Screams echoed throughout the Karakura high school as one Ichigo Kurosaki bolted through the hallways with a very serious expression across his face, which in general looked like a highly pissed off expression, in any case it made the large majority of students think he was about to kill someone for something, or possibly nothing... maybe they drank his milk, hard to say with the Yakuza. Although Ichigo much to everyone's shock was not apart of the Yakuza and he had a very good reason as to why he was running through the halls, he was going to kill Keigo, nothing much and nothing new. Why would Ichigo be wanting to kill Keigo, his bestest buddy since their first year of high school? Very simple really, Keigo was Keigo and Keigo did Keigo things, that's it.

"GET BACK HERE!" Ichigo roared enticing a girlish scream from the brown haired youth he was chasing.

"I thought it would be fun!" Keigo cried out as he dashed down another hallway, how he was outrunning Ichigo was far beyond anyone else's comprehension, it was truly the work of forces higher then what most people knew. "Chad and Mizurio said they'd do it!"

"I'm not Chad or Mizurio!" Ichigo shouted as he continued to sprint after the brown haired teen. "Stop running! I'll catch you eventually Keigo!"

"I'm too handsome to die!" Keigo cried out not watching where he was going, his eyes fogged with tears.

"Like hell you are!" Tatsuki snapped from where she was walking in the hall before she stuck her leg out and tripping the brown haired teen sending Keigo skidding down the corridor on his face, Ichigo dashed past Tatsuki and grabbed Keigo by the foot and hefted him up and glared at him.

"H-Hey, Ichigo, buddy ol' pal, bestest buddy in the whole wide world... how you doing?" Keigo asked making Ichigo glare at him before he thrust the form that had caused all this mess into the face of Keigo.

"What the hell were you thinking!?" Ichigo growled. "I don't have time for this crap Keigo!"

"What, it's a new club and it was asking for members to join! You've been on fire with joining all these clubs to fill in your time so I just... you know, wrote your name down." Ichigo glared. "Don't kill me and if you're going to hit me don't hit the face!" He cried Ichigo simply sighed as he dropped Keigo making him groan as Ichigo ran a hand through his hair. "You said Chad and Mizurio were doing it too?"

"Y-Yeah.." Keigo nodded from the ground.

"Who's the club's coordinator?"

"Ochi-Sensei." Ichigo growled. "Ok so maybe she told me to right your name on the form since all your absences last year need to be made up for and you had to join a club..." Keigo told him off handedly. "But look on the bright side!"

"What's the bright side?" Ichigo questioned. "Because I'm not seeing it Keigo!"

"You get to spend time with your great friends!" Keigo laughed as he jumped to his feet. "We'll cheer you up in no time, Rukia isn't in your life any more and we can't have you moping around all the time like you have been so let's go cause some chaos!" Ichigo's glare intensified however Keigo didn't worry about it as he placed his hand on the orange teen's shoulder. "Plus, if we do alright we get to go to the special academy!"

"Special Academy?" Ichigo questioned.

"Yeah, some posh place, the girls there are probably loaded and more then likely, smoking hot!" Ichigo simply shook his head. "Plus, you might be able to find someone to replace Rukia!"

"I was never dating Rukia!" Ichigo snapped as he pushed Keigo away by the face. "Where's Ochi-sensei?"

"She said we meet up after school, so let's go!" Keigo grinned as Ichigo placed his hands in his pockets and followed Keigo. They headed out of the school building and down past the track field making Ichigo wonder where the hell they were going before Keigo led them to a path which they followed until they saw Chad and Mizurio.

"Ah, I actually thought you'd be in the hospital Keigo." Mizurio smiled. "Ichigo, didn't expect you to come."

"Thought I might as well give it a try." Ichigo shrugged. "Sup Chad."

"Ichigo." Chad nodded his greeting in return.

"So how come you're here?"

"Keigo thought it'd be fun." Chad told him making Ichigo shrug as he folded his hands behind his head as the four chatted for a short while, they were slightly surprised when they realised that they were the only ones showing up before they heard thundering footsteps and had to move out of the way as a horse cantered past them. The four all looked to see what clearly resembled a woman sitting atop the horse in a set of armour, a lance in her hand it pointing straight up to the sky.

