Guidance of Grade [Joint Training]

[Chika Hirabayashi]

Stretching her shoulders as she walked around the Barracks of the Sixth, Chika Hirabayashi took time to herself in order to make sure she was absolutely ready for the day! It wasn't often that she had the opportunity to take up a mission so quickly, nor was it normal for her to be so excited for such an event! Everything that she'd been given thus far had been little more than a couple of exercises with tedious work at best, and slaving away behind a desk for a couple hours at worst. For her to have the opportunity to actively aid fresh graduates like this? It was something she'd only ever dreamt of at this point!

And, well, it seemed to be a dream that was becoming a reality. As she tightened the sash around her waist, fashioning her Bakkōtō to her hip as necessary, Chika couldn't help but maintain quite the smile across her face. Today was going to be good! It was going to be enjoyable, fun, and everything in between! At least, if she could help it. Her rather eccentric behaviors tended to make sure of that if someone had a good sense of humor. Though, even if that wasn't the case, she was still going to do what she could in order to make the the individual accompanying her had a pretty enjoyable time.

Come to think of it, she needed to get going! Not having the time to do a last-minute check to make sure she had everything, the 'Shinigami' found herself bolting out the Squad's barracks and straight toward the Thirteenth Division. With every moment she continued to run, quite a number of faces continued to turn toward her with glancing looks. Perhaps it wasn't the most common to see someone in such a rush early in the morning? Rushing around seemed to be rather common for the girl, all things considered, so that might not have been it. Ah well, she didn't really have the time to ponder something like this! At least, not until a little later.

As she eventually made her way to the Thirteenth's Barracks, Chika found herself huffing and puffing all the while. She'd catch her breath eventually, but for the time being, she was a little bit out of it. Holding onto what she could as she walked around the barracks, she simply took a moment to take in the surroundings; it was all so different from Sixth Squad! Late Captain Verrlicht certainly put in quite an amount of work in maintaining the Squad, that was for sure! Especially with the Squad having a less than becoming reputation about it.

After she eventually took a little to recover some of her energy, Chika maintained a rather simplistic smile. "Maharo, Date Maharo~?" She called out to the squad - or, at least the individuals that could hear her. She'd hoped that they were at the very least briefed on the mission she'd been informed on; that was to say, a supervised trip into the Human World for some Hollow purification. If not, then she had no problem providing what information they could to them! After all, she was simply thrilled to be here.

[Date Maharo]

Maharo had graduated the academy. Not with flying colors, in fact, they were quite honestly just barely qualified to be a Shinigami. However, their solid sparring record combined with their noteworthy diligence in their studies had been enough for it to be decided that they were ready to be given an unseated position in the division that they had applied for. Admittedly, Maharo had a feeling that they were allowed to graduate somewhat early simply for their desire to join the Thirteenth, which had suffered heavy losses which also resulted in a loss of leadership. Maharo didn't mind, they had planned on joining the Thirteenth since the beginning. After all, one of the few things that they knew of the Masked Man that they had looked up to was that he was a member of the Thirteenth.

Despite the previously mentioned losses that they had suffered, the Thirteenth seemed to be a rather friendly environment, which was reassuring to Maharo. They really hadn't known what to expect of actual Shinigami, but their experiences so far proved to be quite positive. They had just started moving into their room at the barracks when they received the message that they were to venture into the World of the Living with a more experienced Shinigami to supervise. It was unexpected, but welcome. Perhaps a way to gauge if they're really ready for this job? Or maybe Maharo was simply overthinking things again. In either case, they redoubled their efforts to move in quickly so that they could be finished before leaving for this excursion.

Maharo had just finished unpacking their mask maintenance kit, wood glue, paints, and a few precision chisels which they used to lovingly care for the mask that they were given so many years ago, when they caught their name being called from outside. Checking once to ensure that their mask was firmly in place, the fresh Shinigami slid their door open and stepped out to greet whoever was calling their name. Now, Maharo was aware that their appearance was a bit bizarre, between their red, long-nosed mask, their long mane of white hair, and their unusually tall height which was only made more extreme by their tall geta sandals which clacked as they walked. However, as odd as they appeared, they had to take a moment to ponder why this Shinigami had the ears and tail of either a dog or a fox, Maharo barely knew the difference. Were they real? No, they must be fake, but then why would someone want to emulate a dog? Maharo's inattentive tendencies had resulted in them losing more than a little food to the stray dogs of the Rukongai when they were growing up, which had lead them to regarding them as pests.

