Beta'd by SunaU.T
"I still think this is a waste of time," said Kensei as he walked next to Ichigo.
"You know Kensei, since I've known you all you do is whine," deadpanned Ichigo.
Not long after Ichigo's talk with Blake, four teams were selected for collecting samples from the trees in the Forever Fall forest. Kisuke was jumping for joy when he heard the word 'sample' and couldn't wait for the field trip. Kensei was reluctant simply because Professor Goodwitch was leading the trip but Shuhei and Ichigo were indifferent.
So here they were with team RWBY, JNPR and CRDL in the Forever Fall forest with the blonde Professor explaining the reason everyone was here including herself.
"Shut up!" Kensei yelled back.
"However, the forest is full of the creatures of Grimm. So be sure to stay by your teammates, we will rendezvous back here at four o'clock. Have fun."
After Glynda finished speaking everyone walked into the forest with their team, except Jaune who walked away with team CRDL.
Looking left and right Ichigo couldn't find their idiot of a leader, "Anyone seen Kisuke?"
"I'm right here," Kisuke answered from behind them.
Turning around to face Kisuke, they all sweat-dropped at seeing the huge backpack Kisuke was carrying.
"What the hell?" muttered Shuhei making Kisuke chuckle.
"Allow me to explain," said Kisuke as he set his bag on the ground. "Because I doubt that we will ever get the chance to visit this place again, I will collect as many samples as possible," he finished with a grin that was hidden by his fan.
"You know these 'samples' are for Professor Peach right?" questioned Shuhei as Ichigo and Kensei walked away to collect the tree sap that they came here for.
"Really?" asked Kisuke as he gained a perplexed expression.
Shuhei sighed as he looked around for the others only to find that they had left him with Kisuke. He groaned as Kisuke asked him to help him unpack so they could start collecting samples that only Kisuke wanted.
"I can't believe I had to bring you along with me," a man's voice rang from within the forest.
"Waaah," another child-like voice sounded.
"I can't even understand you. I could easily do this on my own, but instead I'm forced to bring you. And stop drooling everywhere," the man complained.
"Oooooh."
"Yeah," the man said as he sniffed the air. "I can smell you, Shiba," the man grinned. "You are the last. Once I kill you it will just be us and those stupid weakling with wings."
Kensei and Ichigo were quietly collecting the tree sap in jars they were given before Kensei broke the silence.
"I know you spoke with the faunus girl about me."
"Blake?" asked Ichigo.
"Yeah..."
"What about it?"
"You really don't care about it do you?" asked Kensei as he stood up with a full jar and twisted the lid on.
"Should I?" Ichigo questioned as he copied Kensei's actions.
"Considering the White Fang is everyone's enemy that isn't a faunus," Kensei scowled at Ichigo's nonchalant attitude about the White Fang.
Ichigo sighed before looking up at the sky, watching as the red petals from the trees around him and Kensei fell forever from the sky.
"The White Fang are not my enemies."
Kensei continued to scowl at his comrade, "So you consider them your allies then?"
Ichigo sighed once again before looking at Kensei, "Sorry, allow me to rephrase. What I meant to say is that, I don't consider them a threat."
"If you don't consider them a threat you must be comparing them to something else," said Kensei as he narrowed his eyes at Ichigo. "Who are you comparing them to?"
As Ichigo was about to speak his eyes widened before he dodged a red beam that almost hit him. He ended the roll he was in next to Kensei and both faced the direction the attack came from.
"Tch, I was hoping I would kill you on the first try," said a man's voice as he stepped into the clearing both Ichigo and Kensei were standing in. The man had bright blue hair and eyes, and had a white jacket that was open with the sleeves rolled up to his elbow. He had white pants with black shoes. His weapons were the blades sticking out of his forearm guards that were white and had black gloves that were covered in armour with one smoking from the palm, which Ichigo guessed was where the attack from before came from.
Next to him was a young blonde haired boy with magenta eyes with the same white clothes as the guy next to him but he didn't have his jacket open and the sleeves weren't rolled up. His weapon was the purple broadsword on his back.
"Who the hell are you?" asked Kensei loudly so that they could hear him clearly.
