I am a story machine! XD I've had a lot of free time recently, what can I say? And Bleach has taken it up. It's eeeatiiiing meeeeee.

There's no dropdown menu for Kanisawa, I don't think, which is slightly irksome, but oh well ^^

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach etc., and make no money from this story or anything related etc.

Does anyone else think that Academy!Shuhei is much better looking than current Shuhei? I do.

Failed Twice

Shūhei Hisagi was going places. Everyone knew that. He may have failed the entrance exam twice, but that had had no impact whatsoever on his performance at the best – and only – Soul Reaper Academy in the Seireitei, unless being constantly teased for said failing was an impact.

"Wow, top score again," Kanisawa remarked, leaning over his shoulder to look at his score. "Quite a feat for someone who-"

"Don't say it!" Shūhei protested. "Geez…"

"Whoa, top score," Aoga remarked, leaning over the desk. "That's impressive, considering you-"

"Oh, for crying out loud," Shūhei exclaimed, stuffing the test paper into his bag. "You both do it on purpose, don't you?"

"I do," Kanisawa agreed happily. "Mostly because it means I can peer over your shoulder without you protesting."

"Oh, sorry, man," Aoga told him, hands up in a surrender gesture. "I didn't mean anything bad by it…"

"Sure," Shūhei replied drily. "Wh- hey, Kanisawa! Stop that!" She giggled and removed herself from his shoulder.

"Prude," she teased, poking his cheek. He fixed her with a death glare. "Ah! The eyes! They buuuurn!" She mock-wailed, pretending to have been struck. "It must be a power that only comes with failing the entrance exam twice!"

"Damn you," Shūhei muttered irritably. "I hope a Hollow eats you."

"Oooh, I'm so scared," she replied sarcastically, poking him again. "Not that a Hollow would ever touch you, Mr. I'm-already-a-proper-Soul-Reaper."

"Not technically…" Shūhei disagreed, running a hand through his hair, embarrassed. "They just sent me on that mission as a trial run, because Captain Aizen suggested it. He said I'd probably graduate with a Seat, though…"

"Did they tell him that you-" Kanisawa started.

"Yes," Shūhei muttered through gritted teeth. "They did."

"And did he have a good laugh at your expense?" Aoga prompted.

"Shut up, you!" Shūhei told him. "I thought you weren't doing it on purpose!"

"But did he?" Kanisawa pressed.

"…Not… A laugh as such… He might have chuckled a bit…" Shūhei admitted, going faintly red. Knowing him, that entrance exam (or exams) was going to haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Knew it!" Kanisawa exclaimed, and she and Aoga high-fived. Shūhei hit his head on the desk in despair.

"Kanisawa! Aoga! Stop fooling around and get into your seats," the lecturer ordered, walking in. "And Hisagi, the director wants to speak to you."

"Going places," Aoga and Kanisawa recited in unison. Shūhei sighed.

"Yes Sir," he told the lecturer, glaring at the pair as he grabbed up his bag and left.

Shuuhei knocked on the door of the Director's office nervously. This was the equivalent of a Soul Reaper being sent to see the Captain-General. It was either really, really good… Or really, really bad. Maybe they'd finally decided to kick him out for failing that exam twice… He sighed inwardly. Knowing his luck, it was going to follow him around for the whole of his career… However long that may end up being.

"Enter," the Director called, and Shuuhei pushed open the door and walked in, shutting it quickly and standing to attention.

"Shuuhei Hisagi reporting, Sir," he started obediently. "I was told you wished to speak to me." The Director nodded.

"I've received a notice from Captain Aizen about your performance in that recent test assignment they sent you on," he informed him. "There has been a discussion amongst the Captains, and they have decided that you are skilled enough to join a squad on a trial basis." Shuuhei, through a tremendous force of will, managed to keep his mouth shut.

"…For real, Sir?" He asked, amazed. The Director nodded.

"Squad 9 has a place available. That's Captain Tousen's squad," he continued. "Bear in mind that this is a trail only, Hisagi, and that your studies will always take priority, understood? You wouldn't want to fail anything else, now, would you?"

