A Falling Star's Last Wish
C H A P T E R F I V E
As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in school.
Tale had tried her best to get as much sleep as she could in her new, temporary room; of course it didn't work. She had spent most of her time meditating - trying to get her zanpakutou to tell her, her shikai. They even played hanafuda a few times. Tale lost all but once, and it was only because she had cheated.
The sun had risen, leaving Tale with a problem. She didn't know her shikai; even after threatening her own kodachi's spirit there was no giving in! Tale sighed. 'Might as well get what sleep she could,' Tale thought to herself and laid back on her futon. Before she knew it, Tale was asleep... and then being awoken by a sharp rasp at her door.
Tale held in a groan and stood up, rolling her neck to get the knot out of it. She walked over and slid the door open. There stood Kazūme, patiently waiting.
"Good morning, Shihouin-san. Did you sleep well last night?" If the dark bags under Tale's eyes weren't enough, then she didn't know what was. The new shinigami inclined her head with a lazy nod.
"Good, if you will then come with me. Kyouraku-taichou and I would like to begin your testing." Tale nodding, begging her conscience not to show how nervous she was. Tale grabbed her zanpakutou off her futon, closed the door behind her, and followed the lieutenant.
The walk was silent. Tale mentally prayed to her ancestors for help - she was going to need a lot of it. Kazūme was in her own thoughts, wondering what the new recruit was going to do. She had obviously lied about knowing her shikai.
"This way," Kazūme had stopped to open a door, waiting for Tale to enter. She nodded, walked through the door and into the Eighth Division's training room. "Here you will have four tests. Kido, Hohō, Hakuda and Zanjetsu - much like that at the academy." Tale stayed silent, just giving another nod.
Shunsui was already waiting, a few seated officers also with him. Tale swallowed, all of them were men. She had never fought against a man before, only Hanaru or any of the other females in her class. The sensei had never allowed a male versus female fight.
Tale muttered another silent prayer.
"They cannot help you, Okitetsu-sama. All you have is me," the voice in the back of Tale's mind said. Tale gave a slight growl, answering back.
'Yeah, and you're pretty useless too.' Tale unnoticeably thumped the hilt of her zanpakutou, smirking at the echoing "ow".
"Good morning, Tale-chan~! How are you?" Tale returned her Captain's smile. That was the only emotion of happiness that she had shown all morning.
"I'm fine, Kyouraku-taichou. How are you?" She may not have to put up a facade in front of her lieutenant, but her captain was a must.
"I'm wonderful, now that you are here, Tale-hime~." Tale blushed slightly at the compliment, but shrugged it off once Kazūme gave him a smack on top of her head with a stack of files.
"Please, taichou, refrain from flustering up the girl." Kazūme stated in her "authority" voice. Shunsui only chuckled and rubbed at the invisible bump.
"Of course, Zuzu-chan."
"'Zuzu-chan?'" the voice repeated in Tale's head, only to be followed by a laugh. Tale rolled her eyes and thumped the hilt again.
"Now, Shihouin-san, shall we begin?" Tale nodded, even though she was far from it. "We shall start with your ability in shunpo, is that alright?" Tale nodded once again, but disappeared from her spot. The space was now occupied by Shunsui. He chuckled, clearly amused.
"It seems I have found someone to play tag with now." Tale had now appeared on the other side of the training arena. Tale gave a small smug smirk. She had always been good with speed. Her figure disappeared again, only a flash of Shunsui was seen in her spot before he too disappeared.
Kazūme marked down things in the file she had in her hands. The other seated officers watched with awe, trying to figure out where the two would go next - or where they even were, all they could see were blurs and purple, black, and white. Tale was finally caught. This time, she went after Kyouraku with an evident playful look on her face.
After another twenty minutes of the two going back and forth, Kazūme finally called a halt to the game. Shunsui whined, finding fun in the game of "tag". Tale only laughed at her captain.
"Don't worry, Kyouraku-taichou. We can finish playing some other time." Shunsui chuckled at the hime and sent her a teasing wink.
"I'll be waiting until then." Another blush burnt at Tale's cheeks. Kazūme cleared her throat and walked up to Tale.
"Next we will test your ability in Kido." Tale nodded, trying to catch her breath without anyone noticing. It had been awhile since she had to go that fast. "Will you please perform a Bakudō, Sai."
Tale didn't ask who to do the spell on, she just picked on the seated officers that were standing nearby and not paying any attention to her. She held up her right hand, pointer and middle finger straight our while the others were curled into a semi-fist.
"Bakudō no chi!" She then swiped her hand to the right. "Sai!"
The inattentive officer was instantly put to the ground, his ankles and arms invisibly tied together.
Off to the side, Shunsui chuckled loudly. "My, my, Tale-hime, already trying to fight for the fourth seat?" Tale's eyes widened, quickly, she released the spell.
"Gomen-nasai, yonshi-to-san!" Tale bowed at her waist, to the annoyed looking man. The other seated officers snickered at the man's embarrassment of being bound by an unseated shinigami.
