I do not own Bleach.
"Talking out loud"
'Thinking'
'Zanpakuto'/'Hollow'
Ichigo kept up his pace, a few levels above most Taichous, but still below the Goddess of Flash. She had never gotten a chance to pass on her knowledge of speed to anyone. Never got a chance to reconcile with her family either, they had been wiped out when Aizen had leveled Seireitei for his new organization of shinigami and arrancar.
He felt his foot catch on something, but didn't react. He just let himself hit the ground and roll. He stopped a few feet from where he had tripped, looking up at the clear blue sky. A few clouds dotted the vast expanse of blue. Ichigo felt a small smile tug at the corner of his lips. How long had it been since he had seen a blue sky? Too long.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Ichigo looked up behind him and froze. A woman looked down at him, her shikahokusho was altered so her legs were mostly exposed and her hair was in two braids. Yadomaru Lisa was unimpressed at the man at her feet. Her frowned changed slightly when she recognized the Fukutaichou badge on the man's arm. "Shiba-Fukutaichou? What are doing running away from your own squad? Tired of your job already?" Lisa chuckled as the man flipped over and stood up. "What the hell did you do to your hair?"
Ichigo stretched his neck and rubbed it, knowing it would be sore, it always was. "I'm not running away, I'm trying to...think." Ichigo pulled his hand away from his neck, it wasn't sore. He sensed something quickly approaching his left side. On instinct he moved forward and twisted to see what had approached him.
He spotted a surprised Jushiro and Shunsui land beside an equally surprised Lisa. He blinked a few times before realizing he saw a lot more than he usually did. He brought his hand up to the left side of his face, an area he could only see with his left eye, and he could see it.
He rolled his shoulders and smiled widely as they moved without pain or stiffness. It was all gone. The pain and tightness from his scars. He brought both his hands up and happily wiggled all 10 of his digits. He was whole again, in body at least.
Ukitake watched Shiba Kaien with worry. The man was not acting like himself, mostly. But what startled him the most was the look in Kaien's eyes. He had looked at him like he was seeing a ghost.
"Jushiro?" Shunsui tilted his hat up and eyed his friends while keeping his head facing Kaien. "Is he okay? Was it something he ate?"
Jushiro sighed heavily. "I don't know Shunsui. He has been like this since I found him. He had dropped a pretty heavy pile of books on himself, but I don't think it could have done this." Jushiro watched as his new Fukutaichou continued to stretch like he hadn't moved in days.
"We could take him to 4th?" Lisa offered as a solution. "We can also tie him up if he refuses."
"Now now Lisa-chan, play nice." Shunsui chuckled a bit at his Fukutaichou's suggestion. "Otherwise Kaien-kun may not offer to help with paperwork again."
"You did it Geta-Boshi!" All three shinigami turned back to the fourth as he shouted to the sky.
"Um...Kaien-kun...who is Geta-Boshi?" Jushiro asked, bringing the man's attention back to the present.
Ichigo looked back over to see Shunsui, Jushiro, and Lisa staring at him with varying degrees of worry. "Um..." His answer was cut short as Lisa ran up to him and pulled his face down to her level.
Lisa glared at his face critically. "What the hell did you do to your eye?" She tried to sense whatever kido had done this, but she couldn't find anything. It was almost like it had always been brown.
Ichigo easily pried his face out of Lisa's hands. "It's fine. Don't worry about it."
"Like hell I'm not going to worry, baka!" Lisa yelled at Kaien, he was the closest thing to a brother she had. "You change your hair and one of your eyes! What are you getting into?" She asked quietly, knowing it would make Kaien feel guilty. She had easily figured out how to manipulate her 'older brother'.
Ichigo ignored the guilt that was gnawing at him, Lisa had a way of making everyone feel guilty about something. "Nothing I can't handle." He pulled his usual scowl back onto his face. Talking to these people was harder than he had originally thought.
Shunsui spotted Lisa's attempt to guilt Kaien, but it seemed he knew how to counter it. "Perhaps a trip to Retsu-chan is needed." He spoke silently to mostly himself. "Kaien-kun? Lisa-chan is very worried. Maybe a quick trip to Fourth would help settle her worries?" He called out in a calm and gentle voice.
Ichigo knew Kyoraku was using Lisa's same tactic. But why using Lisa? Where they close here? Or with whoever they thought Ichigo was? But he certainly did not want to see the medical demon. "There really isn't any need to bother Unohana-Taichou. I'm perfectly fine."
"Kaien." Jushiro stepped closer to his Fukutaichou. In many ways he saw the young man as a son. Someone to watch over, and who he was proud of. "Please."
Ichigo was frozen by Ukitake's plea. He had heard it once before, long ago when he was still alive. When the man had told him to rescue Rukia, leaving himself in a cloud of toxic gas that ultimately killed him.
Ichigo shook his head again to rid himself of the memory and nostalgia that was threatening to overwhelm him. "Alright. But I'm not staying over night." He saw the three relax a little at his agreement.
Shunsui let out a small chuckle at Shiba's condition. "You may not have a choice in that matter, Kaien-kun."
Sorry for the short chapter. More to come next week. Please leave a comment.
And also please go check out my other stories. Thank you!