When Maharo realized that they had tilted their head, staring at this other Shinigami for a second or more, they quickly straightened, shoving all of those thoughts into a corner of their mind, likely to never be touched again. Maharo gave her an overly-proper bow before leaning down, perhaps just a bit too closely, and speaking in a quiet voice "You must be Hirabayashi. I am Date Maharo, it is a pleasure to meet you."

[Chika Hirabayashi]

As the Shinigami stepped out, making themselves known to the outside, and spoke their name, Chika's face immediately lit up. Rushing over to them, she simply couldn't contain her excitement! Her tail swayed back and forth all the while, as she fixated on the new individual in the courtyard. "It's quite quite a pleasure to meet you as well, Maharo," she spoke, making no effort to hide her enthusiasm, "here's to hoping today goes well~!"

Placing her hands behind her with a smile spread across her face, she tried to greet them as positively as possible. "I've got to say," she said, "I do really love your mask! Did you make it yourself~?" Her ears twitched as she spoke, taking in every bit of information about them as she could. Much like her, it seemed they stood out a bit from the standard rank-and-file reapers that populated all thirteen Squads. She couldn't help but feel a kindred spirit in them, given her own situation! All this excitement caused her tail to sway back and forth at an even more noteworthy pace.

Looking up toward the tall individual, Chika gently clapped her hands together. "So!" she exclaimed, though somewhat toned down as to avoid overwhelming the fairly quiet Shinigami, "I'm not quite sure what kind of information you were briefed with - if any at all knowing the higher-ups sometimes," she grumbled, "but you n' I are going to be going on a bit of an expedition today!" Gently tilting her head, and moving her hands behind her back once again, she tried to gauge for any kind of reaction. Assuming it was somewhat positive, she'd do what she could in order to keep up the same attitude! If not, she had no qualms dialing back the theatrics a bit.

"If you're willing, I'd love to hear a bit about yourself before we head out!" This was a sentiment that Chika had been quite serious toward! She very much enjoyed listening to others' backgrounds! After all, it helped to build up a good relationship with most anyone she had the opportunity to talk to. Hopefully Maharo would've been no different! They did have a good bit of time today for getting to know one another, after all.

Speaking of time, Chika did her best to try to remember the mission that they'd been briefed with. If Maharo had asked on it, she'd be more than willing to share! After all, she still wasn't the most sure on what they'd been told, and she didn't want them to go into a situation like that blind if she could help it. She was here to supervise, after all! Humming softly to herself, she patiently awaited a response from the Shinigami, hoping very dearly that she hadn't overwhelmed them or anything of the like!

[Date Maharo]

The sudden compliment caught Maharo off-guard, causing them to tense up a little before relaxing. People accepted them before despite their mask, writing it off as an odd eccentricity, but few actually said anything positive about it "Oh, well uh-" they rubbed the back of their neck in a small, timid gesture. "No, actually, it was a gift from when I was a child, but I've been maintaining it all this time- You know, sealing cracks, repainting parts." While their mask bore an expression of fury, it was easy to hear the smile behind it as they spoke softly.

Maharo straightened as she clapped her hands and explained what they would be doing today. "Yes! Into the World of the Living as I understand." They answered diligently, projecting their voice as much as they felt comfortable to, which was not very much at all. "It will be my first time there, so I am looking forward to it!" They found themselves mirroring the shorter Shinigami's eagerness, even matching her stance with their hands behind their back.

After a second, their composure broke slightly as they took some time to straighten their shihakusho and ensure that their Zanpakuto was tied firmly at their hip. They were clearly still getting used to wearing the official garb of a Shinigami as opposed to the academy's uniform.

