Yuki Meets Shuunske - Loyalty Begins

The giant bell began to ring. He was being announced. It was his third time here in the week. He had not visited since he graduated, and never thought he would back so much, looking for something. Or, someone. The huge hammer hit against the academy, and a the loud speaker came on, the intercom it was connected to able to penetrate the normally quiet class rooms, or kiddo practice areas, telling the teachers and students whatever the speaker needed to get across. It was an affective way of communication, but Shuu preffered hell butterflies to intercom speaking any day. They were much more quiet and tame than the loud mechanics.

Taking a step into the academy, through the huge doors at the entrance, Shuu walked forward, closely fallowed by his vice captain, a calm man, that looked to be void of emotion, and otherwise by the book. He would be recognized by some in this academy who knew him while he was still in there, graduating high in his class with kiddo skills.

The students and teachers alike were lined up in the massive courtyard, all silent, as he was a captain, and those that spoke out would be ashamed, and shunned. As the door opened revealing Shuunske, the speakers started talking after a loud tap tap tap of the machine turning on.

"Shunske Taicho, captain of division 11, has come again, blessing us with his presence. Show him the utter most respect. Those of you who cannot abide by these rules will be taken aside and there is a high chance that you will be expelled."

Shuunske glanced back at his vice captain, his own face carrying nothing but a solemn expression, before looking forward and moving towards the other end of the court yard.

Three teachers kneeled at the other end, on one knee, one of their hands on the ground before them, in a fist, showing respect to the captain. The center teacher looked up at Shuunske, and smiled, a welcoming smile.

"Hello Shuunske-sama." He said, a genuine voice. Shuunske replied with a half smile, looking as if he was too focused to smile fully, and answered: "Hello."

A Shuu took the step into the huge building, the wind was blocked by the walls, and his large white captains uniform stopped blowing in the wind. His vice captain came in directly behind him. Shuu could hear the whispers of the students, most in awe that they had seen a captain before they graduated. He was a new captain, and was one of the youngest to be a master of the bankai of his level. Shuu's silver hair stopped moving with his cloaks.

The teachers of the academy looked at each other, both accepting that they would do best not to talk unless talked to. Shuu was one of the rumored most powerful captains, and had thus gotten squad 11, the most powerful squad to fight with, and lead, but had also come from one of the most noble families, thus setting him apart from the common public and his men by two fold. This however helped him in the way that he taught his men to survive and fight as shinigami. Shuu never believed in being over friendly and casual to his men would be effective. He wanted his men to see him as the pennicle of power, and want to match him. He wanted to stand above the rest of them, as his master had done, the previous captain, before he had passed away. He modeled his training style around there being rivalry to make you stronger. And that was the only way to emmit true power, and the only way to show true results. To set up a goal and go after it.

As the door closed behind him, the speakers came on, telling the students to return to the class they came from, and remain there until their teacher came in the room. Shuu cut the sound out of his head, once again it annoying him. The hallway he was in was warm, and clean, as expected from the academy. The floors were wooden, in planks of high quality lumber, all a light brown, with sections in front of doors where the paint differed into a more red wood. He could not tell if it was the wood or a covering. he did not care. The walls were a light gray, and where there were arch ways there were pillars as infrostructure supports.

The silent hallways erupted into noise as the doors opened again, and students poured in, talking amongst themselves about the captain, and his appearance in the academy. It took about ten seconds for them to realize that he was there still, walking with the high ups of the school training them all to be warriors that might some day fight with him. Once again the room was plunged into quietness, whispers springing up where talking and shouting had been. Shuunske did not mind them, and did not pay any attention to them.

Looking back, over his shoulder, ever so slightly, Shuunske saw three girls infront of the croud, and behind them, another, short, with darker hair. His eyes widened for a second, before looking back. The three girls who he had looked past started to giggle and turn red, thinking he had looked at them. The all looked at each other and put their hands over their mouths.

I will be judging the way things are taught around here, Shuu said to himself in his mind. I need to know what exactly they are teaching them here. He knew most the policies and teachings as he had come through this schoolas one of the top students in their history, but needed to know what blanks he could fill in for his men. At least, that was his excuse for being here. He would not reveal the true reason to any one.

The hallway grew naturally quieter and quieter as the students passed by and moved on into their classes. Shuunske kept walking, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword. He came to a hault outside of a door, and looked at the teachers with a paralyzing glance, that meant they could leave. They both nodded and did as his silent command told them to, both bowing, and walking away almost backwards as they did so, trying to show Shuunske the most respect they could.

