Continuation of Bleach
After the events at Hueco Mundo and Las Noches
(My version, seeing as those events haven't finished being written yet)
The threat to the real world is over. Everyone that had been part of Aizen's Rebellion except for Aizen himself was either dead or inside a prison in Soul Society. Having no more followers, Aizen can do nothing. And that is why Ichigo, Orihime, Chad, and Rukia were on their way to a rock concert in the real world, enjoying themselves after having so much trouble.
"What band are we seeing again?" Orihime asked. Ichigo rolled his eyes. This is the fifth time she asked that.
"High and Mighty Color, Inoue." Chad, because he was driving, was even quieter than normal. Rukia was scrutinizing the area outside of her window.
"What's so interesting out there?" Ichigo said roughly. Rukia looked at him briefly and then went back to the window.
"I've never seen any other part of the real world other than Karakura town. I want to know what else is out there."
"Rukia, it's rocks and highway out there. A tree or two here or there. The view sucks."
"Well, I don't know..." Orihime began.
"Please don't," Chad said before she could get any farther into her strange logic. "Traffic's heavy around here."
"We could get there faster if we just ran in Shinigami form. That bastard Ulquiorra... Damn, I miss my shinigami powers. No reason I lost them though. that cero followed by his zanpakuto hurt like a bitch. If I just go to Soul Society I can get them back, but the way I am now... Damn, I miss shunpo."
Ichigo was in a foul mood. Hopefully the concert would cheer him up.
Hopefully.
Suddenly, the scream of a Hollow could be heard. It ripped the sky open and jumped down, causing the car in front of Chad's to swerve and turn perpendicular to them. Chad broadsided the car at seventy miles per hour. For some strange reason, the airbags didn't deploy. Chad, Inoue, and Ichigo were instantly separated from their real bodies and Rukia was in Shinigami form.
"An Adjuchas?!" Ichigo shouted. "Rukia!"
Before they knew what was happening, the Adjuchas stepped on the three soul's chains and separated them from their real bodies. "Shit!" Ichigo said whole-heartedly. "I can't do anything in this form, Rukia. You're gonna have to kill it. Sado and Inoue are down." Rukia was quick and she killed it without releasing her zanpakuto, but the damage had been done. The only way ichigo could get back into his real body was to become a shinigami. To become a Shinigami he had to go to Soul Society. Quickly, too, because the hollow inside him accelerates the rate at which he would become a hollow.
"Ichigo-" Rukia began.
"I know, Rukia. Chad and Inoue too. They can't go back."
"I'll tell your father."
"There's no need. I know what dad is. He probably knows already." Ichigo said with a grin. Rukia nodded and performed soul burials on Chad and Orihime.
"I'll see you in Soul Society." She sent him off with a sad face. This trip to Soul Society is different, he thought. He was being forced and not running through a gate like normal. He could feel the wind tearing at him with incredible speed as he passed through a spectral passageway to the afterlife. Soon, he emerged in District 1 of Rukongai.
"Must be district one," Ichigo said to himself. "Buildings are huge, streets are clean, people have poles up their asses. Definitely in District 1." He could already feel the flow of spirit particles back into his body. He smiled to himself, then thought, "Where's Chad and Inoue?"
After a week, Ichigo was gaining back his ability to sense reiatsu, however bad he was at that. He waited a few more days before tracing the reiatsu of Chad, who seemed to be nearer than Orihime. He traveled from district to district before coming up on District 10, where he felt a sharp increase in Sado's reiatsu scent. He went running around looking and yelling, "Chad, it's Kurosaki!" before stumbling upon him inside a house with complete strangers.
"Hello, Kurosaki." Chad said. He looked around the room before stepping outside with Ichigo to talk to him. "How did we die?" Chad asked simply.
"Adjuchas caused our car to crash. I can feel my power coming back. But before I focus on regaining my powers, I would like to-"
"Look for Inoue?
"Yeah."
