Beyond The Eternity

Chapter 6 - The Academy

The soft yet firm flutter of wings graced vibrant skies. Soaring high above towering gates, a flock of birds rose with the sun. Not too long ago, she had been up there too, dangling from a stranger's waist midair in bloodied and battered clothes.

Standing to the side of a hallway flooded with passing students, Karin registered the familiar brunette standing in front of her. Her words were full of glee while she explained the ins and outs of student life.

" -I know that was a lot, but if you have any questions, shoot them my way!"

At that, Karin set her sights on the gates bordering the campus, " Actually...I am curious about something." She gestured to the distance, " There seems to be a lot of security around here. Is it hard to leave campus?"

At every entrance stood guards at strict attention, their gazes unrelenting as they monitored each passageway. Chiyo seemed unfazed by the sight and promptly answered.

" Well...as you've figured, the Seireitei is a military base as much as it's a city," She replied, " It's chill if you're going downtown or visiting home; they're only strict regarding the Gotei 13. Then, you'll need permission for that."

" Oh, I remember you mentioning the Gotei 13 the first time we met. So, where in the city are they?" Karin noted as the excitement quickly showed up on Chiyo's face.

" I'm glad you remembered! Here, this will help," Chiyo pointed to the back of Karin's handbook, her finger tracing each region of the printed map. " Surrounding us are the divisions from 1st to 13th. As you can tell, we technically live amongst them and t each of these barracks are managed by Lieutenants and Captains."

Karin studied the map with ardent determination, noting every word Chiyo said, as she honed in on one particular division - the 13th. Her conversation with the principal did not evade her mind; in fact, it was etched into her memory. She recalled vividly that this was none other than Rukia's turf.

" I see..." Karin nodded to Chiyo, jubilant fawning, " In that case, seeing them must be a common occurrence then if we live alongside them, right?"

Chiyo immediately scoffed, "Pftt! I wish!" She dawned a wistful look - one of yearning and forlorn, " I don't know what deal you struck with the devil to be able to meet Lieutenant Matsumoto, but that's basically unheard of! Unless you're in their division, meeting an officer of that rank is almost impossible. The closest you'll get to seeing them is through the Seretei Communication."

"Sereitei Communication...?"

Before she could get an answer to her question, Chiyo glanced to a nearby clock and quickly shifted gears. " We'll pick this up later. I don't want you to be late to your first ever class. Lucky for you I decided to put off on taking this course until this semester." She said, and with no time to spare, the two girls took off. Karin's mind still mulling over their conversation, she followed in quiet rumination.

~

Sprawled out onto a bench and holding onto a dorayaki, Karin took a much-needed bite from the pancake-like pastry. The scent of freshly cut grass and soft breeze kept her body grounded, though her mind stayed adrift. There wasn't much room up there anymore after having information compounded into her brain for an hour straight.

Forced to reconcile with this out-of-place feeling as the designated "new kid", Karin sat through her first class exhausted by several factors. First, she could barely understand her lecture and there a few students she overheard whispering about her. Although not negative, there was clearly talk about her grand debut and partial destruction of the campus courtyards.