With a small dose of hesitation in his stride now, Shuunske opened the door, and stepped in. It was a large room, with an open roof, and the sound of the teacher, a 3rd seat in the 2nd squad, telling their students what kendo or otherwise other ways to use the sword was. It was kendo class. The beginning students were learning how to use their energy to fight with the wooden swords given. He remembered this class. He remembered that he hated it for being so easy, and he left with the title of "master of the sword" along with many of his other classes naming him the master of whatever subject he was being taught. It was annoying. But the class had to be taken. Stepping in the back, he scanned the students, all either sitting in the chairs above and to either side of him, or lined up on the line that the wooden floor stopped, and rock floor began. They all had their uniforms on, the girls in the red kimonoes and the boys in the blue. From behind the pillars he sat and watched the lesson go on before he found the girl he had seen before, standing three in from the first on the right. She looked to small and young compared to most the other girls, who seemed to know what they were doing. She, as did they all, had a wooden sword in her hands that had been given to her. It was hers now, and she would be required to bring it school if he remembered correctly.

The teacher had just finished explaining how he was going to be seeing each of the students fight against another student since they had had three classes of practice, and this allowed him to calculate their growing ability with the sword as he would be conducting tests like this and it was required to stay in longer and accomplish more hits on the opponent then before to pass. It was their first test. And they had a captain watching them. Some began to notice him, and others caught on quickly.

"Now, match up with the person to your right, that will be your partner for this round. And get across from them, in a single file line." the intructor said in a raised voice. The students voiced their agreeance and moved, quickly finding their partner, and moving to the opposite side as them, forming two lines. Shuunske watched, looking to find those that might one day make it into his squad...

Shuunske stood in the shadow cast by the pillar, moving ever so slightly to adjust his view to the young and inexperienced shinigami that had received their first bokken, the wooden sword by which they would train, and test with. It was always fun to recall these events. Of course he had won on his first test like this, easily, but it was always more fun to watch two members of the academy fight that were not on different experience levels as each other, and thus have a more equal fight, where both struggle to victory, and both could be credited for either their loss of victory. He perceived that in situations like that, those two who fought aften wen on to become rivals.

The first two stepped up, one a female, the other a male. This was one of the beginning classes, for the shinigami that had had low scores on their entrance exams, and was not much to live up to. The two students stepped up, and sunk into their fighting stances before the teacher lifted his hands in a way that signaled the gunshot of a horse race, and the two weaponed students ran off, raising and lowering their swords to block and then attack the apposing force. The match was quickly over, with the female taking victory over the male, who looked as though he had never wielded one of these swords before.

The second two stepped up after their summoning from the teacher, a man behind him writing the scores of the previous two students. This time the pairing was two males who both sunk into their stances as though they both knew what they were doing. As soon as the teacher raised his hands, they simply stood their, analyzing their opponent. As iif both of them had another bell ring, they shot off, their swords clashing. They both seemed to enjoy it. Shuunske smiled. These two were perfect for his squad. They had scored low on the written tests, but were gifted with their sword, it was the type of men and women that 11th squad wanted.

After a couple more seconds that seemed like minutes of these two fighting, the man from the side nearest him emerged victorious, his sword striking the other man on the shoulder, causing him to fall. It was easy to call that victory as soon as Shuunske saw the opening the other man had left with his sword. There was a small clapping and the winner walked back to the original line, passing by the small frail Yuki, his ego flaring over onto her, only making it harder for her to step out with the weapon.

Shuunske paused as the teacher said her name, and called her out, as he had done with all the other students. She looked so scared. Taking a step out, she sunk into the fighting stance, as if she had just learned it, with an inproper amount of room between her two feet, only noticable to him and maybe the teacher who was taking notes. Her opponent came form the croud, a larger man, who help his bokken with a single hand, against the way of the kendo teachings, but still another way to fight for those gifted with the sword. Shuunske's smile left as the teacher's hand raised.

The larger man jumped towards Yuki, and she dashed away to her side, holding her bokken wrong handed on top. The man easily gaged her movement, and swung the sword at her. The small girl blocked it but fell of from the sheer force. Shuunske took a step forward, then caught himself. He was a captain now. He had a responsibility to take car of. The larger man pointed his katana down at the girl, and knocked hers away from her hand, thus concluding the match. Shuunske didn't like it at all. he saw the fear in the young girls eyes, but also the burning will. It was certain. There was no mistaking it. That was Yuki form the real world. As the girl got up from the ground, he turned on his heal and began walking out. He had seen enough, and found what he had come to find. his day was over, and tomorrow he would return, but without the loud speakers. He would return as a noble, not a captain. He had a new mission.

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