-KB-chan is signing on-
Gah! My computer crashed, so you're all lucky that I'm getting this chapter out! Thank you everyone who reviewed, but being the forgetful person I am, I've forgotten my AOL password! *Le Gasp!* I know! So our -my- favorite time of the day will be postponed until I change my email over to my gmail (done). I really hate doing this to you guys, so I'll persevere and TRY to remember it... But no promises. I just have to say, reviewer mist shadow, ILY! I really do! I'll go back and fix up the problems you mentioned (not now though, too busy) and hopefully get SB back up and running. Thank you, again, I appreciate it.
Some of you must be confused, considering I said I would refer to 'Shiro' as Shiro, and that's that. But, in his Inner world, Shirosaki calls him Ichigo? Um... what? 'Shiro' is still 'Ichigo', so in order to show that, 'Shiro' will still be referred to as 'Ichigo' in his Inner World, or when I'm talking about that cocky orange-haired brat we all know as Strawberry, as I point out in the first paragraph. I'll leave hints about this further on in the story.
So until then, enjoy this lovely chapter I had to re-write from the beginning because my laptop's a bitch! Hallelujah for ZIP drives and public computers! And my brother, I can't forget about him.
Disclaimer: I don't know why people have to do this, I mean it's fanfiction. Pointless. But I own nothing, not even the idea. Credit goes to BadyGuz for coming up with the idea. Actual story, however, does belong to me. You steal it, I Kill You. XD
Summary: What would happen if Ichigo never used the Saigo no Getsuga Tenshō in his final fight with Aizen? What if the Hogyoku rejected Aizen before his powers lowered? What if Ichigo had been chosen, and with his heart's desire, sent back in time, 100 years ago? What if he had gained new powers during his short travel through the space-time-continuum? That's what happened, and I'm here to tell you how.
Chapter 4
Dinner and a Show
Silence surrounded him, and Shiro began to think that the class had gone mute. The Yachiru-like little boy he'd picked up earlier scrambled from his seat and looked at him in amazement, green eyes sparkling in a way he'd never thought possible. He had a grin that was happy, like a little Ichigo had when he was around his mother. Shiro smiled at him, and took his seat next to a sleeping Reikyū.
"That was awesome!" the little boy exclaimed, his excitement rousing the narcoleptic next to them. "How did you do that? No one's ever beaten Shimakishi before!" Cocking his head to the side, Shiro raised a powder white eyebrow and gave the blond a confused look.
"How can anyone not beat someone like that? His stance was open, and although I will admit he has power, he uses it to defeat his enemy in the first strike. He'd be dead on his first Hollow hunt alone because of that, thus he is weak." the albino explained, his face going slack when a look of horror crossed his charge's face. "...He's right behind me now, isn't he?" At the boy's nod, he spun around in his seat, turning to face the giant of a man. 'Hmm, shame really. Chad's taller than this guy, yet he still makes me look like a teenager.' he thought, shaking his head to focus on what this guy was saying. Well, yelling would be a better way to describe how loud he was.
"I dun' understand 'ow somethin' as small-" Shiro's eyebrow twitched, as he knew he wasn't small in the least bit of ways, being 6' exact and 160-or-so pounds with barely an ounce of fat on him. "-as ya could'a taken ME down li' tha'! Ya must 'ave cheated, since nobody's beaten me b'fore! Ya li'l shit! Wha' th' 'ell did ya do ta win li' tha'? HAH?" Taking a breath to keep the irritation down, he glared at the man standing in front of him with cold indifference as his usual determination sharpened the look in his golden eyes.
He was silent for a moment, calming down so he didn't do anything rash, and replied in an even voice, "I don't know what you're talking about, Shimakishi, but I didn't cheat. I simply looked for the flaws every person has, and used them to my advantage. If you can't understand that, then maybe you should learn the basics of Zanjutsu, again, ne?" Finished with him, Shiro turned back around in his seat, resuming in talking with the still unnamed boy and his narc of a friend. Shimakishi's face was red with rage, and he brought his fist back for a blow when a pale hand grasped his fist. In the blink of an eye, the giant was on the floor, his wrist twisted and a cold glare meeting his eyes.
