A New Experience [Private]

Her feet moved swiftly through the narrow streets of the city, she had been there less than an hour and it was already obvious that the teachers had more planned for the students than they had originally lead on. 'So much for a celebratory break.' She thought as she pulled out her zanpakutō once again, her body flying forward as she continued to track the beast. This was what she had been training for, the extraction of monsters for the betterment of mankind.

Was it such a ridiculous thought that the Soul Society would let them have a day off? Finals were starting soon and each class, each lesson, each moment at the Academy had been spent preparing for them. When she had been offered to be allowed a trip into the world of the living, she had assumed that they would be allowed some time to themselves. Observe a class, find a spirit, see the town, but that didn't seem to be the plan at all. No, they had thought that they would take this "Trip" and make an assignment out of it. Sending a few fake low-level hollows for the students to take care of.

Quickly bringing herself to a halt, her eyes scanned the street as she tried to find any trace the hollow might have left behind. 'There's always something. There has to be something.' She thought as she closed her eyes, trying to pick up on any abnormal spiritual pressure. Feeling a point, she took off once again, winding herself through the streets, passing a number of humans who didn't even realize she was there. "You can't be serious." Her voice was faint as she looked upon the building that the pressure had led her to. It was a school and sitting along the wall was the hollow, there weren't many humans around, but by the looks of it, any damage done in this area wouldn't go unnoticed.

'Engulfed by the need of want come closer.' Focusing on the thing before her, she chanted in her head. "Hado #2: Reel!" Her voice was an intense whisper as she waited a moment for it to come closer. As it came into attacking distance, she took off towards the building as fast as she could. Purhing herself foward as she swung her zanpakutō through the mask on it's skull. 'Three.' She thought as she watched it shatter into tiny pieces, returning her weapon the the sheath that was attached to a sash along her waist.

Earlier in the day, James had been asked to stay clear of handling any weaker hollows because Shinigami were running a test for their soon to be new reapers. Reluctantly he just nodded and smiled putting his own distrust of reapers aside for education of a new generation. Now he was simply staying ground side watching one of the so called weaker hollows just stand there across the street as he waited to judge the student’s performance, while idly sipping a cup of cheap coffee he had bought down the street.

When he saw the monster suddenly get pulled toward the roof above him he knew the beast was done for as he turned into the building to make his way toward the roof, letting his own primal energy flow free. Though it dawned on him about halfway up that it may not be the brightest of moves he ever made, to an untrained reaper my energy may be mistaken for a hollow, if so I may be attacked unknowingly. With that thought he slid his other hand inside his duster to make sure Clarent was clear in its scabbard before he stepped out of the stairwell and onto the roof his coffee still in hand and his free hand back in the pocket of his duster.

The female reaper on the roof was rather child-like in stature but James knew better than to judge appearance with age when it came to souls. Still he smiled and held his coffee up in a mock toast to the reaper. “Very well done little reaper tactful and efficient…not as fun to watch but it gets the job done with the minimal amount of work so you have more energy. That type of fighting will greatly benefit you in a battle where you are outnumbered 5 to 1.”

At the sound of an unfamiliar voice, her head perked up to see who was addressing her. She had been told that there was quite the amount of people who resided in this town that would be able to detect her spiritual pressure, most could only feel her presence, but some could actually see her. What she hadn’t realized was that of the percent that could see her; an even smaller percent of them had to know what she was. Of that percentage an even smaller percent might actually acknowledge her. This one belonged to that last group.

‘He must’ve caused the shift in energy I felt a moment ago.’ She thought as she looked at him. She had thought he was a hollow, had even contemplated chasing after him when she was done, but the power she felt had come and gone so suddenly. “If you know what I am, then you must know that it’s not supposed to be entertaining.” Her voice held a tinge of sarcasm within it. Her eyes shifted to the place where it had shattered. “A show wouldn’t really be possible with that one anyway.” She paused a moment in thought. "Maybe a comedy. . . A really bad one." Her voice was a bit softer. What she had said was completely true, these hollows were a joke, if the Soul Society wanted to test out how students would stand against a hollow, than they could’ve sent things that were a bit stronger.

Turning her gaze back to the man, she tried to sense how much power he had. If he was indeed the thing she had felt earlier, than he held at least the same amount of power she did, if not more. ‘A spar with him could be interesting.’ It was nothing more than a thought, she didn’t know his fighting style, she didn’t know what he was capable of, and she wasn’t even supposed to be talking to him. “I should go. You look like your talking to yourself and I need to find more of those things.” Her voice was nonchalant, she was there on society orders and while she didn’t agree with the assignment; it was still hers.

James smiled as he set down his coffee on the ground after taking a last sip from it, “You know if I were you miss; I wouldn’t leave just yet.” He spoke up a hint of delight in his voice, “You may have killed a weakling hollow, but you see I am a teacher as well and you have yet to pass my test.” He spoke a little annoyed at being ignored for the most part.

