Graduation and the Future

This story, Graduation and the Future, is the beginning of a series of short-stories that will bridge the sixteen-year gap between Part II and Part III. Itazura Kori remains the main point-of-view character, with other characters making their debuts in preparation for Part III, such as Hawke Kori, who also is a point-of-view character.

Somehow he thought that graduation would be something… more. A hundred or more people surrounded him, so the room was full nearly to bursting. Yet in this crowded room Itazura felt alone. These weren’t his friends. To him they were nearly a mixture of different faces. Some he knew, others he didn’t. Some he’d called friend once while others he loathed. Six years in the academy. It was a long time for anyone with his thirst for adventure and excitement. To him the institution known as the Spiritual Arts Academy was a gilded cage, just like the Royal Palace of Heisekai had been.

He kicked off the wall he’d been leaning on and walked towards the one deserted corner. On the way he brushed shoulders with idiots and clowns, most of whom hated his guts, even though he’d done nothing more but best them in every sparring session they’d ever had. Others tried to strike up a conversation with him, though he promptly ignored them. For the girls he gave a pleasant smile but still he didn’t slow. Once he reached the seclusion he sought so desperately he sighed and began to lean.

Sometimes it was the small things in life that really made the difference.

He watched the proceedings alone. Their instructors lined a raised dais which gave them a clear view of the entire room. Soon the congratulations would be said and the former students would proceed to meet with various representatives of the thirteen divisions of the Gotei. Once that was finished the day was theirs! Oh how he longed for that moment. He missed Serena. And of course thinking about her didn’t help. But then it wasn’t exactly his fault memories of her delicate features and hourglass figure haunted his mind. It was hers for being so damn attractive.

‘Told you we’d find him here,’ a feminine voice he recognized said to his right.

He turned to regard a red-haired beauty with big red eyes, long unbound hair. She was short and petite with a face he’d once dreamed of kissing. Truth be told he still did sometimes. She wore a white kosode and an eye-catching red kosode – the standard uniform of the academy student. The dress was echoed in every girl in the room. The males wore similar garb, only their hakama where blue instead of red. Each uniform had the academy badge emblazoned on the breast.

‘So you did,’ her male companion replied.

He was a feminine youth with long purplish hair and a lanky physique. Not exactly the strongest individual he’d ever fought against, but when it came to speed and Kidō few rivalled him. He wore his kosode open to his the top of his chest.

‘Fox, Yuri,’ he greeted with a personal two-fingered salute. ‘I thought you two’d be mingling.’

‘We where right up until Fox saw you all on your lonesome,’ Yuri jibed. ‘She nearly ran clean over the top of me to keep you company.’

Oh? He sensed an opportunity and Itazura was way too mischievous to let opportunities like this slip him by. Turning he faced a flushed Fox. ‘I’m flattered you care so much,’ he began, taking her hands in his.

‘Aren’t you in a committed relationship?’ Another male voice cut in.

Itazura sighed and turned to regard the speaker. Tall, handsome, and popular besides, Heiwajima Taira was what everyone in the academy wanted to be. He was noble, selfless, and encouraging. Most just failed to mention he’d been born with a silver spoon rammed up his asshole. He had neatly combed black hair, was well-dressed with a cape draped over his right shoulder, and projected an aura of calm and nobility.

‘Hei,’ Itazura greeted him with his nickname and a firm handshake. ‘As usual, my dear friend, your timing is piss.’

‘And, as usual, I find you to be ill-bred. Only vagabonds are crud before a lady.’ See the silver spoon? Of course Fox beamed form ear-to-ear. Itazura, though, merely narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists, readying himself to strike.

