Chapter 15: Shinigami Academy
2 Weeks Later, Soul Society
The past two weeks had been quite the experience for Karin. For starters, she began to understand why her own father was such a goof, being raised in a family such as the Shibas.
Kukaku seemed to want to take Karin under her wing at every turn, teaching her the intricacies of various fireworks and Kido, the latter of which earning the attention of Ganju as well. Karin struggled to learn Kido under both of her cousins, not really understanding the basics of the spells.
"You're hopeless!", Kukaku would often yell out in frustration before immediately contradicting herself by encouraging Karin some more, offering her tips.
Karin found that Ganju offered more intuitive advice, however, as Karin got close to producing a somewhat acceptable spell before it blew up in her face.
Ganju would often take her and Rukia out into the Rukongai to help out the residents. What was odd was that he insisted they all ride boars for transportation every time. Karin had nothing against it, not really, but her Zanpakuto was constantly screaming at her that nobles like her shouldn't associate themselves with such base, disgusting animals, but Karin ignored her, to the spirit's great irritation.
As for Rukia, the woman could do very little one-on-one training with Karin during the day over the course of the two weeks, what with the Shiba siblings constantly spending time with her, which Rukia felt she had no right to take away from the family. This is where Isshin's early morning training regimen proved to be particularly useful.
Rukia instructed Karin mainly in Zanjutsu basics, which she found the girl had both a great interest and talent for, especially compared to the Kido she tried to learn from the Shibas. Although Karin had to constantly hold herself back from insulting Rukia's silly drawings that worked as explanations covering various forms.
Karin's Zanpakuto sang in the back of her mind whenever Karin's blade clashed with Rukia's during the brief opportunities they had to spar, which Karin found herself agreeing with—feeling her soul literally singing during these times. A member of the stealth force appeared before Rukia and Karin during one of their training sessions, delivering a letter explaining her admission into the Academy is finalized and they should leave within the next day to go to the Academy, as even Head Captain Yamamoto will be there for her orientation.
The Following Day
The next morning, Karin is lightly packing her things when Rukia walks into the room, "We ought to get going soon. I'd recommend packing light."
Karin nods, while placing her soccer ball in her bag and slinging it around her shoulder. Karin and Rukia walk into the main room Kukaku and Ganju are usually in but find neither there.
Rukia can see disappointment in the girl's eyes as she utters her next words, "Looks like we'll have to leave without saying goodbye…"
The two solemnly make their way out of the exit but are immediately greeted by the sight of a crowd of people who start cheering.
"What the hell is this?" Karin says as she walks out, casting her arms out at the crowd, genuinely confused.
Karin can recognize the faces of citizens of Rukongai, including Yuichi, who she helped alongside Ganju the week earlier. As if on cue, Ganju and his gang, riding their boars, trot up to Karin and Rukia.
"You didn't really think we'd let you leave without a proper send off?!" Ganju calls out to his younger cousin.
Karin's eyes widen, "You mean this is all for me?"
Ganju nods his head before stepping off his boar and hoisting Karin onto it in his place.
He shifts his gaze upward, which Karin follows, finding Kukaku standing atop one of the giant stone arms with a toothy smirk plastered on her face.
The woman calls out, "Alright you two, it's time to show Karin some real fireworks!"
After she says this, Karin swears she can hear Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko shouting from inside the house. Just then, out of the giant chimney, is a giant explosion of light and fire the likes of which the girl has never seen before. After a few moments, Karin could make out through the smoke the words 'Good luck Karin!'
Karin feels overwhelmed in this moment, unknowingly starting to cry.
Ganju notices this, "Oh, did we mess up? Do you not like it?!"
The man starts getting frantic, prompting the girl to shake her head, "No… it's great… thank you…"
Karin weeps lightly with a smile on her face, not having experienced genuine kindness on this level since before Ichigo died. Ganju relaxes at the girl's words and Rukia can't help but smile at the wholesome scene in front of her.
The parade continues throughout the Rukongai until the group reaches the outer edges of the Seireitei, guarded by a giant axe-wielding Shinigami wearing a red hat.
The giant looks down at Karin, giving her a friendly smile, "I've heard a lot about you, Miss Shiba. My name is Jidonbo. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Karin awkwardly returns the greeting, "Y-yeah, same here."
The giant steps aside, "You may pass. Godspeed to you."
Karin turns around waving goodbye to her cousins once more before both she and Rukia make their way back into the Seireitei for the first time in two weeks.
Las Noches
Szayel scrolls through a monitor containing Roka's recent findings, discovering that White used to be a human from a place called Karakura Town.
"Interesting… it seems the only three things White concerns himself with are his two sisters and his place of origin… everything else is fuzzy.", Szayel hums, contemplating what this could mean.
"This data is not exactly what I wanted… you! Dig deeper into his memories!" Szayel barks at Roka, who visibly winces from the strain of inserting her threads so deeply into such a powerful hollow.
Hueco Mundo
White is currently flying through the pitch-black sky of Hueco Mundo when suddenly a feeling he's never felt before assaults him.
"What's that?!", White looks around confused.
There is no answer, so the dragon decides to land on the ground, scanning his surroundings for anything this feeling could be coming from. Still nothing. The hollow closes his eyes, instinctively focusing on the feeling. There is nothing but darkness, but suddenly he sees a girl with a half a skull mask on her face with short brown hair. The girl stares back at him with widened eyes, as if surprised to see him.
