Game 2 - Chapter 2

Isane took a deep breath and, with some effort, pulled herself to her feet. "I'm alright, Ise-san." She nodded to Hanatarou. "You take care of things here, Yamada-san," she said before following Nanao and Shuhei out the door.

Daisuke stepped into the room and, as usual, took a seat right next to Midori. His textbook was already in his hand and open when Kanue-san began his little speech. Daisuke reached into his robe and produced a small, nondescript pair of reading glasses, which he perched upon his nose as he perused his history book, barely letting Kanue's words register.

Ryouichi Kanue wrote:

"Your attention, please. I know that most of us are worried about Isane-sensei and the members of our class who are currently missing, and as your Representative I feel obligated to let you know that all of them are fine."

Just as I thought, Daisuke said to himself, not looking up.

Ryouichi Kanue wrote:

"I followed Shuhei-sensei and Orihime-san to the medical ward, where I spotted Mizukin-san and Takeshi-san almost immediately."

Daisuke sighed. Hadn't they been ordered to stay away from the medical wing? That new girl probably just got in the way.

Ryouichi Kanue wrote:

"Mizukin-san seemed stable, but Takeshi-san was in critical condition, which is to be expected, considering he got his throat cut. Isane-sensei was having some trouble healing him because of how deep the wound was, but then Orihime-san arrived, and together they were able to stabalize him...

Now this got Daisuke's attention, and he peered up over his glasses at Kanue. Lt. Kotetsu needed that girl's help? What on earth for?

Ryouichi Kanue wrote:

"...with the consequences being that they used up pretty much all of their reiatsu in the process, so they're understandably exhuasted right now. When I left, Orihime-san was resting in one of the spare cots, and I suspect that Isane-sensei is now as well. So, this situation could have turned out as a disaster, but thankfully everyone involved is alright. It will probably take Isane-sensei and the others some time to recover fully, so we'll have free study this period, like Hisagi-sensei suggested. I think that's everyting. Does anybody have any questions?"

"I do," said Daisuke, pointedly raising his hand and removing his glasses. "Kanue-san, you said that ryoka girl assisted the lieutenant somehow? What did she do, exactly, that Lt. Kotetsu needed help with?"

Those heading into the classroom would have been treated by the unnerving sight of Cardinal Ximenez standing next to the doorway, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, as if waiting for someone. That someone came along soon after Kanue began his speech.

Hikari Kijou wrote:

Hikari went over to Ximenez and pulled on his sleeve. "Hey, do you think you could take me and train me somewhere now?"

Ximenez scowled down at her. "...Train?" he repeated, as if he couldn't believe his ears. "You want to go and train with me while your beloved Anshou lingers on death's door?" He laughed out loud. "How very heartless. I knew you were my kind of girl." He gestured for her to follow as he walked away. "Coming?"

"It's this way," said Fuiro, leading Duggo through the hallways to his office. He paused outside, then took a look at Duggo. "Slight change of plans," he murmured, grinning a bit. "Wait here." Fuiro popped through the door, then popped right back out a few seconds later carrying an enormous scroll, nearly two meters long. "Come on, this way, I think the coast is clear."

And it wasn't long before they found themselves in front of Assistant Headmaster Ise's office. Fuiro smirked back at Duggo, then cast a furtive glance left, then right, then he opened the door and invited Duggo in.

Her office was bare and spartan, as usual. No decorations on the walls except for a large 8th Division banner to the right of her large, imposing wooden desk. Fuiro recalled often getting called to stand before that desk, back when Lisa Yadoumaru was the Assistant Headmaster.

"I was going to ask you to help me move some books out my office," Fuiro started. "But... I'd have to say you look like someone who might enjoy... this." He started to unwrap the scroll. "I've always thought this office could use a bit of... colour."

It was a larger-than-life-size poster of Nanao Ise herself. Wearing a stylish (and rather small) two-piece bathing suit.

"Here," Fuiro said, producing some tacks from the inside of his robe. "Pull a chair over and help me hang this thing up."

Duggo grinned.

"If we go down for this one, we go down together. Me likey. Pedestals were made for topplin', I always said."

Duggo paused a moment. "But wait... why should Ise-San get to hoard all the fun? Shouldn't we hang it in the hall instead? Or... better yet... from the flagpole? I mean, come on -- this scroll is so well done; shouldn't we ALL get to enjoy it?"

It was clear from his posture and bearing that Duggo was 100% serious. Certainly he realized what was in jeopardy. Certainly, also, he enjoyed a good prank. His smirk spoke silently one very clear word: "Committed".

"Oh, don't worry," Fuiro grinned. "I took this picture myself, last summer at the officers' recreation facility." He pointed at the low angle of the picture and the leaves obscuring parts of the bottom of the shot. "And I've got plenty of copies. I plan on tormenting the good Lieutenant with this picture loooong after she tears this one down and storms out of her office red-faced." Fuiro rubbed his hands together with glee. "And then, I'm sure Shicchin Kitsuki will pay me a fortune for the original when I'm done." He tacked the top right corner into the wall. "Flagpole," he chuckled. "I didn't think of that. I was planning on draping one over the Devilslayer's Memorial."

"Ooh, the Memorial. I do like the way you think."

