Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach
Rated M for language, violence, and some sexuality
Enjoy
Urahara Shop, Karakura Town, July 19...
Ichigo snapped his eyes open upon realizing who was lying on top of him. He screamed as Tessai stared him straight in the eyes. "Oh, you're awake! Good."
"Too close! You're too close!" Ichigo began to shove Tessai away.
"Hey, boss!" Tessai shouted over Ichigo. "You wanted me to tell you when Ichigo regained consciousness. Well, he has!"
The door opened, "Tessai, get off of him."
"Alright."
Ichigo panted as the giant with glasses slipped out of the covers. He glanced at the door where a young woman stood. She was short and vivacious. She had long, shiny black hair and startling silver eyes. She wore a simple yellow dress. Ichigo blinked, feeling speechless by her beauty. She had graceful features that belonged to royalty. Ichigo shook his head, snapping out of his daze. "Wait a second, what're you two doing in my house?"
"This isn't your house, dude," she frowned and stepped inside. "You're in Urahara Shop."
"Who the hell are you?! I've never seen you before!" he demanded.
"Reina Sarutobi," she replied bluntly. "I work here."
Ichigo blinked in confusion, "Plum Monkey? What kinda name is that?"
"You're one to talk, Mr Strawberry," she retorted, her eyebrow twitching.
"Shut up! 'Ichi' means one and 'go' means guardian. It is not strawberry!"
Reina blinked at him, "If you're not careful, you'll open your wounds."
He glanced down at his body, finding himself wrapped in bandages. He frowned up at the young woman, "You saved me?"
"What's this? You sound disappointed." Kisuke Urahara entered the room, fanning himself.
"Mr Hat-and-Clogs...," Ichigo blinked, remembering. "Oh! What about Uryu? Is he okay?"
"I treated him on sight," Kisuke informed, closing his fan. "He lost a lot of blood, but his injuries weren't serious. If I left him there, he would've lasted several more days. When he left, he was worried about you."
"About me? Yeah right," Ichigo rolled his eyes.
"Please." Reina crossed her arms under her breasts. "He was such a jackass. He refused to allow me to treat him further, insisting that we help you. As he said, the only one who can save Rukia is you."
"Only me? What can I do?" he clenched his fists. "Rukia's already back at the Soul Society! How can I follow her there?! How the hell can I rescue her?! There's no way I can do it! It's impossible!"
"You really think so?" Kisuke smirked.
Ichigo's eyes widened in realization, "There is a way?! How?! How do I get there?! Tell me!"
"Of course I'll tell you. However, under one condition." Kisuke held up his index finger. "Starting now, for ten days you will learn how to fight properly with me."
"Training?! I don't have time for that!" Ichigo got to his feet and got in Kisuke's face. "You don't know when Rukia's gonna be executed! I have to get there now!"
Reina stepped forward, but Kisuke blocked her with his cane. He sighed, holding onto his hat, "You are one exasperating person."
Suddenly, Ichigo was on the floor with Kisuke kneeling over him, holding the end of his cane to Ichigo's forehead. "The point I was trying to make is...you will die if you go there now. Do you think you could win if you fight them now? I let you battle out with the two Soul Reapers yesterday so that you could see for yourself how significantly outmatched you are. With your current skill level, you won't stand a chance against the Soul Society. You are weak. A weakling who barges into enemy territory is suicide. 'To rescue Rukia'? Stop being childish. Don't use other people as an excuse to go and kill yourself."
Kisuke stood up and walked back over towards Reina. "The Soul Society usually allows a one-month grace period to deduce the maximum penalty in a convict's execution. We will take just ten days to torture you. Plus, seven days to open the gate to the Soul Society. That gives you thirteen whole days. You have plenty of time."
Ichigo frowned in thought, "In ten days, will I become stronger?"
"A strong will is stronger than steel," Reina said. "You won't get stronger unless you're serious about rescuing Rukia."
Ichigo scratched the back of his head, sighing as he did. "If I don't, no one will. Fine. Let's do this."
July 20...
Reina finished wiping the counters down. Her barefeet slapped the wood floor. She wiped her brow and fanned herself. She put the cleaning supplies back behind the counter, and Ururu popped her head up from the other side of the counter. "What're you doing, Reina?"
