Chapter Text
Tomioka Kaga had not expected this new life.
When she had died – a stupid car accident on her way to college, how cliché could it get – and woken up in Rukongai, her first instinct had been to deny everything. Perhaps she was hallucinating. Yes, maybe she’d been put on the good stuff following her accident (even though she faintly remembered feeling something pierce her thoracic cavity, which was not usually positive for survival) and was now remembering that old manga, the one she read everyday when things got too much back in middle school. Surely, this was some kind of defence mechanism. Surely, she would wake up.
She did not.
After denial came acceptance – Kaga was not one to beat around the bush. For all she mourned the time spent studying for a degree she would never get, she did her best to dry her tears and get moving. She had few friends – thanks to very complicated years in school – and her parents had died a few years before her own death. Maybe, if she was lucky, she could find them?
(She could not.)
Anyway. Rukongai sucked. Kaga grew hungry fast, and she remembered enough of Bleach to know it was a bad sign. The dead were not supposed to grow hungry, unless they were strong enough to become Shinigami – and therefore become Main CharactersTM.
Honestly, Kaga’s first reaction upon remembering that detail was a resounding “Fuck no.” Getting dragged into the whole plot was not her plan, thank you very much. Why would she care about people she didn’t know, especially when the story ended well? It would be asking for trouble – and the possibility of her presence making things worse was very real.
But then she kept getting hungry, no matter how much she worked to get money or how much food she stole, and everyone had limits.
Kaga met hers when a Hollow came to her, attracted by her reiatsu, and chased her across a forest when she went to find food.
She was off to the Shin’o Academy the day after.
In all honesty, the Academy was boring.
After passing the entrance exams, which consisted in a brief test to show she had enough reiatsu and some of the few fighting skills she had (taking self-defence classes in her old life had finally come in handy) Kaga had half-expected it to be a form of high school with the maturity that comes with, but the students varied so much in age that the usual school bullying wasn’t really present.
What was very much present were the social classes. That hadn’t changed.
Kaga glanced at the very obviously noble children coming her way and immediately pretended to leave to the library to keep her distance. Even if none of them were canon characters, she was a Rukon brat as they called her, and therefore not worth their time. Which was good: she didn’t want to spend time with them.
The only reason they wanted to talk to her was her grades and the fact that she placed above many of them. While Kidou gave her some trouble – uttering the words to do the spells almost felt like an insult to her past scientific self – the other classes were easier. She could tell that most of what they taught in history classes were lies to fuel their good image, and law classes bored her to death, but it wasn’t so different from when she was alive. Zanjutsu took a few classes to get used to, but the weight of the blade in her hand was surprisingly comforting. Hakuda wasn’t as easy – her height put her at disadvantage, but she wasn’t afraid to fight dirty, and she excelled at Hoho.
Her natural talent, as her teachers called it, attracted some attention from nobles who wanted a fast and easy way to get a good grade. It wasn’t long before a few nice classmates of hers – her room-mate Fujimoto among them – asked how she had managed to get a good grade, and if she had any tips. The nobles were less polite, demanding to know how she did her work.
Kaga only replied that she had a good memory.
Once they realised she wouldn’t be useful, they left her alone.
(She did give tips to Fujimoto though.)
The first time Kaga heard her zanpakuto’s voice, her screams woke up her entire dorm.
To be fair, knowing that there was a spirit residing inside your soul which would one day reach out to you was very different from experiencing it.
And so, during her second year at the Academy, Kaga had the worst nightmare of her lives.
Darkness was all she saw. The grass under her naked feet was humid, and a breeze made her shiver and realize that she was only dressed in her pyjamas, a white jinbei that did nothing to protect her from the cold.
Am I dreaming? was her first thought, because she was fairly sure she would remember it if she had left the Academy’s grounds and walked into the middle of a meadow. Or at least, she was pretty sure it was a meadow, but it was hard to be certain. Her only light came from the moon, whose light was frequently hidden by the dark clouds, and from the lightning bolts followed by thunder so loud that it felt like her eardrums would burst.