Duggo tacked the opposite corner in place in order to ensure the print laid flat against the wall. There was no point in a prank presented poorly.

Fuiro stepped back and returned the chair to its proper place. He habitually reached for his pack of cigarettes, then stopped himself. If he lit up in Ise's office, that'd be a dead giveaway.

"Job well done, I'd say," said Fuiro. "Come on, let's not get found here." With a quickness, Fuiro was out of the office, with Duggo in tow.

"Hey, your name's Duggo, right? Is that your first name or your last name?" Fuiro asked, as they headed back toward his office. "Incidentally, what do you like better, sake or beer?"

Duggo replied, "It's just 'Duggo', and I'll drink whatever you have the most of".

As an afterthought, he added, "Whatever else you got is good too."

Fuiro took Duggo into his office. 'Office' probably wasn't the correct term for it, though, more like a cubicle. Just room enough for a desk, which was covered in a mess of paperwork, a bookshelf and a couple chairs. The walls of the cube were covered in notes, some written on blue napkins, and a few photos. A large NO SMOKING sign sat directly above Fuiro's butt-filled ashtray. Nonchalantly, Fuiro knelt down and slid away the bottom shelf of the bookcase. There was a blast of cold air, and Fuiro reached in and produced two brown bottles. "Stealth refrigerator," he said, tossing one bottle to Duggo and lighting up a cigarette. "It's imported, I think you'll like it."

Duggo caught the bottle dramatically at the very edge of his reach, then brought it to his lips, cracking the cap loose with his teeth in an obviously-practiced flourish. There was a momentary hiss as the carbonation was released, then Duggo nonchalantly spat the cap to the floor. He took a long pull from the bottle before sighing in pleasure, before asking, "What next, boss?"

"We wait," Fuiro smiled, "for the payoff." He took a drag from his cigarette and lifted his bottle. "To chaos," he toasted.

Duggo nodded. This was a fine beer, a Belgian White, which Duggo hadn't tasted the likes of in... wait, how long? No matter. It hit the spot. The game was afoot, the world was his oyster, and he was already dead. Duggo was starting to think life wasn't so bad after all.



Note: Fuiro's zanpakutou, Zenranmyaku, means 'perfect chaos.' ('Zen' as in, well.. zen. And 'ranmyaku' meaning chaos. It's actually a bit of an oxymoron.)

Daisuke Kokubunji wrote:

"I do. Kanue-san, you said that ryoka girl assisted the lieutenant somehow? What did she do, exactly, that Lt. Kotetsu needed help with?"

"Well, I suppose saying that Takeshi-san was in critical condition was a little misleading of me." Ryouichi admitted, scratching the back of his neck a little sheepishly, and inwardly cursing Daisuke for being so perceptive, continued, "By the time he actually arrived in the medical ward, he was already extremely close to death. Isane-sensei may be a superb healer, but even she can only do so much without any help. Orihime-san provided the extra 'push', if you will, to finally close the wound in Takeshi-san's throat."

Ryouichi looked to Daisuke with a slightly questioning look to see if that had satisfied his curiosity. He was almost praying that the larger man didn't follow up with another question, considering how difficult it was becoming to spin the story in a way that made Orihime look more or less ordinary.

Igarashi nodded at Rikiki's comment about going back to class. A tad annoyed about the awful timing, though he wasn't really hungry. So he just shrugged and followed Rikiki to the SL&P. Arriving just in time to listen Kanue's report about what happened, not even bothering to sit, he simply listened near a wall of the classroom. Upon hearing that Satoko was alright, he felt pretty relieved, though he also was a tad amazed to hear the the new girl Orihime had too part of it. Still, Satoko was alright, and that meant one less concern to Igarashi for now, though he still had a few other things bothering him. Barely paying attention to what Daisuke had asked. Igarashi just leaned there in the wall, thinking to himself for a moment.

Cardinal Ximenez wrote:

Those heading into the classroom would have been treated by the unnerving sight of Cardinal Ximenez standing next to the doorway, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, as if waiting for someone. That someone came along soon after Kanue began his speech.

Hikari Kijou wrote:

Hikari went over to Ximenez and pulled on his sleeve. "Hey, do you think you could take me and train me somewhere now?"

Ximenez scowled down at her. "...Train?" he repeated, as if he couldn't believe his ears. "You want to go and train with me while your beloved Anshou lingers on death's door?" He laughed out loud. "How very heartless. I knew you were my kind of girl." He gestured for her to follow as he walked away. "Coming?"

"Wait um" Hikari stopped, she was worried about Anshou, but didnt Kanue just say that he was fine? That Orihime girl saved him, with the teacher. "I'm not heartless I just want to get stronget," said Hikari. "I want to be able to protect people and be strong like An-chan." And like Kage-chan, though Hikari didn't want to admit it. Plus, this was the only chance she had to beat Baka Kasahara in the tournament.

"Um where are we going?" said Hikari.

