Chapter 5: The Seireitei
The next day passed very quickly for Rose, she handed in her essay, paid her bills, and packed. All too soon she found herself standing in a deserted field next to Shunsui and Ukitake. Ukitake pulled out his Zanpakuto and jabbed it through and invisible portal and then turned it anticlockwise like a key. Suddenly a paper door appeared out of nowhere and slid open revealing a blinding light. Two black butterflies emerged from the blinding light. Shunsui nudged Rose forward and together they entered the portal. Rose was shocked that what moments ago appeared to be a blinding passageway turned out to be a rather dark and spooky looking corridor. The walls were a mixture of dark purple and black and to Rose's surprise seemed to move, while the floor, although the same colour as the walls felt rather squishy. It was bitingly cold and dark.
"It's the precipice world. And area between the Soul Society and the World of the Living" Said Ukitake who answered Rose's questioning look.
They walk through the precipice world at a brisk pace. Out of the corner of her eye Rose could see the pathway they just walked down slowly implode on itself, however, for some reason it stop just before touching them. It was a sickening sight and one surely to give her nightmares. They walked and walked until eventual they reached the end of the passageway. Rose stepped through a blinding light and found herself standing in a huge courtyard made of white concrete. Looking round she saw that all the building, with white walls and yellow roofs, were designed to resemble Edo period Japan. The sky above them was sunny and cloudless and it was warm, warmer than England.
"Welcome to the Soul society my beautiful Rose" said Shunsui placing a hand on Rose' shoulder.
"Please do not call me that, or touch me" snapped Rose jerking her shoulder out of Shunsui's grip.
"But you are a beautiful Rose, one that should be cherished everyday" proclaimed Shunsui with an extravagant hand gesture.
"Well could you please keep your opinions to yourself Captain Kyoraku. But I must say it is very pretty here" answered Rose.
"The Seireitei is where all the Shinigami live and work. There are thirteen division each with their own captain. The Soutaicho is the head of this organisation, along with central 46, which is the judiciary authority within the Seireitei." Said Ukitake leading the way away from the senkaimon.
"And what is beyond the Seireitei?" asked Rose, pointing beyond the Seireitei.
"That is the Rukongai. An area where ordinary souls inhabit. It is also the place where the souls of the deceased from the world of the living arrive. There are 320 districts within the Rukongai and it is the largest part of the Soul Society. The Seireitei is located at the centre of the Rukongai with 80 districts on each side." Explained Shunsui.
"TAICHO!" called a female voice.
"Ahh that dulcet tone. That musical tone that only belongs to my sweet Nanao-Chan" exclaimed Shunsui. Up in the distance Rose saw a women marching up towards them wearing a black shihakushÅ, but unlike the two Captains next to her she was not wearing a white haori. This led Rose to believe that the white haori was worn only by the captains. The woman also wore glasses and had her hair pinned up in an elegant up do. She carried a large book under her arm and a scowl on her face that ruined the otherwise elegant look she portrayed. Rose could tell that this women meant business.
"Taicho I have been searching for you for hours. Why are you late arriving back from the world of the living? Do you know how much paperwork there is? But more to the point the Soutaicho has called a Taicho's meeting that started half an hour ago" snapped Nanao.
"Ise-san I am sorry that we are late coming back but Rose had a few things to do before coming here" replied Ukitake.
"Who?" snapped Nanao.
"Nanao-Chan this is darling Rose. She will be staying here in the Seireitei until we can resolve the issue concerning Shadow Crawler" answered Shunsui while placing his hand back on Rose's shoulder.
"Hello" waved Rose with a smile on her face. First impressions were important and Rose wanted to make a good impression on this women. But sadly Nanao's frown only deepened.
"Rose has reiatsu, and lots of it. It was decided by the Soutaicho that Rose be brought to the Seireitei and taught how to control her powers" Said Ukitake. Nanao looked over Rose and frowned. She had never seen a person least likely to because a Shinigami in her life. Rose was skinny and looked like she had no muscles on her body. Nanao was surprised that such a weak looking person had any reiatsu at all let alone one on the same level as a fukutaicho.
"Nanao-Chan please escort Rose to the eighth division and then take her to the fourth. Unohana sensei would like to give her an initial physical before she starts her training" asked Shunsui.
"The eighth? Why there?" asked Ukitake staring at his friend in a shocked manner.
