He was daydreaming again.
Not an unusual occurrence for him, but usually the subject was from hundreds of years ago, back when he was a lowly child of a declining House. The last of his family, left with no riches or influence. Barely anyone nowadays even recalled his clan's name, much less what its members used to be like. His own memories from that period were increasingly blurry. It had been so long ago; he'd forgotten more and more of it, ever since he joined the Gotei 13.
Ever since she asked him to join...
How long have I been here? In this world...Soul Society.
Perhaps the more pressing question was, how much longer would he be permitted to remain?
Currently his thoughts were about something much more recent…
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The errant shinigami stood silently on the other side of the Senkaimon gate, waiting for his captain to bring back a prisoner from the human world. There was nothing else to occupy him. What can a 20th seat officer, the lowest of the seated positions, do besides wait for orders?
Just then, even though the doors were closed, he felt something from the human world. A very strong and untamed power. Definitely not either of the two top officers, and that was really a surprise. For a brief moment, it awoke him from the apathy that he'd been cultivating all these years. What was happening over there? Do I need to be concerned? Maybe they need help? Should I intervene, or just inform the other officers?
Before any sort of decision could be reached, the gate opened, and his captain and the vice-captain, Byakuya Kuchiki and Renji Abarai, stepped through with Rukia Kuchiki in tow. She's the culprit? And the captain is going to just hand over his own sister without a word of protest? This peaked his curiosity.
And then he noticed Renji was missing something on his forehead.
"Lost another pair, Lieutenant?" he said with a slight grin, but Renji didn't smile back and moved on. Deciding not to press the issue, the low-ranked fighter simply trailed in his superiors' wake.
Must have been one hell of a fight if he's not smiling about it right now...
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He was remembering standing guard over Rukia when she was held in her own cell, listening to her and Renji argue about what she did, when someone suddenly called out to him in his dream state.
Wake up, lazy boy...
A woman's voice spoke to him, soft yet biting at the same time. You might be old, but you are still a boy inside... After all these centuries, you still haven't said my name yet… If you were my lover, I'd slap you. Now wake up!
"Hey, wake up!"
Judging by the voice's volume, his host was shouting at him as he dozed in this sub-dimensional guardhouse floating over the Western Gate. Apparently the guy had decided to accost his uninvited guest at last. He was suddenly up and alert once more.
"What is it, you big ogre?"
No matter how much the title might suit him, the scowl that furrowed the giant's brow showed that he clearly didn't appreciate being referred to like that. "The name's Ikkanzaka Jidanbo, you rude cretin! You barged in here and plopped yourself down a half-hour ago, and you still haven't even introduced yourself to me, so don't start name-calling! You've a name, bub? Or should I just call you 'The Beautiful Dreamer'?"
The idea of that nickname getting stuck and having to carry it around for the rest of eternity made the drowsy lay about cringe. He stood up and ruffled his short black hair. A small faded scar on his left cheek stopped just below one deep blue eye. Dressed in a plain shinigami uniform, his only concession to individuality was a dark red scarf tied to his left arm. His sword had a slightly longer hilt than most and fastened tightly on his sash.
"The name's Boruto Sakaki, 20th seat of Division 6...at your service." Still sitting slouched by the open door, he glanced over his shoulder to peer down from their position several yards over the city wall. "And unless I miss my guess, it looks like somebody's trying to sneak in under your watch. Better mobilize your titanic self, Master Jidanbo."
The hulking guardian joined him at the portal of their invisible perch. "Huh!" he exhaled loudly. "Seems you're right." As he spoke, the seemingly open entry below them slammed shut at the intruders' approach, leaving the group of three men, one woman, and what seemed to be a cat standing flustered before it. Without further ado, Ikkanzaka retrieved his fez from where it lay and perched it over his bald pate.
"Watch and learn, little fellow," the giant rumbled. "This is how real men work!" With that, he leapt down, appearing out of nowhere to land before the astonished interlopers.
