Here's chapter 10. Dashimaru has just returned from the training trip and the Bount saga is also over. Have fun.
The beginning's fucked up because my computer betrayed me and went haywire, causing everything I'd written to dissappear. As you might have noticed, I don't like writing things I already know will happen, so that's why the beginning might seem... hasty. It is.
Disclaimer: I own every single letter I write down, but that's about it and I don't even have copywrite on that.
Short summary: Bount arc is over and finished with just like in canon. Dashimaru was away on a mysterious training trip and has now returned exactly the day after the end of the Bount saga. Tatsuki is in the process of feeling left out. If you keep that in mind, you shouldn't be too confused when you start reading.
Chapter 10: THE FACT THAT I HATE ERRATIC COMPUTERS HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH THIS CHAPTER.
"Oy, Uruhara!"
...No answer...
"Ah well, he probably won't mind if I just... Gotcha'"
The lock gave a click at last and Dashimaru dusted off his knees as he got up. The door opened easily, and Dashimaru sweatdropped as he saw his Gigai lying in plain view, a note on top of it.
Sigh "How predictable am I to him?"
He stepped forward and reached over the body to grab the note.
Dear Dashimaru,
Yes, you are indeed predictable. I don't know when you will be back, and neither do I know when I will be back. That's why I left the Gigai here. Have fun with it.
Uruhara.
At the bottom of the note was a chibi version of Uruhara, giving a peace sign. Dashimaru tore the part with the chibi off and started chewing on it. The rest he threw to the floor.
Taking a better look at the Gigai, he was awed at how much it resembled him, even though the clothes were different. He frowned. He wouldn't be able to attend school like that. Long, heavy black pants, a loose black shirt and a long leather coat... Definitely not student attire. And that wasn't the only reason he wouldn't be able to act like a student...
He felt his chin. Even though the other guys his age did not seem to need to shave, he already had a beard. Maybe he was older than he thought. After all, there'd never been any gaurantee that he was sixteen, he'd just felt like he'd been fourteen two years ago... If that had really been only two years.
He slid down to the floor and started banging his head against it, then abruptly stopped.
Who cares how old I am? I'm dead and I don't have an ID anyway. With the way I look, I could probably pass myself off as any age between sixteen and thirty. Damn...
Interesting, isn't it?
How about killing anything between sixteen and thirty?
Do you think that there's something that will burn for thirty years?
Could you guys please stay quiet unless you have something useful to say.
...
...
Killing is useful.
Burning is useful.
Could we get out of here, there might be a trap. Besides, that Gigai might be a trap. Let's leave it.
Stop being paranoid!
You're being rhetorical again.
...Just shut up.
You know, a lot of our conversations seem to end with you saying that.
I blame you all for that. Now shut up!
Dashimaru picked up the body and stepped into it. Besides the fact that he was no longer wearing his Zanpakutou, it didn't feel strange in the slightest. He got up, and immediately noticed the second thing that felt strange.
He couldn't use his Reiatsu anymore.
Ah, well. You can't have it all.
He practiced taking the Gigai off and noticed that he could pull it off without too much trouble. For a moment he considered taking one of the soul candy things from Uruhara's shop, then quickly cast the idea aside as he remembered Kon.
He exited the shop and, after locking it again with the key he'd gotten from Uruhara (by the way, the key barely fit in the lock), left for the school, considering his possibilities along the way.
"So if I'm not mistaken, you want to work at our school as a teacher. However, you can't show me your ID, your teaching certificate, or any other papers for that matter."
"An english teacher."
The board chairman leaned back and sighed in exasperation. "If I had your ID, I'd give you a chance. But for all I know right now, you might still be underage."
Dashimaru raised an eyebrow. "Do I look underage to you?"
"No, I don't think you could possibly be underage. That's not the point. If I don't know your name... You could be some criminal hiding from the government."
"...I don't remember giving the government a reason to chase me. Besides, I don't see how getting a job as teacher would help me hide from the government."
"It's not about whether the government is looking for you or not. It's about why they could be looking for you. You might be a serial killer, and I'm not letting a serial killer teach my students."
Why not? It should be okay as long as he's not killing them, right?
If I had free reign of your body, I would definitely be a serial killer...
Dashimaru sighed. "Look, it's like this. I just moved here and my papers got lost on the airport, but I should get them in a week at most. How about, until then, you let me work for half. How's that?"
You plan on letting Uruhara falsify some papers for you?
