Post by Ishikawa Seiji on Oct 21, 2021 22:48:46 GMT -5
Silence...
The muted pitter-patter of rain was the only faint sound that drew his senses into waking fully. Already half awake submerged in his own thoughts and memories, sleep had refused to pull him under on this night it seemed. He could understand why. Everything felt slightly off, the bed too soft against what should be a far rougher terrain and no dampness clinging to the air in which he laid his head. Even the lightest yukata that he had been gifted with clung to his form in the cooling air of the evening felt too new, no rips or tears, no rough patches from when he had falling after sprinting away from a cart he had stolen a small bit of food from. As he sat up, slow and methodical, strands of emerald green clung to his face, shoved themselves into his eyes. Soon brushed aside with a small huff of air, safe as he knew he was, his instincts did not trust it. Did not trust them to keep him out of harms way. Why would they? All any Shinigami had done to him in the past was chase him away. Of course, it had been explained to him that they would help him, teach him to control and use incredible powers, but hesitation lingered for the newest Shinigami-in-training. And after four centuries of it, he doubted that uneasiness would settle properly anytime soon.
It was with that thought, that he half twisted his upright form. Reaching under the similar too soft pillow, he hadn't even had one of those out in Rukongai, to pull out a trusted trinket. One he had refused to part with, and one he'd had to sneak past the instructors to stop them disposing of it. Even if he was fairly certain they knew he still had it, they hadn't stopped him and that was enough for now. What he pulled into his palm was cool and familiar, the slightly rough hilt wrapped in bandages fit into his hand as naturally as it always did. The blade was small, a worn but well used tantō, the small sheath just as rusted as he settled the weapon into his lap. Removing it from the sheath and checking it over as he had grown accustomed to doing ever since Shin had taught him how. The young man set to work, cleaning and repairing what he could before he finally shifted away from the sheets to stand. Off in one corner and sat atop a proper stand, was the Asauchi he'd been given, the same as anyone else that joined Shin'ō Academy.
Having set the tantō aside for the moment upon the futon, he was quick to change. For a moment the rustling of fabric was the only sound he cared to listen to, out of his sleeping robes and into something more appropriate for where he was going. It wasn't far, but he had no intentions of sleeping now that he was fully awake. No good would come of him simply sitting there. More suitable attire now upon his person, even if he knew he would be soaked to the bone by the time he returned, he scooped up the tantō quietly. Sounds soft, only stopping as he neared the door to his quarters, bigger than anything he'd had beyond the Seireitei, and looked back. The sight of the Asauchi pulled his expression downwards into a small frown, exhaled as a frustrated sigh. Stepping back to pick the blade in question up and attach it across his back for the moment, they had told him to keep it nearby at all times in order to absorb his reiatsu and become something more. Might as well listen at least somewhat to what these people were telling him.
"I guess I've gotta, huh." He mumbled to himself as he slipped out the door.
Quiet as he could be, the door slid closed with a soft tap against the wood. Each step was careful, the deluge of water harsh against the world outside grew ever louder with every few minutes that passed. Leading the young man further away from the so called safety of the dormitories and out into the open air. Thankfully he had learnt his way around pretty quickly, as was habit, easier then if he needed to get out suddenly. The halls he found, were deathly quiet which seemed rather odd, shouldn't there be at least a few patrols around? Perhaps not. They didn't expect what he was sure many considered, mere children, to go wandering around at night when they had no powers with which to protect themselves. Well, that was their problem, a lack of power hadn't stopped him before and it certainly wouldn't now.
Dithering would do him no good, yet he stopped nonetheless, listened, waited for signs of life before a brisk pace carried him forward. Immediately as he stepped out into one of the smaller outdoor training areas, he found his hair, as well as his soaked, soaked through. Strands of a shocking green to some clinging to the side of his face and the back of his neck, dripping further water down onto his clothes and even seeping through. It was refreshing and for a moment he merely stood there, letting the round of the rain as it grew heavier drown out everything else. A reminder he supposed, that he no longer needed to rush anywhere when it started to rain. That he might just have fresh clothes and somewhere warm to stay should he get absolutely sodden as he was now. Breathing out cold air with a smile, he set out work carefully. One foot forward, stance widened just enough to give him proper footing against the slippery ground below. Left hand reaching up to pull his Asauchi from the scabbard in one fluid motion, just as he used to with his tantō, the blade was simply longer. That was all.
With the blade now firming in his grasp, he took a moment to twist it around. He had not really used it much, or laid a hand upon it for long since he had been accepted into the academy in the first place. Some would see it as a shame he was sure, but those protests from stuffy children of nobility went ignored. Their opinions could go straight down the damn gutter as far as he was concerned. Flicking the blade in his grasp, he tossed it between both hands, testing swipes at the air with both. Mostly equal as far as he could see it. Though he found even with the added reach of the katana, it meant more trouble in moving around as easily. Assessed as he stepped and whirled about the field, recalling and copying things he'd witnessed over the years. Shin had never been great, but he had always tried to teach him a lot, and he had never said no to learning the basics. Plus, watching some Shinigami fight the drunken and rowdy fools in Rukongai had given him some rather interesting ideas. One he even attempted, yet he went far too quickly, the slick ground caught up with him and all too soon he was sent sprawling onto the ground - right onto his back with a harsh thud. The blade once in his hand, now clattering to the ground with a reverberating clang into the dirt
"Ow... dammit." He complained quietly, hopefully no one had heard that.
