Elite vs Inept {Eiko,Tsukuyomi}

[yozoraeiko]

Murmurs and gossip echoed through the training hall of the zanjutsu classroom as students filled the room to the near brim, so much so that there was only just enough space to actually train in, and even then a lot of the students would have to cram themselves near the edge. These optional courses were normally only filled with lower performing students and the extremely studious who couldn't get enough of the subject. Eiko being one of the former, practically requiring him to take all the optional courses in anything that wasn't kido just to pass by, and even then he needed more work on nearly every subject. Struggling through his first two years at the academy and still through his third put him near the bottom of the schools rankings. He did fine on written and theoretical tests, but his actual aptitude in actually executing...well anything was rather mediocre.

Today was a little different though. Apparently the vice captain of the eleventh was going to be the instructor for this class. Even the more laidback students couldn't pass up on a chance to get a lesson from one of the highest ranking members of the shinigami corps. Even the less ambitious Eiko was more interested in the courses than he normally was. Normally, Eiko was just trying to pass, and wasn't too worried about much else. Also, he didn't like getting his ass handed too him time after time after time by his classmates and his instructors due to his weaker body.

Eiko pushed himself through the crowd to get to the front where he could actually see the class, grunting as he squeezed through his almost entirely physically superior and larger classmates, juniors and seniors, standing front and center, his small stature making him standout like a sore thumb in a way when he was front and center. Otherwise he wouldn't even be noticed, or see for that matter as he heard the usual instructors booming commanding voice. "ALRIGHT QUIET DOWN!" he yelled as the echoes quickly died down, lest someone get a wooden sword to the head...or throat...or whatever else sensei could hit. "I'm certain your all aware but todays lesson will be by one of our societies, finest. Kawada Tsukuyomi. I expect him to have your full attention!" the sensei finished before stepping aside for vice captain Kawada.

Eiko noticed the vice captain was about his height surprisingly, though he had much longer hair. His shinigami outfit was sleeveless as well. He was definitely heavier than Eiko's thin frame was. To put it better if Eiko was thin, the vice captain was lean. That's the difference in how they train their bodies. Eiko does it out of necessity and nothing more. A vice captain did it for much more than that, and for much longer. Eiko's eyes fixated on the full fledged shinigami as the lesson started.

[Tsukuyomi Kawada]

Something that he hadn’t ever expected of himself nor would have planned for himself yet all the same Tsukuyomi had to follow through with it. The Vice Captain of the Eleventh Division, a young Shinigami hailed as a prodigy for the simple fact of his position in regards to his age. A man that knew his limitations and believed that placing him into the same category of a true genius was nothing, but an insult. Even if he was to accept he got things better than most he’d only admit to a sleight talent. He knew genius and he was nowhere close to either that he had come across.

All the same though this little chore was something that had been placed on his shoulder like so many other responsibilities. As a Vice Captain there were many difficult things that needed his sign, supervision and mentality. Teaching a class at the academy wasn’t really something he felt required his time, again though his input wasn’t really valid. Despite having the rank, Tsukuyomi had no real authority over his own decisions. That amazing gift was left to his Grandfather who essentially treated the Vice Captain as a slave.

One to be used as a tool in order to maintain influence and power for the Kawada family. It had been a mistake to ever join the Shinigami, at least on certain days Tsukuyomi felt that way. Sure he’d done some good, but he’d also done some horrible things. Most of all though just dealing with someone that he knew to be blood, a man that at one point he wanted to meet more than anything, to have that man treat him worse than even a pet. The young Vice Captain just couldn’t help, but feel like he could burn everything down around him.

Just push forward and eventually something might happen that it could work out for the better. The only thing Tsukuyomi could tell himself in order to keep going. People need him, why let someone else ruin his life? Live for his mother, live to kill his father, all things he has to tell himself just to get up in the morning. To endure the orders, the voice, the contempt of his grandfather. The man who sees him as a taint. A stain on his noble name, a curse that killed his daughter.

“Alright everyone I’m here to show you that your zanpakuto is the most essential tool as a Shinigami.” Tsukuyomi stood at the front of the class. This training hall wasn’t the biggest but it would serve its purpose. The crowd of students was about the average size of a Division Eleven session. Tsukuyomi was prepared having dealt with this more than a few hundred times since becoming the Vice Captain. Everyone in that Division loved combat and training for it had been pushed much harder by Tsukuyomi. So virtually everyday training was a must.

“Does anyone know what’s most important about your zanpakuto?”

[yozoraeiko]

Everyone quieted down as the vice captain spoke, ready to absorb every word of his lecture. With the professor's introduction of him, the vice captain didn't even bother to re-introduce himself to the class and just began the lesson. A lesson on our zanpaktou? I thought this was going to be a lesson in Zanjutsu? Eiko shrugged off the question while remaining focused on the lesson. It's not like it was a worthless extra class if it was about our zanpaktou instead of zanjutsu, perhaps it was both. Eiko stayed silent as the vice captain explained how a shinigami's zanpaktou was their most important tool, before asking what the most important part of that zanpaktou was.