"Y-yes Sir," Shuuhei responded, resisting the urge to slam his head against the wall. "I'll do my best, Sir!" The Director smiled slightly.

"If your past record is anything to go by, that will be more than enough," he remarked. "You will be sent for again when things have been finalised, and for now you are dismissed. You may go back to your class now." Shuuhei nodded, exiting the classroom, then hitting his head on the wall with a despairing groan. The exam was like a shadow! It haunted his every move! Failure dogged his every step!

He set off for his classroom to tell Aoga and Kanisawa the good news.

"And you're seriously going to be an actual part of the Squad?" Kanisawa asked. "You're sure they're not just pulling your leg?"

"Don't be silly," Aoga told her. "What use would the Director have for pulling a prank on a fifth year Academy student? It's gotta be real."

"I can hardly believe it myself…" Shūhei admitted. "I'm going to be summoned again when they've got things sorted, apparently."

"Bet you can't wait," Kanisawa enthused, using the opportunity to attach herself to his arm.

"…Kanisawa…" He started, and she laughed, let go, and poked him in the face, right on his tattoo.

"For a man with 69 on his face, you're such a prude, Shuu," she told him. Shūhei flushed.

"It has nothing to do with… With…" He sputtered, making the two of them burst out laughing, once more at his expense. He hit his face with one hand. "I hope you both get eaten by a Hollow," he groaned.

"You just better hope those Hollows aren't going on entrance exam scores," Kanisawa teased.

"Yeah, you'll be the first to go if they are," Aoga agreed.

"Since you…" Kanisawa started.

"Failed twice!" They both finished in unison.

"Shut up!" Shūhei protested. "Get lost, you pair!" They laughed – at his expense again.

"Good luck when they summon you, Mr. I'm-a-proper-Soul-Reaper!" Kanisawa called. Shūhei sighed wearily. They were both great friends, but damned hard to put up with sometimes…

He was summoned three days later and introduced to the Captain and Lieutenant of Squad 9, signed a few forms and was given his uniform. The Lieutenant gave him a sheet detailing when he would be needed and what for, telling him that he was doing the kind of work that graduates normally did, and if he kept up for the whole two years he could easily expect to graduate with a Seated position. Captain Tousen had remarked that to see someone of his level of talent was remarkable, considering, of course, his little entrance exam fiasco.

He was expected to go to some very significant places, in short.

He collared Kanisawa and Aoga in the communal area of the dorms after the meeting and told them the good news.

"You're a proper Soul Reaper now!" Kanisawa exclaimed, hugging him and twirling him around in celebration.

"Quit it!" He protested, having to force himself free. "It's no big deal."

"It is," Aoga disagreed. "This is unique, Shuu! Nobody's ever been in a Squad before graduating! Ever!"

"Have you got a proper uniform yet?" Kanisawa enthused. Shūhei sighed.

"Calm down," he suggested. "Captain Tousen gave me one earlier. I haven't tried it on yet, though."

"This is so amazing," Kanisawa enthused. "Now you get bragging rights and everything! It might even make up for…"

"Failing the entrance exam twice," Aoga chimed in. Shūhei hit his forehead with one hand.

"Must you bring that up every time we talk?!" He exclaimed. The answer to that was, clearly, a foregone conclusion.

The next day, Kanisawa caught him on the way out of one of his classes, and they sat under one of the trees by the side of the pathway for the majority of their shared free time. He often did that with her – just sat wherever was available and talked about anything for an hour or so. It was easier to talk to her, he found, than to Aoga, or any of his other classmates. She always seemed to know just what to say.

"Looking forward to being a proper Soul Reaper?" Kanisawa asked idly. Shūhei shrugged.

"I guess," he agreed. "It all still feels a bit unreal, though." Kanisawa laughed.

"Talent gets its due," she remarked. "You're good, Shuu. You've always been good, even if you did fail the entrance exam twice." He sighed in resignation at that. "It's good that they're recognising it, if you ask me." He laughed softly.

"Yeah, maybe," he agreed. "I wish you'd stop bringing up that stupid exam, though."

