A/N:
I got this done before the week is up and decided to post it anyway since I'll be busy the next few weeks.
Readers of the previous story might notice that there are quite a few changes I have made, but nothing that will heavily impact the overall plot. Still, I hope you give this a read and let me know how it is :)
Before Ichigo left, he was told by Eito to return the next day when a Shinigami would arrive to conduct his test to determine if he can be allowed to enter Shin'o Academy.
It would seem Ichigo would have to find a place to crash for the night.
Maybe the nice lady will let me stay in the hall again. Is getting free food also too much to ask for?
With Ichigo's reiatsu level, he ate like an average human being even in Soul Society, and Ichigo could already feel his stomach answering to the aroma of the food from the food stands as he walked along the street.
"Oi, I heard you were bullying my brother?" A loud voice brought Ichigo out of his musing.
Ichigo looked at the people around him but none of them seemed to be reacting.
Talking to me?
He turned around.
The voice belonged to a tall and lanky Shinigami who was standing beside that annoying kid who had jumped at him earlier.
Ichigo groaned, his mind already theorizing possible reasons for their attention.
Please let them not have come asking for a fight.
Ichigo was dressed in a plain brown yukata that was provided by the kind caretaker, and he had no sword – not even a wooden practice blade. He felt somewhat naked, but he could probably take out this Shinigami even without one, and if the situation became dire, he could manifest Zangetsu or Shiro to use as he wished. However, it should only be used when the situation absolutely called for it. He didn't want to attract too much attention right when he just arrived.
"I was–" Ichigo was cut off when the Shinigami moved as if to hold him.
With his finely-honed instincts, Ichigo swiftly avoided the contact by simply stepping out of the way.
From the Shinigami's expression, the guy hadn't been expecting any sort of resistance from someone who looked to be a regular Rukongai citizen. The Shinigami moved again more aggressively, still trying for a restraining action.
When that had once again failed, the Shinigami's eyes widened briefly, then narrowed in concentration to study Ichigo more carefully.
"Who are you?" The Shinigami asked.
Ichigo scowled.
"Shouldn't I be the one asking that?" Ichigo was the one being attacked here.
The Shinigami moved again, and this time, it was obvious that he planned to attack after giving up on restraining Ichigo.
Of course, Ichigo countered.
Lucky for Ichigo, they kept to hand-to-hand combat. Ichigo knew the Shinigami would be in trouble as well if he misused his Zanpakutou.
A few punches and blocks later, it became obvious that neither of them were getting the upper hand.
"You're good." The Shinigami commented as both fighters backed off.
Ichigo would have liked to return the compliment if he weren't so desperately trying to lower his combat ability to that of his opponent's level, and Shiro wasn't so painfully resisting.
Zangetsu was just spectating and was being no help at all.
Whack-
The Shinigami was hit on the head with a flying slipper that Ichigo hadn't noticed until it met its mark.
Ichigo tensed.
Hardly anything ever surprised Ichigo in battle anymore after years of the constant need for vigilance and too many scars born from carelessness, but this…
A slipper.
He mentally catalogued the item as another possible weapon right next to 'chopstick' (it was used once when Ichigo stepped into Byakuya's dining room without removing his mud filled shihakusho).
"You imbecile! How old must you be before you start thinking before you hit?" The owner of the slipper came forward, with the other of the pair looming threateningly above her head.
"Ahh haa… Obaa-san…" The Shinigami began sheepishly, pointing at Ichigo, "he was fighting too…"
Ichigo scoffed.
What a coward–
The thought ceased when he turned and noticed the old lady's expression. Women were definitely scary when mad – heck, they were even scary when not mad.
Ichigo mentally braced himself for the same slipper treatment.
"I'm so sorry for these two brats. They've brought you a lot of trouble." She said, gesturing to the now sheepish Shinigami.
A little confused by the sudden change in her temperament, Ichigo paused for a moment to regain his bearings. Feeling just a tinge of pity for the duo and seeing that they hadn't caused any harm, Ichigo decided to be nice and let them off the hook.
"It's nothing. I'm completely fine."
"My grandkids are always causing me trouble, but they're still good kids. I hope you don't hold anything against them, sir." The old lady continued.
"It's really okay. I'll be on my way." Ichigo wanted to hurry out of there now as more and more people were getting curious and crowding around.
Seeing a Shinigami stop to talk to someone was already a big enough deal, much less seeing them get into a fight.
"Obaa-san, why did you treat him so nicely?" Kosuke asked.
Even if he and his little brother were in the wrong, it was unusual for his Obaa-san to show anyone that much respect, even to the point of calling them sir. That was typically reserved only for high ranked Shinigami. Their Obaa-san always treated everyone like children (and everyone indeed was to her since she was ancient).
