Bleach Hereafter RPG

(pant pant)

"You know what we forgot?" said a group of three high school students, a boy and twin girls, all at the same time.

"It's the first day of school!" they said in unison once more while running towards the gate. Jiyugaoka Academy seemed to be just your average Japanese high school, and unfortunately, after their rigorous Fullbringer training just last night, Harutora King, Rei Nonagon, and Sei Nonagon, had slept in. They managed to make it back to Harutora's Western-style manor and promptly collapsed in a pile on the floor. Even though there were enough bathrooms for all of them, and Mr. Lucius King somehow had extra clothes and uniforms for the girls (in truth their parents, minus Mr. Nonagon who was never present, had anticipated a sleepover all along, and made the necessary arrangements), they were still running at least 10 minutes late.

"Sei! d20 saving throw!" the other two said as the discipline officer was closing the gate.

"On it!" Sei replied, and a ghostly d20 appeared behind her and rolled.

"12!"

"Ehhhhhhh?" came the reply right as the gate shut.

"We'll vault over the gate!" Harutora exclaimed, followed by another "Ehhhhhhh?" from the girls.

"Let's do this, then! Harutora, give me a boost!" yelled Rei, who was now in front. Harutora then cupped his hands and boosted Rei for a spectacular flying leap with a running start. Naturally, this was Reishi-boosted as well, so it looked even more spectacular. Also, there are certain issues when you boost a girl in a school uniform for a flying leap from behind, but neither of them cared about those at the moment.

Rei cleared the gate, and hit the ground running. Spectacular, given how tired they were from last night. Harutora, on the other hand, ran at the gate and flipped over it by using the top of the gate as a bar. Sei rolled a natural 20 in Persuasion and had the dumbstruck discipline officer simply open the gate for her.

"No one would believe me if I reported this, so go ahead," he said in a dejected voice.

The three of them were in Section 2-A together, and with the Foreign Literature Club's supervisor, Eisa Steinfeld-sensei, as their Homeroom teacher this term, well, there were some mixed feelings. "She's a great teacher, but we'll get in trouble for sure!"

Upon reaching the classroom:

"Sumimasen, Steinfeld-sensei!" they all said in unison while bowing.

eisa steinfeld
Tadashi Ryoga

Eisa was momentarily stunned as she regarded one of her new students, one of the first to arrive. By all appearances he seemed outwardly a normal young teenager. Cocky smile. Unkempt hair. Roguish eyes. A devil-may-care attitude to dress code. But something about him felt...familiar. She didn't need the ice-cold cross-necklace pressing against her skin to know that this boy had something more than average charisma.

The air around him was distinctly charged with spiritual potential. If this boy wasn't a fully fledged Quincy, then he was almost certainly an Echt, on the cusp of awakening.

In that moment, years of living in the material world, diligently pursuing what was meant to be a deep cover assignment, a shadow-life as a teacher, had finally achieved its true purpose.

It took her an embarrassingly long time to realise she was staring.

It was rare indeed for her to lose her composure. But it was not every day that a boy walks in to your life with the potential to change everything.

I have no time to process this. The rest of the class is arriving. I can handle...him, later. She thought, though a torrent of emotions threatened to split her thinking into thousands of frayed strands.

Blinking, she schooled her expression to well-practised stillness.

"Ohaiou, everyone. Let's wait till everyone has arrived before we formally begin." She said, to cover why she hadn't responded to numerous greetings, including, she realised with embarrassment, from the very boy she had been staring so raptly at for several long seconds.

"Don't worry about the seating plan. Just sit where you feel comfortable. And no, you can't all have the back window seat." She said, wise to both anime cliche and to the regular habits of her students.

"I see we have some returning faces. Yes, Jiro, I will be your Homeroom teacher again this year. You too, Konoha. I trust I won't be finding your discarded gum-wrappers again in my classroom?"

The familiar faces served as a welcome distraction, allowing her to more easily resume the well-worn role she had performed so often for so many years now. But the presence of another of her Kind here, itchingly close, served as a constant reminder that her role was just that. A persona, a mask she had donned, at the behest of superiors to perform her true, blood-destined duty.