"Well, glad you could all make it." Misato Ochi-sensei smirked as she flicked the visor of her helmet up leaving the four speechless, Keigo couldn't turn his eyes away from the form fitting armour on his teacher while Ichigo and Chad were slightly shocked to see their teacher atop a horse with a lance fully decked out for war while Mizurio was still catching his breath for having to dodge a cantering horse. Ochi-sensei slipped down from the saddle and walked over to them before handing the lance to Chad. "Follow me and we'll get started." She told them before leading her horse through the clearing towards a small building which the four instantly recognised as a stable.

"Alright! I'm sure you all know what club this is! Jousting!" Ochi-sensei smirked as she turned to see the four boys. "I was hoping for a bigger turn out but four is better then none, and quite honestly it's the perfect number to teach with. Two of you will be Knights while the other two will be Squires. So figure it out among yourselves and then pair up. We'll get armour and a horse for the knights and I'll explain the duties of the Squire and Knight after."

"Mizurio, be my Squire!" Keigo laughed making the dark haired teen sigh as he flipped his phone shut and placed it in his pocket.

"Fine." Mizurio nodded, he just wanted to see Keigo get knocked on his ass from horseback.

"Chad?" Ichigo questioned.

"I'll be your Squire." Ichigo shrugged as the large teen stood next to him, the four turned back to Ochi-sensei who was simply staring at them, wandering how the hell they had made the decision so quickly before shaking her head and taking her helmet off.

"Well alright then." She began clearing her throat. "I'll start off by telling you what the Squire's duties are. The squire of a Knight is just like a second in boxing, they give advice in the middle of a match and think of tactics for their knight. Squire's are said to be what either brings out or suppresses the full potential of a Knight. They form a single unit, they must be able to think as one and follow one another's directions." She continued. "They will hand the lance to the knight after each round, they are able to give new information after every set as to form new tactics against the opponent."

"What about the Knight's duties?" Keigo questioned.

"Simple, ride the horse and hit the other target with your lance while following your Squire's advice." She explained with a shrug. "Being a Knight is fairly simple except you get hit and it doesn't tickle." Keigo nodded in understanding. "Now, Ichigo and Keigo you two are the Knights correct?" Both teens nodded. "Alright, at the moment we don't have the best equipment but we have some stuff." She said offhandedly. "In official matches you'll both have proper armour but as of right now we'll have to make deal with what we have."

"Ochi-sensei, what do you mean by official matches?" Mizurio questioned raising his hand up.

"Right, in jousting there is a special academy that holds a tournament each summer known as the Summer Jousting Tournament, now the ones you'll be facing will have a much higher experience rate since we're only getting the funding for this course just this year instead of when I officially asked for it three years ago." She muttered.

"Keigo told me that this Academy's pretty far away." Ichigo told her.

"That's right, it's over seas." All four teens eyes went wide at that. "If all goes well during this year, the four of you will be transferring to Winford Academy in Europe for your senior year, don't worry all expenses will be paid for and you won't have to worry about anything at all." She smiled. "You'll be the first ever students to represent Karakura High in jousting."

"Wait!" Keigo shouted. "A free trip for an entire year in Europe away from my sister!?" He shouted, a grin forming on his face. "I'm in!"

"Then do your best, Winford Academy trains Knights up of both normal students and Nobility. It's a high ranking Private Academy that focus's mainly on Jousting. It's a rather odd town that it's set in, with the focus being on jousting the town has seen fit to look like it's back in the eighteen hundreds."

"You've been Ochi-sensei?" Chad questioned.

"It's where I learned to be a Knight after all, a friend of mine is the school nurse over there, we've kept in contact." She shrugged. "So, who wants to learn how to ride a horse?" Keigo's hand was instantly up in the air waving it around frantically as Ichigo sighed before Chad clapped him on the back.

"It'll be fun." Chad simply told him.

"Right, the Squires meaning Chad and Mizurio will have to care for the horses as well. It's apart of the Squire's duty." Ochi-sensei explained as they walked towards the stables, the teacher leading the same horse she had arrived on. "The Knights, depending on the person will either have their armour cleaned by their Squire or do it themselves, personally I would recommend you clean your armour yourself." She continued as they entered the stables. "Ichigo, Keigo there are sets of armour in the back go pick out a set each and we'll help you get into them."

