Rags and Riches [Kaito, Byakuya]

He wasn't really someone to keep up with or bother too much with engaging in a lot of on-campus activities that weren't related to his classes. He sounded like a geek, but, he was focused on studying and practicing. He wanted to be out of the academy and into the Gotei sometime soon -- but, he knew that it would take time. He was already getting some signs of progress, so, maybe he could deal with taking a little bit of time of from practices.

He had heard that there was something going on at the academy that a lot of people were excited for. A noble was on the grounds? Apparently it was someone important, too? Well, judging from the reactions from some of the girls, it was more than likely a guy, and from the reactions a few of the guys, it may be someone that was worth looking into.

He walked around to one of the training grounds, one of the ones that usually was pretty barren, and he saw someone standing there, looking like he was overseeing the few students there that were training, said students looking to be doing a lot of extra work. Kaito rolled his eyes -- of course they'd be trying to show off in front of a noble.

He couldn't see the man's face, but he did notice the small glimpses of some kind of headpieces along the side of his hair, and he leaned over to look at them. Wait, was this...Byakuya Kuchiki? This was the noble that everyone was losing their mind over? Sure, it was...neat and all, but, from what he had heard and learned about, there wasn't a lot that they could attribute to him that actually mattered.

Sure, he had practically mastered all of the Shinigami arts, and that was at least noteworthy of some level of respect. Were he to say it aloud, part of his disinterest and disdain was purely because Byakuya was a noble. There was a world of difference in the status and, more importantly, the financial freedom that he had. Even though he couldn't figure out a single good accolade in his eyes, the man still had the power and money to command a room without a word.

It was irritating, and upsetting. He mumbled under his breath as he moved off to the side to watch his peers train, wondering if there was anything he could pick up from them -- whether it was through their breathing, their general mannerisms, or just how they conducted their practice. Maybe there was something that could help him in furthering his growth.

With the multitude of changes occurring in the Soul Society over the last century, Byakuya Kuchiki's path was not as clear as it once was. As a man of tradition and law, Byakuya was conflicted about the current state of the Gotei. Having left his position as Captain when the evolution from the Gotei Thirteen to the Gotei United, he chose to manage his family and adapt what he could while in keeping to traditional values. To some, unfortunately, his efforts proved not enough. With much of his family matters settled, he desired a new goal, something new he could work toward to help maintain the protection of the Soul Society and soul cycle.

A conversation with an old acquaintance brought Byakuya here, to Shino Academy. He arrival was unannounced, so the surprise shown by students and faculty was expected. He made his way to the training areas and began observing students, taking in what the new generation of possible Shinigami may have to offer. He stood off to the side, out of the way and watched. The students present either crumbled under his gaze, their insecurities about failing getting the better of them, or they worked even harder to prove themselves worthy of his attention. Then there was them, the young girls who giggled in groups. They were easy to ignore.

Though most of them were average, or below, there were one or two students that seemed truly into their training. He paid closer attention to those types, as his presence altered their behavior very little. He took note of them and was ready to make his way to the next training room. With the same stoicism he held for years, Byakuya turned and walked toward the doorway with his regal posture giving off the normal air of superiority one would expect from Byakuya. As he approached the exit, his eyes shifted for a second, falling on a man who was not training and whose expression was rather intriguing to him. Byakuya stopped walking five feet passed the man, just before the exit, and looked over his shoulder at him.

"Tell me," Byakuya said, watching this man carefully, measuring his response. "Who among your classmates, if you can name anyone at all, do you find exceptional?"

In spite of his irritation toward the noble, Kaito found himself taking brief glances at the man as he watched his peers. He was curious to what the noble would do, what he was there for. Well, aside from seeming to just stare and show off by existing.

He saw that the other students had one of two reactions to Byakuya's presence: either working doubly as hard -- or just working hard in the first place, with some of the people that had a tendency to slack off, or crumbling under the pressure. He didn't really get why people were so gung-ho about trying to impress him -- it wasn't as if he really cared. Kaito rolled his eyes, scowling and glaring at his peers and Byakuya as he watched from the side.

What, were they expecting him to tutor them if they showed off a bit? He probably could pick out the people who were just trying to do that the moment he saw them. Yet, he kept an eye out for the noble as he observed, only to see him walking away. Figures he wouldn't take interest in anyone here. But, then he stopped -- and turned to look at him from over his shoulder.

He...wanted to know who he found "exceptional"? At first, the scowl and glare turned to a look of surprise, quickly masked by irritation as his eyes narrowed again. He knew of at least two people he'd call "exceptional" by his own metric, but, nobles probably didn't care about his metric -- or, it probably didn't meet their asinine "standards."

"Why do you care?

Byakuya calmly watched as this man ran through his emotions, each evident by a change in his expression. The most noted one, however, was the unnecessary irritation. Byakuya had done nothing to incite anger in this man, unless, for some unfathomable reason, his question was found offensive. Byakuya looked the man directly in the eyes, turning to face him more, but not fully. His reply was what Byakuya expected from an angry teenager. Byakuya expressed nothing either way.

"Does the why behind my question matter?" Byakuya asked, glancing momentarily to the students around. Some were still training, while others stopped, likely in surprise of this man's rude reply. "It was a simple question. You've been observing instead of training, so I inquired about your peers. That is all."

His response was a mixture of personal irritation and genuine curiosity, as well as a little bit of concern, but he was hardly surprised to see Byakuya's reaction -- or, rather, lack thereof. He had heard about the man's stoicism, as well as some stories from long before his time involving another member of his family and her experience in the academy.

