CHAPTER 2: Falling Down
Ichigo couldn't breathe
His throat seemed to be choking on his adams apple
All saliva in his mouth had dried up
All blood in his body turned cold
His Heart Stopped…
Aizen
Aizen was sitting in front of him, acting like a casual human being
It made him sick that a monster like him was just-
"Name?"
"Huh?"
"Your Name" Yamamoto repeated
"Oh…Uh…K-Kurosaki Ichigo, sir" Ichigo said as he bowed, before they could ask, he answered "No relation to the Former Captain of Squad 10, Kurosaki Isshin"
"I see" Yamamoto noted "And how did you know there was a man named Isshin Kurosaki in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads?"
"I had a friend who was a ex-shinigami back in the Rukongai" he lied "He told me about all of the captains there and many more things, he died several years ago"
"I see…" Yamamoto nodded "Next of kin?"
"None…My family's dead" Ichigo said in the flattest tone he could muster
"We're sorry to hear about that" Ukitake added "This boy bears a striking resemblance to Kaien…Could he possibly be a Shiba?"
"I see…" Yamamoto noted "Very well, What is your Age in Human Years?"
"21" Ichigo stated
"Very well, on with your exam" Yamamoto noted "The other Captains will now ask you the following questions and give you the following tests"
"What is a Hollow?" Soifon asked
"Hollows are a race of creatures which are born from human souls that, for some reason failed to pass over from the world of the living, they are corrupt spirits with supernatural powers that devour the souls of both living and deceased humans, as well as Fellow Hollows" Ichigo answered, Soifon nodded her head to confirm his answer
"What are the classes of Hollows?" Sajin Komamura asked
"As well as Regular Hollows, there is also the Menos, which are split into three groups, first there is the Gillian also known as the Menos Grande, Gillian are formed from various hollows and such, there is no such thing as a single gillian, Gillians ares the weakest type of Menos and are seen as the foot soldiers of the race, then there is the Adjuchas, They are smaller and are fewer in number than the Gillian but are stronger and smarter than them, they are often the ones that lead the Gillian into battle, it is rumoured that their strength is enough to challenge a Captain, then there are the Vasto Lordes, not much is known about them apart from they are almost human-like in stature and are extremely rare, even in Hueco Mundo"
"Very Good" Sajin nodded
"What are the 4 types of combat art used by Shinigami?" Unohana asked
"Zanjutsu, Kido, Hakuda and Hoho" Ichigo listed
"Correct" Unohana nodded
"Name the Zanpakutou Releases" Shunsui declared
"There is Shikai, the first release, and then there is Bankai, the Final Release, Attaining Bankai takes years of training and gaining it is essential in becoming a Captain…unless you fighting skill is considered high enough"
Ichigo didn't know how…but he could just hear Zaraki smiling
"Correct" he nodded
"Name one Hado Spell and a Bakudo Spell'' Ukitake asked
"Kurohitsugi and Bankin" Ichigo listed "Aizen's favourites"
"Interesting that you know such high level kido spells, the most common answer we get is Sho and Sai…" Yamamoto curiously noted "Now this is where you physical skills will be put to the test, to your left you will find the squad 6 Lieutenant"
Ichigo turned around, he didn't find Renji but a friendly looking man wearing a rather flamboyant pair of Sunglasses a holding a wooden sword
"This is Ginjiro Shirogane" Yamamoto explained "He is here to test your swordsmanship, please take the wooden sword from the rack to your left"
Ichigo did so
"Now you two will partake in kendo match"
Ichigo turned to him, holding the wooden sword in one hand
"This is a kendo match, please use both of your hands" Yamamoto noted
"With all due respect sir…I only need one"
"I like this kid" Zaraki muttered with a smile
"Very well, begin!" Yamamoto signalled
The Squad 6 Lieutenant charged forward, Ichigo however remained absolutely still, as the lieutenant got closer and closer, many captains raised an eyebrow at the boy who just stood there, And as the Lieutenant swung down, aiming for the boys head-
*SNAP!*
Many eyes widened at the sound that filled the room
The sound of Ichigo deflecting Lieutenants wooden sword, snapping in half with a single handed vertical strike. Yamamoto had to duck so the half-sword didn't hit him
"Im…possible!" The Lieutenant gasped as he looked at his destroyed wooden blade
"Amazing!" Soifon gasped
"This kid ain't half bad!" Zaraki laughed
"Well he's got the swords genes in his blood" Shunsui noted
"Yes, very impressive" Yamamoto nodded "Onto the next test before I get hit with anything else, Please ask the next question of the test, Captain Zaraki"
"Why do you fight?" The Burly Captain asked
"To win"
"Hell Yeah!" Kenpachi cheered
"Why did you decide to become a Shinigami?" Tosen asked
"I had nothing left, I was a just a meagre child living by himself, I wanted to be somebody, I wanted to make friends and learn how to protect them"
"Very well" Tosen nodded
"If you know any Kido or Hoho then perform them" Gin stated, Ichigo's response was to Shunpo across the room and then hold out his finger
"Hado #4 Byakurai" Ichigo chanted as he fired the pale lightning blast at the wall "Thank god Rukia taught me kido when we first started going out"
"Impressive…" Yamamoto stated, now a tad curious
"My Shinigami friend back in the Rukongai taught me those" he lied
"Very well, ask the final question Captain Aizen" Yamamoto instructed
Ichigo was glad that he placed the wooden sword back on the rack, otherwise he wouldn't of been able to control himself as Aizen was addressed as "Captain"
"What is your goal in life?"
