Chapter 3: Lelouch Researches

(A/N: Sorry for the wait y'all, I've been updating another series for quite a while and I just found the inspiration for this one now)

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Code Geass

Lelouch's pov

Aizen brought me to the Seireitai and dumped me off at the Shino Academy. We parted ways and I just gave my obligatory thanks for the lift and for bringing me here. Afterwards I signed myself up and was given a uniform and a sword and it was not a low quality wooden or plastic replica sword either. I was given an actual, sharp edged katana. It was about four feet long and had a dirt brown, cylindrical handle. The hilt was gray and the guard was silver and circular. I was told that this would be my Zanpakuto. And let me tell you they didn't just hand it to me like they had these things in stock or something. They ripped it out from within me and that hurt...a lot. I was given a manual, a room key, an academy map and sent on my way. At least those items were taken from out of a storage bin

I used the map to find my room, entered into it and changed into my uniform. The uniform wasn't the greatest fit. The sleeves were a little baggy and the pants felt like they were falling off on me, but a tighter tying of my sash solved that problem. As I looked at the way I was dressed I had a brief recall of the Tanbata Festival I went to Suzaku with when I was a kid. That seemed like a completely different lifetime now, which it was ironically.

I fastened my Zanpakuto to my waist, following the instructions in the manual I was given and then got down to reading the thick book through. It didn't take me more than a few hours to memorize it all. Reading it taught me a great deal about the world I would be living in, but it wasn't enough so I checked out a few books from the student library and read and memorized the contents of those as well.

I learned a lot from all that reading. For starters my Zanpakuto was essentially a part of my soul. Right now it took the appearance of just a normal sword, but as I bonded with its appearance would readily change. If I bonded with it enough I would learn something called Shikai, which would allow me to unlock its special power. If I trained with it for a really long time I could learn something called Bankai. Bankai was the final form of a Zanpakuto and it took ten years to master. It was said that very few Soul Reapers ever achieved Bankai. It was a requirement if one was to become a captain and sometimes learning Bankai could prove fatal to the learner.

My research also turned up what I would learn here. Soul Reapers were masters of four basic arts. The first art, Zanjutsu was one's proficiency with their Zanpakuto. Besides just being given classes focusing on communing with one's Zanpakuto students were also taught proper form of the sword in Kendo classes where Shinai and Boken were passed out so that students wouldn't be severely hurt or injured in duels. The second art was Hakuda also known as hand to hand combat. Both this and Zanjutsu I figured would be the hardest for me to master considering my low stamina and low physical strength. The third art was called Hoho, the speed arts. This included learning an art called Shunpo, the flash step. Again it would be difficult to master given my horrible physical aptitude. The last art was called Kido, or demon arts.

Kido I figured I could be good at. It required memorization of long incantations and precise movement patterns. It also required precise focus and spirit particle, also known as reishi, usage. There were two types of Kido, Hado, the destruction arts, and Bakudo, the binding arts. All Kido was given a number from 1 to 99. The higher the number the more powerful, complex, draining the Kido was.

According to one of the books, Kido was taught rather than listed. Kido required practice in order to fully master and understand. Also there were ten Kido of each type that were forbidden to be taught. To learn it was fine, but to use these Kido was forbidden by law by the Central Forty Six because these arts were just that powerful.

The more you outlaw something, the more you're going to make people want to do it just to spite the law, I had thought when I read that particular part of the book I had been reading.

I learned more than just about the arts of Soul Reapers and also about Zanpakuto. I also learned about the organization I was training to become a part of. The Gotei 13 was the Soul Society's military organization. They were devoted to helping spirits move on to the afterlife and also purifying corrupted souls anew, sort of like how bleach can be used to remove stains from clothes. The Gotei 13 was aptly named for its 13 squads. Each squad stood for something different.

The first squad was the squad of the Captain Commander. The man who currently held that position, and had been doing so for nearly 8 and a half centuries now was a man by the name of Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto. People who were in his squad were important, or rather they were considered such by the other twelve divisions.

The second division, currently under the Captaincy of Yoruichi Shihoin, was closely connected to the widely known Onmitsukido, also called the Stealth Force. This was due to the fact that the Shihoin noble family, one of the great noble families of the Soul Society, was closely connected to the Stealth Force. Because of this, the squad readily recruited Soul Reapers with a specialization in stealth and other skills that involved being sneaky. It was almost like the squad was trying to create an entire division devoted to assassination.

The third division, currently under the guidance of Treva Hoshima, was devoted to pragmatism. According to the manual their symbol, the marigold, represented despair. They were known for getting the job done with whatever means necessary. Some squad members had gained a reputation for being cold-hearted and cruel.