Narrowing her eyes, she kept her gaze up and watched closely, her hands still covering her ringing ears.
It didn’t take long before she noticed before a gigantic black shape flew between the dark clouds.
What the hell is that?
The shape – a creature she couldn’t identify from where she stood – was bigger than any bird she had ever seen. Kaga had been in cities like Tokyo, and the black creature looked big enough to tower over a skyscraper.
And then the creature started to fly down toward her.
Kaga had never been afraid of animals, but the sight of that gigantic bird flying rapidly toward her, followed by lightning bolts and violent winds, was enough to make her legs shake until they gave way and she collapsed on the wet grass. She could only watch, frozen, as the creature came closer and closer until a voice, loud enough to drown out even the thunder, loud enough to hurt, spoke.
K A G A
She woke up screaming before the bird could land, her hands pressed so hard against her ears that her nails pierced the skin to the point of bleeding, deaf to her room-mate's cries of worry.
The day after, they went to see the Zanjutsu teacher, Sawamura-sensei.
Fujimoto insisted to come with her, and after waking her up so horribly, Kaga didn’t have the heart to refuse.
Their teacher listened Kaga’s explanations with great calm, face unreadable. When she had finished to speak, the two students were surprised to see a slight smile grow in his face.
“It sounds like you have reached your inner world. It is quite impressive: most only manage it in their last year, or even only during their active duty.”
Fujimoto gasped, glancing at Kaga with awe in her eyes, but her excitement wasn’t shared. Kaga thought back to that terrible dream, where she stood alone in the middle of a thunderstorm, and couldn’t contain a grimace.
“But why is my inner world a storm?”
Sawamura-sensei shrugged, looking unbothered.
“You’ll study it more in depths in third year, but inner worlds are always… complicated, to say the least. Of course, it differs from person to person, but it’s not uncommon for inner worlds to seem strange when one first comes in contact with it.”
Strange was a euphemism. This did not reassure Kaga in the slightest. It must have shown on her face, because Sawamura-sensei sent her a smile.
“Inner worlds are especially chaotic when one manages to enter it earlier than most. Those people would have terrible nightmares too, and some of them became captains. This is a good sign, Tomioka.”
Kaga stared at him, face blank. She did not want to be compared to Captains; her goal was to keep a low profile.
Judging by the way Fujimoto gasped and the barely hidden pride in Sawamura-sensei’s eyes, her entering her inner world would not stay a secret for long if she left it at that.
“I don’t want anyone to know.”
The two stared at her, surprised, but Kaga continued before they could ask.
“I don’t want the attention of other students. It would be annoying and only cause trouble in the long run.”
Sawamura frowned – Kaga wondered if it was because she had implicitly criticised her fellow students – but he didn’t ask questions, only nodding with an understanding smile.
“Very well. That is your choice. However, I am obligated to tell your teachers and my superiors about it.”
He sent a look toward Fujimoto, who jumped before fervently nodding. “I won’t say anything!” She turned to her room-mate, eyes burning with determination. “You can count on me, Tomioka-san!”
That was good enough for Kaga.
Her Zanpakuto, as it turned out, was a dick.
“HEY!” she screamed, once again stuck in the stormy meadow, “COULD YOU CALM THE STORM?! I CAN’T HEAR YOU LIKE THAT!”
Unsurprisingly, that did nothing.
The bird – it had to be a bird, even though Kaga had trouble seeing it properly with all the wind and rain – stayed up in the sky most of the time, only coming down to charge at Kaga with lightning in its wings. Everytime it did that, she woke up with a scream caught in her throat as if her chest had been pierced by a blade.
After waking up gasping for breath and sweating in the middle of the night after a few weeks of dreams, she decided that enough was enough.
“What are you doing?”
Her room-mate’s voice was soft, as if just waking up, and Kaga flinched from where she stood in front of the door. The moon was hidden by the curtains, but she could still see the confused expression her room-mate had.
“Fujimoto-san… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up.”