" 'ow...?" he stuttered, his own eyes wide. Shiro's gold eyes narrowed, and he twisted the giant's hand more, effectively quieting the man with a yelp of pain.
"Attacking when an opponent's back is turned? It might've worked if your reiatsu wasn't flaring with so much hate and anger." Shiro flared his own hate filled reiatsu, watching in calm disposition as Shimakishi furrowed his brows. "Step one of becoming a Shinigami: Never allow your enemy to sense your emotions, as they will use them against you." Releasing the man's hand, Shiro stood up straight, towering over the fallen giant. The little boy was sitting in Reikyū's lap, watching with wide eyes at the scene in front of him. It had happened so fast!
The flare of reiatsu was the first clue of movement for Shiro, and as soon as the building up of reiryoku happened, the pale man had the little boy in his friend's lap, and the attacker on the floor, all in the span of a second. It was amazing, the speed this Prodigy had used. If anyone questioned his talents before, all doubt was wiped away with this event.
Everyone was silent, and when the bell rang for the last time, the class was cleared out in record time. Reikyū seemed to like to take his time to leave, stretching and yawning the whole time. Again, the little boy had climbed his way up onto Shiro's shoulder, which caused the albino to glance over at him.
"Why do you keep doing that?" he asked, stepping over the man still on the floor as he followed Reikyū out the door. He was hungry, and dinner would be in an hour. The little boy shrugged, and rested his head on Shiro's shoulder.
"Dunno. It just feels... I can't explain it." he sighed contently, nodding off to sleep after the roughest first day any of them had. Shiro scoffed and walked to the cafeteria to wait for food. Reikyū seemed to have the same thought, mumbling 'Food' like a starved zombie. It was quite funny, but he didn't dare laugh.
Just as they entered the spacious room filled with tables, any sound anyone made just... stopped. It was quiet, and an occasional cough broke the silence. Shiro sighed, knowing rumors had already spread about what had happened just a few minutes ago. The sound of pounding feet had him ducking, watching as Jaku flew over him as if to tackle/hug him.
"Shirooo~" he whined, standing up from his crashed position after his failed attempt to grab his ghost-like* friend. "Why'd you have to go and beat Shimakishi-senpai in a sword fight? Now all the girls want you even more than they did this morning!" Instead of reacting the way he had in the past, er, future, Shiro tilted his head to the side, ignoring the thumps of fainting girls as he gazed questioningly at the brunette.
"Um... what?" Without his question being answered, Shiro was pulled over to the table where the rest of the group was sitting, Reikyū following on his own accord. Shisen glanced his way and smirked in a very Yoruichi-like fashion, immediately sending non-existent shivers down his spine. He knew then whatever was said about the class today, wasn't going to be good for him.
"So..." the raven-haired girl drawled, setting her cheek on her fist as she rested her elbow on the tabletop. "I heard you beat the unbeatable giant in Zanjutsu class." Tsuyo glanced up from his notebook, a thin eyebrow raised.
"He did what now?" Shiro groaned lowly, slamming his head down on the table.
"I don't see why it's such a big deal." He muttered. "In fact, I would be surprised if he could even beat a lizard Hollow, let alone a full-fledged Hollow. He can't fight worth shit!"
"Either that," the little blond hummed, "or your ranking as a Prodigy is better than what we expected. The speed you took him down at the second time is nearly unheard of! I didn't even see you move!" Shiro groaned, turning his head to glare at the green-eyed boy still sitting on his shoulder.
"I hate you..." he growled, ignoring the cries of surprise the group made. The little boy pouted, tapping Shiro playfully on his head.