"I can dress myself!" Keigo protested.

"Not in armour you can't." Ochi-sensei told him. "Another Squire's duty is to help the Knight in and out of their armour. Now go on, go get your armour." The three watched as Ichigo and Keigo retreated into the back room, Ochi-sensei explaining a few more details about Squires to Chad and Mizurio before Ichigo came back holding a bag over his shoulder while Keigo was dragging his along the ground.

"It's so heavy!" Keigo complained.

"Stop your whining, there will be girls half your size wearing heavier stuff then that so man up already." Ochi-sensei told him making Keigo pout. "Now, let's get them into their armour then we'll saddle the horses up and see how they do, once that happens we'll show them how to wield their lances and call it a day and we'll see you tomorrow afternoon." Nods from the teens was her reply as Chad and Mizurio helped Ichigo and Keigo into the armour, it was slightly worn and it was old armour, parts were missing and some damaged however Ochi-sensei told them it was best they could do on the budget after the horses armour, feed and the horses themselves. Chad did the final restraint on Ichigo's chest plate and placed a hand on the teens shoulder.

"You look ready for battle." Chad told him.

"I feel like I'm going to sink into the ground at a moments notice." Ichigo told him. "Feels like a mass of spiritual pressure is pushing down on me." He explained as he rolled his shoulders, Chad nodding in understanding as he watched his friend stretch in the armour.

"Ichigo, Chad." Ochi-sensei called over to them making them look over to her, she was standing next to a horse which had been saddled up while Chad had been helping Ichigo into his armour. "You can use this horse to practice on, since you're in your armour we'll let you get on and you can have a ride around the clearing. Chad go with him and keep an eye out." Chad nodded as Ichigo walked beside the horse running his gauntlet hand down the horses neck till he was standing beside it, lifting his left leg up he placed his foot in the stirrup grabbed hold of the saddle and pulled himself up before swinging himself over and placing his other foot in the opposite stirrup.

"Well done, most Knights on there first try in armour need a helping hand or a box." Ochi-sensei told him. "Now go have a ride, get accustomed to the feeling of the horse while wearing armour. We won't worry about the horses armour today just get use to riding with armour on. Save the tricky stuff for later."

"Right." Ichigo nodded as he grabbed the reins and lightly tugged on the left rein making the horse turn and begin to walk out of the stables, Chad walking beside the animal and out into the clearing. Ochi-sensei turned to Mizurio to see how they were fairing and sighed as she raised a hand to her forehead.

"Move, let me do it. You'll have to be faster if you want to become a Squire Mizurio, doesn't help that your Knight's fussing over everything." She added making Keigo pout as Mizurio chuckled lightly. Once Keigo was in his armour and both Ochi-sensei and Mizurio had helped him into the saddle before leading him out into the clearing they got a shock of their life as they saw Ichigo galloping around the clearing Chad watching from the centre as Ichigo controlled the horse like a natural.

"Why is Ichigo good at everything he does?" Keigo pouted from where he was sitting atop the horse.

"I think Ichigo's just a natural born athlete." Mizurio shrugged. "Why do you think he joined so many clubs?"

"To scam them out of their money." Keigo huffed making Mizurio chuckle.

"Well take it slow Keigo, you fall off I'm not helping you back on." Ochi-sensei told him. "It'll be your Squire's duty from then on." Keigo nodded as he gripped the reins making Mizurio sigh.

"Gently Keigo, you hold them that tightly and you'll startle the horse with each turn you make." Keigo nodded as he loosened the reins.

"How do you know so much about this?"

"Dated a woman who was into horses." Keigo simply shook his head as Mizurio walked alongside his horse into the clearing where Ichigo had slowed down to a trot.

"You're doing well Ichigo." Ochi-sensei called out as he came to a stop and patted the horse on the neck. "Ever ridden before?"

"No, this is the first time."

"Well, you're a natural then, hop off and we'll get you working with the lance on foot before you try on horseback." Ichigo nodded as he got off the horse and pulled the reins over the head before handing them to Chad.

"You sure you don't want to be the Knight Chad?" Ichigo questioned as they walked back over to Ochi-sensei who was holding two lances.

"I don' think I'd be suited to riding a horse Ichigo, plus I don't mind helping." Ichigo nodded as Chad placed a hand on the horses neck.

