Chapter 17: Graduation

Adjusting the Obi tied around his waist, Haruki's heart wouldn't stop thudding against his chest even now. His new uniform, fitting perfectly, was a huge change to the one he had worn for the majority of the past six years, and he couldn't help but fidget with it as he tried to adjust to the change.

Graduated. Him. He had managed to not only graduate the Shin'o Academy, but had been one of the top ranked in the year. Thanks to his remarkable skills in Kaido, Haruki had already been guaranteed a spot within Squad 4, along with a handful of others who looked just as nervous as they stood in the barracks they had been dreaming about for the last few years.

They had already had a warm welcome from Captain Unohana, but their nerves were still apparent as they waited for Lieutenant Seinosuke Yamada to return with their assignments.

That was something he hadn't realised - when Captain Unohana had introduced her Lieutenant, Haruki and a number of his peers had reacted with visible surprise. It was easy to tell that the second in command was Kirara's brother, and he confirmed as much with a tone that sounded like he'd suffered for it for a long time.

Haruki shifted his weight from one leg to another. His nerves were manifesting in excess energy - he almost wished he could go and practice his Shunpo while he waited. At least then he wouldn't be fidgeting so much.

"You look restless. Need some homework?" the familiar voice right behind Haruki made him yelp loud enough for the rest of the group to jump as well and look around.

"Ki -" Haruki cut himself off quickly as he whirled around and saw Kirara standing there with a grin on her face. "Lieutenant Yamada," he corrected himself quickly. "What are you doing here?" he asked nervously. The rest of the group stared at her, muttering amongst themselves. A couple of them knew Kirara, but none of them had been in her classes, so to see her suddenly standing amongst them was scary, to say the least.

"Thought I'd stop by and say hi on your first day," Kirara grinned, stepping back and away from them. "Congratulations on graduating, and for joining Squad 4," she told him. Haruki went red at both her words, and the looks being sent his way.

"Thanks, Lieutenant," he bowed respectfully, but didn't miss the flicker of amusement in her gaze.

"Don't you have your own batch of new recruits to intimidate?" Seinosuke sounded exasperated as he returned and found his sister standing amongst the newbies. Kirara's grin widened. "I have to ask that you please forgive my fellow Lieutenant Yamada for her…eccentricities," he had that weary voice again.

"I apologise for interrupting," Kirara just bowed deeply in response, and Seinosuke had to resist rolling his eyes as he saw the visible confusion on the faces of the new Shinigami who weren't used to Kirara's true theatrics just yet. "Good luck to you all. Especially with Squad 11," a grin flashed across her face before she turned on her heel and walked away, laughing to herself.

Seinosuke shook his head, tearing his gaze away from his retreating sister to look at Haruki. The nervous young man didn't look very impressive, but he'd heard all about the young man. His Kaido was good, but he'd also attended Kirara's Shunpo and Hakuda classes every year he was in the Academy.

Seinosuke resisted a grimace as Haruki met his gaze for a brief second before he looked down quickly. He was meek and timid, and Seinosuke couldn't understand at all why Kirara had put so much stock in the young man. She hadn't told him as such, of course; they barely spoke as it was. But to visit him on his first day told Seinosuke enough.

He'd have to keep an eye on him and see just what he was capable of.

Before leaving, Kirara glanced back over her shoulder. She didn't miss the look that Seinosuke now had pinned on Haruki, and she couldn't help but wonder if she'd made a mistake by visiting now.

'I might have just painted a target on his back,' she thought to herself, but shook her head. 'He can handle it,' Kirara said, believing in the young man as she thought back to when she had first asked him why he wanted to learn Shunpo from her.

"It's not that I'm doing it just to pass my classes," Haruki had told her with a quick shake of his head. "I want to be better than just passing. I want to be skilled," he said. When Kirara had tilted her head, he'd let out a sigh. "My father is a doctor in the Rukongai. I learned Kaido from him early, and even he said I have a natural gift for it," Haruki explained.