"And here I thought this would be a perfect secluded spot to grab a nap," Sasaki groused, watched the scene below with little interest. "Ah, well," and he turned away, "Jidanbou'll make short work of that lot, and maybe then things will quiet down again."
Opening theme is called Houkago Eden by VitaminX
Chapter 1 – The Adept
Not ten minutes later, Boruto was left gawking open-mouthed at the sight of a humbled Jidanbo about to raise the gate for his conqueror.
"WAIT!!" Sakaki shouted as he dropped down before them. "Hey, you big oaf! You have orders! No one passes this gate, especially not intruders in our world!"
He was truly pissed for the first time. This was not about honor or who won the battle, it's about following your orders, like they all had to.
"He beat me, so I'll open the gate..." the guardian spoke solemnly. Then he shot a glance down and whispered to Sakaki, "I didn't say he would be able to get in." One enormous eye winked conspiratorially.
And just like that it was clear what the giant planned. He meant for Sakaki to step in and oppose them. But after seeing what the kid, Ichigo, did to Jidanbo, he was not ashamed to admit that he felt more than a little bit afraid.
Jidanbo started to slowly open the gates. Feeling somewhat like a character in a bad comedy, the anxious death god positioned himself squarely between that grandiose passage and the bunch of misfits who were now all eyeing him curiously. All except for the kid, Kurosaki Ichigo, who was frowning in displeasure.
"Hey, you..." Boruto spoke in his most authoritative tone, "Jidanbo might have gone soft, but you'll find me to be of sterner stuff. You, sir...shall not pass."
Ichigo sighed and prepared to draw his sword once more.
Better not give him the chance, he decided.
Sakaki grabbed his soul cutter and did a quick draw, clearly surprising Ichigo that the length of his blade was shorter than what would be expected from the sheath's length. As he sprang forward, the clashing of blade on blade made a ping sound when Ichigo's sword came in contact with Sakaki's.
He's fast… and strong… really strong…
Leaping into the air, Sakaki came at Ichigo from above, intending to use gravity to aid his stroke. But as the orange-headed ruffian glowered up at him, the officer realized something too late.
It was now absurdly obvious that Ichigo's large sword was obviously the shikai form, while his was still in sealed state. As a result, the next collision between them resulted in Sakaki hurtling away when Ichigo pulled his giant kitchen knife back and pretty much batted his opponent through the open gate like a kid kicking a ball down the street.
GOOOOOOAAL! Someone shouted in his ears.
I wasn't strong enough. That's what went through the crushed shinigami's mind while he flew through the air. As Boruto clutched his sword in a shaking grip, he felt it pulse.
Aren't you going to say my name? that same voice he heard in his dream asked.
It's not over yet...
"Flow and adapt..." he uttered, for the first time getting serious and mad as he tried to…
A hand hooked into the back of his shirt, and Boruto slammed to a halt so fast it knocked out whatever wind was left in him. He then found himself dangling a few inches above the ground, swaying back and forth and limp as a rag doll.
"Tuck and roll, there, son. Tuck and roll."
The impact must have knocked out his senses too.
That sounded like Gin Ichimura.
Sakaki closed his eyes as he prepared to pass out. He could still feel the pulse from his sword, calling for him in a way he had never felt before. A surge of power from when he came into contact with Ichigo's blade and his overflowing spiritual energy.
Wonder what that's all about?
Then it was back in the dream state again.
Defeated completely. And by someone who was so much younger than me. Though outwardly Sakaki Boruto appeared youthful, he'd been around for about 200 years. Had it really been that long?
When his eyes opened, he was greeted by the familiar ceiling of the 4th squad's medical wing. Standing over him was its captain, Unohana Retsu.
He looked at the red scarf still tied to his arm and sighed.
Beautiful as always, Unohana-sama
"Well, it's nice to see that you are awake. It's been two days now." The enchanting voice was soothing to his ears. "Your injuries were not that bad, Saki-kun."
"Please...don't call me that." Sakaki groaned and attempted to rise off the mattress. His wounds were patched up. He sighed as he looked at a roll of paper next to his bed.
"These were your orders when you awake," Unohana supplied helpfully.