"He felt different, like someone who should be respected." There was a pause as Kosuke waited for her to elaborate. "Hmm… Call it an old lady's intuition."
"Tch. Nii-chan would have won if you didn't interrupt. Nii-san was totally going easy on him, right?" Hiro quipped, cutting into their conversation.
The only response the boy got was an added bruise to his head beside the one already there which given when Kosuke eventually found out that Hiro was the one who provoked the other man first.
He should have known better than to trust his brother who was constantly misbehaving.
The boy looked up at him with mock hurt but still a sparkle in his eyes. Hiro had always looked up to Shinigami as heroes who could do anything and defeat anyone, and he was right – but only when compared to an average man.
Hiro would be disappointed if Kosuke told him the truth - that he had been going all out.
Just who was that guy?
Granted, Kosuke wasn't even close to being one of the best Shinigami, but he was already a candidate for the next seated position in the Eighth Division. That was pretty damn good by all accounts.
The next day, Kosuke left his house before breakfast. The only reason he stayed back home instead of at the Division barracks the night before was because he had been called to this district to conduct the Shin'o Academy entrance exam for someone who had applied.
Kosuke inwardly hoped this would happen more often. He loved his Baa-san's home cooked meals, and having more Shinigami on the force would help too. It definitely wasn't because he found sadistic joy in pressuring Academy hopefuls as the test administrator.
On the way to Eito's residence, Kosuke spotted that orange-haired man from the day before.
The man was walking a little ways in front of him, dressed in the same brown yukata.
Kosuke considered stopping to apologise, but the man was walking fast – probably rushing somewhere – and Kosuke might be late for his own appointment if he lingered.
Somehow, however, he ended up tailing the man for another four streets before they headed in different directions.
Man, the guy is fast.
Without shunpo, Kosuke probably couldn't catch up with him to talk even if he wanted to.
"Thank you for coming, Kosuke-san. I imagine you must be busy with your Shinigami work." Eito bowed and greeted Kosuke when he arrived at Eito's residence.
"No need for formalities, just call me Kosuke like how you used to, Ojii-san."
Kosuke didn't like how everyone automatically submitted to Shinigami as if they were so superior. As a kid, he used to bother the town-folk and got scolded by Eito a lot. Over time, the district head became like a father-figure to him, so it was plain uncomfortable having Eito regard him so highly now.
"You were such a sneaky brat in the past that it's hard to reconcile that image with who you are now." Eito laughed. "You were rather cute last time when you kept insisting that waking around half-naked was a tribute to nature."
Kosuke cringed.
I should be careful what I wish for.
Maybe a little bowing and respect was fine.
"The candidate hasn't arrived yet, but he should be on the way. He only recently got to Soul Society, and yesterday was the first time I met him." Eito informed Kosuke. "I wouldn't have let him test, but he was very insistent, so I hope you'll just humor him and finish up quickly."
"I see." Kosuke replied absentmindedly, already preparing the forms and test papers.
After hearing that the man had only just arrived in Soul Society, Kosuke didn't expect him to pass, and it seems neither did Eito. There wasn't enough time for the man's reiatsu to have developed or for him to have gained enough knowledge about Soul Society.
The tester is this guy? You'll whip his ass.
Don't give me any trouble today, Shiro.
Ichigo was already late as he was, missing the correct turn a few streets back.
This was the second time he was surprised in as many days when he entered Eito's residence only to come face to face with the same Shinigami from the day before.
"It's you." Both men said at the same time.
There was a pregnant pause as they regarded each other silently, and only broke eye contact when Eito audibly cleared his throat at the side.
Startled out of his thoughts, Kosuke finally realised that he was staring, which was unbecoming of a Shinigami to be acting. He quickly collected himself and stretched his hand out to Ichigo.
"I'm sorry for yesterday. My little brother is as mischievous as they come." They had started out on the wrong foot yesterday, and this was as good a apology as Kosuke could offer.
The orange-head took his offered hand and exchanged a firm shake, seeming to have already written off yesterday's incident.
"I'm Kosuke of the Eighth Division." Kosuke introduced himself with a hint of pride inflecting his voice.
"I'm–"
Shit.
As much of a powerful fighter as Ichigo was, he was never really one for elaborate strategies and usually left the planning of battles to the others. His style was more intuitive where he would follow his own gut and principles.
He sure as hell didn't think about having to introduce himself in front of a full-fledged Shinigami who might have fought in the war and would be familiar with the name 'Kurosaki Ichigo'.
"It's alright, I don't have to know your name to test you." Kosuke interjected dismissively, saving Ichigo from his own mental turmoil. The Shinigami seemed to assume that Ichigo had simply forgotten his name since that usually happened for people who just entered Soul Society. The memory would probably only return in a few days.