The blue haired man smirked before replying, "We are Espada."
"Great, just what I needed," said Ichigo rhetorically as he drew Zangetsu.
"Friends of yours?" asked Kensei as he pulled his blades from their sheaths from the back of his waist.
"Shiba a friend?" the man smirked as he got into a battle stance. "You got it all wrong pal. We are mortal enemies!" he yelled as he charged at Ichigo.
Ichigo blocked both of his blades before he was kicked in the chin and was sent flying back and into a tree. The man ducked under the punch Kensei threw and elbowed the brawler in the gut, forcing him to take a few steps back from the pain. Kensei was ready to charge again before a purple blade entered his vision making him block with his knuckle blades. He grunted as he was thrown back by the force of the attack before landing back on his feet, looking at the blonde kid that attacked him.
"I'm not mature enough to hold back against a kid. So just to let you know if you continue to attack me, I will kill you," said Kensei, ending in a deadly whisper. The blonde just moaned before attacking Kensei again.
"Is that all you got Shiba? I'm disappointed," said the blue haired man as he looked down at a kneeling Ichigo. "I suppose I should introduce myself, not that it will matter once I kill you. But the name is Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez."
Ichigo chuckled before looking up at his opponent. "Kill me, huh? Sorry pal, but the only person dying here today is you!" he yelled as he attacked Grimmjow, making the Espada block and kick Ichigo's ribs which said person ignored and punched Grimmjow in the face, forcing the man to stumble back.
"I do have one question though," said Ichigo as he took a defensive stance making Grimmjow look at him like he was an idiot.
"You've got to be kidding."
"How did the Espada know I was here?" asked Ichigo ignoring his opponent's comment.
"You really are an idiot," laughed Grimmjow. "Did you really think that a Shiba could quietly attend a school without anyone on the outside knowing? In case you didn't know, you are the only Shiba to have ever attended a school for hunting Grimm," he finished and attacked Ichigo.
"You think I don't know that?" Ichigo grinned making Grimmjow's eyes widen in realization.
'He knew we would come after him,' thought Grimmjow as Ichigo pushed him back before he received a small gash from Zangetsu on his chest. 'He is using the school to draw us out.'
"You know, I'm glad we are enemies," said Grimmjow, his grin returned.
"And why's that?" Ichigo asked.
"Because I get to have so much fun," he replied before attacking Ichigo again. Ichigo blocked the first strike and watched as Grimmjow raised his other hand up to reveal a circular device on his palm that started to glow red. Ichigo's eyes widened as he realized that this was the same attack as before.
"Getsuga Tenshō!" Ichigo yelled creating an explosion.
"This is such a pain," muttered Kensei as he stood across from the blonde who was looking at a butterfly. He looked over to see smoke rising from where Ichigo was fighting before looking back at his opponent.
"I haven't got time for this," he said as he charged his weapon with his semblance, creating an outline of green on his weapon before punching towards the kid, releasing what looked like blades made of wind that glowed the same green as his weapon before.
The kid dodged just in time and was able to avoid being hit. However, as he looked behind him, he saw that a large amount of trees were cut into pieces by the attack.
"That is the power of my semblance," said Kensei as he stood over the broadsword user. "My semblance is to create wind that I can use to enhance my weapon's destructive force in anyway I want. And with that attack just now, my weapon earned the name Tekken Tachikaze," he continued as he brought his fist back. "Now die."
Teams RWBY and JNPR were standing to the side as Professor Goodwitch gave a dressing down to the members of CRDL before they were all taken of guard by the pillar of green that was followed by strong wind.
"What in the world was that?" asked Weiss after the wind died down.
"I don't know but we should check it out," said Ruby and she was gone before anyone could stop her. The girl in red was followed quickly by the others.
"You got lucky Shiba," said Grimmjow as he wiped the blood from his eye that was caused the wound on his head, courtesy of Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshō.
"Keep telling yourself that," smirked Ichigo, mentally grimacing from the light burns that covered his right arm. The attack Grimmjow used was a dust based attack, Ichigo had no doubt about that. He knew Kisuke didn't make it because despite what he might have said he wasn't that much of a genius.