Hirabayashi's inquiry elicited a small tilt of the masked Shinigami's head. "About myself?" Maharo quickly swallowed the sudden spike of panic that had struck them, managing to not show any signs of it beyond a moment's hesitation. They told themselves that she wasn't asking to know everything about them and every thought that was in their head, just a bit about them. "I'm not sure there is much to tell, if I'm being honest." They answered calmly, "When I was young, a Shinigami of the Thirteenth Division gave me this mask to hide my face, so I have chosen to follow in his footsteps. Become a Shinigami, join the Thirteenth, and hopefully return the kindness he showed me to others." They nodded as if reassuring themselves of their own answer. "It only seems right, don't you think?"

[Chika Hirabayashi]

Listening to what they had to say about their mask, Chika found herself enthralled quite a bit by their words. Nothing warmed her heart more than to hear about such a kindhearted gift! Lord, how she strived to be the same! "That's really awesome," she cheered, "I'm sure that whomever gave you your mask would be quite glad to see that you've held onto it for so long!"

With a wink as Maharo answered, Chika pointed a finger-gun toward them. "Nailed it~!" She chimed, "there's been a report of a stray hollow causing a bit of a ruckus in northern Karakura Town, and seeing as that's the Thirteenth's jurisdiction for the time being, I'll be watching over n' supervising to make sure that everything goes smoothly!" With a soft smile, Chika clapped her hands together. To say she was excited was a rather noteworthy understatement; she always loved seeing how folks fought!

As time continued, and the two began to walk, Chika followed through with her initial course of action and decided to ask Date about themself. As they explained their upbringing, and what led them to join the Gotei, Chika's eyes lit up like stars. Getting such a nice gift from someone was one thing, but for that person to have been a member of the Gotei? The foxgirl quickly felt overcome by a sense of happiness. She couldn't help but agree with them on the matter!

"Oh, absolutely!" she spoke with a nod of her head, "It makes me quite glad to hear that members of the Gotei are actively making lives better! And it makes me especially glad to hear your willingness to join because of that! I think I speak for everyone when I say that we're glad to have you here, Maharo~!" While certainly a bit overenthusiastic more often than not, even through that Chika still did mean her words. With a nod of her head, and a newfound pep in her step, she continued onward with the Shinigami.

If any other conversation had been struck, she would've been more than glad to have responded back in suit. If not, that was cool, too! Either way, the two would eventually reach the main Senkaimon. Having been through the gate on a few separate occasions, Chika was a bit familiar - albeit not completely apt - with the processes taken in order to step through into the Human World. If it wasn't the same for Maharo, she would've been glad to help where possible!

[Date Maharo]

Maharo nodded pleasantly, a motion that was exaggerated by the long nose of their mask, to the idea that the Masked Man they knew so long ago would be happy seeing how well they had preserved his mask. They certainly hoped so, though they were unsure if the item actually meant anything to the man outside of being something to cover his face with. Perhaps it was simply the fact that it was a gift that made it important now. In any case, Maharo certainly wasn't planning on separating with it any time soon.


"I... had not been told there was an actual Hollow we were looking for." Maharo sounded just the slightest bit nervous but managed to still come off as cool and collected from behind the mask. "I had figured it would be a simple patrol. If we do find this Hollow, it will be my first live combat. I do not have a Shikai, but I did have an excellent sparring record in the academy, so it should be fine." They were reassuring themselves more than anything. Fighting Hollows and sparring academy students were surely different beasts, but their swordplay would still come in handy, right?

It made Maharo happy to hear someone agree with their reasoning for joining the Gotei. Sure, it was entirely reasonable, they already knew that, but it was just nice to hear someone agree. Though, everyone being happy that they were there was certainly hard for Maharo to agree with. "I don't think I'm quite that important." They chuckled nervously, "It's nice that they may feel that way, but I'm under no illusion that I'm doing this for anyone other than myself. The man who gave me the mask is long dead as far as I know. Yet, I still feel indebted to him. I wouldn't be here if I didn't think I should at least try to pay it forward."

