My Resolve

AN: I don't anything but my OC.

I never really considered myself lucky. I was born a twin, already unlucky because my little brother was healthy as can be, but I was not. The doctors didn't know what was wrong with me. I had a severe sensitivity to light, and I was prone to convulsing. The doctor's concocted a mixture of herbs that helped, but everyone knew I was going to be weak and probably wouldn't make it.

But I did, my parents while happy that I lived, never treated me the same as Kenji. He was the light of their life's. They couldn't be any prouder of him. I was treated like an inpatient in my own home. When guests came, they wouldn't even talk about me. As if I didn't exist. Kenji got everything, more food, more love, more everything. I was just unlucky to be dealt the family that I was. It came to no surprise that I died a day shy of my fourth birthday.

There was nothing special about my death. My body convulsed in the middle of the night. I had tried to make noise to get my parents to come help me, but no one came. They didn't come until morning, and the looks on their face showed little surprise. I was hurt, that they didn't seem to care too much that their eldest son had died. The village doctor came, did a cursory examination, and then wrapped my body in cloth.

I didn't even get a proper burial, just burnt till I was nothing left but ash. Over the next few days I watched over my family, but the anger that built inside me wasn't healthy. I decided to cut ties and drift along. It saddened me that no one could see me, but no one paid any attention to me when I was alive, so it is nothing new. Everything changed one night.

The moon was full, and the illuminating light casted a calm serenity of the village, but all that was interrupted, when a monster started destroying things. It looked like a giant gorilla with wings. Its white mask was covered in the blood of those unlucky enough to be caught by his fists. I was frozen in fear as the monster continued its carnage. I tried backing up, but I instantly regretted it. A vase, that had no business being where it was, fell over. The noise of the crashed caused the monster to look at me.

It raised the human in his hands to its mouth and crushed him in its teeth. "BLEEAAAGGGGGHHHHH" It roared and chunks of the human he just consumed flew out. I wanted to puke, but I knew if I did, I would be next. I hightailed it out of there. The monster gave chase, jumping from building to building leaving only destruction in its place.

I don't understand what made me more a tasty meal than the actually alive people, my guess was my horrid luck. It was only because I had a head start, that I was able to make it to the forest. I hid behind a tree, trying anything to keep the monster from noticing me. The trees fell to the monster's might. And then silence. Fear paralyzed me. For the next three seconds nothing happened, and then the tree I was hiding against was ripped from the ground.

I flew away as the tree hit me. I rolled several times before I ran into another tree. I gasped as my back hit the sharp bark. My vision was a bit hazy, but I could see the monster slowly making its way to me. I knew it would be futile, but I screamed anyway. "HELLLLLLLLLLP!" But as always no one came to help me. The monster raised its fist, and as it descended, I shut my eyes.

But no pain came. I opened my eyes to see a tall man dressed in all black. He had a sword that intercepted the heavy fist of the monster. "Don't worry kid. I'll protect you." I was in awe, this stranger cared more for me than the people who were supposed to love me. Tears man, tears.

The man pushed his sword, and with a flick of his wrist, cut deeply into the white mask. The monster backed up, before he broke apart. The man turned to me. He swung his sword over his shoulder and grinned at me. "See, I told you I would protect you."

"What are you?" I ask wiping my tears away.

"Me. I am a Shinigami!" He gives me a bright smile and rubs my hair. The gesture felt nice, genuine. "Well its time for you to move on kid. See you on the other side." Before I could protest, he gently taps my forehead with the hilt of his sword. "Good luck kid."

A blue circle enveloped me, and suddenly I wasn't in the forest anymore. I was in a village, with beautiful architecture. The village looked more advanced than the quickly pasted togetherness of my home. "Oh, we got a new one today?" I turned to see a regal looking lady. She was wearing a simple kimono, but she looked elegant in it. "My name is Shizune Takanawa. I am what you might call the guide of Kirameku Shinju (Gleaming Pearl), but most people just call us Shinju."

"Um, where is here exactly?"

"You'll find out in orientation. Come on, we have much to do today." To stunned to do much else, I let her drag me along. We passed many buildings, but the more buildings we passed the more fancy the infrastructure got. There were signs posted outside some of the bigger buildings, but I didn't know how to read. No one from my village did, only nobles learned.

Finally, we stopped in front of a large building. There were two guards outside. "Another one Takanawa? That is the fourth one this month."