"Cleaning the dust. Don't know why I bother. It's not like we have customers," she said, leaning on the counter. "That's what you get for building a candy shop away from the main road."
"Oh, come on. We still get customers," Kisuke said, walking out of the back.
"Soul Reapers don't count."
"Maybe you should step outside for some fresh air," he suggested, fanning himself. "All the dust in here is probably giving you a headache."
"I think it's just your annoying amount of optimism," she grumbled, following him. They gathered outside, watching Jinta and Ururu play.
Several moments later, Ichigo appeared with a look of determination. Reina nudged her boss to get his attention. "What? Oh, welcome!" Kisuke said, fanning himself. "How are your wounds?"
Ichigo pulled his shirt opening, showing scars on both shoulders, the middle of his chest and abdomen. "All healed!"
"That's good." Kisuke closed his fan. "Did you tell your father?"
"Yeah," he replied, grabbing his bag. "I told him I'd be sleeping over at a friend's house."
"That sounds like an excuse to do the nasty," Kisuke teased.
"Shut up!"
"Ugh, let's just get started already," Reina snapped, shoving the door open.
"Sounds like a splendid idea, Reina," Kisuke teased, re-opening his fan.
"Oh, shut up. You'd be out here all night teasing the poor boy if I hadn't said something," she scolded. "It's disturbing how much pleasure you get from-"
"THANK YOU!"
They both glanced back at Ichigo who was bent over at the waist in a bow. Kisuke held his fan to his mouth, "Uh...what?"
He straightened up and exhaled sharply. "It's nothing. Thank you."
Squad 6 Barracks, Soul Society, July 21...
Rikichi, a simple squad member, chased a Hell Butterfly around the hallway. "Come on! Come back!"
Every time he reached for it, the butterfly flittered away, playing a silly game with the young Soul Reaper. Richiki jumped around like a buffoon, clapping his hands together in an attempt to catch the butterfly. He slipped and landed face-first. "Ow!"
"Are you alright?"
Rikichi glanced up then widened his eyes. A young, female Soul Reaper stood before him. She was gorgeous with her chocolate brown hair and deep brown eyes. She wore a simple black kimono that reached down to her lower legs with a blueish-green sash tied around her waist. Rikichi immediately zeroed in on the badge on her left arm, recognizing the number 13. He jolted to his feet, "L-Lieutenant Aizen! I-I-I didn't expect to see you here."
"Relax, kid," the Lieutenant smiled politely. "I'm here to see Rukia on behalf of my Captain. He wanted to come, but he's not feeling well today."
"Oh, well...Lieutenant Abarai is back there. I don't think he'd mind if you went in."
"Good. I'd hate to bother Captain Kuchiki with my presence," she said, walking past him. "I know how he gets."
She left the hallway and entered the Squad 6 holding cells. Renji Abarai stood in front of one the cells. He was wearing a loose pink kimono, and he was yelling. "I was just joking, you idiot!"
"Then which is it, you freak?!" a voice from inside the cell shouted back.
"Yes, please yell louder. I can't quite hear you," Lieutenant Aizen groaned, frowning.
Renji furiously turned around, "Shizuka?! What're you doing here? Who let you in?"
"You left the door unlocked, genius. Besides, I'm here on behalf of Captain Ukitake," she said, gesturing to her badge.
"Captain Ukitake? Is he sick again?" asked the prisoner.
"Unfortunately." Shizuka approached the cell bars and gazed inside. Rukia Kuchiki sat facing the wall, not even turning around to face her Lieutenant. Shizuka glanced at Renji, "By the way, where is Captain Kuchiki?"
"He's busy delivering his report," he informed, leaning on the bars. "He's probably begging for clemency for Rukia."
"I doubt it," Rukia said.
"What makes you say that? He is your brother," Shizuka reminded.
"Yes...which is why he'll prefer to kill me himself."
Her words shocked Renji and Shizuka. The two Lieutenants exchanged appalled glances. Rukia's shoulders slumped a bit more. "I know the kind of man he really is. Over the 40 years since I was adopted into the Kuchiki family, not once has he ever truly looked at me."