"Squad 4 does seem the most appropriate place for you," Kirara mused as she watched him. Haruki was doing his cooldown stretches, and sweat was pouring down his face after another strenuous lesson.

"I'd be happy with that, really," Haruki told her earnestly. Kirara didn't speak, waiting for him to continue. "I like that I have the ability to help people, and if I get placed with Squad 4, then it's great. But I don't want to just be a healer. I don't want to just heal people after the fact," he said softly.

"You want to protect," Kirara summed up. Haruki nodded.

"That's probably stupid. But if I can be good at Hakuda and Shunpo, maybe I can help more people. That's why I want to be good at both," he told her.

"That's not stupid," Kirara told him, and his eyes went wide at her response. "It's honourable that you want that. Dangerous, but honourable," Kirara's blue eyes glittered as she spoke. Haruki watched her silently. "Keep it up, kid. You'll do great," Kirara told him confidently, and a smile spread across his face.

Kirara's grin returned, and she turned, leaving Haruki to settle into Squad 4. Looking up at the sky, she smiled at the beautiful spring sky and walked slowly, enjoying the quiet. As always, she was going to have a lot of work to do once she eventually got back to her office, so for now she was just going to take it easy.

"Slacking already? I thought you'd at least last the morning before sneaking off," Kirara stopped and looked up at Shinji. He was in his usual perch above, enjoying the spring weather. Kirara had lost count of how often she'd seen him there, and had to wonder if he'd sensed her in the past and left to avoid fighting.

"I'm starting to notice a trend here, Hirako," Kirara rested her hands on her hips. "You call me out for slacking when you're just as guilty for it," she accused.

"What?" Shinji looked offended at her words. "I've been busy all morning dealing with those green Shinigami," he said, and Kirara laughed. She jumped up suddenly, taking a seat up on the rooftop beside him to admire the sky. She had to admit, it was a good spot. She could see for miles, and the brilliant blue stretched on forever overhead. Kirara could easily fall asleep there. "And I have a complaint," Shinji said, unbothered by her sitting beside him.

"What did I do now?" Kirara rolled her eyes.

"You had to go and get popular in the Academy," Shinji's complaint made her frown grow. "Now I have to deal with people who you've somehow tricked into thinking that you're some kind of amazing person," he complained.

"Hey, I am amazing," Kirara fired back, affronted by his words. Shinji's brown eyes remained narrowed at her, unaffected by how offended she sounded.

"You think you're amazing, Princess. The rest of us just leave you to your delusions," he replied, and Kirara huffed.

"You're ruining the view, asshole," she complained. "And stop calling me that," she jabbed him with her elbow, managing to catch him in the side hard enough that he cursed.

"Brat."

"Prick," their insults were half-hearted as they both looked up at the view instead of each other. Neither would admit that somewhere along the way of tolerating one another, they had become tentative friends. Instead, they just fired barbs at one another. "So what's the problem with people liking me?" Kirara asked, unable to fight her curiosity for long. Shinji almost smirked at the victory, but instead sighed.

"One of those new recruits was already talking about how much she admires you. Said you made her so good at Hakuda that she's ready to propose to you," Shinji rolled his eyes, and Kirara started to laugh. She knew instantly who it was.

"Ami Watanabe," she said, and Shinji snorted.

"Of course you know which one I'm talking about," he sighed. Ami had thought she was being quiet as she chatted with her fellow new recruits, but Shinji hadn't missed her words, talking about how harsh Kirara was as a teacher, but how amazing she was. He'd almost laughed right then and there.

"I can't believe nobody warned her that my name is taboo in your barracks," Kirara teased, nudging him lightly.

"What, like mine isn't in yours?" Shinji fired back, grinning at her words. It had taken a while, but they now laughed at how much they had fought. Kirara looked at him incredulously.