A part of her had relished the act, enjoyed being Steinfeld-Sensei. A part of her wanted to believe that life, with all its wonderful mundanity, was the truest part of her.

But it wasn't. She was a Quincy, a pre-destined Soul-Killer for the Emperor of the Shadow Realm. Every night she donned the immaculate white uniform of a Leutenant in the Vorhut Brigade, a soldier schooled and disciplined from birth to be a weapon against the Unholy and Undead.

And soon, sooner than she'd like, she would have to bring that cocky, care-free teenager into the same world, and school him to become a bloody handed killer by night like her.

"Is that everyone? I believe we have a few spaces left..."

She was about to take formal register when she heard the tell-tale thundering of late students. There were always some, she thought with a wry smile. No doubt they had performed some superhuman acts to get past this year's gate guardian to be let in with nothing other than a stern lecture.

"Ah, its the King's Court." She said under her breath, recognising at once the cheery trouble-makers who had made the last school year so...enlivening. She had sworn at several points that they might have been...touched, in some way, by the Immaterial, much as she had been. But they were not Quincy, and as far as she could tell they weren't Hollow or Shinigami. If they were something else, that she had yet to catch them definitely in the act of being or doing.

For all their antics, she did rather like them, and hoped for their sake that their shenanigans were simply high spirits, and not Spirit influenced.

"I'm afraid you'll all be sat at the back this time, King. Nonagons Eins and Zwei. Welcome everyone, new and old, to your final year at Jiyugaoka Academy.
I will be your homeroom teacher, and, for those unlucky enough to be doing it, your maths teacher this year..."

She carried on past their groans. Though she acknowledged the King's Trio's late arrival, she tactfully avoided making a big deal of it, as she could see they were still quite out of breath. She would have to reprimand them later.

Still, even as her mouth spoke her practiced spiel, welcoming them, informing of school rules and news, her eyes found themselves straying to the New Boy.

I wonder where you come from? And why noone has recruited you already?

She kept her thoughts to herself, and focused on opening the business of Homeroom.

"Lastly, stay out of the Forbidden Forest, drink your milk, and don't ask whats in the Music Room on the Third Floor after Midnight." She smiled, continuing one of her running jokes.

The rule was, whoever asked first about the music room was allowed to get their arm punched by other students. "She said don't ask!" they'd all chortle.

It was a thing of hers, a little way of bonding with her students. It was dorky, mundane, but she liked to be seen as both stern and approachable. Firm, but fair. Strict but open to the right amount of silliness.

Still feeling the cold itch around her neck, she worked hard to avoid gazing too much at the newcomer.

Things are going to change, newcomer. I hope you enjoy what you can of this, because for us both, this school year is going to be anything but fun.

Tadashi Ryoga Hageshi Rekka

None of them were expecting this. With their own powers recently awakened, they could definitely feel the Reiatsu emanating from both Steinfeld-sensei and the new student she appeared to be staring at earlier. They tried to remember the telltale signs of what kind of spiritually aware entities the two were from what Harutora's father had told them.

"If they're clearly human like you, but their Reiatsu feels like the antithesis of yours, then they're Quincy. Most of the time, they'll have a silver cross somewhere on their person," Lucius King had said.

The King's Trio simultaneously gulped. They had known that Steinfeld-sensei wore a cross necklace, and the new guy's scarf was held in place by a silver cross pin as well. It was unknown, however, how a Quincy would react to a Fullbringer, and it would be considered unwise to try and find out. So moving on to other matters...

The homeroom class had entered free time. Truth be told, almost nobody messed with Harutora anymore. This was high school, and everyone had either outgrown that or had been soundly defeated by the boy. So this time around, he actually had other friends, who he promptly greeted, including one Kosei Jiro, who was now the Music Club's president, just as Harutora King now led the Foreign Literature Club. Together, they had solved the mystery of what, or rather, who, was in the the third floor music room after midnight. It was the ghost (how did Father put it? Plus?) of Saori, Kosei's best friend and love interest, who had died some time ago. Kosei had been sneaking into school after dark and taking advantage of the soundproof walls of the music room to play the piano in her presence. It was a way to cope with loss, Harutora figured.