"There's carrots in the stables Chad, give her a brush down and hang the saddle on the railing." Ochi-sensei told him making the large teen nod as he walked the horse back into the stables. "Right, Ichi-!"

"AHHH!" Keigo cried out as the horse galloped through the clearing gaining the two's attention, the saddle having come loose on the horse and had swung around, Keigo gripping on for dear life as he was beneath the horse before his feet slid from the stirrups and he hit the ground as she horse ran off.

"That might have been my fault..." Ochi-sensei said awkwardly seeing the state of the girth on the saddle. Mizurio ran over to Keigo just as he sat up.

"I'm ok."

"Good thing he was wearing armour." Ochi-sensei chuckled lightly. "Walk it off Keigo." Keigo just waved to them as he stood up with the help of Mizurio. "Right Ichigo, using a lance isn't about strength." She said handing the lance over to him. "It's all about balance. Now, grip the shaft tightly, then tense your arms and move it close to you. With your hand touching your hips, hold the lance in a fixed position, with the tip pointing slightly upwards. Don't ever let the tip touch the ground." She instructed and Ichigo followed her instructions to the T. "If you can do that with one hand atop a horse galloping at full speed you'll do well." Ochi-sensei smiled at him. "Now thrust forward with one hand, release it with the other." Ichigo nodded as he released the lance and raised it up, the lance shaking slightly before he steadied his grip and thrust forward past Ochi-sensei. "More force."

"Right." Again and again Ichigo thrust the lance forward with incredible amounts of force. She had him do it over and over again as she helped Keigo with his horse riding getting Chad to instruct Ichigo in his movements after telling him what Ichigo needed to be doing.

For a year the four trained as Knight's and Squire's and became the talk of the school, the four most un-talked about students had become well known. Between the two Knights, Ichigo and Keigo, Ichigo had won all their current matches but even so Keigo was incredible on the horse now, even more so then Ichigo. Jousting became popular with some of the students, even so far as the club getting more members along with more funding from the school, however the four original members were the only ones going off to Winford Academy, it was just a trial after all, if they came back successful and nothing went wrong in the year that they were there it would become a more common occurrence.

Ichigo and Chad watched from the stands as Keigo came up against the challenger, Ichigo and Keigo were two of the best in the jousting club and received numerous challenges for duels which Ochi-sensei had told them it was respectful to accept, however not to let jousting get in the way of their friends, school work or other duties.

"We leave next week." Chad said making Ichigo nod as he watched as Keigo's lance struck the challenger's left arm getting one point to his already two points winning their second round.

"What are you going to do about Hollow's and what not?" Ichigo questioned.

"I'm sure Ishida and Orihime will be able to deal with it here, there has also been another Soul Reaper that has been stationed in Karakura recently." Ichigo nodded half heartedly as he watched as Mizurio talked tactics with Keigo. "Plus, I'm sure a hollow or two will pop up at Winford Academy."

"True, better have someone there to deal with it then not." Chad nodded in agreement, in truth Chad wanted to go because he knew that in the year after Ichigo's loss of powers jousting had become Ichigo's life, he had dropped the other sports clubs he had joined to focus on jousting, Ichigo was his best friend and had been for years he was going to stick by him no matter what. Plus Chad himself enjoyed watching the sport. A loud crash brought their attention back to the match to see the challenger had landed on his ass after Keigo had knocked him off. Keigo's horse trotted around for a moment before the teen flicked his visor up and smirked at Ichigo.

"You still lost the first round." Ichigo called out making Keigo pout.

"Are we there yet!" Keigo groaned. "This better be it! I'm not getting on another boat! Including that one it's been two boats and a plane all which have been more then six hour trips!" He shouted as he pulled his bag up, Mizurio sighed as he was trying to find any kind of service wanting Keigo to shut up so he could concentrate. Chad just wanted peace and quiet for five minutes while Ichigo was ignoring the brown haired teen as he looked around the dock they had just arrived it, from what Ochi-sensei said, this was it. It certainly did have that eighteenth century feel to it, that was for sure.

"I still can't believe I agreed to a year without my phone." Mizurio sighed as he snapped his phone shut and placed it in his pocket. "I'm going to have so many messages."

