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Chapter Three - Adjusting

After making sure that his two guests had everything that they could conceivably need to be comfortable Head Captain Ukitake left them alone in the small apartment that he's provided in Squad One. He would have plenty of time to assess their skills after they'd had a good night's sleep. There was no need to rush into anything. After all, much had happened to them since their arrival in Soul Society and they needed time to adjust to their new environment.

"So what do you think of these Shinigami people Al?" Ed asked his brother once the two had eaten their fill of the food that Ukitake had provided.

"They seem nice enough to me," Al replied in his customary quiet voice.

Ed's thoughts flashed back to the white-haired youth that he'd met and he shuddered involuntarily. "Some of 'em anyway," he muttered darkly.

Al didn't have to ask whom his brother was referring to because he knew exactly who his brother had been thinking of when he'd made the comment and personally he thought that the reason his brother didn't get along with the white-haired Shinigami boy, and vice-versa, was that their personalities were too similar. They couldn't help but clash with one another. Of course he'd never tell Ed this fact because he knew what his brother's reaction would be and did not relish the thoughts of such an exchange.

"So what do you think about the whole reiatsu thing that Ukitake-san was talking about?" Al asked after awhile, turning a questioning gaze toward his older brother. He knew from experience that changing the question was the best way to improve his brother's mood.

Ed shrugged. "I don't know Al. I can't say that it's complete nonsense because of that weird energy that surrounded me when I was about to fight that Hitsugaya kid but I haven't been able to make it happen again. And on top of that I can't use alchemy anymore."

"I noticed that too," Al said thoughtfully. "I guess alchemy doesn't exist in the afterlife."

Ed shrugged once again as he threw himself down on one of the two beds that occupied the room. "Oh well. I'd kinda gotten used to not being able to use alchemy but I still had my hopes."

"I know how you feel," Al said as he lay down on the other bed. He also missed the use of alchemy.

"I'm beat," Ed announced needlessly, placing his hands behind his head. "We can talk about this more tomorrow."

" 'Kay," Al said. "Night Nii-san."

"Good night Al."

When Al awoke the next morning it was to find his older brother already awake and sitting on the edge of his bed. There was an intense expression in Ed's golden eyes and he appeared to be completely lost in thought.

"Nii-san," Al said in a quiet voice.

Ed turned his gaze in the direction of his brother and offered him a slightly crooked smile. "So you finally decided to wake up huh?"

"Give me a break," Al said, pretending to be annoyed by his brother's comment. "I had a hard day yesterday, what with the fact that you killed us, so excuse me if I was tired."

Ed sobered. "I'm really sorry about this Al."

"Hey," Al said, not having meant to make his brother feel guilty over what had happened. "It was an accident. I don't really blame you, I was just trying to give you a hard time. Don't worry about it."

Ed nodded and appeared to feel somewhat better after hearing Al's reassurance. "So what do you suppose they have in store for us today?"

"I don't know," Al replied, thinking of the white-haired man named Ukitake.

After an early morning spent doing paperwork and thinking about the two new arrivals to the Seireitei, Head Captain Ukitake made his way to Ed and Al's apartment and when he reached their door he knocked softly and then stepped back, waiting for a reply from within. A few minutes passed and then the door opened to reveal the younger of the two brothers.

"Hello," the boy said.

"Good morning," Ukitake said in a kind voice. "Did you boys sleep well?"

"Very well thanks," Al replied, motioning for the man to enter the apartment.

Ukitake stepped inside and as his eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness of the room he saw that the older of the two brothers was sitting on the edge of one of the beds. "Are you boys ready for a little lesson on reiatsu?"

Both boys perked up, eager to learn more about the use of spiritual energy. Ed and Al both nodded enthusiastically.

"Alright," Ukitake said, smiling slightly at the excited expressions on both of the boys' faces. "Follow me and we'll have a little lesson on kidou."

Ed jumped to his feet and quickly crossed the room, coming to stand beside his younger brother. Both boys followed Head Captain Ukitake out of the small apartment, across the complex and out into a courtyard. Once they were outside Ukitake turned to face the two boys. "Okay, now I'm going to teach you how to manipulate your reiatsu and use kidou."

"Alright!" Ed exclaimed.

Al was less vocal but no less excited.

The trio spent several hours out in the courtyard, working on the usage of kidou, however both boys proved unable to manipulate their reiatsu enough to actually be able to perform the simple attack that Ukitake was attempting to teach them.

Needless to say Ed was growing frustrated with his lack of skill while Al was accepting.

"I don't understand," Ukitake said in his customary, calm voice. "All signs point to the fact that you possess high reiatsu, which was corroborated by Captain Hitsugaya, and yet you seem unable to harness that power in order to use kidou."

"Dammit," Ed swore.

"Nii-san," Al said, casting a reproachful look in his brother's direction.

"I can't help it," Ed said, rubbing the back of his head. "This is annoying and now I'm starving again."

Al rolled his eyes. "You're always starving."

"I can't help it," Ed said in his own defense.

"Why don't you boys go back to your apartment," Ukitake suggested. "And I'll have someone bring you something for lunch. We'll make another attempt at the kidou this evening."

Ed didn't really look eager to stop the lessons however his stomach gave a demanding growl and he nodded his head. Maybe after a decent meal he'd be more perceptive to what the white-haired man was trying to teach him. It couldn't hurt at any rate.

The two brothers slowly made their way back to their small apartment and as they walked Ed complained about the situation. "I can't believe that I couldn't make that weird blue aura show up again. I didn't exactly do it on purpose the last time but I know I can do it. I know it."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out Nii-san," Al said in a quiet voice. "At least you've done it once before. I can't even say that."

"I'm sure you'll be able to do it too Al," Ed said to his younger brother.

"I don't know," Al said, his voice filled with doubt.

A/N- This chapter was really short but it's leading up to chapter four, which I hope to have posted sometime in the near future. Notice I said, hope, not making any promises here. Please review and tell me what you thought. Until next time, this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.