Yuri was faster though. ‘Okay, okay,’ he interjected, now between them. ‘Do you two remember the last time you two had a disagreement?’ That was a good day. Hei had been taken down a few pegs, though Itazura had been reprimanded by various instructors, and was grounded by his parents for by. But still hitting Hei in the mouth had been worth it. ‘Calm down,’

Turning Itazura watched the remainder of the graduation mostly in silence. Yuri, Fox and Hei talked amongst themselves and he made a remark here and then about their choice of topic, but generally he kept himself apart. The former students where now making their way to discuss matters with the division representatives. Each of his friends left him standing alone against the wall, where he was happy to be left. He knew what division he wanted to join. The problem was his first choice didn’t exactly benefit the Gotei 13 any. The only organization he wanted to join was Heisekai’s Shuuten, specifically the second division, with Fujimoto Nakamura as his Captain-General. But his mother had been quick to say what she thought of that. He’d join the seventh or the eleventh, and that was to be the end of the discussion. Or so she hoped.

‘Everyone means everyone, young Kori. Yes, even you,’ the man was a member of the eleventh division Itazura loathed. The man was an utter eccentric. Though much of his hatred came from the fact the bald-headed idiot in-front of him reminded him of Toshie.

‘Go bugger yourself, Hairless,’ these past six years hadn’t been the best of his life. He pushed off the wall and walked past the tall thin man, who reached out to stop him. Itazura did so and turned his head ever-so-slightly. ‘I remember what happened the last time you did something like this,’ so did half of the eleventh division. They might have been combat specialists but Itazura was a sure-hand with a blade, trained by Garian Shinjo personally. The truth of the matter was that he could cross blades with most seated officers at present. This man wasn’t even seated. ‘Take your hand off me.’

‘You need to learn some manners, Jinkai.’ The name was a Heisekian slur meaning “trash” or “rubbish”, and was often applied to dropout students. Did this hairless hamster have a death wish or something? Oh well. He was warned.

Itazura back-stepped and brought his left elbow back, which Hairless caught in his palm. ‘That all, Jinkai?’ Using the mans palm as a brace Itazura spun and brought his other arm free of Hairless’ grip, where he smashed him across the jaw with a backhander! Seconds following he was pinned against the wall, forearm jammed into his windpipe.

‘Now, we’ve got what I’d call a situation here,’ Itazura said. ‘I can think of a few ways to resolve it, though the ones I’m running through my head right now work well for only one of us, and it isn’t you.’ Hairless struggled so Itazura brought his knee up into his stomach. ‘Stop squirming, Hairless. Or I’ll make you Toothless too. Now,’ he moderated his tone, ‘I’m going to let you down. You’re going to walk away, and no one will be any the wiser. Agreed?’ Hairless nodded. ‘Good. Now get out of my sight.’

He didn’t think it possible. His day turned out better than he’d thought it would. The boring talk with the representative of the seventh and eleventh divisions was time-consuming and annoying sure, but the day was his when it was done and dusted. How he loved the sound of that! He practically skipped from the hall. He passed an outer courtyard with blooming cherry blossom trees overlooking a small lake. He stripped and dove in head-first.

‘You’re so predictable,’ he looked up to see his sister, Mariko, stripping down to a bikini. He splashed water at her, a motion she soon turned on him after jumping in. ‘I saw what happened in the hall. What if mother and father find out about that?’

‘You really think Hairless will admit to getting trounced by me again? No, they won’t find out,’ he was going to make sure of that later. ‘Besides, he had it coming. He shouldn’t have insulted me.’

‘You shouldn’t have been baited,’ she floated on the surface of the water on her back, so for badness he pushed her head underwater. When she surfaced she narrowed her eyes at him as he swam quietly away. ‘See? You’re too easy baited nowadays.’

‘Whatever,’ a clear sign she had a point and that he didn’t have a comeback.

Brother and sister swam lazily as the sun shone in the heavens. There wasn’t any wind so the day was blisteringly warm. The water helped cool them, but the sun would soon heat it, too. Before that happened they got our, dried themselves off in the heat, and finally dressed again.

‘Why can’t anything interesting happen around here? Ever since Kusaka killed Averian, this place has been dead.’

‘Don’t complain,’ Mariko slapped him in the back of the head. She didn’t hold back either. ‘Kusaka lost a lot to do what he did.’

