dried on her face and she was ready to fight, at least she hoped she was.
"That's it Shichiyou. You can do it!" Aserisk yelled happily. Shichiyou turned to him and smiled. Suddenly there was a large impact between Shichiyou's stomach and another object. She staggered backwards and held her stomach. She looked up to see Yuki glaring fiercely at her. Without another word Yuki lunged at her again. Shichiyou was prepared and she tried her hardest to ignore the searing pain in her stomach. Shichiyou blocked more of Yuki's attacks. Why is it easier for me to block her attacks? Shichiyou wondered.
"Because she's angry. Anger is one of the worst emotions to portray in a fight. Anger leads to false confidence, which also leads you to make mistakes. Anger blinds you in a fight, as does any emotion. You did something to piss Yuki off so now she's trying to hack you to pieces but she isn't as smooth as she was before. Her jabs and slices are awkward and off target. Right now all she cares about is trying to take you apart piece by piece." The voice replied.
But what in the world did I do to her? Shichiyou asked in her mind. She didn't even care who the voice was, all she knew was the voice was trying to help.
"You honestly can't tell? She's in love with good ol' Aserisk over there. She sees you as competition for his affection and as you can clearly see, she'll kill you if she has to as long as she gets Aserisk in the end."
But I don't even like Aserisk. I mean I do like him but not like that. Shichiyou thought shocked.
"You think she cares? All she knows is that you are closer with Aserisk than she's ever been so she officially hates your guts. Ugh, teenage drama pisses me off." The voice said obviously irritated. Shichiyou was having trouble concentrating on her blocks and on the voice at the same time. Suddenly Yuki tripped Shichiyou and Shichiyou fell against the two-foot wall that blocked the sparring field off from everything else. Shichiyou gasped in pain again as she hit her cut. Yuki lifted her foot and pressed it against Shichiyou's chest. She started pressing her weight under her foot and Shichiyou could hardly breathe.
"Does that hurt?" Yuki asked. Shichiyou just glared at her. Yuki pressed harder.
"I said, does that hurt?" She asked with more force.
"No." Shichiyou managed to spit out. She was not going to lose to Yuki.
"Too bad, I guess I'll just have to try harder." Yuki replied pressing even harder. Shichiyou gasped trying to get some air into her lungs.
"Shichiyou!" Aserisk called.
"Hydelas no, this is not your fight." Hitsugaya-sensei said grabbing Aserisk's arm. Shichiyou grabbed Yuki's foot with her free hand. She kept tight hold of her zanpaku-to with the other. Yuki had started pressing even harder. She leaned forward.
"The only reason he even goes near you is because he pities you." Yuki whispered into Shichiyou's ear.
"That's not true…he's my friend." Shichiyou replied.
"You say that now, but as soon as you can take care of yourself he'll dump you like he did everyone else in this academy." Yuki said.
"W-what are you talking about?" Shichiyou asked.
"Aserisk is a nice guy, if he knows he can use you to impress the higher-ups. Ever since he started attending this academy all he has ever done is treat those he can control with respect and admiration, and then he dumps them on the curb. Aserisk is power hungry, and if helping an insignificant soul reaper will impress the big boys Aserisk will do it without even batting an eyelash. He's done it before, he'll do it again." Shichiyou froze. Could it be true? Would Aserisk help her, and then leave her to fend for herself when she was useless to him? But why? He was so nice to her, could he really only be using her?
"Shichiyou I swear to God if you are listening to the shit oozing out of that mouth of hers I am going to destroy you from the inside out." The voice said.
But what if it's true? Shichiyou asked.
"You really think anything this chick says is true? She's a bitch! She will say whatever she can to make you give up and lose. If Aserisk is only using you to gain a favour with the higher-ups, then he is and you can't do anything about it. But if you sit there and whine like a stupid little child than you are not worthy of being a soul reaper." The voice replied angrily. Shichiyou thought about this. She came here to prove herself, and make sure she didn't get executed. She couldn't sit and cry because a person she considers a friend leaves her. Friends always come and go, at least that's what people had told her.