"YOU!", the dragon roars, "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"
Red Reiatsu floods the entirety of White's mindscape until it is only darkness once more. White opens his eyes, the feeling now gone; however, for the first time he notices something completely different about Hueco Mundo, "The hell?"
Strewn across the desert in various locations are golden, web-like threads. He looks at his body, noticing that many of these threads are attached to his body, prompting him to flare up his Reiatsu, burning them away.
"I think these webs have something to do with whoever that was. I'll have to kill them when I find them. No one looks in my mind without my permission, NOBODY!", the dragon roars before once again taking off to the skies above.
Las Noches
Roka stumbles back in pain, screaming, as she writhes on the ground, grabbing her head. Szayel frowns as his monitor goes dark, turning to Roka with an angry expression.
"Master Szayelaporro…", Roka calls out as if a plea for help.
The girl will receive no such thing. Szayel kicks Roka hard in the stomach, causing her to choke out blood. The man continues to do this again and again, screaming maniacally as the girl's movements nearly stop entirely.
Szayel pauses before asking the girl a question, "Why did you cut off the link? I was so close to figuring out what White is at his essence! This will cost you dearly…"
Szayel places a hand on his Zanpakuto and starts to draw it.
"B-but I wasn't the one who cut off the link, Master Szayelaporro, he was.", Roka states, not out of fear for her life, but more so in order to ensure Szayel has a proper understanding of what happened.
"What…?", Szayel is unamused, "The monitors showed no such thing, all I saw was White at one moment and a black monitor the next."
Roka's eyes widen, "I swear, I was in his mind, it was mostly darkness in there. Just as I was touching his essence, he discovered me and overwhelmed me with his Reiatsu… I can still feel him burning away my threads…"
The girl winces as another bout of pain assaults her. Szayel's eyes widen slightly, as he feels through the threads that she inserted in his own consciousness that they are indeed being burned away.
Szayel opens his eyes and now wears a maniacal expression, "EXTRODINARY! WHITE! YOU GET MORE AND MORE INTERESTING BY THE DAY! What you have done should be impossible, no ordinary Hollow can so much as see my creation's threads, let alone destroy them!"
The pink-haired Arrancar laughs like a maniac at this realization.
Roka struggles to get to her feet, prompting the mad scientist to pause his laughing, although still wearing a smile of elation, "Recall all of your nonessential threads from the dunes of Hueco Mundo, we've no need for them anymore, especially with White being aware of them."
Roka nods, beginning to do as ordered.
However, Szayel's expression becomes thoughtful before he adds, "Hold on."
"Yes, Master Szayelaporro?", the girl asks with slight curiosity.
The scientist wears a dark smirk as he orders, "Direct one of your threads to the old, remote base in the northern sands so that the dragon can see them. I shall put him to the test against some of our weakest Arrancars."
Roka frowns slightly as she nods slowly, feeling pity for them as she once more follows her orders, "They will not survive…"
While she is doing this, Szayel starts to browse through the information he was able to save from earlier. He displays three images on the monitors, one for each of White's sisters and one of Karakura town.
"Lastly, you will go to the world of the living—to this Karakura Town. Spread the remainder of your threads throughout the town—find these sisters or anything else resembling White's essence and gather information on it. I will be watching through our link, remember that.", the scientist warns his servant.
Roka nods once more before opening a Garganta upon completing her other orders.
Shortly after the spider Arrancar leaves, a large, muscular bipedal Adjucha enters the room. The Hollow possesses two large, fanged appendages for arms and has a mask not unlike a saber-tooth tiger.
"What was that laughter about, Szayelaporro? You're not up to something, are you?", the Adjucha barks demandingly.
Szayel doesn't bother turning away, addressing the hollow in an uncaring tone, "What do you care, Ggio?"
The Adjucha, Ggio Vega, snorts, "I don't… I was just on my way here to check on you, per Lord Barragan's orders."
Szayel waves a hand in the air carelessly, still not bothering to look away from his findings, "Well, you can tell Lord Barragan that I've made great strides in my research of White. The dragon is dying, slowly but surely, I assure you of that."
The tiger Adjucha glowers at the Arrancar, "Oh really?"
Szayel finally turns to face the Adjucha behind him, raising a brow, "Could it be that you lack faith in Lord Barragan's abilities?"
Ggio steps back, becoming defensive as he growls at the other Hollow, "You dare?! We've both served under Lord Barragan for over 200 years! We both know when he wants another Hollow dead, they die. It's as simple as that!"
The Adjucha then stomps away angrily, calling back to the scientist, "This was a waste of time! Of course, that dragon will die no differently than the rest!"
Szayel looks darkly at the retreating Adjucha, "We shall see about that…"
Meanwhile, Northern Sands, Hueco Mundo
White continues to fly through the sky, his furrows eyes narrowed as he follows a single, golden thread weaving across the sands below, "Most of those threads disappeared, yet this one remains… they'll pay for provoking me like this…!"
The trail of the golden thread leads him above a large, weathered stone building which appears to have been partially buried within the sands. The entrance appears to be a large, open tunnel, although not quite large enough to fit the likes of a Gillian. The dragon sees a pair of unique-looking humanoid figures wearing white Gis standing in front of the entrance to the ruins. They possess small mask fragments on their faces as well as katanas strapped to their waists.
