Chapter III In Blue
Captain Jushiro Ukitake, Captain Ginrei Kuchki and Professor Sango Saki of the Soul reaper Acadamy Council sat poised in silence. Before them bowed a bandaged up girl, with a bald head, wearing a white hospital kimono.
"Echem." Ukitake cleared his throat." Why did you enter the tournament?" his voice quite hoarse.
"To enter the Academy."answered curtly Hokori.
"Yes, but why did you decide to do it this way, instead of the usual and much easier examination?"
"I had no other choice, I would not have passed the knowledge test." Hokori answered bluntly.
"What made you think that you would win the Tournament?" interrupted Sango, almost jeeringly.
Hokori's anger sprouted another root, but she remained calm, she couldn't distroy her position, not now, not when the uniform was at a hand's reach.
"I didn't know that either, I only knew that this was my only chance and I was ready to sacrifice everything for it." she said out loud., but her thoughts spelled out something more along the line: "Like there was something left anyway."
She wanted to say: "I won, didn't I, that's what counts." But she repressed that too.
"Hmmm..." started the Captain of squad VI."Where did you acquire your abilities?." asked the old man.
"Living on the streets." she was lying and was grateful that her lowly rank didn't allow to rise her eyes to meet those of her superior's.
"Miss Hokori, because I assume that is your last name." came the shrilly voice of Sango Saki.
"If you learned how to fight on the street, then by doing what? You see I'm very curious about an occupation that would provide such skills."
"No doubt you are." she thought.
"I carried heavy objects." That wasn't a lie, she really did carry many layers of silk.
"As far as I know, the Tournament does not exclude women."said Hokori out of turn.
The two serious looking men lifted their eyebrows.
"Yes, but it is rare to see a woman enter and live through it." Juushiro Ukitake was obliged to answer.
"Then,if a woman wins, she also gets a place in the Shino Academy?" Hokori lifted her eyes.
The younger man smiled, as if he was handing out candy to orphans."Of course, we are not denying you your reward."
"We just want to know what motivates you, as a future soul reaper!" interrupted Sango Saki.
Hokori looked straight into his eyes and said clearly:" I want to be a soul reaper, because a soul reaper is free."
Now all the man lifted their eyebrows.
"Being a soul reaper." said Captain Kuchki sternly. "Means to obey, there is very little freedom in that,"
Hokori's eyes shined, she smiled and bowed even deeper.
"I understand, but to me a soul reaper is as free on the inside as he is constricted by his duty on the outside."
These were her only completely true words, the only words that streamed from her hear.
"I have no other questions." concluded Kuchki and that seemed to end the whole interview.
A young officer lead her back to the hospital along a long passage, partly open to the courtyard. He stopped abruptly in the middle of it, saluted to a woman who didn't really take any notice of them, just walked ahead, deep in thought. Hokori felt like she saw her somewhere before. Somewhere during the Banquet perhaps? Then the woman suddenly stopped. Looked at Hokori, her eyes moving from left to right, right to left, hummed a little under her breath and moved on.
"Who was that?" asked Hokori.
"Captain of squad XII, Kirio Hikifune." answered the soul reaper. When they arrived on her ward he also handed her a small package.
"You are to report in the Academy no later then on Monday." He added with a serious face and was about to leave, when Hokori stopped him.
"Excuse me, there seems to have been a mistake." The officer looked at her.
"This uniform is blue." He still looked at her.
"Erm, I might be mistaken, but don't the men wear blue uniforms?"
By now she saw the guy stiffing a lough.
"Professor Sango Saki ordered me to bring this one, apparently he thinks that if you entered the tournament as a man, you wouldn't mind."
Hokori looked serious for a brief moment and then said lightly "What do you know, I don't mind at all."
After he left she looked in the mirror over the sink. Her lip was cut, left cheek blue. She touched the back of her head, where a big purple bruise protruded viciously, her ribs still stung, but the kido treatments she received from the squad IV members helped substantially. Hokori saw kido in working for the second time since the tournament, that technique could heal as well as restrain and injure. She looked at the blue uniform and wanted to wear it now, to go to the Academy and start learning about kido that very moment. Suddenly, it dawned on her, the Female Captain! She saw her on the night of the New Year's, on the street behind the guestrooms. An unsettling feeling rose in Hokori's heart. What if the Captain remembered? What if Ryukubo overcame his pride and talked.
NO! As quick as she became nervous, she collected herself. Nobility does not boast about Geishas that struck them unconscious and then run with their own swords. Captains don't have time to remember girls running through dark streets. For now, she was safe. Just with a little luck.