"The fourth division is the medical and supply division, but while the former is by far more important, keeping Seireitei supplied with necessities is also important. We do maintain several teams for security, as well, but usually we rely on the other squads to provide the first line of protection in the field." Nojimura says as she leads you through what's recognizably a hospital wing, even if it's one that looks much nicer than any hospital you've seen.
"Why binding kido?" You ask. It's been a relaxed day so far. You met, ate lunch in a cafeteria that could have been anywhere, were it not for the various soul reapers wearing either the generic black uniform or the pink outfit of a dedicated healer, and now you're going on a tour.
"Many of our patients don't want to be our patients. I'm sure that you're aware." The officer says, and glances at you. Cut by the dry wit of her remark, you mumble something that might be an acknowledgement.
"You mentioned that you're talent scouting healers?"
"Yes. We're urgently seeking more soul reapers who are wiling and able to learn both kaido and bakudo. Isane and the captain are willing to take anyone, but really, I'd rather have one more decent healer than another ten chaff. How's your poison-drawing technique coming, Keiji?"
A black-clad soul reaper walking the other direction winces and averts his gaze. "I'm only pulling out a little blood with the poison, now."
Nojimura claps him on the shoulder and then sweep on with a quick, "Good improvement. I'll see about that thing you wanted, the fancy wine."
"It's gin. I want gin, not wine!"
"Gin, right."
You look askance at her. "Are you bribing your subordinates?"
The woman stops, turns to look you in the eye, and nods. "Yes. The captain found out that I was poisoning the ones who just sat around all day, and made me stop."
The hair on the back of your neck stands up. She was just so... factual about that. Change the subject. "So, do you get deployed to the human world often, when hollows hurt someone on patrol or something?"
"Not really. Most of the time either the reaper attacked either purifies the hollow or dies before we could get to him anyway. We are part of relief teams though -that's when a major operation sets out to cleanse a nest of hollows. Those can include dozens of soul reapers, and usually have at least a full team from the fourth division."
"That might be an issue with me joining." You admit, though it pains you. "I grew up in a clinic. My dad runs one, but even if being a healer sounds pretty nice, I don't think I can do it. The problem is that I need to visit the living world and make sure my still-living family is okay. That's why I'm here, as a soul reaper."
The officer sighs. "Damn. Why'd you have to have a good reason, Kurosaki? I can't get mad with a reason like that."
Yeah, well, if it wasn't a good reason then you wouldn't have tried to kill yourself training with Kukaku.
"You don't like to talk a lot, do you?"
You shrug. "There's not much for me to say. I'm pretty sure that not being able to get to Karakura is a deal breaker for me."
The overworked woman groans dramatically, but then perks up. "You still want to learn how to heal people though, right? If you stop by after you get a posting I'll give you a few pointers, if you'll do a few shifts for me. I'll work out the details with whoever your officer is."
You think about that. Making an agreement about something that'll happen a year from now seems kind of shaky, but don't people do that all the time? When you buy a car you agree to pay bills on it for practically forever, after all. How different is this?
"Sure, that sounds nice." You agree without hesitation. "The tour was nice, but I've got to leave. I have stuff I need to catch up on after missing a few days, and zanjutsu in a few hours."
Apparently not all of the habits you'd picked up fighting your relative were good habits. Your zanjutsu instructor is not amused.
"What do you MEAN it works for you? Do you mean that it provides a solid foundation of swordsmanship on which you can continue to build for the next several centuries?" He demands, voice hot with passion, before devolving into what you're coming to understand as one of his characteristic rants on the zanpakuto. He might have a bit of a fixation. "There's more to zanjutsu than just doing what works 'fine'. You've got to respect your zanpakuto! You've got to feel how it reacts to your moods, because it does. You might not believe it yet, but it does. When your faith breaks, your sword breaks. When your sword breaks, you're down your primary weapon. When you're unarmed, a hollow eats you!"
"What if we're hakuda experts?" A slim girl with her brown hair in a ponytail asks.
"An excellent question!" The instructor continues in a more contemplative tone. "Hand to hand fighting is a wonderful tool for hurting people and hollows, for incapacitating them without killing them, and as a backup option, but only a zanpakuto can purify a hollow on the first blow... unless you're such a hado master that you can bind an angry hollow without an incantation, in which case you're probably in the wrong class."
He snaps back to himself. "I want everybody to sit down somewhere in the garden out that window, and meditate on their zanpakuto until the lesson ends."
Meditate. Meditate... but what to meditate on? You find yourself drawn to contemplating...
[] Being able to interact with your family again, as if you were alive.
[] How you'd shove your sisters away from harm's way again in a heartbeat.
[] Achieving shikai, and getting over this roadblock in your path.
[] Hoping that your friends are coping well, with your death and all.
