Welcome to the second chapter of "Bleach: The Twisted Flower". I'm really happy about the reviews you've sent me, the feedback was incredibly positive. I guess a lot of people were waiting for another FF with this plot twist^^
I apologize for the long wait, but my university courses started recently and I'm still adjusting. Furthermore I couldn't really bring myself to write this chapter since it was mostly talking, thus I also made it shorter than the first chapter. I hope you'll still enjoy it and I promise that the next one will be out sooner.
Enjoy the story,
Faroush
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Unfortunately. If I did the power levels wouldn't be determined by mullets.
"Speech"
"Thought"
"Hollow"
Bleach: The Twisted Flower
Chapter 2: The Calm before the Storm
Ichigo didn't know how much time had passed when he opened his eyes again. But when he saw the wooden ceiling and traditional Japanese furniture, he knew that he was no longer in his mind. The long haired teenager slowly sat up so he wouldn't aggravate his sore muscles any further by moving too fast. When he had finished the slightly painful process, he simply sat there and let his mind drift to the events he had recently experienced. Rukia had been taken back to Soul Society for her own execution. He had regained his Shinigami powers and met the spirit of his own Zanpakutō, Nejibana. And lastly… he had regained his memories.
Memories of his previous life, his life as Shiba Kaien.
It felt surreal for the young Shinigami. It was like there was a completely different set of memories under his 'Ichigo' ones. When he closed his eyes and recalled them, they felt as he had experienced them only yesterday. Of course, there wasn't much to recall yet. It was all very confusing for Ichigo. He knew for example that he had never met Urahara Kisuke until Rukia had introduced the shopkeeper to him. And yet he knew that the same man had been captain of the 12th Division a hundred years ago.
And it wasn't only his memories which were going haywire. His entire worldview had shifted. Ichigo felt like someone had removed a limiter which had been placed on all his senses. Thinking felt so… different. Ichigo couldn't really explain how he felt.
He knew only one thing: he was no longer 'just' Kurosaki Ichigo. His mind had regained something he hadn't known he had been missing. But who was he now? Was he Kurosaki Ichigo, a young boy who had been dragged into the world of Shinigami a few weeks ago, or was Shiba Kaien, the prodigious lieutenant of the 13th Division of the Gotei 13? It was even difficult to refer to himself as 'Ichigo' in his mind since a constantly stronger growing voice in his head insisted on him calling himself 'Kaien'. It was all so damn confusing…
"Ah. I see you have awakened."
Ichigo's head snapped upwards when he heard the new voice. He winced slightly when his neck muscles protested against the harsh treatment and did his best to ignore the pain. Ichigo looked around and saw that it was Urahara Kisuke who had addressed him.
"He isn't just a simple shopkeeper, he was once the captain of the 12th Division. I wonder why he is here. I only heard rumors about his disappearance…"
Ichigo blinked in confusion. Had he just thought that? It had felt like him, but how had he known this. It was then that Ichigo realized what had happened: his mind was adapting to Kaien's memories, integrating them actively in thought processes. It felt strange for Ichigo, since it was like hearing it for the first time and recalling something at the same time.
Ichigo's thoughts were once again interrupted by Urahara, who had walked closer to the makeshift bed Ichigo way lying on.
"How are you feeling? I have to admit, you surprised me quite a bit with the stunt you pulled yesterday. And this very stunt leads me to another, very important question."
The ex-captain squatted down and looked the orange haired teenager directly into the eyes.
"Who am I talking to right now? Are you Kurosaki Ichigo or are you Shiba Kaien?"
Ichigo immediately froze when he heard the shopkeeper mention the second name. His eyes went wide and he wanted nothing more than to ask the former captain what he knew – but all that came out of Ichigo's mouth were stutters no one could possibly understand. Urahara simply chuckled.
"Relax, will you? Yes, I do know about Shiba Kaien, and your reaction just proved that you do too. Kaien was the lieutenant of the 13th Division, one of the thirteen squads of Soul Society that protect souls from Hollows. I don't know the details, but one of my contacts told me that Kaien was killed by a Hollow roughly 50 years ago. But the moment I saw your sword Nejibana assume its true form, I knew that he had been reborn. Now tell me, Kurosaki-san, Shiba-san, who is it that lives in your head now?"
Silence followed after Urahara's explanation. It took Ichigo a while to come up with an answer for this question since he didn't really know himself.