"With Captain Shihoin around?" she asked, and Shinji had to stop himself from snorting again.

"Good point," he allowed, knowing exactly how Yoruichi was. She'd been pestering him for years about what had happened during the blizzard, and one of her suggestions had been so explicit and graphic that his nose had bled for twenty minutes after she left. Shinji then stretched, groaning as he did. "I suppose I should say congratulations for finding someone who actually wants to marry you," he said, and cursed again when Kirara jabbed him again. "Stop doing that," Shinji complained.

"I will when you stop being a prick," she smiled sweetly at him - the same smile he once told her made him nervous. "I can't help it if I have fans. I'm sorry," Kirara said, and Shinji's eyebrows furrowed. She never apologised to him.

"Wh-"

"I'm sorry that you'll never know what it's like," Kirara finished, and instantly burst out laughing. Shinji rolled his eyes and nudged her hard enough that she almost fell, but she just continued to laugh. After a moment, his own grin won out. "So you're hiding from Watanabe and the rest?" Kirara asked as she managed to calm down.

"Hardly. I'm taking a break. Sosuke is taking care of them," Shinji said, and instantly turned to her. "And do not make another comment about Captains dumping their work on their Lieutenants," he warned her as he saw her eyes gleam.

"Damn. I'm becoming too predictable," Kirara complained, giggling again. "It's too nice a day to slave away in an office anyway. This view is much better," she decided, looking out over the Seireitei.

"You're right," Shinji agreed, leaning forwards to do the same as they fell into an oddly comfortable silence as they just enjoyed the quiet.

The sounds of fighting were a low din and carried a fair distance from Squad 11, but nobody was really surprised. It was noisy and chaotic most of the time, but when they got new recruits the chaos always intensified.

Which was why Kirara wasn't sure why she had even gone in that direction. When she arrived at their usual sparring grounds, it was a cluster of fighting. Several were already on the sidelines, bleeding and bruised but looking delighted.

'Seems these newbies are happy with their placement,' she thought as she spotted Natsuki amongst the brawl. The short but well-built Lieutenant was dealing hits and taking them, and even as her nose bled freely, she had a wild smile on her face. 'Terrifying,' Kirara mused as she watched them fight.

"Oi, Yamada!" the third seat, Daiki, spotted her watching, and waved her over. He was tall and built like a brick shithouse, with his hair shaved close to his scalp and a slightly crooked nose. He was standing on the sidelines, looking as if he wanted to join in, but some of them were refraining. After all, if too many showed up at Squad 4 needing medical care at once, they'd have to deal with not only Seinosuke's sadistic nature, but Unohana's wrath.

"I see the tradition is still being upheld," Kirara commented as she watched as more and more of the Shinigami dropped.

"Proudly so," the man nodded, and Kirara chuckled. "What brings you here? It's rare to see you around here, especially when the new recruits arrive," Daiki observed, and Kirara smirked up at him.

"Keeping tabs on my visits? Oh my," she teased, looking away to continue watching. "Too bad. You Squad 11 lot aren't my type," Kirara said, and the man groaned, putting a hand to his chest as if he'd been wounded.

"Way to crush my hopes and dreams," Daiki complained, but it was in good nature. "Besides, you sneaky Squad 2 lot aren't my type either," he told her, and Kirara laughed.

"Smart boy," she said, but before he could say anything else, movement nearby earned their attention. Kirara stood straighter, and so did a lot of the Shinigami around her, as Captain Kiganjo approached the fighting.

Noticing him as well, those still fighting stopped instantly, and a hush fell over them. The new recruits turned pale, losing some of their bloodlust as the man stepped onto the field and looked around.

"Hamasaki," Captain Kiganjo called, and Natsuki got to her feet, wiping the blood from her nose with her sleeve. "Let's go," he said, and a wide smile spread across her face that could only be described as feral.

