The Young and the Fresh

[Tsukuyomi Kawada]

Thrust, thrust, thrust over and over again a repetitive series of actions that were practiced in an attempt to reach a level of proficiency one would be able to accomplish them based on minimum effort. Just one of the many training exercises that the Vice Captain of the Eleventh Division went through on a daily basis. Currently standing in the middle of the main training hall Tsukuyomi continued to practice his sword play.

The combat method he knew was his strongest aspect, one that had saved him in the past yet had been proven ineffective in his last blunder. When faced up against a foe that possessed raw power dozens of not hundreds of times more potent than his own Tsukuyomi had been given a chance. A chance to fight off that individual in a contest of skill. A contest that he had lost. That loss stung him, his soul felt wounded more than his body had been even after the miracle of survival blessed him.

He had been pushed the last two years by his grandfather. A weapon of the Kawada, an instrument of that Family in order to have some form of current power in one of the Thirteen Divisions. Over the last two years the young Shinigami hadn’t felt the relief of a day off. Not a single day went by where he wasn’t practicing his skill, polishing his abilities, refining his technique. He had to keep getting stronger because right now he knew he wasn’t even worthy.

His former Captain would have no issue demolishing him. That woman possessed the strength of a God, something that he knew would bring him down in a single blow if he wasn’t careful. The memory of her speed was enough that even now he knew despite all his training he hadn’t surpassed or even caught up. The only thing of value that Tsukuyomi could cling towards was the accomplishments of his subordinates. Despite perhaps being the youngest in the entire Division Tsukuyomi since his appointment to Vice Captain has been pushing others to refine themselves just as him.

Taking more than a dozen of the rough, angry men that filled the Eleventh and pushing them to truly respect their zanpakuto. To train in the art of sword play and learn how to really dance with one not just swing it at someone with nothing but muscle. Those that took his training to heart and really practiced were now some of the strongest in the Division. It wouldn’t be long before any of them could become seated or even achieve Shikai. He wasn’t expecting them today though. He allowed them what he couldn’t experience, a day off.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Another resplendent day shone bright above the Soul Society's architecture this early afternoon. The sun shone brightly in the sky, beaming its rays onto both the infinite blue which stretched towards the horizon and the ground below. There was not even a cloud that even dared to contest the attention of the distant star's, almost as if the latter had scared them all away with its divine light. Yes, this was a good day, one which made the white rock that forms the majority of the Seireitei shine brightly. One could say that, for a city of angels of death, it could not have looked any more alive than this... and yet, despite this, there was one particular Soul who could not be any more dead than she is right now.

Some time has now passed since Kimiko, one of this afterlife's most recently-arrived Souls, has joined the ranks of Shin'ō Academy, and needless to say, the Academy was now definitely starting to be a bit of a pain for her. As expected, the teacher that she was assigned to proved to be as much of a lover of Kidō as she had expected him to be back when they first learned about that magical system. It was everyday now; each time, they would go and learn about a new spell, a new ridiculous incantation, a new system, all the pizazz that accompanied it all. It was enough to make one who did not really care about such things crumble to nothing, and as it turns out, Kimiko was one of these people. Oh, she could learn everything correctly, that was not a problem at all. She just wanted to do something else. Anything else!

Was this divine retribution for having met Celes? She didn't know. Ever since she has met the Vice-Captain and seen her declare her preference for Zanjutsu in front of everyone in her class, her prideful teacher somehow took this as a chance to prove that his precious Kidō was superior in every way. He was teaching it all very well, doing his damnedest to convince everyone everyday that magic was the best thing anyone could hope for in a fight. Apparently, according to her teacher, it "destroys targets, makes you practically invincible and grants you ultimate power". It was as if Kimiko had to participate in some kind of ridiculous school gag every single day. It was tiresome, but most importantly, it was frustrating, as now she almost wanted to simply not learn Kidō purely to spite the man.

Fortunately, today was a different day. As planned by the Academy, the classes of the educational establishment were to go on a sort of trip towards the Seireitei's barracks in order to personally meet the willing members of the Divisions of the Gotei 13 in person. It was a nice change of pace compared to the typical classrooms and the exercises in the courtyard, one that Kimiko had not expected to see happen at all. Trips were not uncommon back at her own Human school while she was alive, but they usually only really centered around visiting a zoo or a popular attraction unless they were proposed by clubs, in which case they were slightly more interesting like workplaces and historical sites. This felt more like they were instead visiting new workplaces. It was... definitely different.