The fourth division was the medical division. It had been under the guidance of Captain Restu Unohana for more than two hundred years. Not many Soul Reapers in that division saw much combat, but to be in that squad your proficiency had to be healing Kido and a want to work with others. Not my idea of doing my duty, but it sounded like an option regardless.

The fifth division was currently guided by a man by the name of Shinji Hirako. Captain Hirako's squad was devoted mainly to Kido. Interestingly enough, this was Aizen's squad. I thought a lot about joining that division after six years of hard work in the academy, but I wasn't sure about joining the same division as Aizen. Call me paranoid, but something about that guy rubbed me the wrong way.

The sixth division was a division known for two things: Soul Reapers with high proficiency in Hoho and Shunpo and that the division had had a captain who was a member of the noble Kuchiki family for quite a while now. The current head of the division was a man by the name of Ginrei Kuchiki.

The seventh division was under the guidance of a man with the odd name of Love Aikawa. The squad, for a long time now, was known for having high manpower, literally. Very few women were in that squad and most of the members of the squad, especially the high ranking ones, the lieutenant included, all were supposed to follow every male stereotype in the book according to what I read.

The eighth division was almost the opposite of that. Under the captaincy of Shunsui Kyoraku the squad was known for having a lot of laid back members, and also a lot of rather physically attractive members. Don't why it's that way, but one thing is for certain I do not want to be in that squad unless there's no other option. I am here to serve, not look good while doing it.

The ninth division sounded like the kind of division Suzaku could be in if he were here. Ninth division was led by a man by the name of Kensei Muguruma. According to what I read, the ninth division sounded more and more like your typical boot camp. You were worked like a dog and you either came out a wreck or a hardened soldier after putting in some time there.

The tenth division's captain was a woman by the name of Mari Akari. The division itself was known for accepting members with talents in all fields, but mastery of none. It was also known for having two captains, over the course of time, that were considered child prodigies that only come once every generation.

The eleventh division was the division known for having high class fighters. The squad's captain was always the current Kenpachi, in other words it was the guy who was known as the generation's most powerful warrior, one without equal. The division's members were all extremely proficient at fighting in every soul reaper art save one: Kido. Apparently the division was all about direct fighting and Kido was considered cowardly.

The twelfth division was run by Kirio Hikifune, a woman of amazing intelligence. Her squad was known for having amazing minds. Sadly, there was nothing for them to do it with. The Gotei was rather short on cutting edge technology, which surprised me considering the kind of world I came from. Then again Soul Society had the souls of the dead coming from all over the universe I guess to some it would seem a downgrade and an upgrade to others. I myself belonged to the former.

And finally the 13th Division seemed rather similar to the tenth from the information I was privy to about it. The only difference was that Captain of the 13th Division, Jushiro Ukitake, was not only a noble, but he was also stated as being more friendlier with his subordinates, like a father to his men. Captain Akari was reportedly stricter and more apathetic towards her troops.

Beyond all this I had also learned other important facts about the Gotei, like the chain of command. It went from unseated officers, to seated officers all the way up the ranks, to the captains, to the captain commander, Central 46, the Royal Guard and something called the Soul King. No details on that last power were given, just that it existed. I figured I'd have research to do as I climbed in ranks, assuming I would.

The more I read the more it seemed like captains were like human sized Knightmare Frames with how much power they were supposed to hold. I chuckled at the thought of my ability ever getting good enough for captaincy. Of course according to the handbook there were three ways to become captain. The first was to pass the captain's exam. It was an exam used to measure the potential captain's abilities and was observed by three captains, one of which must be the Head Captain himself. The second way to become captain was to be personally recommended by six captains and be approved by three of the remaining seven. To get in that way, from the sound of it, meant you either had to have a superb reputation, or be really good at sucking up to authority. Still, from reading the Gotei's history, if that had ever happened it was evident that the incompetent captains were either discharged or killed in action.

Also what I had learned was that there were three types of spirit particles: reishi, reiryoku and reiatsu. Reishi was free spirit particles in the air. Everything in the Soul Society was made of reishi. In other words all matter was also potential energy. An odd design for the afterlife, but no doubt a convenient one I suspected. Reiryoku was spiritual power, or the amount of force a soul could exert when utilizing reishi or spiritual energy. The final type, reiatsu, was spiritual pressure, this was the energy built up inside souls and were especially abundant in soul reapers. My reiatsu was what made Rangiku collapse a few times. However, according to the material I was reading, captain class reiatsu made my reiatsu the equivalent of comparing Suzaku's Lancelot with an old fashioned heavy armored tank.