"My goal is protect the future, settle down, find a wife, have a few kids, and protect all of that from the monsters of this world" Ichigo stated "Monsters Like you…"
"I see" Aizen nodded
"That will be all Kurosaki" Yamamoto stated
"Very well" he said as he gave a short bow and proceeded to leave
"That was a shocker" Shunsui chuckled as the orange haired boy walked out the room "The kid aced every question and test, haven't seen results that high since Captain Ichimaru was in the Academy"
"He was impressive, very impressive" Ukitake noted "It's a shame Captain Kuchiki missed it"
"And Kurotsuchi too, but he's been bundled up in the freak show of a lab of his for weeks" Kenpachi noted "The kids got skill, you saw him destroy a sword with a single strike"
"A Prodigy in the making perhaps?" Unohana asked "No student has been able to shatter a sword like that with a one handed swing, and it seems that he is already proficient in Kido and Hoho"
"Is it me or did he seem a little shaky for the most of the exam?" Aizen noted "Like he was nervous…or bottling in anger?"
"Come to think of it…yeah the kid was a bit shaky" Shunsui chuckled "But hey, he's the new prodigy-to-be"
"It is a bit too soon to be calling him a prodigy" Yamamoto noted as he marked Ichigo's score sheet "But never the less, he achieved full marks, something we haven't seen in a long time"
"So the kid's heading to the advanced class?" Shunsui asked
"Indeed" Yamamoto nodded
"Indeed…this child had some amazing talent" Aizen noted "He could become useful to me…"
MAIN HALL
"Kurosaki-san is back!" Kira alerted everyone as the familiar orange head of hair appeared
"How did you do?" Momo asked
"Good I guess" he shrugged as he took his seat
"You guess? This is serious Ichigo!" Rukia yelled as he gave him her famous elbow to the gut
"Geez Rukia!" he groaned as he held his bruised stomach
"Since when were you on a first name basis with her?" Renji growled
"Since she called me by my first name, you tool" Ichigo grumbled
"What did you say!" Renji snapped
"Tool, T-O-O-L. Do I need to write it out for you?" Ichigo sent with a glare
"Shut up, Both of you!" Rukia snapped as she threw back both her elbows, one connecting with Renji's jaw and the other connecting with Ichigo's Jaw
"Damn it!" Renji cursed as he held his bleeding chin
"I really hoped that four years of Marriage would've changed her mind about hitting me" Ichigo grumbled
"Why'd you hit me, he started it" Ichigo moaned
"Oh real mature!" Renji snapped
"Oh? And you're the mature one of this group? The first time we met you broke into laughter over my freaking hair colour!" Ichigo snapped back
"Don't make me hit you again!" Rukia warned both of them, both remained quiet after that
"Renji Abarai" The Teacher called out
"Finally" he grumbled, he couldn't stand the company of the orange haired prick any longer
"Break a leg" Ichigo laughed sarcastically "Hell, I'm feeling generous, Break two"
"You son of a-"
"Come along now Abarai" The Teacher said in a warning tone
"You're lucky that I have to take the exam" Renji grumbled as he left the bench
"I'll be here when you get back…" Ichigo snickered
"Suck my dick" Renji scoffed
"You're a fat little idiot who doesn't have any balls, you know that?" Ichigo scoffed
"Fuck you!" Renji snapped
"Abarai, now" came the teachers voice once again
"I'm kicking your ass when I get back" Renji grumbled before he stormed off
"Try it you pussy" Ichigo said with a "Come on" motion of his hand
"That's enough!" Rukia snapped "Renji go and take your exam!"
