My New Family - Joining Squad 7

[Yuna Xiao]

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Preamble: 

After graduating from Shino Academy following six grueling years, Yuna is poised to join the Division of her choice - her new family for the next few decades, centuries, or even her afterlife. 

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"Wow! I cannot believe it's actually happening. Joining a Squad!? I am actually a Shinigami... I almost believed getting through Shino was impossible for me. Well, I did it, and I'm coming for you, Youji-sama. You're going to be stuck with my sorry ass until I surpass you!" She gleefully tells herself, awkwardly talking to herself in the mirror as she stands in just her shitagi and underwear. Thankfully, the women's locker room of Shino was miraculously empty so she could monologue in peace, though it was probably just because she spent so long being too anxious to leave that everyone else already did.

A quick brush of her hair, another few pats of 

her coverup foundation, a touchup of the modest eyeliner she always has on hand for such occasions and she's ready to face the day. 

She sits down on the cold metal bench and removes the shitagi and folds it up with the rest of her red-and-white Academy outfit. "Out with the old..." she gracefully slides the mesh shirt  on, then slips into her handmade shinobi-style outfit purchased from the Onmitsukido, up goes one stocking and then another where she then dons her bootlike tabi, and finally her scarf and headband. After donning her own outfit she unfolds the customised miniskirt kosode and equips the garment before moving onto her fitted Shihakushō. "... in with the new" she grins, smiling and checking herself out in the mirror wearing her official uniform for the first time. "One last thing..." she grabs her asauchi and slides it into its sheath, affixed to the centre of her back just behind her head and secured with thin but durable rope. 

"Let's get out there and begin the dawn of a new chapter." Yuna being her typical self can't help but be extra and hop onto a windowsill, popping a window open and leaping out onto the various rooftops to effectively parkour her way to Squad Seven barracks and apparently just leaving her trash behind for some poor first year to clean up. She's so excited as she feels the air fresher than ever before rush passed her and she even exercises Shunpō a few times just to arrive sooner.

After what feels like hours, she finds herself at last at the doors to Squad Seven barracks, flashing her new Squad Seven emblem to the guards at the gate and they allow her in, most likely being made aware of the newbie. She is in awe at the structure - huge, robust and functional, filled with fellow Shinigami. But, where oh where was her Third Seat? Or Lieutenant for that matter. Captain? Also nowhere to be seen. She hopes one of them will turn up shortly...

[Angel]

Gathered before the front of the establishment was Hikari Nisei, the fourth seated officer of the Seventh Division, standing before them all at her unimpressive stature of 5'2", and if something else was amiss, it was that she looked no more than a child of thirteen or fourteen at first glance. While age may seem irrelevant in this frame of time of the afterlife, it likely didn't muster a sense of an image. Gazing ahead at the men and women within the area, Angel would stand before all of these new recruits that seemed to be coming from the graduating class this year, and with it, she locked her hands behind her back, standing straight and tall as the badge along her right arm firmly confirmed her status. A firmly fitting Shihakusho with no accessory nor adornment on her person. 

She had coal black eyes and hair with pale white skin. A look of indifference on her face as she observes her new apparent subordinates. "I welcome all of you to the barracks and training grounds of the Seventh Division. You have made it through the difficult selection process and screening to be considered eligible for joining this squad." However, she proceeds to speak further before any of the new recruits gets in over their heads. "However, I do not want you to believe that now that you are within this division that your life shall become any easier. In truth. It is the opposite." 

Relaxing her stance, she slowly slides her right foot along the sand as her eyes seemed to assess every single individual here. "The standards of the academy has dropped significantly for the standards of Shinigami potentials due to a need of demand, and as a result, I shall catch you all up to speed. I am the Fourth Seat of Division Seven, Hikari Nisei, though you may also refer to me as Angel. I will not force any of you to train or push your training forward, for it should be your own prerogative to do so in order to further your development and capability to perform your duties."

A brief pause then as they might wonder then why the hell she was here. "I am however here when I am not on duty to offer my services in training you in skills such as Kido, and or to practice against. The seated officers of Squad Seven are ever diligent and as a result are often busy. If you wish to take the opportunity. Then it would be most wise for you to do so immediately, for it will not always be present. That is all." Dismissively, Hikari would turn her back to her subordinates, stepping off with a hint of elegant grace as she swings her right arm outward horizontally. The interesting note about her perhaps being the twin blades she wore along her side. One handle snow white wrapped in bandages, the other jet black and almost rigid in form. 