White widens his eyes in both wrath and confusion, "Shinigami?! In Hueco Mundo?!"
In the next moment, the Adjucha cannot help it as he roars hatefully, "YOU WILL PAY FOR SPYING ON ME, SHINIGAMI!"
The pair of guards look up in alarm at the dragon quickly descending upon them, prompting them to draw their katanas. Mercilessly, the horned Hollow clicks his tongue before spewing blackened red hellfire down upon the Arrancars, burning them both to ash on the spot and charring the sands in front of the ruins. White promptly lands in front of the entrance, his golden eyes with black sclera still narrowed in hate as he hears urgent voices shouting from within the ruined halls.
Wasting no time, the dragon slowly marches forward, his thoughts making a dark declaration, "I will kill them all..."
Upon entering the ruined, dark tunnel, White is almost immediately approached by a multitude of various, white-uniformed Shinigami look-a-likes, all with their swords drawn. The dragon glares at them his golden eyes, which are the only feature of him that is visible within the darkness. This alone makes the Arrancars within the tunnel tremble in fear.
Just as one of the soldiers gulps, there is an immediate buzz before they are cut in two by the dragon, suddenly upon them. The other Arrancars flinch before attempting to strike at the large dragon with their blades, however, despite the creature's size, it is far quicker than any of them. White zips around through the darkness, coldly and brutally slaughtering the humanoid Hollows one by one as the ones still alive cry out fearfully within the darkness.
One of the Arrancars turns around and urgently shouts back further into the halls, "WE NEED REINFORCEMENTS! IT'S WHITE—!"
The soldier widens his eyes as red light suddenly illuminates the cave. There is an eerily silence, the screams of the others completely gone and instead replaced by a soft buzzing sound behind him. The Arrancar slowly turns around in horror to look up to the now visible masked dragon standing right behind him, a small pale red Cero charged between his horns.
The humanoid flinches as White states calmly, "No one will save you, Shinigami..."
In the next moment, the Cero is released, completely atomizing the Arrancar as well as destroying the walls of the halls in its wake. As the blast subsides, bright light pours out of the hole left by the Cero, causing White to squint. The dragon perks up and slowly approaches with interest, hearing more voices in the direction of the light.
Upon walking through the destroyed walls, White enters a large, brightly lit room. He glances around the room to find several more Arrancars with their blades drawn, appearing just as fearful as those before them. Behind them are multiple large glass tubes filled with fluids as well as monitors, control panels, and general lab equipment stored on racks.
One of the Arrancars states in dejection, "T-that's White...!"
Another is fearful, questioning, "H-How did he find this place?!"
A third demands, "S-Someone notify Las Noches!"
White's eye twitches at the last comment before growling hatefully, making the soldiers flinch in fear, "So working with Shinigami isn't beneath Barragan?! I should've known someone like him who turns his back on his allies would do the same to his own kind!"
The Arrancars cannot speak as the dragon's intense Reiatsu rains down on them, making them freeze where they stand. However, after a moment, the room begins to shake with the sound of thundering footsteps, making many of the soldiers look much more hopeful.
One of them turns around and states in a hopeful tone, "I-It's Medazeppi!"
White relents his Reiatsu slightly and looks in curiosity at the new arrival and source of the thundering footsteps standing in the center of the room. The creature is a massive Arrancar with disproportionately long arms. His black hair is rather clown-like, protruding from each side of his head, and the remains of his Hollow mask with teeth coming from the bottom cover his right eye and nose. He wears a standard white Arrancar uniform, which starkly contrasts the unique nature of his completely yellow left eye.
White lets out a low chuckle at the sight, "I've never seen a Shinigami as big as you before... you might actually be worth eating..."
The large Arrancar says nothing, instead grunting as he rushes at the dragon, left fist raised to strike. The Adjucha engages as well with superior speed, easily cleaving the giant's arm off with his claws. The arm falls to the ground with spurting blood, leaving the onlookers to gasp.
White begins to laugh darkly while gloating, "How weak you Shinigami's bodies are—!"
The dragon halts, widening his eyes as Medazeppi suddenly, and harshly, grabs him by the tail and swings him around the room like a rag doll. After a few moments of this, the towering Arrancar releases his grip on the Hollow—sending him flying through multiple of the large test tubes and crashing into the control panels. The equipment on the racks falls to the ground due to all of the residual tremors from the titans battling within the room, leaving the other Arrancars to cheer as the attacks seem to have harmed the dragon.
Medazeppi releases a carnal roar before he, like a berserker, leaps across the room and brutally stomps his opponent into the ground, making the stone floor crack beneath the sheer force of the onslaught. The cheers continue as the giant fiercely roars while repeatedly stomping, making White's body recoil and spasm.
After about a minute of this savage beatdown, the Adjucha's body appears motionless. This prompts the now heaving and tired Medazeppi to raise his right, and now only arm, with his hand balled into a fist, above his head, poised for the finishing blow. As he brings it down, however, it is suddenly caught by a scaly white paw, with claws that harshly grip the arm in a vice grip, drawing blood.
The cheers immediately stop and are replaced by muted horror as White's hateful eyes glare at the giant Arrancar, "Is that all you got...?"
