CH3: The Vagabond

===

"I'd like to pass an early graduation application."

Seimei held a white piece of paper in his hands as he stood in front of his teacher.

His long black hair swerved in the wind. His face had matured somehow in one year. From the immature childish face, he'd grown into a mature young man.

His eyes showed apathy as he looked at his homeroom teacher.

A lock of hair fell from his ear as it covered his eyebrows. His red eyes gleamed in the sunlight as they gazed into thin air.

[AN: Seems I forgot to write how my own mc's looks ._. My bad. Just imagine Tsukishima with Kurenai's eyes.]

"Very well, your graduation exam will be taken in 2 days."

Seimei nodded as he walked back into his dormitory. Everyone had a dorm partner in their same room but he didn't.

The room seemed lonesome but Seimei felt a sense of peace in this room without anyone disturbing him.

But deep inside, he knew that it was just a façade to hide his loneliness. [Lonely, I'm Mr Lonely~]

He sat down on the bed and placed his Zanpakuto sideways as he started meditating.

Even after 10 hours of meditation he still couldn't fall into the state of thoughtlessness.

"Fuck!"

He grabbed his Zanpakuto and threw It at the ground in anger.

He'd done the same thing over and over and over again for many many times.

"Why the fuck can't I get into my inner world!"

The veins on his forehead bulged as he laid down on his wall.

Seimei shook his head and tied his hair into one ponytail.

He grabbed the Zanpakuto he slammed into the ground and moved into the training ground and started swinging his sword.

Slash!

Slash!

Slash!

He slashed his sword down over and over again like he'd done for the last year.

The sword slashing down had created an almost harmonious environment.

99,990

99,991

99,992

99,993

99,994

99,995

99,996

99,997

99,998

99,999

Just as he moved his katana to slice for the 100,000th time a leaf moved in front of his sword.

"100,000."

Seimei swung his sword down for the 100,000th time but as the leaf came in front of his sword, it seemed as though the sword passed through the leaf.

But it wasn't cut.

The sword passed through the leaf yet it didn't cut it.

Just then, Seimei felt an epiphany inside his mind, as the sword touched the ground, he fell into a state of thoughtlessness.

The environment around Seimei changed into a simple dojo.

'So this is my inner world…'

It was a simple dojo; one you'd see in any dojo for learning swordsmanship.

Dummy swordsmen were placed all around the dojo with wooden swords placed on the walls.

A rough looking man sat on the middle of the dojo.

He looked as though he was a polar opposite of Seimei.

Compared to the refined looking Seimei who looked noble and untouched by nature, the man looked rough and as though he had faced the vicissitudes of life.

He had tied back his hair. His hair looked as though it was an explosion, rough and unmanaged and had a sense of wildness to it. His body was covered in scars with one running across his forehead. His face had a slight stubble which surprisingly looked more well managed than his own hair.

Seimei sat down in front of the man as the man pulled out 2 teacups, a chasen whisk, a matcha container and a matcha spoon. [AN ; Idk if this is accurate]

He expertly made 2 cups of green matcha tea. It was as though he'd done the same movement over and over again for hundreds of thousands of times.

The sound of the chasen whisking the matcha power sounded out in the dojo.

He poured the tea in the cup and handed it to Seimei as he took a sip of the tea.

"Good tea."

He spoke.

Seimei kept quiet but inside his mind which was inside his soul which was technically already inside his mind but somehow still inside his mind, he had a simple thought.

'Why the fuck is my Zanpakuto soul fucking Minamoto Mushashi?!'

His eyes looked apathetic but his mind not so much.

As a fan of manga, he'd naturally read Vagabond; one of the most famous manga series in all of manga history.

But all Seimei was thinking why such a GOAT was his Zanpakuto spirit. [AN : No need to thank me Seimei, No Need to thank me…]

"Are you wondering why I am your Zanpakuto spirit?"

Seimei nodded, not hiding the happiness in his eyes.

'Mushashi' laughed as he spoke.

"You'll know soon, Seimei."

Seimei nodded in glee, without caring about not knowing why currently.

"Can I call you Musashi?"

Seimei asked.

'Mushashi' laughed as he nodded back.

"A Zanpakuto spirit shouldn't be casually called a name without knowing its true name. But since my form is already based on someone you know, I'll allow it."

Seimei nodded in happiness and Mushashi stood up with Seimei following him. He walked towards one of the sword dummies and took a wooden sword and handed it to Seimei.

Seimei gripped the sword and looked at Mushashi.

Mushashi looked back at him as both of them got into a position of swinging his sword as the two started training.

The sounds of 2 swords slicing down with a blunt "thump" echoed within the whole world.

***

In a dark corner of Seimei's inner world, a man started slowly forming out of the darkness, as though he was slowly being born.

Wearing a black armor with a giant greatsword impossible to be wielded by any human slung over his back, the man had a ferocious grin on his face as each thump echoed out, his existence grew clearer and clearer.

And as the 1000th "thump" rang out, he woke up.