Alright I get it, but how do I get her foot off my chest? Shichiyou asked.
"Look, I will help you this once. Only because I don't want to look like an idiot in my first public fight. Now listen closely, you need to get her mad again."
I have to what?! Shichiyou demanded.
"Trust me, this girl becomes stupid when she's angry, so make her mad. I'll lead you on what to do after that."
But how do I get her mad? Shichiyou asked.
"Hell if I know, figure it out yourself." The voice replied. Shichiyou sighed. She needed to think of something, and fast. Suddenly it hit her.
Shichiyou looked up at Yuki, sadness filling her eyes.
"What are you looking at me like that for?" Yuki asked confused.
"I, just can't help but feel sorry for you." Shichiyou replied.
"Excuse me?" Yuki asked caught off guard. The pressure she put on Shichiyou's chest increased but Shichiyou ignored it.
"You say Aserisk feels pity for me, and that may be true, but I feel pity for you Yuki." Shichiyou said using Yuki's first name for the first time.
"The only thing you should be feeling right now is your last breath slowly leaving your lungs." Yuki said maliciously.
"I can, but that doesn't change anything, you're lonely aren't you?"
"Wha-what?" Yuki asked caught off guard again.
"I can tell, just by looking at you. You're lonely and so you cling on to the only thing you feel comfortable with, and that's Aserisk. His feelings don't matter as long as you have someone who you know will pay attention to you."
"Shut up!" Yuki yelled. Shichiyou gasped in pain but couldn't help feeling slightly proud of herself.
I'm getting to her. She thought happily.
"Hell yes you are. Now keep it up she's right on the breaking point. You want her to get to the point where she picks up her zanpaku-to and tries to stab you with it, when she does that I want you to roll to the right." The voice explained.
Why the right? Shichiyou asked.
"Because Yuki is left-handed. If she stabs, she will closer to your left side. By rolling to the right you can get out of the way without a scratch." The voice explained.
I got it. Shichiyou replied and turned her attention to Yuki.
"You are lonely, and you feel abandoned. I'm just a block that is stopping you from getting the attention you so greatly desire. Why do you think you're always draping yourself over Aserisk and making a scene? You crave the attention because it makes you feel strong and important." She continued.
"I said shut up!" Yuki screamed. She pushed harder than before and Shichiyou yelled out in pain. Her face fell forward so you couldn't see her eyes beneath her bangs. Shichiyou was hurt, but not done yet.
"Tell me, Yuki, does it hurt, knowing as soon as you go home, you'll be again drowned in the dark loneliness that has plagued your life once again?" Shichiyou felt Yuki stiffen. Shichiyou looked up and gasped. Yuki's eyes were filled with pure hatred and anguish.
"Nice call Shichiyou, I think you hit a home run with that one." The voice said happily. Yuki's grip tightened around the hilt of her zanpaku-to. Shichiyou prepared to move. Yuki lifted it and screamed while stabbing at Shichiyou. Shichiyou quickly rolled to the right. Yuki missed her by a long shot. Shichiyou stood up and took the only real fighting stance she could manage. Her feet were squared for easy movement, and her zanpaku-to was right in front of her. Yuki turned to her, her bangs flowing in the wind as she moved her head. Her eyes were dark and angry.
Oh, I didn't mean to make her that angry. Shichiyou thought.
"No trust me, you did. If she's this pissed off beating her is going to be so easy. Now listen up, Yuki is probably going to run at you seen as right now she's too far away. When she does I want you to jump to the left. When Yuki turns to face you jump to the right and bring your zanpaku-to out to cut her across the stomach or chest, for your height most likely the stomach." The voice commanded. Shichiyou waited. Just like the voice said Yuki rushed her. Shichiyou jumped to the left. When Yuki turned to face her Shichiyou jumped to the right and ran at Yuki. She brought her zanpaku-to up and swung it at Yuki. Yuki wasn't prepared for the attack and tried to block it, but Shichiyou was too fast. Shichiyou cut Yuki across the side and blood spurted from Yuki's side. Yuki screamed in pain and frustration.
