Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Some other lucky guy was smarter and more imaginative than I could ever hope to be.
Chapter 11
"Dammit, Rukia, WILL YOU STOP LAUGHING?! I CAN'T READ WHEN YOU'RE LAUGHING!"
Rukia was practically in stitches, as was Renji.
"Sorry," Rukia gasped, "but the thought of you attending the Shin'ō Academy is just . . ."
"Ridiculous! Renji finished. "You'd never make it!"
"Well, the author seems intent on figuring that out," Uryū said calmly. "Of course, I agree with you."
"Hey!" Ichigo protested. "Uryū!"
"I think Ichigo will make it!" Orihime said, leaning against Ichigo's shoulder with a strangely intense expression on his face. "If he went through the entire Soul Society to save Rukia, he can probably get through a year at the whatsitcalled academy to get back at Renji!"
"Probably?" Ichigo repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Thanks, Orihime."
"No problem!"
"Orihime," Rukia put in gently, "it's called the Shin'ō Academy, or Shinigami Academy."
"I knew that," Orihime replied defensively. She could feel Ichigo chuckling since she was leaning up against him. Realizing that, she hurriedly straightened, blushing, even though she hadn't really cared earlier while Ichigo was reading. Ichigo gave his friend a confused look, but didn't comment.
There was another awkward silence, and then Orihime got excited again.
"We should say our favorite parts!" She declared, startling Ichigo.
"What?"
"My favorite part," Orihime continued, ignoring Ichigo's interruption, "was when Ichigo nearly ripped the arms off that dummy with that cool spell!"
Somehow, Orihime remained oblivious to the concerned looks she was getting from nearly everyone in the room.
"I suppose I'll go next," Uryū sighed, adjusting his glasses. "Personally, I enjoyed the scene of Ichigo tackling that Shiro boy."
He didn't notice Ichigo's wince at that statement.
In fact, while Ichigo had been reading, his inner hollow had been having a field day in providing commentary. It was a miracle that Ichigo hadn't snapped yet, but Orihime's constant pestering to keep reading had somehow kept Ichigo focused.
"I think Shiro is a pretty interesting character," Rukia added. "The author obviously knows Ichigo like the back of his hand."
"He could still be a girl!" Orihime protested.
"Then you should still say 'she' and not 'he'!" Uryū snapped, his right eyebrow twitching slightly at Orihime's antics.
"Chill, Uryū," Ichigo laughed.
"Personally," Renji mused, "I liked the fight between Ichigo and Kenpachi."
"That was pretty interesting," Rukia agreed. Ichigo, on the other hand, was trying to keep his expression calm. While his inner hollow had gone silent, the mere act of bringing him up was making his headache that had sprung up worse.
"Hey, Ichigo," Renji said, glancing up at the Substitute Shinigami, "do you think that could actually happen to someone? Y'know, the full hollowfication thing? I mean, if you're a Soul Reaper, that should be impossible, right?"
"Y – yeah," Ichigo agreed, only hesitating for a split second. "That would definitely be weird for a Shinigami to suddenly transform into a hollow. Plus, it doesn't make any sense. It's not possible for a Shinigami to become a hollow."
"I have to agree," Uryū stated, pushing up his glasses. "Shinigami and hollows are practically opposites. Combining the two ideas simply doesn't work."
The dark atmosphere in the room that Renji's question had created suddenly lifted with a crash from the closet.
"What the hell is Kon doing now?" Ichigo growled irritably, handing his computer to Orihime and stalking over to the closet. When Ichigo threw open the door, he was met with a flying tackle from a very annoyed Kon.
Of course, Kon, being a stuffed lion, was only capable of holding onto Ichigo's face. Even that didn't last long as Ichigo reached up, plucked Kon off his head, and threw the mod soul across the room. Kon made a pathetic squeaking noise when he hit the opposite wall, and slowly slid down its surface.
"Rukia . . ." He groaned.
"Pervert," Ichigo muttered, returning to his bed. Orihime handed him his laptop, but Ichigo waved it away. "We can take a break. My throat's dry anyway."
He barely reacted in time to catch the water bottle that Rukia threw at him.
"Hey!"
"You said you were thirsty," she responded, shrugging.
"Hey, Rukia," Renji said, glancing at his old friend, "you never said what your favorite part was. Neither did you, Ichigo."
Ichigo mumbled that the fight with him fully hollowfied had been pretty cool while Rukia thought.
"I would have to say that the scene of the entrance exams was very interesting," Rukia put in, pursing her lips while she spoke. "It's not exactly how the exams are actually done-" Renji grunted his agreement – "but it was still a good description, and the main lessons that are taught at the academy are covered well."