Sakaki picked up the parchment and opened it. What he saw there made him feel utterly helpless once more.
"I've... been ordered to assume command of a patrol and seek out the intruders. Apparently they've broken through the barrier. I've been promoted..."
The captain paused while collecting her medical tools. "I thought you refused promotion."
He shook his head glumly. "This is an order. I cannot refuse. I've been promoted 10 seats up. I'm now a 10th seat officer because of my years of… experience."
"Well, don't push yourself, Saki-kun." Unohana smiled at him. He looked away and blushed as he got his sword, crestfallen.
After 200 years, you still haven't told her how you feel… so pitiful, partner.
How can she accept my feelings? I'm just a boy to her...
He placed his sword at his side and walked out into the sunlight. His new squad mates were already waiting for him.
Kurosaki Ichigo... Time for a rematch...
He turned to his unit. "Let's go, guys"
The group nodded and followed him.
It wasn't until later in the day when Sakaki encountered a group dragging Ikkaku Madarame's body towards the opposite direction. He stopped them to converse.
"The intruder did this to him?" He said out loud and looked to Ikkaku, who in spite of his severe injuries remained conscious. "He's one strong guy, isn't he?"
"Yeah, he sure was, man." The crazy-eyed combatant didn't look at all dispirited by his loss. "Don't worry. He'll run into my captain soon enough and get a taste of real power."
"Not before I kick his ass first," Sakaki replied as he walked ahead with his small patrol following, only to run right into a bunch of guys from Squad 11. "Jeez, just what we needed...competition. Hey, out of our way, Hair Club for Crazies!"
"You little punks better watch where you're going," one of the huskier swordsmen growled. "We're going to capture the intruders first, if not kill them."
Squad 11; some of us call them the Hell-hounds of the Gotei 13. The toughest, craziest of us all. First to run headlong into the fight. Not that it's a bad thing, now that I think about it. I can use them as a meat shield if we run into Ichigo.
With that, he adopted a more friendly appearance and held up his hands agreeably. "Well, look, let's tag along. It'll help us save time. If we run into them first, you can have first crack at 'em. I just want to be there when the ass-kicking starts." Sakaki smiled through his teeth, knowing that these guys could soften Ichigo up so he could step in to finish him off and take all the credit in the name of his squad.
Soon enough, the tag teams found themselves chasing someone, and it happened to be...
Shiba Ganju.
"Damn he's a fast fat ass. Faster, faster!" Sakaki shouted, with his sword drawn.
"Damn it, why is it no matter where we go, I'm always the one begin chased all over the place?!" Ganju shouted as he ran, barely escaping Sakaki, who was in the lead with the other 11s shout insults and threats to Ganju.
"Come back here, you circus reject!"
"We're gonna beat you for being so ugly!"
"Hey, who are you calling ugly, the funky guy with the eyelashes is ok, but you guys aren't posing on magazines anytime soon!" Ganju shouted back, making the 11s even more angry and ready to rip him apart.
Colorfully creative insults ensued.
"We'll take pleasure in gutting you, boy!"
"Better run before we use us as a meat bag for practice!"
"We're going to tie you to the back of the ugly truck with the ugly rope, and drag you down Ugly Street for 50 ugly miles!!!!"
When Ichigo Kurosaki suddenly rounded a corner up ahead and ran right towards them, Sakaki heartily thanked the gods for answering his prayers.
When a pack of snarling Eleventh Division members turned out to be in hot pursuit of his quarry, Sakaki questioned the gods' sense of humor.
When a nobody shinigami from the Fourth wandered in and got taken hostage by Ichigo and company, Sakaki cursed the gods vehemently, and walked forward to lay down a few facts of life concerning the different companies in their sword-loving world.
"We got a hostage. Act like you give a damn!" Ichigo said.
"Oh, and soooo you do..." Sakaki raised an arm and pointed. "Hadō number 1...Shō!"
The newly-promoted Tenth seat fired a kido spell and knocked Hanataro Yamada flying away from Ichigo. Sakaki then drew his sword. "Got any other tricks, ryoka?"