Fujimoto sat up on her bed, and her eyes widened when she saw that Kaga was dressed in her uniform, her Asauchi in hand.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
So much for not bothering her room-mate. “I’m tired of those nightmares. I’m going outside to meditate.”
Fujimoto didn’t look convinced.
“You could meditate here.”
Kaga thought back to what she had read in the books given by Sawamura-sensei and seen in the manga, about how uncontrolled reiatsu and meditation could hurt people.
“It’s better if I do it outside.”
Fujimoto stared at her for a long time, as if trying to read her thoughts, before sighing.
“If that’s what you want. Just… be careful.”
She sounded pained, and Kaga felt bad for causing her room-mate so much trouble.
“Don’t worry,” she said, “I’ll stay on school grounds.”
Fujimoto didn’t look reassured at all, but she didn’t say anything when Kaga closed the door behind her.
The Academy’s grounds were pretty large, with very few people patrolling the area to make sure students weren’t up to no good. Sneaking past them was easy enough – her high grades in Houhou weren’t for show – and she soon sat in the middle of the forest, still safe within the Academy but far enough that no one should come near her.
And so Kaga sat on the ground, crossed her legs before taking a deep breath.
Her inner world was still a storm, still a meadow, the wind was still so harsh it almost blew her away, but Kaga thought it it wasn’t as loud as back when she entered her inner world in her sleep.
“HEY!” she screamed at the bird flying above her, “I’D LIKE TO TALK WITH YOU.”
No answer came. Of course it didn’t. Kaga had been screaming at it, trying to make it talk to her, ever since she first entered her inner world weeks ago, but the bird had spared her no glance unless it was to dive toward her at a speed that would definitely hurt should she be hit by it.
“I don’t get it.” Kaga said to herself, gazing up at her zanpakuto spirit, “I don’t get what you want.”
WHAT DO YOU WANT?
Kaga jumped. The voice still hurt, like thunder exploding right next to her ears, but she could understand the words that had been spoken.
“You!” she yelled, “I want to know you!”
KNOW YOURSELF FIRST.
What.
“What?”
KNOW YOURSELF FIRST.
Kaga stared dumbly at the bird that kept flying, seemingly unbothered by the rain or the wind.
YOU ARE AFRAID.
“I’m not afraid.” Kaga immediately denied even though she had no idea what the zanpakuto was talking about.
YOU ARE AFRAID OF WHAT ACCEPTING ME MEANS.
“Of course not. You’re a part of me, right?”
A silence fell, only broken but the sound of thunder, until her zanpakuto spirit spoke again.
WHAT IS A ZANPAKUTO?
Is this a quiz? “A spirit born from a Shinigami’s soul, giving them powers.”
YOU ARE AFRAID OF WHAT ACCEPTING ME MEANS.
“What? No, I’m not!”
A zanpakuto was a part of her soul. This, Kaga was sure of, and she had no intention of ever rejecting a part of her own soul.
“I accept you as you are!”
BUT DO YOU ACCEPT YOURSELF?
The question took her aback.
Accept myself? “I- yes, I do!”
BUT YOU ARE AFRAID.
Kaga couldn’t keep the scowl off her face. “I don’t get what you are trying to say!” she yelled, even though she had an inkling.
YOU ARE AFRAID OF WHAT YOU ARE BECOMING.
The bird spoke once again, still flying above her, but Kaga had stopped looking up. Her gaze stayed on the ground, and her fists clenched at her sides.
Her spirit spoke again.
YOU ARE AFRAID OF WHAT BEING A SHINIGAMI MEANS.
“YES I AM!”
The words escaped Kaga before she could help it.
Slowly, she sank to her knees, uncaring of the wet dirt that clung to her jinbei.
“I’m afraid,” she whispered, “of being a Shinigami. The world I’m in is messed up. I hate everything about it!”
And once she had started, she couldn’t seem to stop.
“I hate what I remember! I hate the Quincy genocide that has been hidden, I hate the whole social class bullshit that protects bullies and murderers, I hate the government, and I hate what they did to the Soul King!”