In any case, this trip mostly took the form of multiple groups of students being led by various teachers. The group which Kimiko was assigned consisted of a few of her own classmates mixed with others, and their guide happened another teacher altogether. Ah, it was nice not to have to listen to that old man's constant liking for magic anymore. She would follow behind the group quietly, gazing at the barracks with attention. They had visited a few Squads after a little while, namely the Third to the Tenth Division with a few being off-limits to the Academy from the looks of it. Eventually, they arrived to the barracks of the Eleventh Division.

Kimiko could tell that the group seemed a little more tense at the idea of nearing those barracks for some reason, which tickled a bit of her curiosity. "The Eleventh Division... We're really heading in there," one would say, while another would sigh with displeasure. "Stupid Eleventh. Do we really have to head in there? They're just a bunch of barbarians..." He huffed in disbelief, all the while Kimiko simply stood there without forming any kind of opinion just yet. She had read about the Eleventh Division, of course, but she has never really found herself being necessarily bothered by them unlike everybody else. In fact, their respect for bladed weaponry and melee-type Zanpakuto have always intrigued her. Maybe these two students in particular are just prude nobles? Maybe.

Eventually, the group would finally reach the main doors of the barracks. Hopefully, they will be given a proper welcome.

[Shawn Rabuburēdo]

Time to get up as today was the day students were to arrive, quite a few squad eleven members weren't to keen on this class arriving where they must act decent and polite, at least to the point of not making the students nervous. Shawn had heard that the Vice Captain had been teaching those who were noticed by him, teaching them how to be respectable and actually care how to wield their zanpakuto's. Granted, up to this point Shawn hadn't met the Vice captain and only met the Captain once, after which he has done his best not to be noticed by him.  

Getting dressed only took a minute or two, feeling the necklace he always wore press against his skin, Alright, it won't be that bad, you can do this Shawn. Heading towards the door of the shared sleeping quarters he pokes his head out and gives both directions a quick glance, seeing no signs of the captain he moves out heading towards the barrack doors where he and a few others were assigned to greet the students. Getting into position they waited a few moments, insuring that everyone was ready for this introduction before they heard one of the teachers announce they were here.

Walking through the gates the students would see six squad eleven members on either side, Shawn would be with the one's on the left. All speaking in unison "Welcome to the squad eleven's barracks." For those students who looked over the members standing there they all looked different, different size, heights, hair color, skin color, and especially scars. One would stand out more even though he tried not to and that one was very thin, almost sickly thin, with very pale ivory skin. This Shinigami didn't look like he belonged in a squad that was known for brute strength and physical prowess with one exception, the scar that went from the right side corner of his mouth towards his ear about an inch before stopping.

With that some of the members broke off leaving five in total who were assigned to escort them through the barracks, one of these just happened to be Shawn. Heading through the halls the first destination was the training area, an area that surprise any who first lay eyes on it as Shawn remembers his first time. Arriving at the location of the training area the students would be shocked to see not a room designed to take impact and soften falls but a literal wide open colosseum.

[Tsukuyomi Kawada]

Through the training that Tsukuyomi was placing on himself in the solitude of the indoor training hall he was able to perceive the commotion outside. Certain members of the Division didn’t like the idea of outsiders getting to walk through the barracks. Believing that those who didn’t bleed for Division Eleven didn’t deserve to be in the Division. Tsukuyomi could appreciate their loyalty and enthusiasm for the Division, but at the same time knew it wasn’t the right mindset. Everyone was a Shinigami with the same ultimate goal so fighting among each other would only weaken everyone. By the time that the tour group was led to the colosseum Tsukuyomi was also present, feeling it was important as the Vice Captain to show up for the next generation.

Most of Division Eleven as these students had just seen were of various looks, some more punk and rocker while others resembled gang members or war heroes. Tsukuyomi, despite losing more than he would like to admit, didn't fit into the average. Staying in the back of the group though Tsukuyomi kept quiet wanting to use this opportunity to evaluate just how well his subordinate was doing with this tour. Of course he was still wearing the Vice Captain badge on his right shoulder so if anyone turned around he’d be noticed. Either way though it was an interesting little break from the endless repetition that would hopefully lead him to higher heights.

