Chapter 4
Author Notes: Trying to stay on that grind and play a little catch up, enjoy the new chapter!
I do not own bleach, this is a nonprofit fanfiction
Ichigo paces his office, the weight of worry heavy on his mind. Days have passed since the reconnaissance squad last checked in, a fact he finds quite disturbing. Ichigo had never been one to worry in his past, but the pressure of sending his friends into combat paired with his protective nature have manifested into extreme fits of anxiety. The Head Captain's nails have been worn to stubs, and the bags under his eyes grow darker by the day. Still he tries to push onward and fulfill his duties, but not too much avail. With his state of mind, it is nearly impossible to focus on even the most menial tasks. Suddenly, a knock comes at his door shaking the Orange haired Shinigami from his state of worry.
"Come in," Ichigo calls to his visitor, his voice full of angst. He scolds himself for letting his aggravation slip through as he watches Byakuya enter the room. As always, his steps are weightless as he glides into the room, barley making a sound. His face bares no indication of his mood, a fact Ichigo has come do despise.
"Would you by chance have a moment to talk Kurosaki?" Byakuya inquires as he stands before Ichigo's desk.
Knowing that turning down the request isn't an option, Ichigo accepts. He gestures for Byakuya to sit, but the imposing Captain instead stays standing while making another request. "I wish to walk while we discuss, I would rather us not have distractions during our conversation."
"As you can probably see I'm kinda busy here, if you could please just talk to me while I work I'd really…"
Before Ichigo can finish his thought, Byakyua sets a hand upon his desk. Looking up, he is met with a cold stare the likes of which he hasn't seen from the Captain in many years. Ichigo, now understanding just how serious Byakuya is, agrees to his request.
"Alright, you got me outside, now fire away," Ichigo barks. Again, he scolds himself for letting his nerves get the better of him. He looks to see if Byakuya has taken any offense to his brash remark. He scowls when he finds the raven haired Shinigami's face unchanged.
"Hmm…no emotion…shocking," Ichigo thinks to himself bitterly. After a few moments of silence, the Captain gives his response. "Is there still no word from our reconnaissance team?" Unlike his usual manner of speaking, Byakuya's monotone voice now carries a slight hint of worry.
This is not lost on Ichigo, as he nearly stops in his tracks in the presence of Byakuya's emotion. For anyone else the inflection would be an afterthought, but this was not the case for Byakuya. The littlest slip in his usual stoic demeanor is extremely uncommon, but when it happens it holds great weight.
Byakuya stops as well when he notices the Head Captain no longer at his side. Turning back to Ichigo, he finds a look of disbelief on his face. "If something is on your mind Kurosaki, say it. There is no need to hold your tongue."
Ichigo snaps back to reality, and chuckles awkwardly at the realization of what he had just done. "Sorry about that…I just uhh…" Trailing off, he instead opts to simply answer the question and avoid the inevitably awkward explanation for his actions. Taking a slow, deep breath the Head Captain regains his composure. "No, despite our efforts to reach out to Sui Feng and Rengi, there have been no responses thus far. Squad 12 believes that the mountain ranges of the north may be blocking the signal between our coms channels, and that we shouldn't worry."
Byakuya looks off into the distance as he molds over Ichigo's answer, another action quite uncommon for the Captain. He stands like this for a time, watching the bustling streets of the Soul Society as people make their rounds. A vendor calls out to possible buyers insisting to have the best fish in the land. Another pitches a set of silk sheets to a young couple as they pass by. Performers sing and dance in the streets, garnering people to gather and cheer their efforts. Wondering exactly what has caught his companion's eye, Ichigo traces his line of sight to a distant riverbank. His sight falls upon a group of kids playing by the water, running and laughing as they splash one another. Of all the children, he knows exactly which one Byakuya is watching. One boy chases another with a bucket filled to the brim. His fair skin and bright hair serve as an almost eerie reminder of a certain Captain who has gone away. It is at this moment that Ichigo realizes just what is weighing on the Captains mind.
Without hesitation, he walks over to Byakuya and rests a hand upon his shoulder. Spreading his lips into a faint smile, he tries to rid the Captain of his worries. "I'm sure they're doing just fine. Squad 12 knows what they're talking about, especially when it comes to technology. They'll be back in a day or two, so there's no need to worry! Besides even if something did happen, they can hold their own! Especially pineapple head, he may look ridiculous, but he can sure as hell hold his own." Feeling satisfied with his speech, he tightens his hand on Byakuya's shoulder as a sign of reassurance.
"Kurosaki…" Byakuya begins coolly.
"Yea?"
"Please…unhand me."
"Oh my bad…" Pulling his hand away, Ichigo catches a slight smile tugging at the edges of the Captains lips. It fades almost as quickly as it came, leaving Byakuya's practiced blank expression in its wake. Ichigo doesn't care, he takes pride in the knowledge that he has put his comrade's mind at ease.
"Well I must be going, I have much to attend to," and with that, Byakuya turns his back and begins to depart. But before he even takes his second step, he again stops and offers one last statement. "I truly hope you are right Kurosaki." Within moments Byakuya is gone, leaving a worried Shinigami in his wake.
"Yea, so do I…."
