PeaCe
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[1,448]
"And was it the right answer?" Dai asked, staring quite contently at Sho, the reason he had died all those years ago.
Sho looked up from the book he had been reading, it wasn't that he was being rude, but some time had passed since the two of them spoke and Dai had previously been lost in deep thought.
"Of course it was the right answer," Sho replied casually, "how often do I give the wrong answer?"
Dai let out a laugh, "Not very often, I must say. You really need to stop studying so much, take a break; relax. We might be dead but that doesn't mean we can't live a little..."
"I quite like how I spend my time, thankyou," Sho replied acidly, still not retracting his eyes from the book he was reading, "I've enjoyed virtually every bit of my time here... apart from the whole adjusting to being dead part, of course."
"Of course," Dai nodded, "but you haven't made any friends? Doesn't that bother you? Only ever talking to me?"
"Why would it bother me?" Sho asked, puzzled, "The amount of things I've learned both in Rukongai and in the academy with this virtually limitless time is fantastic. Far beyond what one could possibly hope to learn in his mortal lifetime."
"Even souls eventually grow old," Dai reminded him, "It may take many, many years... but it happens. You won't have any recollection of your past life... you know that right? No recollection... all that knowledge will eventually mean nothing."
At this point, Sho decided to lift his head from the book he'd been reading, turning his head to face Dai and staring him straight in the eyes, "Nothing? The eventual loss of my knowledge thousands of years for now... will mean nothing? By that same reasoning, the art you paint, the friendships you make... it will ALL mean nothing at your time of passing. For that very reason, how one chooses to spend their time should not be regarded as wasteful, if all memories of it will escape them in the end regardless of the choices they make. Making plenty of friends and paining for thousands of years does not change this... however there is a possibility of change that stems from research and learning."
Dai shook his head, "So what you're trying to say is that through this knowledge... you hope to learn how to preserve memories and knowledge between lives?"
"Hardly," Sho remarked, "all I was saying was that it is quite certainly possible. There are plenty of reasons such things shouldn't be done either way. For instance, it would be quite worrying to see newborn children having memories from thousands of years earlier; I can only imagine what the parents would think."
Dai chuckled, "Humour from you Sho?" he asked, surprised, "Well that certainly is unusual," he added mockingly.
"What was the reason you came around again?" Sho asked, "you were about to ask me, but you went horribly off track several hours ago."
Dai grinned, "Oh right, right; are you ready for the big test tomorrow?"
Sho nodded, "I didn't quite catch what the instructor said as we were leaving though. I do know it's the final test... but is it a written one?"
Dai shook his head, "You wish it was a written test," he grinned once more, "Practical, through and through."
"This complicates things..." Sho remarked, standing up and grabbing his Zanpakutou.
"For you maybe. I can take anything they throw at me and most others... hell, I bet if Ma"”"
""”Don't mention that name," Sho added, strong strains of guilt in his voice, "I may have worked things out with you... but not her... we don't even know where"”"
""”No, you haven't completely worked things out with me. You were the reason I died after all, I can't ever completely forget that happened."
"...Oh just shut up," Sho remarked with a sigh, "What does the test involve?"
"Defeating a hollow."
"Oh, that doesn't sound too bad. We've done that before... pretty pathetic test in that case if you ask me."
"No, it's not a group task. Nor is the hollow as weak as the one we faced..."
Sho shot Dai a slightly worried look, "So wait... you're saying that this thing is tougher than the one we faced... as a GROUP?"
Dai nodded, "Pretty much, yeah. The sum of all our training and practice comes down to this."
"Damn!" Sho shouted, "I'm not feeling very confident right now..."
"Why?" Dai asked, "You're one of the best Kidou users in our class... and you're not half bad with your Zanpaktou..."
"...We'll have to see."
***
"Noboru Sho!" the teacher cried out, indicating who was next.
A few snickers could be heard, most of the students doubting his combat ability, and rightfully so. Most of his combat inability could be pointed out as his lack of motivation for learning to fight. While he certainly knew his Kidou better than most other students and his skill with the Zanpaktou was progressing steadily, Sho considered these only necessary to the point of becoming a Shinigami and using the knowledge available to them for his own advancement.
Sho watched as the Hollow was released and the battle began almost immediately. Rushing at the hulking creature, Sho leapt into the air, swinging his sword down in an attempt to slice its mask apart and end this battle prematurely. This was to no avail, with the Hollow swinging his arm and sending Sho flying into the wall.
His classmates cheered, however they were quickly hushed by angered instructor.
Dai shook his head in embarrassment; a direct approach by someone like Sho was probably the last thing that was recommended; had he not been watching how most of the others had passed the test?
Sho got to his feet slowly, realising that his Zanpakutou would only help him when it came to finishing the Hollow, for the weakening phase, he'd need to use the Kidou he'd learned.