And that was the crux of it, wasn’t it?
It had been so easy, to forget what being in this world meant, back when she had been starving in the Rukongai. Manga and lore seemed so inconsequential when Hollows and hunger could take her life at any moment.
But ever since entering the Academy, life had finally slowed down enough for her to think about it, about what it meant to be in the world she had read about, and her thoughts hadn’t been happy ones.
(Her nightmares weren’t only caused by her zanpakuto.)
“This world,” she whispered, “is dark. It is artificial. It has been built on the blood and suffering of one being, and so many innocents have been killed to protect it.”
Bleach was an amazing manga, but it had always made her uneasy in a way she couldn’t describe, even when trying to compare it to other mangas she read back then. Now, to be in the place that had always seemed off to her from an outside perspective, she finally understood why reading it had made her heart hurt.
A being dismembered, trapped as a pillar. An entire species decimated in the name of balance. So many laws and rules that favoured those who had committed sins if they just had the right name or right blood.
“This world,” Kaga muttered, staring at the ground, “is not a good world.”
And yet.
“But this is the world I’m in. I don’t want to be killed by Hollows, or starve, or be helpless, and being a part of it, being a Shinigami, is the only way to survive!”
What do you want?
Her spirit’s voice didn’t sound so loud anymore, but Kaga barely paid it any attention.
“I just-”
The words stopped in her throat, and she resisted the urge to swallow them. Instead, she took a deep breath, staring at her zanpakutou spirit.
“I just want to live.”
Oh, she realised, the storm has stopped.
She could still hear thunder, but it sounded far away. The rain and the wind were gone. Above her, the moon shone a bright but soft light upon her, illuminating the meadow and the spirit standing in front of her.
The bird stayed still, watching her with dark eyes. Kaga swallowed, chest heaving from her rant, but she still managed to send a shaky smile to her spirit.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been pretty rude. What is your name?”
A bird shouldn’t be able to smile, but Kaga got the feeling her zanpakuto spirit was grinning. When he spoke, his voice didn’t hurt.
My name is Sandābādo. I am very glad to hear you, Kaga.
When Kaga woke up, the ground she was lying on looked like it had been struck by lightning. But her zanpakuto, Sandābādo, was held tightly in her hand, and she walked into class with a smile on her face.
She didn’t sneak out this night, or the following, even though she sometimes still dreamed and spoke to Sandābādo. Fujimoto didn’t ask, but a few days afterwards she walked into their room with a cake.
“To celebrate.” she explained upon seeing her confusion.
Kaga got her candies in thanks. Fujimoto deserved it, with all the sleepless nights Kaga made her endure.
Time seemed to speed up after learning her zanpakuto’s name.
The years in the Academy went by faster than she expected. Classes weren’t the worst, and she stayed at the top of her class easily, though she was nothing like those geniuses her teachers whispered about, the one who had graduated in just a year – and that sounded familiar but she couldn’t remember whether it was Ichimaru or Hitsugaya and she couldn’t decide which would be best: a part of her hoped that canon had already happened and that she would escape the wars, but she didn’t believe herself this lucky.
She was right.
The day one of their teachers started distributing some brochures promoting the various divisions – and really, who even made those – it took some impressive self-control not to slam her head on her desk and alarm her classmates when she saw the name Aizen Sousuke listed under Captain on the brochure promoting the Fifth Division.
At least she knew where she was not going.
Technically, students couldn’t choose which division they would join. However, the brightest students had a little more leeway – should Kaga had the misfortune of getting into the Fifth or any other, let’s say, traitorous ones, she could probably bullshit something to her teacher about how she felt she could be more useful in this or that division.
The debate on which division would be the best to be in was the talk of all of her classmates, and Kaga wasn’t surprised to find herself dragged into it.
“Tomioka-san,” Nakamura Ami, one of the girls in her class, asked her during lunch one day – Kaga didn’t speak much with her classmates, but they still got along well. “Which division are you hoping to join?”
Kaga tried not to grimace, chewing slowly before answering.