"See now, I'm most important," a voice echoed in a sarcastic, mocking tone inside Eiko's head as his eyes flinched in irritation as the voice in his head mocked him. "To bad your such a worthless shinigami, heheheh," the voice cackled. Eiko did his best to ignore it as a female student behind him raised her hand and replied. "It's the spirit within the zanpaktou right, vice captain Kawada?"

Eiko certainly didn't like that answer. It was the correct answer certainly, but it wasn't an answer he liked. He never talked about it but he heard the voice of his spirit, much to his dismay as it mocked and taunted and demeaned him at every waking moment and opportunity. What exactly was he going to say or explain to his teachers? That his he hated his spirit? That his spirit would relish slaughtering everyone in this room for mere entertainment? To be fair Eiko would also rather enjoy killing a lot of his classmates, all they did was mock and taunt and demean him at every waking moment themselves but its not like he would actually do it.

[Tsukuyomi Kawada]

“No not entirely, the spirit inside of your zanpakuto is an extension of you. The most important part of your zanpakuto is you. The blade will not save you when you’re faced against a foe stronger than yourself. It’s up to you to master the shape, power and personality of the zanpakuto. Everything always comes back to how you approach it. Unless you learn how to use it properly than it’s no different than just another sword.” Tsukuyomi knew that certain teachers weren’t going to like what he was saying right now, as the girl had given the academy the correct answer, but he didn’t care, this was his time to speak and he was going to give what advice he could.

“When one works with their zanpakuto the potential they possess is unleashed yet all the same you can learn to be an effective Shinigami. I’m not going to stand up here and just recite everything. You’ll have far to many that do that, what I’m here to tell you though is that you have to practice. Work on yourself alongside the skills that this academy seeks to teach you. On;y through knowing yourself will you unlock what it takes to work with your zanpakuto. Remember though your zanpakuto isn’t everything. You must have a foundation to stand on otherwise you’ll fall fast in combat.” Tsukuyomi wasn’t used to speaking to a class or even his subordinates all that much.

The young Kawada when he did help others train was one to do so through action not speech. This was definitely different, but all the same something that he felt he could have benefited from knowing when he had been in the academy. He had the urge to show them some sort of maneuver with a sword, but that wouldn’t benefit them at all. Even if he unleashed his shikai it wouldn’t improve them at all. Not to mention Central would probably try and throw a fit that a Vice Captain used his shiaki so carelessly. No perhaps he wasn’t someone meant to speak even to a class, as actions guided him not words.

[yozoraeiko]

"Tch. Who'd want to be a part of a piss-ant like you," the voice in Eiko's head echoed as vice captain Kawada continued his lecture. All the students were locked into his answer and absorbing every word he spoke, even the instructor behind him nodded with his arms crossed and his eyes closed in agreement with a stern look on his face, despite being one of those very instructors Vice Captain Kawada described as 'just standing up there and reciting everything'.



Eiko's face turned to one of annoyance as the voice just continued to rattle on in his head some murmurs going around the students at vice captain Kawada's unorthodox response. Eiko was still attentive to the vice captains lecture, however he was finding it increasingly difficult to hold back his frustrations at the voice in his head as his expressions turned to intense focus, almost violently focused as his eyes narrowed to try to drown out the voice with the vice captains lecture.



"Vice Captain!" I raise my hand and call out to inquire a question, hoping to drown out the annoying voice in my head by engaging more in the lecture. "How strong will we become once we obtain that foundation? And what is the best foundation for a shinigami to build on?" I inquired as I hoped to establish strength that didn't require my zanpaktou, as to use this pest as little as possible, if only to prove my worth and how its bullying and constant tormenting were unjustified, and that I wasn't the useless one, it was.

[Tsukuyomi Kawada]

Thankfully one of the students raised their hand and asked a question or rather a small series of them. Tsukuyomi was happy to have more direction while he was speaking to this class. Although the tone of voice along with his volunm was something he had to ponder. He wasn’t quite sure whether this student was mocking him or if he just happened to be one of those nervous individuals that couldn’t handle public speaking. Regardless this would fill in some of the time he was here.

“Building the foundation of strength isn’t something as simple as doing simple math. In Division Eleven the majority of us build the foundation of our strength on whichever weapon we prefer.” By devoting hundreds of hours to practice one may obtain a solid foundation that can hold off virtually any army. Shinigami have four major areas of combat. It’s up to you to find out which areas you excel at and then develop those talents until you’re confident enough.”

Tsukuyomi wanted to make sure that these students could really see what he was saying. He had gone off about being different from so many of the teachers that just spouted off specifics from a book. His right arm moved fast enough that it would blur to everyone in the room, drawing his katana and thrusting it forward in less than a full second. By flowing reiatsu into his right arm Tsukuyomi unleashes dozens of thrusts in mere moments.