He kept his mouth shut. There was no talking to his sister anymore. Or maybe it was he who’d changed? Sometimes he wasn’t sure anymore. Six years ago he had helped prevent a civil war in Heisekai. Then he’d been approachable. Heck even likable. Now he was thick tempered and liked starting fights, shouting taunts, and making everyone’s life a misery. It was some transformation. Sometimes he didn’t recognize himself anymore. When he looked in the mirror he didn’t like what he saw anymore.

‘There you go… spacing out again. Why don’t you ever tell me anything anymore?’ He stopped to look at his sister. She looked saddened, which surprised him. Mariko was never sad. She was angry, annoying, and overly protective, yes. She was never sad. ‘It’s happened gradually, but ever since we came back from Heisekai, you’ve turned into a different person! You skip meals, we hardly ever talk anymore and you’re always off looking for the next adventure.’

‘Well, that’s… I’m only…’

‘Excuses again? No more. That is enough, Itazura!’ She stalked off.

Huh. It wasn’t often he was left speechless. Putting Hairless in his place had put him in a good mood. Now he felt like shit. It was truly a fucking marvelous day. ‘… Goddamn it…’ he’d hear about this again. No way was Mariko finished. And when she went home the question would arise: why do you have a face like thunder? Did something happen? His name would be mentioned, which would then be summed up to arrive at the answer: Itazura’s temper. So in addition to feeling like shit he’d get an earful for his trouble? Not bloody likely! Not on his watch. ‘Sometimes I think I should’ve stayed in Heisekai…’

His travels took him to the barracks of the seventh division where he hoped to find his uncle, Shin. He always knew what to do. He was a known visitor and was thus granted entry to his private room without any hassle. The second he entered he found the man he sought: Shin Nagakura. Despite being a Captain of the Gotei 13, duty wasn’t exactly a concept Shin valued highly. He was lazy and disinterested in most things occurring around him, yet he was smart enough to make most geniuses appear dumb. He was unshaven, wore his brown hair in a messy fashion, and wore a casual summer kimono he’d probably gone to sleep in.

‘I thought I’d see you today, Zura. Mariko wasn’t too happy, was she?’ Shin greeted with a knowing smile. ‘Come in and shut the door. You and I need to have a little chat.’ Seeing his uncle this serious took him by surprise, but he did as he was bid. ‘Your attitude sucks.’

HA! Like Shin was one to talk. ‘… You aren’t the first to say that to me,’

Anger flared in his eyes. ‘But I’m going to be the last. Knocking out your fellow students in training just to vent steam- oh! Did you think I didn’t know about that? – picking fights with members of the Gotei 13, and oh! How could I forget? Busting up stalls in the Rukongai because prices where too high? Tell me this: What the hell do you think you’re doing, Zura?’

Itazura didn’t know what to say. For the second time today he was speechless.

‘I admit,’ Shin continued with less anger, ‘it hasn’t been easy these last six years. You got a taste for adventure, the thrill of the hunt, and the ecstasy of surviving combat. You and your father are more alike than you think. Did you know he used to act the same? You wanna know who beat it out of him?’

‘… You?’ Somehow he didn’t think so though.

‘I wish. It was Garian Shinjo,’ Shin provided. ‘Glad I decided to handle this myself? You’re welcome. Now, things are going to change, Zura. You argue with your sister, get into fights, and make a first-grade ass of yourself while you’re at it. It’s breaking your mother’s heart, and that’s one thing I can’t stand. So you and I are going to make an arrangement.’ Itazura raised his head, ashamed. ‘You make a committed effort to change… and I don’t tell your mother about your fight with Hairless. And before you start, I have my ways of knowing these things. Mariko wasn’t here.’

‘… I’ve got some thinking to do,’ he got to his feet. ‘Thanks, Shin. I needed that.’

‘No worries. Now get out of here. I’ve got some dreaming to catch up on.’

Next Story > Learning the Trade.