"Don't you mean exams?" Kanisawa teased. Shūhei groaned. "Hey, you asked for that," she told him bluntly. "Cheer up. In an hour or so you'll have the uniform and everything!" Shūhei glanced at her.

"Are you jealous?" He asked, a grin on his face. She chuckled.

"Of you? Yeah, right," she replied, getting up. "I've got a class to catch in a couple of minutes, anyway. What've you got, advanced Kidou training?"

"Don't remind me," Shūhei groaned. Kanisawa laughed and kissed his cheek.

"See you later!" She chirped, running off to get to her class. Shūhei stared after her.

"…Did she just kiss my cheek?" He asked the world in general. "…Geez, stupid Kanisawa… I hope she does get eaten by a Hollow…" His hand brushed over his cheek absently as he stood up. He did regret the way they were being separated, even if he didn't say it aloud.

Maybe she could join Captain Tōsen's squad when she graduated.

That night, he put the uniform on for the first time. It felt strange, standing in the academy dorms in a black shihakusho, when he should have been in the white and blue uniform of a male student, but he felt… Proud, to have it. He looked at the inside of the robe, at the white poppy symbol that marked him as a member of Squad 9, and felt strangely complete.

He changed back quickly and went down into the communal area, grabbing one of Kanisawa's friends and asking her to go and grab Kanisawa from the female dorms when the latter wasn't there. She obliged, and Shuuhei flopped down into one of the chairs and sighed contentedly whilst he waited. He rarely got the opportunity to relax – he worked himself too hard, Kanisawa said, which meant that he had a strong work ethic, unlike her. He got his work done before he gave himself free time, unless he was forced not to by a certain pair of friends.

"Shuu!" Kanisawa exclaimed, flinging herself onto him and knocking the wind out of him.

"Gah! Kani! I told you not to do that!" He protested. She smiled happily at him.

"You wanted to see me, Mr Proper Soul Reaper?" She asked. "Or was I just pranked by a friend I thought was nice?"

"You were right the first time," Shuuhei clarified. "Are you going to get off me now?" Kanisawa considered this.

"What's in it for me if I do?" She challenged.

"You won't be invading my personal space?" Shuuhei offered. In response, she rearranged herself so she was sitting on his knee, which wasn't much of an improvement in Shuuhei's opinion. It was, however, the best he was likely to get, so he put up with it.

"Do I get to see the uniform?" She asked hopefully. "Pleeeaaase?" Shuuhei laughed good-naturedly.

"I've got my first assignment tomorrow, you can see it then, be patient," he advised. She looked crestfallen.

"Fine, fine… Meany," she decided, poking his tattoo like she often did. "How's about we go out for a meal tonight, to celebrate? You, me, Aoga, somewhere cheap…"

"Who's buying?" Shuuhei asked wryly. Kanisawa looked thoughtful.

"Aoga?" She offered. Shuuhei laughed.

"Sure thing, if he agreed," he decided. "A celebratory meal in the all-night café."

"Better than nothing," Kanisawa shot back, jumping off him and running off to find Aoga.

Kanisawa was waiting for him, as he'd expected, when he walked into the communal room the next morning, dressed in his new shihakusho.

"You really do look like a Soul Reaper," she remarked, not jumping on him for once. "You're amazing, Shuu."

"Kani…" He protested, running a hand through his hair in embarrassment.

"It's true," she insisted. "How else would you be the only person to have a place in the Court Guards before graduating, huh?"

"Well… I just…" He started lamely. She chuckled and kissed his cheek.

"Good luck," she told him. "Not that you'll need it." He ran a hand over his cheek, then smiled at her.

"Thanks, Kani," he replied, and she waved at him as he left.

Maybe… Maybe he liked the attention.

Every time he went on an assignment, Kanisawa was there to wish him luck, sometimes with Aoga in tow, sometimes not. He got used to her cheery waves and enthusiastic good wishes – and the little, almost teasing, touches and kisses she occasionally threw his way, never more than the brief touch of her lips to his cheek but important nonetheless. Eventually, he started to return them – and the first time he kissed her hand, she hugged him so hard they both ended up on the floor with the force of it.