Shrugging out of his jacket James folded it neatly and placed it beside his coffee, “Besides how would it look if a student like you brought in one of the enemies of the Soul Society?” He chided hoping to keep the reaper’s attention. Reaching towards the blade at his hip and slowly drew it, Clarent slid from its sheath with a menacing hiss ringing through the still air. “Come little reaper cross blades with an old man, it’s not like you have anything to lose…I won’t kill you but if you can beat me I won’t run at the first chance I get.” Though I didn’t say anything about the second or third chance.

Holding Clarent in one hand his other in his pocket he smirked, raising the blade over his head, James’ aura blazed around him mixing white with Clarent’s own orange. Two inches to the left and a little low. He took aim and threw the blade toward the reaper knowing he would miss her but hopefully it would scare her into fighting him. “If you don’t fight reaper you will die…”

Her work at the university was done, or at least that was what she had thought. Turning to leave, she paused for a moment at the sound of the man’s voice. From the sound of it, he wasn’t exactly happy with her; at best one could say he was amused. ‘Test? Is this a joke?’ A look of confusion crossed the girl’s face for a moment as she tried to understand what he was saying. Hearing him move behind her, her head turned just a bit as she continued to listen to what he was saying, feeling his Spiritual Pressure change, he had been the one she had felt just moments ago. ‘It would look foolish and idiotic. Going against a known enemy by myself at my level could never be considered a good move.’ Her head turned back to face him, watching him draw his weapon.

With her hand automatically reaching for her zanpakutô, she turned so that she would face him directly. Taking a step to the right, she glanced at the weapon as it hit the ground beside her. “You don’t seem like the type of person who would kill another for a reason as simple as affiliation.” Her voice held a hint of skepticism, but anyone listening could tell that the opportunity enticed her. ‘It’s obvious that he has power, but I can’t be using my time like this, even if the other option are weakling hollows that won’t actually do anything.’ It wasn’t the first time her mind had decided to betray her desires. Turning her gaze back to the man, she focused on all the binding kidô she knew, if she could restrain him, than she could get back to her assignment.

Focusing her energy into her right hand, she tried to analyze the man in front of her. He didn’t look much older than herself, but looks weren’t reliable. “If you don’t mind me asking, why are you bothering with this?” The answer to this question was one that she was interested in, but she asked it for other purposes. A distracted opponent is easier to fight off, even if the distraction is miniscule it might be able to turn the entire fight. Pushing her hand out in front of her, her eyes fell directly on his chest. “Bakudo #4: Hainawa.” Her voice was strong as a line of energy shot from her hand, headed directly towards the man. She was young and inexperienced in fighting humans, but it couldn’t possibly be that different than sparring with a classmate. . . Could it?

James frowned hearing the young female reaper’s question, “I am doing this for two reasons, I respect those who wish to learn. Even if I don’t get along with reapers those who are students in any school are those I respect. As a teacher to all I teach everyone regardless of the fact that they be enemy or ally.” He frowned as the little reaper tried to entangle him with a rope of energy, as he grabbed the rope like a snake he let his own energy pour through it watching it shred itself into pieces.

“Don’t you know it is rude to attack while a person is talking? I am not even armed.” Reaching out his arm towards the sword he extended his aura towards Clarent. The sword reacted immediately as it flew to his outstretched hand. Its aura blazed bright as it picked up on his intent for a fight, “Now how about you stop the cheap tricks little reaper and attack like you mean to kill me. Like I am sure I stated before if you capture me I am sure your professor will admit you directly to a squad of your choosing.” James spun the blade in his palm as he waited for the girl to make her move.

Her eyes widened as she saw the man grab her kidō, his reiatsu causing it to tear into tiny pieces. His power had a strange feel to it, she had never felt the power a human could possess and it was obvious that this man was stronger than he was leading on. ‘If I leave, he’ll find me and kill me.’ Her eyes flickered at the thought of running, though she knew she would never act upon it. She hadn’t come here to die. The fact that her pride would never let her run away from a fight also a leading factor. “It doesn’t matter what squad I go in to.” Her voice was nonchalant. She really didn’t mind which one she went into, she wasn’t talented enough in any area to specialize. In all truth, she would take any squad she could get. Even though she was graduating early, she had struggled through most of her classes, spending countless hours studying what seemed to come naturally to everyone else.

‘He’s an enemy of the Soul Society and as such I have a duty to at least try and take him down.’ Her thoughts were scattered. The man had done nothing to her, but an enemy of the Soul Society was an enemy of hers as well wasn’t it? Pushing herself forward, she rushed towards the man with the strange power and the stranger personality. When she was within a couple feet of the man, she ducked towards the opposite side of his sword her hand reaching out as if to touch the bottom of his leg. “Demons below, limit the one before me in your arts.” Her words were both quick and quiet as she spewed them from her lips. She needed an even playing field, and this was the only way she could even dream of getting one. “Bakudō #2: Hanko-Nensho.”