As for those that he could pick out of the students it was questionable. None of them seemed to possess the raw strength that most in Eleven possessed. Of course Tsukuyomi knew he could be dead wrong, his former Captain had no such appearance yet he’d bet she was the physically strongest out of the newer Captains. The remarks about kido though made Tsukuyomi question what was being taught in the academy, spell work wasn’t the only method of combat and one that he never employed due to his . . . well his inability to actually use them. Despite that fact he knew he was stronger because of it due to it freeing up more time to refine everything else.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Despite the rather-unpleasant remarks some of its members had made before reaching the gates of the Eleventh Division, the group of students from the Academy nevertheless pressed on through the gates that would lead them towards the barracks of the Squad. By then, even the more vocal people of the group had gone quiet, simply too intimidated by the mere idea of heading inside that place to mutter even a word. Even the leader of their group, a respected teacher of the Academy, did not seem to be really fond of the idea of heading in there. However, the rules were the rules: the Division had accepted to have their barracks be visited, and so they will be visited regardless of what his opinion may be. That was just how things are.

What awaited them behind the gates were six officers impressively lined up in two rows, all of which gave the group a loud welcome to the Eleventh Division's headquarters. For a moment, the previous complainers who had raised their voice against the Division's back had since quieten, unable to form even but a word before these people as they moved forward to visit the area. Deep down, though, they knew that this was not how the members of this Squad usually behaved. It was all a trick in their eyes, a means for them to look good before the Academy's new pupils. Try as they might, however, they will never so much as consider the idea of joining such a place! Squad 4 seems like a much more interesting ordeal!

Kimiko was one of the only students in the group that seemed to be interested by what she was looking at. So far, most of the Squads had left her feeling as though she probably would not have fitted there. They were either too playful, embarrassing or she simply felt like she could not agree with what they believed in. For instance, although her group was not able to head towards the Second Division's barracks, there was no way she could find herself heading inside that Squad. In contrast to them, although she could indeed much like the others that this welcome could not quite be considered as usual from the members of this Division, something about the energy that emanated from this place reminded her of the arcades of Tokyo and the Kendo club of her school.

Of course, the main difference between this and those Human places are, well, the people that inhabit themselves. From what could be judged out of the two rows of squad members that welcomed them, they were all quite intimidating and definitely have had an interesting life outside of the Seireitei. Aside from one member who looked scrawnier and oddly unfitting among all of the others, the members sported the looks and builds of punks, bikers, gang members and soldiers. There was just no way that they only happened to possess these builds as most, if not all of them, wore very obvious scars. Whether they have either inherited these scars from their living selves or not ultimately did not matter: it them look quite scary.

In any case, shortly after they were welcomed by the squad members at the gates, the students were brought forward into the barracks so that they could start the visit. They would move from hall to hall in silence, definitely not as chatty as they usually are due to the atmosphere that reigned the barracks of the place before they finally reached the coliseum. As to be expected, they quickly reacted with shock and awe. Kimiko was obviously not at all an exception to that. She'd stare at what this squad considered to be their "training room" with widened eyes. Compared to every training rooms she has seen so far, this was by far the largest she has ever laid her gaze upon. The only one that was obviously not as surprised was the teacher himself who must have seen in it plenty of times in his life, though he was impressed by it nonetheless.

"What amazing architecture," he would comment with a smile before turning his head towards Shawn. "Training here should be quite the spectacle, I dare say, if only the sight of this place can render my pupils so mute." From the looks of it, it seems like he was trying to ask the Eleventh Division officer to give his group a quick rundown of what kind of training the members of Squad 11 usually undergo here. He was obviously doing so for his group which had become apparently far too quiet for his taste. Sure, this place was intimidating and he wasn't a fan of the Eleventh Division himself, but showing some respect is better than showing none!

[Shawn Rabuburēdo]

"Ah, training here is something else, the first time I came here and witnessed this place it left me in awe, no other training area is quite the same. While squad 11 has a certain reputation.... some of us actual just want to force ourselves to be the best we can, after all if we aren't what would happen if a job needs to be done in order to insure the safety of the soul society and all the pluses in it. That is why most of use give off the impression of craving fights, not that there aren't those among us who only crave battle because they're nothing but battle hungry barbarians, though what squad doesn't have those type of people?"

Moving from the group Shawn turns around, "Who wants to see a simple sparring match, using nothing but our sword skill and tactics?" Waiting to see if anybody from the students raises their hand. If nobody does he will still continue, "Well, you should see how fighting with your zanpakuto works, could someone else from my squad come over to help show the abilities of squad 11?" usually not this brave and most of this time shy, Shawn is managing to get past that here to show why he chose squad 11 after graduating.