A couple days after finding Chad, they set out to find Orihime. They found her in District 53. After a happy and tearful reunion, at least for one of them, they found an unoccupied building and started setting up camp there. It was hard living. Food was scarce, and the district was full of crime. Thankfully, they only spent a short amount of time living there. After about three weeks in Rukongai, Rukia found them. There wasn't much to say in between them other than the one idea that Rukia had and that the other had been thinking about.
"You should all join the academy. Inoue and Sado both have high reiatsu, and it would be a good way to brush up your skills and pass the time until you get your powers back. You'll also learn Kidou." Ichigo had been planning to do this ever since he lost his powers. Both Chad and Orihime thought it was a good idea as well. Rukia escorted them to the Academy and it was there she bid her farewell for the time being. Immediately, they all filled out applications and handed them in. The Shinigami in charge of taking the applications raised an eyebrow at their names.
"You're the ryoka that-"
"Cut the crap, dude. You gonna let us in?" Ichigo demanded. The shinigami put down their applications and gestured them into the facility. There they were separated and put into classes, then given white and blue/red kimonos for a uniform. The classes started and roll call began. The teacher went through several names before coming upon Kurosaki Ichigo.
He cleared his throught and said quietly, "Kurosaki Ichigo?"
"Yo." Ichigo said. Heads turned and stared at him. "What?" he said. "Continue."
It took two weeks before they actually did anything in the Academy. In that time Ichigo regained his zanpakuto in katana form and he decided not to try and release it quite yet because he didn't have enough power. Finally, they started using kidou. Ichigo was horrible with binding kidou but decent with Ways of Destruction. About three days after starting kidou, they started swordfighting. They were given wooden katanas and were instructed upon how to swing them the right way and how to block and such. At the end of the day, everyone in the class had a chance to spar against the instructor.
"Have at me!" the instructor told Kurosaki. Ichigo laughed and landed two easy hits on the torso.
"You're a great intructor, but you suck at real fighting." Ichigo said tactlessly. The intructor went red in the face and called up the next opponent.
Over the next couple months, Ichigo regained his shunpo and felt that he could now release Zangetsu. But he didn't. Not yet. Ichigo was now getting used to kidou and he was getting to be pretty good at it. His Way of Binding Kidou was now decent and Destruction was getting to be very good.
What usually took students two years took him two months while regaining his powers. He moved up from higher class to higher class. He kept on getting better at kidou, to be a little below Hinamori with Ways of Destruction, and his swordsmanship was unsurpassed, except for Kenpachi and the high commander Yamamoto, who were equal. His classes now included shunpo and he increased the speed and distance he could go in a single step.
In a mere nine months, Ichigo passed the Shinigami Academy. That was faster than Ichimaru Gin, who had graduated in one year. The teacher had one more lesson to give to his students before they graduated.
"Students. Your zanpakuto is not just a katana. It is a living being, like you and I. If you learn its name, then your sword will manifest itself in a different way that is closer to its real form. This is called shikai. I will call someone special in for you to demonstrate this. He is a captain of one of the squads of the Gotei 13 and has been a captain for a very long time. Please welcome the captain of the 11th Squad, Zaraki Kenpachi."
Kenpachi walked in. Immediately all the people in the classroom cringed at his powerful reiatsu. With a big grin, Kenpachi drew his sword and said, "Bare your teeth, Baito Ookami." The sword changed form into a serrated double-helix sword thats size outdid zangetsu when it is released. It looked extremely powerful, and dangerous to whoever was insane enough to fight him.
"All zanpakuto are unique, and mine is no exception. Besides being large, heavy, and sharp, it also has the ability to "bite" and "eat" reiatsu. When it slices, I can make it take some of the reiatsu and absorb it, making the blade sharper and more powerful."
Ichigo grinned. "Finally got that down, did ya?" He yelled out. Kenpachi saw him in the back of the room and laughed.
"What're you doing here, Kurosaki?" he said.
"I died in the real world."
Kenpachi smiled and said, "Then there's nothing to keep your mind occupied while you fight me because you don't have to go back." Kenpachi performed a shunpo to get close to Ichigo, and they left the building together using shunpo.
"I can defeat you without releasing Baito Ookami," Kenpachi said confidently. "And I'll have the time of my life doing it."