"Well the more the merrier, I always say Hiroshi. Now if you don't mind, I would like to get this one to orientation." With that we walked through the gate and down a couple of hallways before stopping in front of an office. Shizune knocked twice, and opened the door when a light voice beckoned for them to come in.

"Oh, a new one, well if you haven't already welcome to Kirameku Shinju. Have a seat." The women pointed to a chair. Now if Shizune looked regal, then this woman looked authoritative. She had a presence like my father that commanded respect. "Okay let's start with introductions. My name is Mariko Yamada. I am the administrator overseeing Kirameku Shinju." She pulled out a few forms. "Okay now first question do you remember your human life?" The question through me off. I had come to terms with my death, but still it felt foreign to be addressed as anything but human.

"Can you explain the question?" I ask.

"Certainly. You see you underwent the process called Konso, it is a rite of passage that when performed allows you to travel from the land of the living to the Soul Society." So that is where I am right now. "Now most souls when they travel through cannot remember much of their life as a human, but a rare few can. So, can you remember your life as a human?" She finished with a soft hum. I nod yes. "Great." She writes something down on a form. "Okay now if you can just relay all that you remember from your life as a human. Let's start with your name?"

"My name is Akira Ito. I was born on December 6th alongside my twin brother Kenji. However, I was born with an unknown disease."

"Oh, can you describe said disease?"

"Well I had a severe sensitivity to the light, and my body was prone to convulsing, that often left me vomiting and bed ridden. The local shaman gave us an herbal medicine of different herbs and roots, but I don't know what was in it. It is the reason that I died. In the middle of the night, I started convulsing, and my family couldn't hear me. The next morning, I was a spirit."

Mirako wrote notes down as I told her. "Well, I can't claim to know what made you ill, but I will put a note in your file to visit the clinic today. Now normally when humans die and gain passage to soul society their physical ailments disappear. However, on some rare occasion's souls can crossover with their ailments intact. It is unlikely that this is the case with you as you were outside in the sun, and don't seem to be showing any ill effects, but better safe than sorry."

I agreed and continued on with my story. After writing everything down she put her brush down. "Well it seems that most of your memories crossed over intact, which is quite rare. Now let's move onto the second part of the orientation." She pulled out several paintings. "Now this is Soul Society." It showed a beautiful landscape. She flipped to the next painting. "Soul Society is split into two main factions. This faction over here is called Seireitei. This is where the Shinigami reside. They are a branch of the military for the Soul Society."

My interest peaked when she mentioned Shinigami. "The other faction is Rukongai, this is where we reside." She flipped to the next painting, which showed a circle divided into four, with smaller lines dividing the space. "Now the Rukongai is split into four different sections North, East, South, and West." She pointed to each division as she spoke. "Each division is split into 80 districts. They denote the distance from the Seireitei, with 1st district being the closest and 80th district being the farthest."

She flipped to a different painting. "Now after undergoing the Konso, your soul will be judged and placed into the district it deems you worthy. The further the district is from the Seireitei, the poorer and less regulated it is. You however have been placed in Kirameku Shinju or the East Rukongai 10th district." The way she looked at me made it clear to me. That I was lucky, that I had privilege because I was placed in a lowered number district.

She flipped the page on the clip board. "Okay the next thing I need to know is if you are hungry?"

The question threw me for a loop. While I was still alive, it wasn't novel for me to go to bed hungry. But that feeling of hunger left, when I died. But now that I had the time to think about it, I was hungry. Starving in fact. "Yes."

"Good. The reason that you feel hunger is because you have Reiatsu. Souls that don't have Reiatsu don't age or have hunger, but since you do have it you will continue to age and feel hunger."

"But what is Reiatsu?" I ask.

"Hmm that is a good question. Unfortunately, it is one I don't have the answer to. I don't have Reiatsu, so I can't explain it sorry." She gives a small smile before filling out the form again. "Well that should finish this portion of your registration as a resident of Shinju. You might have to come back and update it from time to time, but for the most part you are finished. Next thing to discuss is your living situation. Newly arrived souls will be assigned a place to stay during their orientation. Teenagers or adults are assigned their own places, but seeing as you are a child, I will assign you to a family unit.

You will soon find out that it is rare for one to find biological family in Soul Society, so it is very common for people to group together and make their own family. No one is saying that you have to accept your assigned group as family, in fact once you are old enough you can petition to live on your own." She flips through a couple files before taking one out. "Shinju is different from most districts. We take care of newly arrived souls, in exchange we are given liberties from Seireitei, namely the hospital, the school, and the administrative building.