Waiting for someone to stand across from him he speaks up, "What do you say, one strike and your out? Anytime our practice swords touch the body or head counts as a strike?" Picking up his practice blade which resembles the Jian sword he prefers to use, waiting for a response from whoever decided to take him up on the offer of being an example. "On the count of three we can begin, One, Two, Three", immediately raising the wooden weapon to be at eye level right next to his head, holding it with his right hand. Deciding on taking a defensice stance first Shawn will allow his attacker to make the first move, remaining low and preparing for a counter.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats}Strength - 100 Points (-50%=50)



Speed - 100 Points (-50%=50)



Spiritual Pressure - 50 Points



Reiatsu Strength - 115 Points



Light Aura - 100 Points



Dark Aura - 0 Points



Instinct - 100 Points (-50%=50)



Senses - 75 Points (-50%=37.5)



Energy Sensory - 0 Points (-50%=0)



Healing Expertise - 0 Points

SPOILER: Click to show

{Skills}Analyzing: 1



Calm Mind: 1



Learning: 1



Strength of Will: 1



Battle Focus: 1



Martial Arts- Kyusho Jitsu: 1



Battle Analysis: 1



Mental Incantation: 1



Weapon- Jian Sword: 1

[Tsukuyomi Kawada]

This really was a refreshing experience for the Vice Captain, he hadn’t done anything like this since gaining a position of authority. In fact he hadn’t even really done this while he had been in the academy, he had been an outcast that no one believed would be able to accomplish anything. In fact the instructor that was here now probably wouldn’t even recognize Tsukuyomi now. In all fairness though Tsukuyomi barely interacted with anyone and this man didn’t teach him much of anything due to Tsukuiyuomi having absolutely no gift for kido. There was virtually nothing about Tsukuyomi now compared to what he had been like or even looked like when he had been in the academy.

Perhaps the only thing that he shared with his former self were the pitch colored hair yet even then it was grown out now reaching down to the middle of his back whereas when he had been in the academy it had been essentially a buzz cut. The only thing that hadn’t really changed was his size, specifically his width. He was still very thin especially for someone in Division Eleven. Back inthe academy this had been the case as well although he had been much shorter having the appearance that most would classify as a younger brother. Most wouldn't recognize him even if they knew his name and remembered, Tsukuyomi knew this and honestly was kinda glad about it not wanting to stand out and just do his job.

Similar to how he was currently standing in the back of the group just watching and listening to what was going on while not making his presence known. Surely who would notice someone that didn’t fit the assumptions of the Eleventh. Even the Division member that was currently speaking to the class likely wouldn’t notice him, unless Division members were ordered to see him or wished to take part in his tutelage Tsukjuyiomi didn’t show his face much to others. A figure of authority that didn’t stick his face into every situation possible, something that was a rarity in Soul Society in the last few hundred years.

The only way anyone would recognize him as the Vice Captain of this Division was by his badge attached to his shoulder. That was fine though and Tsukiyomi was content for the moment to keep back and watch. This was something he didn’t get to do much and wanted to review everything including the students. So far the Division member was doing a decent job, Tsukuyomi thought about revealing himself now and showing them just what could be accomplished with a blade, but held himself back for the moment knowing that upstaging everyone else from the start would only diminish the overall display. So he’d wait his turn and appreciate the event.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Kimiko listened to what the blonde Shinigami had to say with attention. He was right in saying that no other training rooms were even remotely as huge as this one: not even the largest of those the student had seen so far within the barracks of the other Divisions even compared to this. It was a true coliseum, an immense area which could perhaps welcome more than a good dozens of people without any problem at all. Considering the size of the Eleventh Division, this was not too surprising, especially since so many of its members were fans of raw power and so would most likely break things with ease in normal training rooms. Nevertheless, it is still a very impressive sight to behold, and again, the rest of the group easily agreed with her on that point.

However, quite unfortunately, they could not agree with the rest of the man's speech. Although both the teacher and Kimiko understood what he meant, a good chunk of the group were outright denying his allegations. A few of them were mumbling incoherent words underneath their breath already. The female student could only let out a small sigh from the ones who stuck to the awful stereotype of the brutish Eleventh Division member. Unlike them, she did believe that the officer's words were true in regards to the appearance of these people. As violent as some of them may seem, the members of Squad 11 possess the main task of protecting Soul Society. In other words, they must have some of intimidating allure to prevent this spiritual existence from ever being threatened by hostile forces. Naturally, these people also must strive to become the very best they can become in order to protect Soul Society at all cost. That alone was enough to get Kimiko firmly on the man's side and not her group's.