Ichigo sighed and said, "Then I guess I'm going to have to fight you without releasing Zangetsu."
"I thought your zanpakuto was too powerful to be sealed, Kurosaki."
"I just got him back after regaining my powers. Ironic, isn't it, that first we save Rukia because she lost her powers and all of a sudden, our positions are reversed. Anyway, I want to try Zangetsu out without releasing it, because once I release it, it won't be able to go back," Ichigo explained. "We can't fight right now, either. I will fight you when the time comes."
"When the time comes? What kind of statement is that? It's so lame."
Ichigo stepped back into the classroom with shunpo and then he sat back down. He felt fifty pairs of eyes burning into him and he frowned.
"What, do you all wish you had orange hair?" Ichigo barked out. The class looked back at the teacher and he sighed.
"I will be assigning you to squads now. Those who are skilled at fighting will go to the eleventh squad. Those gifted in healing and are not very good at fighting will be going to the fourth squad. Those with sharp minds will go to the twelfth squad. No one will be admitted to the second squad. All the other squads are for those who are proficient at all skills. "
The teacher then proceeded to hand out forms that told the new Shinigami what squad they were assigned to, their captain, and all the seated officers. Ichigo rolled his eyes when he saw what squad he was assigned to.
"Ack. Eleventh squad. Guess it can't be helped, because I'm good at fighting. But Kenpachi... whoo boy, this'll be tough. He'll want to fight all the time," Ichigo was telling another classmate that had been assigned to the eleventh squad. He was nodding madly as Ichigo talked to him.
No one was of note in the academy other than himself. He longed to talk to Chad and Orihime more. When they had breaks they met up, but it would be another four years before they graduated from the academy. As Ichigo was walking aorund Sereiti, he saw familiar faces. Once, he saw Ikkaku walking by and he stopped him.
"Yo, Ikkaku. You know I'm part of your squad now, right?" Ikkaku scowled.
"Kurosaki, you're gonna take my place at third seat. You bastard," Ikkaku said harshly.
"Do you want to fight over it?" Ichigo chided. He barely had time to block the punch headed towards his face.
"What kind of stupid question is that? Of course I do!" Ikkaku said. Ichigo rolled his eyes and pulled out Zangetsu in katana form. He could easily defend Ikkaku's slashes, but he thought that he was being put into a false sense of security.
He was right. Ikkaku soon released his zanpakuto and began attacking with quick, strong attacks. Ichigo still could block all of his blows, but Zangestu was taking strain from repeated hits. Ichigo hacked and slashed madly to turn the battle into an offensive one. He landed a coulple scratches here and there on Ikkaku's arms and midsection, but nothing serious. He could tell that Ikkaku was getting angrier at not being able to touch Ichigo using Shikai while Ichigo was still in katana form. After landing a deep gash in Ikkaku's arm, Ikkaku broke.
"I hate it! When did you get so good? I am the third seat! You have no right to take my place!" Ikkaku ranted.
"Ikkaku! You're not being yourself! Don't get so angry over a seat position! You're still strong!" Ichigo pleaded. Ikkaku calmed down a little, then smiled.
"Then at least I will make it interesting." He jumped back and started running. "To thirteenth division training grounds, Kurosaki," he called behind his shoulder. Ichigo used shunpo to get in front of Ikkaku and he ran all the way to the grounds. Ikkaku landed soon after, and then yelled out, "BANKAI!"
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. He knew that Ikkaku had achieved bankai, but he had never seen it befoe. He saw now the huge blades and red dragon that is Ikkaku's Zanpakuto's true form. Ichigo grinned, and did not release Zangetsu. As Ikkaku charged at him, he just used shunpo to dodge it and slice him slightly on the arms. Soon, Ikkaku found Ichigo's pattern and he began to counterattack Ichigo's evade and counter tactics. Ichigo knew that if he blocked a hit from the destructive power of Ikkaku's bankai, his katana Zangetsu would shatter and he would be forced to release it. Ichigo was trying to make a point by keeping Zangetsu sealed.
"AAAAAHHHH!" Ikkaku screamed as he charged at Ichigo. "You're done, Kurosaki!" Ichigo vanished from sight as he used shunpo to appear behind Ikkaku.