Ichigo and Ganju turned back to Sakaki in shock.
"He just shot a friendly," the ugly one said accusingly.
"Get them, boys." The ranking commander pointed his zanpakuto at them with a vicious smile.
The only response to his command was an explosion from directly behind.
"The hell was that?" Sakaki wondered aloud, standing in the same pose with his sword bared. Turning about, the flabbergasted shinigami's jaw hit the floor upon seeing his human shields were lying in a pile of rubble that effectively incapacitated his entire crew.
"We're outta here!" Ichigo shouted as he and Ganju plowed their way through the other group behind them.
"Hey, come back here!" Sakaki shouted as he gave chase, turning a corner and seeing that they had disappeared.
"Ugh! Where did they go?!"
Boruto had failed to see the manhole behind him that was partially opened. However, upon turning about, he tripped and fell over it. Narrowing his eyes, he removed the cover and dropped in to give chase.
Within the sewer systems, Ichigo, Ganju and apparently Yamada, were all hiding. The 4th squad medic believed it was in good manners to introduce himself.
"I am Yamada Hanatarō, nice to meet you."
"Why do you introduce yourself? We don't need to know you!" Ganju shouted,
"And what kind of name is that. It's so lame" Ichigo said
"My name's not lame."
"From where I'm from Hanataro means flower. You mind as well call yourself blossom." Ichigo said with a chuckle.
"Now that's just mean."
Ichigo turned to Ganju with a sour look on his face.
"And the hell is wrong with you, man?"
"I just picked him up by accident."
"How do you accidently pick someone up? You a garbage man or something?!"
"I felt sorry for the little bastard. What's your problem?"
"He's the enemy, that's my problem!"
"Well apparently his own guys don't like him either."
"Hey, hey you two," Yamada said, "Don't fight over me."
"WE'RE NOT FIGHTING OVER YOU!" both Ichigo and Ganju shouted, their heads looked like they were exploding.
"Anyway, since keeping you a hostage doesn't work, you can run along. I've gotta save my friend, Rukia."
Ichigo then ignored Yamada from now on and turned back to Ganju about their next plan.
"Alright, all we know is that she's in some kind of white tower, but as you can see outside, there are a dozen of them. Ikkaku said that she's being held there, but we need to know which one."
"I got a map right here." Ganju pulled out a piece of paper and showed it to Ichigo.
After taking a look at Ganju's chicken scratch, he turned to the man.
"You drew this yourself, didn't you?"
"At least I have a map. Where's yours?" Ganju retorted back smartly.
"If I had a map, then I wouldn't ask you!"
Yamada tried to call to them, but they were too busy arguing back and forth, so he had to shout.
"Hey, do you mean KuchikiRukia?" He asked, and hearing her full name made Ichigo turned to face the little man, "You are here for her right?"
"You know her?" Ichigo asked.
***
Location: Seireitei, 200 years ago
Sakaki Boruto was nothing special, except if you considered that he was the last member of his household, a very poor and forgotten family. Their ancestral home was at the edge of the walls ringing the Court of Pure Souls to the north. No servants left nowadays; if this was the human world, the place would be falling apart from neglect. Fortunately being in the spirit world, maintaining the structure of buildings wasn't needed unless it had been intentionally damaged.
Sakaki sat on the steps of his manor, feeling lost and alone. His mother had died not too long ago, and now his father lay at death's door. He had no siblings and no other relatives. A medical member from squad 4 of the Gotei 13 was attempting to treat his withering parent. Usually the 13 protection squads would be too busy with other duties. But this one felt his father's pain and took it upon herself to help when the doctor they asked for had not shown up.
So the boy simply waited for the inevitable.
His father died that day of an illness that he wasn't able to recover from due to advanced age, leaving his only son as the sole heir to a forgotten family that no one cared about. What was left of their money, Sakaki used virtually all of to bury his sire next to his mother in their plot at the edge of the city. It was said their family came from the Rukongai and that it took them many decades to gather enough fortune and influence to earn their place in Seireitei as a lower family. Now, there was nothing left. Even though his small manor and estate were in good condition, it was empty except for him.