Groaning in annoyance and pain in equal measure, he slowly sat up and reached over to pick up his Asauchi, luckily it hadn't fallen too far out of his grasp. Using it as an anchor, although it probably wasn't the nicest idea for a weapon that was supposed to become his Zanpakuto, he managed to yank himself up onto his feet. That had hurt and there would without a doubt be a bruise or two on his back in a few hours time. Guess he'd be learning while ignoring pain today, and that wasn't even considering the general pain he had to endure being around a few of the not so friendly few in his classes. Oh how lovely. With that dreadfully sobering thought, he got to his feet, his entire form now soaked to the very bone and not just his clothes. He'd had worse, even if he got a cold from it, it wouldn't last long. Perks of having spiritual pressure, he guessed.
Despite the setback - and no matter how much some small part of him wanted to just rush inside and head into the nearest bath to warm up - he persisted. Only the cacophony of rain falling, the pounding of his own heartbeat and the rushing of air as each sweep of the blade grew faster and faster, surrounded him. Shutting out all other distractions worked for a time, he was not sure how long he spent out there in the pouring rain. Oh he'd fall ill for sure, but that was a problem for later, didn't matter right now. He knew his basics were good, Shin had told him just that, even if he may have been a tad bias, it was keeping up a fast pace while remaining accurate that he had trouble with. Even if it felt like five minutes had passed by the time he had deemed his progress good enough for now, an hour had passed. Not that he could tell, though the rain had slowed to nothing more than a gentle sprinkle, it didn't leave him any less drenched than before.
"Hey, Ishikawa-san." Called an only somewhat familiar voice.
Words spoken to him as he stepped just out of the grounds and onto colder and far more dry wooden flooring, protected from further downpours but still nowhere near the dorms, or where anyone else should be. A brow raised in question at first as he finished sheathing the blade in his grasp upon his back once more, before he found himself face first with a towel. Or rather, one thrown directly at him, that he barely managed to catch in time. Well it certainly wasn't an instructor upset with him then. Using said towel to try and at least partially dry his hair, even if the rest of him still remained feeling like a wet noodle. Yuck. He found that it was one of his classmates, of the same year thankfully so he wouldn't be forced to be overly and dramatically respectful. Instead he simply tilted his head at the younger, shorter male, a silent question as he observed the other just sitting looking out across the training field. Had he been watched this entire time?
"How long ya been out here? Coulda told me, if ya wanted to watch me fall on my ass." He said with a shrug, in between his face being hidden entirely by the towel, there was a curious look about him. Perhaps he had just chanced upon his little truancy in the middle of the night. Or maybe this one was like him, couldn't sleep, he wouldn't ask. In truth, he couldn't even remember the younger's last name. Whoops. It couldn't have been long, could it? He certainly didn't look drenched at all, though without proper lighting, it was hard to tell. Well, save for himself. Certain he'd be leaving puddles to be found by other students come morning if the weather kept up like this.
"Not long enough to see that. You too huh?" The implication was there, no doubt.
"Yeah, seems so." So he wasn't the only one finding it difficult to adjust it seemed, though from what he vaguely recalled, the younger near him had grown up rather well off. Different problems he supposed, maybe even homesickness. Ha, if only that was his primary concern. He was still trying to figure out who hated him enough to try and poison him or not. Or back-stab him, either way, his guard kept up, smile on his face from the moment he'd heard the voice of another. His default expression really, no matter what he was feeling. Internal debates aside, that was personal, and he sure as heck wasn't about to share it with someone he barely knew nor trusted as far as he could fling the guy. Which granted, wasn't far, but still.
All he got in response was a small nod and for a while, that was enough. Watching the rain fall, one hand working to ring out his hair, the other letting him lean against one of the nearby wooden pillars that help hold up the structure as a whole. It couldn't have move than ten minutes before the younger male left with a short wave, informing him that he could simply keep the towel, given he appeared to have far more need of it right now. Somewhat perplexed by the arrival then departure, with a sigh he pushed it from his mind, it wasn't his business if someone else wanted to wander as he did during the middle of the night. Or if they wanted to help him out a bit, still, he'd have to at least thank the other whenever he next spotted him. Not long, he supposed, given he only had a few hours left before everyone would begin to wake for a new day.
Remaining would do him no good, weariness seeping into each of his bones as he quietly trudged his way back to the dormitories. Stopping only near the baths to dry off at least a bit before he returned, fresh, warm clothes brought a comfort he rarely even knew existed. Normal for many, but it felt much like a luxury to him. Was this what his brother had to adjust to? No wonder he always looked so happy to be back in a familiar environment. Still, with the door shut and now alone once again, he had to ponder if he could get used to things as quickly as he needed to. Maybe he could go find shin tomorrow and ask, it was certainly better than stumbling around in the dark that was for sure. Though speaking of that, he did just that until he found his window, open just enough to let moonlight in to allow him to see. Only then did he head back to the door to retrieve both weapons, the Asauchi placed gingerly back upon the stand and tantō tucked beneath the pillow that he'd found he'd barely used.
The exercise had done him the world of good, even if he did sneeze twice in a row as he settled back onto a futon that still felt strange. He tried to ignore it, something else he'd have to get used to, at least the room was small. Better that way, he thought. Mind lingering over topics and questions he had no hope of answering, not exactly hopeful, but this had to be worth it. Didn't it? He hoped so. Those worries only seemed to compound as he slipped into a light slumber, and barely two hours later he was soon awoken to the sounds of loud voices and rushing footsteps. A wayward groan pulled from between his lips as he rubbed at the flyaway strands atop his hair with a hand halfheartedly. Sitting up groggily until a loud bell sounded. A signal that the day was starting, and that certain students better damn well be up.
"Today's gonna be awful... ain't it?" He questioned no one in particular quietly, looking over to that dormant blade and getting no answer, he merely grumbled before hauling himself up and back out of that same futon. No rest for the wicked.