"I'll kill you!" She yelled coming at Shichiyou again. Yuki started slashing and jabbing at Shichiyou.
"Right, left, front, duck, left, right…" The voice was continually giving out directions.
"Impossible. How can you block my attacks to easily now?!" Yuki asked outraged. Shichiyou heard some impressed murmurs around the field.
"Ok Shichiyou we need to finish this, it's taking way too long. What I want you to do is let her stab at you but don't move."
What?! She'll kill me! Shichiyou thought shocked.
"No she won't, this is what I want you to do. As she jabs I want you to wait until I say now, when I do shift to the right. She'll miss you, and maybe slice off a piece of cloth but that doesn't matter. When she jabs she'll be putting her full force behind it so when she misses she'll still be moving forward. When she's just past you I want you to take the hilt of your zanpaku-to and smash her head with it. It won't kill her, you're not nearly strong enough to do that, but it will at least knock her unconscious. Got it?" The voice asked.
Y-yeah, I got it. Shichiyou replied nervously.
"Alright, get ready." The voice commanded. Shichiyou took her place in front of Yuki with her legs shoulder width apart.
"You're dead Hitohana." Yuki said through gritted teeth. She ran at Shichiyou her zanpaku-to brought back preparing for a full force stab. Shichiyou waited, sweat trickling down her forehead. She was tired, so the voice was right to say they needed to end this. Yuki finally got close enough to make her attack.
"Die Hitohana!" She yelled.
"Shichiyou look out!" Shichiyou heard Aserisk call, but she ignored him, the only voice she needed to listen to, was the voice in her mind.
"Not yet…now!" The voice yelled. Shichiyou snapped into action and slowly shifted herself to the right in one smooth motion. Yuki's eyes filled with shock and everyone gasped. Yuki tried to correct herself but she had already lost her footing. Shichiyou waited.
"Alright kid, hit her…now!" The voice commanded again. Shichiyou quickly brought up her zanpaku-to and brought it down on Yuki's the back of Yuki's head. Yuki's eyes filled with shock but immediately lost their pallor and she fell to the ground. She didn't move. Shichiyou took in a breath and felt tears come to her eyes.
"I-I did it." She whispered to herself.
"Hell yes you did! So why the hell are you crying?" The voice asked.
"I guess I feel bad." Shichiyou replied.
"For what? She had every intent to kill you then. One thing you should remember kid, never feel sorry for you opponents, they can easily turn and stab you in the back when you're least expecting it." The voice advised.
"O-ok I'll keep that in mind. I-I just can't stop crying." Shichiyou replied trying to wipe away the tears.
"Oh for the love of God…" The voice groaned but didn't continue. Shichiyou tensed and gasps filled the air as a strange aura filled the sparring field. Shichiyou looked down to see Yuki slowly trying to get up. Shichiyou panicked and did the only instinctual thing she could think of, jump back from the danger.
"No you idiot, you should have smacked her again! Don't give your enemy a chance to recover!" The voice yelled.
I-I'm sorry! I didn't know what to do! Shichiyou thought defensively.
"Honestly this is why I hate amateurs." The voice groaned. Yuki was slowly getting off the ground. Soon she was standing on her feet and an odd wind was blowing around the field throwing Yuki's hair around her face. Yuki turned her head to the side. Shichiyou froze. Yuki's eyes were filled with murderous intent. Oh my God, she's going to kill me. Shichiyou thought to herself completely terrified. She knew Yuki wanted her dead, but now it seemed way too serious. Shichiyou started shaking.
"Shichiyou? Shichiyou Hitohana answer me right now!" The voice ordered, but Shichiyou couldn't respond. It was like her entire body was frozen solid. Yuki's eyes were terrifying. Shichiyou couldn't help thinking of the Hollow that tried to kill her so long ago. Yuki turned fully to face Shichiyou.