"If I were to kill you, I would do it now. You are angry and are leaving yourself open to attack from behind. I would have beheaded you, quick and efficient. Ikkaku, I don't know what seat I'm going to be even if I have a seat. That was reckless of you to act off a hunch."
Ikkaku grinned wildly and sealed away his zanpakuto.
"I needed a reason to fight you, Kurosaki. It's too much damn fun."
Ichigo hung his head in shame and said under his breath, "I take that back. That wasn't reckless of you, it was typical of you." They walked away from the field peacefully, but were cut off by Kenpachi.
"Damn. Looked like you two enjoyed it. You should fight me sometime."
"NO, dammit. How many times to I have to tell you, Kenpachi? I will fight you when the time comes." Ichigo barked out. Kenpachi grinned as Ichigo and Ikkaku walked past him and back into the populated area of Soul Society. Shortly thereafter, they say Yachiru running towards them at full speed.
"Ichi! Have you seen Ken-Chan? What about Maki Maki? Or Big Boobies? or-" She was cut off by a stiffarm to the face from Ichigo, as he often did to Keigo at school.
"Kenpachi's over there. Orihime's in the dorm, I believe. And... uh... Maki... Maki Maki. I forget who he is."
"Oww, Ichi. That hurt. Oh, right, Maki Maki. Mustache!" she said excitedly. Ichigo's face changed in comprehension and then he shook his head.
"I don't know where he is," he said. Yachiru shrugged and moved on. Ichigo wandered around Sereitei, wondering who he might meet around. He met a familiar captain's face while he was on his way to Kenpachi's office.
"Hey, Byakuya," Ichigo said as he walked up to him. Byakuya sighed.
"Don't call me by my first name. Call me captain Kuchiki."
"Sure thing, Byakuya. You seen Renji or Rukia around?"
"I believe that they are spending their time off together."
"Oh yeah, and Byakuya, I never properly thanked you for saving Rukia and me in Hueco Mundo. I'm really grateful you guys came. There was a good chance that Nnoitra would have killed me if you guys did't get there."
"I didn't save you from Nnoitra. Thank Captain Zaraki if you want to express gratitude."
"You saved Rukia, though. For that, I am more grateful than for my own life."
"Why do you care so much for Rukia?" Byakuya asked.
"Someone say my name?" a rough voice grumbled from behind them. There stood Kenpachi.
"Oops, sorry Kenpachi. I was lost in conversation so I didn't pay attention to reiatsus. Listen, I have something to tell you-"
"Shut yer trap and leave it for later. I'm making you my third seat officer," Kenpachi said then started walking away. Ichigo hung his head and prayed under his breath that Ikkaku didn't freak out for real.
He did.
Zaraki always took a lot of time out of his day trying to get Ichigo to fight him, but to no avail. He did train several hours a day just to relieve his boredom. He wanted to become a captain of the Gotei 13, but Yamamoto had filled in all the spots. He wanted to oversee the education of Chad and Orihime, but he didn't have the qualifications for a teacher in the academy, so he wasn't allowed to do that.
He had done nothing very intereseting for about two years. In about a week, the anniverserary of his "death" was coming. He longed to talk to Karin and Yuzu, along with his father. He didn't know if Yuzu could see Shinigami, but Karin and his father could. Ichigo wished that something would happen, anything- even Aizen coming back would be something. The chances of that were slim, though. Working together, Mayuri and Urahara had put the Hougyoku in the safest place they could make, which included several hundred feet of Sekki Stone along with a whole unit of the second division to guard it. It was also in deep sleep once again. It was unlikely Aizen had the manpower to even launch an attack on the vault.
He hadn't seen Rukia much- she was busy in the Thirteenth Division, moving up into a seated position. Ichigo himself had often had to do at least some paperwork seeing that Kenpachi and Yachiru didn't have the attention span to finish them. Ichigo wished for something to do.
He got his wish later in the week. When walking to his training ground one evening, Ukitake crossed paths with him and told Ichigo that Zaraki was looking for him. Ichigo sprinted to Kenpachi's office because Kenpachi hated his subordinates being late, and that would give him more of a reason to fight Kurosaki.