“Well, I know which ones I don’t want to join.”
Nakamura stared at her, waiting for her to elaborate, but frowned when Kaga didn’t.
“I see.” she said, voice slightly annoyed, “Well, me and a few others are hoping to join the Fifth.” Kaga almost choked on the water she was drinking, but Nakamura kept going, unbothered, “I went to one of Captain Aizen’s classes and he’s so kind! I bet he’s a wonderful captain. I’ve only heard good things about him.”
Yeah, because he killed those who talked shit about him. “Sounds interesting. But I don’t think the Fifth would be the right fit for me.”
Fujimoto, who had stayed quiet until now, sent her a weird look.
“You truly don’t know? But you’re at the top of our class, our teachers should already have spoken with you about this.”
Kaga had, in fact, spoken to them about it – but seeing as her main goal was to stay away from the plot and from Main CharactersTM, she didn’t have a lot of arguments to give to justify staying as far away as she could from some divisions. Those meetings were awkward, to say the least.
So on the day of their assignations came, Kaga closed her eyes and prayed to a god she knew to be fake, desperately hoping that she wasn’t going to work under any of the traitors.
The crowd of noisy students did nothing to calm her worries. Fujimoto, who had left before her, immediately caught her eyes as she waved frantically at her.
“Tomioka-san! Look here!”
Kaga sped up to join her, sending her a questioning glance. Her room-mate merely smiled, pointing at one of the banners hung on the wall.
Tomioka Kaga was written in black and white on the paper at the far right of the wall, alongside many other names, under the banner of the First Division.
First Division, Kaga thought, heart racing, but it wasn’t from fear because that division, with its terrifying Captain-Commander and discreet Lieutenant, seemed like the best option. No important characters worked here and Aizen and its minions avoided it as much as possible.
“Happy?” Fujimoto asked her, and Kaga couldn’t hide her relieved smile.
“Yeah.”
The one who welcomed the new recruits was not the Captain-Commander.
Kaga couldn’t say she was surprised by this. The First Division was the biggest, and its Captain had many responsibilities that other Captains didn’t have – welcoming a group of graduated students wasn’t exactly a priority.
Instead, a stoic Sasakibe Chojiro stood before them, eyes gazing at them with a strange intensity. Kaga stayed still even as she felt his gaze linger on her, hoping that she hadn’t done anything to warrant a reprimand.
“I am sure you are aware of the great honour it is, to be chosen by the First Division.” Sasakibe’s voice was calm, soothing, but his face stayed stoic. “Let’s be clear: you will rarely see the Captain-Commander. Should you have any question, the seated officers or myself will help you.”
At least he didn’t beat around the bush. Kaga noticed some of her colleagues looking disappointed, but all she could feel was relief. She wasn’t exactly eager to meet the boss himself, on the off chance that his old age and experience would somehow allow him to sense how weird she was.
That was probably her paranoia speaking, but better safe than sorry.
Being in this division truly was the best case scenario. She couldn’t believe her luck. Not only was she not in any of the traitorous divisions, but she was in the one which had the least chance of interacting with Main CharactersTM, with them being so above her level that they would never even glance her way.
Kaga kept her posture straight, her eyes ahead, and tried not to let her relief show.
Yes, she mused, listening to her lieutenant’s speech, Smooth sailing from here.
Sasakibe summoned her to his office a week afterwards.
When Kaga learnt that the lieutenant wanted to see her, she couldn’t hide her shock.
“Me?” she repeated, staring at the seated officer – a stern elderly lady named Juba – who had discreetly taken her aside after morning drills. “Lieutenant Sasakibe wants to see me?”
“That is what he asked, yes.” Juba said, unbothered by Kaga’s surprise, “You are excused from your duties this morning. Take a shower, and immediately go to your lieutenant’s office.”
“I- Yes. Of course. Thank you.”
Perhaps her apprehension showed on her face or in her voice, because Juba’s eyes softened.
“You need not to worry.” she noted, “You have done no wrong.”