"I'm going to kill you." Yuki said. It was hardly even a whisper but Shichiyou caught it and it only terrified her more. This wasn't the angry Yuki she was fighting before, this was the killer Yuki and she wanted Shichiyou's blood on her blade. Shichiyou was trapped, the voice wasn't even reaching her anymore. Yuki suddenly ran towards Shichiyou. She brought her zanpaku-to and opened her mouth.
"Shugotenshiawai!" She screamed.
"Kurobara no!"
"Yuki no!" Aserisk and Hitsugaya-sensei yelled at the same time. Shichiyou's eyes grew wide. Suddenly a bright light emitted from Yuki's zanpaku-to. Shichiyou covered her eyes to protect them. The light was blindingly bright. When Shichiyou could finally open her eyes the light was slowly fading. She was shocked to see Hitsugaya-sensei blocking Yuki's attack and Aserisk was standing behind Yuki pulling her back by the arms.
"Let me go! Let me go, let me go!" Yuki screamed trying to break free from Aserisk.
"Kurobara that is enough! I specifically told you to not call the name of your zanpaku-to!" Hitsugaya-sensei yelled pushing her back.
"Let me go! I'll kill her! Let me finish this!" Yuki screamed. Shichiyou stood completely still. She was still terrified, hardly breathing. Her entire body was shaking.
"Yuki Kurobara put your zanpaku-to down now!" Hitsugaya-sensei ordered. Shichiyou was shocked at how stern his voice was. Suddenly Yuki went limp and her zanpaku-to fell from her hand. It was quiet for a while.
"I-is she o-ok?" Shichiyou finally asked.
"She's unconscious. I think you hit her harder than you realized. That entire blast of energy was most likely from pure adrenaline." Aserisk explained.
"No, that burst of energy came from her absolute need to kill you Hitohana. She was most likely still unconscious that entire time, but her sub-conscious was forcing her to continue." Hitsugaya-sensei corrected.
"C-can you d-do that?" Shichiyou asked.
"It's rare but not unheard of." Hitsugaya-sensei explained. He put his index finger under his nose and his thumb under his chin thinking. Shichiyou didn't say anything else. Suddenly violent tremors took over her entire body. Her legs were heavy and she couldn't keep herself up. She collapsed and hugged herself. Shichiyou started rocking and her entire body was shaking. Tears fell down her face but she didn't make a sound. The tears just fell freely and uncontrollably.
"Shichiyou…" Aserisk said completely caught off guard and with deep concern. Aserisk reached down to help Shichiyou up but Hitsugaya-sensei reached her first.
"You take Kurobara. She should be fine, just make sure to bandage that scratch on her side. I'll take Hitohana to the infirmary." Hitsugaya-sensei lifted Shichiyou up draping her arm around his shoulders. He started walking forward half carrying, half dragging Shichiyou with him.
"Hey, Hitohana, you alright?" He asked. He didn't sound concerned or even worried, more like annoyed that he had to actually take care of one of his students.
"I-I think…I-I just can't stop shaking." Shichiyou replied tears still falling from her eyes.
"Shell-shocked I suppose." Hitsugaya-sensei said mostly to himself. He finally reached the main building of the academy. Shichiyou was staring blankly and her mind was reeling. She was almost killed. By a student in her class! They weren't supposed to kill each other. The look in Yuki's eyes, the way she tried to kill Shichiyou even when she was still unconscious, Shichiyou had never seen anything like it.
"Hey, Shichiyou, you ok there kid?" The voice from before asked.
Shut up. Shichiyou replied emotionlessly.
"Hey, come on. Look I'm sorry for what happened ok? I didn't think her reaction would be that…intense. I thought she'd just fumble around and then you could beat her and be done with it. I didn't think she'd actually-"
I said shut up. Leave me alone. Shichiyou demanded.
"Come on kid, I didn't know."
Shut the hell up and get out of my mind! Shichiyou screamed in her mind with so much force she scared herself. The voice was quiet for awhile before Shichiyou heard a small sigh.