"I… I'm still mostly Ichigo I think. I can feel Kaien's memories and feelings inside me. And I can feel how they are my emotions too. I feel like I see everything from a different perspective now. It's strange… I should feel like I was losing myself, but rather… I feel like I'm finally on my way to become 'complete'." After his monologue Ichigo chuckled lightly and gave the shopkeeper a sheepish grin – something the old Ichigo never would have done.
"Does this make any sense to you, Captain Urahara?"
While Urahara didn't known Ichigo very good, he knew that this was definitely not his normal behavior. According to Isshin the boy had almost stopped smiling after his mother's demise. And yet here he was, in a situation direr than anything he had encountered so far and still able to smile. Yes, this had definitely a touch of Kaien's unstoppable optimism for which the lieutenant had been well known for a hundred years ago.
The shop owner chuckled. "Yes, this makes indeed sense to me, as strange as it sounds. It looks like you got lucky. Instead of creating a split personality when reawakening your old memories, the memories merged, creating a new personality altogether. It might take some time for you to remember everything, but I'm sure it will happen in time."
"However…" Then the blonde haired man's expression turned serious, what made a shiver run down Ichigo's spine. "What should we call you from now on? Ichi-kai, Kai-go, Ichi-en or something else?"
The question was asked with a completely straight face and made Ichigo palm his own face in frustration. This man hadn't changed at all in one hundred years…
The next ten days practically flew by as the reborn Shinigami trained with both Urahara and Tessai. Ichigo had a lot of ground to cover to regain all of the abilities Kaien had held when he had been alive. While the former captain mercilessly drilled him in the art of Zanjutsu and Hōhō, Tessai told him how to use Kidō. And while Ichigo struggled a little in the beginning, the result was incredible. After ten days of torture, eh, training, Ichigo was almost as strong as Kaien had been in his prime. Of course he still hadn't perfected fighting with Nejibana or all of the Kidō spells his former self had known, but it was a start.
The seventh month came to an end soon afterwards and it was time for Ichigo to return home. It would be one of the last times where he would be simply Kurosaki Ichigo.
August 8
Ichigo was sitting on his bed, patiently waiting for something to happen. Like instructed by Urahara he had opened his window and was waiting for some kind of signal that would inform him about the shopkeeper's plans. As he waited Ichigo reflected on the last week. After he had finished his training, Ichigo had returned to his family to spend the week with them while Urahara and Tessai were opening a path to Soul Society. It had been a strange experience for Ichigo. His whole body had felt oddly uncomfortable, as if it was a number too small. And how could that be possible, it was his own body after all! His hair was another thing. For some reason it had grown faster than it should have, bringing it somewhere to a length between how it was originally and how it was when he had left the Shattered Shaft.
'I just hope I only imagined the black hair I found… It'd really strange if my hair suddenly became black. … Damn, I really hope that won't happen. How the hell could I explain it?'
Ichigo's hair-concerning thoughts were quickly interrupted when suddenly some sort of projectile flew through his open window at high speeds and exploded upon hitting the wall.
With a startled yell of "What the hell?", Ichigo watched as a blood like liquid ran down his wall, leaving a creepy looking message at his wall. The message read:
"COMETH IMMEDIATELY TO THE FRONT OF THE URAHARA STORE."
Using the power of anger to overcome the approaching heart attack, Ichigo yelled angrily. "What the hell is that lunatic doing to my room? This looks like some sort of dying message from a crime scene written in the victim's own blood! … And this better not stain my wall!"
Ichigo stopped his rant when he saw that the blood like substance was forming something else beneath the message. It started with a 'P.S.' "Huh? P.S.?"
The message read: "P.S: ANYONE WHO SEES THIS AND THINKS SOMETHING ORDINARY LIKE 'IT LOOKS LIKE A DYING MESSAGE'…
… has no talent for comedy."
"Shut the hell up!" Ichigo shouted angrily, throwing a pillow against the wall.
He clung to the dim hope that it would somehow end up hurting the crazy bucket hat. Unfortunately, his prayers remained unanswered. Ichigo sighed. A part of him (the Kaien part no doubt) was currently laughing his off. The whole 'reborn' thing might be more troublesome than he had expected…
When Ichigo arrived at the Urahara Shop a little later he was greeted by a surprise guest. He completely ignored Kisuke's welcome, too great was the surprise to see his friend in this place.
"Chad?" Ichigo asked, his eyes wide. "What are you doing here?"