"Dismissed." 

[Yuna Xiao]

Yuna had just begun to worry that she had missed any welcome wagon or perhaps that Seventh Division didn't even do that at all, but at the last second she had spotted Hikari step in and address the room. She looked very professional and carried herself with a sense of purpose and experience, od it so felt to Yuna, which was something she appreciated and took note of.

Yuna immediately stood attention despite the Fourth Seat not actually calling for it and listened well. Yuna was probably too far away to stand out but she still felt a little bit sore that she didn't get some kind of personal word in from the Seated Officer, though she really was just excited to meet her superiors and tried to not take it personally.
Yuna also noticed that Hikari was also quite petite and that helped esse her mind somewhat that the leadership was not going to comprise of hundred kilo muscleheads or seven foot tall amazonians, especially since Yuna is even shorter than Hikari though it was difficult to tell without the two standing next to each other.

"...She expects us to be self-sufficient and driven eh? We won't get any handouts but she isn't going to abandon us."
Yuna waited for the Officer to finish speaking and with clearly a level of excitement and earnestly that no one else likely had in the room she bows respectfully and expresses "Affirmative! Thank you Nisei-sama!" Although she didn't say it particularly loud, if Hikari had a strong sense of hearing then she'd single Yuna out, who was not shying away from the looks she was getting from nearby Shinigami.

[Angel]

When the young Hikari was to look forward at the recruits, if she did hear Yuna, she never acknowledged her as she went off, and with it, the recruits were likely shown around by any of the other much lower seats around. The messhall, the training yard, among any other number of areas vital to visit. Some members trained from day rise to nightfall, while others were lenient. Some even focused on paperwork and administration that was dumped onto them from the higher members of the bureaucracy. In the night time, however, assuming Yuna was the kind to wander her surroundings and find interest in training? Perhaps just a curious mind who snooped. 

She might stumble to see that some Shinigami needed more appropriate areas to train, more specifically on larger targeted regions, which was likely why she might see an area of rich cliffside and larger areas of designated force to exercise. Hikari Nisei would stand here, taking a deep breath as she looks to strengthen her mind, body, and soul respectively as she firmly begins chanting. "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens!"

She brings her hands together, one fist over the other but inverted so the wrists contacted one another as she focuses her inner potential, building up her potential power as she opens her palms. "Hado #73: Sōren Sōkatsui!" A powerful burst of exploding spiritual energy blows outward, causing ripples along the surface of a pond as it explodes into a cliffside, rippling into and shattering it into large chunks, parts of the earth itself melted and molten from the sheer heat and intensity of the Kido. This was the taste of the potential a Shinigami had when reaching the upper echelons.

Firmly then, she pauses, adjusting herself and gazing upon her blade. Her Zanpakutou. She was here to exercise her skills and remain ever sharp and vigilant, and with it, she lightly turns towards the water, looking upon her reflection as she closes her eyes, reflecting on her progress. Her training. Her growth. Her development. Her aspirations. Everything that defined her as she lightly maintains that solemn demeanor, understanding just how much farther one had to go. To progress and break that limit. 

[Yuna Xiao]

The young Shinigami still had much to learn and was certainly eager to do so. She knew that if she wanted to learn Kidō beyond the practice incantations learned in the Academy, she was certainly going to have to do some catching up as she would be at a tremendous disadvantage not knowing even the very first Kidō. Yuna was more of an intelligence gathering and close quarters combat specialist but the sheer utility and flexibility of Kidō was impossible to ignore, so Yuna elected to follow Hikari to one of the training grounds, getting there just in time to witness the explosive excitement that was the 73rd Hadō.

"Whoa! Nisei-sama, that's awesome!" she said, clearly taken aback at how impressively powerful even a Fourth Seat can be. "I er... I he you don't mind my intrusion, I just wanted to get to know you a bit better, ask some questions, after all we are going to be comrades from now on. If you don't mind of course."

[Angel]

Surprise was what was written on Hikari's face, for she had never imagined that a new recruit was actually going to take her up on the offer for training. At least, not right away. However, when Yuna presented herself to ask questions, Hikari could only consider for a brief moment before she straightens herself. "Go ahead. However, I'm not much for idle conversation. Let's make the talk meaningful." Again, seemingly rather cold, the girl narrows her eyes when looking at the Asauchi along Yuna's back, and with it, straightens herself again to look straight and tall. Neat. Orderly.