After a few more minutes of more idle conversation, they reached the main Senkaimon. Maharo looked over to Hirabayashi, expecting her to open it, only to realize that she likely thought they could. "It may be embarrassing as a member of the Thirteenth, but I haven't been taught how to open these yet. I've only just moved into the barracks. Apologies." They bowed, hoping that she knew how they worked. It would be even more embarrassing if they had to walk all the way back to the Thirteenth's barracks and ask someone to help them out.

[Chika Hirabayashi]

Nodding her head in affirmation, Chika did what she could to smile. "Mhm!" she smiled, "don't worry, it shouldn't be anything too rough to deal with! Plus, I'll be by your side to make sure you're still safe! It'll be fun, promise~!" Absolutely beaming with the positivity she normally carried, Chika did what she could to reassure Maharo as best as possible.

If nothing else, she was quite excited to see just what Maharo was going to be capable of doing. She made note of the fact that they spoke about being quite skilled from his time in the academy; it was quite good to hear that, all things considered! She liked to hear that they were confident. It certainly reminded herself of the time that she'd spent in the academy. It only further reassured her that everything was going to go well!

As she listened to what they spoke about being unsure of her words, she clapped her hands together softly once more after they'd finished speaking. "Nonsense~!" she spoke, "each and every member of the Gotei is incredibly important! After all, we're maybe two-thousand or so strong, while the Rukongai is easily over a billion people! You've made it into the top percentile of folks; I'd like to think that's something to be proud of, no~?" Maintaining a soft smile across her lips, Chika figured a small jest would help to lighten the mood just a bit.

As the two continued to walk, eventually making their way to the Senkaimon, Chika nodded her head. "Oh, no worries!" She smiled, "I've been in and out of this thing before, I'm sure I can figure it out!" After a few moments of tampering with the gate, and getting the aid of a currently-stationed Squad 13 Shinigami, she took a few steps back as the doors slowly opened, revealing the midday afternoon of Karakura Town on the other side. "There we go~!" She smiled, "after you, Maharo!"

[Date Maharo]

It struck Maharo as a little odd that Hirabayashi promised that this excursion would be "fun". The mentors in the academy had claimed that fighting a Hollow would be many things, but never fun, or even the slightest bit enjoyable. From what they heard, it would be frightening and life-threatening. The best one could hope for was a simple, clean execution with minimal injuries. While that rhetoric had been drilled into their head for many years, Hirabayashi's unwavering positivity nearly managed to wash all of it away. Perhaps this would be "fun" or, at the very least, satisfying.

The tall shinigami tilted their head as Hirabayashi laid out how Maharo was, in fact, quite impressive, even if not in relativity to other shinigami. "Ah, I suppose so." Every single shinigami in the Seireitei was of a rare breed amongst the souls of the Soul Society. It did make them feel better to think about that, they may have passed with middling grades, but they had passed and become a genuine shinigami. If Hirabayashi's numbers were correct, then Maharo was at least one in five-hundred-thousand. It really put things into perspective.

Before Maharo could thank their chaperone for the shift in perspective, the doors of the Senkaimon had begun to open. Of course, they had been taught the basic things about the World of the Living in their classes, but to see it in actuality was something else entirely. Even from the other side of this door into the other world, everything seemed so different. The slightest bit of apprehension struck them as Hirabayashi suggested that they enter first. They drew in a deep breath, forcing themselves to push that feeling down. Telling themselves that passing over to the World of the Living was a simple, everyday thing, especially for the Thirteenth. They had to get used to it, and hesitating here would do them no favors. They finally exhaled as they stepped forward and into the other world.

The first sensation they felt in the world of the living was one of falling. All that time staring through the Senkaimon and they had failed to notice that it had opened a good ten or so feet above the World of the Living's ground, a simple landing if they had been prepared for it. After a moment of scrambling and an undignified yelp, Maharo slammed into the ground, arms-first, having turned their head to the side at the last moment to save their mask's long nose. "Ouch..." After a moment, they got their feet back under themselves and turned to look up at Hirabayashi and the fellow member of the Thirteenth, both witnesses to their little tumble. "I'm fine." They assured, giving a thumbs-up back to the two of them. From the barely-contained giggles of their squadmate, Maharo had a feeling that they would not be living this down anytime soon.