Or whatever it takes. If Rukia can become a student, I should be able to become a teacher.
The board chairman took another good look at the person sitting before him, then shrugged his shoulders. "Well, if you can have your papers ready in less than a week, then I guess it's okay...
This scene starts at the part where Tatsuki is asking Ichigo about his Shinigami representative badge. Also, in case you hadn't realized, Dashimaru doesn't have one of those because of his conversation with hitsugaya in the last chapter. Also, this is from Tatsuki's point of view.
Suddenly the door opened and a loud voice could be heard throughout the class. "Good morning, delinquents. If everyone would be so kind as to take their seats."
As one, Ichigo, Ishida, Inoue and Chad turned to face the new teacher. Ichigo was the first to react. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Eh? Ichigo? You're in my class? Guess I got unlucky, eh?"
"What do you mean unlucky? And you never answered my question."
This guy...
"Oh, right. I'm your new homeroom teacher."
He looks slightly older,
"But let me introduce myself to the others who don't know me yet first."
But other than that he's...
"My name's Dashimaru. I'm not telling you my family name."
He's... he's that guy!!
"Other than that, I'm 28 years old and I teach English."
What? 28? Could it be that he's not...
Tatsuki continued to stare at the teacher, slowly the teacher's gaze turned to her.
"Miss."
Her eyes widened, her heart started beating like crazy, and her instincts were telling her to flee.
"Would you mind taking a seat as well?"
She tore her eyes away from him and looked around. All the other students were sitting and they were all looking at her curiously, except for Ichigo and Inoue who seemed worried.
"Ye- yes, sir." She quickly sat down.
After that, the teacher didn't seem to notice her much and began to answer questions from the class. She could still feel her heart beating rapidly. She looked at her friends. Ichigo and Inoue had also turned their attention to the teacher. Orihime seemed really happy about the teacher. Ichigo on the other hand looked even more disgruntled than usual. Slowly she started calming down.
He can't be it. Nobody survives falling from that high. Besides, that guy was fourteen. Only two years have passed and this guy is twice his age. And why would a European fencer of that caliber come here to teach English? No. And even if it was him, he doesn't seem angry at me, or even to notice me that much...
Soon after, the bell for break rang, and Tatsuki ran from the classroom, dragging her friend behind her.
As soon as they were the only four left, Ichigo walked up to Dashimaru and punched him.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? Did you see how Tatsuki reacted?"
Dashimaru blinked at him. "What are you talking about? What does how Tatsuki reacts to a new teacher have to do with me?"
"You know damn well. She killed you."
Dashimaru slowly stood back up. "Rukia told you."
"Yes. She told all of us. And just so you know, I won't let you do anything to Tatsuki."
"Okay."
Ichigo lowered his fist, surprised. "What?"
Dashimaru started dusting off his knees and shoulders and righted a chair that had fallen over. "I said okay. I didn't plan on doing anything to her anyway."
Ichigo gritted his teeth again and was going for another punch when a large hand on his shoulder stopped him. He looked around to see Chad shake his head at him.
Ishida then stepped forward from behind the Mexican and spoke. "Take it easy, Ichigo. He says he won't do anything to her, right. I can understand that you don't like to see her shaken up like this, but Dashimaru's got his story and different identity down pretty well. Tatsuki should be able to get over it without too much trouble. Besides, no matter how you look at it, she did kill him."
Ichigo shrugged Chad's hand off his shoulder. "There's no way that I'd believe that Tatsuki killed somebody. There's just no way she'd do something like that."
"Ichigo" Ichigo turned back to his teacher. "It happened about two years ago. I don't know if you knew her back then. If you did, do you remember her acting differently, for some time?"
Memories came to Ichigo of that period. Tatsuki being jumpy... Tatsuki reluctant to hit people at wrestling... He shook his head. "Even so, there's no way Tatsuki..."
"Look, Ichigo, I don't care whether you accept it or not. I've even stopped caring about why she killed me. I don't know if she even did it on purpose. She hit me and because of that I fell off a building." A glazy look appeared in Dashimaru's eyes, until he shook his head to clear it. "Not that it matters, cause I don't care anymore."
He took a look at his watch. "Now, the next period is almost starting, and the board chairman still wanted to see me about something. Get going to your next class." With that, he left the classroom.
The three of them remained standing, until ishida remarked. "Next period's English right?"