Hikari wasn't sure what kind of questions her squad member might hold, but with it, the "Angel" would proceed to look her up and down to get the good visage of that looks of hers. As the moonlight shined down upon the two of them in this moment, she did have to wonder if she had bad people skills. She wasn't sure if she wanted to spook people off from speaking with her, especially considering she was a seated officer. The fourth best in the squad for the time being, at least in terms of combat and ability. Blink.

"To begin this meeting off. Seeing you already know my name. Why don't you tell me yours?" It was the first time Angel had been approached in such manners, especially the first time by subordinates. She remembered her progress and the sacrifices she made for her fellow squad members in the past, and yet, she felt as if this was almost a sense of deja vu. Had she been here before? Having a sense of awed respect? Unsure what ot think, she waits and listens to the unseated officer before her. Patiently waiting. 

[Yuna Xiao]

The young woman was very slender and petite, dressed immaculately as if she had considered every single tuck of fabric, each strand of hair. Obsessively orderly, perhaps just like Hikari. After all, she was a Shinigami, a professional guardian of souls and humans, she couldn't be seen unkempt like some flippant nonchalant child. She bowed once more. "Thank you Nisei-sama, I will not waste your time." Yuna was not sure exactly how much familiarity she would need before calling her superior by her nickname and certainly was not about to address a Fourth Seat with a first name.
Yuna stood upright.

"I am Yuna, Yuna Xiao from Hokutan, 3rd West Rukon District, it is a pleasure to meet you, ma'am." She took a deep breath and tried to ease up a little, continuing onward after a brief pause.
"I know next to nothing about Kidō and I wish to become a functioning member of this Squad. Someone you and everyone else can rely on. I've met Youji-sensei and he is able to teach me Hakuda; I want to draw upon every resource available to me. My question is simple: will you teach me all that you can? I can tell by the look in your eyes that you're a woman of focus, commitment, and dedication and would be a font of knowledge and skills! But I do not want you to think that I'm simply trying to obtain everything for my own sake - I want to be able for you to spar with me as well, so that we both grow. I want you to know that you can give me an order and I will carry it out not just with the courage to try but with the effectiveness to accomplish a goal. I did not join the Gotei 13 just to gain prestige, but to make a difference. You will not regret a moment of taking me under your wing! Perhaps, also... We could even become friends some day... Regardless, I will prove to you and Youji-sensei that I am a worthy member of this Squad." 

Yuna speaks with clear resolve and a passion that radiates her honesty, integrity, and valour. She spears Hikari with a gaze of stalwart determination that could not be missed or forgotten. The air is chilly as the light breeze flows by the two women but all is quiet as Yuna awaits the response of her superior officer. 

[Angel]

Angel listened to the person before her speak forth on their reasoning for the seek of strength, for the knowledge of Kido. The fourth seat tilts her head with a serious contemplation then on the meaning of those words. How was she supposed to react then truly? She hides her internal thoughts, and after some mulling about, a breeze blows between them, a gentle nightly breeze as Angel finally takes the time to speak after formulating exactly what she wanted to say. To stay meticulous and yet respectful.

"The standards of Shinigami graduation has truly dropped it would seem. To not even know a single lick about the arts of Kido. It's a travesty that should be rectified." She didn't say it maliciously, but matter of factly, and with it, before Yuna was to protest her, Angel would speak firmly. "I shall teach you Kido. However, I shall teach you for now only Bakudo techniques." She speaks it firmly, and with it, she delves into the reasoning why. "We the Shinigami of the Seventh Division are those that uphold the laws, and as a result do not specialize in assassination nor executing those that break the rules like those of the Second Division or the Onmitsukido."

Making that firmly noted, she speaks forth. "As a result of being keepers of the law, we do not kill nor harm others beyond what is considered standard protocol. Keep this in mind. The laws of the Seireitei are absolute, and it is not within our emotions or judgements to make exemptions of the rules we have set in place for thousands of years. As a result, the ideal member of our division is one who fulfills and enforces the law dutifully. Without reservations." Her lecture done, Hikari lowers her gaze.