"Under the celestial ruby, shall my voice roar like"”"
His classmates once again viciously cheered as Sho was cut short attempting to use his Kidou, the Hollow rushing forward and grabbing him, throwing him against another wall; toying with him.
Sho looked up and noticed Dai shaking his head, this did little to support him, and he noticed various female Shinigami giggling amongst the crowd of his classmates. This angered him beyond belief and he hauled his blood-stained body upright once more.
"Under the celestial ruby, shall my voice," the Hollow lunged at him, but Sho dodged the attack, "roar like thunder. Hadou #2 Beniikazuchi!" Sho pointed his right index finger at the Hollow and a deep, red lightning shot forth, striking the Hollow in the face and causing him to stumble back in both a mixture of pain and shock.
Sho focused, he would need more than that to defeat this Hollow.
Taking advantage of the Hollow's pain, he began again, "Spring forth from the earth, oh graven dressings. Let the Pharoh's burial commence. Bakudou #5, Mummification".
His classmates fell silent as Kidou bandages wrapped around the Hollow and restrained him. Sho rushed at the Hollow and began slashing at him with his Zanpakutou. He squatted slightly before leaping into the air, ready to slice through its head with the final blow, despite sharing the same height as the Hollow. The Hollow was not so easily disposed of. It ripped through the Kidou bandages and sent its fist flying at Sho, the young Shinigami-in-training hit the floor hard and his classmates let out a sigh.
"Looks like he's failed," shouted one of them, "Poor Sho," he remarked sarcastically.
Dai looked over and noticed his friend moving slightly, "No!" he cried, "not yet... he's still got fight left in him."
Several gasps could be heard as Sho struggled to his feet for the third, using his Zanpakutou for balance.
The Hollow looked at him and looked to say something, but it only managed a grunt and Sho let out a sigh of relief, he didn't want that sort of trouble.
Sho jumped back as the Hollow's fist crashed through the floor he'd previously been standing on, "Converge light into spaces of darkness. Hadou #4, Byakurai!"
The Hollow was hit through the chest with a powerful blast, piercing him and sending him to the floor, the first time Sho had accomplished this. Sho's classmates watched on as he sprung forward with most of the energy he had left and sent his sword slicing through the Hollow's head, killing it.
"Congratulations," his instructor said simply, loud enough for the class to hear, "...Shinigami."
"And was it the right answer?" Dai asked, staring quite contently at Sho, the reason he had died all those years ago.
Sho looked up from the book he had been reading, it wasn't that he was being rude, but some time had passed since the two of them spoke and Dai had previously been lost in deep thought.
"Of course it was the right answer," Sho replied casually, "how often do I give the wrong answer?"
Dai let out a laugh, "Not very often, I must say. You really need to stop studying so much, take a break; relax. We might be dead but that doesn't mean we can't live a little..."
"I quite like how I spend my time, thankyou," Sho replied acidly, still not retracting his eyes from the book he was reading, "I've enjoyed virtually every bit of my time here... apart from the whole adjusting to being dead part, of course."
"Of course," Dai nodded, "but you haven't made any friends? Doesn't that bother you? Only ever talking to me?"
"Why would it bother me?" Sho asked, puzzled, "The amount of things I've learned both in Rukongai and in the academy with this virtually limitless time is fantastic. Far beyond what one could possibly hope to learn in his mortal lifetime."
"Even souls eventually grow old," Dai reminded him, "It may take many, many years... but it happens. You won't have any recollection of your past life... you know that right? No recollection... all that knowledge will eventually mean nothing."
At this point, Sho decided to lift his head from the book he'd been reading, turning his head to face Dai and staring him straight in the eyes, "Nothing? The eventual loss of my knowledge thousands of years for now... will mean nothing? By that same reasoning, the art you paint, the friendships you make... it will ALL mean nothing at your time of passing. For that very reason, how one chooses to spend their time should not be regarded as wasteful, if all memories of it will escape them in the end regardless of the choices they make. Making plenty of friends and paining for thousands of years does not change this... however there is a possibility of change that stems from research and learning."
Dai shook his head, "So what you're trying to say is that through this knowledge... you hope to learn how to preserve memories and knowledge between lives?"
"Hardly," Sho remarked, "all I was saying was that it is quite certainly possible. There are plenty of reasons such things shouldn't be done either way. For instance, it would be quite worrying to see newborn children having memories from thousands of years earlier; I can only imagine what the parents would think."
Dai chuckled, "Humour from you Sho?" he asked, surprised, "Well that certainly is unusual," he added mockingly.
"What was the reason you came around again?" Sho asked, "you were about to ask me, but you went horribly off track several hours ago."
Dai grinned, "Oh right, right; are you ready for the big test tomorrow?"