"You don't mean that!" He grinned just then. And then he was gone, running off to get some food from the long line that none of them wanted to wait in. Shisen raised an eyebrow at the albino before she shrugged the event off and continued to talk.
"I can't wait to see how you do in Hohō class tomorrow. If what that little boy said about your speed is true, then you could be the next God of Flash! You might be as fast as my cousin, Yoruichi. I haven't seen her in a while, and since she's an only child and never had kids of her own, the Shihōin title goes to... me." Shisen grumbled the last part of her sentence, her excitement dimming at that little piece of information.
"Speaking of the little boy, does anyone know his name? He never told me." Shiro asked, trying to lighten the brunette's mood. Said girl perked up in question, looking to the rest of the group.
"His name is Ishihara Daisuke. He's in my Hakuda class." Kisaki hummed. Speaking of, Daisuke bounced over with a tray of food in both hands and one balanced on his head. It was a comical sight to the group, and the little boy grinned at them.
"One for Shiro-tan. One for Rei-tan. One for me!" he chimed as he set the trays down in front of each respective person.
"Oh, so now you have your own personal servant, ne?" Shisen simpered, her brown eyes glittering with mirth. Beside her, Reikyū started hacking up whatever he had just swallowed, holding his hand up to his mouth. Everyone at the table looked at him strangely, save for Megane, who could've cared less, and Shiro, who, while he was worried, just couldn't bring himself to show it.
"Are you okay?" Daisuke exclaimed, checking the older boy over, to make sure he was okay, to which Reikyū gave a slight nod.
"I'm fi-" he started to say before he was cut off by a rather tall, burly, and outright rude being.
"No 'n cares 'bout tha'. Th' real ques'on is... will th' 'bino be a'aight once 'm done wi' 'im?" Shimakishi smirked and loomed over the now-fine narc, and the small boy who stood in his path between Shiro and himself. He smacked the boy with the back of his hand, sending him flying, to which Kisaki had quickly moved to catch him.
"What the hell was that for?" Reikyū exclaimed, standing up on his feet before Shiro held his hand out in front of him and shook his head.
"Reikyu, leave this to me. If he wants to be publicly embarrassed yet again, let him." Shiro said and stood up, looking at Shimakishi, who's face was red with fury.
"Why ya li'l...!" he scowled then pulled back his hand to punch the snowflake, but was easily dodged and elbowed in the stomach, and had a knee forcefully connect to his jaw, and then a roundhouse kick to his side, sending him flying, all within the span of a few seconds.
"Oh my god! Holy fucking Hell!" Jaku exclaimed, jumping up from his seat at the table. The entirety of the mess hall grew silent, watching the three men in the middle of the hall. Shiro growled as he watched the beast of a man get up, fury overwhelming any emotion in his beady eyes.
"Yer pay fer tha', bitch!" Simultaneously, a foot and a fist connected with the man's face, courtesy of Shiro and Reikyū respectively. However, Reikyū pulled his fist back, clutching the larger man's kosode as he pulled the monstrous man towards him, his droopy, grey eyes twisted with malice.
"You better watch what you do while I'm around, or you'll have to enjoy being a man... while you still can." His hand loosened around the white cloth, and he threw the beast to the ground once more. Shiro scoffed, turning his back on the downed giant.
"What a piece of shit." he mumbled, Reikyū falling into step next to him. He felt movement in the spiritual presence behind him, but didn't turn around, thinking that Shimakishi was turning tail. He wasn't prepared for the blunt force that knocked him into the ground, face first. Reikyū's eyes widened in shock at his fallen friend before his mouth twisted into a demonic smirk.