Dashimaru walked back to his classroom, apparently the board chairman had wanted to see him because of an exchange student, who was now following him. Dashimaru sighed. He'd actually been supposed to see the board chairman about it before the first lesson, but he'd been late and had forgotten about it... the chairman had been pretty pissed.
When he reached the classroom he turned around to talk to the exchange student. It was a weird looking guy with blond hair and a really weird smile. (A/N: Anyone who doesn't know who I'm talking about should start reading Bleach immediately or shouldn't be in this section of fanfiction)
"Alright, I'll introduce you in a minute, so just wait here for a second."
"Why not, I've been waiting since this morning anyway."
Dashimaru nodded and entered the classroom, then stopped. "What? I've got you idiots again? Ah, well. At least I won't have to introduce myself again."
He walked to the center, and was about to start about the exchange when something on Ichigo started beeping.
Hollow?
Let's kill it.
No, we should leave it to Ichigo and continue teaching.
"Ichigo, I just had a phonecall from your dad. He said he wanted your help at the clinic. I don't know exactly what it's about, but if you're going to be busy helping people live then you're excused for now."
"Thank you, sir." And Ichigo left.
Dashimaru sweatdropped when he saw that both Chad and Inoue had also raised their hands.
"...ah... right... Sigh ... Incidentally, Ichigo's dad said that he also needed your help."
As these two also left, and Dashimaru was left to deal with an idiot called Keigo, he couldn't help but wonder if his choice of career had been a good one.
"Anyway, there's a transfer student who I'd like to introduce. Could you come in please?"
When there was no answer, Dashimaru took a look in the hallway. The hallway was empty.
"Strange. I wonder where he went..."
The rest of the day went by without incident, and Dashimaru found that teaching wasn't that hard at all. You just needed to sit back and let the students find things out for themselves.
After that, he went exploring for a bit with the Gigai. It was refreshing, as if he'd entered a whole new world. It was a bit unnerving, though, how everybody could see him. This was made even worse by the fact that everybody was also looking at him, probably because of his height and his clothes.
The day after, Dashimaru finally managed to introduce the exchange student, who started out by spelling his name backwards. The student was named Hirako Shinji.
That lesson, again, Ichigo was excused.
Night had already fallen when Dashimaru, who'd just come out of a pub, sensed different Reiatsu. Ichigo and some other fellow seemed to be fighting it out. Somewhere else was a hollow, a big one.
At another place, another hollow had emerged, even stronger than the last one.
After only a moment's consideration, Dashimaru stepped into an alley, took off the Gigai, jumped onto a roof with it and put it down. Then, seeing as Ichigo was already dealing with the other problem, took off for the weaker of the two hollows, figuring that he'd be able to deal with it quickly. Also, the weaker hollow was closer.
When he arrived, he saw the hollow chasing Ishida. The hollow was bigger than anything he'd seen up until then.
"Balance, Bas."
At the sound of his voice, the hollow turned around to face him instead of the Quincy. Dashimaru grinned at the ugly creature, as his axe handle caught on fire.
He dashed forward, and easily sidestepped the giant hand that came down to crush him without losing speed. Just after sidestepping, he swung his axe behind him. The slight resistance and the howl of pain told him he hadn't missed. The hollow pulled its arm back and tried again. Dashimaru however, had already jumped high into the air, axe raised above his head. The hollow, who hadn't noticed this was looking around in confusion, until Dashimaru landed on its head. One cut, and the hollow slowly started dissipating.
He jumped down and looked at Ishida. "You okay?"
Ishida was about to answer when his eyes suddenly widened and he indicated something behind Dashimaru. "Dashimaru! Look out! It's legs..."
Dashimaru spun around and was about to raise his axe in defense when an arrow blasted plain through it.
"It has been some time, Dashimaru-san."
"Ryuuken-san? You're right. It has."
The older Quincy didn't acknowledge him further, and instead kept walking towards his son. Then he seemed to change his mind, and turned around. "You don't need to worry about the other hollow, someone is already taking care of it. Now, could you leave us alone?"
Dashimaru nodded. He could indeed feel Isshin's presence with the other hollow. Also, Ichigo seemed to be done fighting.
He bowed to the two Quincy's and jumped off to retrieve his Gigai.
"Good morning, class. I'm going to start with the absence list."
Everybody was present, except for two guys who never seemed to be there. Even Hirako...
Flashback
"Who are you?"
"You actually knew I was here? Impressive. Or maybe not, seeing as your Soul cutter is still in Shikai."