After a few minutes, Harutora, Rei, and Sei reconvened.

"What play should we put on this year, President?" Sei asked, with a half-teasing emphasis on "president".

"Forget plays, Sei! We're the only members left this year, and they'll close the club down if we can't recruit!" said Rei. "Oi, Baka-tora, wake up!"

"...Then...we stage play...with just the three of us...*yawn..." said Harutora, still half-asleep at his desk after the exertion last night. "Le Morte d'Arthur...has only three characters...on the final scene..."

"You're right! And we can actually include the fight with Mordred, since it's just Viviane's hand in the last part and we can double up!" Rei said. "I'll be Mordred!"

"So that means I'm Arthur," said Sei. "And that means Harutora-kun is Bedivere."

"Yawn... Switch On... Airgetlam..." said Harutora, still half asleep.

The girls finally managed to wake him up, and so they walked up to Steinfeld-sensei.

"Excuse me, Sensei, we have a few questions. First, is the club budget ready? Second, what about recruitment, since the three of us are the only members left? And third, we plan to stage Le Morte d'Arthur this year, possibly to gain new members as well, is it possible to arrange this?" Harutora asked.

eisa steinfeld Tadashi Ryoga

Eisa tactfully ignored her class's descent into wild chatter as soon as her most pressing announcements were concluded. They had a few minutes to catch up on their various friendships and other things before the busy business of school truly began for them, after all.

Oh, to be young and carefree. She thought, a wan smile playing on her lips as she regarded her class with warm eyes.

Tadeshi Ryoga. That was the new boy's name. She had missed his initial introduction, but the register and his confirmation of presence had taught her his name. She didn't know where he had come from, or why he was joining Jiyugaoka in his final year. No doubt if he was of like nature to her, he had a story of some sort.

Maybe his parents had been attacked by Hollows, she thought with sympathy.

Those with spiritual resonance often found themselves on the receiving end of such cruel vicissitudes of fate. 

She thought about approaching the youngster, who seemed a little out of sorts and uncomfortable. No friends, first day at school. We've all been there.

Maybe it was knowing his true nature, or maybe it was her own ticking biological clock, but she felt a strong desire to be more than her usual professional teacher self with him. This boy needed a proper mentor, she decided. Someone who would guide them, and she was best placed to offer it.

Someday, the Reich will drill and train you and teach you how to be a soldier. But first, I hope I can guide you to being something more.

"Is there anything I can help you with, Ryoga-ku- I mean, Ryoga-san?" She said, correcting a slip with her Japanese. She often got the honorifics a little wrong, though perhaps this time her slip was more freudian than anything else.

"Maths? You are in luck. I will be your maths teacher this year, Ryoga-san. Or perhaps, if you don't mind, Herr Ryoga?" She gave him an encouraging smile.

"I apologise if I seemed out of sorts earlier. The first day of school is overwhelming for all of us, teachers too. Is there anything I can do to help put you at ease?"

After a short while, the King Trio approached her with questions about the Foreign Literature Club. She felt a small pang of conscience, remembering she had agreed to be their Supervisor after the last one had retired. Her Summer had been so busy she had forgotten about it.

"We will have to talk with the Student Council about this year's club budget. As for recruitment, I am afraid that is up to you. You will need a minimum of five members to continue operating for this year, and unless those people include people of younger years, I am afraid this might be the last year for the Foreign Literature Club." She said soothingly.

"Though If I have time, I will try to keep the love and appreciation of Parsifal alive in this Academy after you are gone. Morte D'Arthur you say? Ambitious, very ambitious. Though I would suggest confining yourselves to a reading of a single scene. The Drama Club might not appreciate your amateur theatrics intruding on their own." She half-joked.