The half-Mexican was as serious as always when he said, "Kuchiki Rukia… she saved me once. I'm going too."
Ichigo was truly surprised. He hadn't seen that one coming. But his surprise soon turned into gratitude. His friend was really prepared to stand by his side and that even after Urahara had probably explained the dangers to him. "I'm glad that you'll have my back for this, Chad. Thanks."
A small smile graced Chad's lips. He hadn't expected Ichigo to be so accepting about this, but apparently the shopkeeper had said the truth when he had told him that Ichigo's personality had changed a little.
Another voice suddenly spoke up from behind Ichigo. "I'm surprised you're not surprised, Kurosaki."
Ichigo turned around, only to see Uryū standing there in a strange white outfit. He raised an eyebrow. He certainly hadn't expected to see the Quincy who had sworn vengeance upon the entire Shinigami race.
"Ishida? What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked with a mix of confusion and apprehension in his voice.
"I can't let it end with me losing to these Shinigami. I'll go too." The last Quincy replied, his face a mask of grim determination.
And just when Ichigo thought there couldn't be any more surprises, a new voice announced the arrival of yet another person.
"Now we're all here." Ichigo blinked. This voice was definitely female… and kinda familiar.
The reborn lieutenant turned his head only to see the only other person with naturally orange hair he knew. "Inoue? You're here too?" He asked in disbelief.
The cheerful girl nodded happily before bowing slightly. "I'm looking forward to be working with you." She announced happily.
It became clear that Ichigo's personality had changed since regaining some of his memories as Shiba Kaien because he didn't turn into a stuttering mess upon seeing his classmates arrive, apparently knowing the complete truth about Kuchiki Rukia. Instead he simply looked at them before saying:
"Huh, didn't expect that. Now, before I ask you if you're completely sure about doing this and know of the dangers this little trip will entice, anyone else who's spontaneously going to join me?"
"No, not spontaneously. I had pretty much planned to go with you from the beginning."
Ichigo twitched slightly. Great, yet another person who wanted to join on the little trip he had originally planned to go on alone. But who was it? He didn't know anyone with such a deep voice. The orange haired teen turned around to see the unknown person, but all he saw…
Was a black cat.
Ichigo looked at the cat. The cat looked at Ichigo.
"What is it? Cat caught your tongue?"
The living Shinigami blinked. Had that cat just…?
"Uh, guys? Am I imagining things or did that cat just talk?" Ichigo asked, every fiber of his being desperately hoping that he was indeed imagining things. Perhaps there had been more inside that balloon than just blood like liquid…
"No, you're not imagining things. Yoruichi-san is the one who trained us in controlling our powers in the last weeks." Chad answered calmly, knowing the signs of a mental breakdown when seeing them.
Yoruichi… that named turned some gears in Ichigo's head. He had heard it before, and yes, she had been friends with the eccentric shopkeeper if he remembered correctly…
Ichigo pinched the bridge of his nose while closing his eyes, fighting a forming headache. Then he slowly spoke to the cat, trying to ignore the fact that he was talking to a, well, cat.
"Are you that Yoruichi-san? Or did the Sandal-Hat over there somehow cook up a talking cat and named it after his old friend? Although it'd be kinda strange to call a cat with such a masculine voice after a woman…"
Everyone looked at Ichigo with confusion in their eyes. Well, everyone but Yoruichi of course. The black cat seemed to smirk, a remarkable feat for a cat.
"So Kisuke said the truth… I didn't believe him at first when he told me that you were the reincarnation of Shiba Kaien… Very interesting."
While the expression of confusion on the faces of Ichigo's friends only grew, Urahara clutched his chest in an overly dramatic way and acted heartbroken.
"Oh Yoruichi-san, your words wound me! How could you even consider the very possibility of me lying to you? I am heartbroken!"
"No you're not." Ichigo said flatly. He looked at his friends and could feel the unasked question hanging in the air.
"We better go inside. I'll explain everything to you."
Uryū, Chad and Orihime exchanged a glance before nodding simultaneously. Little did they know that the next hour would be one of the most surprising ones of their entire lives.
After climbing down into Urahara's ridiculously large cave, the three newcomers turned their heads to Ichigo. As an uncomfortable silence settled down, Orihime decided to break it.
"Kurosaki-kun… What did Yoruichi-san mean when she said you were the reincarnation of… eh, what was his name again?"
Orihime blushed a little at forgetting the name and tried to cover it up with laughing sheepishly. Not missing a beat, Uryū came to her rescue.