As a citizen of Shinju, you have access to basic healthcare, although you can discuss with a doctor if you need more specialized care. You are also automatically enrolled into the school and have access to the administrative building. The hospital while it doesn't use healing spells has access to some powerful salves. The administrative building allows for people to connect and find jobs in the district. The school will teach you how to read and write plus life skills." So, it would almost be like how a noble would be raised.

When you think about it when I was alive only the top 1% could have an education. If you were like me the only hope for learning was if you learned a craft, which was unlikely. For everyone to have access to this, is quite progressive.

"Well I believe that is everything on my end." She passes the file to Shizune. "Shizune will take it from here. I hope you enjoy your stay here at Shinju." She gave me a small smile and ruffled my hair. Shizune and I said our goodbyes before Shizune guided me out.

"Did you like your orientation Akira?"

"It was a lot of information, and I have a lot of questions. But I guess it did a great job of giving me a basic idea of how Soul Society runs. Am I to assume that I will be taught more at the school?"

"Yes, the school will go into more depth. Hopefully you will have all your questions answered there. Our first stop will be to the hospital to get you a physical, and get your records finalized. After that I will take you to your family unit. From there you pretty much are free to enjoy yourself. School starts on Monday, so we make sure you show up." I nodded. I waved to the guards as we exited the building.

It was a quick trip to the building next door. Rather than just going to a room straight away like last time, we checked in with a man and were told to wait. "Akira Itou?" A man called. Shizune got up, and we followed the man into a room with a bed. "If you could please sit down, that would be great." I sat and Shizune handed him my file. "Okay Akira, we are going to perform a few simple tests, and then we will do some tests to address your previous illness. Sound good?" I nodded my hand.

The tests were weird. He had me push my hands against his hands. Then he hit my knees and other joints, to see if they moved. Next he shined a light in my eyes and ears. He snapped his fingers near my ear to see if they reacted. He listened to my chest and back. After he made me do a few simple stretches. Then he had me identify shapes from a distance. Lastly, he recorded my weight and height. Apparently, I weigh the same as two plates, which is six kilograms. My height is 68 cm.

"Okay well everything seems to check out you are healthy. Now let's tackle your disease. You said you have an extreme adverseness to light." He got a small cylinder shape. "I want you to look into this light for me. Try not to blink." He motioned for Shizune to close the blind. He pressed a button and the device started to flash different colored light at different intervals. He had me look as long as possible. While the light annoyed me, it didn't make me convulse. "Well it seems as if you are no longer affected however to ere on the side of caution, I will have you come back to retest it every 3 months for the next year." He filled out more paperwork and filed it into his shelf. "You're all set to go. I hope you have a good day." He then excused himself.

"Its great that you are healthy." I nodded. "Well the next stop is your new home. It's a fair bit away from here, so just let me know if you get tired." She was right it took us nearly a half an hour to get there. It was on the outskirts of the district, in fact not but 20 meters behind the average sized building was a large wall, which I assumed to be the border between the 11th and the 10th district.

Shizune knocked on the door, and a middle-aged women opened the door. "Taki stop running in the house you'll annoy Matsuo." She turned to us. "Sorry is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yes, this here is Akira Itou. He has been assigned to this unit. Please take care of him." She ended with a bow.

"Oh well of course, love why don't you come in." She stepped to the side and allowed me through. "Matsuo, Taki, and Jizo come meet the new resident." A boy who was on the couch immediately stood. Not too long later a small girl bounded down the stairs followed by a teenage boy. We exchanged introductions, and Shizune excused herself.

Mrs. Namono, as I found out, made me eat a healthy portion of food. I felt bad eating so much, but much less so, when I found out only Matsuo and I feel hunger. Matsuo himself just grabbed a small bowl of fruits and headed back to his room. I excused myself to a bath not feeling up to social interaction. I know my social anxiety is just a byproduct of my parents raising, but I quite like the isolation. I laid in the bath for nearly a half an hour before Matsuo walked in.

He started up the shower before stripping and getting under the spray. I decided this was as good as time as any to get out. I pulled the plug, like I was showed and got out. I couldn't quite reach the towels, but Matsuo grabbed one for me. He immediately retreated to the water and started washing his hair. "Mother said that you will room with me. My room is three doors down on the right. Mother left a pair of Taki's pajamas on your bed until you can go shopping tomorrow." He said not looking at me. I did find it interesting that he addressed Mrs. Namono as his mother but left that conversation for another day.