"Here we go," Kirara shook her head, but was smiling. "When Natsuki complains about seeing the lesser of the Yamada Lieutenants, remind her that it was her own fault," she told the third seat beside her, and he chuckled. His eyes were shining as he watched, just as excited as the majority of the Squad around them.

"It's interesting," Daiki spoke suddenly, and Kirara looked up at him. "Not too many women last in our Squad for long. We've had women around, and our fair share of female Captains, but…" he trailed off as their Captain and Lieutenant began fighting. It was brutal and bloody, and made Kirara grimace. It was nothing like her Hakuda.

"Natsuki is definitely a permanent fixture here," she said, folding her arms.

"We had bets on her not lasting a week, when she joined," Daiki's confession made Kirara's eyes widen, and her head whipped around. She stared at him, stunned into silence, but part of her was ready to hand him his ass for it. "Not because she's a woman or anything," Daiki said quickly. "But because of her background," he continued, knowing that Kirara was moments away from punching him.

"Oh," Kirara blinked. "You knew?" she asked, and he snorted.

"Of course. The seated officers back then, at least. We knew. The Lieutenant told us," Daiki shrugged. Kirara bit back an angry comment about being glad the former Lieutenant was dead. "That bet was scrapped two days in when she hit me so hard she broke my nose and laughed," Daiki put a hand to his nose.

"That's Natsuki for you," Kirara grinned, proud of her. "Loved fighting since the first time she punched a guy in the face for annoying her," she remembered the rumours from the Academy well, and Daiki snorted.

"Doesn't surprise me at all now, seeing her," a sympathetic 'ooh' went out amongst the spectators as Kiganjo caught Natsuki in the stomach with a punch hard enough to lift her off her feet.

To her credit, the Lieutenant remained standing. She landed lightly and stumbled backwards, her hand to her stomach as she breathed heavily. Her body was in pain after the brawl before, and now this, but she couldn't keep the smile off her face. Fighting was just too fun, and the pain was worth it. It was proof of a good fight. She'd wear those scars with pride for the rest of her life.

Spitting out the blood that was pooling in her mouth, Natsuki kept her gaze on Kiganjo. He was watching her with a wide grin, loving the fight as much as she was. He had no problem with her being a woman, and he never held back against her. Nobody in Squad 11 was stupid enough to do so.

"Not bad, Captain. But I think you've been slacking too much lately. Before, that would have knocked me out," she taunted. Laughter and jeers rang out amongst the Squad as Kiganjo looked amused by her words.

"And I think you've been spending too much time with that loudmouth Lieutenant from Squad 2," he replied. He hadn't missed that she was watching. "You're getting too mouthy, Hamasaki," Kiganjo warned her. Natsuki smirked, and their fighting resumed.

"I better get back," Kirara pushed off the wall and started to walk away.

"Not gonna stay until their fight's over?" Daiki called over to her. Kirara snorted.

"No thanks. I have work to do and it gets boring watching them just hit each other," she shrugged, already leaving. Daiki shook his head and turned back to the fight.

"Sometimes I think she'd suit Squad 11, then she comes out with shit like that. Squad 2 are weird," he muttered under his breath. His thoughts on Kirara were almost immediately forgotten, however, as he soon rejoined the shouting and cheering.

Closing his eyes, Haruki took a deep breath to try and settle himself. The panic rising in his chest stopped, but it didn't fade as he stood to the side of one of the streets of the Seireitei.

He couldn't believe it. It was his first day, and he was lost already. He was only supposed to go to Squad 7 to deliver some small medical supplies for their Shinigami going to the World of the Living. He'd even been given directions, and he was completely lost.

"Dammit. Which way…" Haruki looked left and right, trying to figure out which way it was that he was supposed to go.

"You alright, kid?" Haruki jumped at the voice, eyes going wide as he found himself looking at Kirara. She grinned, hands behind her back. Having been on her way back from delivering a report to Lisa, Kirara had been passing by Squad 4 when she picked up on Haruki's distressed Reiatsu. "I didn't expect to bump into you already. I'm assuming that my brother hasn't found a heart and let you finish early?" she asked, looking down at the package in his hand.

