A Falling Star's Last Wish

C H A P T E R O N E

The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.

"HAH!"

CLASH.

"HUH!"

CLASH.

"AHH!"

CLASH.

The class watched as two students simultaneously attacked their sensei to try and get the scarf that hung from around his neck. The old man was stopped, if only momentarily, and one was able to grab it just in time to yank it away before the teacher was able to move away. The class cheered and clapped, happy that someone was finally able to go against the man and win.

The bokken they yielded was placed into the obi of their uniform and the two students bowed to their superior.

"You have done well, Ukitake, Kyōuraku. The Gotei Thirteen would gladly accept shinigami like yourselves into their ranks. You may return to your seat."

The two remained in their bow, "Arigatou gozaimasu, Yamamoto-sensei." After doing so, the two friends stood up straight and walked over to the mats that the students sat upon while another pair stood to do the same.

The slightly small group of fourth years of the Shinō Academy watched on, again, as a duet turned into a trio. Within only ten minutes later, a loud gong was sounded, motioning that class was over and they had five minutes to get to their next one. The two sparring students stopped in mid-swing and bowed quickly to their sensei before placing their bokken in the correct spot on the rack and running out of the training room into the bustling halls.

"Why are we always picked last, Jin-chan? I never get to show anyone my abilities," complained one fair haired, fair skinned shinigami in training.

Hiworti Jinsu shrugged, unable to answer her friend's question, and slipped her zanpakutou the obi around her waist. The students had been practicing with bokken for weeks now, long after they were able to be allowed a sword. Many knew their zanpakutou's name, other were just getting the hang of actually wielding a sword and not using a big "bamboo stick", as some called it.

"Asa, we have weeks left before we will even get the chance to fight with real katanas. Just be peaceful and watch the other's fighting style. We have the upper hand after all. They have no clue of how we fight." Jinsu did have a point there, Asa thought to herself silently. The fair haired shinigami-in-training sighed and did the same with her olive-green hilted zanpakutou.

"You do have a point there..." She mused aloud, running a hand through her short blonde tresses of hair. Asa folded her arms under her chest and continued to walk in silence with her friend, although the two were soon halted in the middle of the hall as a large man dressed in black stopped them from continuing and glanced behind him to watch as a short dark caramel skinned girl walked down the hall. From the embroider on the sleeve of her uniform, they could tell she was merely a second year.

This infuriated Asa. Why was a second year getting so much attention? The little girl, her unusually royal purple hair swinging behind her to all the way down to her waist, disappeared into a classroom and the man disappeared. Another gong sounded throughout the school. Jinsu and Asa were now both late for class.

"Kuso," both cursed under their breath and took off into a run to the kidō building where their next class was. When they arrived, Yaturi-sensei was not happy to find them late. As both were humiliated in front of their small class, Asa's thoughts trailed off to the dark-skinned girl from earlier in the hall. It was unusual for something like that to happen. And what was with the color of her hair? Only one person had that hair color, and it was from a kidō spell gone wrong (obviously it went back to the normal black, though).

-starlightstarbright-

The Hohō class sat in a tense silence as the teacher began to explain the many things about 'shunpo' and 'senka'. Their eyes would glance over at the one student that sat by herself. Shihōuin Okitetsu. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, but even then it would flow down past her waist. If she wasn't so short then it wouldn't seem so long. Okitetsu was shorter than almost all the other students there, only a few first years rivaled her for the spot. She sat with her hands folded in her lap in her seat with two masculine men sitting next to her.

The dark eyes would meet their own and cause all of the students to quickly turn their attention back on their sensei. It seemed Okitetsu was the only one unfazed by the tension in the air.

The Shihōuin hime sat with much elegance. It made many of the other girls in the class jealous for some of the (braver) boys couldn't keep their eyes off of the princess. If only she wore taller... some mused to themselves.

"Shunpo is best summarized, as taking the least amount of steps from one place to another?"

With the tension finally loosened up (barely) only after Okitetsu had asked that question, the class farther focused on their studies. The small girl could only get a ghost of a smile touch her lips before she went back to paying full attention. The two guards sat, bored, with their arms crossed. An evident "don't-even-think-about-it" etched on their faces.

Close to an hour and a half later, another gong rang out; lunch time. Immediately, all the other students started to talk amongst themselves and leave to go have their bento. Okitetsu stood, the guards following, gave a bow to her sensei and started to walk. The teacher watched after them, sighed, and grabbed a brush to grade papers with. On top, was Okitetsu.

The moment he started to read the essay, he knew she had known the answer to her question.

Okitetsu was followed by her guards, only a few feet inbetween them, out onto the courtyard where students were allowed to eat. There was a large room also full of tables and seats also, but it was such a beautiful late spring - almost early summer - day that she ignored Kasu and Loki's pleads to stay inside. She walked around groups of students, ignoring their eyes on her guards and herself, and quickly looked for a spot. She found one, not too far from everyone yet not to close, on the veranda outside of an empty classroom. Kasu handed her, her bento (not exactly happy with the fact that he wasn't following Okitetsu's mother's orders) and sat beside her with Loki sitting on the other side.

"Itadakimasu," all three said. Okitetsu pulled her chop sticks out of a linen napkin and set the fabric over her folded knees. Kasu and Loki did the same.