"I very much agree," the teacher hummed with a nod of appreciation for the officer's words. "The brutality of your Division may be apparent, but where brutality remains also lie your responsibilities." He spoke with a smile, then turned his head towards his group. "I suppose none of you have any other relevant questions thus far?" The question remained in the air above the group for a few moments. It was clear that the ones who were usually the most vocal among everybody wanted to speak, but they simply couldn't for some reason as they felt threatened by the idea of being in this very place. Others, including Kimiko, remained silent. She did not have many questions to ask to the officer, no, but... she did wanted to see a display of power in some shape or form from the members of this Division. If only she could be less quiet, less nervous to ask: she could have seen the skills of many Divisions by now if she had done so.

In what seemed to be a stroke of luck for the student, the blonde Shinigami then proposed a demonstration with one of his squad mates, a spar to be completed in front of the group. The instructor seemed to not be surprised at all by this proposition and so were other students, but Kimiko grew a bit more excited then. Oh, a fight! That actually sounds pretty fun. As much as she didn't mind hanging around the barracks of the Gotei 13's Divisions, nothing that really excited her happened during their visits and so she had been left a little bit bored for a while now. Maybe that enthusiastic Shinigami and whoever will fight against him will show them all a good spar worthy of their respect and her full attention.

As the battle would begin, Kimiko tried to put herself in a good position in the group so that she could look at it better. Not before too long, she had gone from being at the very back of the group towards more of the center where she could see the fights between Shawn and whoever fought him at the time a little bit better. The more the fight would go on, the more excited Kimiko would become, enough so that she was trying to not show it too much in front of the others. However, her increase in excitement was causing her Spiritual Pressure to slowly rise, as faint as it may be. This could probably get the Vice-Captain's attention, the one person Kimiko has not noticed yet being present in the area, though it was perhaps a doubtful thought.

[Shawn Rabuburēdo]

Pleased at the response of the instructor Shawn proceeds with his demonstration, not long after he got in place one of the other squad members that was helping with this chaperone job came up and got into place himself. Looking at his opponent Shawn knew this would be a tough spar, the one standing across from him was not only physically taller and more muscular but held the appearance of someone used to sword combat. "Ok, we can begin when I count down from three, alright three, two, one!"

The second Shawn finished saying one his opponent lurched forward hoping to catch Shawn off guard, which this nearly did happen. Thankfully he wasn't as physically weak as when he first joined, thus allowing him to deflect the stab that was aimed at his chest. Stepping back he lifts his practice sword up with his right hand, waiting for the opportune time to step forward and attack. That time came quickly as his opponent stepped forward after him swinging his sword from left to right. 

With this attack Shawn steps further into this guy's reach making it hard for him to land a clean shot on Shawn, at the same time Shawn will block the swing as close to his opponents hilt as possible. Doing this managed to stop the attack even with physical inferiority, after which he slides the wooden blade down and forward hoping to land a slash on this guy. Sadly he noticed it coming as he jumped backwards to avoid the oncoming wooden blade causing Shawn to miss by a few inches.

Ok, definitely going to be harder than I thought it would be, was his thought as he began to reposition himself by lifting his practice sword up to be at chest level in front of him. Watching as the man in front of him also brings his guard back up, deciding to not rush in this time and try forcing Shawn to make the first move. Very well then, I might as well, lunging forward Shawn prepares his sword for a slash from left to right, however he starts it early hoping to surprise his opponent by turning it into a forward stab aimed at his leg.

This seemingly worked as the guy started to go for a block with his practice blade against the slash only to find it had now become a stab that landed it's mark. He let out a small grunt as Shawn pulls his weapon back, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead he bows to his sparring partner before turning his attention back to the group. "What I have just showed you was a simple spar using nothing but zanjitsu and or own specific weapon skills, as you can see I am not exactly physically built so now you know that with practice even the weakest can win a fight. Yes Kido can be very useful and is indeed one way of fighting, it is however not the only and can be beaten with enough practice and experience, any questions?"

[Nakajima Kimiko]

After Kimiko was able to position herself a little bit better within her group, she would get a good look at the spar between Shawn and his fellow squadmate, and as she did so, her excitement would continue to grow.

From her perspective, one could say that he was at a disadvantage. Physically, his body looked less impressive than his opponent in both height and stature. The signs of experience in sword combat were less present and he, overall, just appeared weaker. This did not really affect Kimiko at all as, after all, she has been training with Vice-Captain Shindazu every time she could ever since she became her disciple and she did not really look that almighty in hindsight despite being the strongest woman she has ever met in Soul Society thus far. To her, all that mattered was the warrior's skills, not his looks. They may look ugly, they may look weak, but ultimately, the only thing that values his potential as a combatant is their skill with their weapon.