Underground Cavern, Urahara Shop, World of the Living...
"NO WAY! This place is amazing! Who would have guessed that all this time, there was a huge subterranean training ground under my store!"
"Oh, forget the acting," Ichigo frowned, his arms crossed over his chest. "You obviously knew this was down here, but I will admit it's impressive."
Kisuke chuckled, smiling mischievously. "So then, you wanna get down to business?"
"Yeah," he replied, sticking his pinky in his ear. "Let's get on with it. This training session or whatever you call it."
"Always be careful what you ask for." Kisuke raised his cane and poked Ichigo in the forehead. His soul separated from his body, and he got up.
"Hey, what's the big idea knocking me down like that, you...!" Ichigo fell to his knees, struggling to breather right.
"This is your first time, is it not?" Kisuke asked, smirking. "To be separated from your body in a form other than that of a Soul Reaper? Is it difficult to breathe? It's also hard to move in spirit form, don't you think? In your current state, your Soul Sleep, the origin of your power and your booster, Chain Link have been destroyed by Byakuya Kuchiki. That is to say, you are merely a ghost of a normal human being without any spiritual powers whatsoever. In order to fight the Soul Reapers of the Soul Society, you need your powers. First, let's work on moving freely in spirit form."
"I don't get it. What do you want me to do?"
"You're so impatient. Warrior!" Kisuke called out. "Are you ready for battle?"
Ichigo followed his gaze to where Reina stood with Ururu. Reina finished adjusting Ururu's sparring helmet. "She's ready."
"For your first lesson...fight her," Kisuke ordered.
"What?!"
"The rules are simple. The lesson ends when one of you is unable to continue. So, just be sure to knock her out before she can knock you out," Kisuke suggested, shrugging nonchalantly.
"Are you fucking crazy?! I can't fight a little girl!"
"Never underestimate your opponent," Reina said, tossing white sparring gear at Ichigo's feet. "That kinda thinking will get you killed."
"Please put them on," Ururu asked timidly. "I don't wanna kill you."
"No way. This is ridiculous! I'm not fighting her," Ichigo insisted.
"I tried," Reina shrugged and walked over to join Kisuke and the others. As she crossed in between the two fighters, Ururu pounced, slamming her fist down and creating an explosion of dust.
"He isn't getting up," Jinta noted.
"I wonder if he's dead," Tessai added.
Suddenly, Ichigo came tumbling out of the dust face-first. He slid to a stop then jolted up. He turned around and headed towards Ururu. Kisuke blinked, "Oh? He's running towards her..."
"...and he passes by her," Reina finished as Ichigo sprinted right past Ururu to scoop up his sparring gear.
"Hey!" Ichigo shouted at them, still running. "How the hell do I put this on?!"
"Strap it to your forehead like this!" Kisuke made wrapping gestures around his head. "Then yell at the top of your lungs, 'Take this, the powers of justice! Justice Armor, Justice Headband! Protect me'!"
"Okay, put it on like this and-" he slammed the headband down "-like hell I'll do that! AH!"
He managed to dodge Ururu's punch at the last second. "It's funny how the fear of imminent death can change one's mind," Kisuke said to Reina.
"Like anyone would fall for that bull."
Ichigo held the headband to his forehead and shouted, "Take this, the powers of Justice! Justice Armor, Justice Headband! Protect me!"
"Wow, he actually said it," Reina blinked, surprised.
"You bastards!" Ichigo pulled on the straps and they snapped together. He put his gloves on then turned around. "Okay! Bring it!"
He dodged another deadly punch and resumed his running away. Reina raised an eyebrow, "'Bring it'? Seriously?"
"Shut up! It's a self-defense instinct, okay?! GAH!"
Reina folded her arms under her breasts, "Maybe you should've pinned him against Jinta. At least then, he stands a chance."
"Jinta would be too easy of an opponent for him," Kisuke said, talking behind his fan. "You are too strong , so that left Ururu."