Not long after that, the healer from the 4th squad returned to visit him. The wind was howling savagely outside, its wailing cry frightening the house's sole occupant. Sakaki was still a child then, and even though he was on the verge of breaking into tears at any moment, he tried to look dignified in front of her.
"You know," the dark-haired lady spoke, "I think it does you little good to just sit around here and cry all the time."
Sakaki tried to defend his own pride by sucking back tears in front of her.
"I don't cry! I'm the head of this household, and you should show respect, shinigami!"
"Did you earn it?" she had asked him with no trace of either condescension or displeasure at being upbraided by a child. "What can you do to defend it?"
Sakaki didn't have much pride. In truth, his parents kept him away from the outside world all the time, trying to shield him. He had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. The privileged aristocrat's son had never even stepped outside his home for long periods of time without being watched by either of his parents. Now that they were both gone and no one else was left, he had absolutely no clue what to do with himself.
"I…don't know how to fight…and there isn't anything left I can defend." He looked at his home. "This is just an empty building. I am alone here. I've got nothing to really live for."
She knelt down in front of him and smiled.
"Then why don't you search for something you want to achieve, and never stop until you get it? There are so many things one can do in this lifetime. Don't waste it sitting around here. Go make something of yourself."
For the first time, young Sakaki noticed this remarkably calm and beautiful woman fully. He found himself intrigued by her. She had a refined maturity that he could barely comprehend, and her voice was gentle yet commanding. After a moment, his serene taskmistress got up and walked toward the door without another word. Sakaki felt he was supposed to say something, but he couldn't find the words.
The shinigami lady moved out into the howling gale. After a moment, he jerked up and raced to catch her.
Coming upon her, their hair and clothes flapping wildly, Boruto finally managed to come up with, "Thank you…uh…" He didn't know her name at the time.
The lady turned about, her expression cool and professional. "Unohana Retsu. What's your name, child?"
"I'm… Sakaki. Boruto Sakaki."
"It's nice meeting you, Boruto Sakaki."
When she turned to leave then, a violent gust of wind swirled all around them. A red scarf that the shinigami had wrapped loosely around her throat came whipping off and landed in a muddy puddle a short way off.
"Oh, dear," she sighed. "And it was my favorite one."
The lady left without bothering to retrieve her ruined wrap. Sakaki then felt like he should do something to repay her for her kindness. So the next day, he went outside his home for the first time by himself and wandered around until he found a store that sold scarves.
"Oh, this is a lovely shade of red. Is it for your girlfriend?" The shop owner asked, causing Sakaki to blush slightly.
"Ummm, no, it's just a thank you present for someone." He paid for it and left.
Sakaki didn't really know how to begin bestowing his gift upon the dutiful medic. He did know she was from the 4th division of the Gotei 13, and this proved to be a place that many people were familiar with, whether shinigami or not. So he rushed to present the thank-you gift for helping his confidence.
Upon arriving, Boruto asked for directions and was immediately greeted with curiosity.
"I'm looking for Unohana-san. Do you know where she is?" he asked one of the squad 4 members, who happened to be the current lieutenant at the time.
"Oh, the Captain is busy now. You want to wait for her?"
Sakaki was inwardly shocked that his guardian angel should turn out to be one of the leaders of Soul Society. He thought all captains were mean, powerful shinigami with intense spiritual force about them, not the beautiful and gentle Unohana. It was obvious that she had been hiding her reiatsu so as to not scare him.
However, upon realizing this, he had quickly declined waiting and went home along with his gift. Alone in the world, the downtrodden orphan stayed there for days looking at it, thinking it was stupid he could impress a captain with such a lowly gift. After a while, though, it occurred to him that if something like this would not be enough, then perhaps he should try to gain something more.
"I got a goal for her…she thinks of me as another kid, but I'll show her. I'll make her see what I can do."
With that in mind, he took her words as encouragement for recruitment into the ranks of the shinigami. Sakaki left to enlist the next morning, wrapping the scarf around his left arm to remind him every day of his reason to do the best he possibly could.