That means someone out there has the capability to make a powerful dust weapon, and whoever they were just made Ichigo their enemy.
"Looks like we'll have to continue this later Shiba. But before I go, what is your name?" asked Grimmjow as he heard voices yelling in the distance.
"Ichigo Shiba," Ichigo answered and made no move to stop Grimmjow from retreating. Normally he would stop him, but he couldn't let others who had nothing to do with this war get involved.
"I'll see you around then, Ichigo," chuckled Grimmjow as his own shadow covered him and he disappeared.
Ichigo narrowed his eyes before sheathing his sword. "I guess it makes sense now," he muttered as the others ran into the clearing.
"What happened here?" questioned Goodwitch as she took in Ichigo's wounds.
"Grimm," was Ichigo's reply.
"You expect me to believe a creature of Grimm was able to do that to you?" asked the Huntress as she indicated at his burns. "And what about that green pillar from before?"
"That was me," answered Kensei as he stepped around the tree, his knuckle blades still in his hands and smoking slightly.
Glynda stared at the two teens before she sighed. She had been dealing with team KIKS more than any other team and was slightly proud, though more annoyed, to say that she knew them better than anyone else and she knew that they didn't cooperate with authority figures very well. And she could swear that they can communicate through looks alone.
"Very well. I'll leave it for now. Let's go everyone, this trip is over," she announced and ushered everyone to the aircraft that brought them there.
"Want to explain who those guys were?" asked Kensei as Ichigo and him were putting their weapons in their lockers after Ichigo had his injuries tended to.
"They were Espada, they said it themselves," explained Ichigo as he closed his locker door. He felt very uncomfortable putting Zangetsu in the locker, where he can't get to it easily.
"The kid I fought didn't talk," replied Kensei as he closed his locker too. "But they were there for you because you were a Shiba. So let me ask you, did I just paint a target on my back?"
"Maybe," sighed Ichigo as he faced Kensei. "The truth is that there is a war going on that no one knows about, and it was because of this war that the Shibas were wiped out."
At Ichigo's words Kensei's eyes widened in shock. A war that no one knew about, how is that possible?
"The Shiba clan isn't actually a clan, it's an organization called The Divisions. But because there were powerful Shibas leading that organization, people started to call it the Shiba clan. The Divisions were at war with a group that called themselves the Espada. Those two people from before are my enemies," explained Ichigo.
"So they won't stop until your dead then?" Kensei asked. He couldn't believe his ears. The Shiba were an organization and no one knew.
"To tell you the truth, I'm a little afraid," confessed Ichigo.
"Why?"
"My old man told me that the first generation of The Divisions were made up of the most blood-thirsty killers, and half of them were killed my the enemies I'm facing," revealed Ichigo.
"You talk as if you'll be the only one fighting them," said Kensei, confusing Ichigo.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that after our little encounter with that Espada, I'll be considered your ally. Which I am, which also means that they are my enemies as well," said Kensei making Ichigo smile slightly.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. Now let's go tell the others."
"Right."
They both walked off not noticing Glynda who was standing behind the wall from across their lockers, listening to their conversation.
'I need to inform Professor Ozpin,' she thought as she walked towards his office.
"There is nothing I can do," stated Ozpin as he sat in his chair across from the standing blonde.
"But sir, that child brought a war to the school. No matter how skilled the students are, they are no match for the enemies of the Shiba," Glynda tried to reason.
"And you expect me to kick him out because of something he can't control?" he asked making the Huntress falter. He sighed, "I doubt that Ichigo Shiba will allow any of the students to be harmed or even involve them."
"If that is your wish," sighed Glynda.
"It is, now please inform the other teachers. While I will allow Ichigo to fight in this war, I won't allow us to be unprepared," he said as he twisted in his chair and walked towards the window before stopping, gazing out.
"What about the rest of team KIKS?" she asked pushing her glasses up her nose.
"I won't stop them from helping their teammate," was all he said.
"I see, if that is all then," she replied and left the room.
Ozpin sighed as he watched Ichigo and Kensei through the window. "Born to battle and bred for war," he muttered. "I wish you on the best of luck. For I fear a world without the Shiba protecting us Hunters and Huntresses."