After a few minutes of thinking by himself, Igarashi had been jumping from one concern to another, mainly, Rikiki the whole homecoming thing. Igarashi had been glancing at Rikiki's direction a few times while he though about it. Somehow, the whole thing now revolved about her, and not in a good way.Why am I so obsessed about her all of a sudden? this is ridiculous... But there's something about her... gah, but what's the point? I have to fight her in the tournament's first round... But will I be able to do it? I want to win... but at the same time... And then there's the dance... If she doesn't end up hating me in the tournament, she will in there, I know nothing about dance or fancy stuff.... and there will not be only her... the place's going to be packed with people I'm sure, and I will no doubt put a laugh show for all those snotty people... rrrgh, if only I could learn a bit about what I'm supposed to do there.... wait... weren't they supposed to give us lessons about that?

Then it had hit Igarashi. If he remebered correctly, Isane-sensei had mentioned something about giving them etiquette lessons for today's class... and now the class wouldn't happen. Igarashi felt even more annoyed now. He didn't really want the lessons, but he knew he could use them, specially if he didn't want to become an embarrassment for anyone that knew him... and her. Igarashi once again glanced at Rikiki. It bothered him, as much as he tried to think straight, he ended up watching her and it all came back to her. He needed it to stop. Figuring there really wasn't any point in staying in the classroom anymore, Igarashi decided to leave, not saying a word to anyone, not even the class rep. And so he left his spot in the wall and walking trough the door.

Leaving the classroom, Igarashi turned and walked trough the first corridor he encountered, bot bothering to watch where he was going. He didn't care, he just needed to move, to distract himself from her, put his thoughts together. Something that had been rather difficult for him to do lately, and it was annoying him even more. If it wasn't Rikiki, it was his Zanpakutou, or even worse, those vague memories. His head was a mess, which he thought of as Ironic, since he had arrived to the academy in the first place because he thought he could finally find some peace of mind coming here, to do the only thing that he liked to do. But even that wasn't enough to calm his mind anymore. He had even forgotten completely about the fight he had with Zetsumei not even an hour ago. Fighting wasn't enough anymore. He needed to get his priorities straight, he needed to get his mind in order, he needed...

...He needed....

....

Igarashi sighed as he turned to yet another random corridor. He didn't even know what he needed anymore.

Anshou Mizukin wrote:

"Hey, Inoue-san, are you awake?" Anshou whispered again. "Hey, if you can here me, I'd like to ask you something. Um..." He tried not to think about Hikari. "Do you have a date for the homecoming dance yet?"

Orihime did not hear this question as she was just now gaining conciousness. She looked around the room, trying to gauge how she felt.

Ok, I think I can move again now. That took a lot more out of me than I thought. At least Sakoto is alright now. Where are the rest of the staff?

"Yamada Sensei, I think I'm feeling a bit better now. Sorry I got so tired. I think the fight took more out of me than I originally thought."

Orihime sat up with little issue. As she got up, the floor still felt a little unstable, but she did her best to hide that.

*grrrrrrooowllll*

Her stomach very loudly protested at the lack of food inside of it.

"Sensei, I'm a bit hungry. Do you think the mess hall is still open? I am going to go grab a bite to eat if that's ok with you. I won't be able to think striaght if I don't have something soon."

Chiken Kazenosei wrote:

"Well, I cast refresh on you, but you're going to need more. Way of Binding Three: Refresh!" After casting it, Chiken took a few bites of his food and cast refresh again, then eating more food. This became a loop that would continue for most of lunch.

"Thanks again Chiken. I feel fine now. I have to around and talk to everyone. I really need a date for that stupid dance. Everyone in our class already has a date I think."

I could try asking Ashibue Kijou again, but she just ignored me last time. I guess it can't hurt to try again.

"I'll see you later Chiken. There's something I have to do."

Zetsumei walked over to Ashibue Kijou, dreading asking her yet again. What other choice did he have though?

"Excuse me, Kijou-san. I know I asked you before but perhaps you didn't hear me. Will you please go to the homecoming dance with me?"

Ashibue Kijou had not been herself today.

Still reeling from the simulation the night before, and then the revelation of her zanpakutou's true form, she had spent most of the day so far in a near-stupor, moving little and speaking even less. She vaguely recollected facing the large man, Kokubunji, in a sparring match, but the specifics of the battle, indeed if there were any, seemed absent from Ashibue's memory.

She'd wandered away from the training hall, still in a daze. She'd heard the teacher say that An-chan had been hurt. Hopefully, he'll be okay. But even Anshou was far from Ashibue's mind right now.

Her hand unconsciously dropped to the zanpakutou at her waist. Ashibue knew what it was now, and how to use it. But that didn't make her any less afraid. Logically, she knew it was silly to be afraid of her own zanpakutou. She'd been through all the classes. Knew that it was an extension of herself and that she had full control over it. But that other side of Ashibue's mind, the side that wasn't used to having power, that side was unsure of how she would react now that she had power. And, for right now, she was reacting completely avoidantly. If she never had to experience combat again, she'd never have to deal with what her sword was or what she would do with it in the heat of battle.

Of course, her logical mind reminded her, this was also futile. She was a Shinigami cadet now. Soon, she would be a full-fledged soldier. A professional fighter. And there was the Homecoming tournament coming next week, where she would be fighting... who was she fighting again? She briefly glanced back in the direction of the training hall. In her daze, she'd forgotten to check the tournament schedule. Should I go back? she asked herself. But, in her hesitation, the afternoon bell sounded, making up Ashibue's mind for her. No time now, it was time for class. Her stomach gurgled a little as she made her way toward the Lieutenant's classroom.