"Okay." I softly whispered. I quickly dried myself off and wrapped the towel under my armpits. I followed Matsuo's instructions. When I entered the room, it was clear which side was mine. My side was barren except for the clothes on the bed, with sheets beside it. Matsuo's side consisted of black sheets, a desk with multiple stacks of books on top, and a set of weights in the corner. I was interested in the books, for I have never seen one before, but stopped myself. I didn't know how to read, so I resigned myself until later.

I dropped the towel into a basket that was full of dirty clothes. I grabbed Taki's clothes and put them on. Then I tackled making my bed. I had much experience making my own bed, so I expertly did it. When I finished, Matsuo came in with a towel wrapped around his waist. When he closed the door, he let the towel drop and placed it in the same basket as I. He opened a closet door that was only half full, I guess the other half was for my future wardrobe. He quickly dressed before grabbing a book and sitting on his bed.

"I only have rule. Don't touch my stuff unless I give you permission." I nodded, which he seemed to appreciate. I myself didn't have much to do, so I just laid in bed trying to get my brain to assimilate everything I just learned in this short period of time. It didn't take me long to drift into sleep.

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20 years later.

20 years seems like a long time, but in a place like Soul Society twenty years is nothing. On day one I decided to live my life to the fullest. Those four years of solitary confinement when I was alive, robbed me of significant milestones in my life. I would no longer be chained by other peoples wants or expectations.

I threw my being into everything I did. When it came to school, I did my best to gain as much knowledge as possible. Learning to read and write was a bit difficult, having no experience with it before. Especially because I was technically was learning three alphabets at the same time, but it wasn't long before I gained enough of a basic understanding to be able to read without assistance.

I thought about asking Matsuo to borrow his books to learn more, but there was no guarantee that I would a, be able to read most of the words or b, understand what I read. However, I found a suitable solution in the administrative building. The administrative building was open 24 hours, and they had an extensive library. I started with children's books, and I took notes to practice writing as well. As I read more, I could up the difficulty of the books that I read. So instead of children's books I was reading famous literature from over the centuries.

When I proved to the school that my reading and writing level was significant, they moved me up to the upper classes. In these classes I would learn valuable life skills. There was a range of classes from cooking to financial literacy. I decided to fill my roster of six classes with a variety and go from there. The first classes I took was basic first aid, cooking, calligraphy, yoga, swimming, and stitching. I wasn't sure when those skills would be useful, but why not learn them. It wasn't like I had anything better to do.

On the social front, I wasn't fairing too well. I liked Mrs. Namono, well enough and could hold conversation with her fairly easily. But Taki and Jizo I didn't take to well. They were both too invasive too rowdy. They constantly wanted to play with me and would interrupt my study time. It wasn't that I didn't like to play with them, but they had a carefreeness about them that I always found disturbing. Maybe it was because they didn't have hunger, didn't age that they felt they can trounce around with very little thought of the future because to them it didn't matter. They were just waiting until the time that they would be reincarnated into the land of the living.

Matsuo and I got along pretty well. In fact, it wasn't that odd to find us just reading in our room together. Matsuo was smart like me, and he proved it with his school grades. I could tell that it wasn't just latent intelligence that got him that, however. He spent many hours studying for tests quizzes or even just to brush up on his knowledge. His work ethic was something that I could respect. But beside Matsuo I didn't have many friends.

While I was saddened that I didn't have friends, I didn't let that deter me. I continued to excel in my studies switching up my classes every six months. It was a steady routine that I liked, but everything changed. My interest in Shinigami never wavered, but I couldn't find any public knowledge that everyone already didn't know. I suppose that the Shinigami hold their knowledge to their heart. But what I did find out what the creature that attacked me was.

It was a Hollow. A Hollow was a plus whose chain of fate had deteriorated. The only reason I knew this was because everyone always warned me of Hollow attacks. Although quite rare in the upper districts of the Rukongai, there have been a fair few of Hollow attacks. But when Matsuo and I were shopping for dinner, the market exploded. It had blasted both Matsuo and I into a nearby stand, but we recovered quickly.

Unlike the last Hollow that I saw, this Hollow was skinny and had wings. The Hollow screeched and made a dive for the residents. "Akira, we have to run." I nodded understanding that we were not equipped to handle a Hollow. But our movement had caused the Hollow to pause its carnage. The Reiatsu in both of us probably made for a tastier meal. It quickly speared through the air towards us.

Matsuo pushed me to the side and dodged in the opposite direction just in time to avoid being impaled by the large beak. I instantly got up not making the same mistake of waiting for death. The Hollow swung around and made for me, but I just barely dodged. Before it could capitalize on my slowness, a rock hit its face. Matsuo had about five decent sized rocks.

