Different Perspectives

Warning: This story is yaoi (boy x boy) if you don’t like don’t read.



AN: thx to riokali for the review and yes I’m trying to make Izuru a stronger person since I made him slightly suicidal in my last fic (X _ x). Also, I kinda thought since this is going to evolve into Kenpachi/Kira I would think that Kenpachi wouldn’t want a weak whiny person for his mate. I am going to “try” to keep Izuru as somewhat shy but going to have to see how the fic evolves hehe. Enjoy.



No Place Like Home



Chapter Four



Izuru moaned at alarms going off. Rolling out of bed and glancing around slightly confused at his location. Then he recalled. He was no longer at Keisuke-sensei’s home. He was now in the shinigami academy. Collapsing once again on the bed with a sigh, he remembered what the attractive shinigami in the office had told him the day before. “Every morning before dawn, the alarms are activated to alert students to the beginning of the day.” she had said with a smile. Rolling from his bed, Izuru grabbed a towel and walked to the communal bath to wash up for the day.



Izuru noticed several bleary eyed recruits staggering from their rooms. Izuru chuckled to himself. There was a benefit to living with a teacher. Keisuke-sensei had always awoken him before dawn every day to begin training. As time passed, he became used to it. It appeared that these sons of noblemen were not used to such early rising.



Walking into the bath, Izuru chose a stall and made quick work of his bathing. Wrapping a towel around his waist and draping a second around his neck, Izuru walked back towards his room. More students were filtering out of their rooms and Izuru could have swore he saw a red head before it disappeared again. Shaking his head, Izuru entered his room and began to dress. The uniforms of the male students of the academy were blue hakama pants and white tops, trimmed in blue. Woman wore the same design but instead of blue, their uniforms were red.



Tying on his sandals, Izuru strolled towards the meeting hall for orientation. The hall for orientation was huge. The acoustics were designed so that even the people that had to sit in the back of the auditorium would be able to hear and understand the speaker as clearly as if they were in the front row. Settling himself into a seat, Izuru patiently waited for the orientations to begin. He felt someone settle next to him and glanced over. A petite girl had settled herself next to him. Her brunette hair was pulled back into two short pigtails. She was cute and didn’t look old enough to be there.



“I hope you don’t mind. You looked like you wouldn’t bite my head off if I joined you.” she said with a smile. Her eyes gleamed with intelligence and a hint of humor. Izuru shook his head. He was somewhat grateful for the company even if it was from a stranger. Here he was, a recruit in the shinigami academy, away from everything he had known and found comfortable. It was a somewhat daunting experience.



“My name is Izuru Kira.” said Izuru offering his hand. The girl smiled and took the hand.



“Momo Hinamori.” she answered. “Hey, that patch, you are going to be in the advanced classes?” Izuru blushed and nodded. Due to his five years experience with Kidou and the recommendation from Keisuke-sensei, Izuru had been placed in the advanced studies course.



Students slowly began to filter in and soon the room was packed with the colors of blue and red. The din of conversations was loud and Izuru could barely hear Momo as she made idle conversation. Nodding his head to whatever she was saying, Izuru scanned the students. Many held an air of superiority that Izuru found distasteful. He feared that his friendships would be limited here. Perhaps Momo would continue to keep him company during their time here at the academy. An instructor walked towards the center of the room and slammed a huge book on the table. The room went silent.



“Welcome to the Soul Society Academy. Many of you wont be sitting here in five years at the graduation. The training is intense mentally and physically. You will be required to study even when you are about to drop from exhaustion. The life of a shinigami is not one of glory and recognition but is one of fighting and blood. From time to time Captains from the various divisions of the Gotei 13 will visit the academy. You will be courteous and respectful. One of those Captains will be your superior one day.” Taking a breath the instructor scanned the seats. His eyes seemed to be picking out the ones that he knew would not last the duration.



“There are four tables waiting outside. One for shinigami training, one for the advanced class, one for the Kidou corps, and one for the stealth force. Please visit the appropriate table to receive your schedule and any other pertinent information. Classes begin in an hour I suggest you be ready. Until then, dismissed.” boomed the instructor before exiting the room. The room itself erupted in excited chatter. Izuru stood and made his way out towards the table to acquire his packet. Momo trailed behind him chattering on about the academy.



“The classroom is this way.” said Momo but Izuru stopped when he heard shouting.



“How on earth did you make into the advanced class?” shouted a petite girl with short black hair at the red head from yesterday. The girl reached up to punch her fist down on his head. Izuru grinned. ‘So, the red head made it into the advanced classes. Interesting.’ Izuru thought to himself. The black haired girl looked irate.



“I’m sorry, Rukia. I didn’t do it on purpose.” groveled the red head before the girl. She had him in a grip by his tied up red hair. It was almost comedic. Izuru could tell that if the man had really wanted to get out of the grip, he could have. Izuru figured they must be good friends. The girl, Rukia, didn’t look truly mad. She was probably only disappointed that she would not be in the same classes as him. Izuru decided to leave the two to their ‘discussion’ and led Momo towards their class.



XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX



Over the next few days, Izuru was put through many rigorous tests to determine his skill level. Not only in Kidou but also in swordsmanship. He’s had moderate training before his parents had been killed but had never picked it up again since. The instructors were disappointed in his rusty skills and urged him to find sparring partners before assigning him his zanpakuto.