Maybe I should just quit, Ashibue wondered glumly as she trudged through the hall, her line of vision focused firmly on the floor ahead of her. I shouldn't need to fight and kill people just to be close to An-chan and Onee-chan. I'd still get to see both of them, she reasoned. Maybe there are other jobs I can do in Seireitei, maybe once Onee-chan gets highly ranked enough, I could be her secretary of something.

That didn't sound like a bad idea, not at all. Ashibue sighed loudly. I'm not a fighter, she said to herself. I'd be more suited to a domestic position. She nodded, agreeing with everything her mind was suggesting. I could do cleaning or maintenance somewhere. A slight smile formed on her face. I don't even really need a job; I could just go back and live with...

...


...Father.

Ashibue stopped in her tracks, and the smile quickly faded from her face. Father. That's right, she remembered. I'd have to spend all my time with Father if I ever left here. Her hand clenched around the handle of her zanpakutou at the thought of that man. If most people saw Ashibue as a shadow, her father didn't see her at all. She was completely invisible to him, didn't even exist next to her Onee-chan. Hikari was his pride and joy and Ashibue was just... in the way.

And that's why I can't quit, Ashibue decided. She wasn't sure specifically why, though. Perhaps there was still a deep, yearning need for something? Maybe it was the nearly impossible chance that, if she did well here, her father might actually acknowledge his younger daughter's existence. Or maybe it was the need to show him what she was made of. To force him to acknowledge her if he wouldn't do it on his own.

Or maybe that was just an excuse. Ashibue glanced upward. She was almost to the classroom, and her brain hadn't finished sorting out all the details. Of course, her brain really never finished sorting out any details, so this wasn't a surprise. Ashibue could hear the class representative stating that An-chan and the boy he was fighting were fine. Well, that's good, Ashibue thought. I didn't think he'd been in any real..."

Zetsumei Oushou wrote:

"Excuse me, Kijou-san. I know I asked you before but perhaps you didn't hear me. Will you please go to the homecoming dance with me?"

Slowly, Ashibue turned around. It was the green-haired boy from her class. What had he just said?

She blinked a couple times and stared quizzically, hoping he would repeat himself. If he had just said what Ashibue thought he said, she would have no idea how to react.

Ashibue Kijou wrote:

Slowly, Ashibue turned around. It was the green-haired boy from her class. What had he just said?

She blinked a couple times and stared quizzically, hoping he would repeat himself. If he had just said what Ashibue thought he said, she would have no idea how to react.

Well she isn't even saying anything... that can't be good. I have no luck with women. Maybe I'm cursed? I'll just try being nice.

"I would really like to go with you to the homecoming dance. If you don't want to go with me, I understand."

Zetsumei waited to see if she would have some sort of response.

Ryouichi Kanue wrote:

Daisuke Kokubunji wrote:

"I do. Kanue-san, you said that ryoka girl assisted the lieutenant somehow? What did she do, exactly, that Lt. Kotetsu needed help with?"

"Well, I suppose saying that Takeshi-san was in critical condition was a little misleading of me." Ryouichi admitted, scratching the back of his neck a little sheepishly, and inwardly cursing Daisuke for being so perceptive, continued, "By the time he actually arrived in the medical ward, he was already extremely close to death. Isane-sensei may be a superb healer, but even she can only do so much without any help. Orihime-san provided the extra 'push', if you will, to finally close the wound in Takeshi-san's throat."

Ryouichi looked to Daisuke with a slightly questioning look to see if that had satisfied his curiosity. He was almost praying that the larger man didn't follow up with another question, considering how difficult it was becoming to spin the story in a way that made Orihime look more or less ordinary.

Daisuke wasn't convinced, but he remained silent, regarding Kanue with a suspicious eye. He knew he wouldn't get anything else out of that boy. He was a born politician, that much was certain. Daisuke sighed, looking impatiently at the clock on the wall.

"Yuansuzaku-san," he said to the girl in the seat next to him. "There's something fishy going on here, do you agree? Perhaps you and I should do some investigating on our own after class."

Chiken noticed the brunette sitting down at their table while eating and healing Zetsumei in a repetitive cycle. He tried to start up a conversation by asking how her fight went but it was soon cut short by the sound of the bell ringing. She didn't really want to talk about what happened in class anyways. After she engulfed her meal barbarically, Kasahara followed her classmates to the classroom to find that Isane-sensei was not going to be present and that the lesson was turned into a study period. It came to her as no surprise considering that the medical team had their hands full and even had to send her severely wounded classmates to the medical ward. She murmured a snide comment that may have sounded a little too cruel. "Only fools would get themselves killed in a class exercise and make a fuss about it."

She was still very bitter from the Takeshi scare for some reason.

Kasahara sat down at an empty desk and rested her head in her hand as she looked out the window uneventfully. She didn't move or falter upon hearing Kanue deliver the news of Takeshi's condition and what had happened in the medical ward. Even though she tried to act uncaring of this new information, his words seem to stab at her soul. "... Takeshi-san was in critical condition, which is to be expected, considering he got his throat cut. Isane-sensei was having some trouble healing him because of how deep the wound was... "

The laughter that echoed from her weapon returned, inaudible at first before growing into a rough chuckle. The hand supporting her head subconsciously balled up into a fist as he continued to speak. It wasn't until Kanue responded to Daisuke's question that the zanpakutou's laughter boiled into loud maniacal laugh that echoed in her head. "Well, I suppose saying that Takeshi-san was in critical condition was a little misleading of me. By the time he actually arrived in the medical ward, he was already extremely close to death."