The Hollow immediately made for him, but he dodged much faster than me. I searched the ground and found a plank of wood. I threw it with all my might and hit the Hollow in the wing. It screeched in anger and flew at me. We played this game of gain ire for two minutes just barely staying out of the way of the Hollow before reinforcements came.

A squad of four Shinigami intercepted the beast. Three of them corralled the Hollow away from the public, while the last one checked up on Matsuo and I. We had minor injuries that the Shinigami vanished with the glow of green Reiatsu. The sensation of the foreign Reiatsu was interesting to say the least. It didn't do much, but it did make me aware of my own Reiatsu.

When we were all well the Shinigami questioned us for a bit, before going to aid his fellow Shinigami. "I'm going to be like them." Matsuo said firmly. It surprised me because Matsuo never mentioned wanting to do anything in the future.

"Really?"

"Yeah I'm training to be one. I mean, unofficially."

"Can I become one too?"

Matsuo looked at me and gave me a slight smile. Out of character for him, but it made me smile. "Of course, you can." He ruffled my hair, which made me smile. We forewent shopping and raced back home.

From that day on my life had been on the fast track. Matsuo started out by sharing all that he knew about the Shinigami. The first thing is that Academy. For one to become a Shinigami, one needed to go to the Academy. However, there were a couple of stipulations for one to be accepted. The first is that they needed to have resided in the Soul Society for a minimum of twenty years, so I had 18 more years, but Matsuo had five more.

Matsuo opened up about the fact that he was born here. He told me that his mother, Mrs. Namono was near birth, when she died, and since his soul was still connected to hers, when she crossed over so did, he. His mother gave birth several days later.

But back to the Academy, you had to be able to read and write, which I had already learned. But Matsuo told me that for people in further districts it was nearly impossible to learn to read a write on one's own. It made me glad that I was privileged enough to be in Shinju. It was interesting that I had such terrible luck, when I was alive but now have great luck in the afterlife.

But if someone had those three things, they could enter the Academy. There was six years of classes that were planned. However, they wanted to produce quality Shinigami, if they felt that you needed more time after the six years then you could be asked to stay and practice. There are also special occasions where a student will graduate early. That means you could become a Shinigami after one year or twenty. I wasn't too worried about how long it took me to become a Shinigami, but Matsuo said he heard that the longer it took you, the less likely for you to advance in any of the divisions.

I asked Matsuo about the Gotei 13, but he didn't know anything about them other than they existed. That is when the conversation shifted to how Matsuo was preparing to be a Shinigami. He told me that it was impossible to learn Kido and Hoho. Zanjutsu and Hakuda were not the case. It was illegal to own a sword in Rukongai, if you weren't a Shinigami, however a bokken was not. Matsuo took me to a dojo, where a samurai taught people the way of the sword for fun. Matsuo has been going for the past two years and he said it was really beneficial. There was also a dojo, where we could learn different martial art styles from a monk.

But besides this Matsuo said that conditioning was the most important. Everyday at dawn he would stretch and then do as many laps around the border of Shinju as possible. He said his limit was usually two. Then he would do stretches again before practicing his kata for both Zanjutsu and Hakuda. After that he would practice weight training for thirty minutes. This usually brought him to 10 to 10:30 in the morning. Which gave him enough time to shower before going to school.

He said that like me he dabbled in many things, but after deciding on becoming a Shinigami he focused his classes on things that would raise his physique. So, this is how the next five years passed. Matsuo would wake up and do our basic training before going to school. Once school was out, we were in the dojos practicing. Matsuo favored a heavily defensive style of Zanjutsu; however, I was enthralled by the art of Iaido. Iaido was the art of quickly striking or cutting an opponent before sheathing the sword. It was difficult to practice the sheath part with just a simple bokken, but a quick trip to the carpenter got me a rudimentary sheath.

Iaido was difficult, because it calls for one to be incredibly fast. My first couple of years was just me getting the motions. Once I mastered a kata then I would add speed. I would practice repeatedly until I could reliably unsheathe my sword, cut, and sheath my sword. I wasn't the fastest by a long shot, but I was happy with my progress.

As for Hakuda, I focused on a style called Hung Ga. This style incorporated strong stances with decisive yet devastating strikes. I chose this style, because it worked well with Iaido. The strong stances would help give me a great basis for drawing my sword. The powerful strikes also coincide with Iaido, which favors single meaningful strikes rather than hacks and slashes of other styles. Matsuo favored Baguazhang, a style that was more flexible and could be used with larger weapons.