As such, as the battle went on, she could tell that that Shawn was the better fighter. His movement was more precise and defined than the other fighter's, and his attacks were more accurate. Although he wielded a wooden sword, it was very clear that he would have been just as skilled if it happened to be a true metallic blade, and with the way things are going, his squadmate would have been reduced to a corpse surprisingly quickly if that would been the case. Nevertheless, the squadmate in question stood his ground and did the best he could to defend himself against Shawn. He proved proficient enough to block a few of his attacks with his own wooden blade and keep himself standing for just a bit longer. However, after several more hits, Shawn was able to land a hit, and with that, the duel was settled.

All in all, it was all quite impressive. Despite how short it was, the spar presented the capabilities of the Eleventh Division fairly well. Mastery of Zanjutsu had been displayed before the group, and in a way, it proved to the students that warriors who could not specialize themselves in the use of the magical arts could still fare very well with their blade. The teacher who led the group motioned the group to clap in respect to the two warriors' work, then looked back towards the others. "Well then, students, do you have any questions for this kind officer? Should there be no more, we shall then continue," He asked with a glint in his eye that somewhat told everyone to maintain their opinions about the Eleventh Division to themselves and not to twist them into meaningless questions.

Kimiko found herself hesitant for a moment. She was still feeling revitalized by the sight of the battle alone, and in all honesty, she sort of wanted this to go on. If they stop now, she very much doubts that any more spars will be conducted as they will most likely instead visit the rest of the barracks. Maybe she could ask for another demonstration? No, that would be odd. Another demonstration will just feel repetitive considering what was previously shown to the group, and she also doubted that everyone wanted to see another spar. Maybe she could then ask if someone from the group could challenge him? Well, looking at everyone in the group, it would perhaps be unfair to ask any one of them to go against a proper officer. The most of them have only started attending the Academy two months ago and it was doubtful that every single student had learned martial arts skills before that either during their time as a Human or as a Soul of Rukongai. Despite this...

"Could I... have a spar with you?" Her quiet voice suddenly rose from the group, causing most of the students to turn towards her in disbelief. Even the teacher looked surprised. However, they soon started to recognize who she was. Kimiko's spar against Vice-Captain Shindazu was a public one in the very courtyard of the Academy and had been seen by a few people. Not everyone knew her, no, but to say that she had gained a little bit of popularity since that spar was an understatement. The looks everyone gave her made the student feel a bit visibly bothered as she was not used to such a feeling at all, but despite this, she did wanted to see what kind of response Shawn would give him at that moment.

[Tsukuyomi Kawada]

The demonstration was better than what Tsukuyomi had been expecting from his subordinates, although it wasn’t flashy and didn’t show what could really be accomplished when one devoted hundreds upon thousands of hours to a sword. Tsukuyomi couldn’t blame them or hold either of the division members that faced off against one another for that. Division eleven had very few members that could wield a blade the way that Tsukuyomi was thinking, most of them had been taught by Tsukuyomi to do that very thing so to expect it from others wasn’t right. Still he was starting to come to the decision that these students would need to see just what one could accomplish with a blade.

The movements of Shawn weren’t bad, Tsukuyomi could tell from the way that he loved his feet along with his position on the hilt that while he was still fresh, he had heart. He hadn’t practiced enough for all the motions to become second nature, for all the rough patches to be smooth. Essentially Shawn was still at the beginning and only through constant practice would he reach the level expected of the best in Eleven. Tsukuyomi was about to reveal himself to the class when one of the students spoke up, surprising Tsukuyomi by wishing to take part in a sparring session.

“Perhaps this one has enough heart to really push the envelope.” Tsukuyomi thought to himself as he scanned the academy student. A fairly pretty looking female that didn’t seem to have any super distinguishing features like a scar or rare colored hair. In a way Tsukuyomi felt she was sort of like him, no real difference to anyone else beyond what most would deem beauty. Something that still didn’t sit well with others in Eleven in regards to Tsukuyomi. Keeping his mouth shut the Vice Captain waited wanting to see just what this academy student had that made her so confident.

[Shawn Rabuburēdo]

Shawn was scanning the students to see if any would have questions, waiting as the instructor repeated what Shawn asked to try and encourage some questions. A minute passed by with no takers so Shawn was prepared to move on after nobody had anything to ask, then the unexpected happened as he was turning around. "Could I... have a spar with you?" Hearing this Shawn froze after halfway turning before facing the direction that voice came from, finding the source was relatively easy as the person who said it was being stared at in disbelief by the rest of the students. Interesting, didn't think this would be a possibility, after all, squad 11 is again known for being brutes, maybe my spar helped ease that thought some?

