Anzu
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The Spirit Academy was bursting with life the day after the training shinigami graduated. It was also uncharacteristically loud. On a normal day in the midst of the curriculum, the school remained relatively quiet, and special training classes were held in different areas so as not to disturb the students studying. Today, however, while the training shinigami were still in their courses, the newly graduated students were free to do as they pleased in the short break available to them before officially joining with their divisions.
Aside from the few that had decided to spend their first day of break sleeping the day away in their rooms, nearly every other graduate was out. Many were gathering socially outside the academy, talking about spending their day in Rokungai to flaunt their newly attained status. Others were sparring, or had slipped away to be with one special to them that would be joining another division in a short number of days.
Up in one of the many female communal bedrooms, Ume waited patiently for Anzu. She watched her tomboyish friend with absent eyes as she changed from her sleeping yukata into her brand new shinigami robes.
Eyeing the clothing, Ume made a face. "It looks like they gave you a boy's robes," she remarked. "It's not flattering to your figure at all."
"What figure?" Anzu retorted, her lips turning in a crooked smile. "My body just doesn't have the curves for the robes to cling to like, you know...everybody else."
Ume gave a weak laugh, then raised a clenched fist in the air. " 'One of these days! Just wait! I'm going to bloom overnight and all of the boys will say "Will someone please tell me who that beautiful woman is? I've never seen her before!" ' ," she said, trying her hardest to mimic her best friend's voice through the widening smile on her face.
Anzu's face melted into playful defeat. "Ume-chaaan, you make it sound like it's not going to happen! You'll jinx me!"
"I don't want to jinx you. Just don't get too jealous looking at my curves while you wait for yours!"
Anzu made a noise of distress. "I'm so envious, though, Ume-chan! I wish that my shinigami robes fit like yours did."
"Don't forget that you wish you could attract boys like I can, too!" Ume added gleefully.
"That, too! That, too!" Anzu whined, unable to sit still in her frustrations. "Ume-chan, you're so cruel!"
"Aww, Anzu... You know that if I get more boys than I can handle that I'll share with you."
The two of them laughed. Similar jokes poking playful fun at Anzu had been a staple of humor between the two very early in their friendship. She knew that Ume was never serious, and it did her a lot of good to not take herself so seriously all the time. Returning to jokes like this brought happy memories for them, and smiles to both faces.
"I'm going to go wash up before we leave," Anzu said, hurriedly making up her bedroll.
"Calm down your messy hair while you're in there," Ume said with a grin. "If you don't, everyone will definitely think you're a boy."
Anzu shrugged. "They would have to say 'Who is that very good looking guy walking around with the gorgeous Ume? He must be very lucky to have her by his side!' " With a vague smile, the girl disappeared through the open door.
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Anzu padded down the hallway to the washroom, passing several other open communal room doors. There were a few other stragglers left in the rooms, but most were empty, belongings cleaned up and beds made neatly.
The washroom was also empty (a small wonder, considering a number of the girls at the academy were more interested in finding a lover than their true strengths), which relaxed Anzu. Although she had spent so much time with them, she still wasn't comfortable with most of the girls around her. There was nearly always something so insincere about them that made her wary.
Pouring water into one of the basins, Anzu dipped her hands into it, rubbing them roughly against her face. Wiping the access water off on the inner white sleeve of her shinigami robe, she moved to the mirror to take a look at herself.
"Ume's right. I really do look like a mess," she murmured, combing her fingers through her short hair.
Ume... She couldn't get the girl off her mind. Their imminent parting weighed heavily on her, never leaving her. Especially when she was in Ume's presence. It took so much effort to be herself when she was already feeling so confused and alone. She wanted to spend every moment with Ume doing everything they loved together. But another part of her wanted nothing more than to cry into her shoulder.
She knew that Ume felt the same. As prideful as her sister was sometimes about being unreadable and a mystery, Anzu could see right through Ume. And Anzu loved her, all the way through.
Anzu moved back to the sink and splashed more of the cool water on her face. Behind her hands, she could feel the hot sting in her eyes.
Losing her father was the hardest thing she'd ever been through. Leaving her sister, though, would probably be harder.
------
Once Anzu had left, Ume's smile vanished from her lips, replaced with a look of deep concern. Anzu's dreams had been coming more frequently the last few weeks. Memories of the past were probably manifesting themselves in her mind as she grew more wary of her own future.
The girl lowered her head, silver blue eyes resting on her folded hands in her lap. Disquiet was flooding her senses, and she did everything that she could to keep it at bay. She and Anzu would be leaving each other soon, though. Anzu, the only close friend Ume had ever made in her many years in Rokungai.
Ume squeezed her eyes shut. They were joining different divisions. They would be able to see each other in passing, but would they ever be able to spend a whole day together again? Since the day that Takashi took the girl in, she and Anzu had always been together. Since they met, the furthest away from each other that they'd ever been was sleeping in different communal rooms here at the Spirit Academy.
Ume's face grew tense and a tear drop fell from each eye, splotching damply on her smooth knuckles. She couldn't cry. She couldn't let Anzu see her cry. They would both break, and what would they do then? Ume had to be strong for her sister. She knew that Anzu was being strong for her.
Hearing footsteps outside the doorway, Ume quickly straightened up, rubbing her damp knuckles on her black robe.
Anzu walked in, looking much more presentable than when she'd left. Eyeing her friend warily, she knelt in front of her. "Ume, are you alright...? Your eyes..."
Ume smiled brightly, but couldn't bear to meet Anzu's sight. "I just sneezed a moment ago. It was a very big sneeze, Anzu-chan. The room must be very dusty."
The concern in Anzu's face didn't go away. "We're nearly alone in this dormitory, and I didn't hear anybody sneeze," she said, eyebrows knitting.
Her sister finally met her eyes and winked, sticking out her tongue. "Then it's good that you're not joining the Hunter Killers in 12th division. You would never do them justice with your bad hearing."
"Good luck throwing an attitude like that around when you're in 3rd division!" Anzu replied quickly. "I hear the Captain of the 3rd has a temper all her own. I'll be glad when she puts you in your place."
"You'll never hear her punishment, with ears like yours," Ume retorted with a laugh.
"Maybe not, but I'll hear all about it from other members of the 3rd. Especially if, instead of yelling at you, she just uses the force of her reiatsu to make you wet yourself in front of a patient."
Anzu was laughing now, and so was Ume. Whether consciously or unconsciously, they were both glad to have evaded heartache for just a little longer as they left Anzu's shared room to make their way out into the streets of Seireitei.