But like all things, my time with Matsuo came to an end five years later. When he turned twenty, he immediately went to register with the academy. I found out that to register for the academy one had to make their way to the 1st district and register at a building there. Once you register, you have to wait for the next class period every six months. Luckily Matsuo only had to wait a couple of weeks. Then you would make your way back to the 1st district, where you along with the rest of the Academy hopefuls were let into the Seireitei. Once you make it to the Academy, they will administer a test. You would immediately be notified if you were accepted.

You were then given a week to say your goodbyes before permanently moving to the Seireitei. We threw a big party for Matsuo, and I will admit that I was sad to lose Matsuo. But he ensured me that in 13 more years I would be at the Academy too. Plus, I wasn't alone anymore. I had made many friends in the dojos. It is hard to practice for four hours a day with fellow students and not become friends with a couple of them.

So, with Matsuo gone, I dedicated myself even more to my Shinigami training. I supplemented this training with learning skills that I thought would benefit me, such as meditation. I made sure to keep in touch with Matsuo. But he couldn't tell me much about his training because I was still technically a civilian. Six years later he had sent a letter, saying that he had graduated and joined the 12th division, which is apparently a research division. It was all he could tell me.

I had seven years left, but I yearned for the day that I could finally train to be a Shinigami. At that point I had finished all the education that I found beneficial, so I decided to apprentice under my Iaido master full time. I spent every last moment of the next seven years training my body to sharpen my skills to perfection, until finally it was the day.

Like Matsuo, I traveled to the 1st district on my twenty fourth birthday. The trip took nearly a week. Thankfully there is a main road that leads throughout the entirety of the Rukongai. Once there I asked around for the Academy registration. The citizens of the 1st district was nice enough to bring me to it. "Hello, I am here to register for the academy." I told the Shinigami.

The women looked at me, "cutting a little close aren't we. A couple days later and you would have had to wait for the next cycle to take your test." She laughed a little, but I just continued to stare. Noticing my lack of laughter, she cleared her throat. "Well then follow me." She held the gate open for me, and I followed her to a room in the back. She grabbed a fresh piece of paper. "Okay now I'm just going to start a file for you. Let's start with your name."

"Akira Itou."

"Age?"

"Twenty-four."

"Okay now am I to assume you arrived at the Soul Society at the age of four?" I nodded.

"Okay month and day of birth?"

"December 6th."

"Any underlying health issues?"

"No." Thankfully after the year of tests I was claimed to be clear of my debilitating disease. Which was a huge boon for me.

"Okay final question what district are you from?"

"Eastern Rukongai 10th district."

She filled out the rest of the paperwork quickly. She then filed it away in a cabinet. "Okay, so the excursion into Seireitei is dated for two days till now. Be back here at 10 in the morning." With that she motioned for me to get out.

So, two days to wait. I would have practiced my Iaido, but I left my bokken with Master Ruiji. I could practice my Hung Ga kata, but I don't think I would be able to find the privacy. I decided that it best to find some lodging. Apparently since the 1st district is home to Academy registration it is no unusual to have many residents looking for temporary sleeping quarters. The one I found was run by an old man. He was kind, but anyone worth their salt would notice that he was not above kicking people out if they were to rowdy.

I spent my time meditating and doing yoga, to keep my body in form for the test. When I wasn't doing that, I took the liberty to look into the literature. Apparently because the 1st district has a close relationship with the Seireitei they have more access to Shinigami books. Of course, the information seemed incomplete, but if one read enough they might be able to figure some things out. The unfortunate thing was I only had two days, so not enough time to gleam any knowledge from them. But still it was interesting to read something new.

The days passed quickly and at 9:30 I made my way to the Registration booth. It seems that I wasn't the only one who thought to get here early. By 10:00 there were over thirty prospective applicants. And this was just from the East Rukongai. Most of them looked older than me, definitely taller. While twenty years had passed, I was barely 106 cm. I was worried that my growth might affect my abilities, but the doctor assured me that people grow slowly in the Soul Society. He believed that I wouldn't reach my full height until I was 70 years old, yay.

The women from two days ago landed in front of the booth. "Okay perspective applicants, it is time we move out." She then briskly marched off. We walked for twenty minutes until we were outside a giant gate with a giant man, with a mass amount of facial hair, in front of it. "Kaiwan open up the gate."