"Fine then, be a bitch. Next time you need me, just call my name, if you can that is." The voice said coldly and then disappeared. Shichiyou suddenly felt empty. Like a piece of her had been taken away. She decided to ignore it.
"We're here." Hitsugaya-sensei said. Shichiyou slowly lifted her head as they came to a room that, on the outside, looked like the same as all the other rooms. The only difference was that this one had a sign above the door that read "Infirmary". Hitsugaya-sensei opened the door and took Shichiyou in. Shichiyou slowly looked around the room. There was no one else there. The room itself was unusually bright with small beds and it smelled like rubbing alcohol. The window at the back of the room was open and a slight breeze was blowing in moving the curtains. Hitsugaya-sensei put Shichiyou on the ground. She wobbled on her feet slightly, but other than that she was stable.
"Go sit on one of the beds." He said and walked towards a few cupboards. Shichiyou wobbled shakily to the closest bed and sat down. It felt good to finally sit on something soft and comfortable. Shichiyou sighed in relief. She could already feel herself starting to calm down, but she knew relations between her and Yuki were going to be even more stressed than they were before. She wiped at the drying tears on her face. That was enough crying for one day.
Hitsugaya-sensei came over after rummaging through the cupboards with bandages and disinfectant. He put them down on a small table by the bed.
"Alright Hitohana, I need you to take your shirt off." Shichiyou's face bloomed bright red and she gasped.
"Excuse me?" She demanded. Hitsugaya-sensei looked at her and his face filled with shock as he realized what he had just asked her to do. The two of them were alone in a room, no one was close to where they were, Shichiyou was sitting on a bed, and Hitsugaya-sensei had just asked her to take her shirt off.
"I didn't mean it like that!" Hitsugaya-sensei defended angrily but Shichiyou couldn't stop from noticing the light pink that filled his cheeks.
"J-just leave the b-bandages I-I can do it myself." Shichiyou said. Her heart was pounding and she was nervous as usual.
"You're shaking too badly to do it properly and it's on your back you won't be able to reach it. Just turn around if you're that embarrassed." Hitsugaya-sensei said sighing angrily.
"Turning around doesn't change the fact that I'm a girl, with no shirt on, and you're a guy, and…" Shichiyou couldn't continue. Her face was beaming red.
"Look even if you were shirtless there isn't much to look at." Hitsugaya-sensei replied. He then looked even more shocked at what he had just said.
"What?!" Shichiyou demanded.
"Look, no, that came out wrong!" Hitsugaya-sensei defended.
"I-I'll do it myself." Shichiyou replied. She reached for the bandages.
"No, you can't bandage yourself properly. I'll do it if you'd just calm down." Hitsugaya-sensei practically yelled reaching for the bandages at the same time.
"N-no I can do it!" Shichiyou replied as angrily as she could manage.
"No you can't! Just let me do it!" Hitsugaya-sensei yelled. Shichiyou grabbed the bandages just as Hitsugaya-sensei did. Their hands made contact. Shichiyou blushed brightly and immediately jumped back with a small yelp. Hitsugaya-sensei looked at her shocked.
"What was that?" He asked.
"I-I don't know. I'm just nervous. You make me nervous." She replied honestly. Hitsugaya-sensei did make her nervous. He was her sensei and had so many more years of experience compared to her. It also didn't help that he looked angry all the time and he also was at this moment asking her to take her shirt off, whether it was for bandages or not.
Hitsugaya-sensei sighed. "Look if it makes you feel better you can wrap a blanket around yourself. You only really got cut on the small of your back. I need to bandage it so it can heal closed properly. If I don't it's going to open up again." Hitsugaya-sensei explained. Shichiyou looked at him surprised. He sounded so calm and his eyes were earnest. He really wants to help me. Shichiyou thought to herself. She took a deep breath and slid back forward.