"Gotta love how your hiding behind a woman" Renji scoffed, Ichigo was just about to leap out at him and strangle the red haired bastard to death, that was…until Rukia grabbed her sleeve
"He's not worth it" she said as Renji left the room, Ichigo let out a sigh as he took his seat
"If that red haired fuck gets on my nerves one more time then I'll-"
"Why do you hate Abarai-san so much?" Momo asked, Ichigo hesitated a few moments before answering
"I…had a friend just like him a few years back…we were friends, but one day…I did something that made him hate me…I took something…he claimed it was his…something that he wanted…but It wasn't like it was an everyday item…it was something special…that didn't belong to anybody…and I told him that it didn't belong to him and if he really wanted it then he should of taken it by now since he'd been in it's presence for years…he pissed me off everyday after that, he kept coming back…trying to take it back from me…sometimes I had to kick his ass near death just to get him to piss off…he did that…every day until he died"
"So I'm an 'it' now?" Rukia scoffed
"I see" Momo nodded, she could understand that
"So you hate Abarai-san because he's just like a friend you had years ago?" Izuru asked, Ichigo nodded in response "But Abarai-san isn't your friend from long ago…"
"Maybe, but he's so much like him, it's scary" Ichigo grumbled "That's why I hate him…he's a weak, pathetic coward"
"But you're just judging him!" Momo protested
"I still hate him…" Ichigo growled "I hate bastards like him…I hate them so fucking much…It's bastards like him that nearly ruined my life…It's bastards like him that killed my family"
Everyone remained quiet after that
"Feel free to continue, don't mind me" Ichigo said with a wave of his hand
"It's…kind of awkward now" Kira noted
"Look, just carry on alright…" Ichigo groaned as he rubbed his temples
Despite his protest, they all sat in silence
"I'm going out for some air" Ichigo said as he stood up "Don't follow me"
"But-" Momo began
"Don't follow me" he said in a deadpan voice, the atmosphere turned cold instantly
"O-Okay" she stuttered as Ichigo headed for the door, Rukia immediately took off after him
"He said not to follow him" Izuru warned
"He's reckless, who'll know what he'll do" she protested before she followed him out of the room, as she exited the main door, she bumped into-
"Renji?" she asked
"Yo" He waved
"How did you finish the exam so quickly?"
"I answered most of the questions really quickly…" He said with a big smile "The one that look the longest was the sword fighting and the kido…I…uh…didn't pass that one"
"More fire extinguishers! This one is empty!"
"We don't have anymore!"
"Quickly, get the Sqaud 13 Lieutenant, he has a water-type Zanpakutou!"
"You started a fire!" she snapped
"What of it?" he shrugged as he looked back to the table "Ha! So the orange haired bastard fled huh?"
"No" she said as folded her arms "He went out to get some air is all"
"Pussy" he scoffed
"He's not a coward" she scoffed back
"How do you kn-…wait a minute…you were in a hurry when you ran out of the-…Oh I get it…you're looking for that Orange haired bastard, aren't you?" Renji growled "Come with me"
Rukia constantly protested as Renji grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out to the academy garden
"Listen…Rukia, I don't want you hanging out with that Orange haired guy anymore"
"First of all, his name isn't Orange haired guy, it's Ichigo and why not?" she asked as she folded her arms
"Something tells me that this guy is dangerous" He whispered in her ear
"Really? and I should listen to your instincts why?" she scoffed, pulled her head away from the unwelcome contact of Renji's breath in her ear
"Because…he's dangerous!" he snapped
"Who's dangerous?" Rukia asked
"The Orange haired bastard!" He snapped
"You're making all this up" Rukia grumbled "Ichigo's a nice guy, there's nothing dangerous about him, he just doesn't like you"
"Fine!" Renji snapped "If you like hanging out with the guy so much then why don't you hang out with him right now?"
"Alright then, I will!" She snapped back as she began to leave "It will give you some time for that tiny excuse for a brain in your head to grow!"