Medazeppi struggles under the dragon's apparently superior strength, unable to break free. In the next moment, White cleaves the over-sized Arrancar's head off with his other clawed hand before savagely devouring it, leaving the corpse to fall limply to the ground, shaking the room as it does. The other, spectating Arrancars begin to look on in continued, stunned horror as the dragon devours the rest of the large Arrancar's body.
After a moment, White glares at the rest of them with his haunting golden eyes, releasing a sinister hiss, "Now... where was I...?"
The Arrancars fearfully begin to chaotic flee like the fodder they are, leaving the Adjucha to cackle evilly as he cuts each and every one of them down, drowning the room in blood. By the end, this leaves the last one remaining to trip over some rubble as he tries to escape through the gapping hole in the wall. The Arrancar seizes as he turns around and sees the large form of the golden-eyed beast glaring down at him.
The soldier begs vainly, "P-PLEASE DON'T K-KILL—!"
"SHUT UP!", the dragon roars, completely cutting the humanoid off.
The now-crying Arrancar trembles as he purses his lips, leaving White to hiss angrily, demanding, "WHY WERE YOU SPYING ON ME?!"
The fearful humanoid sobs pathetically in confusion, "I-I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!"
"LIAR!", White roars in wrath.
The Arrancar's crotch area becomes soaked, evidently soiling himself due to the fear as he defends desperately, "IT'S THE TRUTH! THIS IS JUST A LABORATORY! WE AREN'T IN CHARGE OF SURVEILLANCE!"
The dragon briefly pauses, thoughtful for a moment before continuing with fury yet lacing his tone, "THEN WHERE IS THE ONE IN CHARGE OF SURVEILLANCE?!"
"Las Noches!", the soldier responds, still a sobbing mess.
White's eyes narrow in frustration, making the Arrancar flinch in fear.
The dragon hisses lowly, "Las Noches... it's always Las Noches..."
The soldier once more begs desperately, "I TOLD YOU WHAT YOU WANT, SO PLEASE SPARE ME!"
White, seeing the genuinely scared creature, considers, "Should I spare him...? If he wasn't the one spying on me, is there even a reason to—"
A sudden, distorted voice rings throughout the Hollow's consciousness, demanding, "NO MERCY! ESPECIALLY NOT FOR THE SHINIGAMI!"
Unable to resist the voice's demand, White's eyes dilate in bloodlust before he promptly spews blackened red hellfire from his mouth on the Arrancar, burning his body to cinders on the spot. The dragon quickly extends his wings before flapping them powerfully to send himself out of the ruins at impressive speed.
After exiting the tunnel entrance, the orange-haired Hollow circles back around in the air before stopping above the ruins. He still sees the flicker of the golden thread that led him here in the air, making him look down at it with disdain.
A massive red Cero begins to charge between the dragon's horns as he roars hatefully, "TAKE THIS AS A WARNING OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO YOU SHOULD YOU DARE PURSUE ME FURTHER!"
White promptly releases the gigantic Cero, completely engulfing the ruins in buzzing red light before an equally massive explosion occurs, leaving a trail of smoke to occupy the sky with him. It isn't long after the explosion that the golden thread below fades completely, suggesting that the message was heard. The horned dragon takes another moment to glare at the smoky ruin before snorting and flying off in the distance, resuming his hunting as usual.
Shino Academy, Seireitei
Rukia and Karin stand in front of the gates of the Shino Academy, finding three individuals standing in front to greet them, one of whom Rukia does not recognize.
The first to greet them is Rukia's old teacher, Gengoro Onabara, a bald burly man with glasses, "It is good to see you once again, Ms. Kuchiki. It pleases me to see a student taking on the role of sensei."
Rukia bows, "The pleasure is all mine, really. Miss Shiba is an excellent student; I know she'll make the academy proud!"
Onabara narrows his eyes slightly, regarding Karin, "That has yet to be seen… but I hope you are right about that."
"Indeed," Yamamoto decides to speak up, "It is a great honor that the academy should, on this day, receive a new student from not one Great Noble Clan, but two!"
Rukia raises a brow at this, "Apologies, Head Captain, but I'm not sure what you mean by that…"
This prompts the third individual, a white-haired girl, who looks around Karin's age, with green eyes wearing a kimono and a light purple scarf, to step forward, "I suppose that means your brother didn't inform you about me… Although, he is in the world of the living hunting hollows, so it would be unfair to expect he would."
The girl brushes her hair to the side in a pompous manner, giving Karin the feeling that they won't get along already. A few moments of silence pass.
"Well then, who are you? You gonna keep us waiting or what?" Karin asks with a deadpanned expression.
"Such insolence! A lowly Shiba cannot speak to me with such a tone! Ah—but I suppose I shall forgive you just this once. You have yet to know who I am, after all.", the girl states, nodding at her proclamation.
"You were right… I don't like her either." Karin's Zanpakuto tells her from the back of her mind.
"My name is Katsumi Tsunayashiro, granddaughter of the head of the Tsunayashiro clan and 9th in line for succession. You may bow.", the girl crosses her arms, as if expecting respect.
"Is that supposed to mean anything, or can we go to class now?" Karin asks, having no idea of the significance of the individual before her.
"Why you insolent cur—!", the girl's face turns a bit red in genuine rage.
Before anything can come of it, Rukia speaks with a shocked expression, "I thought the Tsunayashiro's decided to stay out of the Gotei 13 after that… incident."