"Say, Ryogan-san, do you have any interest in Foreign Literature? I can vouch for these three. They may be nerds, but they won't steer you wrong if you're looking for allies. Don't worry, our school allows you to be a member of a Physical Club and a Hobby Club, provided they don't overlap." She added the last as she could see that Ryoga was quite fit, in marked contrast to Harutora's own gangly shape. Perhaps Ryoga was already looking at joining one of their sports clubs?

If so, she would have to find a way to steer him into an area she had some influence over. Archery perhaps? There was a different teacher already running the school's Archery Club, but if she was going to guide this boy towards his Quincy heritage, that would be the logical place to send him. She could use her contacts and influence within the Reich to have the teacher receive a mysterious winning lottery ticket or something and take his place.


Tadashi Ryoga Hageshi Rekka

"Your name is Tadashi Ryoga, right?" Harutora asked, offering a hand to the (who was most likely a Quincy) boy who had also come to talk to Steinfeld-sensei. "My name is Harutora King, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Rei! Nice scarf you've got there!" said Rei.

"I'm...Sei..." said Sei, rather shyly.

"Anyway, we're twins, so using our family name is just gonna be pointless and confusing," added Rei.

"Well, now that introductions are in order, Ryoga-san, please allow me to tell you about literature, both local and foreign," Harutora continued. "Literature is the story, the mirror, and the very life of the culture and people it belongs to. You have said that you wish to be an archaeologist, correct? Finding and interpreting the literature of ancient times is as important as unearthing any relic or artifact, because these are the written words of how these people lived and what they believed in. The Epic of Gilgamesh, the Nibelungenlied, the Mahabharata! The Fart Joke of Uruk, the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the Iliad and the Odyssey! Did you know that virtually every ancient culture has some variation of a flood story and nobody knows why? Nobody bothered to write down where Punt, an important ally of Ancient Egypt, was, and to this day nobody knows where it is because the Ancient Egyptians thought it was too obvious to write down! Modern scientists totally ignored what the ancients DID write down, like the Ancient Roman hairstyles and how to build pyramids, until they actually started reading and found out those techniques actually worked! That's how important ancient literature is to a future archaeologist such as yourself!"

With that, Harutora took a deep breath and smiled a genuine, friendly smile, and for some reason, Rei and Sei moved to either side of him and struck a pose.

eisa steinfeld | Tadashi Ryoga

"I am afraid uniforms are mandatory dress for everyone during school hours."She replied to Ryoga kindly. "However limited personal accoutrements are allowed if appropriate. I am sure personal jewellery or accessories of sentimental or religious significance would be allowed."

Her fingers trailed idly to her own necklace, wondering if perhaps the new kid was more aware of their heritage than they seemed.

However, he didn't seem to react to the Iron cross, or to her cleavage line, so she let the King Trio and Ryoga talk for a while until the Homeroom session was complete.

As the bell signalled it was time for first period, there was the usual noisy rush for the door. Collecting her Schreibmappe work-book, she placed a firm hand on Ryoga's shoulder.

"I believe you and I have maths shortly. Don't worry, since this is your first day, I'll go easy on you." She said. The touch was calculated, both a reassuring friendly gesture and a way of confirming his power level.

There could be no mistake. He was definitely a Quincy, and no fledgling either. He had some real potential, of that she had no doubt.

"It's a pity you will be busy. Archaeology, more specifically history, is something of a passion of mine. I am sure you would find similar enthusiasts in the student body if you wanted to dedicate yourself to it in after school hours. Maybe give it some thought? I'd be happy to sponsor you if you had ambitions to make it a club here."

Perhaps she was coming on too strong. It was after all, only their first meeting. But she was keen to create a pretense to spend more time with him, and perhaps find a way to speak to him alone.

As for the King's Court...

"All right you three. Stay out of trouble. Come see me at lunch if you find some additional members for your club. There's no rush- you have until the end of the week, and if you still can't find anyone, I'll see if I can't pull a few strings to keep you out of trouble and keep you in to reading books."

With that parting quip, she hurried on to the maths class.

"Follow me, Ryoga-kun. Wouldn't want you to get lost now..."

Tadashi Ryoga Hageshi Rekka