The girl who asked the question looked pretty eagerly toward him, clearly excited after witnessing that simple battle. "Alright, It would be wrong of me to turn down someone so visibly excited at the chance to spar with a squad 11 member, even if I'm not a seated officer, therefore it would be my honor." Casually moving his upturned hand toward her while speaking before respectfully as possible directing her to pick a wooden practice sword of her choice from a rack that held a wooden version of basically every medieval weapon possible. "Go ahead and choose something your comfortable using, in fact if you prefer hand to hand I could also oblige to that as well."

Watching as she goes to choose her weapon Shawn will move to a good position before explaining to this student as she walks toward him, guiding her to stand around ten feet from him. "Ok, I must ask if there are any special rules you would like in this spar, for example, making it so that use of hand to hand is ruled out or possibly that you would like for both use of the weapon and hand to hand be allowed? Possibly wanting a different point system or keeping the same system as my last spar?" Asking these questions Shawn would wait and listen to her response, allowing her to finish speaking he would then ask a simple thing before responding to her words if there was a need to, "It would be wrong for us not to know the name of the one who we are about to spar with, my name is Shawn Rabuburedo."   

[Nakajima Kimiko]

After Kimiko had asked her question, she became a bit surprised once she saw the man go on and literally accept her offer, even if she would have perhaps preferred him not to downright call out her visible excitement in front of all of the others. She had not expected him to do such a thing in the slightest; really, she had honestly believed at first that he would have just politely refused and go on with the tour of the barracks. It seemed liked that thought of hers was also being shared by the rest of her group, and that was despite the fact that some of them knew what she was capable of. The teacher, him, remained quiet for a moment as he considered the implication of this duel, and for a split-second, his expression turned more serious. However, once that moment passed, he found himself sighing and simply nodding along. He probably could stop this from happening, but in a place like this, it was doubtful that he could do so easily.

"Well, I suppose another demonstration would do us some good after all. Now then, go on," he gestured the student to go ahead and pick a weapon once the Shinigami told her to do so. She did not have to be asked twice, as soon enough, she found herself standing in front of the racks. Although she would have preferred to use the Asauchi that was still resting at her hip by the time she headed to the racks, especially considering that she has been training her Iaijutsu quite a fair bit recently, she did not mind the idea of instead using a wooden weapon as she doubted the teacher would have permitted the use of live weaponry. Oh well, at least she had the chance to fight against this guy: even through fighting with mock weaponry can one judge the skills of another, so she prefers to believe. In the end, that's all that really mattered in all of this.

As to be expected, the aforementioned racks were filled from top to bottom with a variety of weapon models, all of which were detailed enough to feel as though what they were supposed to mimic truly stood before her. There were many blades, as to be expected from a collection of wooden weaponry owned by a division of Gotei 13, but there were also more obscure models as well such as maces and even nunchakus. Their presence here was a bit odd to Kimiko, but she found no reason to complain about them; after all, there was probably someone out there who possessed Zanpakuto which took such forms upon being Released from their Sealed state. Naturally, however, the only weapon in this collection that she could really chose was the one that she was the most familiar with: the classic Japanese katana model, one that she used to employ in Kendo.

"I... can fight in hand-to-hand combat, but I prefer swordsmanship," she said to the officer with her usual quiet voice while she tested the wooden blade. She first weighed it as she tried to get a feel of the weapon, then swung it in the air twice. Both of her swings were done at her maximum speed of 256, which easily stunned the other students of her group. Due to its wooden nature, it seemed to be lighter than her Asauchi. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing: it would allow her to act just a little bit faster. Once she was done testing her weapon, she placed her Asauchi near the rack, then started heading towards a good position away from her soon-to-be opponent in order to prepare herself for the upcoming battle. "We can stick to your rules, but... two strikes sounds fairer to me... Makes it a best of three," she explained before she steadily readied herself for battle with a hand holding the blade of her wooden sword near her hip.

By that point, anyone with basic Energy Sensory would be able to feel another rise of Spiritual Pressure from Kimiko. Her heart was basically thumping in her chest at this point. She may look calm as she simply stood there and listened to the officer's introduction, but the gaze in her eyes looked nothing but. The grasp around her weapon tightened from the excitement and, eventually, she took a deep breath before straightening herself and bowing respectfully to her opponent. "I am Nakajima Kimiko, first-year student of Shin'ō Academy! Let's have a great spar!" She declared loudly and clearly with power in her tone, something which completely broke the quiet image she had formed around her casual self almost instantly. Those words... They were the same words she had used before sparring against Vice-Captain Shindazu, which caused her group to start chattering a bit. In the meanwhile, after she spoke, she then prepared herself for battle, waiting for the beginning of the spar.