"Last night I sent a hell butterfly to the Soutaicho explaining the situation and he decided that the eighth was the best place to put darling Rose" explained Shunsui. That was true. While Rose was making diner the night before Shunsui sent a message to the Soutaicho explaining the deal made Rose. The Soutaicho had been mildly angry at Rose's demands but had initially agreed to them. He was also reluctant to assign Rose to the eighth division and had forced Shunsui to promise that he would leave Rose alone.
"Training Taicho? And who will be training her?" asked Nanao with a raised eyebrow.
"Why you Nanao-Chan. You will teach her Kido and hand to hand combat while our cute 5th seat will teach her zanjutsu" answered Shunsui with a smile.
"What?" cried Nanao.
"You are the most apt at Kido in the entire division and the best teacher" stated Shunsui hoping to flatter Nanao into agreeing to teach his cute Rose. Wait HIS cute Rose. When did that happen? Nanao gave her Taicho a look that showed that she was not fooled by his flattery. "Alright Nanao-Chan I will teach the advanced zanjutsu class for this quarter and do at least an hour of paperwork a day for the next month" continued Shunsui with an over exaggerated sigh.
"Deal"
"Alright Nanao-Chan. See ya later my beautiful Rose" said Shunsui with a wave as he walked off.
"Don't call me that" shouted Rose after him.
"Bye Rose" waved Ukitake. The two of them flashed away.
There was an awkward silence between Rose and Nanao.
"Erm excuse me miss?" asked Rose but was immediately interrupted by Nanao.
"You will address me as Ise Fukutaicho" snapped Nanao turning around and glaring at Rose. Rose gulped. "Now follow me back to the eighth division. I just about have time to take you to the fourth as long as you hurry". Silently Rose followed behind Nanao with her head bowed.
The walk to the eighth division had been uneventful. People had looked at Rose with curiosity as they had rarely seen a human. This made Rose self-conscious, she had in the past be looked upon with analytical eyes and the results were never pleasant. Suddenly she hated herself and wished to disappear but sadly people still looked. It got worse when they entered the eighth. People now whispered between each other when they passed. Every now and then Rose caught a bit of what they were saying:
"She looks too thin"
"Her hair, what is wrong with it? It looks like a brown mess"
"She looks too weak to be one of us"
"I wonder how long it will be before Taicho fucks her. She looks like a prostitute"
Rose wanted to cry. People were judging her before they even knew her. This brought back memories from when she was forced to strip down to her white underwear and stand in a room in front of sleazy men while they discussed her assets. Dutifully she followed behind Nanao while they walked down pristine white corridors. They passed a large building which Nanao said was where she and the Taicho worked, further along they passed a large cafeteria which was the mess hall. Onwards they walked until finally they arrived in front of a room which stood alone on a long corridor. The room was small with a small bed and an equally small cupboard and desk.
"This is where you will be staying Rose. On the bed are four pairs of Shinigami uniforms. You must wear them all the time during working hours. It is you own responsibility to clean them. Breakfast starts at 7:00 and ends at 9:00, lunch it as 12:00-14:00 and dinner is at 18:00- 20:00. You will train with me every day from 8:00 to 10:00 in kido and hakudo while you will train with your Zanpakuto from 15:0-16:00 every day with Lady Kozu, the 5t seat. The training grounds are located next to administration block C. I do not stand tardiness. Do you understand?" said Nanao is a crisp tone.
"Yes Ise Fukutaicho" said Nanao with a small nod.
"Now we must report to the fourth. I will give you a few minute to change out of your clothes".
The fourth had been uneventful. After Rose had got changed into her Shinigami uniform Nanao rushed her off to the armoury where she was handed a plain looking katana. Nanao then explained that eventually the katana would turn into Rose's personal Zanpakuto but in the meantime it would remain an ordinary sword. Rose never got the opportunity to ask Nanao how an ordinary sword turned into a Zanpakuto. Rose felt awkward walking with a sword tucked into her belt, the added weight unbalanced her somewhat. As she now looked like a Shinigami fewer people stared at her which was an added relief but Rose still felt exposed. The uniform was baggy and had a lot of room which was good for doing exercise but it did make her feel like she was walking around in her underwear. In fact Rose constantly had to check herself over to reassure herself that she was indeed wearing trousers.
The fourth division was crowded with lots of people hurrying around the place. Rose overheard a few people saying that Kenpachi had been frustrated by the lack of things to kill, so he had introduced an new training programme. The chaos within the fourth was due to this. Nanao left Rose at the reception desk claiming that she had other things to do and that she expected to see Rose the next day. Rose waited in the fourth for an hour until she was finally taken to a small examination room by a nervous looking Shinigami with medium length black hair.