As the hime was about to take a bite of her rice, a voice stopped her. "What's with Big and Bigger?" She looked up, surprised, and tilted her head. The fair haired one that had spoken had her hands place on her hips.

"I'm sorry for her interruption of your meal. Asa usually isn't this rude," the dark haired one that apologized for her friend nudged the Asa she was speaking of in the ribs. Asa only rolled her eyes and folded her arms.

Okitetsu shook her head, "No, it's alright. I should be apologizing for Kasu's behavior this morning. I told him not to stop any students but he usually doesn't listen that well..." She glanced over to her left as 'Big' slumped down a bit. "I hope you weren't late for class."

"Actually, we were," cut in Asa with a small sneer. Okitetsu bowed her head.

"I ask that you will forgive us then. Hopefully I can make it up to you somehow."

"How about answering my question?" The hime blinked, just remembering Asa's question, and nodded.

"Of course. My name is Shihōuin Okitetsu. 'Big and Bigger', as you put it, are my guards that mother gave me - Kasu and Loki." Students that were close enough to hear stopped their conversations to gape in pure amazement.

Jinsu immediately bowed. Asa just looked at Jinsu like she was crazy. Jin elbowed her friend again. "Please, forgive our intrusion, Shihōuin-hime. I am Hiworti Jinsu. Asa-san does not know much of nobility and such. She is from the Rukongai."

Okitetsu gave a sheepish look and held up her hands, waving for them to stand up straight. "Please, don't use any honorifics or bow and such with me while I am here or at all for that matter. I'm simply a second year student who is here to learn. Both are you are much stronger than myself. It is a pleasure to meet both of you, Jinsu-senpai, Asa-senpai."

Asa rolled her eyes at her friend and pulled her up by her shoulder-blade length dark hair. "See, Jin, she's just a harmless little brat who got here because of her father's status." Okitetsu blinked. Jinsu became a bit stiff at the comment. "Now com'on, let's go find a place before all of 'em are taken." Asa grabbed for Jinsu's arm -

"Would you like to sit with me? I can ask Kasu and Loki to move, they won't mind." The two guards didn't even get the chance to protest.

Jinsu almost bowed, again, but refrained herself and pulled Asa down with her onto the veranda. "Thank you..." She didn't know what to call her; no honorifics, after all.

"Tale, please, call me Tale." Okitetsu gave a pearly grin. Asa raised a brow in thought.

"That's a weird name to be called. It a nickname?" The hime nodded her head. "Where'd it come from?"

Okitetsu continued to grin. "Would you like to find out?" Asa seemed a bit hesitant, not knowing what was going to happen, but nodded anyways.

"Well... once upon a time there was a samurai and a hime…"

-thefirststariseetonight-

"...and with one last breath, Kyumaru took the blood soaked katana at his side and stabbed the man before him. Hanotou stood, interrupted in the middle of his evil-encrusted monologue and began to cough as blood filled his lungs. Waiting for Kyumaru, was his beloved hime. Her eyes never filled with such happiness. But as Kyumaru let go of the katana, he did the same with his life."

Jinsu and Asa sat stock still, as they listened to the end of Okite- Tale's story.

"That was..." Jinsu tried to find the right word in her vocabulary to finish her sentence, but couldn't. Her new friend sat in front of the two, her bento box left to the side untouched. Asa and Jinsu had listened to the story while eating, but halfway through Jinsu was so choked up that she couldn't finish chewing. The dark haired student quickly wiped her eyes. Asa didn't even noticing that she was crying.

"Beyond the words in Jin's book. Where did ya hear that story from?"

Tale fiddled with the sleeve of her uniform and hid her eyes with her bangs. She mumbled something...

"What was that, Tale-san?" Jinsu asked, still wiping at her slightly bloodshot eyes.

"I just made it up."

Asa's eyes widened just a bit more. "Like, before you told us or-"

"Just now. I just made it up as I told it." Tale lifted her head and smiled. Kasu and Loki sat off to the side as they chatted over something, having heard the whole story but used to their hime's tales that she would tell.

"Amazing..." Jinsu breathed out. Asa nodded and looked at her now cold food. Just as she grabbed for her chopsticks to finish, another gong rang signaling that class would soon begin.

Tale stood and gave a small bow, Jinsu and Asa standing also (slightly surprised by the little princess) as Kasu and Loki picked up the fallen napkin, bento and chopsticks. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Jinsu-senpai, Asa-senpai. I hope that we can do this again tomorrow." Jinsu smiled, having cleaned her eyes and cheeks.

"Of course. It's a good change to finally have someone to eat with that doesn't steal your food every now and then." Asa only scoffed and pulled her friend away.

"Com'on before we're even later than we need be."

Tale watched as her two newest friends walked away to their new class, chattering over something. She glanced behind herself to look at Kasu and Loki. She smiled. "Maybe this place isn't so bad after all..." she muttered and began to walk off to her next class, hakuda. The two dressed in black guards followed behind with all their loyalty put into protecting the little girl's life.

Author's Note:

Just in case you're thinking it, no, Tale is not younger than the students. In all actuality, she's older by many years. She's just really short… for right now. She hits a growth spurt… soon.

More words that you don't know! …now which ones were they?

Bokken – wooden practice katana

Hohō – a class teaching shunpo and such

Hakuda – a class on physical strength and endurance

Now, go read chapter two! /grin.