[Chika Hirabayashi]

Still practically beaming with an indescribable amount of positivity, Chika did what she could to help encourage the Shinigami. If nothing else, one of the largest motivators for Chika during her early time spent in Seireitei was the little facts like that. A lot of them helped her keep her head held high through most anything that had been thrown her way thus far! She only hoped to extend the same gratitude to Maharo where she could.

Encouraging the Shinigami to step through the Senkaimon first, Chika took a deep breath as she followed shortly thereafter. In truth, nothing beat the experience of entering the Human World; nothing really came close~! She loved the new fresh air, the bustling noises, and the Shinigami colliding with the pavement! Wait, what? Looking down to see just what had happened, it seemed that Maharo had fallen straight to the ground! Rushing out of the Senkaimon, and directly to their side. "Oh my gods," she exclaimed, "are you all right??"

Hearing their words and letting out a sigh of relief, Chika did what she could to help them to their feet. With a playful chuckle, a smile quickly reappeared back on her face. "I'm glad to hear you're okay," she spoke, "Air Ground in the Human World can certainly be a bit difficult to get a hand of! No rush on trying to pick that up, though I'm glad to help practice where possible if you'd like!" Assuming Maharo wanted to take the time to do so, he had no problem giving him a quick crash-course!

If not, then the two of them were fully prepped to get started with their mission! Stretching her shoulders, and bouncing from foot to foot in order to limber up a little, Chika turned to face Maharo with the same joy that she'd always possessed. "All right~!" she exclaimed, "let's go catch this hollow, shall we~?" Putting one foot in front of the other, Chika made use of the Shinigami stepping technique Shunpō in order to propel herself atop a nearby house. She'd sought to get a bit more of a view over the area.

Humming softly to herself all the while, Chika did what she could in order to try to scout out their 'prey' for the afternoon. Such was a rather interesting occasion, all things considered! She looked forward to getting the opportunity to stretch her legs against a hollow of some variety! Though, little did either of them know, the hollow they were to fight was almost right under their noses from the moment they'd stepped foot in the Human World.

[Date Maharo]

At the mention of Air Ground, Maharo lifted their leg, stepping onto a small platform of condensed Reishi. They tap their sandals upon the platform a few times, testing it, before lifting their other leg and setting it on the same platform. They seemed a little steady for a moment but quickly straightened. "I believe I've got an acceptable handle on it." They had learned the theory behind it well, but this was the first time they had actually put it into action. It was still clear that they were a novice, but they figured that this was something that required practice more than instruction.

"It's more that I failed to mind the gap. I suppose I may have gotten a bit too excited about passing through the Senkaimon." Maharo reluctantly admitted. They were not the most comfortable at acknowledging emotions, especially their own, but in this case, it was most certainly hard to hide that they were distracted while walking through the door between worlds.

As the higher-ranked Shinigami began stretching, Maharo did so as well, if in a significantly less peppy way, rolling their shoulders and squatting a few times. They didn't feel that they really needed it but figured that it was best to learn from their senior's actions. "Yes, let's do thi-" Maharo cut themselves off in the middle of their response to Hirabayashi suggesting that they get down to business, once they realized that she had already flash-stepped away. Not wanting to be left behind, they followed suit, using their own Shunpo to arrive on the roof with Hirabayashi, though they failed to stop on a dime, stumbling a bit after appearing on the roof.

Once Maharo got their bearings, they stood up straight and righted their shihakusho a bit, then touched the hilt of their Zanpakuto to ensure that it was still there. They were not entirely well-versed with their Shunpo technique, but they did have enough of a grasp to use it. With a small sigh, trying not to be so tense on their first job, they placed a hand on the base of their Zanpakuto's scabbard, holding it steady and ready to be unsheathed at a moment's notice. Feeling a bit more comfortable, the tall Shinigami began pacing the perimeter of the roof they stood on, keeping watch for the Hollow. Surely it wouldn't be too hard to spot, would it?

[Camila Adaronde]

44 paragraphs total, meaning 220 TP for Date & Chika!