The responsibilities of the day fade as his anxiety begins to set in in spades. To clear his mind, he begins to walk carelessly in no particular direction. This takes him to a fork in the road, one way leading back into Seireitei, the other taking him deeper into Rukongai. Instead of turning right to return to his office, Ichigo decides to take the day to rest. He takes the left road, leading him directly into the center of the bustling Rukongai marketplace. Baffled eyes watch the Head Captain as he leisurely strolls the streets. He pretends to be oblivious to their stares as he carelessly browses the fine linens and exotic pottery. Just as he reaches to feel a particular rug that has caught his eye, something crashes into his left leg. Looking down, he finds a boy laying on his back holding his head crying. His friends stand motionless, mortified at the sight of their friend doubled over before the Head Captain. One of the boys quickly rushes forward and bows at Ichigo's feet, begging him for forgiveness.
"We are so so sorry Head Captain! We were playing tag, and Miko has horrible eyesight, you have to understand!" The boy trembles while keeping his head firmly pressed to the ground. His friends follow suit and bow before Ichigo as if he were some almighty deity. For a moment, Ichigo doesn't know how to react to the situation. On one hand, he really isn't upset at the boys and is more than willing to forgive the incident. On the other, how many chances in a guy's life does he have to put the fear of God into someone? The curious eyes of the onlookers, as well as Ichigo's maturity (a trait he had to learn upon taking the position of Head Captain) ultimately yield his answer. Bending to his knee, he softly grabs the fallen boy by his shoulders and hoists him to his feet. The boy is stunned at first, looking at Ichigo in both fear and surprise. He calms however as Ichigo takes concern with the lump forming on his forehead.
"Geez, that's a nasty bruise kid, are you gonna be alright?" The softness and genuine concern in Ichigo's voice is enough to calm the boy to the point of talking.
"Yes sir, I'm really sorry I ran into your leg!"
Ichigo chuckles and puts his hand atop the boys head, "Ah that was nothing, don't worry about it…hey guys uhhh you can get up now. All is forgiven, no hard feelings."
The boys look up in amazement at the Orange haired Shinigami. Never could they have imagined that the mighty Head Captain of the Gotei 13 could be so kind.
They all look in wide eyed amazement at Ichigo, Miko in particular. In his star struck state, Miko makes a bold request of Ichigo.
"Mr. Head Captain! Would you want to play soccer with my friends and I?!" Almost immediately after asking, he puts his hands over his mouth in regret. "Certainly the Head Captain's patience is already wearing thin," he thinks as he awaits the Head Captains response. Again, the boys are shocked when Ichigo stands and responds, "Sure I'll play a quick game or two, go get a ball. Oh, and also just call me Ichigo." Before his eyes the boys vanish, all of them scattering in different directions. Some run screaming to their friends, while the others run to find soccer balls. Suddenly, Ichigo is surrounded by twenty wide eyed children.
"Alright, let's do this!" Miko shouts as he runs to an open field just across the roadway. The other children follow close behind, with Ichigo bringing up the rear. Within minutes, there is a massive game of ten on ten going on, with Ichigo right in the center of it all. In actuality, it is more like nineteen against one, as all the kids immediately rush Ichigo the second he touches the ball.
"NO! GET OPEN, SOMEONE! WAIT WHOS ON MY TEAM? WHY ARE YOU ALL GAINING UP ON ME?!" he shouts as he tries to evade the massive clump of kids chasing after him. Miko jumps on the back of Ichigo's leg, tripping him and bringing the Head Captain to the ground. The children all pounce on the Shinigami, giggling and clinging onto their fallen competitor.
"LET ME UP! THIS ISN'T HOW SOCCER WORKS!"
A roar of laughter comes from the sideline of the field as more and more people come to watch this rare sight.
"Hey! Someone get these kids off of me!" Ichigo cries, half-joking, half seriously. This only garners another wave of laughter and applause from the crowd.
"Alright you little brats you wanna play rough? LET'S GO!" Ichigo swings his arms outward, wrapping up three kids per arm. Pinning them between his underarms and his sides, he lifts himself off the ground. The kids laugh and screech for help as the Head Captain begins to run from the horde of children.
"Help! Save us guys!" The kids scream from under his arms.
The rest of the cluster gives chase, quickly catching up to the slowly jogging Ichigo. They wrap themselves around his legs, and some even climb to wrap their arms around his neck. Still, he trudges on with children hanging like fruits from his limbs. Finally, after about twenty yards Ichigo collapses under the weight of the kids. This was intentional of course, as he lets the kids attack him once again. One of the parents come to his aid this time, as she calls for the children, "Alright kids that's enough, leave the Head Captain be. I'm sure he has much to take care of." The children moan and pout in protest, but ultimately let the Head Captain to his feet. Ichigo can't curb his chuckling fit as he brings himself to his feet.
"I'm sorry if they caused you any trouble!" The woman offers with a warm smile.
"Nonsense, to be honest I really needed that today." Ichigo bows to the woman, before taking off toward the children to say his goodbyes. "Now you kids behave for your parents! If you do, I promise I'll come back to play 'soccer' with you again." The downtrodden expressions on the children vanish as they burst into shouts of joy. Ichigo gives them a thumbs up, before rising to take his leave. Just before he can turn to walk away, a panicked shout bursts forth from the crowd.
"ICHIGO!"
He turns to find Rukia standing in front of the crowd in full surgical gear. The smile that had been plastered on his face vanishes as he looks upon her blood soaked garments.