The first time Kyoraku Shunsui met Ukitake Jushiro, it was an utterly unremarkable day.
When he said as such to his friends on that particular day, at that particular time, they had vehemently disagreed.
"You're going to be personally trained by Shigekuni Yamamoto!" Hitoshi had cried. "Aren't you happy? Only you and a few other people are being allowed such an honor!"
He wasn't really all that happy about it. Quite frankly, he was more than content to float on through his easy classes with as little effort as possible. His grades were fine, so there was really no need to change things, and yet the old man had insisted that he be held to higher standards. No matter how much he protested, Yama-jii hadn't taken no for an answer.
"He's gonna make you so strong, Kyoraku!" Said Katsumi.
Sure, maybe, but Kyoraku wasn't all that interested in gaining immense power in the first place. He found fighting to be utterly useless, under most circumstances. It was something that people used as a problem-solving method far too often. It was an excuse, if anything. An excuse to avoid actually working things out.
But he'd given up trying to get out of it. Yama-jii had made a decision, and there wasn't a thing he could do.
As he approached the gates to the training hall for the first time, a feeling of dread washed over him.
This was gonna be hell.
He forced the frown off of his lips as he pressed the doors open, revealing a large dojo with a few students littered about. He noted that more than a few of them were pressed into a tight circle, but he couldn't quite catch who was in the middle of it. Someone quite popular, he supposed. Unconcerned, however, he found a nice space against a nearby wall to lean against. Sooner or later Yama-jii would make his entrance, and training would begin.
He hoped it would be over quickly.
As soon as the elder man entered the dojo, all the students immediately lined up and bowed, some even welcoming him verbally. Shunsui lined up along with them, giving a half-hearted bow that barely reached past his chest. It wasn't to be disrespectful or anything, he just couldn't find it in him to pretend to be excited about all of this.
Introductions were given -- not that they were necessary -- and the students were quickly split up into groups of two. Sparring first, Yama-jii had announced, using bokken. Shunsui supposed it wasn't such a bad plan as it gave the old man a chance to properly observe his new students. Plus, there was no better way to get to know someone than to fight them.
Yamamoto paired up individuals and Shunsui found himself one of the last to be given a partner. His sparring mate, at least for this go around, was a white-haired student with black eyebrows and a friendly smile. He had been quick to shake Shunsui's hand and introduce himself, and his good manners paired with his friendly disposition made the dark-skinned man wonder if perhaps he had been at the circle of all the students before. He seemed nice enough to be that popular.
"My name is Jushiro Ukitake," he greeted. Shunsui noted that his shake was firm and controlled. From just the brief connection he could feel the other's reiatsu pulsing steadily beneath the surface.
"Shunsui Kyoraku," he greeted in return, a relaxed smile gracing his lips. This guy seemed nice enough -- maybe he could convince him to go easy, at least for today.
"Begin!" He heard Yama-jii's commanding voice boom from the front of the dojo.
Taking a few steps back, Kyoraku faced his opponent. They both bowed before drawing their bokken and pointing them at each other. Looking as relaxed as ever, Shunsui asked,
