Chapter 3- Rogue Shinigami
Section One:
Ichigo Kurosaki yawned and sat up quickly in his bed. He glanced around his room and then yawned again.
'Good. No angry Hollows chasing after me. No stupid father to wake me up. No annoying stuffed lion trying to kill me. Renji's sitting on my chair…Wait. What?!'
He whipped his head around to look once more. Yes. Renji was sitting on his desk chair…
"AAAAUUUUGGGGHHHHH!"
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" he could dimly hear Renji screaming as well.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" he bellowed, jumping out of bed and pointing at the redhead shinigami.
"I'M SUPPOSED TO TAKE YOU TO THE SOUL SOCIETY. BUT THEN YOU WOULDN'T WAKE UP!" Renji shouted back.
"Wait. You were trying to wake me up?" Ichigo scratched his head. "I didn't feel anything."
"I threw everything possible at you! I even used Zabimaru! But, YOU WOULDN'T WAKE UP!!!"
"All right already. Stop shouting. What does the Soul Society need me for?" He rubbed his ear and rolled his eyes.
"Uhhh…right…I don't know."
"AUGH!" Ichigo did a faceplant on the floor.
"Ukitake-Taichou just told me to come over here and bring you back with me. He said it was very important."
"How important?" Ichigo looked up.
"I JUST TOLD YOU THAT I DON'T KNOW!"
Section Two:
"So, what you're saying is that there's a rogue shinigami running around?" Ichigo asked. Renji had brought him to the Soul Society as promised and brought him directly to the Captain's meeting.
"Unfortunately, a century ago, the Sokyoku was used on a Captain," Jûshirô Ukitake replied. "That Captain had large amount of Reiatsu, large enough to level an entire Division if released improperly."
"So what does this have to do with me?" he asked.
"The Captain in question vanished before the Sokyoku attacked. We have not worried about that fact because it posed no threat to the Soul Society," Genryûsai Yamamoto announced.
"Then what makes you think he's a problem now?"
"Ah. That's where you make your mistake, Kurosaki-kun," Shunsui Kyoraku lifted his hat up chuckled. "The Captain in question is a female shinigami."
Ichigo was lost for words.
"It seems that when she escaped the Sokyoku, she left the Seireitei. We weren't sure where in the Soul Society she was, but then just recently, one of the scanners in the World of the Living picked her Reiatsu up," Ukitake explained. "It was picked up around the time that Rukia Kuchiki lost her powers."
"What? You think Rukia—"
"We don't think Kuchiki-san did anything. But maybe that she sensed the transfer of Shinigami powers and went to investigate. Since then, she's been sensed at your side."
"So…is she here?" Ichigo swiveled his head.
"No. It seems that she cannot enter the Soul Society anymore. She's not here at the moment—"
"So you think."
A voice chuckled. All of the Captains were alerted. Ukitake stood up quickly and glanced around, looking for the source of the voice.
"Heh. You think you know everything? I warned you this would happen. I warned you."
The ground began shaking, and for the first time since Byakuya Kuchiki had challenged him, Ichigo felt fear. The room shook quickly and violently; he could hear the shouts from shinigami outside the meeting room and rumbling in the distance.
"I can very well enter the Soul Society and the World of the Living freely. I just never bothered to. I didn't need to. Until now."
Her laughter resonated around the room. Ichigo saw Komamura stand and draw his large zanpaku-tô in defense.
"Oh dear. Don't get that excited over little ole' me. I'll return back to the World of the Living now. But be forewarned. I may return to get back what's rightfully mine."
The shaking stopped, and the rumbling in the distance seized as well. Only now did Ichigo realize that the rumbling was actually the sound of thousands of buildings shaking.
Everyone in the room glanced at Yamamoto for orders. But the old Captain just sat there, silent.
"Genryusai-dono?" Komamura asked slowly. Then Ukitake took command.
"Kurosaki-san, please return back to your World. We'll send Kuchiki-san and Aburai-kun behind you," he ordered. "We need to keep an eye on her. Kurosaki-san, I suggest you keep an eye out as well. We'll contact Urahara-san and tell him the news."