"Kurosaki. I'm giving you a patrol in the real world. This is a hollow-killing, soul-burying patrol. Nothing more. Yachiru will be going with you." Kenpachi explained. At her name, Yachiru appeared from behind Zaraki and jumped from his shoulder onto Ichigo's.
"Ichi, no worries! I'm going with you!"
"Let him have a few indulgences, Yachiru. But don't let him get too much off task," Zaraki said with his strange smile.
They headed off the next day, using the official gate this time, seeing that Ichigo could now control Hell Butterflies. It was peaceful in the real world when they got there.
"You gonna stay at Sandal-Hat's?" Yachiru asked.
"No. I know someone else who would be more hopitable," Ichigo said with a sad smile. He set off to his house and entered his room from his window. He saw now that this was Karin's room, but not much had changed. He guessed it was for the sentimentalities. Yachiru followed shortly behind him.
He opened the door and climbed down the stairs. It seemed that no one was home.
He turned around to go back upstairs when his father yelled out, "HELLO, ICHIGO!" and performed a flying kick at Ichigo's face. He blocked it and yelled back at him, "Damnit, Dad, you still do that to me even when I'm dead? That's just cruel." His father laughed and then seeing Yachiru, looked at Ichigo. "Yeah, she's out on assignment with me. Killing hollows and saving souls, that old thing," Ichigo explained.
While they were talking, Yachiru bursted out into hysterical laughter. The Kurosakis looked at her as she bursted out between giggles, "You're Kurosaki Isshin? You act like a retard!"
Ichigo turned on her, saying, "Why you little-"
Isshin cut him off. "Leave her alone. I've been acting this way for so long it's hard not to do it. Karin and Yuzu are sleeping at a friend's house. You can stay here tonight and talk to them tomorrow. You probably want some food."
They ate and talked. Isshin told him that Karin and Yuzu were lonely without him, and that Yuzu was beginning to be able to see Shinigami. Karin already knew several Shinigami from the battle over Karakura town. Karin knew that Ichigo could come back. Yuzu didn't, but she would accept it. Because they were talking about people she didn't know, Yachiru felt left out and she went outside to sulk.
Ishida had felt Kurosaki's reiatsu and was already on his way to the Kurosaki clinic. Yachiru saw him and pelted him with greetings and nicknames on his way inside. Upon seeing Uryuu, Ichigo got up and gave him a bear hug. Ishida was freaked out.
"Never thought I'd be happy to see you, Ishida," Ichigo said.
Ishida hung his said and said under his breath, "That's a really bad cliche..." Then, louder, he said, "I figured that you would have to come back sometime. There was no way you couldn't become an official shinigami. Being official would mean that you would have patrols in the real world."
Ichigo sat back down and gestured towards the food. Ishida sat down and only asked for a drink.
After taking a sip, he said to Ichigo, "I missed your company. Along with Inoue and Sado. Tatsuki was especially sad that Orihime isn't with the living anymore. Keigo as well."
Ichigo looked down into his drink and thought about everyone he had to leave behind after the Adjuchas' attack. "Ishida. I'm going to have to ask you not to interfere with the hollows while I am in karakura town. It isn't good for the balance of souls. If you do, I won't be happy. You don't want to experience that."
Ishida looked at Ichigo. "Well, I haven't had to deal with the hollows since you died because of a certain someone."
Ichigo raised his eyebrows. "Who?"
"Kon," Isshin answered.
"Oh, God." Ichigo said while closing his eyes.
Just then, Yachiru's voice cut into the conversation.
"Ichi! Hollow! Come on!" Ichigo got up and said quickly before leaving, "I think I'll get to see him soon."
Really sorry about gramatical errors! I am usually pretty good with grammar and spelling, but since WordPad is the only program I have that is compatible with Fanfiction, it got all screwed up when it transferred and I didn't feel like fixing it. I only transferred the one file and kept on "editing" it to write the next chapters. So that is another reason why I didn't fix it. Sorry about the rambling apology, but oh well, I had to say it.