Izuru began the trek slowly to his room, his body aching and sore. Sitting on his bed, Izuru pulled the unadorned katana from its sheath. The blade was badly in need of polishing. Removing a sturdy rag and some sword oil from a bag, Izuru began to polish the blade. Despite the fact that the blade appeared dull, it held a extremely sharp edge and Izuru winced as his finger was sliced. Blood dripped from his cut onto the blade. For a moment, Izuru thought he felt a pulse from the blade, as if it was alive. Shaking his head, Izuru grabbed a cloth and wrapped his finger. Finishing up the polishing, Izuru carried the blade to the stand and set it down gently. Pulling back the covers, Izuru sunk into sleep.



Days turned into weeks and weeks passed into months. Izuru continued to speak with Momo from time to time but it seemed that she had found others to spend her free time with. Izuru bore her no grudge, he really hadn’t been spending his time with other people but in his studies. Standing from his seat at the desk, Izuru followed the rest of the class towards the practice fields. They had spent the first few weeks of Kidou class learning the basics. Now was time for the practical part of the course. The spell they were assigned to learn was a simple fire Kidou spell. It was, in fact, one of the first that Keisuke-sensei had taught him.



Settling himself down on the wooden floor, Izuru awaited his turn. His name was called and Izuru positioned himself, recited the incantation and fired the fireball at the target striking it dead on. The instructors and several students praised him. From the corner of his eye he saw the redhead, Renji, staring at him angrily. Izuru for the life of him couldn’t figure out what he had done to anger the redhead. Taking his seat he watched Renji stride up and take a firing stance. Renji spoke the incantation and promptly proceeded to nearly blow up the entire firing range. The red head was thrown against the back wall as his Kidou spell misfired. Several students laughed at Renji causing a blush to stain his face. Izuru glanced compassionately at his fellow student. His instructor had informed him that a lot of people were unable to master Kidou and there was no shame in it.



“Hey!” Izuru said as he trotted up to Renji later that day. Renji scowled at seeing him.



“You? Another spoiled little rich boy come to make fun of the poor kid from Rukon 78?” growled Renji before stalking off.



“No…I…” said Izuru but Renji was already gone. Sighing sadly, Izuru made his way to the dojos to practice his swordsmanship. Taking several stances, Izuru thrust and parried at several invisible enemies before collapsing on the ground with a sigh. It really was no fun without a partner. Nearly everyone else had partnered up for sparring leaving Izuru to train solo. It almost seemed hopeless that he would develop any adequate skills with the zanpakuto. Perhaps he should just transfer to the Kidou Corps.



“Giving up so easily?” came a voice. Izuru sat up and looked around. The shadows in the room had grown long as the day progressed and night fell.



“Who’s there?” asked Izuru, keeping his eyes sharp. Scanning to shadows to locate the direction of the voice.



“How soon they forget.” the voice sighed, sounding almost annoyed. A memory sparked. It couldn’t be. After so many years.



“Wa…Wabisuke?” Izuru stuttered, eyes going wide. Laugher erupted from the voice and it warmed his heart. It was him. The mysterious Wabisuke that had comforted his soul when he lay injured beside his father’s dead body. To have found him at the Academy. Perhaps he was an instructor.



“Where are you? Come out so I cant talk to you.” said Izuru, his excitement evident in his voice.



“You don’t have the right to see me yet.” the voice said with a laugh, almost as if he was teasing Izuru.



“Nani?” asked Izuru, confused. What? Why couldn’t he see him. Wabisuke laughed again. It really was amusing seeing his partner so confused. He really never understood how someone so intelligent could fail to grasp things that were beyond the normal.



“Look at your zanpakuto.” advised Wabisuke. Kira glanced down and was shocked. His zanpakuto was no longer unadorned. The guard was now shaped in a square and several elegant designs were carved into it. The grip was black and simple. The changes were subtle but they were there. Izuru gaped at the zanpakuto.



“How?” asked Kira, his voice barely a whisper. Laughter ensued again.



“You amuse me little Izuru. As a reward I will tell you a little, but you must earn the rest. And be aware that I am a harsh task master for the potential power I wield can destroy lives. Or help build them. It all depends on how you use me. I am the spirit formed in your most darkest hour. I am a part of your soul. I am the penitent one. I am Wabisuke. I am your zanpakuto. Yours and yours alone.” answered Wabisuke.



Izuru shivered as a pulse of reiatsu shivered along his spine. Glancing down at the weapon in his hand, comprehension dawned across his face. His zanpakuto had named itself. His partner for the rest of his life had finally been revealed. Running the tips of his fingers along the hilt, Izuru felt the texture of the bindings. A knock on the door brought Izuru from his admiration of the blade.



“Izuru?” said a quite voice.



“Come in Momo.” answered Izuru, his gaze still on the blade. The petite girl stepped inside.



“Izuru, I know you and Renji are not on good terms but I thought if you liked, you could join us tomorrow for a little sparring. He and I are partners but he’s so much stronger than myself. He’s also been under a lot of stress lately. His friend, Rukia, she was adopted into the Kuchiki family recently and that has been weighing hard on him. I think it would do you both good and give me a break.” smiled Momo. Izuru smiled, she was such a peace maker. He almost felt sad that she had chosen a life of battle. It didn’t seem to suit her.



“I would like that Momo. I was getting tired of sparring with myself.” Izuru said with a laugh. Momo laughed too.



“Oh, by the way, who were you talking with a moment ago?” asked Momo.



“Oh just Wabisuke.” smiled Izuru. Momo sent him an odd look. Then they both left the dojo together. Izuru escorted her to the women’s dorm and then made his way back home, his hand continuing to caress the blade the entire trip.



TBC.