There was only so much information I could be privy to at my current rank as a student. I could only learn more by becoming useful to the Gotei and becoming a full-fledged Soul Reaper. According to the guidebook training took six years normally. Of course, first I'd have to pass my entrance exam, which would be tomorrow. There was no reading material on it, which didn't surprise me. What would be the point? If you were in, you were in. If you failed, you failed. There would be no point of letting students, and potential students, have access to materials pertaining to the exam. If they did that would be cheating.

A thought in the back of my mind nagged me to use my Geass to learn more about the exam, maybe even rig it so that I would pass it no matter how badly I embarrassed myself, but I discarded the thought. I would not use my Geass ever again. It was an tool that served me well in life and corrupted me to the point where I had to make the ultimate sacrifice to wash all the blood off my hands. Even now I think some of that blood lingers. I would work hard and honestly to become a Soul Reaper. I don't know why I still had the Geass. I should've lost it. I don't want it anymore! Some would say there was a reason that I still have it, but it's a curse. A curse I would hide and go onto my next life with no one else the wiser.

The room I was given was a single person bedroom, barren of all objects save a bookshelf, which I stacked with the books I checked out of the academy library, a bed, which upon testing, was rather comfortable compared to how I had slept yesterday, and low rising wooden table with a cushion placed near it, obviously to be used for studying and doing bookwork I assumed.

It was still midday, so I decided to take a look around the area, see what the Soul Reaper life would have in store for me for the next six years. I acted like I was going to pass, but there was no guarantee I would. This was unlike taking an exam at school at Ashford. At a school you'd be taught some material, take some notes, study them and take a test based on it. This was different, I had no idea what would be expected of me in the least.

In all my years of living, never once did I feel so out of control of my own fate. Even before I had the Geass I could always make some form of prediction of my destined future, but not this time. This time I would be going in blindly. I could desire to pass the exam tomorrow with every fiber of my being, but fate did not have to be so kind. In fact I wasn't owed anything from the afterlife given my actions.

Let this be the only time I need to face such a daunting task, I thought to myself.

As I took a stroll around the area I saw students laughing, walking and talking with each other. I was reminiscent of my days in Ashford Academy. I imagined that if I passed the exam that things could be similar to how they once were.

I shook my head slowly and discarded the thought. I'm not here to make friends or socialize. I'm here to become a soldier in order to protect others too weak to protect themselves and to start anew. I will continue to wash away the blood that has stained my hands.

As I had made half a loop around premises a voice called out to me. "Worried about the exam tomorrow?"

I looked to my right where the voice had come from. Leaning against a support beam was a woman with brown eyes and long black hair tied in a ponytail. She was dressed in the regular soul reaper uniform, but was wearing a red vest, signifying her as one of the female instructors of the academy. She looked older than me. People aged slower here in the Soul Society from what I'd read, so it was impossible to tell anyone's biological age, but physically I'd say she couldn't be old than 26.

"You can tell?" I questioned.

"It's easy to tell the newcomers and the ones who are worried," she said with a smug smile and her arms folded, "Their spiritual pressure leaks everywhere and it fluctuates to reflect their inner apprehension. You're the third person I've stopped that I've taken notice showing such signs."

I had no cause to argue with a teacher of the academy, but I didn't want to get friendly either so I just turned my head and said nothing.

"Boy you're a real go-getter aren't you?" the teacher said. "Loosen up, maybe get something to eat. Being all tensed up like you are is just going to make things harder for you tomorrow. What's your name by the way?"

"Lelouch, Lamperouge Lelouch," I responded. I had read that this place was more like feudal Japan; therefore honorifics and giving one's surname first were common here.

"I'm Emily, Rox Emily," she introduced herself. "So Lelouch how do you like your potential living environment."

"Seems nice enough," I answered. A thought clicked in my mind and I realized I had a golden opportunity to ask some questions and get some answers. I may not be able to learn anything about the entrance exam, but I knew the perfect way to ease the inner tension I had it. I would put my faith in the one thing that had always been a boon to me: probability and statistics. I turned my head back towards the teacher and put on a smile. "Sensei, approximately how many students that come to the academy every year pass the entrance exams?"

"Well, your attitude changed on a dime," she chuckled to herself. She folded one arm under her buts and put her elbow on her wrist while she scratched her chin with the side of her index finger. "Let's see, we get about one thousand to two thousand students every year. I'd say about four out of five students pass the exams."

Good odds to start with, I told myself. "Where do you typically get most of the students that come to the academy?" I asked.