The girl's anger fades as she shifts her expression to match Rukia, "That is true, but grandfather thought it best with the return of the Shiba Clan to the Gotei 13, we ought to do so as well. Hence, why I am here. Although, from the look of things, your pupil likely doesn't even know the name of her Zanpakuto."
Rukia's eyes widen, "You talk as if you've already achieved Shikai!"
The girl smirks confidently, "That is correct… so, Miss Shiba, how about you?"
Karin cocks her brow, "What do you mean? I didn't think Zanpakutos had names…"
"No way! You're even more pathetic than I thought, Shiba, what a joke!", the girl chuckles into her hand pompously, making Karin quite angry.
Onabara casts Rukia a questioning gaze, "You didn't tell her Zanpakutos had names?"
Rukia is shook from her momentary shock, "I didn't think it necessary, sensei. Teaching her basic Zanjutsu forms was more important at this stage in my opinion."
Yamamoto nods his head in approval at this, "Indeed, young Kuchiki. You could have all of the power in the Soul Society, but what good is it if you don't know how to wield it? It would seem that Jushiro has taught you well."
Rukia bows at this, "I am honored by your words, Head Captain!"
Katsumi suppresses the urge to scoff at this, out of respect for the Head Captain, "Well, that is assuming Miss Shiba here has any power worth anything at all, which I for one highly doubt."
The girl spins on her heels, marching into the school, "Do try not to fall behind, Miss Shiba! Not that you already aren't."
The girl laughs loudly as she enters the building.
Yamamoto gives Onabara a look, prompting the man to bow to Rukia and Karin, "I must take my leave of you, Ms. Kuchiki. The young lady Tsunayashiro requires an escort for her orientation, even if she would deny it… I look forward to helping you reach your potential, Miss Shiba!"
After the man leaves, chasing after the noble girl, Yamamoto lets out a sigh before addressing Karin, "As you may have heard, I am the Head Captain of the Gotei 13, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto. It is a pleasure to meet you at last, Karin Shiba. I have high hopes for you if your father is anything to go off of."
Karin simply nods, before blurting out what's on her mind, "So, is it normal for you all to let nobles walk all over you like that?"
Rukia gawks at Karin, "Don't talk to the Head Captain like that!"
Yamamoto merely lets out a laugh, "Ha! You have more Shiba in you than I thought you would! Only a Shiba could be so cluelessly insolent."
Yamamoto's smile fades as he lets out a sigh, "I apologize if she offended you, Miss Shiba, but please understand, when it comes to the Four Great Noble Clans, there is no higher power in the entirety of the Soul Society. The Tsunayashiros are the leaders of the Four Clans."
Karin nods, but still looks a bit confused, looking at Rukia, "You said their clan wasn't in the Gotei 13 anymore. Does that mean other clans are?"
Rukia nods, "Traditionally, only the Kuchiki and Shihoin clans have been involved in the Gotei 13. Well, the Shiba clan as well, but they fell from grace as a result of Kaien's death and your father abandoning his post. The other two clans have stayed away from the Gotei 13 for as long as I remember. For what reason? I'm not sure, I'd have to ask my brother about that but he's not in the Soul Society right now."
Karin nods, beginning to see the significance of the Noble Clans.
The Head Captain addresses Rukia, "That reminds me, Rukia Kuchiki, while Karin Shiba is attending the academy, I will have you acting as one of the teachers."
Rukia gasps, "I thought only Vice-Captains or seated officers were allowed to be instructors?!"
Yamamoto shakes his head, "It's not a rule, just a coincidence. I will have you teach a course covering the history of the Noble Clans. I believe your unique experience as a noble yourself can put things into perspective for the students."
Rukia bows, "I would be honored, sir."
Yamamoto nods, "Well then, I will leave you to assist Karin Shiba with her orientation. I believe you should know the academy well enough. I must return to my duties… prove that your father wasn't wrong about you, girl. Get strong. That is the only way you will possibly be able to do anything about that hollow, White…"
Karin and her sensei watch in silence as the ancient captain leaves.
1 Hour Later, Shino Academy
After orientation, Karin is now fully dressed in her new red and white academy robes.
Rukia explains to the girl, "I will be away from you during the day, as you aren't enrolled in my class."
Karin looks sad at this, surprising the older girl by hugging her, "Thanks for teaching me how to become a Shinigami and use my sword… I couldn't have done it without your help, sensei."
Rukia's gaze softens as she returns the hug, "If you ever need anything else, I'll always be here, Karin."
The girl lets out a few tears and wipes her face, "I'll see you later then, sensei!"
The girl then runs off to meet with Onabara and her class.
As Karin walks into the classroom through the sliding door, she is greeted by the piercing gazes of many a student.
Karin instantly notices Katsumi, with her arms crossed, standing next to Onabara at the front of the room, "You do know how to keep a crowd waiting, Shiba. I was beginning to think you ran back home crying to your mommy."
Karin's hand balls into a fist, not missing how the girl dropped the title 'Miss', "My mom's dead, bitch!"
Karin couldn't contain her rage and blurted out the words carelessly. The students gasp and Onabara looks nervous. Katsumi, for once, is silent for a moment.