Then why the hell does he want to see me? Kaga wanted to ask, desperate, but swallowed the question. She gave a stiff nod and bowed before hurrying to the showers.
The offices of the superiors had been shown during their tours on the first day, so Kaga had no trouble finding the lieutenant’s office. Once in front of the door, she took a deep breath, forcing her shoulders to relax.
The faster I’m in, the faster I’m out. She thought, and knocked on the door. Sasakibe’s voice answered immediately.
“Come in.”
Kaga pushed the door open with a muttered excuse me, closing it as quietly as possible once inside.
Sasakibe was seated on a desk – western style, Kaga couldn’t help but note – with papers neatly arranged in folders.
“Hello, Tomioka-san. Take a seat.”
Hearing her name spoken out loud by her superior multiplied her anxiety, but Kaga did her best to hide it, sitting on the chair in front of the desk with a bow.
“Thank you, Lieutenant Sasakibe.”
There was no answer to that. Sasakibe merely stared at her, his strange golden eyes examining her carefully. Kaga did her best not to fidget and kept her face as blank as possible: the First Division, while not as strict or as “noble” as the Sixth, did not take kindly to nervous newbies. She couldn’t fathom why the Lieutenant wanted to speak to her alone, but she was certain that she’d done nothing bad and she wasn’t going to say anything until she knew exactly what he wanted with her.
She stared back, unblinking. To her surprise, Sasakibe smiled.
“Do you want something to drink?”
The question took her aback. “Ah – yes, if that is alright.”
Sasakibe grabbed a jug and two cups, filling it with a dark, steaming liquid that looked nothing like tea. Catching her curious eyes, he smiled.
“This must be an unfamiliar drink for you.” he noted, “It comes from the West. I figured you would like to try it.”
“Yes.” Kaga answered a bit too quickly. It may have been years, but the smell of coffee was unmistakable. It had been so long since she had some that she almost forgot her worries.
Sasakibe’s smile widened upon seeing her enthusiasm – it seemed like most people weren’t as excited as him to try foreign food and drinks.
The coffee was bitter on her tongue, and Kaga had a hard time swallowing it, but it reminded her so much of her old life that she almost burnt her tongue with how fast she drank it.
They stayed quiet for a while, enjoying their drinks, before Sasakibe spoke.
“I’m sorry if this unexpected meeting made you nervous, Tomioka-san.” His voice was a lot softer than what Kaga had expected. “But I’ve wanted to speak with you for some time now.”
What. “What do you mean?”
Her eyes must have betrayed her suspicions, because Sasakibe smiled.
“Most of the time, seated officers are the ones in contact with the Academy to see if there is any promising student that would fit well in our division. But a few years ago, Sawamura-sensei personally contacted me.”
A few years ago. Kaga tried to remember if she had done anything noteworthy enough to get the attention of the First Division, but other that her high grades, she couldn’t see why her former teacher would have done that.
“Why would he contact you?”
Sasakibe took a sip of his coffee, apparently in no hurry to answer. Kaga hid her grimace and did the same.
“You seem not to be aware of it, Tomioka-san, but electrical zanpakuto are rather rare. Sawamura-sensei knows this very well, and so he reached out to me.”
Kaga couldn’t keep the surprise of her face. “Truly? No one has said anything before.” Granted, it wasn’t like she had shown her shikai to anyone but her teachers and Fujimoto, but still.
Sasakibe nodded, staring at his cup.
“I must admit that when I heard of a Shinigami – a student at that – who had one, I suppose curiosity got the best of me. Fortunately, you are a good student and a good fit for the First Division. I’m glad you accepted to join us.”
“It is my honour.” was Kaga’s automatic response, even as her mind was left scrambling, analysing her situation as fast as she could.
How unexpected. She had completely forgotten about Sasakibe’s shikai – but to be fair, she had no reason to think about it until now. It hadn’t played an important role in the manga.
Sasakibe let her mull over for a few seconds before speaking again.
“As another electrical zanpakuto user, I would like to help you with your training.”
What.
Kaga blinked, unsure whether she had heard correctly, but Sasakibe merely stared at her, waiting for her answer.