"Well let's see," Rox-sensei looked up at the sky again to think, "I'd say that for every one hundred students that arrive here that a majority of them come from the Rukongai."

"How many would you say?" I asked.

"Ah, a numbers man are you?" she asked with a wide smile. She went back to her thinking pose. "Let's see. If I had to make an estimate I'd say maybe ninety percent of all of our students come from the Rukongai districts and for those that do I'd say the bulk of them come from the lower districts."

"Exact numbers if you would sensei," I said.

"Hmm," Rox-sensei hummed to herself as she did mental math, "well out of one hundred recruits I'd say eighty are going to pass and of those eighty that eight will be from noble families, fifty will be from upper Rukongai and the rest from lower Rukongai."

"I'm from Rukongai sector sixty-four. Does it matter which region?" I asked.

"Not really, it's all the same dividend," Rox-sensei answered, "Well I'd say that out of the amount of people we get from your district we really only get four out of every nine that pass."

Great so we're back to fifty-fifty where I started and to make matters worse I'm down even lower than before, my cheerful mood was waning.

"However, your spiritual pressure is rather abundant from someone of your region. In fact if I didn't know any better I'd put you on par with some of the lower ranking nobles," Rox-sensei stated.

I cupped my chin. That…does make some sense. More than I'd like it to actually.

"Your reiatsu seems to have calmed down Lelouch," I heard Rox-sensei say. I looked at her with a slightly confused expression. "I don't know what you're thinking, personally I don't care, but I want you to know that I think you'll do fine tomorrow. Take it from someone who has been teaching here for seven years. If I think I see a well based recruit you can be sure you're exam is as good as passed."

"I'm not one to place my faith in the promises and words of others," I said coldly, "But I appreciate your vote of confidence for what it's worth." My reiatsu could be so powerful it could trounce the head captain, but my stamina and endurance are pitiful. I haven't had much time to train. My eyebrows converged to a resolved gaze. "I think I'll get something to eat and prepare for tomorrow."

"Good luck Lelouch," she told me.

I walked on without saying a word. I had something to eat went back to my room and prepared for tomorrow. If Suzaku and C.C had seen me they would've been pointing and laughing. I looked really pathetic trying to physically prepare myself with push-ups, sit-ups and stretches. By the time I was done I was completely drained and by the look of the analog clock on my wall I had only been doing things for less than a half an hour.

Damn it, I thought as I panted, this is getting me nowhere. There has to be something else I can do to prepare for tomorrow that doesn't involve feeling like I'm killing myself.

I sat up and went over to my bookshelf and got my student manual. I memorized all the basic information, but what I needed were pointers and details. Also it never hurt to double check and make sure I had my facts straight, not when so much was at stake.

I flipped open to a page about Zanapakuto. It discussed Jizen, the position that Soul Reapers used for meditation in order to talk with their Zanpakuto. I decided to give it a try. It was worth a shot. I sat down in a cross legged position with my Zanpakuto in my lap and meditated. I tried clearing my mind and emptying it, but all that would come to me were haunting images of my life. I left Nunally weeping over me. I watched as Suzaku plunged the sword I gave him into me. It was a montage of my life and all moments filled with blood tears and darkness.

My eyes flew open and I bent my torso forward and panted. That was not how communication was described in the least. If anything all I did was haunt myself with memories of the past. Memories I was trying to forget. I looked at the clock only to realize the sun had already set. "That's odd," I said and got to my feet. Before I had sat in Jizen the sun wasn't even setting, but now all of a sudden it was pitch black out. I looked at the clock on the wall. "Is it that late already?" I asked aloud to no one. I shook my head slightly and picked up my Zanpakuto off the ground to put it back in its scabbard. As I did I noticed it had changed. Well…it was either that or my eyes were playing tricks on me in the darkness. The guard had changed. It was now thin and rectangular. Other than that nothing much had changed.

Did I make some progress after all? I wondered. I felt too tired to think on it and since it was late I put my Zanpakuto under my bed, took off my socks and sandals and went to sleep. Tomorrow I would take my entrance exam and hopefully I would pass and become a Soul Reaper.

To be continued…

(A/N: Wow that took a lot longer than I expected. So yeah I know that most of this chapter is basically Lelouch explaining much of what we of the Bleach fandom already know, but the fact that the captains of squad 3 and 10 are different from what they are in the turn back the pendulum arc and the fact that Hikifune is still in charge should have you asking yourself "Just how far back are we?" Anyway will Lelouch pass his entrance exam or will he be forced to live in Rukongai for a year before becoming a Soul Reaper? Only time will tell. Be sure to look for the next chapter of Soul Chess, which will come out whenever I decide it will. See you all later)