"H-hi I am Hanataro, 7th seat and you must be the human, Unohana Taicho asked me to examine you" said Hanataro while looking at the ground.
"Hello Hanataro, I am Rose Bentley, it is a pleasure to meet you" answered Rose while extending her hand out. Hanataro looked at the hand with fear, like as if Rose was holding out a dangerous animal but eventually shook it. The examination only took half an hour but during that time Hanataro weight, measured, examined and interviewed Rose. The questions were easy to answer and were not very intrusive, and when the questions became too probing for Rose she lied. By the end of the examination Hanataro had complied a complete portfolio of Rose in which he was going to make copies of and send them to Unohana, Kyoraku and the Soutaicho.
Name: Rose Bentley
Origins: Scotland, but now lived in London
Height: 5'1
Weight: 74 pounds (underweight by 7 pounds)
Age: 22 years
Mother: dead
Father: Dead
Relatives: none
Other: adopted by two people who now live in Australia, she visits them once a year.
Physical abnormalities: scar on her back from falling out a tree at the age of 14. A few ribs on her left side have healed incorrectly (patient refused x-rays for confirmation- claims from school yard brawls. A faded scar in the shape of a six on her right outer thigh.
Mental illnesses: none.
Anxiety: None
Heart conditions: None
Nervous system conditions: None
Zanpakuto: Not attained
Spiritual pressure: level of a fukutaicho
Shikai: none
Bankai: none
Rose passed the examination but Hanataro did mention that she was underweight and that she should put on more weight if she was to reach her full potential. The rest of the day was spent with Hanataro bombarding Rose with questions on the world of the living. He was particularly interested with take away pizza and Rose's ability to bake cakes. After a length conversation Rose was able to determine that Hanataro loved coconuts. Rose started too really like Hanataro, he was easy to talk to and he did not judge people. She could imagine herself becoming very good friends with him. The two of them had been so engrossed in their conversation that neither of them noticed the passing of time and the next thing they knew it was already dark outside. With a promise that they would meet again soon and that Rose would eat more they parted. However, it was only until Rose exited the fourth division did she realise that she had no idea how to get back to the eighth. Without many options to choose from Rose turned left and headed down the deserted road. The moon was full and provided ample light for Rose to see where she was going.
Slowly Rose walked down roads and across courtyard, meeting nobody. It was hard to believe that in a place as large as the Seireitei she would meet nobody walking around. The night was pleasantly warm and the breeze was refreshing so Rose was not really bothered walking around lost. It allowed her time to think and mull over the events of the day. She was really excited to start learning Kido, and the idea that each Zanpakuto was unique fascinated her. Moreover Rose was itching to start studying the history of the Seireitei. Hanataro had promised her that he would show her the central library the next day. It saddened her that she could not uphold her promise to Hanataro about gaining weight. A simple scan of her stomach would tell any doctor that her stomach had shrunk. Years of underfeeding was to blame for her current thinness.
A grubby looking girl sitting on a dirty, cold metal floor wearing nothing but a thin white tank top and a white pair of underwear looks up at a blond man with a sneer on his face with sunken dead eyes. The man was holding a small metal tray with a small bowl of porridge on it. Suddenly the man empties the porridge onto the floor and laughs at the sad look on the girls face.
"Oops, looks like you will have to eat of the floor you whore" sneered the man. Slowly the girl moves forwards and starts to eat the food of the floor with her hands like some crazed animal.
"That's right my beautiful Rose eat it of the floor like the animal that you are. You are worthless and scum, you will always be worthless and scum, I will treat you like scum" whispered the man while tugging on Rose's dirty brown hair. Still laughing the man walked away and shut the metal door behind him with an eerie clank. Rose frantically shoved the food from the floor into her mouth. She was desperate and did not care that she was a worthless animal, she needed to survive. She had no idea when her next meal was going to be, all she knew was hunger and humiliation.
Rose gasped as she pulled herself out of the past. No she was miles away from that life. She had left it behind ages ago and was never going back to it. She had trained herself to stop thinking about it during the day. But at night, when she had no control over her mind the memories came back. Shaking her head Rose marched on at a quickened pace determined to forget the memory that clung to her like a leech.
Eventually Rose made it back to the eighth, but by then it was already late into the night and dinner had long since stopped serving. Sighing, Rose walked off in the direction of her room, ignoring the hunger pains in her stomach. She knew for a fact that there were Mars bar in her bag back in her room that would sustain her until morning. It took Rose another hour to find her room again and by the time she arrived she was so tired that she just about managed to remove her sandals and katana before collapsing on the bed, fast asleep.