"I beat you wouldn't mind her doing that in your bed, eh, Keiichi?" The fourth seat barred his teeth and went to smack his subordinate. Kazūme cleared her throat, again; Tale tried her best to hide the blush on her cheeks... again.
"Thank you for being a volunteer, Kozawa-san." The officers stopped their teasing and watched Tale again. "Now, Shihouin-san, will you please demonstrate the highest Bakudō you can perform?"
Tale nodded, but had a thoughtful look on her face. What was the highest Bakudō she could do correctly? And she didn't want to hurt anyone...
"I'll be your volunteer this time, Tale-hime." Tale was pulled from her thoughts by her captain. She started to protest but was stopped. "Don't, I want to see what you can do. So, hit me with your best shot." He grinned.
The new shinigami bit her lip. If he wanted her best then... Tale took a deep breath, let it out, and started the incantation.
"Carriages of Thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six!" Tale held up her two right hand fingers again. "Bakudō no rokuichi, Rikujōkōrō!"
Kazūme stood, stunned at the high level kidō. No one of Tale's level should know anything that high, let alone do it correctly. Kazūme could barely even do a level thirty, Shitotsu Sansen, when she was at Tale's level!
Shunsui chuckled, slightly impressed, but also a tad bit worried since he couldn't get out of the binding. Tale was quick to release the spell. The captain bowed his head in thought.
"I'm going to take a guess here and say either Asa-chan or Jinsu-chan taught you that one." Tale nodded a slightly sheepish look on her face. Shunsui chuckled again. Of course one of them would cheat and teach her high leveled kidō. Kazūme muttered something under her breath and noted the events in the file. Shunsui walked back over to his spot beside his lieutenant. Tale fiddled with the sleeve of her uniform.
Another few moments later, Kazūme spoke again: "Shihouin-san, could you please demonstrate a Hado, Byakurai?"
Tale tensed up slightly. She could do Bakudō - mostly any level - but when it came to Hado... Tale hoped they were ready to have a new wall. A small target appeared on the opposite side of the training room. Obviously, she was it hit it. Tale took a deep breath, lifted up her left hand this time, pointer finger out. No one could hear as she muttered the incantation.
"Hado no yon, Byakurai!" An orb of sparking electricity grew from her finger tip before being released as a bolt of bright blue lightning. It didn't hit the target. Tale instantly cursed her luck with Hado type Kido.
She had never been good at the lower level Hado; it takes too much control, only the higher level. It needs more reiatsu and less control since you have a much stronger spell. Jinsu and Asa had gotten her used to high level spells before low level ones.
Kazūme simply raised brow at the new hole in the wall and jotted something down in the file.
"That will be all, Shihouin-san, please-"
"Wait, Kazūme-chan." Kazūme was surprised at her captain. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted again. "Knowing, Jinsu and Asa, they didn't teach you just high level Bakudō, did they?" Tale chewed at the inside of her cheek; she shook her head. "Well, then, show us what you can do." Shunsui had his signature grin tugging at his lips.
A ghost of a smile tugged at Tale's own lips.
"Of course, taichou!" She bowed to him and turned back to the target. Tale slid her zanpakutou from its sheath. She held it in front of her and let go - the kodachi floated in mid hair before her head hit against the hilt and it began to spin. Another muttered of words left her mouth.
"Hado no gojuuhachi." Tale grabbed the zanpakutou's hilt, stopping the spin. "Tenran!" a large cyclone of air shot out and hit, not only the target, but a large area of the wall too.
The Eighth Division was going to need a new wall soon.
Shunsui chuckled and nodded his head in improvement. Kazūme's mouth hung open, her eyes blinking - trying to take in what she just saw. How could a mere graduate... Asa and Jinsu, of course.
"That's enough for right now, Tale-chan. Take a lunch break and be back here in an hour." Shunsui said and went to talk with his lieutenant. The seat officers chatted to themselves. Kazūme stood stock still. The file was limply hanging at her side.
Tal sheathed her zanpakutou and bowed to the group before running out of the room and into the hallways of the Eighth Division. Soon, she found herself in the courtyard. There she found Asa being badgered by a group of men trying to get a date out of her. (Why did Asa have to be one of the most wanted women of the Seireitei?)
"Sorry fellows, but I'm going to have to steal Asa-san!" Tale grabbed Asa's arm and pulled her out of the Division's gate. The fair-haired third seat blinked when she noticed how fast she had gone from a bench in the Eighth Division to the middle of the Seireitei - the marketplace.
"Uh, Tale?" she asked, noticing the nervous demeanor of her friend. "Something bad happened in there, didn't it?" Tale only shrugged and took the yakitori she had ordered from a food stand. Asa gave her a look. "What do you mean you don't know?"
"You could count it as good or bad, Asa," Tale said as she took a bite of the barbecued chicken on a stick. Asa rolled her eyes and took the food from her friend. Tale went to grab it back.
"Well then, tell me about it." Asa took a large bite of the food.
