Two young men clashed with their weapons. Green and sky-blue reiatsu collided and distorted the surroundings. Each of the two quickly backed off and stood facing one another while panting.
"Huff huff huff. Not bad, Yami. I love that we can go all out fighting each other."
One of the young men had a friendly smile on his face. He had spikey, raven black hair and was wearing the standard uniform of the Shinigami Academy. In his hands was a crystalline trident-like weapon that had water flowing along its body.
This was Kaien Shiba, the current head and prodigy of the Shiba Clan, one of the 5 Great Houses of Soul Society. He was known as such a prodigy, even among the noble clans, that he had the spiritual power of a low-level lieutenant when he first entered the academy. And in only 2 years, he had already reached a level that was comparable to a mid-level lieutenant.
Opposing him was a young man who was pretty much the opposite of him.
Instead of having a friendly smile on his face, the young man looked very stoic and serious. His expression was unreadable, even to the rival he had been facing for the past 2 years. He also had short black hair but it fell over his head, following the laws of gravity, unlike many other people in Soul Society.
In his hands, he had a sword that also looked very different from most zanpakuto, even for a shikai. The blade took the form of a black, executioner's sword. The blade looked like a typical western blade for the most part but the top of the blade was without a point, instead being flat. It was a sword made to only cut other beings.
It was not only his weapon and personality that was the opposite of Kaien's but also his history.
Kaien was a member of one of the biggest clans in all of Soul Society and was born silver spoon. Yami Kobayashi was different though. He was born in the Zaraki district.
For those that don't know, Sereitei is the capital of Soul Society and is prosperous while Rukongai is the area surrounding the capital which districts that range from 1-80. The lower the number of the district, the better the living conditions. Those born in the 1st district were considered pseudo-nobles and lived pretty amazing lives. It has even been stated that those born in the 60th district and up have never worn shoes before.
And the Zaraki district was the name of the 80th district.
Ever since he was old enough to walk on his own, Yami had to fight for his life on the streets. He fought for clothes, for shelter, and as a powerful soul, he also needed to fight for food. His entire life was surrounded by conflict.
It wasn't until he met a shinigami that saw his potential and brought him to the academy that Yami finally knew peace. In the academy, he thrived.
If Kaien was someone known as a prodigy even amongst nobles, then Yami was a monster that defied the limits of a commoner's fate. He was the only person in the entire school that could match Kaien.
"Again."
Kaien smiled and shook his head. His zanpakuto began to glow before transforming back into a katana. He had returned his zanpakuto to its sealed state.
"Not today. Tomorrow, we both report for duties at our new divisions. We need to get some rest."
Yami frowned but didn't argue with Kaien. It was impossible to argue with nice guys like him. Yami stored his zanpakuto on his back, not returning it to its sealed state.
Yami was one of the rare shinigami with a Constant-Active type zanpakuto where his weapon was always in shikai. These individuals were considered unique because their zanpakuto usually took on unique forms that made them have distinct fighting styles and they only needed to call out commands to instantly have an edge over opponents that had yet to release their zanpakuto.
The duo left the training grounds but were immediately surrounded by over a dozen screaming girls wearing the uniform for their school. Each of them had something in their hands. These were either letters, chocolates, flowers, or some other gift.
"Shiba-senpai! Please go out with me!"
"Shiba-senpai, you're so handsome!"
"Do you really have to graduate, senpai? You've only been here for two years. You can stay for another 4 if you want."
"She's right. Stay with us and teach us some more. Your tutoring is better than some of the teachers."
Due to his strength, good looks, and down-to-earth attitude that few nobles of his rank had, he was very popular in the school. Ever since he first entered, he would get confessed to at least once a week. And now that he was graduating, many of the other girls felt it was their last chance to try and go out with him before he met more amazing women in the Gotei 13.
While all of the girls had their attention focused on Kaien, Yami took the chance to slip away.
'Pretty boys are annoying.'
When he got back to his room, Yami jumped into bed before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep. He wanted the day to be over so that the next day would begin.