Kasahara stood up suddenly and slammed her hands onto her desk, her chair loudly skidding behind her as she rose. The laughter immediately halted and left a deafening silence in her soul. She didn't need to hear this news; she didn't need to know what had happened. The tomboy didn't say anything for a moment and just stood there looking displeased. A single sentence escaped her lips, seething in anger although it was spoken in a whisper. "This is stupid."

She didn't need these feelings anymore.

The brunette moved over to Naomi and grabbed her roughly by her wrists. There was no real reason to act so unkindly to her friend but Kasahara didn't let up. She pulled the blue haired girl out of the classroom and into the hallway. "Naomi. I want a duel. Now."

She let go of the other girl and walked outside where the little forest fire weeks ago had made an empty clearing. Kasahara didn't bother looking to see if the blue haired girl had followed her; she only assumed that Naomi would even though she didn't give her a reason for the duel.

Kasahara did have a reason that she was going to keep to herself.

An Experiment:

Maka and Naomi - both of you PM me 5 rounds worth of actions and 5 full dice rolls. You can use the "new attacking/defending" rules in the announcements thread too. I'm going to try to make combat not drag so much, and make defending not be tantamount to a wasted turn. Also this will likely help me write up a better and more dramatic combat post than "Maka attacks and Naomi defends. No damage." If anything drastic should happen, I'll stop the rounds early.

Again, I'm not sure how this will work, but this will be a perfect way to test it out before the tournament.

(ooc: Smythe and everyone involved - this process is a good idea, but please know this from my personal experience:
You may only get 3 good rounds every time you roll for five. That's because if there's a major shift in the battle people may want to adjust their tactics. But don't let that discourage you because it's still a great way to streamline combat )

Naomi sit at here desk waiting for lunch. She was still worried about facing a sumo wrestler. “Could this day get any worse” mumbled Naomi. Naomi then felt a rough tugging at her arm. “Ow Kas that hurts” Kasahara drug Naomi out to the hall. She then told her they were going to duel. Naomi did not really feel like fighting especially not her best friend. Naomi realized how much Kasahara wanted the fight though. “Alright if a fight is this important to you I will give it to you. Naomi walked out side to a bunch of black forest. Naomi went on the opposite side of Kasahara.

Naomi withdrew her weapon. “Kasahara we do not have to fight”. Naomi knew it was no use to try and convince her though. Naomi had so many thoughts twisting inside her head like having to fight Disukae soon. Naomi sighed and got ready for a battle she knew she would remember.

OOC: Very rushed sorry.

The brunette had her back turned to the blue haired girl. Upon hearing her footsteps grow nearer, Kasahara turned her head to the side and peered over her shoulder to see that it was actually Naomi. The other girl put her weapon away and tried to plead with her. "Kasahara we do not have to fight”

The tomboy didn't say anything at first; the tall girl kept her own weapon sheathed as she turned around to face Naomi. She wasn't going to use her weapon. Not yet at least. "I believe we do have to fight." Kasahara said in a cold manner. What she was doing was rather selfish of her but the brunette couldn't think up of any other option.

Kasahara stood tall with her fists clenched tightly by her sides, having a rather menacing demeanor.

(Sorry, I got tired of waiting for a response from Yamada)

"Well, Yamada Sensei, I guess I'm off then."

Orihime wandered off to the cafeteria to get some food.

*Growlllllllll*

I really won't be able to think like this.....

She opened the doors and walked over to the food area.

"Hi there, I'd like everything you have just mixed together. Do you guys have any mustard packets?"

The worker looked at her strangely and pointed to the condiment buggy to the side.

"Thanks so much for the food!"

She walked over to the area with her food and grabbed four mustard packets. She sat down at the table closest to the stand, oblivious to rather anyone else was around. She then put the mustard on her food and mixed it around.

"Itadekimas!!" she said cheerfully as she ate her lunch with gusto. She happily finished in no time flat.

"Ah that was good! Now I can think straight!"

She relaxed at the table looking around to see if any of her other classmates were around.

If Chiken had heard Kanue's announcement or anyone else talking about it afterwords, he didn't show it. He was really focused on his watch, moving and shifting gears around to get it to work. After a few minutes, he came up with an arrangement that was almost perfect, just one gap where a gear could go allowing the thing to run. Looking at it, an idea just popped in his head, though Chiken couldn't tell how he thought of it. Still, it wasn't a bad idea, and Chiken started mentally folding a little bit of his reaitsu and shaping it. Oddly, it came as second nature to do so, and he turned that extremely small bit of his reaitsu into... a gear, the exact size needed gear to complete the watch. Chiken's smile was massive, covering his entire face. Not focusing his reaitsu as much, the gear faded a little and became a little lumpy. Quickly, Chiken willed it back into shape and put it into his watch. Then, just one twist of the knob on the side and...