During the long after-exam holiday, when everyone else was relaxing but he was doing more Soul Reaper work, he met up with Kanisawa at her home. She had been born in the Soul Society, but her family weren't from any noble line – but they were still higher up than Shuuhei, who was a Rukongai boy through and through.

He knocked on the door, still in his Soul Reaper uniform because he was late from an assignment, and he didn't think Kanisawa would be particularly interested in any of his lame excuses, especially when it would consist of 'well I'm an hour late because I had to go back to the dorms and change out of the uniform you obsess over, and it's actually really out of the way, sorry.'

Her father answered the door.

"Oh," he remarked upon seeing him. "Um… Do you have some business with us, Soul Reaper?" Shuuhei bit his lip, uncomfortable.

"Um, I'd like to speak to Kanisawa, please," he replied, feeling somewhat like an imposter. Her father seemed surprised at this.

"As you wish…" He replied, turning away from the door. "Kanisawa! What have you done now? There's a Soul Reaper asking after you!" Shuuhei ran a hand through his hair nervously.

"Coming!" He heard Kanisawa call, and her father crossed his arms as she approached. "I haven't…" She started, craning her head to look around him. "Shuu!" To her father's complete and utter horror, she did her usual act of jumping on him, knocking him to the floor.

"Kanisawa!" Her father exclaimed. "I am appalled at your behaviour! You should treat Soul Reapers with respect!"

"Ow…" Shuuhei managed ruefully. "Kani, the ground is really hard around here, you know…"

"Oh, I'm sure you haven't got that many brain cells left to lose," she trilled. "After all, you did-"

"Oh, for god's sake…" Shuuhei muttered, pushing her off him and getting up.

"…Fail the Academy entrance exam twice," she finished, smiling angelically. "Dad, this is Shuuhei, the guy in my class I told you about." Her father was standing there with a look of aghast horror on his face.

"…I… See…" He managed weakly. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hisagi." Shuuhei rubbed his aching head ruefully and shot him a weak smile in return.

"He promised he'd let me drag him to the park, and he's late, I might add, so we'll see you later!" Kanisawa added, waving at her father, grabbing Shuuhei's arm and pulling him away rather unceremoniously.

"…I think I have just been subjected to the biggest embarrassment of my entire life," Shuuhei remarked when she eventually let go of him.

"I'm sure it won't be the worst," she replied with a smile. Shuuhei groaned.

"That just worries me more," he complained. "Did you have to jump on me?" She nodded slowly, as if that were obvious.

"Did you have fun on your mission?" She asked, playing with the long sleeves of his shihakusho. He shrugged.

"It was alright," he replied. "Killed a low-level Hollow. Did a couple of konsos. The usual." Kanisawa sighed.

"I'm jealous," she remarked. "All we ever get is dummy Hollows for practice…" She trailed her hand up his arm, probably unaware that she was doing it, but it sent a shiver through him. "When I graduate, I'm going to join your squad, then we can go on missions together, yeah?" Shuuhei nodded.

"I'll put in a good word for you with Captain Tousen," he promised. "You've enough talent to get a seat, for sure." She smiled at him.

"You're the bestest friend ever," she told him determinedly. Shuuhei chuckled kindly.

"I'm just telling the truth," he replied. "Talent should get its due, like you said." She hugged him.

"Well, I guess I'm not in the advanced class for nothing," she admitted. "But I'm nowhere near as talented as you." Shuuhei shook his head.

"Not true," he disagreed. "You're just as good as me." He grinned suddenly. "Got your zanpaku-to? I'll prove it." A wicked grin spread across Kanisawa's face.

"Alrighty," she agreed, drawing said zanpaku-to. "You're going to be eating dirt soon enough, Mr I'm-a-proper-Soul-Reaper!" Shuuhei pulled Kazeshini from its sheath.

"In your dreams, perhaps," he shot back.

They sparred for a good half an hour, Kanisawa putting a hole or two in his uniform with well-placed kidou, and eventually they both ended up lying on the floor, panting with effort.

"I… Hate… Byakurai," Shuuhei remarked, examining the damage done to his uniform woefully. "You suck, being able to cast that without the chant." Kanisawa laughed.