Ichigo stopped suddenly and dodged Ururu's head-on punch. He aimed his fists and Ururu instinctively leaned back. He swung punch after punch, forcing Ururu to back up. His fist grazed her cheek, drawing a bit of blood. Ururu stepped onto Ichigo's outstretched hand and raised her leg, bringing her foot down on Ichigo's face. The impact shoved him into a large boulder. Ururu blinked and glanced up, seeing Kisuke holding her leg. "Safe!"
The dust cleared and Ichigo blinked until his vision returned to normal. He noticed a pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders. He glanced back and noticed that his head was resting on Reina's chest. He glanced around and realized that she had caught him, but appeared unscathed. He sighed, disappointed, and got up. "I...lost. Damn it! Gimme another chance!"
"Nope," Kisuke said as Reina got out of the hole in the boulder. "Congratulations. You cleared lesson one."
"HUH?! Why?! I lost!"
"I never said you had to win to clear the lesson," Kisuke pointed out.
"What?! But-"
"Besides, Ururu's fighting skills are good enough to take on a Soul Reaper. There's no way you could've beaten her," he patted Ururu's head. "By the way, are you still having difficulty breathing?"
"...hey, I don't."
"No trouble, right? Since when?"
Ichigo scratched the side of his head, "I dunno."
"Naturally," he smiled. "This lesson was a one-shot victory. It was a test to see if you could dodge the first attack or not. That's it. Spiritual energy tends to appear quicker when the soul is in danger of being destroyed. If you were able to produce spiritual energy, you'd be able to dodge those punches."
"And if I couldn't?"
"Then you would've died," Reina blurted.
"What?!"
"Now, now, everything worked out well, didn't it? You've recovered your spirit energy," Kisuke patted Ichigo's shoulder. "Now then, shall we celebrate your achievement of lesson one?"
"Sure, but, uh, how are we gonna-"
Tessai appeared and slammed his axe down on Ichigo's chain, severing his soul from his body. Kisuke's smile grew, "Let's move on to Lesson Two."
"I'M GONNA DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Ichigo screamed from underneath Tessai who held him down.
"Could you be any fussier?" Reina frowned in annoyance.
"Shut up!" he snapped, holding onto the broken chain. "You broke my Chain of Fate! I'm as good as dead now!"
"Duh."
"What?!" he squeaked, wriggling against Tessai's weight. "I'm gonna kill you!"
"Oh, relax. Its all part of the lesson," Kisuke assured him. "When the Chain of Fate is severed, the soul can no longer return to the body. Therefore, you die. The enroachment will begin at the severed end. When it reaches your chest, it'll make a hole and you'll become a Hollow. The end."
"What? I'll become a Hollow?"
"Don't worry, there's a way to prevent you from becoming a Hollow," he paused for effect, "you have to become a Soul Reaper. Yup. This lesson ends when you once again wield the powers of a Soul Reaper. Also known as the Shattered Shaft lesson. Ready?" He pointed into the distance. "GO!"
The ground beneath Ichigo and Tessai disappeared. Ichigo screamed as they fell. Kisuke chuckled, "Really suckered him that time, didn't I?"
Reina stood at the edge, hearing Ichigo's screams still continuing. "Damn, Ururu. That's a really, really deep hole."
"I do my best."
"Well, Reina. You'd better get down there," Kisuke said.
"You think he'll go Hollow?" she asked, stepping on the edge.
"To be honest, I'm not sure. It's entirely up to him."
She nodded, considering this. Reina dove into the hole. She narrowed her eyes, seeing Ichigo and Tessai at the bottom. She flipped over and landed on her feet. Ichigo blinked in surprise, "What the...? Why're you down here?"
"Protection."
"You're doing a crappy job of that," he grumbled.
"Protection for him," she pointed at Tessai with her thumb. Ichigo frowned at her in confusion, watching as she sat down next to Tessai.
"Hey, Ichigo!" Kisuke shouted from above. "Climb up here. That's lesson two."
"What? That's impossible!" he shouted back, gesturing to his bound arms.
"You're in position to complain. Look! The enroachment has already begun."
Ichigo glanced down at his severed chain, seeing the broken parts producing mouths as it began to itself. His eyes grew wide and he screamed in sheer horror.
end of chapter 1
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