"That just raises the question of who you talk to all god damn day!" Keigo shouted at him.

"You four must be the transfer students from Karakura High." A feminine voice reached their ears making them all turn to see a girl around their age wearing what looked to be a style of military uniform with a red skirt, she had very light brown hair which could almost be mistaken for blonde in the right light. She was standing with one arm behind her back with her other arm in front holding a clip board as she smiled at them. "My name is Reina Avery. Is Ichigo Kurosaki among you?"

"Yeah, this guy." Keigo said shoving Ichigo forward.

"Watch it Keigo." Ichigo growled as he walked forward, looking over his shoulder at Keigo. "It's been a long trip and I've had to listen to you bitch about every little thing, I am tempted to kill you, again."

"Hey, what happened in the airport bathroom was not my fault!" Keigo shouted.

"I don't care!" Ichigo snapped before sighing and turning back to Reina to see her watching the argument with mild curiosity. "Sorry, long trip."

"It's fine, Misato Ochi told me that you were the one to talk to." Ichigo rose an eyebrow. "She said that Keigo was an idiot and to avoid him as much as possible, Mizurio was simply not motivated to do what was needed and Chad didn't speak much." She explained making Ichigo raise a hand to his forehead.

"Right, of course she did." Ichigo mumbled. "So, who are you?" He questioned.

"Reina Avery, Student Council Vice President of Winford Academy." Ichigo rose an eyebrow. "Celia would have been here to greet you herself however she had other duties to attend to being the Student Council President." She informed him.

"I actually wasn't expecting anyone." Ichigo admitted.

"But then how would you get to your rooms at the Academy?" She questioned tilting her head to the side.

"Actually, we're staying in town." Ichigo told her surprising her slightly. "Ochi-sensei set us up with a place for a year, so there is no need to worry about us getting a dorm room or anything." He explained. "Sorry that you wasted a trip down here."

"No, it's quite alright. Please, at least let me show you to where you'll be staying, I'm sure you don't know the area and it'll be a great help."

"Sure, that'd be great." Ichigo told her making her smile and nod. "Chad, bag." Ichigo called back clapping his hands together once before Chad tossed the bag to Ichigo who caught it and pulled the strap over his shoulder. "Lead the way." Reina nodded and began to walk down the docks, the four other teens following after her. She gave them a light tour of the town in Helen Hill after she was given the address by Ichigo which told her that they were taking up residence in the restaurant district. Soon enough the five teens were standing out in front of a small tart shop making Ichigo raise an eyebrow, Reina catching onto it she smiled lightly.

"Numerous shops here have residences built above them." She explained to him. "There are several trams that go to the Academy in the morning, all at different times. Be sure to ask Ayako-sensei for the timetable."

"You know Ochi-sensei's friend?" Mizurio questioned.

"She's the school nurse, we've met several times and she runs this here tart shop." Reina smiled as she pushed the door open and walked in, Ichigo and the others following her in. The shop looked mostly like a cafe then a regular bakery the four were use to seeing back in Japan.

"Ayako-sensei?" Reina called out into the shop before they heard footsteps and a young woman stepped from the back room. She was a stunning young woman who wore a simple black apron over a white button up shirt with a black skirt, her hair was black and pulled back into a neat pony tail.

"Oh Reina, it's nice to see you again, oh and you brought friends with you." The woman smiled.

"Actually Ayako-sensei, these are the new transfer students." Reina explained making Ayako's eyes widen.

"Oh that's right! You guys were coming today weren't you!" She exclaimed as a smile graced her face. "Misato said you were coming, I must have simply lost track of time."

"You can be honest, Ochi-sensei forgot about us didn't she?" Keigo questioned making Ayako chuckle lightly.

"No, truly I've just been busy is all." She explained. "Please, take a seat anywhere you'd like. I'll bring you out some food and then we can discuss we're you will be staying." Ichigo nodded his head as Ayako retreated once more back into the back room.

"I'll have Celia introduce herself to you tomorrow, or have you brought to the Student Council office."

"That's really not necessary." Ichigo told her.

"Celia prides herself on knowing every student in the Academy, it was her idea." Reina smiled. "I'll leave you to rest for the remainder of the day and we'll see you tomorrow at the Academy." Ichigo simply nodded as Reiner bid the others farewell and exited the small shop. The four sat down at one of the few tables in the shop, Keigo laying his head down on his arm and closing his eyes as Mizurio leaned back in his chair and let out a tired yawn all having placed their bags at their feet.