He, %@&$ Had Finally Awoken.

***

"So even if I've entered my inner world, I still don't get to unlock my Shikai?"

Seimei had finished swinging his sword 1000 times and sat down on the ground as he panted.

His inner world was very different from what he expected.

It was very realistic.

Not in the manner that the graphics were loaded with RTX 3090 with Unreal Engine 5 but that it was very similar to the modern world.

His inner world contained no Reishi.

In such a world, he couldn't perform any Kidō or Hohō or even anything related to Reishi or Reiryoku at all.

It was like a simple samurai dojo.

And he, was a simple swordsmanship student with Mushashi as his swordsmanship instructor.

It wasn't that Shin'o Academy didn't have good instructors, not at all.

Perhaps they were even more skilled, having lived hundreds more years compared to Musashi from Vagabond.

But it was different.

It was different when he was training with Mushashi; compared to his Zanjutsu teacher, Mushashi felt more

"real", A lot "closer" to Seimei.

Seimei knew why it was so deep down as well.

Mushashi was the only one who was connected to his previous world.

He was the only "reminder" for Seimei that he was in a completely new world other than his memories.

He felt like family.

'Family.'

The shadow of a bald man driving a car speeding out into space entered before Seimei's body.

'What are you doing?' Musashi asked.

Nothing.

'Alright.'

"No, you can't use your Shikai right now."

Mushashi shook his head and answered.

"Why?"

Seimei asked in confusion.

He knew that he wasn't some godly genius who had heaven-defying talent.

It was only because of his hard training that he could become stronger than his fellow schoolmates.

So, he didn't think that he couldn't use his Shikai because it was too powerful for him right now.

"Its good that you don't think that you're some heavenly genius. You're right, its not that your Shikai is too powerful for you to use, it's something else."

Mushashi paused, perhaps wondering whether he should continue or not and spoke again.

"I am not the only part of you here. There are two more beings you need to discover. Two more 'parts' of you."

Seimei looked at Mushashi and spoke in a wry smile.

"Don't tell me I have a Qui-"

"NO, you don't have a Quincy and a hollow side inside you. Don't think of yourself as Ichigo Kurosaki, kid."

Seimei tsked in disappointment as he sighed.

"Alright."

He nodded as he walked out the dojo.

"I'll be back later."

Mushashi smiled as he nodded.

"Come back anytime, the dojo is always open for you."

Seimei smiled as a warmth filled his heart as he stepped out of the dojo and his consciousness was immediately brought back to reality.

Thump.

His sword touched the ground and Seimei got back together.

"What an experience…"

Seimei laughed as he sheathed his Zanpakuto, and walked to the teacher's office, wanting to get his test.

Yet what he didn't discover was that his sword blade had gotten a slight black tint with a single character being etched onto his sword.

"Koshirae"

"What area do you want to take the test on?" [AN : I'll make it that in order to graduate, you'll have to be very proficient in one area and become sufficiently experienced in every other field. Plus Sojun and Madarame Naofumi will have recommended Seimei]

"Zanjutsu."

Seimei answered in languidness as he unsheathed his katana.

The character shined in the sunlight as his blade gleamed.

"Very well. I shall test you myself then."

The homeroom teacher, Muishirou Wataru, unsheathed his sword as he got into a sword stance as well.

"Start."

Another Shinigami spoke as the homeroom teacher moved quickly towards Seimei with Hohō.

Seimei moved forwards towards Wataru as well, intending for a sword clash.

Both swung their swords towards each other as the blades closed in on each other.

Woosh.

But just as their swords touched, Seimei swung his swords sidewards, directing the force of his attack near the body of Wataru's sword.

The sudden change in direction of force startled Wataru for a moment but he quickly took another stance and moved backwards, retreating from their clash.

Seimei looked at Wataru as his hair flew in the clash, a few strands cut by their conflict.

He rested the back of this blade on his shoulder and grinned as he moved forwards towards Wataru.

Seimei's hand moved and forced his sword towards Wataru, intending no mercy for his teacher.

But Wataru hadn't been a Zanjutsu instructor for nothing. He took a kendo sword stance as he sliced his swords towards air.

But just as his sword reached its intended destination, Seimei had appeared, slicing down.

He'd predicted where Seimei would attack.

"You have good skills." Wataru complimented Seimei, surprised by how skilled a 1st year was.

"Of course. You have the edge over me in both strength and durability, as such I naturally have to rely on my skills to fight you. Over the year I've been observing your style and trying to adjust myself to it for the day I'd have to take the graduation exam and fight you."

[AN: Familiar Speech? Its from Seiba vs Sasaki Kojirou]

Wataru laughed and brought sword back to his sheathe as he grinned.

"Then come, boy. Let's see if you truly have the guts and ability to fight me."

'Oh I sure do.'

Seimei grinned as he too sheathed his sword, intending to perform laido just as his teacher was about to.

The faint shadow of Mushashi appeared on his body as both of them grinned.

"I haven't fought in a long time."