He noticed that some of the students had stopped training, turning to look toward him and Byakuya in lieu of his reply. Great, now there was an audience. Kaito felt as wave of discomfort suddenly hit him as he kept his eyes off his peers, instead choosing to focus on the person he was talking to. He still didn't feel inclined enough to face him fully -- but, at the very least he was looking him in the eye.

"Considering that my peers are my friends or just people I care about, it does matter. I'd want to know what you plan on doing if I did tell you."

Byakuya was no stranger to obnoxious behavior like this. He had dealt with Renji Abarai for years after all, not to mention Ichigo Kurosaki. Byakuya could tell this man had a personal problem that caused him to lash out like a petulant child. The pretense of protecting his friends made his words sound honorable, but he was just being disrespectful, and that won no points with someone like Byakuya.

There was a moment of silence between them as Byakuya said nothing, instead observing this man and mentally debating whether this was worth continuing. There was a time the blatant disrespect would encourage Byakuya to belittle or insult this man. The years had mellowed him enough that he saw little more than an angry kid, no matter the outward appearance of this obvious adult.

"Whatever plans I have are between me and anyone I choose," Byakuya said as he turned away from this argumentative man and back to the exit. And when he spoke again, his voice carried some of the belittling, like he was looking down on Kaito. "Since you seem incapable of answering such a simple question, I will ask someone else. I have no interest in wasting more time with you."

Of course he'd say something like that, he was so high-and-mighty that he didn't feel the need to share his concerns with someone like Kaito, a man ripe from the gutters of the Rukon. Even if it included people he cared about -- wanting to ensure that nothing happened to them, Byakuya wouldn't budge. He said nothing, but his eyes bore a hole into the noble's. The belittling, condescending tone only irritated him more.

"You're hardly better. You can't even answer my question, and its even simpler. What, do you have something to hide? You come here, stress everyone out with your presence, and then try to leave without saying anything? The hell is the point of that? There's no way you don't know what your name by itself can do, much less what you do when you're actually present. You're not a teacher or a member of the Gotei, so why bother showing up at all?"

From what he had heard around the campus grounds, there was someone who had been suddenly graduated from the academy in the midst of their stay, under the pretense of the Kuchiki Clan adopting them. What, was that his plan? Poach who he thought was skilled enough to slot into a clan that was slowly wasting away to irrelevancy? Or was he just going to show off his pretentious bias and tutor only those he thought festered talent? Either way, it was infuriating.

"So, that is where your foul attitude comes from?"

Byakuya figured it out pretty quickly. It helped that Kaito mentioned his name and presence. This irate man had made his own assumptions and decided to be angry with him just for stepping in and observing a classroom. The anger didn't come from him observing his class or a previous meeting between them. This man's anger came from Byakuya's bloodline, the fact that he was a noble, wealthy, a higher status. And Byakuya couldn't entirely fault the assumptions being made here. Many nobles, including himself, often walked around with a sense of aristocracy, superiority. That was the definition of nobility.

"It's evident you are aware of my status, so subtract my nobility from your assumptions," Byakuya turned to fully face Kaito. "Was your reaction to my question just? There are many who despise nobility for being just that, noble. The same way there are many among the nobility who despise lower-class citizens. However, today, it was not the nobility that decided to treat you as lesser, was it?"

Byakuya will never be a man who takes lightly to insults. There was a time that Kaito's blatant disrespect would have been met with harsher words, or even actions, but that was not the man Byakuya was. He found it much better to force a person to look inward at their behavior, at their assumptions and reactions. Byakuya had asked a simple question and it was Kaito's assumptions that brought out negative behavior from them both. Hopefully, a moment of reflection would show him that.

Kaito's eye twitched as Byakuya spoke, though his gaze softened slightly. He took into consideration the note to subtract his nobility from his assumptions -- which, you know, tall order, especially given who he was talking to -- and his eyes lowered. He...wasn't entirely wrong. It wasn't the nobility that had decided to treat him as lesser -- at least, not initially.

He wanted to respond, but, he held his tongue. He...wasn't really sure why. He hated the concept of nobility -- most of them did little to no actual meaningful contribution. Bloodlines, money, all of those things didn't matter to him -- they were all superficial excuses compared to tangible, practical, legitimate contributions to the society that they were supposed to be devoted to protecting.

The hardened, angry look on his face slowly faded, to one of awkwardness, discomfort, and hurt. It was clear to see that, at the very least, it was something he was thinking about.

"...Are you one of those nobles that despise 'lower-class citizens', then?"

The myriad of emotions Byakuya saw this man go through over such a short period of time was exactly what he wanted. Certain things that occurred over the last one hundred years caused Byakuya to approach situations like this differently. The nobility did not have the reputation it once did, or maybe it never had the "great" type of reputation, and he was just clouded by the arrogance of those he grew up with. It didn't matter now. All he could do now is decide what type of man, what type of noble, he wanted to be with the new information he gave. Because, no matter what, he was a noble. And that was not something to ever change.

"No," Byakuya said, lightly shaking his head. It was a surprise because most knew his past, what the "current Head of the Kuchiki clan did!" But this man didn't seem too. It made him wonder if this new generation allowed him a clean slate in some cases, especially since the one he fought for back then was gone.

"I understand your anger toward people like myself," Byakuya said calmly. "Except Hollow, I prefer not to damn anyone over their circumstances of birth or konso."