“Any other questions?”

[yozoraeiko]

A few murmurs, oohs, and ahhs roamed the crowd at Tsukishima's display of swordsmanship. Certainly impressive to be sure. With speed, power, precision, and a level of grace most in the crowd couldn't even begin to recognize just how good and how far and away he really was from this pack of students. The professor nodding with his eyes closed, like he himself understood how impressive the display was, when in reality the instructor was probably a 10th or even a 100th as good. "A brilliant display vice captain Kawada," the professor stated.



The crowd of students was quiet, mostly in awe and trying to process the previously display from before but because their weren't more questions to ask. "Well then, no point in having the vice captain here for such a short lecture. How about some friendly sparring so everyone can learn where their goal is," The instructor spoke up through the crowd as everyone's faces began to sour at the thought of having to spar with an actual vice captain. "Yozora-san, you seemed the most interested with your earlier question so why don't you take a crack at it."



"H-how cruel."

"He's going to die."

"He is aware Yozora is the weakest one here right?"



"Yes sir," Eiko bluntly and blandly replied. Eiko himself didn't particularly dread the thought. He wasn't happy he was about to get his ass handed to him across the room, but at least he might get some actual instruction that might prove useful. Not like any of the instructors here were able to help him all that much. Getting beat down was a normal occurrence for him anyways so its not like it would be any different from any other class or instruction. It might just hurt more than usual.



Eiko got himself up to his feet as he entered the ring and was handed a wooden wakizashi by one of the assistant instructors before he took a formal stance in front of the vice-captain. His left foot in front of his right as he faced the insurmountable wall with his wooden sword up front, his eyes somewhat muted in hopes of studying any sort of movement he could grasp and comprehend from the vice captain.

[Tsukuyomi Kawada]

Moving on from a verbal lecture to actual sparring with the academy students as always something that Tsukuyomi had to think about knowing the number that his previous sensei had inflicted on him due to her inability to really hold back. He didn’t want to cause the same sort of thing in others that were just starting out knowing that most wouldn’t be able to handle it. It would take a few minutes to set up, but once it was Tsukuyomi didn’t really have a choice and wanted to see if this student was as bad as the others claimed.

Based on what Tsukuyomi could see he didn’t appear all that negative in fact he seemed fairly average for an academy student’s build. Finding out why the others declared him the weakest would be interesting. A wooden katana was Tsukuyomi's choice of weapon as always as Mikoto was his primary method of combat although a wakashi like the student was also a blade that Tsukuyomi had considerable skill in handling due to Honshitsu his other zanpakuto. A fact this student might have actually picked up on as both his zanpakuto were held on his left hip.

Stepping in on the student, Tsukuyomi would swing horizontally from his left across the transition halfway through the motion into an upwards slash with a slight diagonal aim meant to nick the ear of the student. He wanted to show them all, especially the one currently sparring with him, that simple attacks could turn dangerous at any moment. If the student dodged or blocked it would be impressive and lead to Tsukuyomi dropping down by bending his knees in order to bring his blade down even faster as a reply.

[yozoraeiko]

"Well now, here he comes," the voice in Eiko's head teasingly remarked as the vice captain stepped into his swing. Eiko had plenty of time to block because of the step, was the vice captain going easy on him? "Probably, and you'll still end up looking bad," the voice continued to taunt as he replied to Eiko's thoughts. Eiko moved the base of the wooden wakizashi to his side to block the horizontal strike, only for the strike to be a feint as he tried to slip his head out of the way, but not being fast enough, as the wooden blade clipped his ear as he staggered to the side as Eiko's body weight shifted, barely staying on his feet as the student lost his balance, his eye closing in response to the sting of a wooden sword.



"Pathetic," the voice in Eiko's head chuckled and sang as Eiko gritted his teeth, having barely but not really dodging the prior strike, before looking up just as the second slash came down. Unable to react at all, Eiko wasn't even able to brace himself as the sword shaped chunk of wood slammed down into his face. "Kyahahahahaha. Right between the eyes that's hysterical!" the voice in Eiko's head started shrieking as it couldn't contain its laughter at how badly Eiko just got nailed as Eiko fell back and down to his knees clutching his face in pain. "Ugh, shut the fuck up," Eiko muttered underneath his breath while he writhed on the ground, as he glanced back up at the vice captain before re-clenching his sword and trying to go for a quick stab, hoping the vice captain had let his guard down, even though Eiko had clearly lost, his frustration with the voice in his head taunting him, wanting to at least keep going, not for anything else but to shut the voice up and get some semblance of self-dignity.

[Kitai Yoru]

Yozoraeiko: 16 paragraphs, 160 TP awarded
Tsukuyomi Kawada: 14 paragraphs, 140 TP awarded

No victory TP awarded