Tale sighed and sat down on a bench. Asa followed her. As the third eat munched on her stolen food, Tale described the events that had taken place; from her whole night up to the now destroyed wall. Asa would nod in some places, showing she was listening, and let out a laugh at the part where the fourth seat had been Tale's vic- ahem, 'volunteer'.
Once she was done with explaining her problem, Tale sat back in silence, trying to decide how to get her food back.
Asa finished off the yakitori before Tale could even start her plan. Tale pouted, crossing her arms under her chest and listened to her stomach growl. Neither of the girls noticed the looks they were getting from some of the men. Asa tapped her shin, as if in thought.
"Well, the good thing is you know high-leveled kidō, but you'll be using mostly low leveled things during missions to the real world." Tale sighed at that. This was hopeless. "And about the part with Hoshi-chan-"
"Wait, 'Hoshi-chan'?" Tale raised a brow in question. Asa rolled her eyes.
"Yes, Hoshi-chan, now may I continue?"
"I like it." echoed thought Tale's mind. Tale told 'Hoshi-chan' to be quiet so she could focus on listening to Asa.
"As I was saying. That's a little bad -" Tale gave her a look. "- okay, really bad that you said you knew your shikai but don't, and it only adds to it that you're about to sixth and fifth seats -"
"But I'm starting with a ninth seat and - " Asa held up her hand.
"That doesn't matter. Everyone in a twentieth seat and must know their shikai. They only have the higher seats because those are the shinigami who can control things better. I.E. kidō, zanjutsu, and shunpo. If you have high reiatsu then that helps too."
"But I have a regular amount of reiatsu. I'm alright at kidō, shunpo is more my forte, and I don't even have shikai! I'm better with my fists and I barely have any hand-eye coordination!"
Asa had a thoughtful look on her face for a moments before saying and sitting back. "Why do they even want to test you? You obviously aren't very special, or stand out any from their current seated officers."
"It's because she's of a Noble House." Both looked up to find Jinsu standing a few feet away. The lieutenant smiled. "Have you bribed Hoshi-chan?" Tale sat back with a huff.
"Now you're calling the traitor that..."
"I take offense to that!"
Tale rolled her eyes and answered Jinsu's question. "That was my Plan B, if winning against her in hanafuda didn't work." Jinsu gave a small smile and sat in between the two, sitting her bag of food at her feet. Asa leaned against her.
Tale slid her zanpakutou from her obi. She sat her horizontal in her lap. Her eyes scanned across every detail; from the pale yellow hilt to the star-shaped hilt guard, to the charcoal black sheath.
"It's not nice to stare." Tale flicked a finger against the hilt for the third time this morning.
'It's not nice to deny a shinigami what is hers.'
"I am denying you nothing, Okitetsu-sama. I am merely holding it back until you are ready."
'And when shall I be ready?'
There was a light giggle from the voice before the presence disappeared into the corner of her mind. Tale growled in annoyance and flicked the hilt, again.
Asa watched as Tale argued with herself.
"What time are you supposed to be back for the rest of the test?" Jinsu asked. Tale merely shrugged her shoulders.
"They gave me an hour to eat, but Asa stole my food..." Tale turned to glare at her friend - her stomach gurgled.
"Uh..." Tale gave a questioning look to Asa and then turned her gaze to where Asa was pointing; a clock on the side of a food stand. She had five minutes, from what she could tell, to get back to the Division. They were a fifteen minute walk away. Time really does fly when you're worrying, doesn't it?
"Shit!" Tale jumped up and slid her zanpakutou into her obi. "Sorry, but I gotta go!" She waved and disappeared in a flash.
Asa turned to Jinsu. "You wanna go watch her get her ass beat?"
"Sure."
The two shinigami disappeared after her.
Author's Note:
Alright so… this chapter actually turned out longer than I thought it would, so I had to break it into two parts. (I hand wrote this chapter because I couldn't get myself to type it, and it ended up being over 30 pages if I kept on doing, but I stopped and started to type it up.) So, the next part will actually be up pretty soon once I get myself to type that part up too.
I suck at action scenes, so if the next chapter sucks, then that's why. Oh, and don't fret about Juushiro, he shall be in next chapter! /wink.
And about the whole "Hoshi" thing, you'll learn that next chapter, also, when you all finally learn the zanpakutou's name. /winkwink. And yes, it does have to do with a "star".
Hanafuda – a Japanese card game (you see Shun and Juu playing it with Koten in the Sword Fiend anime arc)
Bakudō no chi, Sai – Way of Binding, number one, Restrain
Gomen-nasai – formal way of saying "I'm sorry"
Yonshi-to-san – fourth seat
Bakudō no rokuichi, Rikujōkōrō – Way of Binding, number sixty one, Six Rods Prison Light
Shitotsu Sansen – Beak-Piercing Triple Beam, type of Bakudō
Hado no yon, Byakurai – Way of Destruction, number four, Pale Lightning
Hado no gojuuhachi, Tenran – Way of Destruction, number fifty eight, Orchid Sky
Yakitori – barbecued chicken on a stick
Hoshi - star
Review please?