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The Shinōreijutsuin (真央霊術院, Spiritual Arts Academy), also known as the Shinigami Academy, or Shin'ō Academy for short founded over four millenia stands tall and proud today. An institution not bound by the control of the Central 46 and thus hardly pressured by the politics that many other groups or organizations find themselves under. It is an environment where those aspiring to become Shinigami, agents of the Gotei 13, guardians of balance come to learn to hone their spiritual powers. It is also here where one finds themselves, learning which of the shinigami disciplines they favor, what areas or subjects they have an aptitude for, and where their weaknesses are. It is a hub for the nurturing of minds, and the sharpening of steel.
"Do not seek beauty in battle. Do not seek virtue in death. Do not make the mistake of considering only your own life. If you wish to protect that which you must protect, slice the enemy you must defeat from behind."
The creed or rather, the commandment ingrained in the hearts, minds and souls of every student that comes through the academy. With so many changes having undergone the Gotei 13 and Seireitei as of late, the many threats that the Soul Society has faced and perhaps will face — now, more than ever was the time to ensure the successful grooming of the next generation of soul reapers.
SQUISH SQUISH SQUISH
Classrooms are filled with students — bodies adorned in red, blue and white peppered in the many seats before their respective instructors. There were those who were sitting attentively and not so attentively, listening to the history of the Soul Society, the Seireitei and the Shinigami, touching on many of the finer points of the history of their home. Often it is said those who do not learn of or from the past are doomed to repeat its mistakes. Other classes found their lessons enclosed within a dojo styled room, it is here where they learn the art of combat by blade. As aspiring shinigami they needed to learn early on that no greater weapon in their arsenal will exist besides that of their Zanpakuto. It would be their partner, an extension of themselves, but for those who have yet to acquire an actual zanpakuto, before they could walk they needed to crawl. Entrusted with their own bokutō during class, they trained to become familiar with holding something in the shape of a sword, to become aware of its weight and the feel of swinging it. They needed to turn that object in their hands into an extension of themselves. For some it would be easy, for others it would be a thorny path.
SQUISH SQUISH SQUISH
In another portion of the academy, a designated fielded area reserved for kido usage, specifically a place for practical lessons. A short starry eyed male with a rather upbeat attitude and a pep in his step waltzes through the halls of the institution, all the way until his journey brings him to the field of waiting souls. Instructor Asahi Kajiyashiki happily greets his class, ever eager to convey his lessons, to share his knowledge with them. He presents the class with a bokken or bokutō, an act most unusual to them as they have grown accustomed to only wielding such a tool during Zanjutsu practical lessons. The confusion is quickly cleared up from Asahi’s explanation, and then the demonstration begins. Though his classes were always informative, there was something off putting about the man’s demeanor, a fact shared by many in contrast to those who found the short statured, bright and cheery man to be adorable.
SQUISH SQUISH SQUISH
”The body is the greatest specimen one can ever find. I don’t just mean the bodies of souls like you and me,ANY body. A human’s, a Hollow’s, an Arrancar’s, a Bount’s, a Quincy’s, a cat a dog, you me, it's marvelous! Each body, like a small little galaxy or world waiting to be explored! To have its secrets unlocked!”
Another classroom, and like the others it is filled with students. The voice of the one speaking, does so from the Instructor’s pedestal. His voice is unnerving, the passion in his voice regarding the topic of discussion clear and evident to those present or listening in on the lesson.
”p-Ple-ase…”
A small voice, weak, frail, desperately calling out. It was difficult to hear, barely above a whisper, as if it was requiring the person all their strength to just barely utter that single word, that single pained cry.
”What is the soul or rather..what is A soul? And I don’t mean this in some pathetic mundane attempt at a philosophical discussion. But at its core, what is a soul if not energy? Like many of the things found within the Soul Society much of our makeup is composed of reishi, and it is the amount and density of this reishi which determines not only ones shape and physical abilities, but one’s innate spiritual power as well.”
SQUISH SQUISH SQUISH
”Ple-ase…sto-”
The man’s voice continues on with his explanation. As he speaks there is the sound of squelching and sloshing accompanied by that same weak voice, still struggling to speak. Though the class is full there are no questions being asked, there are no whispers or side conversations happening. No, the entire room — filled with a putrid stench, is silent.
”What then separates your body from that of say a hollow or an Arrancar’s? Creature’s who have lost their hearts, depicted by the holes on their bodies We know Arrancar have forms akin to our own, after removing their masks to obtain powers similar to those of Shinigami. While it may be considered a weaker or rather sealed form for them, one can look at it from a different perspective. If Arrancar are the evolved form of Hollows, and Hollows are beings that were once Human souls and thus had a form not unlike the regular souls you see around you...then is it not merely the Soul of the Hollow returning to its state prior to losing its heart?”
The sound of feet pressing against the wooden floor resounds, signifying the pacing of feet back and forth. It is the instructor, lost in his own thoughts and ramblings. At this point it's become difficult to ascertain if he is truly speaking to the class or rather himself.
”Shinigami Soul, Arrancar, Bounts, Humans. When you look at them, each shares a common shape despite being considered their own individual race or species. A familiar shape, bound by a common spiritual thread so to speak. We know that Sousuke Aizen attempted to completely remove the barrier separating Shinigami and Hollows, unintentionally giving birth to what we now know as Vizards however..”
The voice pauses, his tone shifting as he brings his pacing to a halt. He says nothing for a moment before proceeding on.