"If you're ready to begin our lesson..." Hikari takes liberty to explain something. "Bakudo unlike the arts of Hado are techniques you'd likely rarely be able to truly understand and experience unless you observe some of their effects first hand. Whilst Hado can be observed and quantified off of the environment. Allow me for that reason...Show you Bakudo." Extending her middle and index finger, she firmly holds them upwards, extended outward as she focuses her reiatsu in her incantation.

"Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini. Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat. Bakudo number nine. Geki." A beam of red light would shoot forth from her fingertips, and when contacting Yuna, she might feel that constricting feeling. The difference between their reiatsu strength was vast, and as a result, she might feel every part of her body locking up, tense, as if she were unable to move a single muscle, that sudden surprise of being unable to control one's own body as her technique looked to paralyze her. Angel gave the first bit of wisdom.

Hikari would slowly press forward then. Gentle steps as she rests right before Yuna, gazing her within the eyes. "Do not be alarmed. It's effects should wear off relatively quickly. Though now you know what it feels like. You ought to know that you utilize its power to swiftly disable and incapacitate a foe. I'd have hit you in the solar plexus or jugular at this point if this were an arrest. Or perhaps have bound you with stronger spells. Locked you into place. There's options..." 

[Yuna Xiao]

The young Shinigami lightly sighs as Angel seems to take to her speech with some level of indifference rather than the praise she hoped to have roused from her superior. There will certainly be other opportunities to demonstrate her resolve and commitment to the Division to obtain Angel's respect. Angel could likely see that the girl was about to express her concerns but did not interrupt as Angel was accosted the training standards of the Academy. Yuna listened as intently as always when receiving instruction standing at attention all the while in an almost statuesque state. 

"Nisei-sama has a point - what good are we to police the laws if we simply obliterate all that disobey? We would be nothing more than barbarians," she briskly diverted her thoughts before returning to the words from Angel. Yuna would be taking her first steps into learning the Way of Binding and with it, the path for growing into a fine member of Seventh Division.
Yuna would get a handy demonstration of one of these techniques - how exciting! Except that Yuna was entirely caught off guard; Angel would demonstrate using her subordinate as a target!? It certainly threw her for a twist and as such she could not react in time, struggling to break free of the perceived assault. It was only a moment until Yuna realised that she was not in danger and that this technique was not going to harm anyone, she submitted to the power of the spiritual restraint as if she could even accomplish breaking free of a full incantation from a Fourth Seat anyway. 

She calmed herself a moment later and looked to Angel out of awe rather than concern, having turned her emotional response rather quickly around to excitement instead. Indeed it was an effective demonstration and proved to Yuna that Angel was being genuine about not harming others by using such a simple technique. "I see - I understand now, Nisei-sama. Your power is incredible! I could not break free given a century of effort! This power is certainly going to be great for apprehending lawbreakers and other miscreants. Thank you... For giving me a chance."

[Angel]

Praise Is Never Given. It Is Earned.  

As Yuna attempts flattery, Hikari Nisei could only look on ahead with a look of Kuchiki indifference, her eyes barely giving a notice at such words, and with it, she would respond then. "Then you're a century of training behind standards." She would respond almost coldly as if to crush her for a moment, but in truth, this was more so because of the fact that if one wanted to get better, they needed some obstacle or something hard told to them, to force them to reach higher. With it, she proceeds to do some thinking and nods firmly on that regard.

"If you're looking for a growth in progress, I would recommend you access Division Seven's records on restraining techniques in your offtime if I'm not available, and or request from the division of research, and or the Kido Development squad. If you're looking for teachers of techniques, there are options. Such would be Captain Kyomei Kuchiki of the Sixth Division." She almost says Kuchiki with a hiss of venom undertoning her voice, though it was subtle.

"Otherwise, Odayakama Senshi, Vice Captain of the Eighth division would also be an excellent choice. That is...if she wasn't presumed missing or dead in combat." Hikari states it rather bluntly, and with it, she proceeds to give her comrade a bit of a note here in person. "I'd like for you to know. Keep in mind that this is a dangerous job, despite what people may have told you. While Hollows are generally weak and containable, they're not the greatest of threats you have to worry about. In your case? Worry about the law."