The giant nodded, before digging his hands beneath the gate and raising it manually. "This is the Shoryumon. There are three others like it located in each respective division. If you become a Shinigami, you will need to pass through one of these gates to enter Rukongai. Now please follow." When we all step through the gate Kaiwan drops it, and it slams to the ground with reverberating force. I just barely mange to keep myself from falling to the ground by lowering my body and assuming one of my Hung Ga stances.

The women watch us critically. Only three people managed to stay upright. I suppose this was a part of the test. She nods her head before continuing. The Seireitei is mesmerizing. The buildings look chic but modernized not relying on ancient architecture, probably undergoing extensive remodeling every decade or so.

I refocus on the directions we take, but I easily get lost as we take several corners and back corners. I assume they do this just in case someone who fails can't find their way through the Seireitei. It is doubtful that anyone who wasn't able to pass the Academy test would be a threat, but why take the chance.

Several more turns and we arrived at the Shinigami Academy or Shino Academy as we were told. Apparently, we were the last group arrived. There seemed to a scale to which division you came from. The North division had 70 applicants, while the West had 200. The South had close to 500 applicants. Maybe there is something about the North and East divisions that they bolster the least applicants and vice versa for the South and West. It was fairly easy to pick out who came from what district as they wore different styles of clothing.

The Shinigami leading each division gave our files to the testers. They quickly divided our groups into manageable groups of 50. So, there was 16 groups. They brought each group to a large lecture hall where we were given a written test. I suppose this is how they weed out the people who can't read. The test was simple asking you to answer basic personality questions. I believe they use this to also gauge if you have the right mentality for being a Shinigami.

The test took thirty minutes and just as long to grade. When we were done, we regathered in the courtyard nearly 200 applicants were cut. 100 from the South, 60 from the West, 30 from the North, and 10 from the East.

The next test was a Reiatsu tester. Again, they split us into groups of 50. The test had two parts. They had us touch a ball that measured Reiatsu, it would glow only if you had the bare minimum Reiatsu required to become a Shinigami. Mine glowed, but 13 peoples didn't. The testers then brought out another machine. They gave each of us a pill that would cause us to leak Reiatsu unconsciously. Then we were to place our hand on the machine. A set of bulbs would light be depending on how much surface Reiatsu you leaked. The more bulbs you lit the better. However, the testers reassured that you wouldn't fail the exam for lighting just one bulb. This was just to rank us. I managed to light six bulbs, which was apparently about the amount of Reiatsu that a third-year student could exude.

We were escorted to a new courtyard that had a set of obstacles. We waited for the rest of the applicants to show up. Another large chunk was cut 250 people. 200 from South, 30 from West, 20 from North, and none from South.

The next part of the exams had four parts. The first part was conditioning. We would have to do 100 reps of different exercises. If we couldn't complete them, we would be cut. The next part was an obstacle course. We were going to be timed, and anyone who didn't finish within 10 minutes would be cut. Then would come the 300-meter dash, anyone who couldn't finish in 5 minutes would be cut. Lastly would be the mile run. We would be given 20 minutes to pass.

I easily passed the first part, conditioning being something I have done for nearly 18 years. A shocking 60 people failed this part. 0 from South, 5 from North, 5 from East, and 50 from West. The next part was difficult in the sense that it forced me to move in ways I never have before. 60 people failed but they were all from South. The next two tests were fairly simple however it knocked out everyone from West, 14 people from East, 1 person from North, and 30 people from South.

The 125 people that passed were given cards, which stated our admission to the academy and that orientation was in 30 minutes. They set up drinks and food as a congratulations. I nearly collapsed. This test was exhausting. 675 of the hopeful applicants had been cut. But I didn't. I was the only one from East to make it. I smiled at finally achieving my dream. I ate my share and used a towel to wipe away the sweat.

When the thirty minutes passed, they asked us to line up and follow them to a registration table. I waited patiently in line until my turn. "Name?"

"Akira Itou."

"Let's see. Itou… Itou…Itou. Ah here we go Akira Itou. Here is your ID along with your pamphlets. Your homeroom number is 603. Your homeroom teacher is Isshin Shiba. Your class rank is here." She tapped a machine really quick before it highlighted my name. "Rank 50. That means you just made the cut for first class congratulations. The map is in your pamphlets. Your orientation will be in your homeroom. Off you go." I nodded.

I took a couple of steps to the side. I opened up the map to see that my homeroom was located in this building on the sixth floor. A couple of flights later and I was outside the room. I opened it slowly to see 15 other people already in the room. Apparently, there were only 50 seats that were all labeled. I found the 50th seat all the way in the back. I didn't mind the arrogant smirks that were sent my way. I was just happy to be here.