"Practice makes perfect, and my practice is perfect!" She replied, running her fingers around one of the holes. Shuuhei rolled his eyes.

"You copied that off Ouunabara," he accused. "'Only perfect practice makes perfect!'"

"But I made it awesome," Kanisawa protested. "Didn't I?"

"Well…" He started, reluctant. "H-hey, watch what you're doing with that hand of yours," he protested, grabbing said hand. Kanisawa pouted.

"Remind me again why you got a 69 tattooed on your face, if you won't even put up with a little light-hearted flirting," she protested. Shuuhei made a long-suffering noise.

"How many times must I tell you that it's nothing to do with that sort of thing," he muttered through gritted teeth. "It's to show my respect for the man who saved my life." Kanisawa raised an eyebrow.

"The man, eh?" She repeated. "I won't ask… I don't think I want to know…"

"I was being attacked by a Hollow, and he killed it, ok?" Shuuhei snapped. "He saved my life! He's… The reason I became a Soul Reaper…" He sighed and closed his eyes. "Captain Kensei." Kanisawa frowned.

"Kensei?" She repeated. "I've never heard that name before." Shuuhei nodded.

"You won't have," he replied. "He was…" He hesitated. "…He was Hollowfied. Both him and his Lieutenant. But if he hadn't been there, I'd be dead. And that's why I've got the tattoo. He had one on his chest." Kanisawa bit her lip, looking guilty, an unusual look for her.

"…I never knew…" she murmured. Shuuhei looked away.

"You're the only one in the Academy who knows," he admitted. "When I look back… I'm ashamed of my weakness. I…" He laughed softly. "Well, I was a bit of a crybaby. He taught me to be strong." He smiled slightly "He said 'you're alive! Be happy! Stand up and be strong.'"

"Better words of wisdom than any of our lecturers have ever given us," Kanisawa remarked wryly. "I never knew. I feel… Kinda bad, for teasing you so much… Dammit, Shuu, you're not supposed to make me feel guilty!"

"What an unexpected change of heart," he remarked drily. "I don't mind it that much. I guess I do kind of ask for it. Maybe I shouldn't have gone for the face." Kanisawa giggled and kissed his cheek.

"Well, I like it there," she decided. "It's a convenient place to poke. If you'd put it somewhere else, who knows what might have happened." Shuuhei rolled his eyes.

"Is that all you think about?" He asked. She traced an absent pattern on his chest with one finger.

"It's hard to think of anything else around you," she admitted. "It's not my fault. You're just too damned good-looking for your own good." Shuuhei made a surprised noise.

"You think I'm good-looking?" He asked. She rolled her eyes.

"Well, duh," she replied. "I wouldn't grope you at every available opportunity if I thought you were ugly. There's a limit to how far I'll go to annoy people, you know."

"Really? I never would have guessed," Shuuhei muttered. She glared and poked him in the face.

"You don't see me going around poking Aoga, now, do you?" She pointed out.

"That's because you need him to be your accomplice in making my life a living hell," Shuuhei returned. She considered this.

"Well… Yes… But also there's the fact that I've seen shoes that are more handsome than Aoga, and that in the secret class polls you always win 'guy I would totally have a one-night stand with', 'hottest guy in the year' and 'guy I would murder a woman over'." Shuuhei blinked.

"…Secret class polls?" He repeated weakly. "Did you come up with these?"

"Me?" Kanisawa repeated. "Nah. It's been going since the first year. In which you still won all three, might I add."

"…What else do you vote on?" He asked, sounding slightly disturbed. Kanisawa considered it.

"Well, there's 'person most likely to be eaten by a Hollow' because you are very unimaginative with your insults and it stuck, 'person most likely to be promoted on the basis of their sexual attraction', 'biggest teacher's pet'…"

"Ok, ok, stop, stop!" Shuuhei pleaded. "You girls sure lead incredibly busy lives…" Kanisawa nodded.

"Uh-huh," she agreed happily. "I have to chase around after you all the time, making sure nobody makes a move on you. You're mine, you know. I got first dibs." Shuuhei laughed weakly.