Tic. Chiken's smile was just as wide as before, if not wider. He still remained focused on the watch, of course, not wanting to ever stop the reiatsu keeping it running. Tic. Each tic made Chiken smile wider, if it was even possible for his smile to go wider. Tic. His eyes shining, he looked around at his classmates, a Cheshire grin taking up his whole face. Tic.

Inoue hadn't seen anyone. She got board and went back to the classroom. There, she saw a boy fiddling with a watch.

Chiken Kazenosei wrote:

His eyes shining, he looked around at his classmates, a Cheshire grin taking up his whole face.

"Well, hello! You look really happy about something. Does it have anything to do with that?"

Orihime points to the watchthe boy is holding, smiling for an unrelated reason.

Chiken nodded enthusiastically in response to Orihime's question. Tic. "Yep yep yep! I've had this broken watch since all I can remember and now I fixed it!" The excitement was emanating off of him in waves as Chiken would only stare at his now working watch. Tic. Each ticking noise that marked one second nearly sent shudders of pure excitement up and down his spine and his eyes were lit up like a kid on Christmas. Tic.

Satoko blinked back into conciousness, dragging himself upright, tired, but otherwise fine. Almost subconciously, his right hand raised and stroked his neck, where he had been cut. Nothing. No wound at all, no scar, no sign of what had consipred there; it was as if the instance had never happened. As though he had never almost died, and if that's how his body felt, that was how Takeshi decided he would feel. He had almost died again, so many times, so many times Takeshi came close to death, stared it in the face, and walked away. Except that one time... when he had failed... "Sigil" Satoko spat the murderous beasts name under his breath, he knew he would never be at ease untill it was slain, and he kenw he would have to do it on his own. One day, once this training was complete, when Takeshi knew he was the strongest being in the Soul Society; then Takeshi would exact his revenge on Sigil.

Knowing what he intended to do, having motive, a direction in his life, this was all new for Takeshi, but unlike most unfamiliar things, Takeshi embraced this; he finally had a purpose, a reason for his being here. Takeshi had a goal, and anyone who stopped him from acheiving it, anyone stronger then him... Takeshi would kill them. Smiling pleasantly, yet giving off an aura of hostility, Takeshi lept from his bed, Orihime had left him feeling as good as new, and he intended to exploit that. He glanced over at Anshou, making sure he rembered to congratulate his opponent. "Good work, you got me good at the end. It was a fantastic fight, wouldn't you say? Thanks for treating me to it." Still smiling, Takeshi waved to Anshou, before turning to leaving without another word, begin to stroll away before stopping at the rooms exit. "Whenever you're ready... I'm up for a rematch."

Takeshi had left Anshou and the medical ward, and now walked towards the classroom he was sure he was supposed to attend, SLAP, right? Right. Takeshi assured himself that his assumption was correct, but was unsure why he knew that, most of the time he just followed the class to their next destination, without any regard to where it was. Shrugging off that train of thought, Takeshi arrived at his destination, a smile he wasn't normally used to carrying still stuck to his face. He waltzed inside (not literally) and gave the class a quick sweep over with his eyes, waved lightly and spoke. "Hey, I'm alive. Try not to groan to much." Finding that sufficient Takeshi decided against taking a seat and instead merely walked to the side of the room opposite the door and propped himself up against the wall. Eventually, the once-quiet Takeshi spoke up again, but not loud enough so that anyone who wasn't listening hard enough could hear, and he spoke only to himself. "I need to practice, and I want to hit something..." Takeshi couldn't suppresss the will to fight inside him, he quite honestly wanted to fight directly after getting out of a hospital bed.

Chiken looked up when Satoko entered, he had been staring at his watch which was still ticking strong. Tic. Chiken hadn't worried about Satoko, but once he sat down Chiken ran over to his friend. "Look Satoko! I fixed my watch!" Chiken thrust the watch into Satoko's face so he could see it. Tic. After only a second, Chiken pulled it back. He smiled at Satoko and quickly walked back to his desk to look at the watch more. Tic.

Once Chiken sat down, a thought came to him. 'Oh! Oh! I should tell Myouna!' He tried calming down and closing his eyes to see his mental landscape, but he just couldn't focus enough. Tic tic tic. The rhythmic ticking of the watch, however, instantly calmed him down, and he was quickly standing in the field.

"Myouna! Myouna! Where are you?" Chiken shouted, looking around for his zanpatuko spirit. "Come on, Myouna! I hafta tell you something!" No matter which way he looked, he couldn't see her. A little confused, he started running towards the lake, hoping to see her perched on the rocks nearby.

And she was. Chiken saw her from a ways off and ran faster, shouting to her. "Myouna! Did ya see it? I fixed my watch!" The butterfly did not respond, even when Chiken was right next to her. "Didn't you see it? It was so cool!" "I saw it." Her reply was cold, but Chiken didn't notice. "Wasn't it great, Myouna?"
Rather than answer his question though, Myounahanashi didn't even move. She asked him one instead. "Why don't you go swimming, Chiken? Swim all the way to the bottom for me, please." Chiken blinked. This wasn't the reaction he expected. Still, he had never been told to go to the bottom before. "Of course, Myouna!" And without a second thought, Chiken jumped in and dove down.