"Shinji?"
"The one and only."
"What do you want?"
"You know you don't belong with them, don't you?"
"I don't know who you're talking about, but yes. I don't belong with them. Now what do you want?"
"Come with me to the Vizards. You belong with us."
"Ah. So you're a Vizard. That explains a lot."
"Are you coming with me or not?"
"Why would I belong with you, with the Vizards?"
"Because you're a Vizard."
"I'm only a Vizard as much as you're a Shinigami. Perhaps even less."
"Hm? What are you talking about?"
"So you don't know everything? Well, I don't see why I should tell you, unless there's something you can offer me in return."
"..."
"What is it, Hirako? Cat got your tongue?"
"It doesn't matter what exactly you are. The thing is, you're a Vizard, and if you don't learn to control your powers, things will turn bad."
"In that case, wanna' spar?"
"I don't see why not."
"Then let's go!"
Flashback end
It had been a simple match. No Shikai involved. Dashimaru had only been able to hold out because his skill was greater. Hirako's Reiatsu had outclassed him by at least twice his own. Hirako would probably be more than a match for the captain's in Soul Society, but what else would you expect from a Vizard who could control his powers?
He glanced at Ichigo. Hirako told him that Ichigo was also a Vizard, but also hadn't joined the Vizard group. He didn't understand why, he'd join himself if he wasn't still working on something himself. He'd been right, sparring had helped him break through the barrier.
"Mister Axehaft?"
Dashimaru looked at the student who'd raised his hand. Uruhara must have had the time of his life when he handed over the falsified papers that would allow Dashimaru to teach and even buy an apartment.
Dashimaru Axehaft... Damn it.
"What is it, Keigo?"
An explosion somewhere on the outskirts of Karakura city signaled the arrival of two incredible Reiatsu sources. Immediately, Dashimaru dropped the couch he'd been carrying into his new apartment and stepped out of the Gigai. He then shoved the couch the rest of the way through the door opening with his Gigai on top of it and locked the door.
"Okay. I'd better see what's going on."
It wasn't far, but he was far from the first to arrive. Bodies already littered the ground. Two hollows stood amid the carnage. One was big, with a lot of muscle, the other was small, and seemed frail. His green eyes held something disconserting, however.
Both of the hollows were only wearing part of their mask, and they had swords.
"What are you?"
"Ulquiora, is this the one we're looking for?"
"You should be able to tell at a glance. This one's trash."
The sound of someone groaning behind him pulled his attention away from the two. Careful not to turn his back on them, he looked behind him, to see Tatsuki lying on her elbows. He cursed, she looked pretty bad. It was a miracle she had even survived, seeing as she was the only one.
The hollows had also noticed her presence. The big one seemed confused. "She's still alive? Hey, Ulquiora. Is this the one?"
"That one's even worse trash."
The big one happily pounded his fists. "Then I'll take care of both of them. I don't leave leftovers."
"Dashimaru-kun!"
It was Inoue's voice, but Dashimaru barely had enough time to unsheath his sword and block the huge, hammer-like fist coming his way.
"Inoue!" He called without looking backwards, digging his feet in to avoid being pushed back. "Grab Tatsuki and get the hell out of here."
"Okay."
"Dashimaru."
"Chad, you too. Get the hell out of here." He felt the big Mexican pausing behind him, so he tried to repeat his sentence. However, he was interrupted as the other fist almost took his head off. He dodged it by ducking, but could no longer stop the first fist, which came hard into his stomach.
Dashimaru flew through the air and landed hard on his back. He immediately got back up, only to see Chad's arm being crushed by the huge hollow.
"Chad! Damn it. Balance, Bas!"
The sword he held assumed the form of a flaming axe. He then ran at the hollow, who simiply held his hand in front of him to block. At the last moment, Dashimaru stopped, grabbed Chad's body and jumped back to Inoue.
"Inoue, take Chad and Tatsuki and leave. Go as fast as you can, don't stop, and don't come back. No buts, No hesitating, GO!"
As Inoue grabbed her two unconscious friends, Dashimaru turned back to the hollows, who seemed bored.
"Here goes..."
Bas...
I can't believe you're actually going to do it, although I must admit it's the best choice we've got.
Hihihi, finally.
In a blast of pain, the world exploded. An insatisfiably rage took hold of Dashimaru, as he struggled to keep focused. Finally, the pain faded, and only the rage remained.