Hikari unfortunately was known as a person with the belief, "The Law Is Absolute." The law was unbending and unforgiving and should have exceptions for no one. The bad does not wash out the good in people, but the good also didn't wash out the bad. No matter the heroism or the skills or asset that person might be, if they are to break the law, then there is no telling if they could or would break it again. Which in part is why she had a disdain for the idea of the Shinigami and the Captaincy. There have been infamous Shinigami, both captain and not that have utilized their positions to evade and or ignore the laws of Soul Society. That is absolute.

A perversion of justice was unforgiveable to Angel, and with it, she could already imagine the numerous individuals that would look to manipulate their positions for their own gain. Who could forget Sozen Kuchiki of the 6th division with his power and influence? The man she daresay might despise more than anyone in the world. With it, she momentarily contemplates everything, and then? She lets it go. She looks upon her subordinate, and with it, she momentarily wonders if Kaen ever flirted with such ideals, or if he too was a paragon of justice. She wondered if her own captain had such ideals of justice or not. Taking a deep breath, she calms her breathing, and then focuses on Yuna. What of her? What was her definition of justice? 

[Yuna Xiao]

At first Yuna is taken aback but does not let the officer's sharp words dig deep and instead she takes them to heart; if Yuna wanted to be a capable enforcer of the Soul Society's laws then she must be capable of defending against incredibly powerful opponents. A low-level Kidō is a stepping stone of a hundred thousand steps to her path of strength, valor, and integrity.  "... You are absolutely correct, ma'am. I am hardly even a fledgling but I will never allow that to build a gulf between me and my goals!" The young Shinigami said with fierce zeal in her eyes. Yuna gives a curious squint at the unusual attitude Angel had when speaking of her family namesake. "Thank you for the suggestions, I will seek them out even if they have disappeared. I trust that I can still come to you  as well? I admire you and wish to work better with you, so training with you would be ideal as we can better gauge each other's abilities."
Yuna deeply weighs the warning that Hikari gave her. "Dangerous is just a footnote in the job description. I fear no danger and I will stop at nothing to uphold the ideals and expectations of Seventh Division, and to do my best to fight for our world. I am certain I will encounter life-threatening situations from fellow Shinigami, from Hollow, and maybe even Quincy! I am eager to face those challenges as they hit me! But... you're right again - I'm just a grunt, for now. I'll enforce our laws with unyielding conviction, and I don't need to prove that to anyone but myself." 

She were struck with the possibility that she may have to turn on her squad mates too - what if her inspiring Sensei, Kaen, had been the one she was to apprehend? What if Angel were to face-heel-turn against the Seireitei? Yuna never wanted to raise blade against her own and a pang of sadness at even the possibility washed over her. She shook it off though, hesitation in an arrest - and especially in a battle - is how Shinigami are needlessly slain. And against a ruthless opponent like a Kuchiki or a master of combat as Kaen certainly was not going to give her any quarter just because they were squad-mates or even friends. 

 

[Angel]

"If you fear no danger, then this job isn't the one for you." She says it bluntly, and with it, she takes the liberty to perform Shunpo. A blur of motion, appearing before Yuna, and with it, her right leg looks to snake and wrap around her neck, and fold inwards like a crane to cause her to be knocked onto the ground with a fierce fall onto the floor with the shift of momentum. Assuming Hikari was successful, she swiftly looks back towards her subordinate with a sharp look in her eye. A lack of fear she claimed.

For the first time, there was a sight of an anger in her coal black eyes, and with it, Angel takes the liberty to look down at her face. "In my experience...those who don't fear things...They don't live long. Or worse." After all, she learned that experience herself didn't she. That feeling, of a Hollow's viscera and flesh trailing along her body, dangling her like a tantalizing piece of meat, the sensation of it suffocating her, looking to drown her, envelop her, and consume her entirely and fully.

She wanted to shake, and to yell, and perhaps to cry at times. "Admire me? Admire me? For what reason do you admire me? For my rank? For my position within the squad? For what reason do I have such admiration? This touching poetic candor? You've met me merely an hour or two ago, and you claim to admire me..." It was a small wonder that Angel had thought that such feelings were insincere, or at the very least, that it was an undeserved feeling of admiration. For what reason did anyone have to admire who or what she was?

Angel momentarily thinks for a moment on that answer, but then momentarily shifts and positions her body to look straight forward. "You don't have the experience yet to say you fear nothing..." She notes, and with it, she momentarily takes a deep breath and looks ever forward. "A final piece of advice for you. Being fearless is not the same thing as being brave. I want you to know that." She wondered if she should even articulate.