Diving down, Chiken ignored the colorful fish and other memory things he swam past. He kept going deeper and it was getting a little darker. He was looking around as he swam and saw very little fish down there. He was wondering why until he swam right into... something. Chiken turned to look at it and saw a weird blue-tinted coating preventing him from going further. It was like a large piece of glass, stopping all progress. Looking at it, Chiken saw a crack in the middle, it wasn't close to being large but it was deep, and made it all the way to the other side. Puzzled, Chiken swam back up to see Myouna.

Almost instantly after Chiken's head broke the surface, Myouna sprang a question upon him. "Well? Was it there?" Chiken blinked at her, confused. "Huh? The blue thing with a crack at the bottom?" Chiken saw Myouna stiffen on her perch. Her soft voice quavering, she asked him something else. Crack? What crack? H-how big is it?" Myounahanashi's nervousness started to worry Chiken, though he had no clue why she was nervous. "Well, it's a deep crack to the other side but it's not very big. Why Myouna? What's wrong?" Chiken swam out of the lake and walked over to Myouna. Before he got to her however, everything suddenly went black and all Chiken heard was the distinct Tic of his watch.

Chiken bolted upright in his seat after seemingly falling asleep. He looked around at his classmates, one or two of which were staring back from his running up to Satoko. Tic. Chiken looked down to his watch on the table again before silently sliding it back onto his wrist. Tic.

"So," Ryouichi said, scanning the room one last time to make sure there were no other questions, "that's the story. If there are no other questions...?" That last statement might as well have been a rhetorical question. Ryouichi was somewhat disappointed by the general apathy of most of his classmates, disregarding the ones who had up and wandered out of the room.

For the next few minutes, Ryouichi simply returned to his seat and sat in abject boredom, and, only momentarily surprised by Satoko returning early, tried to amuse himself by watching his classmates and puzzling out what they were thinking. Daisuke and Midori are thinking of peeking their noses in places where they don't belong - hmm. I should probably let the teachers know about that. Then again, it might be more amusing to just let them be cornered... No, I should really tell them. Yare, yare.

Ryouichi sighed, pulling out some paper and pen and jotting down a quick note to Shuhei before folding it twice and stowing it away in his pocket. Now where was I? he thought distractedly, trying not to get lost in his boredom again, Oh right... Kasahara is upset because Satoko almost died. I wonder how she'd feel if she knew that he actually did die. Heh. Ryouichi's lips twitched a bit as he imagined what his tomboyish classmate would do if her crush (for that was what he was, even if she would never admit it to anyone) was killed. Then we have Naomi, who's just going along with what Kasahara is doing, and Satoko himself, who's foolhardy enough to want another fight after already dying once. Hikari is groveling for lessons from Ximenez because she's a weakling, Igarashi is standing outside the door trying to find himself, Rikiki is... Damnit! Ryouichi scowled a bit, rapping his fingers against the desk as he glared accusingly at it. They're all too easy! At least Chiken is random and difficult to figure out... He seems kind of out of it, more so than usual. Note to self: Make sure to talk to Chiken in the dorm room before turning in.

With nobody else to psychoanalyze, Ryouichi sighed again and retreated even further into his thoughts, trying to plan ahead for the tournament.

(I am currently in the classroom. Feel free to ask my character questions.)

Chiken Kazenosei wrote:

"Look Satoko! I fixed my watch!"

"You did a fine job too."

Chiken smiled at Orihime for her compliment. Then, questions instantly popped up in his head because he had never talked to her before. "How did your fight go? Did you win? I got distracted by talking to Zetsumei! Did yoou use kidou? Do you like kidou? I think kidou is so cool and you look like you'd like kidou too! You know what else I like? Food! I love to eat, do you?" Chiken paused to take a breath as he remembered Myouna scolding him for always asking people so many questions so fast, and he closed his mouth to allow her to answer despite the millions of other questions he had.

Chiken Kazenosei wrote:

"How did your fight go? Did you win? I got distracted by talking to Zetsumei! Did yoou use kidou? Do you like kidou? I think kidou is so cool and you look like you'd like kidou too! You know what else I like? Food! I love to eat, do you?" Chiken paused to take a breath as he remembered Myouna scolding him for always asking people so many questions so fast, and he closed his mouth to allow her to answer despite the millions of other questions he had.

This person seems like an excitable person. That is alright, I'm a little bubbly myself.

"I used something similar to kidou, and I love to eat weird foods. I get really distracted if I don't eat. You seem like a really fun person. What's your name?"

She smiled genuinely at him.

"Oh, I'm Chiken!" Chiken gave Orihime a smile then went back to talking. "Myounahanashi says I get really distracted too, but I don't know what she's talking about. She's always telling me to slow down and take my time, but I know I'm fine." Chiken smiled again at Orihime, not knowing that she, along with most of his classmates, has no clue who Myounahanashi is.

Chiken Kazenosei wrote:

"Oh, I'm Chiken!" Chiken gave Orihime a smile then went back to talking. "Myounahanashi says I get really distracted too, but I don't know what she's talking about. She's always telling me to slow down and take my time, but I know I'm fine." Chiken smiled again at Orihime, not knowing that she, along with most of his classmates, has no clue who Myounahanashi is.