"Basic teachings, Kidō, Hohō, Hakuda, and Zanjutsu," Uryū listed from memory. Rukia nodded.
"There are other classes as well," she explained, pulling out a notebook and coloring supplies. She quickly drew as she spoke. "See, you have those four main classes, separated into two groups: advanced and regular. Advanced classes are for students with high Reiatsu and/or natural talent. Regular classes, on the other hand, are for students with lower Reiatsu and less innate skill, but still have the potential to do well. On top of that main curriculum, there are other classes, such as calligraphy – though I believe that class has been cancelled indefinitely – haiku, Zanpakutō meditation, and extra help for any of the main classes."
"That's pretty extensive," Ichigo commented. Renji sighed, rubbing a particular spot on his arm like he was remembering an incident from the Academy.
"Yeah, it is," he said. "I remember that I was in the advanced classes, and they worked us pretty hard. It didn't take long for us to start going to the world of the living to practice against dummy hollows, and then eventually the real thing."
"Did you have a favorite teacher?" Orihime questioned, leaning forward. Her eyes were wide with interest.
"Um," Renji replied, looking away. "Not really. My memory of the academy is kind of hazy." He was clearly lying, but no one was willing to push the issue.
"Anyway," Rukia continued, glancing at her friend, "classes run Monday through Friday, with Saturday being the day the Academy is open for extra help, should students need it. Sunday is completely free, and it's usually when students visit their families or go out partying."
"Drawing lessons clearly weren't part of it," Ichigo muttered, staring at Rukia's illustrations. For that comment, he received a sketchbook to the face. "Ow!"
Rukia glared at Ichigo for a few moments and then looked away, clearly miffed.
After a few moments, Orihime began giggling.
"What's so funny?" Ichigo asked, noting that his friend was looking straight at a very uncomfortable Renji.
"Nothing," Orihime replied with a smile, "I'm just picturing Renji with yellow hair!"
"Then he really would look like a pineapple," Uryū stated, giving Renji an appraising look. Renji went red.
"Not true! And I doubt that I'll have to dye my hair yellow in the story!"
"Should we make bets?" Ichigo challenged, a gleam in his eyes.
"But we don't know if you've already read the last few chapters, Ichigo!" Kon yelled from his position on the floor. He'd tried making a dash for Rukia, but had gotten rejected quite forcefully.
"Kon's got a point," Renji sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "We don't know if you'll cheat, Ichigo."
"You guys are so trusting," Ichigo muttered.
"I still want to make bets!" Orihime insisted, startling Ichigo. "I like this story and I want to win!"
"Orihime," Ichigo said, "you've got some weird quirks. You know that, right?"
"Yup!" Orihime replied, while simultaneously thinking, I don't exactly know what quirks are . . .
"Okay," Rukia said, pulling out another notebook and a pen. "What are the sides?"
"I win the bet or Renji wins the bet," Ichigo declared. Rukia nodded, quickly separating the page into two sections, one marked "Ichigo" and the other marked "Renji".
"And what are the votes?"
"I win," Renji said, crossing his arms. Rukia put a tally on the "Renji" side.
"I win," Ichigo growled. Rukia scratched a mark on the "Ichigo" section.
"Ichigo wins!" Orihime said, grinning widely.
Uryū sighed and took a moment to think.
"Put me down for Renji," he said eventually. At Ichigo's incredulous look, Uryū shrugged. "You're too impulsive, Ichigo. I have no doubt that the writer knows this, and will take advantage of that fact."
"What Uryū said!" Kon yelled, struggling to be heard over the rain and thunder.
"Hmm . . ." Rukia murmured, staring at the page in front of her. "There are three people voting for Renji, and two people voting for Ichigo."
"Who're you voting for, Rukia?" Orihime questioned, staring intently at the Shinigami. Rukia sighed.
"I'm afraid I have to agree with Renji."
"That makes it four to two," Uryū said, smirking. "I believe we can all tell how this will turn out."
"Why don't we just skip ahead?" Kon suggested, but everyone in the room immediately glared at him.
"No way," Ichigo snapped. "Plus, this way all the people have time to change their votes to me before they lose!"
"Yeah, right!" Renji retorted. "You mean that Orihime's going to have time to switch to my side, because you're clearly going to lose!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"You two are ridiculous," Rukia sighed, placing her notebook and pen on the desk near her.
"Says the person who was writing in glow-in-the-dark pen!" Ichigo snapped. The pen in question was suddenly flying at his head and he rapidly ducked, seeing the utensil bury its point in the wall behind him. "Be careful!"
"You're lucky I missed!"