"Tomorrow after our first day we'll go find the blacksmith." Chad suggested making Ichigo nod, it was one of two things that they had to do while they were here, the first was get new armour to participate in proper duels in and second was get suitable horses for both Knights and Squires. It was recommended by the Academy that both Knights and Squires have their own horses during their stay in Helen Hill, it was the main mode of transportation after all.

"Are you boys hungry?"

"As long as it's not air plane food." Keigo mumbled half asleep making Ayako smile as she placed for plates down, the teens all looking at the tarts curiously.

"Don't worry, it's just some caramel tarts, we bake them here so they're nice and fresh. Go ahead and try some." She smiled and watched with glee as the four teens devoured the tarts within minutes, she always liked when new customers tried her food.

"That was good." Chad simply nodded.

"That was the best thing I've ever tasted! Miss Ayako, please marry me!" Keigo cried before Ichigo smacked him in the back of the head.

"Knock it off." Ichigo muttered. "Ayako-sensei..."

"Please, when we're not in school just call me Ayako." Ichigo nodded and continued.

"Well Ayako, I don't mean to be rude but it's been a long day and we were hoping to relax."

"No that's fine, please I've got the key to the apartment Misato rented out for you right here." She told him as she rummaged around in her apron pocket before producing a large key. "The apartment is right across the street, all that I ask is that you boys keep it clean during your stay." She said placing the key on the table.

"It won't be a problem." Mizurio told her making her smile once more. "Reina said something about a timetable for the trams in the mornings."

"That's right, you're new so you'll probably take the trams to start off with." She explained as she fished out a piece of paper and handed it to Mizurio. "Once you get accustomed to things in Helen Hill I have no doubt you boys will be riding horses to and from school, it's how most students travel to and from the Academy. Oh silly me, I don't even know which face to put to names, Misato boasted about you four but I never really got any faces, just names."

"I'm Mizurio Kojima."

"Keigo Asano! You're future husband!" After a swift slap to the head and a whine from the brown haired teen he shut up.

"Yasutora Sado, you can call me Chad."

"Ichigo Kurosaki."

"So you're the one Misato boasted about so much." Ayako smiled as she turned to Ichigo. "She said you're the finest Knight she's ever seen and only with a year of Jousting under your belt." Ichigo scratched the back of his head. "I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself here at Winford, there are many strong Knights that you'll be able to duel against even before the Summer Tournament."

"Plus a year away from my sister! This is going to be the best year ever!" Keigo cheered.

"This year is going to suck!" Keigo cried. "Why do we have to share the same room!" Keigo cried as Mizurio simply threw his bag on the bed and sat down next to it searching the room for some type of power point where he could plug in his phone charger but found none.

"Chad doesn't fit in either of these beds and Ichigo told you that if you didn't hurry up you'll have to share with me." Mizurio told him.

"That doesn't mean that he should get his own room! What's he need the privacy for!? It's not like he'll bring a girl home!" Keigo shouted out as he stormed up and down the room.

"Neither will you Mr Asano."

"Don't start that again Mizurio!"

"I don't know what you're talking about Mr Asano."

"AHHH!"

"Doesn't he ever shut up?" Ichigo thought to himself as he sat on the open window sill staring out over the setting sun over the unfamiliar city as he heard Keigo's shouts from down the hall. "So this is where jousting has lead me? Maybe I should buy Keigo lunch as a way to say thanks? Nah, the idiot will probably make some big deal out of it and I'll never hear the end of it." Ichigo chuckled lightly at the thought before standing and walking back into the room and going about putting his clothes in the draws, it was odd, everything else was olden style however the lights were all electricity, truly this was an odd town.

Placing a photo that Yuzu had placed in his bag atop the set of draws he had to smile slightly, it was taken during the time that he was losing his powers, it had been a fun day, it was the whole group ranging from Karin and Yuzu all the way to Rukia and Renji who had come from Soul Society just to spend Ichigo's last days that he'd be able to see them. With a sigh he moved over to his bed and collapsed down onto it before closing his eyes, the trip from Japan had really taken it's toll on all of them.