”...if the different races DID share a common spiritual thread or link between them, and if we focus on the fact that the soul is composed of reishi and these shells we adopt are composed of said energy what if someone found a means of locating that single thread and could freely..pluck at it, if you will. Would it be conceivable to alter one’s Soul at will? One’s shape, size, sex...and even race, all changed and altered as easily as one would change their clothes. We know it's possible for the Soul to transform. The hollowfication of shinigami turning them into Vizards, the slaying of hollows with a Zanpakuto purifying the soul and returning it to its natural state. Then there is the transformation of a human soul into that more akin to a Shinigami through stabbing the soul cutter into the Human’s chest. The Quincy, masters of reishi have an ability that absorbs the reishi composed body and structure of living souls combining it with their own. All evidence shows that in theory, it's possible!”
The man continues his one sided conversation, leaving little room for interjection from the class, not that any of them intended to. Their faces, frozen and twisted in horror, fear, disgust. It was clear they did not wish to be there, yet they didn’t move, they didn’t leave...no, they didn’t dare to even make the attempt. In short, this man was implying or at least wondering if it would be possible for a being to choose between being a Hollow one moment, and a normal Soul the next, or perhaps becoming a Quincy. He didn’t mean a being like Ichigo Kurosaki who had existed as Quincy, Human, Shinigami, and Hollow all at once — or, rather it wasn’t exactly what he meant. Rather a balance between all aspects in one being at once, one being interchanging their spiritual and physical makeup on a whim, altering their identity completely from little more than a thought.
”Please...please..just...kill me.”
The voice, this time louder, clearer calls out...and it is a request..for death? Its struggled pleads have been one for its demise.
”Oh would you stop being so rude. Can’t you see I’m attempting to broaden these halfwitted children? What will I do if all my efforts go to waste because you won’t stay silent?”
Strapped to a wooden table was a man — no, he could hardly be called such a thing now.Tears rolled ceaselessly from his eyes, foam and saliva frothing from his mouth as he stared at the man who was speaking, his captor, his tormentor. His arms were no more, they along with his legs exchanged for tentacles. His chest had been surgically opened up, flesh peeled and pinned in place to lay bare the inner workings of his mutated form. The blood soaked into the wooden table, spilling with the beating of his heart, the pumping of his lungs that refused to cease their functions.
"I told you before to save your breath. You wasted all that energy pleading..and for what? We’re still here.”
Another voice this time, this one belonging to another man also placed on a table. Unlike the first male whose arms and legs were replaced, he was completely absent of his limbs, nothing more than a head and torso. He lazily turns his head towards the speaker of the hour, flashing a warm smile. It was like that of a man having come to terms with his terminal illness. There was no fear, not anymore. Just...acceptance.
Nyuraku Kurotsuchi stares at one, then the other, then both as his eyes cross, then separate to stare in opposite directions. Blood covers the entirety of his right hand, dripping along the floor. There is a trail of splatter which covers the ground, no doubt from his handling of the bodies and his pacing during his tangent and rambling. He lets out a heavy sigh of disappointment before turning to face the class.
”I ask that you all forgive my volunteers here. I know, they’re not the greatest of specimens and there is little excuse for their disruptive behavior. I sincerely hope that you can look past the quality of the subjects and focus on the lessons I am imparting on you.”
He offers his genuine apology to the horrified students. They were unprepared for the horrors they had seen today. Nyuraku was not their scheduled instructor, in fact he was no instructor at all. A shut-in, and member of the Twelfth Division and Research and Development Institute, the scientist found himself taking over the class in hopes of gaining the favor of the new Commander. Kurotsuchi was greatly troubled when learning that Commander Murasaki was imprisoned once more in the Muken, beyond his reach. The only reprieve he found was learning that former Head Lieutenant Oki was considered a fugitive. No greater joy was there, knowing that the woman who had blocked him at every hand from obtaining the genetic material he needed was gone and could no longer impede his research. Everything would be better now, no more would he suffer rejections in his pursuit of glory and discovery — that is until he met the new Head Lieutenant, Fuyuko Kasumi. The woman proved to be just as much a thorn in his side as that troublesome Oki, if not a greater one.
Again, his path towards Kagayaki’s body was blocked. Several times he had thought of confiding in and requesting the aid of his (unrequited) good friend Captain Nakamoto...but no. He couldn’t trouble his companion, though they were surely the closest of friends, bound together by their good looks and the envy of all others, this was something he needed to do himself. That is how he came up with the idea of helping the Academy part time. Surely if it was known he had helped produce splendid meatshields and specimens, he would be justly rewarded. Thus, the classroom of an instructor was commandeered, the actual instructor’s whereabouts currently unknown.
Preparing to continue on with his theory when the entire Academy shakes abruptly. The frozen students finally move, jolting slightly from the sudden phenomenon. Coupled with the fear of this stranger’s presentation, they nearly fell over in panic.
The sound of clacking and tapping is heard when a bug-like robotic creature scales the podium, coming to a halt only once it reaches the top. A single lens on the front acts as its eye, opening and closing like a camera shutter, as if the creature was blinking. There is a beam that shoots from a second lens fixed on its back like a projector, that single that expands out in a bluish glow. A multitude of lights are displayed, spiraling in various directions, glowing points appearing on each ring. Nyuraku stares silently at the holo projection, saying nothing to the class, offering no explanation to what is being displayed, or what the colors or points represent. He brings his blood covered hand up to his chin, stroking it, inadvertently smearing the blood on his face as he ponders.
”We’ll end the lesson here for today. Think about all I’ve said, oh and don’t forget to purchase and order your own bottle of Kurosheen!”
The projection ends as the creature scurries down off the podium. Plugging in his shameless advertising, the scientist grips the tables holding his specimens, wheeling them out the classroom and down the hall. It is only once he is gone that the students collapse, their hands and bodies shaking from the psychological ordeal they’ve just been placed in. They hoped that no matter what, that man would not be allowed back there again, others also wondering about the whereabouts of their actual instructor, some fearing the worst. Whatever the case
This academy day was one they’d never forget.