Present time
Creeping through the sewers where Ichigo Kurosaki and his two co-conspirators had gone to ground, Boruto listened to their conversation, and thereby learned the true purpose behind the ryoka's attack.
Sakaki leaned against a wall and thought for a second. He could understand Ichigo's cause. If it was Unohana, he would risk his life for her, right? But then, even after he had advanced so fast so quickly, exceeding his classmates and graduating with honors, the look in her eyes was always the kind a mother would give to her own son. The aspiring suitor started to find it almost patronizing, but it wasn't like he could change how she viewed him. Even when he grew taller than her, a full adult, he couldn't come up with the balls to tell her how he really felt, that he couldn't have made it this far without her support.
He would always be that upstart little boy. And for a long time Boruto had thought he was fine with that. To prove it he even spent the next 200 years refusing promotion, and finally transferred to the 6th squad to be away from her. Originally 4th squad was his first choice. He had been so eager to impress her with his skills, but she simply looked on him as one more patient under her care. And it was his duty to respect the rules of their new home and never do anything unworthy of a shinigami that would cause her to regret having known him.
But still…
The morals and values he learned from Unohana applied to more than just obeying laws and government. It was seeing the truth of things and knowing where justice really lay.
Sakaki then made a decision.
He turned and walked away from Ichigo, Ganju, and Yamada, back up the nearest hole and outside again. He decided to disobey. Why? Because he believed that he needed to do more than mope around for another 200 years because the woman he loved wouldn't see past the memory of him being a child. He needed to do something on his own, to stand apart.
As Sakaki walked, he then ran into trouble, a familiar face.
Its name was Himura Sanosuke of squad 1.
"You let the ryoka go on purpose didn't you?" the lead shinigami stated. It wasn't really a question. "Why?"
Boruto stood and regarded his supposed ally calmly. "Because I believe they are not here with the intention to harm us. They are here to save a friend."
"It's obvious that man dressed like one of us is here to break Kuchiki Rukia out of prison. I bet they have more terrorist plots against us."
"It's a bit less sinister than that, Sano," Sakaki said with a fair hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"That's '3rd seat officer Himura' to you," the other man bristled.
And Sanosuke drew his sword.
This was so bizarre. Was it really coming down to this, that another shinigami was drawing on him? Suddenly overwhelmed by the implications, Sakaki held up a hand and attempted to defuse the situation before it got out of hand. "I overheard the ryoka, Ichigo's, reason for being here. I see him as a very noble and honorable man."
"Not our problem. He's an intruder and they are to be dealt with just the same as traitors. Didn't you say that when you instructed me at the academy?" As Sanosuke stepped forward, Sakaki took a step back. "You're just the same as them and shall be dealt with accordingly." He tapped his sword to his sheath. "Fill until full, Hitoshizuku."
Sanosuke's sword changed into a wider blade with a tip that expanded into 3 separate points.
"You are under arrest for aiding and abetting criminals. Will you come quietly…or resist?"
Boruto pondered. If he let the man arrest him, he'd be forced to lead him to Ichigo. Between that or being branded a traitor, there was really only one option that demanded he abandon his principles. So decided, the Squad 6 representative stood his ground and drew his sword.
"Don't be ridiculous…of course I intend to resist," Sakaki said as he brought the weapon up.
Ready to call my name this time?
He smiled with as much confidence as he ever had in his life.
"Flow and adapt…Ryuudou Harou."
A red aura surrounded him as he released his zanpakutou into shikai form for the first time in a long time. Sakaki kissed his blade, then flicked it to create a rather loud ping sound, before bringing his sheath up and inserting his sword back into it.
The ringing noise continued to become louder until he completely sheathed his zanpakutō. He suddenly pulled it out, and the soul cutter transformed into a long double-bladed sword, the sheath becoming part of the new form.
Sakaki readied his weapon, and as he did, Sanosuke charged for the attack.
To be continued...
1st ending theme is called "Get Over the Regret"