Author Note: It's been several years since I last wrote a bleach story. I really hope you all enjoy reading it. Let me know what you think.

Chapter 1:

Irina

The day had finally come. It was the first day of my last year in the Soul Reaper Academy. A swirl of excitement and nervousness collided, fighting for dominance. My training would be so much more intense, I knew that; but there was no giving up now. There was just too much to fight for. Why? That really was the question.

My legs carried me down the hall into my first class of the day, Advanced Kidō Number Six. The second I walked into the room, eyes were instantly upon me in the form of all new people. The nerves were starting to get the better of me. The awkward stares were not something I had been prepared for. "Is that Irina Kasumi?" A girl whispered as my body passed her.

"Yeah, I heard she's quite the little genius. She was pushed forward through the years. Technically, this will only be here third year here." Another girl whispered.

It was all the same everywhere I went. The jealousy of others came out in waves, ranging from harsh words to actual physical confrontation. The fact was that I never asked to be pushed forward. I had been perfectly content with doing my time like everyone else; but the higher ups insisted I graduate as soon as possible. Probably because of the last battle the Seireitei had.

Taking my seat in the second row, I looked across the room to see others walk in. Ducking my head down, I ceased eye contact. The whispers were bad enough. I just couldn't handle anything else. "Good morning, final year students." The instructor announced walking into the room.

"Good morning, sir." We all greeted in return.

Gengorō Ōnabara was probably the most well known teacher in the entire school and I was thankful that I have had the privilege of having him as my teacher for most of my Kidō classes. He shifted his dark eyes directly in my direction. "It looks like we have a new face. Let me introduce to all of you, Irina Kasumi. She had been moved from a third year straight to sixth due to her abilities. I expect all of you to treat her that same as any other classmate."

I understood why he said such words. Last year I had a confrontation with a classmate that felt I shouldn't be there. He tormented me and I never fought back. Not once. The whispers started up once more after Gengorō made his instruction clear. "Why should we treat her the same? She'd privileged and teacher's pet." A guy behind me stated.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I tightened my grip on the material of my pantleg. Doing my best to ignore it all, I listened to the lecture on the upper number kidō spells. I found it all to be interesting. Kidō was probably my favorite class followed by Zanjutsu. Something about holding my sword in my own hand was comforting to me.

"Can anyone tell me what the sixty-third spell in the hadō category is?"

There was nothing but silence throughout the entire room. I really didn't want to raise my hand, despite knowing the answer. The only person to answer all of his questions, since the class begun, was me.

His gaze searched the room to call upon a random person. In his search he called on the guy seated directly behind me. "Uh...I'm not sure, sure..." He answered shying away from the harsh stare. Then his eyes came in contact with mine.

"Irina, so you know?"

"It's Raikōhō." I answered softly.

"That's correct. Raikōhō is one of the spell you will be learning this year. Remember that."

The lecture continued on and so did the whispers behind me. Apparently, the smart ass didn't like to be shown up by a girl. Sexist jerk. My hand moved across the paper, writing every detail I felt was important down. The bell run, indicating the end of class. "Alright, quiz at the end of the week and then practice next week out on the grounds."

I waited for everyone else to leave before I attempted to retreat; but it wasn't without any death glares and rolling of the eyeballs. Once the last person stepped passed me, I started my descent down the stairs. "Irina." Gengorō called before I reached the exit.

"Yes..."

"Good job today. Don't let what others say bother you."

"You...heard..."

He nodded, indicating that he had indeed heard most of what the other students said about me. It was comforting to know that he cared enough about my education. A smile wormed it's way to my lips and sparked to life. It tucked a large chunk of my wavy ebony hair behind my ear to get it out of my light blue eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow." He stated before turning back to the papers on his desk.

My open class period was spent in the courtyard. I needed the peaceful tranquility of the trees and the sound of running water from the stream behind the building. My head rested against the bark of one of the largest trees in the entire yard. My eyes were closed in a resting position; but I was fully aware of everything around me, including the group of girls gossiping about some cute guy in their class.

I soon found myself drifting asleep inside my own mind. My newly issued Asauchi zanpakuto rested on my lap. Pretty soon I could hear nothing except whistling wind blowing. Once I opened my eyes, panic started to ensnare me. I was clearly not in the courtyard anymore.

"Where am I?" I asked myself.

"I'm surprised you don't know." A warm feminine voice flowed through the gusts of wind.

It confused me to hear someone else's voice. Taking a closer look at my surroundings, I realized that I was stranding in the middle of a forest. The wind filtered through the leaves, rustling them and causing it to sound like whispers from the heavens. The female voice was completely gone. Not a trace was left of it.

A sudden jolt sent me back into a black void. I struggled to open my eyes again, wondering what the hell had happened to me. "Irina!" someone called out to me and for some reason my body refused to obey my commands.

"Come on, Irina! Get up or you'll be late." The voice shouted again.

With one more push of willpower, my eyes flew open to see the head healer of the academy. Her warm features reassured me that I was fine. However, there was confusion presented directly on her face behind the gentle of her hazel eyes. She offered her hand out to me and I accepted it, no questions asked.