"Bravery is acting whilst in the face of fear. Recklessness is having no fears at all." That said, Hikari would await this Shinigami's perspective, to see her optimism, and how it was affected by all Hikari had said to her. How she would react to all of Hikari's perspectives and her experience in the position of Shinigami. Two very different individuals, but both in the service of law and justice. One might be eager to find out the result.

[Kaen Youji]

"You know, Angel. It wouldn't kill you to take a compliment." Dropping down from above-- somehow, as he hadn't seemed to have been on the top of the cliff (seriously, where did he come from, it was almost as though he just fell out of the sky), Kaen Youji landed on the grass behind Yuna and Hikari. "You know as well as I do that we don't promote just anyone up through this division. You're talented, and that's deserving of admiration, don't you think?" Kaen asked, though it was pretty clear the question was rhetorical. "And apparently you're quite wise too. That's good advice that Miss Xiao would do well to heed." Kaen himself knew very well the importance of... well. Of fear. As he had once told Senshi herself awhile back, courage wasn't the absence of fear, but the confrontation of it. Strange as it might seem, Kaen had never considered himself particularly courageous because, not unlike Yuna, he'd never really had to face fear (and the one time he had been confronted by fear recently, it seemed he hadn't been up to facing it at all....).

In any case, Kaen had now joined the duo and he looked over Yuna. "You look familiar." He noted, his brow furrowed in an attempt at recollection. "Where have we-- Ah right! The Hakuda seminar! Wow, it's been a long time, hasn't it! Welcome to the division! I can tell that this is your first day, you've got that look about you. Well, that and your uniform is in way too good condition for this to be more than your first week here. I promise I train this division's officers hard. Squad 7 was prided in the past as turning out the most powerful Shinigami in Soul Society, and I make sure I train the Shinigami of this division to rise up to that standard. Anyone walking around with a uniform as clean and undamaged as yours is unquestionably in their first week here." He noted.

Kaen then returned his thoughts to Angel's commentary though. "But you should definitely heed Angel's advice, because she's exactly right. If you truly don't know fear then it might be good for you to properly experience it at some point soon." He commented. "We can work on that in time. Did you take my advice from back then and work on your upper body strength? I remember you were pretty light on your feet, but your kicks felt like a light breeze from that seminar." He commented. "I'd certainly say though. You could do worse as a kido instructor than Angel. She's probably one of the most talented kidoists in the division." Kaen added. Granted, Angel came up short of Himitsu, but it had been awhile since Himitsu had stepped down from his position as Captain. As for Rin... well, Kaen was unfamiliar with the Empress's mastery of kido, beyond her expertise with Black Coffin. Even so, that would still put Angel as being at least the second best kido user in the division at the moment anyways.

[Yuna Xiao]

Yuna was about to give Angel a retort when the Shinigami vanished into a swift blur before Yuna's very eyes; she immediately recognised the Shunpō and were struck in awe at Angel's sheer speed not because she did not expect Angel to be so highly skilled but instead that her superior had been the first to Shunpō so quickly to accomplish such a feat for her. Yuna never lost track of a student's Shunpō, even some of the instructors were still too slow to evade her tracking. Here and now, young Yuna was getting to see first hand what a trained and accomplished Soul Reaper was actually capable of and not old retirees long past their due at the Academy. 
She was entirely unable to react to the unexpected and all-too-swift motion to pull her to the floor where she lands with a distinct slap and a grunty 'UFF' from the impact. She laid there awkwardly faceplanted with her lower half still in a mostly standing position until she finally readjusts herself to be on the ground and flat on her rear, looking up at Hikari, fully haven taken the point made by her superior and rubbing her neck and face "yeouch! This chick is serious business..."