Ten more minutes passed until all the seats were filled. The door opened and in stepped a Shinigami. But it wasn't just any Shinigami. It was the one that saved me from the first Hollow and sent me to the Soul Society. I nearly gasped. "Welcome class. My name is Isshin Shiba. I am the 10th seat of the 10th division. Because of some completely irrelevant misfortune on my part, I am to be your homeroom for the next 6 years. I will expect you to behave yourself in the manner fit for the Shinigami.

And for those that think they are better because you are in first class don't. You got into first class because you were better in this instance, but that does not mean it wont change. Ranks are updated every week. They take into account your grades for each class and scores for tests. Someone from second class which did terrible in the test could have better grades than all of you and graduate with the first rank. You want to stay in first class work hard.

Now you are to report here at 6:00 AM before classes every day and 4:00 PM after every class for mandatory check in. I might have lessons planned or I might not. But if you are not here on time, then you will be in detention. Got it!" We nodded. "Weekends are free days so you can do what you want. I suggest familiarizing yourself with the campus this weekend, so you are not lost on your first day.

Okay now let's get down to the logistics. First up is your dormitory. Dormitories are located on the North side campus. There are 12 buildings each split for both male and females. Your dorm building and room number are listed on your ID, which will also act as your room key so don't lose it. This will be your room for the next six years. Under no circumstance are you to have females or alcohol in your dorm room. Want to hang out and drink, there are places for that. Want to get frisky with someone, find some other place to do it. Breaking either of these rules is bounds for suspension.

These rules are heavily enforced because we don't want any abuse happening behind closed doors. Next order of business is your Asauchi. You will each come up and get the one you are assigned. You are under no circumstances to lose or break this, for you only get one." He then spent the next 10 minutes calling people up. "Akira Itou." I made my way up to the front. He handed me a Nodachi, which is longer than the average Katana. I did a slight bow before bringing my Asauchi back to my desk. "For those who find the length or size uncomfortable, you will learn to change the shape with Reiatsu in your first couple of Zanjutsu classes.

Lastly are your schedules. They are still being made, but will be made, but will be ready when you have your first homeroom in two days. You are dismissed." The other students filtered out of the room. I waited until they are all gone before approaching Shiba-Sensei. "Was there something you needed kid?"

"Um. You might not remember, but 20 years ago you saved me from a hollow and performed Konso on my spirit. I just wanted to say thank you for saving me." I said while looking down.

"I know I remember you." He gave a large grin. "I expect great things from you Akira. Don't let me down." He ruffled my hair and made his exit. That small action filled my being with joy. No worries, I will exceed all your expectations.
Well I might as well head to my dorm. I was careful to keep my Asauchi off the floor as I walked. My ID said that I was in Dorm Building 4 room 423. I used the ID to enter the building and checked in with the person at the front desk. He made me sign my name proving that I checked into the building. It gave me the opportunity to see that my roommate was Hiroshi Santoro.

It didn't take me long to arrive in my room. The room was decently sized with enough space for both my roommate and I to do work independently without getting in each other's way. I set my Asauchi on my bed. I looked in the closet and found what looked like a uniform and several sets of day clothes, so I guess this is what I will wear. There was desk for each of us and a bookshelf as well. Since I didn't bring anything with me, I didn't have anything to pack away. I decided that I would pen a letter to both Matsuo and Mrs. Namono, while I wait for my roommate.

Hiroshi Santoro arrived an hour later. He seemed alright. He was from North Rukongai 57th district. He was a bit reserved but had a passion for becoming a Shinigami because his sister was one. He was currently ranked 97th, but he explained that he wasn't too great at running. I offered to help him with conditioning if he wanted. He gladly took up my offer. I told him we would start after our first day. He was going to go eat, but I wanted to take a shower, so he went to the mess hall without me. I found that in each closet was a full set of toiletries. As I set off for my shower, I could help about what might be in store for me. All I know is that I was going to give my all.

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AN: Well this is my bleach story. I know this chapter might read as a bit choppy, but I did that to show my character's more reserved nature. I hope that you are patient with me. In addition, it is hard to write about a four-year-old from the ancient Japanese time period. I tried my best to keep the language basic but found that harder to do. So, chalk up his vocabulary to author meddling. And the unknown disease is actually epilepsy, if you were wondering. I hope you like the story and stick with it.