"You gave me a scare. You wouldn't wake up."

"I'm sorry. I really don't know what happened; but I need to get to class before I'm late. Thanks for waking me up."

I bolted from the courtyard with my sword in hand. My next class was Zanjutsu and I wasn't about to miss that one. Making it was seconds to spare, the other students looked less than thrilled to have my presence grace them. "Okay everyone, welcome to sixth year Zanjutsu. This year we will learn the advanced skills necessary for sword combat." The instructor explained.

Several students standing next to me fidgeted with their newly issued swords. I could understand their unease with the item. They knew that it takes long periods of training to successfully learn its name and some never would. That was always a fear of mine along with every other candidate whether they wanted to admit it or not. "Who would like to show me what they've learned so far?"

"I would, sir." A male said standing forward.

His short brown hair was spiked in all different directions and had a set of the darkest brown eyes that I've ever seen. The hushed whispers started up and for once, they weren't about me. It was about him. Rin Tosei, the top student in Zanjutsu from the new coming class. No doubt he would be fun to watch. "Irina Kasumi, show the class your skills."

Crap! Not what I wanted to have happen. What was with the teachers putting the spotlight on me. It was so not fair; but I was in no position to argue the ruling. Nervously, I stepped forward unsheathing my sword to stand across the room from Rin. His cocky grin was repulsive. He was so sure he'd beat me. That irritated me. He was clearly underestimating me.

"Begin!"

Rin instantly rushed towards me. My hands gripped the hilt tighter, preparing myself for the metal on metal collision. He slashed upward with one hand, attempting to end the session early. Countering him, I caught him with my own blade. He narrowed his eyes, not truly believing that I matched his move.

The sound of metal scrapping was just the same as nails on a chalkboard. The difference was that it excited me. I loved the sound. It got my heart pounding and my blood pumping. Rin backed away a moment before taking charge once more. Shifting my wrist slightly, I matched it again. Only this time, I slid to the floor beneath him using my free hand to push me up for another strike.

A frustrated growl emanated from Rin's throat. He barely blocked my attack from slicing into his back. All around us were gawking eyes. They were silent, not understanding why their top classmate wasn't already finished with me. The woman who wasn't supposed to be there. It became painfully obvious they hated me for what I was able to do and that hurt. A lot.

Holding my sword at the hilt, I could feel it pulse in my hand. It surprised me and was slightly confused at the sensation. Rin lunged forward one last time, determined to defeat me and subject himself to more praise. I hated to disappoint him, that just wasn't going to happen. "Irina..." her voice called out again.

It startled me a little, making me shake when his blade connected with mine. I struggled against his upper body strength to push me backward. Narrowing my eyes, the concentration on my own power surfaced. Within a minute, Rin was shoved backward by my spiritual pressure.

When he got back to his feet, the perplexed look on his face told a story. I knew that he couldn't believe what just happened and I didn't blame him. I couldn't either, because it wasn't of my doing.

"Okay, I believe we've seen enough."

The instructor ended the session far earlier than I anticipated. I was glad though. I was ready to learn more. Rin bowed before me hesitantly. It was a sign of respect and that surprised me even more. Blinking several times before it hit me that I needed to do the same. He may not like me; but at least I gained his respect.

After class I walked the hall heading for my next class. Turning at a junction between crossing hallways, I stopped dead in my tracks. A full fledged Soul Reaper was speaking to all of my instructors. It seemed important, so I leaned against the wall unseen. I hated the thought of eavesdropping; but my curiosity was spiked now.

"Is there any students ready to graduate early?" He asked.

The question caught my breath in my throat. I turned my head to peak over the edge. His sandy blonde hair was short with two longer chunks left to frame either side of his face. From here, I couldn't make out any other features or a name. "Did something happen? You wouldn't be asking if something wasn't going on." Gengorō asked folding his arms over his chest.

"After the last battle, we lost so many personnel. We want to replenish our ranks. It's a preventative measure nothing more."

Somehow, I felt like the man was lying. I mean I knew the causalities were high; but I didn't think it was bad enough to ask for early graduates. It just seemed too fishy to me. All four of my instructors looked at each other for a moment, silently speaking their opinions. "There is probably two that could be ready in a week or two." Gengorō finally answered.

"Excellent. Who would those two be so I may report back to Head Captain Yamamoto?"

"Sixth year student Rin Tosei." My Zanjutsu instructor stated.

His name came as so surprise to me. His skills were impressive and he was heard about even to the freshmen students. I never dreamed I'd hear what came next. "We have somewhat of a genius here. She's moved from third year straight to sixth year."

My heart started to race. I was not ready to hear what they had in mind. Just because I moved through the years, it didn't mean I was ready to graduate this early. Were they insane? Could I really let them expose me? "Her name is Irina Kasumi."

Too late. My name was out there now. My shoulders slumped. If the other students didn't hate me enough, once they learned this information it would cause a major protest. I turned away from the conversation and continued on towards my next class. It wouldn't matter if I was late, the instructor wouldn't even be in the room.