"…my apologies, I didn't know that. But, in all fairness, isn't everyone in the Soul Society technically dead?", the noble girl half shrugs, Karin being able to tell the apology was by no means genuine.
Karin, however, doesn't focus on that, instead considering the girl's last statement, "Wait… it's possible that the hollow that killed mom, Grand Fisher if I recall, could have been purified already-!"
Karin's thoughts are interrupted by Onabara, "Alright Miss Shiba, care to introduce yourself to the class? Lady Tsunayashiro here has already done so. We're waiting on you to start."
"Of course, I'm sorry. I'm Karin Shiba, nice to meet you.", the girl bows curtly.
Katsumi naturally takes her reserved seat at the front of the classroom, amongst her posse of so-called friends ready and willing to please, before giving Karin a smug look as she passes.
"We'll teach that girl a lesson one of these days!" Karin can hear her Zanpakuto state in the back of her mind, "Oh yeah, Karin. While I have your attention, when next do you think we can spar with Rukia? I do wish to do so soon…"
"You'll have to wait. You heard Sensei, we'll barely be able to see each other for a while.", Karin thinks back to her Zanpakuto as she takes her seat near the back of the room, placing her elbow on the desk as she lazily rests her head on her palm, making it look like she's bored.
Karin's Zanpakuto pouts, "Oh phooey! And here I was hoping she was just being dramatic! …Hey, you might want to look to your right, those two haven't taken their eyes off of you since you arrived."
Karin does as her Zanpakuto suggests as Onabara begins his lecture. Next to her sits a boy with black hair and green eyes wearing white hair ornaments. When he notices her gaze, he looks away immediately, wearing an anxious expression. Next to him is a girl with short black hair and brown eyes wearing some kind of red hat.
Unlike the boy, she matches Karin's gaze, deciding to break the silence, "So, you really are a Shiba, huh? Captain Shiba's daughter?"
"Yeah, that's me." Karin states with a bored expression.
"That must mean you're strong!", the girl shouts standing up.
Onabara pauses, "How many times must I tell you to please be quiet during my lectures, Miss Madarame?"
"Sorry sensei! It won't happen again!", the girl bows before sitting back in her seat.
Onabara sighs, shaking his head, as he knows that it will, in fact, happen again, before continuing with his lecture.
The girl turns back to Karin, now adopting a hushed tone, "My name is Shino Madarame and this pathetic looking guy is Ryunosuke Yuki. If we pass this years' hollow hunting exam, we will be able to graduate and join one of the court guard squads."
"That's great and all but what's that got to do with me?" Karin says, staring at the board with a bored expression as Onabara writes on it.
Ryunosuke finally decides to speak, albeit in a bashful tone, "Well, Shino and I are hoping to join Squad 13 once we graduate, and we heard you were close with Rukia Kuchiki, a Shinigami from Squad 13. Plus, considering you're a Shiba… never mind actually, I don't want to bring up a sore subject!"
Ryunosuke looks away nervously.
Shino rolls her eyes at this, before looking back at Karin with an excited expression, "Is it true that you've met Captain Ukitake in person? Normal Shinigami hardly get to see him due to his illness."
"Illness? He seemed fine to me…" Karin wonders before answering the girl's question, "Yeah, I got to meet him. He seemed like a really nice guy from what I could gather. And it's also true that Rukia and I are pretty close—she is my Zanjutsu Sensei."
"Woah that's awesome!" Shino shouts out again while jumping out of her seat, before instantly covering her mouth with both hands and sitting back down, wearing an embarrassed expression.
Onabara simply rolls his eyes before continuing with his lecture about the history of the Gotei 13 once more.
50 Minutes Later
Onabara concludes his lecture before changing the subject to something more serious, "Now, I'm sure you've all heard of the hollow, White. Well, Squad 12 and the communications department were able to gather footage of the hollow battling with our court guard captains!"
Karin can feel her stomach churn at this news, while the others all sound excited. The class cheers as they witness Captain Zaraki dismantling the hollow and how Captain Ukitake was able to react to the hollow's cero blast so quickly. Even Katsumi can't help but be inspired by the captains' actions, cheering them on with the others. Karin can't help but feel like the only one in the room who takes the hollows ominous warning that they will become 'The Hunted' seriously, as she sits hopelessly in silence as the others talk amongst themselves about how hype that was.
Onabara calls for silence and the class takes a few moments to do so.
The man regards the class with a serious tone, "Now I hope you can all see how dangerous hollows can be, and why it is important for us to train new Shinigami for the generations to come."
Katsumi speaks up, "That poor hollow had no chance against Captain Ukitake and Zaraki, no way—"
Onabara cuts her off, "While in my classroom, I would ask that you refrain from interrupting, Miss Tsunayashiro."
Katsumi is quiet for a moment before getting in her last words, "Very well, I find that to be acceptable. Carry on, then."
Onabara nods, appreciating her understanding.
The teacher shifts his gaze to Karin, "What about you, Miss Shiba? You looked serious during the whole video…"
The class shifts their gaze to Karin who has to stop herself from shaking, "…I'm terrified…"
This prompts Katsumi, and a few others around her, to laugh, but stop when Onabara shoots them a stern glare.
Onabara asks, "And would you care to elaborate why you feel that way? Maybe your perspective can change the opinions of some of your peers."