"O-ok, but go away and I'll tell you when you can come back." She said. Hitsugaya-sensei sighed but turned around and went out of sight. Shichiyou sighed and slowly pulled her arms out of the sleeves of her shirt. She cringed and flinched as she felt the wound opening and closing on her back. She could feel small trickles of blood starting to flow from it as she moved. When she was finally out of the shirt she grabbed the blanket off the bed and wrapped it around herself, leaving enough room for Hitsugaya-sensei to get to the wound and bandage it.
"O-ok, you can come back now." She called. Hitsugaya-sensei walked back in grumbling to himself. Shichiyou sat with the blanket wrapped around her, like a child who had just come in from playing in the snow. Hitsugaya-sensei didn't say anything as he walked up to her.
"Can you turn around please? I can't exactly bandage a wound I can't see." He said.
"O-oh, right." Shichiyou said and slowly turned herself around. Lifted the blanket slightly so Hitsugaya-sensei could see the wound.
"Minimal damage. It should be healed in about two weeks." Hitsugaya-sensei picked the disinfectant up first. He put some of the clear liquid on his hand and moved it towards the wound. Shichiyou flinched before his hand even reached her.
"I haven't done anything yet." Hitsugaya-sensei said through gritted teeth.
"I-I'm sorry." Shichiyou replied. She waited and Hitsugaya-sensei finally put his hand on the wound. Shichiyou flinched slightly. The pain wasn't as bad as she figured but it still hurt. What surprised her most was that even though Hitsugaya-sensei was so angry and stern, his hand was gentle as he applied the disinfectant.
"What?" Hitsugaya-sensei demanded. Shichiyou realized she had been staring out of the corner of her eye. She quickly looked away and blushed.
"S-sorry." She replied.
"And stop apologizing." He said.
"So- I mean ok." Shichiyou replied. She started playing with her hands nervously again. She rubbed the blanket together.
"Would you stop fidgeting?" Hitsugaya-sensei asked annoyed.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just nervous." Shichiyou replied.
"Stop being sorry and stop being nervous when there's nothing to be nervous about." Hitsugaya-sensei said. Shichiyou didn't answer him, she just nodded her head. Hitsugaya-sensei reached over to the table and grabbed the large roll of bandages. He pulled the clip off of it and lightly put it around the wound. He asked Shichiyou to wrap it around the front of her when he couldn't reach.
After Hitsugaya-sensei had tied the bandage closed he stood up and went towards a sink at the front. He grabbed a cloth and covered it in water. He walked over and gently applied it to Shichiyou's back to wipe away the dried blood. She flinched slightly and shivered.
"What's wrong now?" He demanded.
"N-Nothing, it's just cold." Shichiyou replied.
"Oh, never mind then." He replied. Shichiyou couldn't help but smile.
"Is that your way of saying sorry?" She asked. Hitsugaya-sensei stopped but continued thinking Shichiyou wouldn't notice.
"No, forget it." He replied. Shichiyou smiled again and giggled in spite of herself.
"Something funny?" Hitsugaya-sensei asked getting annoyed again.
"No, and thank you." Shichiyou replied. Hitsugaya-sensei stopped again but then continued anyway.
"For what?" He asked.
"For helping me." Shichiyou replied. Now Hitsugaya-sensei stopped and looked up at Shichiyou. Shichiyou turned her head and looked at him. Shock filled his eyes. Pink filled his cheeks and he looked down at the ground.
"I didn't do anything." He replied.
"Well, thank you anyway, for bandaging me up." Shichiyou smiled again. Hitsugaya-sensei suddenly stood up, turned around and went to the sink again. He started washing the cloth he had just used ad then hung it up to dry. He crossed his arms.
"There, I'm done with the bandage. Put your shirt back on, I'll be waiting outside." He said and walked out. I think I embarrassed him, Shichiyou thought and giggled. She stood up and examined her bandaged back in a mirror in the room. It was a pretty clean job, Hitsugaya-sensei was amazing. Shichiyou put her hands back through her sleeves and made sure it was tide tight. Once she was done she got up and left the room.
Hitsugaya-sensei was waiting for her like he said he would be.
"About time, now come on let's go." He said.