"Oh you asked for this!" He exclaimed, whirling on his heel and connecting his knuckles to Shimakishi's face, a cold, calculating, and outright emotionless look to his eyes. The movement took only half a second, not easily seen by many of the other students in the area, as the behemoth stumbled slightly. He didn't even have a chance to dodge before a kick sent him flying towards the wall. Reikyū crouched down slightly before seemingly vanishing from his original position to where Shimakishi was going to hit the wall, kicking him again and sending him flying and doing the same thing, but the wall was much further, and Shimakishi got his feet on the ground, sliding from the force of the kick.
"S-shi'! Where'd 'e g- OOOH!" He howled in pain as a foot came down from above, knocking him into the ground as Reikyū swiftly, and almost methodically grabbed Shimakishi's arm, twisting it behind his back and forcefully bringing his hand down on just the right place to snap the bones, Shimakishi howling in pain as Reikyū rose to his feet, holding out his hand.
"Bakudō number 63, Sajo Sabaku." His voice was cold and uncaring as he released the incantation, binding Shimakishi.
"W-wha' th' 'ell are ya-!" Shimakishi's eyes widened as he heard the incantation that Reikyū started to recite, screaming out, but was silenced when a tabi sock was shoved into his mouth forcefully.
"Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleashed but slightly the wrath of your claws! Hadō number 33, Sōkatsui." Reikyū held the Hadō in his hand, fully ready to go through with his earlier threat. "I warned you... I fucking warned you..."
"Reikyū! Stop it! You've done enough!" Kisaki screamed for him to stop as Shiro lifted up his head to see what was going on, but unable to do anything before both Megane and Shisen had grabbed Reikyū and pulled him off of Shimakishi, forcing him to stop the kidō.
"That's enough, Reikyū!" Megane hissed into his ear, the narcoleptic struggling to try to punch Megane, his fist connecting with the bookworm's face. Shisen was snickering, and grabbed Reikyū's arm again.
"Sorry, Megane! My hand slipped!" she smirked as the bookworm scowled at her.
"Slipped my ass! You LET him punch me!" He yelled as the man in their grip was unable to keep awake anymore, his anger and adrenaline leaving, so he fell asleep, startling the two, whom just stared at him.
"Holy shit... He really is a narcoleptic." Shisen blinked, staring at the now-asleep black-haired man.
"No kidding..." Megane was just as surprised by how the loud and rowdy man... could suddenly go silent and fall asleep.
"Ah! Daisuke and Shiro are awake!" Kisaki exclaimed.
"And... Shimakishi fainted..." Tsuyo said, poking the fallen giant.
"AAH! DON'T POKE HIM! HE MAY WAKE UP!" Jaku exclaimed, flailing his arms.
"He'll wake up if you keep screaming like that." Shiro grumbled, muttering a low 'Thanks' as Kisaki helped him up.
"Are you sure you should be getting up, Shitani?" Megane sniffed, pushing his glasses up on his face. Shiro just shrugged and brushed himself off.
"I'll be fine." He didn't bother to elaborate. Shisen frowned and pushed Reikyū onto Megane.
"Hold him. I'm going to go explain what happened to Daisuke. Poor boy has no clue whatsoever." She stalked off towards the little blond boy who sat up in a daze against the far wall.
Megane sighed and shifted the 169 pound man into a more comfortable position. A sudden jerk from the man in his hands was the only warning he got before the man in his hands shot up from his slouched position with a scream.
"Yodeling pancakes ate my toast!" Everyone who had resumed eating after the whole ideal with Shimakishi spun around in shock, staring at the once again sleeping male, an awkward silence descending upon the entire mess hall. Curious, Shiro shifted over to the sleeping raven and poked him in the side of the head. "Stop poking me. I'm not opposed to biting that finger. I hope you know that." Chuckling, Shiro pulled his finger away. Daisuke scrambled up his uniform to rest on his shoulder, gazing bemusedly at the narcoleptic.
"You have weird dreams, Reikyū!" he chirped, a wide smile on his face.
"You slept too long." Megane grumbled, rubbing his abused ear. Reikyū stared at the group before starting to chuckle, then laugh out loud, rubbing the back of his neck with a stupid grin plastered on his face.