Ichigo stood up and started to leave the room, unsatisfied with the meeting.
"Hey, Ukitake-taicho?" He saw the white haired Captain look up. "What's the shinigami's name?"
"Her name?" he didn't answer right away. He closed his eyes briefly, as if her name brought back painful memories.
"Her name is Tatsumara Unohana." A soft, but clear voice answered his question.
"Unohana-taicho?" Ukitake glanced behind him as Retsu Unohana made her way gracefully to the front.
Of all the times he had traveled to the Soul Society, Ichigo had never heard the 4th Division Captain speak quite that much. Though Hanataro kept telling him that she was wise and kind and allowed him days off from work.
"Thanks. Unohana-taicho," he turned and exited the room.
Section Three
Ichigo was laying flat on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was nighttime in Karakura Town, and the moon was shining brightly through his window.
Suddenly, out of the darkness he heard a soft sigh.
He sat up quickly and glanced around, trying to figure out who had sighed. He didn't see Rukia, Renji, or any of his family members around.
He sighed and flopped back down on the bed.
Then he remembered the conversation he had with the Captains of the Soul Society and bolted back up, his heart beating rapidly.
"Tatsumara Unohana?" he whispered into the darkness. The voice came again, but this time it came as a small chuckle.
"What is it?"
"So it is you. I'm not imagining things." He laid back again, laying his arms behind his head.
"It depends on whether you think I'm imaginary or not."
"Can anybody see you?" he asked, sitting up again.
"Do you want to see me?" the question hung in the air.
"I think it'll help me think easier," Ichigo replied finally. "It's hard to talk to someone they can't see."
"So true," soft, ringing laughter spread throughout the room. "For that, I'll grant you the right to see me."
"Thanks."
"You should be glad. No person (or shinigami) has ever seen me for over a century."
"So are you, an old lady?" he asked without thinking. More silence before she chuckled softly and dangerously.
"Why don't we see about that?"
Ichigo felt his arm being grasped, but as he looked, he could see nothing there.
He was dragged off his bed and lifted up into air, his feet dangling off the floor.
"Okay! Okay! Put me down!" he yelped. "I'm sorry for calling you old!"
She dropped him and he crashed down onto the ground. Ichigo groaned and sighed before glancing up at the invisible shinigami in front of him.
To his surprise, he could actually see a shinigami uniform forming in front of his eyes.
As his eyes traveled up, he could see the neatly wrapped shinigami robes, tightly tied white obi sash, and the katana strapped to her waist. He glanced up at her face, and noticed features that both she and the 4th Division Captain shared.
She had the same moon-shaped face, and the long black hair. Her hair was split the same way as the Captain's, her brown eyes glittering in the moonlight. The only differences were the placement of her hair and the smile on her face.
Her hair was long; it was long enough to hang over her shoulder and still reach past her waist. It flowed around her as she looked down at him, smirking.
"Was that too painful for you?" she mocked.
"N-no!" Ichigo stood up quickly, glaring at her. Not only did she follow him for almost a year, she also had the nerve to confuse him.
"You look like Unohana-taicho," he told her. "I believe you know who that is."
"I do," the older shinigami smiled as she towered over Ichigo. "She's my younger sister."
"And they executed you?" his voice shook with shock.
"Yes. They don't care about family relations there," She laughed.
"What are you following me around if you want revenge on the Soul Society?" Ichigo demanded. This caused the woman to smile.
"You'll get your explanation right now," she reached over and grasped his upper arm again.
"Hey! Let go!" he tried to yank himself out of her grip, but she easily picked up his substitute shinigami badge and forced his shinigami form out of his human body.
"Now that you're out. Let's take a trip to Urahara's shop," she turned and opened the window and stepped out onto the roof.
Ichigo glanced around at the darkness in his room, wondering whether to follow her or not.
"You're coming, don't think that you aren't," her voice called through the window.
He sighed and clamored out the window, glancing at his lifeless form on the bed.
Edited 02-24-08