Karin shakes her head, "I doubt that. That hollow, White, attacked my mom way back when… my brother was also killed by a hollow… I had to—"
The girl starts panting but gets a grip as she hears the voice of her Zanpakuto, comforting her, "I've had to see things that no one should ever have to see… That's why I'm here, sir. I'm ready to learn—I want to kill those things!"
Many of the class are moved by Karin's words, Onabara included, "That's… a good mindset to have, Miss Shiba."
The teacher is not sure if he should be seeking out a therapist for the girl. The class concludes for the day after some further discussion. Karin is followed by Shino and Ryunosuke, who are begging her to let them meet Rukia.
Karin snarls at them, annoyed, "Just take her class if you want to speak with her so much!"
Shino complains, "Aww! But that aristocracy bull-crap doesn't interest me whatsoever!"
Ryunosuke flinches, noticing someone approaching Shino from behind.
Karin's expression sours by a few degrees in response as well, which confuses Shino, "What—"
A voice cuts Shino off, "You ought to know the aristocracy, peasant. Otherwise, how are you supposed to know your place?"
Shino turns to find Katsumi glaring at her with her usual pompous look, surrounded on both sides by students with not quite so pompous expressions.
"Nice posse you got there, your highness." Karin states with a degree of sarcasm.
"Why thank you, Shiba… although I would prefer it if you were a little less direct in your complements." Katsumi snaps back without any sarcasm, completely missing the social cue.
Katsumi then walks pass the girl and mutters something as she passes, "Listen Shiba, I'm here to prove the Tsunayashiro's dominance, so be a good girl and keep being as adorably incompetent as you are, and we won't have any problems. Otherwise, a hollow attack will be the last thing you need to worry about."
Karin freezes in place as Katsumi's posse passes by the trio.
Once the group is out of earshot, Shino blurts something out carelessly, "What an asshole."
"You can't say that Shino! You know the power of the Tsunayashiros is the greatest in the Soul Society! I've heard that even Gotei 13 officers that cross them tend to disappear overnight, only to found dead soon after, or worse, not at all!" Ryunosuke starts pacing about Shino nervously as he lists off all of the bad things that he's heard that not just the Tsunayashiros—but nobles in general—get away with.
Shino shrugs, "C'mon Ryunosuke, you know as well as I do that that crap is all some conspiracy theory from butthurt noble haters in the Rukongai. I mean, I don't know much about the clans, but I know they are here to protect us, right?"
Shino looks at Karin as she phrases the last part, as if expecting an answer.
Karin shrugs, "I mean, Sensei and her brother are members of the Gotei 13 and my cousins Ganju and Kukaku help the people out in the Rukongai whenever they can. So, in that regard, yes, nobles do tend to help out the people. I can't really comment on the other clans, though. Even Tsunayashiro—maybe Katsumi is just one of the bad ones?"
Shino and Ryunosuke consider this for a moment before the former decides to change the subject, "Is it true that you came from the world of the living?"
Karin nods, causing the other girl to ask her a myriad of questions about things regarding the world of the living. The triad continue their discussion while traversing through the halls of the academy.
Karakura High School
The sun shines down on the roof of Karakura High School, where Orihime and Tatsuki, once again wearing their school uniforms, currently sit and eat lunch with three of their friends.
Michiru Ogawa, a girl with short brown hair with her bangs pulled back with a red clip, smiles as she bashfully regards the auburn-haired girl, "I really like your new hairstyle, Orihime. Using your hairpins to pull back your bangs makes you look really pretty!"
Orihime returns the smile after biting into a bread roll, "Aw, thanks Michiru!"
Next to the brown-haired girl is another, taller girl with short curly brown hair and sizeable cleavage, rivaling the auburn-haired girl.
This girl, Mahana Natsui, raises a curious brown as she eyes the blue flower hairpins in the other girl's hair, asking directly, "Come to think of it, I never really noticed you wore those hairpins before… they look… Where'd you get 'em from?"
Orihime's gaze softens as she instinctually places her right hand against one of her hairpins, her gaze distant as she answers, "From my brother… they're my most prized possessions since they were the last thing he gave me before he died…"
The short-haired brunette widens her eyes before looking down with a somber expression, "Oh… I didn't know that. Sorry…"
The girl shakes her head, now wearing a slight smile, "It's alright. It was a long time ago…"
Despite her words, Orihime's gaze is distant with a look of pain in her eyes as she still touches the hairpin on the right side of her head, thinking of her brother, "I will see you again, big brother… I'll do whatever I can to help you find peace…"
The other girls are all quiet and wear somewhat somber expressions as Tatsuki eyes her auburn-haired friend intently, although doesn't say anything.
After a moment, the third friend, a girl with long black hair and a mole under her left eye, known as Ryo Kunieda, "Speaking of changes with you guys, you've both missed multiple days of school over the past two weeks. It's getting to the point of being suspicious…"
The black-haired karate girl grunts at this, "A mutual family friend of ours runs a small, local business in town. Lately he's been super-understaffed, so we've have to help him out to keep business running."
Her answer makes the other three girls widen their eyes slightly as Ryo questions, "You mean you two already have part-time jobs?"
Tatsuki shrugs, "I guess you could call it that…"
This prompts Mahana to whistle, "Man, you two sure are lucky! At this rate, your careers might be set!"
The karate girl raises a skeptical brow, "Huh? How in the world did you get that from part time jobs?"