"I said that out loud?" he asked.
Shiro grinned slightly, the look disappearing as fast as it had appeared. "Yeah. So, yodeling pancakes, huh?" Reikyū chuckled in embarrassment, rubbing at the back of his head.
"Gomen. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night screaming something random." Reikyū shifted slightly, looking to his left. "Whoa." he mumbled, gazing at the downed form of Shimakishi. "Who did that guy in? I missed it." The silence from the shock made Reikyū shift uncomfortably again as all eyes were on him. "What?"
"Reikyū, what do you remember happened?" Shiro asked uneasily.
"Um... I remember him hitting Daisuke, then Shiro kicking the crap out of him, then me punching him and threatening him, and then he... cheap-shot Shiro when our backs were turned. Anything after that is blank... I must've fallen asleep again, huh?" Shiro was silent, having a feeling of what had happened.
'But that's impossible. No one in the Seireitei besides me has one. How could he?'
"Ya eva stop ta think 'bout wha' happened ta th' otha' Vizard? Aizen's still 'ere, dipshit King!"
Shiro's eyes hardened, and he walked toward Reikyū. "Come with me." he commanded, watching Reikyū flinch. He silently wondered why the raven would flinch, but decided against asking. Both of them walked out of the cafeteria, leaving curious friends alone.
"Shiro?" Reikyū questioned, uncertainty flickering in his eyes. "What's going on?" In front of him, his pale friend stopped and turned to face him, eyes cold and calculating.
"Reikyū, have you ever come into contact with a brown-haired man wearing glasses?" Reikyū thought for a moment, humming his concentration.
"You mean Aizen-taichō? I've heard of him, never actually met him, though. I've been told he's really nice." Shiro grit his teeth to keep from snarling.
"Yeah." he hissed, "He's a great man. If I didn't know any better, I would say he's too nice." Inwardly seething, he continued on as if that whole conversation never happened. "Have you ever had a voice that's not yours think for you?" He watched the raven-haired narcoleptic closely, seeing the man seem to think for a second before shaking his head.
"No... not really... why?" Shiro sucked on his teeth, putting a fist to his chin.
"Let me know if something like that happens, okay? Blacking out like that is not normal. I've been down that road before, you really don't want to be on it." Reikyū made a questioning sound, but didn't ask anything.
"Okay. But trust me, I don't think it will happen." Shiro sighed and looked over at the window. The sky was a dark blue, sunset already passing into dusk. Some stars were already twinkling in the sky, visible here without any artificial lighting to dim them away. Walking to the window, it made him think of times when he was still Ichigo, when he used to bring his sisters out to a secluded hill just to watch the stars come out. They would be amazed by this sight, something you could see anywhere.
"Have you ever just stopped and looked out at the stars?" he questioned suddenly, undeniably solemn. It reminded him of the times in the war that his father would be serious. Ignoring the questioning glance he received from his accomplice, he continues to gaze out at the stars. "They are always a constant thing in life. Even though the actual star could be dead already, we still see its light from here."
"I never took you for someone who snaps for the stars." Reikyū muttered as he joined his friend at the window, never once gazing up at the twinkling lights. Shiro smirked, still gazing out.
"Yeah? I never did either."
3398 words! I'm a little ashamed to say it's shorter than the last chapter... And it took more time... GOMENASAI!
*Please tell you you guys got the pun? No? Well, how about this. Shinigami Academy. Shinigami. Death God. Death. Ghost? No? Well you suck!
My brother was kind enough to type up a companion piece to Time Traveler's Life for me called "Behind These Gray Eyes"! http:/[]www.[]fanfiction[].net/[]s/7227396/1/ the link is here, so go read it! It'll make more sense as this story progresses, so don't fret too much if you don't understand. If you have any questions about it, you can PM either me, or my brother and we'll answer to the best of our (current) knowledge!