A week in, and her plan to stay away from canon characters was already falling apart. Still, that whole proposal sounded a little bit hasty.
“Forgive me, Lieutenant, but wouldn’t that be favouritism? I’m just a new recruit.”
If Sasakibe was surprised by her response, he didn’t show it.
“Perhaps. But you have already achieved shikai even as a student, and it is not uncommon for seated officers to train soldiers with similar abilities. You need not to worry.”
Still sounds like favouritism to me, Kaga thought, but she nodded. It wasn’t like she could refuse the help of her lieutenant without giving one hell of an excuse – one that she didn’t have – and Sasakibe wasn’t important to the plot. At least, he had no contact with Main CharactersTM, and that was all that mattered to her.
Sasakibe didn’t smile, but he seemed more relaxed upon seeing her agreement.
“Perfect. Well then, Tomioka-san.” Sasakibe leaned on the desk, a strange, eerie glint on his eyes. “Let’s talk about what you can do.”
How ominous.
Kaga had the feeling she was going to regret this.
A few days later, she laid gasping for air in the middle of the training grounds, barely dodging her lieutenant’s sword as it came aimed at her neck. At least a few of her ribs were broken.
But she could feel the electricity in his veins, and Sandābādo’s voice had never been clearer, so she gritted her teeth and aimed her sword at Sasakibe.
“Strike, Sandābādo!” she yelled, and the lieutenant smiled.
Kaga couldn’t lay a scratch on him, but seeing his hair in disarray and his clothes dirty after using her shikai was still satisfying.
At the end of that first sparring match, Sasakibe hadn’t lost his smile, seeming strangely happy.
“Very good.” he said, making no move to help her get up from the ground, “Yes, I think you have a lot of potential.”
Kaga would have answered something polite, but she was too busy trying to keep her lungs functional as she struggled to regain her breath.
“Well then, I believe this concludes our first session.” Sasakibe said, looking up at the sky, “I already have plenty of ideas for future exercises.”
“Ominous.” she rasped from where she laid on the ground, but she couldn’t hide her smile.
To her surprise, someone sat near her, handing her a wet towel alongside a glass of water. It was a young woman, one what had graduated with Kaga though she couldn’t remember her name.
“You did well.” the girl said, eyes wide with what looked like amazement. “I’ve never seen you fight like that, even in class!”
You were with me in class? Kaga thought, surprised, but decided to keep that observation to herself. Perhaps she hadn’t paid as much attention to her classmates as she thought.
Someone else sat on her other side, and an older man with greying hair smiled down at her.
“Yes,” he agreed, handing Kaga a jug of water once she had finished her drink, “Keeping up with a lieutenant, even just for a little voice, when fresh out of the Academy is very impressive!”
Kaga smiled and tried to hide a blush. The rumours of the First Division spoke of how strict they were, almost as much as the Sixth, but for all the morning drills and her training with the lieutenant had driven her to the ground, her colleagues were all very welcoming. The older ones in particular seemed keen on keeping an eye on the new recruits.
The two helped her get up despite how dirty and sweaty she was, with the girl – called Nakano Emiko as it turned out – even helping her walk to the showers.
Yes, she mused, lying on her bed in the barracks, The First Division is a good place to be.
It took longer than Kaga thought, but after a few months in the First Division, a little get-together was organised and Kaga went to join her former classmates, curious to see how things had evolved on their side. Even though they hadn’t been very close, it felt good to leave the strict atmosphere of her division and to see some familiar faces.
Nakamura Ami had gotten her wish, having joined the Fifth Division, and she couldn’t stop talking about her Captain.
“Captain Aizen truly is amazing,” she praised, stars in her eyes, “And Lieutenant Hinamori is so kind! Some days, they barely feel like our superiors.”
Kaga frowned, fiddling with her glass. For all Sasakibe trained her, she never forgot he was her superior – it was hard to, when he kept beating her into the ground. Even without that, the way they talked about Aizen, as if he was some kind of saint rubbed her the wrong way. It was even worse when she knew that he was the exact opposite of a saint.