In his sleep, Yami was dreaming about the first time he saw a Shinigami and how his life had changed ever since that day.
Back then, Yami had just entered his 20s.
One night, he had just gotten done with a fight with another person his age. They were fighting over who would sleep in a box that night to shelter them from the rain. Yami had come out on top but his body was screaming in pain.
Yami was about to climb into his box when he heard screams coming from around the corner. At first, he was going to ignore them. Hearing screams of fear and pain in Zaraki was nothing new. But there were definitely too many that night.
Unable to suppress his curiosity, Yami walked around the corner. The darkness of the night and the rain made him unable to realize that the water going past his legs had been stained red. But once he turned the corner, he saw what was truly happening.
A large creature with the body of a wolf and a pure white mask was killing off anyone that got close to it. Dozens of bodies had been torn to shreds, only half eaten.
Seeing the creature reminded Yami of the stories of nobles he had heard from an old woman before.
'They eat not to fill themselves but to satisfy their desires. When they kill, it is not to protect themselves or to gain something but for desires and out of boredom. Fear a noble more than a commoner, for a commoner you can predict what they want and how they shall act. A noble is a being that will kill you for the most random of reasons.'
And the creature before him was doing exactly that. The people of Zaraki were not a threat to it. The bodies around it were not consumed all the way, instead, just chunks were taken out of them.
'Is this what a noble is?'
The creature looked up and began to stare straight at Yami. Its glowing eyes pierced through the rain and directly through Yami's soul. Yami was about to run away but his legs would not obey him. For the first time in his life, he felt true fear.
And the wolf's body began to crouch. A moment later, it pounced. Yami barely had enough time to close his eyes before the wolf would tear his head off.
But after waiting a few seconds, the pain never came.
Yami opened his eyes and the first thing he saw wasn't the beast. Instead, it was a pair of golden eyes looking at him. This person was wearing a black outfit and a white jacket over it. But the most dazzling thing about them was their smile.
"Looks like I made it just in time, kid. You alright?"
Yami stood there dazed. He couldn't believe that someone had managed to bring down a noble that easily.
"You... you killed a noble. You should run away from here. You will die if you don't. I hear shinigami hunt down anyone that harms nobles."
The person looked confused at first before smiling. They then started laughing because they had never heard anything like that before.
"Kid, you must be confused. That thing right there is not a noble. It's a Hollow. They are creatures whose souls have been corrupted due to not being purified in a timely manner. They have boundless hunger.
And as for me, I am a shinigami. Our job is to protect souls like yourself from Hollows. By the way, I am not just any shinigami but one of the 13 captains. That means I am one of the strongest beings in all of Soul Society."
Yami changed the way he looked at the person before him.
'So not only was this person a shinigami, but they also are one of the strongest ones.'
A desire welled up inside of Yami and words came out before he even realized it.
"How can I get as strong as you? How can I become a shinigami?"
The person nodded as if they had expected this question.
"You have great potential. I can tell from the reiatsu that you are leaking out that you could at least be an officer by the time to graduate. Join the academy, kid. And once you're done there, come to my 2nd Division. I'll have a place for you there."
Yami nodded. He would take this person's words to heart.
The shinigami turned around and was about to leave when Yami called out to them one more time.
"My name is Yami Kobayashi! Don't you dare forget about me! I will be sure to join the 2nd Division and you better be there when I come."
The woman turned around and a playful smile bloomed on her face.
"Good. I am Yoruichi Shihoin, current head of the Shihoin Clan, Captain of the 2nd Division, and Commander-In-Chief of the Onmitsukido."
And with those words, Yoruichi disappeared. Most people would think that they had been talking to a ghost or that they were crazy. But not Yami.
He saw the dead Hollow that was starting to disappear on both sides of him. He saw the dead bodies before him. And he knew that only one person was capable of stopping that thing.
'5 years? I'll be sure to do it in half the time!'