"What's with him, Ulquiora? I didn't even touch him."
"This must be his Zanpakutou's special ability, though I can't tell what exactly it's supposed to do."
"Heh, not like it matters. He's trash."
It was only then that the large hollow noticed how his opponent was looking at him. His eyes were wide open, and behind them was a hint of insanity.
Dashimaru ran forward, holding his axe behind him. Five steps before the hollow, he dissappeared, and reappeared again behind him. The hollow, not expecting this, didn't have enough time to turn around, and got a heavy slash across his back.
"How the hell did he-. There's no way a normal Shinigami could cut through my skin."
Dashimaru didn't reply. He solidified his footing and continued with an upwards slash. The hollow tried to get away, but was again not fast enough. The blade of the axe dug deep inside his leg. The hollow fell to his knees, but grabbed onto the axe before his opponent could pull it out. The flames burned his hand, but he held on and hit the Shinigami on the side of his face with all his strength. Dashimaru flew through the air again, but landed easily. Although his eye was closed and it was likely that the hit caused a concussion, he didn't seem phased in the slightest.
Again he came, and again he managed to injure his opponent before said opponent managed to get a hold of his clothes. With the grip he had, the hollow slammed Dashimaru against the ground, then again, and again. Nonetheless, the axehead buried itself in flesh once more.
Annoyed and angry, the hollow kept a hold of Dashimaru with his left hand and started pounding in on him with his right. After more than ten consecutive hits, the cloth tore and Dashimaru skidded on the ground and didn't stand up afterwards.
Well, here you have it. I managed to make this chapter on the last day of my spring break. Just so you know, it might take a while before the next chapter comes up. Do also know, however, that no matter what, there will be a next chapter.
Dashimaru is down and this is the end of the chapter. I wonder what will happen next. I do know, however, that things will start really being different from canon starting next chapter.
Oh, and for any questions, just review. I will always try my best to answer your question.
Well, that was it for my rant. Now, for the polls, you can vote on whichever polls you care for on any thing you care for, as long as it's written down as a possibility. (Oh, and seeing as somebody found a loophole, you can vote multiple times, but only once per chapter)
Poll nr 3: Pairing Dashimarux??
1. Tatsuki 7
2. Isane
3. Kiyone
4. Rukia
5. One of the minor female Arrancar (Like Menoly and Loly for example, I don't really know which one is called what, so if you choose this one, please add a description so I'll know what you're talking about) 10
6. Another OC
7. Multiple from the above (aka harem) 6
Poll nr 4: Pairing Ichigox?? (Don't ask me why, but somehow I can only picture Ichigo with older woman??)
1. Unohana
2. Yoruichi 6
3. Soi Fon 11
4. Matsumoto
Poll nr 5: Will the OC end up being good, evil, or a cross in between. The way I see it, this is the most important poll.
1. Good 11
2. Evil
3. Cross in between 6
New polls. Seeing as I felt guilty for not even giving the other main characters chances at a pairing. That's why there are now poll nr 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.
Poll nr 6: Pairing Inouex??
1. Ishida (Not really favoring this one, but whatever sails your boat) 2
2. Chad (Actually, I don't see why not)
3. Random OC Shinigami guy
4. Random CC Shinigami guy (Add the particular Shinigami you want for these two)
5. No one 2
6. Renji
Poll nr 7: Pairing Ishidax??
1. Inoue (Again, not really favoring this one) 2
2. Nanao (Seems like a pretty good match)
3. The quiet brown-haired girl who's in their class (Could anybody please supply me with her name?)
4. Nemu 2
5. No one
Poll nr 8: Pairing Chadx??
1. Inoue
2. No one 2
3. Anyone you want, I can't seem to think of any other pairings for Chad. I'm sad for him... : (
Sub 3. Mizuho (Keigo's sister) 2
Poll nr 9: Pairing Rukiax??
1. Dashimaru, seeing as Rukia is in his poll as well
2. Ganju (If it turns out to be this one, I'm gonna' be laughing straight for 71 hours)
3. Uruhara (They're both idiots, that's why)
4. Keigo (73 hours) 2
5. No one 2
6. Shinigami seated officer
Poll nr 10: Pairing Renjix?? (Even though I would be laughing my ass off if he'd get stuck with being alone for the rest of his existence)
1. ALONE!! (CHOOSE THIS ONE) 4
2. Hinamori
3. Kiyone
4. Inoue
5. option number 1... 4
That's it, I'm done!