“That’s not necessarily good, no?”
Her voice was barely above a whisper, but Nakamura turned to her with a glare as if she had screamed.
They had never really gotten along. Kaga was willing to admit it was partly her fault – she wasn’t rude to her classmates, but besides Fujimoto who was her room-mate, she had never really bonded with any of them. Still, the sudden animosity in Nakamura’s eyes took her aback.
“Well,” Nakamura said, nose in the air as if Kaga had said something foul or stupid, “I guess it’s hard for you to imagine a kind Captain or Lieutenant since you’re in the First Division!”
A while ago, those words would have had no effect on Kaga. But for the first time in a long while, she felt a little anger burn in her chest. Slowly, she put her glass down, before turning her gaze to Nakamura.
“You speak of our Captain-Commander,” she said, voice cold as ice even as she did her best not to betray her emotions, “You should watch your tongue before someone burns it.”
A heavy silence fell. Kaga realised with a wince that she had probably ruined the party, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Nakamura irritated her – perhaps it was bad of her, but seeing someone incapable of hearing any criticism, even gentle one, got on her nerves.
“I’m going back home,” she said, standing up, “Have fun, I guess.”
She left the bar and walked into the cold night, looking up to the sky with a frown.
Well. That was a disaster.
Kaga sighed, walking away from the bar until she stood in front of a closed restaurant. She climbed on the roof, sitting down on the edge and swinging her legs in the air. To her surprise, someone soon climbed after her and sat next to her. Kaga recognized her immediately.
Fujimoto hadn’t changed, black hair tied in a high ponytail, but the uniform made her look more mature than Kaga had expected. It was strange to see her old room-mate like this.
“Finally,” she huffed, “Some time alone.”
Kaga sent her a blank look. “You weren’t even at the party. I thought I was the asocial one.”
“Oh, I was there.” Fujimoto waved her off, “Actually, I arrived just in time to see you and Nakamura fight.”
Kaga scoffed. “This wasn’t a fight. She just can’t take criticism.”
Fujimoto hummed in agreement but didn’t answer, making herself comfortable on the roof. She was holding a bunch of yakitori in her hand, and held one out to Kaga.
“Nakamura-san has always been kind of annoying.” Fujimoto noted, and Kaga couldn’t help but smirk. “She is a bit… immature? Clingy? But she isn’t a bad person.”
“I never said she was.”
A silence fell between the two, but it was far from awkward. Six years sharing a room made them appreciate those moments of quietness.
Fujimoto spoke up after a few minutes, glancing at her former classmate. “Do you like your Captain?”
What an interesting question – but with a disappointing answer.
“I haven’t seen him much,” Kaga admitted, “But Lieutenant Sasakibe has been very kind to me, helping me with my shikai.”
Fujimoto’s eyes widened before softening. Perhaps she remembered Kaga’s nightmares back when they shared a room, and her struggles when she sneaked out to train outside, but she didn’t speak of it.
“I’m glad,” she whispered, looking up at the night sky. “I haven’t seen mine much either. Some say he’s too young to be a Captain, but I think he’s doing a great job.”
Fujimoto had ended up in the Tenth Division, to Kaga’s great relief. At least the only person she was somewhat close to was in a safe place – or as safe as a military division could be.
“I’m happy for you.” she said, “Truly. I know I don’t say it a lot, but I’m glad it all worked out for you.”
Fujimoto sent her a wide-eyed look. They both knew Kaga didn’t say those kind of things often. An awkward pause passed between them, and Kaga wondered if she had been a little too honest.
“You know,” Fujimoto suddenly said, avoiding her eyes, “You can call me Yoshino. We’ve been room-mates for six years.”
Kaga blinked, caught off guard, before smiling.
“Then call me Kaga.”
In the end, this party wasn’t a complete disaster.
And so her life in the Seireitei continued, and a few years passed. It could even be called peaceful, if it weren't for the few missions she went on and her harsh training.
Until the invasion, that is.