Hi Guys! Well, I just couldn't seem to let go of the idea with Aizen and Kenichi, so I wrote a sequel! This is Kenichi's POV concerning the events in Aizen's Reason for Fighting and a little extra. Hope you like! IF YOU FLAME THIS, KENICHI WILL GET HIS REVENGE ON YOU!
Sousuke Aizen. He was a man of many mysteries. He preferred to conceal his emotions in front of others, and had a knack for predicting the outcome of events perfectly. He wore glasses even though his vision was perfectly fine, simply because he thought they made him seem friendlier.
He was also my closest friend.
I remember when we first met. "So you're the new 4th seat." I said, coming up behind him. I made it a habit to know who my seated officers were, even if I never really spoke with them much. It made them feel important, and confident Shingami are strong Shinigami.
To my amusement, he jumped up in the air, startled. Immediately he whirled around to face me, hand raised in a salute. "Yes Captain General Akame." he said. "Sousuke Aizen, at your service."
I had to stop myself from grinning. He was so uptight! "Meh, you don't have to be so formal. Call me Captain Kenichi. All my other seated officers do, well at least 5th seat and up." I told him, sitting down on a nearby chair. "Mind if I call you Sousuke? I personally am not a fan of so much formality; I just use it to keep my Division orderly."
"Go right ahead sir." He said eagerly. I immediately deduced that he must have respected me a lot, more than a normal First Division member.
Having nothing else to do until more paperwork came in, I decided to engage him in conversation. "So, Sousuke." I began. "What do you think it means to be a truly powerful Shinigami?"
He looked taken aback. "Sir?"
"I'm just curious to hear your opinion." I explained. "Every Shinigami I've met has a different view on it."
"Oh." He said. "Well, I believe that a truly strong Shinigami knows what he must do in a battle instinctively, and knows to keep his comrades strong – after all, we can't do everything alone."
I smiled. "That's a pretty good opinion." I commented, and he flushed from the praise. "Want to hear mine?"
He nodded. "I think that what makes a Shinigami strong is courage." I began. "Just knowing what to do isn't enough. They have to be brave enough to actually do it. And protecting your friends through thick and thin – that takes a lot of courage and sacrifice, doesn't it?"
I could tell I had made him think. "I never thought of it that way." He confessed.
I grinned. "Gives you something to think about, doesn't it?" I asked.
He nodded, and then began asking me about other things – the true meaning of Justice, what we were meant to protect, and other very abstract concepts that rookie Shinigami usually didn't bother with. I was impressed, and answered the questions to the best of my ability. The conversation soon became a friendly philosophical debate, which we both learned a lot from. He asked me about the importance of work once, and I surprised him by saying "Work? In my opinion, fun comes first. Too much stress is unhealthy, you know." Certainly not a very mature opinion, he must have thought!
"Say, Sousuke." I said after out debate was done. "What do you say we go out for a drink later today? My lieutenant has been itching to try this new bar in the Rukon district, and I agreed to come along. Why don't you join us?"
He agreed instantly and later assisted me in helping my drunken lieutenant back home. "Seriously, Takeda, how many drinks did you have?" I asked.
"I dunno… Takeda said, the words coming out in a drunken slur. "Twelve?
"Then I offer my pity in advance. You are going to have one heck of a hangover." I said with a sigh.
I saw Sousuke smile. I was about to comment on that when Takeda made catcalls to a bunch of women. I immediately smacked him, which made Sousuke laugh out loud. So he wasn't always uptight. Of course, he also had booze in his system at the moment.
After that night, we talked a lot more. Sousuke and I grew to be close friends, and I even asked him to use my first name when there wasn't anybody around. We sparred often (with me always winning, of course) and I was delighted to discover he actually put up a good fight.
But then one night as I slipped off to my quarters to sleep, I was jumped by four thugs. I tried to fight them, but found that for some reason, my strength was suddenly gone. They bound and gagged me, and hauled me off to a warehouse in District 80, Zaraki. I could only watch, shocked, as Yamamoto came and paid them good money. When he left, they took the gag off and I glared at them. "What did you do to me?" I growled out.
"Slipped a drug in your food meant to lower spiritual pressure." They sneered. "And now…"
Suddenly they shoved a pill in my mouth and forced me to swallow. My vision became blurry and I soon blacked out.
EPILOGUE
Kenichi awoke in a dark alleyway. He blinked and sat up, shaking his head confusedly. Kenichi frowned suddenly. "Why can't I remember anything?" He mused aloud.
Something felt off. He looked around, trying to figure out what it was. Finally he shrugged and headed off to find a meal – he was suddenly very hungry.
But it was not the same Kenichi. He had assumed to form of a small child about seven years of age. And Akane-Kaze – his Zanpakuto – had diasappeared, vanished along with his spiritual power. He was powerless as a human now, although he retained the ability to see spirits.
Gone also was the memory of Sousuke. In a world where identity meant everything, Kenichi had nothing. No home, no friends, no memories. It was all lost.
But not forever.
To be continued…