"Shut up!" he snapped as he stormed off "Clearly I'm not good enough for you anymore, so go spend sometime with your new friends, you selfish bit-…just…stay away from me Rukia"
Renji was mad at her
For some reason…it hurt
After all the hell he put her through during her marriage to Ichigo, it still hurt…
She put up with his harsh words for two years before he died…but now, it hurt so much all she could do was slump against the wall and start crying
"Rukia?….RUKIA!"
"That's Ichigo's voice…"
"Rukia!" Ichigo gasped as he helped her back up "What's wrong? Rukia!"
"It's…Nothing" she sobbed as Ichigo got her back on her feet
"The Hell it isn't!" he snapped "What's wrong with you?"
"It's…It's Renji" she sobbed as he wrapped his arms around her
"What…Did that son of a bitch do something to you?" Ichigo asked with wide eyes
"No, nothing like that" she said with a shake of her head "He hates me"
"…That son of a bitch" he growled "What did he say to you Rukia?"
"He said….If I liked hanging out with the guy so much then why don't I hang out with him right now…he told me to go hang out with my new friends and called me a selfish bitch" she quoted as Ichigo wiped her tears away
"I'll kill him….I'LL FUCKING KILL HIM!" Ichigo roared
"No Ichigo!" she gasped as she felt him release the hug "You can't blow our cover!"
"Rukia, he made our life a living hell!" Ichigo snapped "It's thanks to him and Aizen that we almost never had a moment of piece! We never got the chance to relax, settle down and…and have children…you know how much I wanted to be a father Rukia…and it's thanks to that bastard that we could never be given a moment to conceive and it's thanks to Aizen that after Renji's death, we were told by the Soul Society that we couldn't have a child since it shouldn't be born in a world like this!"
"I know Ichigo…I wanted nothing more that to hold a little me or you in my arms" She said with a weak smile
"And now we can!" Ichigo said as he grabbed her shoulders "Don't you see it Rukia…Now we can settle down…start a family…and foil Aizen's plans"
"W-What about Renji a-and Nii-sama?"
"If they interfere this time…I'll kill them"
"Ichigo!" She gasped, she looked up at him and could tell from his facial expression that he was not joking
"I will Rukia, I swear to god I will!" he growled with a clenched fist
"Ichigo!"
"I don't care Rukia, I just don't fucking care anymore, If those two interfere in our relationship, I will kill them!" he snapped
"Ichigo, please stop, You're scaring me!" she sobbed, her crying is what finally snapped Ichigo out of his rage
"Oh my god…I'm so sorry Rukia" He said as she wrapped her in a comforting hug once again "I didn't mean to scare you"
"Just…don't kill them" she sobbed
"No…I will hurt them if they interfere" Ichigo said
"Where is the girl called Rukia? it is time for her exam…" Came a voice back from the classroom
"Oh my gosh! It's my turn!" Rukia panicked
"Go on" Ichigo said with a small peck on her lips "And Kick-ass, baby"
"I will" she smiled before she took off
Ichigo smiled as she took off
And as she was out of sight
The Smile dropped
A scowl took it's place
And the hunt for the red haired bastards head had begun…
Renji Abarai cursed angrily, taking his frustration out on the wall, his knuckles lined with blood but he didn't care, he wasn't angry at Ichigo…okay yeah, he was a little, he wasn't angry at Rukia, he was angry at himself
"How the hell could I call her that?" he grumbled, referring to when he had nearly called her a bitch "First fucking day at the academy and I snapped at her and nearly called her a bitch, I probably ruined my friendship with her…it's my fault…no…it's that orange haired bastard, he pissed me off so much that I insulted Rukia…"
"Is that so?"
Renji turned around to be greeted with a familiar orange haired man
"Look this has nothing to do with you so just-"
"Really, because you just said something was my fault, and I don't know what it is" he lied "But you lying about me just makes me hate you more"
"Look, What the fuck is your problem?" Renji snapped
"It's bastards like you that nearly ruined my life" Ichigo glared angrily as he began to approach the fiery red head "It's thanks to selfish pricks like you that my family is dead"
"Just fuck o-"
*Smack*
Renji had no time to react as Ichigo swung his fist right into his face, sending him flying into the wall
"You said you wanted to fight me, now fight me!" Ichigo snapped as Renji stood up
"Alright then" Renji smirked as he charged forward and threw his fist into Ichigo's face
He grinned as his fast was firmly buried in the Orange hairs face, he could see a treacle of blood seep from his nose
"Is that all you've got?"