"Follow me." Kosuke beckoned Ichigo into an empty room in the residence where a couple of sheets of paper had already been spread out over a small wooden table.
The test began.
After the written section of the test, Kosuke ran through the basics of the other combat forms. Of course, Ichigo downplayed his true abilities as much as he could to avoid unnecessary suspicion, but Kosuke still seemed genuinely impressed if the careful regard was anything to go by.
The whole test lasted the entire morning and it was already slightly past noon once it finally ended.
"I'll have to bring these sheets to the administrative officers of the Academy. Hopefully I can let you know if you're accepted or not by tomorrow." Kosuke explained as he prepared to leave.
Ichigo mentally scoffed.
If all new applicants had to go through something so tedious, it was a marvel how they managed to have enough Shinigami to run Seireitei in the first place.
"Come on, I'll treat you to lunch first." Kosuke offered, seeing Ichigo at some sort of a lost on where to go and what to do. "My Baa-san is an awesome cook."
Since Ichigo could feel his own stomach protesting, he decided that there was no harm in the offer and he followed after Kosuke.
Ichigo could tell that Kosuke was an innately friendly man with the way the Shinigami waved to shopkeepers and other people he knew every so often.
When the Shinigami tried to make conversation with him, Ichigo answered just barely enough to be polite. In his mind, Ichigo was already mapping out the area and scoping possible routes of escape and strategic battle grounds. It was a habit he had developed during the war and still constantly practiced while he was on the move in the human world. It wasn't something he was proud of when he stuck to it even in friendly territory, but it was useful and had saved him from gruesome pain on multiple occasions.
Kosuke frowned as he studied the orange-head beside him.
The man had a quiet disposition that was quite unlike anyone else he had ever met.
Even the most reserved person Kosuke had tested before would bombard him with questions about the Academy curriculum or Shinigami work - it wasn't everyday that regular people had the chance to talk to Shinigami after all. Then, there was also the question of why Ichigo wanted to enrol when he had only just arrived. His test scores were high, but not high enough to indicate that he might have already learned the name of his zanpakutou. Still, there was a chance.
There's also the fight we had yesterday…
Kosuke knew better than to ask about it. From what he learned of the man so far, he wouldn't get direct answer – it wasn't his business to pry anyway.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Hiro shouted as he pointed accusingly at the orange-haired man now standing in their house.
"Be polite, Hiro. He's my guest." Kosuke admonished, and was relieved when Hiro actually listened and backed down to merely staring.
"Baa-chan, we have room for one more, right?" He called out to his grandmother in the kitchen.
"Of course. Come help me set up the table."
Ichigo had started to regret thinking with his stomach. He now stood uncomfortably by the door with the kid glaring daggers at him. When he had offered to help with the preparation, the old lady hustled him out of the kitchen and told him to get comfortable since he was their guest.
He was anything but comfortable.
He was already too used to always moving and doing things. Staying put and waiting was definitely not his forte.
Throughout lunch, the old lady and Kosuke made polite conversation with him, and Ichigo learned that Kosuke and Hiro were picked up by the old lady years ago and weren't actually blood related brothers. She used to own a food stall nearby, but once Kosuke made Shinigami and earned more than enough money to support their household, she closed it and moved on to providing food and cooking at the shelter in the district. The shelter was the place people usually went to when they were in a limbo after just arriving in Soul Society and still searching for jobs. There were mostly children staying there who couldn't do enough work to support themselves.
Ichigo made a mental note to check out the place if he needed to stay for another night.
Ichigo liked the old lady.
She was straightforward with her words and her no-nonsense demeanour was no doubt the factor that had whipped Kosuke and Hiro into obedience. Despite her casual manner, however, she was never overly rude or intrusive about Ichigo's privacy, and Ichigo was grateful for the subtle deflection on her part whenever Kosuke or Hiro probed too much into his past.
Plus, her cooking was great.
As Kosuke and Ichigo were preparing to leave after they had finished their meal, the old lady – she told him to call her Baa-san – reached up to hug Ichigo.
"Come back anytime you need to. There's a home for you here now." Obaa-san said with a sort of deep understanding in her eyes as she looked at Ichigo.
Ichigo was floored by the sentiment.
The last time he had a home, it was destroyed along with the deaths of his family and friends in the human world. Ever since, he hadn't settled anywhere long enough the put down roots.
Now, with just those simple words, it was as if the years of constant fighting and travelling registered all at once and hit him hard - very hard. The oxygen suddenly felt too thin and it was all he could do to hold back the tears that were threatening to leak.
"Thank you." Ichigo waved a quick goodbye and hightailed out of the house as quickly as he could.
If anyone had noticed his voice crack at those words, they never said a word.
A/N:
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