"I'm Inoue. Is Myounahanashishe a friend of yours or a professor I haven't me? It's an unusual name."

Orihime Inoue looked at him quizically for a moment.

I know I'm a bit absent minded, but I've never even heard a name like that before.

Chiken blinked at Orihime. "Oh, well, she's my spirit butterfly! Uhh... 'from my sword' is what she told me to say." Chiken smiled once again at Orihime. He was in a very smiley mood talking to her and asking questions, the events of not even two minutes ago completely forgotten to him. "She teaches me stuff like a professor, like to sort my memories, but she keeps scolding me, saying that I should 'allow people to respond before I talk too much' and to 'not stick my sword in an electrical socket' and stuff, but she's really nice!" Chiken paused to nod before quickly talking again, a question popping up into his head. "Oh, what is your spirit butterfly like?"

Smythe has FINALLY awarded EXP for the sparring exercise!

Brown, Rikiki (ブラウン 力子) - +90
'Duggo' (ダッゴ) - +30
Inoue, Orihime (井上 織姫) - +45
Kasahara, Maka (笠原 マカ) - +30
Kazenosei, Chiken (風の声 知見) - +35
Kanue, Ryuichi (感植 龍市) - +40
Kijou, Ashibue (鬼女 笳) - +30
Kijou, Hikari (鬼女 光) - +30
Kokubunji, Daisuke (国分寺 大輔) - +30
Mizukin, Anshou (水銀 安椄) - +85
Oxen, Naomi (屋専 女臣) - +30
Sakimoto, Igarashi (前東 毬羅賜) - +45
Takeshi, Satoko (武 賢子) - +85
Tenkawa, Junshirou (天川 淳四郎) - +40
Yuansuzaku, Midori (優暗朱雀 果取) - +30
Zetsumei, Oushou (絶命 王将) - +80

Igarashi Sakimoto wrote:

Leaving the classroom, Igarashi turned and walked trough the first corridor he encountered, bot bothering to watch where he was going. He didn't care, he just needed to move, to distract himself from her, put his thoughts together. Something that had been rather difficult for him to do lately, and it was annoying him even more. If it wasn't Rikiki, it was his Zanpakutou, or even worse, those vague memories. His head was a mess, which he thought of as Ironic, since he had arrived to the academy in the first place because he thought he could finally find some peace of mind coming here, to do the only thing that he liked to do. But even that wasn't enough to calm his mind anymore. He had even forgotten completely about the fight he had with Zetsumei not even an hour ago. Fighting wasn't enough anymore. He needed to get his priorities straight, he needed to get his mind in order, he needed...

...He needed....

....

Igarashi sighed as he turned to yet another random corridor. He didn't even know what he needed anymore.

Suddenly, Igarashi noticed a faint strain of music drifting through the halls. Puzzled, he moved in the direction the music was coming from. As he got closer, he could pick out the sounds of violins. It was a waltz, a classical waltz, and it was coming from a slightly open classroom door. Curiously, Igarashi peeked inside.

It was 5th Seat Ayasegawa, of the 11th Division. And he was dancing. Masterfully dancing to the music by himself, his hands out, his feet moving, turning in perfect time to the music. As it drew to a close, Yumichika pulled the needle from his record player and lifted the album from its place and smiled. "Ah, how I do love Brahms." Lovingly, he placed the record in its sleeve, then removed another one from the shelf and put it on the player. More Brahms, this time a piano solo, and Yumichika, lost in the music with a blissful look on his face, continued dancing, perfectly and gracefully.

"Alright, class... or, whatever's left of you," said young Momo Hinamori, entering the classroom. "The headmaster didn't give me much information, but it looks like you somehow or another half-killed each other and then half-killed your teacher, which means I needed to get dragged into class on my day off to take care of you." She sighed and crossed her arms. "What on earth did you do?"

Igarashi had been staring at the dancing Shinigami all that time behind the classroom door, recognizing the man as Yumichika Ayasegawa, his profesor of SL&P in the first year. Genuinely impressed at how he was performing even though he didn't knew much about dancing, and he wasn't even familiar with the kind of music that was being played. But even Igarashi was able appreciate the elegance behind the whole thing. As the Shinigami switched records, Igarashi just stood there, still hidden. For a moment he just focused on that man's movements synchronizing with the soothing melody in the Piano, a melody that sounded very pleasant to Igarashi.

After a minute or two had passed however. Igarashi turned back at his thoughts, thinking once again about the homecoming dance and how poor his dancing skills were. Also, being a SL&P professor, perhaps Yumichika could even be able to help him with some etiquette lessons... But even considering this idea made Igarashi flush a little, still finding the whole idea silly and pointless, wondering if it was really worth it.

Then, the piano melody ended. And Igarashi stared at profesor Ayasegawa again. Now that he had a perfect chance, Igarashi was not really sure that he wanted to go along with it. But he knew there was no escaping the dance, and it was now his best chance to ask, before the teacher left or started dancing again. Clenching his fist a little to give himself some courage, Igarashi stepped into the classroom, walking a few steps before addresing an the teacher. "Excuse me Ayasegawa-sensei... That music you were dancing to... is that the kind of music that's going to be used in the homecoming dance?" Igarashi tried his best to keep a straight face, but it was obvious he was rather nervous and embarrassed.