"Don't I get a say in it?" He asked. Kanisawa shook her head determinedly.

"Nope," she replied. "Surely you've realised that by now?" He smiled at her.

"I don't think I'd change anything even if I did get a choice," he confessed. "I guess I… Well, I do like the attention… A little." Kanisawa beamed, running one hand down his chest.

"Why'd you protest every time, then?" She asked teasingly. He chuckled.

"Because it eggs you on," he replied wickedly, and she grinned and kissed him, on the lips, the first real kiss they had ever shared.

"Real world assignments," Shuuhei read out from the noticeboard. It was the middle of the school year, the time when work wasn't at the forefront of your mind and the exams were suitably far enough both behind and ahead of you. In other words, time was rife, and ways to spend it minimal. "Volunteers wanted to lead advanced classes in the living world for years one to four." He glanced at Kanisawa and Aoga. "Fancy it?"

"What's involved?" Aoga asked. Shuuhei examined the rest of the notice.

"Class 1: Konso practice. Class 2: Dummy Hollow exercise. Classes three and four: Mock Hollow hunt and assignment." Kanisawa looked thoughtful.

"Class 1 doesn't look like it involves too much effort," she decided. "Do we get extra points for it?" Shuuhei ran a finger down the notice to the relevant sentence.

"Extra points will be awarded based on quality of lesson delivery," he recited. "So yeah. Are we going for it?"

"I don't see why not," Aoga replied. "It'll pass the time, right? Is it a whole day?"

"Class one is the afternoon," Shuuhei filled them in. "So we'd miss… Lessons three through five… It's a Thursday. Oh, that's a kidou afternoon, my name is already on this list!"

"Add me, I have history of the Seireitei that afternoon," Kanisawa agreed with a mock yawn.

"I'll go, then," Aoga decided. "I've got combat training, but if the two of you are going I may as well." Shuuhei nodded and wrote their names down.

"Shuu! Aoga! We got the class! Thursday afternoon off, oh yes!" Kanisawa cheered, waving a sheet of paper in their faces.

"No kidou, excellent," Shuuhei decided with a grin. Kanisawa paused, looked thoughtful, then sighed and shook her head.

"No, it's no good," she decided. "There's absolutely no way I can turn that into a jibe about you failing the entrance exam not once, but twice." Shuuhei's head hit the desk with a moan of despair.

"Nice one," Aoga remarked. Kanisawa nodded proudly.

"How long until the assignment?" Shuuhei asked, his voice muffled by the desk.

"It saaays…" Kanisawa began, scrutinising the paper. "…Two weeks!" Shuuhei sighed wearily.

"Two weeks and I have to put up with both of you for a whole afternoon in one go… I'm starting to regret this already," he remarked. Kanisawa looked thoughtful.

"Maybe if you hadn't failed the entrance exam twice, you wouldn't be in this situation," she suggested. Shuuhei's hands gripped his hair as he groaned, and Aoga and Kanisawa high fived.

"Two in a row!" Aoga remarked. "Much like the number of exams you failed before you passed, eh, Shuu?"

"I hate you both," Shuuhei growled in reply, causing the pair to high five again.

Shuuhei, Kanisawa and Aoga met in the communal room on the day of the assignment, each of them with a sheaf of papers in their hand.

"List of names, dum de dum," Kanisawa murmured, flicking through it. "Hey, this class is a bit imbalanced! It's mostly boys!"

"I will not say anything. She will hurt me if I say anything," Aoga told himself sternly.

"What a boring area of the human world," Shuuhei complained. "There is literally nothing around there for miles."

"Well, there's sixty Konpakus, there must be something pretty hefty going on," Kanisawa disagreed. Shuuhei shrugged.

"It's a city. People die," he reasoned. "Still, Captain Tousen told me there hasn't been anything big there since… Since… Uh… A long time ago." Kanisawa rolled her eyes.

"Shuuhei Hisagi's amazing intellect strikes again!" She remarked. "Now we can see why-"

"Please, Kani… Please… Not today," Shuuhei begged. "Please, for the love of everything sacred, don't mention that in front of the first years… Please." Kanisawa smiled wickedly.