"I believe his name was Shiba Kaien… Now, Kurosaki-san, who is this mysterious Kaien-person?"
Uryū's eyes stared intently at Ichigo. There was no malice in them though – yet. From the short time Ichigo had known the last Quincy he had realized that he didn't like to be kept out of something. The orange haired teenager sent a last sneaking glance at Chad who hadn't said anything yet. However, Ichigo had spent enough time with the calm giant to know what his friend was thinking. He was curious and slightly apprehensive, just like the other two.
Ichigo swallowed hard and looked slightly down when he began to speak. "You see… About two weeks ago I trained with Urahara-san to regain my Shinigami powers which were destroyed by one of the Shinigami who came to take Rukia back to Soul Society. But when I regained them, something was off. My head was suddenly full of memories, memories that weren't mine – or at least I thought so in the beginning."
The reborn Shinigami raised his head and looked his friends straight in the eyes. "Those memories were my memories… Memories of a different life. My life as… a Shinigami."
This one sentence caused everyone's eyes to widen.
"So you're saying… that you were this Shiba Kaien in your previous life, Kurosaki-san?" Uryū asked calmly. When he considered the possibility of this being true, the glasses wearing teenager felt the oh-so familiar hatred against Shinigami swell up in his chest again. Had he been right about Ichigo all along? Was he one of them, and not just a victim of circumstances?
Uryū quelled his anger – for now. He had decided to trust Ichigo. Unless he proved himself to be like the Shinigami he had sworn to hate he'd treat him as before.
Before Ichigo could answer Uryū's question, Inoue spoke up. "D-does that mean there is no longer Kurosaki-kun in Kruosaki-kun?" Inoue asked with a shocked voice.
The long haired girl was afraid. Was the boy she had had a crush on for the longest time no longer there? No, that couldn't be, he had acted as always! …Although, he had been a little friendlier than usual… and he even smiled in the last two weeks when she had seen him, something that had never happened before.
Chad decided to remain silent for now. Ichigo would tell them everything. The half-Mexican could feel that his friend was still there, no matter what had happened.
"Well," Ichigo began. "It's true that I have changed with remembering my life as Kaien Shiba. I was a lieutenant back then, although a few decades have passed since then… Anyway, I am still me. Mostly. Damn, how should I explain this?"
Ichigo grabbed his head in frustration. "There are two of me and yet we're both one… It's not like Kaien replaced Ichigo or something like that. It's more like we… merged and gained almost all traits of both personalities."
"So that's why you smiled that much more in the last two weeks." Inoue said with an expression that suggested that she had just had an 'aha-moment'.
Ichigo couldn't help but to snort at that – another thing the old Ichigo would hardly have done. "Yes, you're right. I was a lot more easy-going back then. Makes me wonder why Ichigo's brooding so much anyway. Eh…"
Ichigo could see how everyone's expression had once again turned into confusion when he had referred to himself in third person.
"You see, there are still two different mind sets inside me… It'll take a little longer to get completely settled. So don't worry when I refer to myself as Ichigo sometimes and Kaien at another time, ok?"
Ichigo rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish grin on his face.
"I think we'll be able to manage that, Ichigo." Chad said with his deep voice and a smile on his lips.
Uryū smirked when he pushed his glasses up a little. "Well, at least Kaien-san seems to be competent if he was a lieutenant back in his days. It's good to know that we can at least count on one half of you."
Although it was a little mean to say that (since Uryū was immediately reprimanded by Inoue), there was no real bite in it. No, this was more of playful banter between two friends.
When he saw how everyone accepted him as who he was, Ichigo couldn't help but to smile – and this time Kaien had nothing to do with it.
"It's time."
The group turned their heads to Urahara, who had watched their little talk silently. The normally cheerful man was completely serious and reminded Ichigo once again just why this man had become a captain.
"Alright guys," Ichigo said to his friends while securing Nejibana with his hand. "Let's go. Rukia's waiting for us."
Shiba Kaien was back. And he had some unfinished business to attend to.
And that was chapter two. Not much action yet, I know, but I promise that the next ones will involve a lot more fighting scenes. I also started another project, a collection of first chapters where I put everything that might become a full story one day. You might want to watch out for it, since the first chapter is a Bleach x Kingdom Hearts Crossover.^^ You can find the story collection under my profile, it's called 'Excess Fantasy'.
Until we meet again,
Faroush