Renji gasped as Ichigo reached and grabbed Renji's and started to squeeze it, causing Renji to roar in pain
"Beg for forgiveness" Ichigo said coldly
"Fuck you!" Renji snapped, Ichigo clearly didn't like that response as he applied more and more pressure until the bones in Renji's hand began to crack…and then-
"Stop it, Ichigo!"
Ichigo and Renji turned to their right and saw the voice that had interrupted them
Rukia
"That's enough! Both of you!"
"This fucker has to-" Ichigo began
"Stop it, Both of you, right now!" Rukia snapped as she tried to pry Ichigo's hand off of Renji's
"This bastard is a fucking psychopath Rukia!" Renji shouted as he finally got his hand free
"Settle down, Both of you!" she snapped, both men listened to her demanding voice and quickly obeyed
"You little bitch!" Renji roared as he aimed another punch at Ichigo, only to be caught…by Rukia
"Renji, go cool off somewhere" Rukia instructed as she let go of his fist
"But-"
"Go!"
"Fine" he grumbled, shooting Ichigo one last look before leaving "At least Rukia seems to be back to her old self...but that bastard...it's all his fault...He treats he like he's known her for years...what the hell...am I...jealous that this guy is close to Rukia?"
"What were you thinking!" Rukia snapped
"I'm sorry…but after what he put us through for all those years…I hated him… I still hate him…I hate him so fucking much!" Ichigo cursed as he clenched his fists
"Ichigo…" she sighed "I know you hate Renji…but we can't blow our cover here, if you beat Renji to death while screaming the reason why you're beating him to death then everything will be ruined…and…and..."
Rukia proceeded to back Ichigo into the wall and kiss him. Smiling as she did so. the smile remained as she pulled back
"God you're so hot right now" she moaned as she pulled back
"I thought you were angry?"
"I am, but your uniform looks so tight and your hair is falling down on your face, you looked so hot that I wanted a kiss ."
"Well...I did steal the Uniform from a guy smaller than me" he smiled "But what the hell, you want a kiss? then have another"
This time it was Him who kissed her, it was slow and loving. Ichigo smiled as the woman in his arms purred under his rubbing and squeezing, her anger forgotten about
"So how did you do on the test?" he asked, leaning in and kissing her neck lightly.
"mmm, advanced cl-l-l-lass…ooommmmmm." She moaned "Made it to the adv-hoooooowwwmmmmm." she squealed, by this point Ichigo's left hand had slipped beneath her hakama and his middle finger teased her folds.
"Someone could hear us…" Rukia managed to get out as he inserted his middle finger into her and slowly began to move it in and out.
"Then we'll just have to be quiet." Ichigo said kissing her. He was more interested in his lover than the exam results.
But Rukia knew that this had to come before pleasure and pulled back, ignoring the pout on Ichigo's face, otherwise she knew she'd give in and they would never get anything done.
"Behave" She said adjusting her hakama, tightening up the obi and giving him a look.
"Fine. Spoilsport." Ichigo said and mock pouted, and Rukia needed to use her iron will to avoid kissing the pouting lips. She watched as he licked his finger, tasting her, her control was tested even more. With a shake of her head, she spoke up.
"As I was saying before being sidetracked, Unlike in the original timeline, I got perfect marks, So I'm to assume I made it to the advanced class"
"As do I" Ichigo somewhat proudly stated "So what do you want to do? You wanna become the next prodigy and ace everything?"
"Wouldn't that be suspicious?" she asked
"Prodigy" Ichigo echoed "No one knows out abilities, They'll see us as heroes, what do you say?"
Rukia pondered that for a second, in her original run in the academy she didn't have the talent for sword fighting and while her kido got high marks, it was still inferior to most seated officers, but know she had mastered both of those arts
so she simply decided…fuck it
"Alright" she chuckled "Why not? It'll be fun to show off"
"That's my Rukia" he smiled as he leaned in and kissed her
Wasn't kidding when I said the chapters wouldn't be as long as the prologue was I?
The title of this chapter, "Falling Down" is a song by British rock band "Oasis" which some of you may recognise it as the opening to an AWESOME Anime called "Eden of The East"
F.Y.I, Unlike the Nueva Espada, the chapter names won't be song titles, I just wanted to use that title
I've decided when some of the major events of this story took place, Ichigo and Rukia get married 2 years after the Winter War and decide to come back to the past 6 years after the winter war, this won't become important, I'm just bringing it up…