Bleach: The Forgotten Captain - The Memoirs of Akari Miyazaki

Chapter 2: The Shinigami Academy

The year passed slower than any before it. About two weeks after my encounter with Kisuke Urahara, autumn began. While I spent the mornings learning how to behave like a proper noblewoman, my afternoons were dedicated to combat training. For many years, I had been preparing for the Shinigami Academy, convinced that my spiritual abilities had long been sufficient for acceptance.

However, there was a small catch: I was a SoulBorn, a soul, born in the Soul Society. On one hand, this granted me nobility, affording me numerous privileges. On the other hand, it also subjected me to a set of regulations peculiar to SoulBorn individuals. Only upon reaching the age of 16 were we allowed to independently enter the academy. If we were younger, we needed our parents' permission. What an annoyance.

Any soul residing in Rukongai with Reiatsu even half as potent as mine would be accepted immediately. Their spiritual power would harm the souls around them. Yet, I, living in Seireitei among strong souls, possessed Reiatsu that didn't affect them in the slightest. Thus, year after year, I waited for my mother's permission.

At times, I wished my energies were so immense that I would be deemed a threat even here, leaving my mother no choice but to let me go. The desire to leave behind the finishing school and become a Shinigami had grown so strong recently - I could think of nothing else.

One sunny autumn day, I ambled through the halls of the finishing school, seeking my brother. Yamachi was two years my senior and epitomized everything our family expected: pride, elegance, etiquette – in short, everything I was not.

I found him outside his classroom, engrossed in conversation with fellow peers. They all hailed from noble houses associated with ours. I recognized most faces, but only a few recognized mine.

"Yamachi, may I speak with you for a moment?" Silence followed my question. His friends gazed at me as if I had a serpent on my head. Yamachi nodded.

"Excuse me," he said softly and followed me. My attention drifted back to the gloomy-looking group. The only one with a slight grin was Byakuya Kuchiki. Our neighbor and one of the few who knew I belonged to the Miyazaki family. Moreover, he was my best friend.

Yamachi arched his eyebrows, pulling my focus back to him. "If you wish to continue living carefree, you shouldn't be so familiar with me," he murmured, and I sighed irritably. He was right, I had yearned for this. Although our mother didn't particularly approve, she could understand. She too often held no regard for the aristocracy's cumbersome conventions, but she had managed to adapt outwardly. I found it much harder to fit into these ranks. I simply couldn't comprehend why noble families clung so much to such superficialities. Secretly, I labeled them all as snobs. Even my brother, probably the biggest snob of all.

"You are my brother after all," I muttered, and he stood beside me. "Yes, and I know that. But they don't, and if you keep behaving like an elephant in a china shop, they shouldn't find out either. You know they'd analyze everything about you, from your hairstyle to your improper behavior – and all of it would reflect on our family!"

Yamachi had a way of scolding me without it feeling like scolding. I simply couldn't take him entirely seriously, and rolled my eyes. I knew he wasn't always like this. Mostly just here at school, in front of others.

"Alright, alright, I'll only approach you in dark alleys," I retorted sarcastically. Before he could admonish me again, I continued: "Any news from the Shinigami Academy?"

My question remained unanswered for a while, as if he knew something but couldn't tell me.

"I'll tell you when we're home," he muttered, and before I could utter another word, he returned to his friends.