"H-Hey now, Nisei-sama! Aren't you being a bit hasty here? I didn't get a chance to explain what I meant! It's not like I don't fear anything, but I genuinely see no reason to be afraid of something that endangers my life. I already died once, and I am a soldier now, a protector of the living and defender of my friends and colleagues here. What would I have to fear but failure? I know what I signed up for here." She lightly grunts as she helps herself up, brushing off her outfit and hair from any dust and dirt "I'm not afraid to be annihilated, or to face an insurmountable foe. I would be glad to die fighting for the Soul King, or humanity, or the Captain-Commander, or even you, ma'am. But that does not mean that I am just gonna rush head-first into every encounter and every battle! I value my place here and the second-chance that I've been given. I value the fact that I must survive for the sake of everyone here and for those still living. Just because I know for a fact that there will come a time where someone will overwhelm me does not mean I have to spend my days waiting for that time to come. I fear plenty of more reasonable things like being reprimanded by Kaen-sensei or not being able to fulfill my duty here. And besides I-" Yuna was interrupted by the man himself as though he were beckoned to arrive by her words. Sharply, she looks up toward him in giddy surprise, trying her utmost to contain her obvious excitement at seeing the man she so affectionately named sensei even though he taught her for one class. As he looked to her, she froze for a moment before bowing courteously "Greetings once more, sir! It's only been a year even if it feels like a week. Ah - I keep my uniform in pristine condition because I respect what the shihakushō represents and I enjoy looking kempt." Of course, this was a fact that anyone who knew her was keenly aware of as she would always be the last to be ready for bed and uniform inspection fretting over every last strand of hair and speck of dust. If it weren't for the fact that she was so swift she'd surely be late for everything.

She nods in acknowledgement to Kaen's words of meta-advice.  "I will not let my ego get in the way of battle." She lightly sighs in relief of that relatively tense situation being broken up. 
"Yes, sir, I have improved my strength! According to my journal, I've improved a total of 6.35% of my overall physical capabilities since I met you! My lap time, situp reps, grip strength, push-pull capacity, and even my kicking strength have all increased!" Yuna cheekily peers at Angel, smirking as Kaen rains praise over his subordinate. "See," she prods "Worthy of admiration. You're cool, strong, smart, and capable. You can't tell me you don't have any reason to believe someone admires you, Nisei-sama. Just so you know: I don't say anything without good justification. I've been keeping a close watch on key individuals since I started at the Academy and especially since I decided on what Division to enlist into. If you want proof, you can read my journal. I know you had an encounter with a Beast-Clan once and managed to walk away without a fight, something I understand isn't easy. I heard about how you sparred with Kawada-sama without reservation. It wasn't difficult to ask questions, overhear conversations, hide up on rooftops, act lost, or any number of little tricks to get closer to ranking Shinigami like yourself. I even fashioned a fake asauchi and shuhakushō to better blend in and boy was that ever a challenge to get by some of the more perceptive officers. Nevertheless, I persisted. I had to know more about the world of the Seireitei and who I would be dedicating the next several decades or even centuries to. It's never a good idea to get into something without some information, all part of intelligence gathering!" She says, smiling proudly with her arms crossed and hoping that she has given both of her superior officers the perspective they needed from her.  

[Kaen Youji]

Kaen hadn't caught everything Yuna had said, though if he had, he likely might have admonished her for her lack of fear towards death. However, that topic had come and gone, and now Kaen was moving on to Yuna's training specifically. He brushed off Yuna's greeting with a smile. "Well it's nice to see you again in any case." He replied. With regards to her uniform, Kaen gave a sneaky looking grin. "Well, that's admirable. We'll see how long you're able to keep that up."

When Yuna told Kaen that her physical strength had been improved, Kaen folded his arms behind his head. "Oh really? Well, seeing how Angel has taken you for training already... Hmm... I'm starting to get ideas." Kaen commented, though allowed Yuna to talk about Angel's achievements. "So you snuck into the Seireitei and gathered information really well? You'd do well in the Onmitsukido or Squad 2 it seems. But those skills have their place here, especially gathering intelligence." Kaen acknowledged. "I probably shouldn't praise you impersonating an officer of the Gotei 13 though. That's the kind of thing we want to discourage. Of course now that you are an officer, it's a little bit of a different story, eh?" But back on point.

"Why don't you show me your improvement. As I recall you scored a kick to the jaw on me last time we met. Why don't you show me the increase in power you're talking about." Kaen said, seemingly relaxed and leaving himself open. "Whatever new moves you've developed or cooking up, take your shot. I want to see some of your improvement. Speed. Power. Technique. Don't worry too much. This time I don't intend to fight back, so long as you keep to Hakuda." He added. "Course if you want to try a kido spell or two in practice, you can go ahead with that as well." He invited, seemingly content to let Yuna tee off on him, perhaps as a challenge to the new officer.