Sho nodded, "I didn't quite catch what the instructor said as we were leaving though. I do know it's the final test... but is it a written one?"
Dai shook his head, "You wish it was a written test," he grinned once more, "Practical, through and through."
"This complicates things..." Sho remarked, standing up and grabbing his Zanpakutou.
"For you maybe. I can take anything they throw at me and most others... hell, I bet if Ma"”"
""”Don't mention that name," Sho added, strong strains of guilt in his voice, "I may have worked things out with you... but not her... we don't even know where"”"
""”No, you haven't completely worked things out with me. You were the reason I died after all, I can't ever completely forget that happened."
"...Oh just shut up," Sho remarked with a sigh, "What does the test involve?"
"Defeating a hollow."
"Oh, that doesn't sound too bad. We've done that before... pretty pathetic test in that case if you ask me."
"No, it's not a group task. Nor is the hollow as weak as the one we faced..."
Sho shot Dai a slightly worried look, "So wait... you're saying that this thing is tougher than the one we faced... as a GROUP?"
Dai nodded, "Pretty much, yeah. The sum of all our training and practice comes down to this."
"Damn!" Sho shouted, "I'm not feeling very confident right now..."
"Why?" Dai asked, "You're one of the best Kidou users in our class... and you're not half bad with your Zanpaktou..."
"...We'll have to see."
***
"Noboru Sho!" the teacher cried out, indicating who was next.
A few snickers could be heard, most of the students doubting his combat ability, and rightfully so. Most of his combat inability could be pointed out as his lack of motivation for learning to fight. While he certainly knew his Kidou better than most other students and his skill with the Zanpaktou was progressing steadily, Sho considered these only necessary to the point of becoming a Shinigami and using the knowledge available to them for his own advancement.
Sho watched as the Hollow was released and the battle began almost immediately. Rushing at the hulking creature, Sho leapt into the air, swinging his sword down in an attempt to slice its mask apart and end this battle prematurely. This was to no avail, with the Hollow swinging his arm and sending Sho flying into the wall.
His classmates cheered, however they were quickly hushed by angered instructor.
Dai shook his head in embarrassment; a direct approach by someone like Sho was probably the last thing that was recommended; had he not been watching how most of the others had passed the test?
Sho got to his feet slowly, realising that his Zanpakutou would only help him when it came to finishing the Hollow, for the weakening phase, he'd need to use the Kidou he'd learned.
"Under the celestial ruby, shall my voice roar like"”"
His classmates once again viciously cheered as Sho was cut short attempting to use his Kidou, the Hollow rushing forward and grabbing him, throwing him against another wall; toying with him.
Sho looked up and noticed Dai shaking his head, this did little to support him, and he noticed various female Shinigami giggling amongst the crowd of his classmates. This angered him beyond belief and he hauled his blood-stained body upright once more.
"Under the celestial ruby, shall my voice," the Hollow lunged at him, but Sho dodged the attack, "roar like thunder. Hadou #2 Beniikazuchi!" Sho pointed his right index finger at the Hollow and a deep, red lightning shot forth, striking the Hollow in the face and causing him to stumble back in both a mixture of pain and shock.
Sho focused, he would need more than that to defeat this Hollow.
Taking advantage of the Hollow's pain, he began again, "Spring forth from the earth, oh graven dressings. Let the Pharoh's burial commence. Bakudou #5, Mummification".
His classmates fell silent as Kidou bandages wrapped around the Hollow and restrained him. Sho rushed at the Hollow and began slashing at him with his Zanpakutou. He squatted slightly before leaping into the air, ready to slice through its head with the final blow, despite sharing the same height as the Hollow. The Hollow was not so easily disposed of. It ripped through the Kidou bandages and sent its fist flying at Sho, the young Shinigami-in-training hit the floor hard and his classmates let out a sigh.
"Looks like he's failed," shouted one of them, "Poor Sho," he remarked sarcastically.
Dai looked over and noticed his friend moving slightly, "No!" he cried, "not yet... he's still got fight left in him."
Several gasps could be heard as Sho struggled to his feet for the third, using his Zanpakutou for balance.
The Hollow looked at him and looked to say something, but it only managed a grunt and Sho let out a sigh of relief, he didn't want that sort of trouble.
Sho jumped back as the Hollow's fist crashed through the floor he'd previously been standing on, "Converge light into spaces of darkness. Hadou #4, Byakurai!"
The Hollow was hit through the chest with a powerful blast, piercing him and sending him to the floor, the first time Sho had accomplished this. Sho's classmates watched on as he sprung forward with most of the energy he had left and sent his sword slicing through the Hollow's head, killing it.
"Congratulations," his instructor said simply, loud enough for the class to hear, "...Shinigami."