"What do I get if I don't?" She asked sweetly. Shuuhei looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

"Um… I would say anything… But I've already made that mistake…" He murmured. "Let's see…" He took a deep breath. "Tomorrow, I will let you rib me as much as you like and for as long as you want, and I will not groan, moan or complain about it." Kanisawa's eyes widened.

"Jackpot," she remarked. "You have a deal!" They shook on it. "Aoga, prepare the book for tomorrow," she added to the third member of their group.

"Yes, ma'am!" Aoga agreed with a salute. Shuuhei frowned.

"…Book?" He repeated.

"Are they all here?" Shuuhei asked Kanisawa as the first-years talked among themselves. Kanisawa checked her list, then scanned the groups of people.

"…Twenty nine… Thirty… Yep. That's all of them," she confirmed. Shuuhei nodded and turned back to the crowd.

"Ok, listen up!" He shouted, and they fell into silence. "I am Shuuhei Hisagi, the short one behind me is Kanisawa and the big one is Aoga. We're your instructors today." Murmuring started up again, and he winced as Kanisawa's foot connected with his calf for the short comment. "Quiet!" He demanded. "Be quiet else we'll leave you behind." The murmuring cut off instantly.

"We were never that poorly behaved," Kanisawa muttered. Shuuhei elbowed her.

"I said quiet," he reminded her under his breath. His ears pricked up, certain he had heard The Words, and his gaze picked out a blonde telling the only redhead of the group something with a smug look on his face. Shuuhei fixed him with a glare, just in case.

"Check your slips," Kanisawa told the group, glaring at Shuuhei for his comment. "You're in groups of three. Find people with the matching symbols and split up." The students did so, chatting to themselves once more, and Kanisawa turned to Shuuhei with murder on her face. "Well, Mr I'm-a-proper-Soul-Reaper, I may be slightly vertically challenged, but it's clear that height does not correlate directly to entrance exam score," she remarked haughtily. Shuuhei swallowed nervously.

"I-it wasn't meant in a bad way… H-honest…" He promised weakly. She glared at him once more, and he cleared his throat and turned away. "Does each group have a Hell butterfly?" There was a murmur of assent from the first years, and Aoga nodded in confirmation. "Good. Open!" He stuck his zanpaku-to into the gate to open it, and they walked through into the real world.

The three of them watched each of the students perform konso twice, some of them good, some of them bad, and some of them unclassifiable.

"…Try not to push so hard next time…" He advised the final student, watching in mild disbelief as the konpaku yelled out in pain during the transfer. "…I didn't even know that was possible…" He checked his book one more time just to be certain that they'd all completed the task to satisfaction, then shut it with a satisfactory slamming noise.

"They all done?" Aoga asked. Shuuhei nodded.

"Thirty students, each performing Konso twice," he replied. "Not bad for a first time outing." He glanced around at the students. "Ok, gather round!" He called out. The day was nearly over… And he was dreading tomorrow. He hadn't even suspected that the pair of them had a book of jibes about the entrance exam(s)… Although, knowing them, he supposed he shouldn't be surprised…

The only warning was Kanisawa calling out his name before it was cut off mid-way by a scream. He spun around, and blood filled his vision.

Her blood.

The screaming started almost instantly, and his hand went for the hilt of his zanpaku-to. He couldn't believe it. That Hollow was enormous – certainly larger than anything he'd ever fought, maybe even big enough to be classed as a Huge Hollow.

Kanisawa was thrown to the side, her eyes blank and lifeless, and it was all Shuuhei could do not to run to her, his eyes following her broken body.

Dead.

"Y-you bastard!" Aoga screamed, drawing his sword. "You killed her- I'll kill you!"

"Aoga wait!" Shuuhei yelled, but too late – he was already running, and the claws scythed through him before Shuuhei could even move. He pulled his own zanpaku-to from its sheath.

He could at least save the first-years.