Yami thought arrogantly to himself. He didn't care how hard becoming a shinigami was going to be. He had a goal and he was going to accomplish it. That way, he would be able to stand by the side of the one known as Yoruichi Shihoin.
-------
The next morning, Yami got out of bed. Instead of putting on the white and blue school uniform, he was instead put on the uniform of the shinigami, the Shihakushō. Yami looked at the black outfit in the mirror before letting a small smile appear on his face.
'Let's go!'
Yami walked out of the dorm where Kaien had apparently been waiting for him. The other young man was also wearing a Shihakushō.
"Knew you would try to leave without me. I feel a bit hurt."
Yami walked past him without giving him a second glance.
"Our divisions are in opposite directions."
Kaien quickly caught up to Yami and walked by his side until they reached the front gate of the academy. There, Yami turned to the left while Kaien went to the right.
"Don't die over there. You're a pretty good rival, Yami."
"I should be warning you."
Yami and Kaien were both going to divisions that suited them the best.
Kaien was recruited to become the lieutenant of the 13th Division. This was one of the friendliest divisions and where everyone treated each other as family. Although they were known as one of the weaker divisions, no one dared to look down on them. Because they knew that provoking a single member of this was asking for the entire division to come after them.
This Division suited Kaien better than any other. And as for Yami...
Yami walked into the main meeting room of the division where there were 5 individuals. Sitting in 4 of the seats were the current captain, lieutenant, 3rd seat, and 5th seat of the 2nd Division.
The 5th seat was a youthful-looking woman of average height. She had green eyes and wore bandages over her long messy black hair that parted down in half at the small of her back. The front of her uniform was very loose, nearly letting her large breasts spill out.
The 3rd seat was a messy-looking young man with blonde hair. His uniform was covered in stains from things that Yami couldn't identify. Several of the stains were even colors that Yami did not know existed.
The lieutenant looked the weakest out of everyone present. Although he was a large man, his face made one automatically think that he was a coward.
Standing behind the captain was a young lady with short, blue hair. She was wearing the standard Onmitsukido uniform which were black clothes that were made to cling to one's body so they did not impede movement. Half her face was covered with a mask but she seemed to be looking at Yami with resentment.
And lastly was the captain. It was the same person he had seen about 2 years ago. The same golden eyes, haori, and smile. Her brown skin was flawless and her short black hair was messy giving her a lazy but playful look. Even how she sat down in her seat made her look unrefined.
But despite all of this, Yami could tell that he was no match for her. She was a monster in human form.
Yami knelt down on one knee before greeting the group.
"My name is Yami Kobayashi. I am here to join the 2nd Division and Onmitsukido."
Yoruichi smiled at Yami. She had been keeping track of him ever since their meeting and was impressed. He had grown even faster than she had expected.
"Good. You are formally appointed to both the 2nd Division as the 4th Seated Officer and to the Onmitsukido as the Corps Commander of the Executive Militia.
Let me introduce you to your fellow officers and commanders.
The 5th seat of our Divisions and Corps Commander of the Demolition Division, Kukaku Shiba.
The 3rd seat of our Division and Corps Commander of the Detention Unit, Kisuke Urahara.
My lieutenant and the 2nd seat of our Division and Corps Commander of the Patrol Corps, Marenoshin Ōmaeda.
Behind me is my vassal and disciple, Suì-Fēng. She is very capable and would have been put in command of the Executive Militia if you took any longer to graduate. She will be helping you get used to your duties over the next few months."
'So that explains the glare.'
Yami thought to himself while thinking about how difficult the next few months were going to be for him. If Suì-Fēng was mature, he was sure that they could get along. But judging from the way she had been glaring at him since he entered, it was obvious that she was far too young to be taken seriously.
Yoruichi stomped hard on the ground before standing up and pointing at herself.
"And I am Yoruichi Shihoin, current head of the Shihoin Clan, Captain of the 2nd Division, and Commander-In-Chief of the Onmitsukido. You will be under my command, Yami Kobayashi!"