The other black-haired girl cuts in, explaining, "Well, if it's true this guy is a family friend, you two have a decent chance at one day inheriting the business, or at least leave the job with a valuable skillset relevant to the industry."
Tatsuki scowls, asserting, "Yeah, no. I'm not going to run a shady candy store or anything like that. No thanks…"
Orihime, however, giggles at the prospect, "I wouldn't mind working in a business that makes candy and other related treats! Especially if they're pastries!"
The four other girls sweat drop as they look at the auburn-haired girl's lunch in front of her, comprising nearly entirely of baked goods.
As Orihime devours a pastry from her spread, the karate girl sighs, "You sure like bread and baked goods, don't you, Orihime…?"
The auburn-haired girl has crumbs on her face as she nods happily, "Yep! You can never have too much bread!"
Ryo frowns slightly as she starts to explain, "Well, actually you can. There are quite a few negative side effects I know of that are caused by eating too much bread. Weight gain, spikes in blood sugar, increased risk of diabetes, potential gut issues…"
Orihime's expression sours as the girl continues to list off negative side effects from exclusively eating baked goods. As this is happening, a slim figure sneaks up behind the auburn-haired girl, preparing to lunge.
As the figure lunges, they shout in an excited, feminine voice, "Oh, dear Hime, you have returned! And your boobs are look particularly grope-able!"
As the figure, a thin bespectacled girl with short pink hair, tries to grab at Orihime's cleavage from behind, the auburn-haired girl's eyes widen as her body instinctually goes into flight or fight. Almost faster than her three friends can follow, Orihime reorients her seated body downward before striking the other, lunging girl in the stomach, making her recoil as she is sent slightly into the air before landing. Upon landing on the ground, the bespectacled girl staggers backward slightly before falling on her butt, wide-eyed and gasping as the wind was knocked out of her. The scene leaves Ryo, Mahana, and Michiru wide-eyed and gawking as Tatsuki frowns and places her palm on her head in frustration.
After a moment, Orihime blinks before urgently apologizing to the downed girl, "Oh, I'm so sorry, Chizuru! I didn't know it was you!"
The downed girl, Chizuru Honsho, exhales as she gives a thumbs-up with her left hand while gripping her stomach with her other, pain clear on her face as she weakly smiles, "O-Oh don't worry about it, H-Hime! A strike from you is a strike of love…~"
The auburn-haired girl frowns, not fully convinced, but nods slowly, accepting the response anyway.
Mahana suddenly asks as she looks at the karate girl, "Have you two been practicing more karate too? I know Orihime is talented, but she didn't have reflexes like that before…"
Tatsuki sighs deeply as she nods, "Yeah. She begged me to teach her more moves a couple weeks ago and we've been training at least once a day since."
Orihime then cuts in, excitedly, "I also started watched some MMA and wrestling on TV! There was this one fight were this guy knocked the other guy's teeth out! I had to look away it was brutal! ~"
The other girl's sweat drop again before Michiru bashfully asks, "So, um, Orihime, are you thinking about coming back to the sewing club soon? Without you there, there's not really anyone else I know to talk to except Ishida and he's, um, intimidating…"
The auburn-haired girl blinks before shifting to a wipe smile again, "Oh, of course, Michiru! When's the next meeting?"
The brown-haired girl smiles as she perks up and the girls continue to talk. As the girls continue to chat, they are watched quietly by a pair of boys sitting on the other side of the roof—Keigo and Mizuiro.
The brown-haired boy frowns slightly as he asks, "So, Mizuiro, where do you think Chad is?"
The black-haired boy, currently regarding his cell phone, sighs, "That's the fifth time you've asked me that today, Asano, and the answer's still: I don't know…"
Keigo's eyes narrow and look of distantly as his friend continues to regard his phone, the boy asking mentally, "Where are you, Chad…?"
Author's Note:
In case anyone missed the memo, White/Ichigo will get much more focus in the next arc of the story. Where the story is as of this chapter, it is a struggle to find meaningful things for him to do that are not blatantly repetitive.
About Katsumi. I don't plan on adding too many OCs. I think I have only two planned right now, although one of the two OCs I am adapting from the original "White" fanfiction. Either way, Katsumi is a character I have put a lot of thought into—Karin needs a rival and I feel like a privileged noble girl is the best idea for that. Also, if any of you were wondering, Tokinada will come up later in this fic.
Moving on, I realized I have made a glaring oversight—the Numeros. The number of a Numeros indicates when they were reborn from Hollow to Arrancar by use of the Hōgyoku, and Grimmjow and his gang are the second group after Yammy (Grimmjow being 12).
I will be using the interpretation that the Numeros were not officially formed and/or assigned numbers until after Aizen returns from the Soul Society with the full, complete Hōgyoku, because if I didn't, I would have to overhaul a lot of story elements that I would rather not mess with—specifically with Grimmjow.
In this story, none of the Arrancars (including Espadas) get their tattoos until Aizen uses the Hōgyoku—the complete Hōgyoku, on them (including naturally existing Arrancars). The way the Hōgyoku assigns numbers will be expanded later in this story. I certainly don't think this is something that will cause people to drop the story, as it would be quite nitpicky for people to criticize this inconsistency in my opinion, but I still wanted to bring it up in case anyone else noticed this.
That said, the next chapter will focus on Yuzu.