"Stay back!" He yelled at them. "You first years, run, get as far back as you can!" They all instantly complied, running for it, screaming in terror. None of them were ready for something like this. He wasn't certain even he was ready for something like this. Huge Hollows were a class of their own, almost at Menos level, certainly well beyond the scope of a student/Soul Reaper. His grip tightened on his sword. He would go out fighting – fighting like Kanisawa and Aoga had been.

He grabbed the communicator hung around his neck and activated it.

"This is Sixth year group leader Shuuhei Hisagi requesting assistance, we are being attacked by Huge Hollows at co-ordinate point 1026, Northwest 2128-" He cut off as another Hollow, once more Huge at the very least, rose up right next to him. Swearing under his breath, he let go of the communicator and readied his sword. "You won't find me so easy to kill," he hissed. How had they managed to get past them? He hadn't even sensed their spiritual pressure! It was almost as if…

Was it even possible?

He parried the second Hollow's first blow, rolled to the side to avoid being taken out by the first's bloody claws, then hissed and fell to his knees as the second raked its claws down his face. He was panting with exertion, now blind in one eye from the blood, but he couldn't give up. He had to protect the first years until backup arrived – he had to avenge Kanisawa and Aoga.

"I'm not beaten yet," he growled, forcing himself to his feet. If he died, so be it, although such a death wasn't what he wanted. He knew that, with his skills, there was only so long he could delay two Huge Hollows…

When the second Hollow's claws were blocked by three of the first years, he couldn't believe it.

"…You lot…" He muttered. "I told you to run!"

"Please forgive us, Sir!" The blonde one stammered.

"We're saving your ass, so you'll forgive us, right?" The redhead added as the girl rattled off the chant for Shakkaho.

"Yes!" The blonde one cheered, but Shuuhei shook his head.

"No," he muttered. "No." As the smoke cleared, more Hollows became visible – all of them larger than anything Shuuhei had ever seen.

They were dead walking.

Even so, he held his sword determinedly, unlike the three first-years who, clearly unprepared for anything like this, were looking on in undisguised horror. He would go first, he could give them that much at least. He wished they had run, but there was nothing he could do about that. One of them screamed, but Shuuhei didn't even get a chance to move forwards before a sword shot between them, slamming straight through the head of the Hollow that had killed Kanisawa and Aoga.

"Goodness, that's a lot of them," a voice drawled, and he turned in shock, as did the first years.

"B-but you're… Fifth Division Captain Aizen… And Lieutenant Ichimaru!" He exclaimed. He had never expected such high-ranking backup to be sent…

"Sorry we're late," Lieutenant Ichimaru remarked with his trademark smile. "We're here to rescue you." Captain Aizen said something comforting to the girl, then they both walked towards the Hollows – calm, in control, perfectly sure of themselves. Shuuhei shook his head, trying to wipe the blood from his eyes, but the action just made pain sear through his wounds once more. His face felt like it was on fire…

He turned suddenly, surprising the three first-years, and ran back over to the bodies of his friends.

"Kanisawa," he whispered, lifting her up, into his arms. "Kani…" Her eyes stared back at him, unseeing, nothing of her left but an empty shell. He closed his eyes, clenched his fists, willing himself not to cry. He had failed them both – failed twice to protect them. This was all his fault. He had suggested this. He had teased – oh god, he had said…

He felt tears, and shook his head. He was alive. It was just like before – he was always the one left.

Be happy.

Stand up and be strong.

Slowly, he let go of Kanisawa and rose to his feet. He was covered in blood – most of it his own – but he was still whole. He had no right to give up, just because he had lost her. But what was he supposed to do? She had been his everything.

He had to be strong. He had to be. He could carry on.

He had to go on without her.

"Kani," he whispered. "Aoga… I'm sorry. I guess… That's what happens when you fail twice." He turned away. "It follows you for the rest of your life."

For the first time in his life, he walked away from them.

He had spoken with them, joked with them, argued with them for the last time. But he was still alive. And even just because of that, because of them, because of their sacrifice and his failure, he had to carry on.

For them, he vowed, one day he would be strong enough not to fail.

A/n - eh, it's a bit... Depressing, this one. But then again, I suppose anything involving Kanisawa is, unless you change the canon...

Tell me if you liked it, anyway ^^