"I was sent out to Squad 7 to deliver some supplies, but…" Haruki trailed off, his face going bright red.

"Ah…" Kirara nodded in understanding. "With the vaguest of directions, I'd wager. Seinosuke is sadistic like that," she said, and Haruki started to splutter.

"No, they were fine, I just…" he stopped, to embarrassed to say it out loud. That on his first day, he managed to find himself completely and totally lost.

"Don't worry about it. This place is a maze, it happens to us all," Kirara soothed him with a sympathetic smile. "I got lost almost constantly when I started out," her confession made Haruki relax a little bit. "Come on. I'll show you to Squad 7," she offered.

"I couldn't," Haruki shook his head. "You're a Lieutenant, you must have more important things to do than show me around," he said, his face only getting hotter.

"I think you're the only person in the Seireitei who believes that," Kirara's quiet words surprised him more. She then shook her head as she saw his look. "Forget it. Come on, I'll show you where to go. I have to drop by Captain Kuchiki to pick up some things anyway, and Love's place is on the way," Kirara then grinned. "Come on. We'll use Shunpo, and you can show me how much you've improved," she challenged.

"I…" Haruki stopped as the challenge tugged at him. "Okay," he nodded, and Kirara's grin widened. She knew how competitive the young man could be, and she found it to be one of the best ways to get him out of his shell.

"Then let's go. Try to keep up!" with that, Kirara was off, and Haruki gave chase. It took everything he had not to lose her, as even with the six years of training he'd had with her, Kirara was still on a whole other level compared to him.

Normally that would have caused him to fall back into that darkness, but not this time. It only bolstered his determination to be better. So he pushed himself, taking care not to break the supplies in his arms as Kirara led him straight to Squad 7.

"Whoa!" Haruki snapped out of that focus as he almost barrelled into a large man. He stopped in time, silently thanking Kirara for teaching him how to stop as suddenly as he started, and stared up at the imposing man. He had black hair tied back and a goatee, and a scar down eye, partially hidden by a pair of red-tinted sunglasses. "Going a little fast there, kid," he commented. His voice was gruff, but there was amusement behind it.

"Sorry, Jinemon," Kirara appeared beside the Lieutenant. "I was showing Haruki here how to get to Squad 7. He's got your supplies," she said cheerfully.

"Oh, so this is the legendary Haruki," Jinemon's surprise made Haruki's eyes grow wider. "We heard all about you. Not everyone manages to get Kirara to do something. And for you to stick out six years of her Shunpo training…" he chuckled. "I'm Lieutenant Kotsubaki," he introduced himself.

"Haruki Maeda, Squad 4," Haruki stammered, bowing to the man as Kirara grinned. "I brought the supplies you requested," he said, and winced as he remembered Kirara had already told the man that.

"That's great. Head down that way and you'll find someone to take them," he gestured down towards one of the other buildings.

"Thank you!" Haruki said, and bowed again before moving past him. He then stopped, and turned back. "And thank you, Lieutenant Yamada, for showing me how to get here," he added. Kirara waved, watching as he hurried off.

"I wasn't expecting a kid like that," Jinemon admitted, and Kirara turned to him. "I kind of expected someone like you," he said. What he omitted was that he was very grateful that Haruki was far from being anything like Kirara.

"If he had been like me, I probably would have killed him," Kirara mused, and the man snorted.

"Glad to know that you understand what the rest of us go through," he said, before sobering. "He's damn fast. I think you might have created a monster, Yamada," he warned her. Kirara grinned.

"That's exactly what we need around here," she said, and he couldn't help but laugh.

"I know plenty who will disagree with that," Jinemon told her. Judging from Kirara's grin, she was thinking the same thing.