"Yes Hitsugaya-sensei." Shichiyou replied and followed Hitsugaya-sensei out of the main building. When they finally got outside the rest of the class was training on their own. Shichiyou watched them in amazement. Some of the students were so fast, while others were just plain strong.
"Wow…" Shichiyou said her eyes wide.
"Tch, practice drills. I can't believe how lazy they've all gotten." Hitsugaya-sensei muttered under his breath. Shichiyou was shocked. If this was the class when they were lazy, she really was in for it. Suddenly a familiar voice filled Shichiyou's ears.
"Shichiyou!" Shichiyou turned to see Aserisk running up to her. He was sweating slightly.
"Oh, hi Aserisk." She replied.
"Are you ok? How do you feel?" Aserisk asked grabbing Shichiyou's shoulders. He stared at her with pure concern.
Shichiyou smiled. "It's ok Aserisk, I'm fine. Just a little scratch, no big deal." Shichiyou replied trying to act as tough as she could.
Aserisk shook his head. "No I mean how are you feeling? You were shaking and crying before. Are you ok now?" He asked.
"Aserisk, I'm fine, really. I guess I was just…shocked from the fight. It was my first one." Aserisk smiled and sighed with relief.
"Thank God. I thought for sure you'd lost it." He said.
"Oh, thanks." Shichiyou pouted.
"Oh, Shichiyou I didn't mean it like that." Aserisk defended.
"Would you two stop it? You should be practicing not standing here making useless conversation. Move it." Shichiyou and Aserisk looked at Hitsugaya-sensei. They both turned and faced him at the same time.
"Yes Hitsugaya-sensei." They said in unison and Shichiyou followed Aserisk onto a training field. Aserisk started punching a punching bag.
"You're sure you're ok?" Aserisk asked between punches.
"Aserisk I told you I'm fine." Shichiyou replied.
"Alright just making sure." He said. Aserisk turned and kicked the bag. Shichiyou stood and watched him. His moves were so precise, so accurate. Shichiyou had never seen anything like it. Suddenly Aserisk stopped and looked at her.
"You wanna try?" He asked.
"Who, me?" Shichiyou asked pointing to herself.
"No, the imaginary person standing behind you, of course you, you idiot." Aserisk said playfully. Shichiyou blushed and pouted slightly. She then smiled and shrugged her shoulders.
"I guess so. I'm going to have to eventually." Shichiyou replied. She walked over to the punching bag and stood in front of Aserisk.
"So, what do I do?" She asked.
Aserisk laughed. "You face the bag and punch it." He replied. Shichiyou nodded and turned to the punching bag. She lifted her arms and clenched them into fists. She then pulled one fist back and brought it forward with as much force as she could muster. Shichiyou hit the bag, and shivers went through her arm and down her spine. She pulled her hand. The knuckles were bright red and stung. Tears formed at the corner of her eyes.
"Oww!" She said holding her hand.
"You idiot, you're supposed to control your punches not go all out on the first punch. It only hurts more and drains energy. Let me see." Aserisk said. He walked over and looked at Shichiyou's hand. He took it gently and examined it. Shichiyou was rubbing the tears from her eyes. Suddenly Aserisk lifted her hand and kissed the stinging knuckles.
"All better?" He asked winking. Shichiyou blushed bright red. She only nodded. Aserisk smiled. He then took her other hand and spun her around so she faced the punching bag again.
"Here you do it like this." Aserisk lifted her hands and made them into fists. He then slowly brought them forward and started showing Shichiyou the proper form for punching without tiring yourself out. Shichiyou blushed constantly through the lesson, but she was surprised at how much Aserisk knew and how much more she was learning. When Aserisk was done Shichiyou smiled brightly.
"Thanks Aserisk." She said happily.
"Hey, what are friends for?" He asked smiling. Shichiyou laughed and Aserisk laughed with her. Shichiyou was finally starting to have fun and even though she had been through a lot that morning, the academy was already starting to grow on her. I think I'm going to like it here, I think I'm going to like it a lot.