For a while then, the girl remained silent, waiting quietly almost like a predator in wait. However, as soon as the battle would begin, she would then rush in at the fastest speed she could possibly muster from her legs towards the officer. Given that she was a student at the Academy, her expectations for this battle were high, and so she was going to treat the Shinigami officer as well as her mentor. Once she would reach Shawn, Kimiko would then quickly deliver a single slash towards his chest in a Iaijutsu style, treating the hand she had put around her wooden blade as her scabbard. It was a simple attack, all things considered, but it was delivered well-enough for one to clearly see the experience in it. This attack couldn't have come from a normal student.

[Tsukuyomi Kawada]

Staying where he had been for the last couple of minutes, Tsukuyomi was glad to see what was happening, not just because there was an academy student that didn’t j7ust seem to have some backbone, but might actually come right to the Eleventh. It wasn’t a normal thing for certain and this girl seemed the sort that might just have what it takes to enforce the blade of Soul Society against those that really needed to feel the sting of a blade bite into them. No he was most pleased with how Shawn was addressing and handling the situation, still showing this academy student respect instead of acting as if she was just some child with a big head in the way that virtually everyone had done to him when he had been not just a part of the academy, but had graduated.

What Tsukuyomi saw from this student wasn’t just a young firecracker that was ready to prove herself. Demonstrating her attacking speed with the wooden katana wasn’t just something that the other students or the instructor tooki notice of. “Fast enough that’s for sure, what’s she still doing in the academy though.” Tsukuyomi thought to himself knowing that someone with her attacking speed was already at a level that they would be able to deal with the most minor of threats. There was very little chance that a criminal in the Rukongai or a Hollow would have speed even equal to what she just demonstrated so why wasn’t she already assigned to a Division?

Keeping quiet and choosing to watch how she would display her talents and perhaps reveal why she hadn’t already been assigned to a Division the Vice Captain waited. He could see her style was very swift similar to his own even if she only employed what seemed like a single sword. The stance and method of attack was something that Tsukuyomi thought would fit in well with the Second Division though the thought of losing this potential subordinate to his former Captain wasn’t a pleasant one, nor one that Tsukuyomi would allow if he could help it. Her refinement could use some work, but she had the raw material now it was time to see what Shawn had to offer and if he had been practicing enough to handle the raw difference between them.

[Shawn Rabuburēdo]

Shawn watched as the student walked over to the practice weapon rack, while doing so she answered one of his questions. She prefers to use swordsmanship? Ok then, that is what I shall mainly use then, I need to work more on my swordsmanship anyways. Watching as she goes through the weapons he spots her pick up a wooden practice sword that is as close to being a Katana as possible. Ah, someone who prefers to use the classics, can't complain about that, now to see how well she knows how to use it.

Shawn was opening his mouth to direct her where to stand when she took her two practice swings at speeds he was not expecting. Well, it seems that I have quite a difficult spar to look forward to, now I also know she probably tries to capitalize on that speed as well. "Ok, if you could step over there" he says while pointing to a spot about ten feet away from him. Getting ready for this spar he stretches a little bit as the previous spar made him realize he was to tense and rigid in his movements, this time he knew if he wasn't flexible enough he would lose rather quick.

While stretching the student showed some respect by bowing to him and giving her name, Nakajima Kimiko, and that she was only a first year student. I have a good feeling about this one, this was his thought while he positioned himself while giving his name as well. Lifting his blade in his right hand up to be about four inches away from his cheek while simultaneously lowering his body by bending his knees slightly. "I am ready whenever, so I might as well count down from three, three, two, one, BEGIN!" 

The moment the words begin left his mouth she rushed at him, fast enough where it was difficult for him to follow her movement, the easiest thing for him to notice however was that she kept the practice bled near her side treating her off hand as a sheath. I know where this is going but I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be able to block this one. The second she stepped into the area about five feet away he attempts to thrust his practice Jian blade at her chest, doing this knowing he wasn't prepared initially for her style of fighting but knowing that if she lands her strike on him she would find herself basically walking into his thrust.

If she did follow through and couldn't find a way to dodge his thrust he would still be struck and she would also get a point on him. The real question is how will she react and what will she follow up with? In the end Shawn was stuck in a position of being on the defensive as he knew he wasn't fast enough to be the first to attack.