"What were you even aiming for?! Because if it was the wall I'm impressed you hit it!"
This time, Rukia managed to grab Kon – who didn't complain at first – and throw him as hard as she could at Ichigo. However, her aim was a bit off, and the stuffed lion hit Orihime right in the chest.
"This isn't too bad," Kon mumbled, hugging Orihime. Orihime was red, not really sure how to react.
"Get off her!" Ichigo growled, yanking Kon off and throwing him at random. Somehow, Ichigo managed to hit Renji. Instantly, Renji returned fire. Kon's protests were completely ignored as the room descended into chaos, with any soft object in Ichigo's room instantly becoming a potential missile. Ichigo took the opportunity to try and get back at Uryū, but the Quincy seemed more than adept at catching Ichigo's missiles and returning them with even more force.
Orihime seemed to be going after whoever was the most convenient target, and Ichigo seemed to be on the receiving end more than his fair share of the time.
Just as the competition was getting serious, a shrill beeping noise interrupted the group.
"Don't tell me," Ichigo groaned, pulling out his Shinigami badge. "Hollows? Can't Ikkaku handle them?"
"There's five," Rukia stated with concern, "and they're spreading out. Ikkaku won't be able to handle them before someone gets hurt. We should help him."
"We'll clean up your room while you're gone!" Orihime volunteered. "Right, Uryū?"
The boy had no choice but to agree. Ichigo smiled briefly, exited his body, and, after carefully pulling the plywood off the window, dashed out into the night after Rukia and Renji.
He could definitely hear the hollows, even over the wind and rain. They were also powerful; preying on Ichigo's sixth sense in a way that normal hollows couldn't manage.
"Of all the nights," Ichigo muttered. And for the second time today . . .
"Ichigo!" Rukia called. "There's one over by the park!"
"I'll handle it!"
With that, Ichigo quickly used Shunpo to get to where the hollow was as fast as possible.
On the way, Ichigo felt the familiar nagging fear in the back of his mind. He could feel his inner hollow stirring; the act of assuming his Shinigami form always seemed to let the inner hollow know Ichigo was vulnerable. On top of that, whenever Ichigo fought, the hollow grew even more powerful.
At this rate, Ichigo thought, I won't be of much use to anyone.
His mind went back to that strange story.
That author described my inner hollow exactly as I see him in my inner world, which is a little bit creepy. Even so, the inner hollow in the story – Shiro, or whatever – doesn't seem as crazy as the one I've got. Did the author change that to make the story easier? Or is it possible that my inner hollow might get to that point eventually?
Ichigo arrived at the park in less time than he was expecting, and the hollow that had appeared there was hard to miss. It resembled an abnormally large bear, but with considerably longer claws and a considerably uglier face, even with the mask.
Automatically, Ichigo reached behind his back and pulled out Zangetsu.
I can take this hollow; it's not that tough, even if it is stronger than normal hollows. If I can fight Byakuya, then I can take down a normal hollow!
Steeling himself, Ichigo jumped at the hollow, swinging Zangetsu in a fatal arc. Somehow, the hollow heard him coming and stepped to the side at the last second, but it wasn't fast enough. One of its arms crashed to the ground, but Ichigo wasn't letting up and, when he hit the ground, he used it to push off and leap at the monster before him.
Zangetsu bit into the hollow's mask, and, with a scream of pain, the hollow dissipated in a rush of black.
In the distance, thunder rumbled. Ichigo was already soaked with rain, but he didn't really care. His inner hollow hadn't bugged him this time; he didn't know why, and he didn't really care. After glancing around the park, Ichigo decided that whatever spirit or person the hollow had been chasing had run away and hid. There was no chance that Ichigo could find whoever had run away.
With a sigh, the Substitute Shinigami began walking back to his house, slinging Zangetsu over his back as he did so. He didn't pay attention as his feet splashed into deep puddles; when he returned to his normal body, he would be dry. Ichigo wasn't entirely sure how that worked but it did.
Two splashes next to him alerted Ichigo that Rukia and Renji were back. The latter was nursing a shallow cut on his right arm, but other than that the two were unharmed.
"You were right about increased hollow activity," Ichigo commented. "There's a lot more of the bastards out tonight than normal. Usually there's only one, if that. Two is a stretch. Five is just ridiculous."
"That's why Renji, Ikkaku, and I all came," Rukia replied. "Even you would not have been able to handle all of those hollows before someone got hurt, even with the assistance of your bankai." Ichigo sighed.
"You're probably right."
"Anyway, let's head back," Renji suggested. "I want to keep reading that story to make sure that I win the bet."
"You're not going to win!" Ichigo spat.
"You're just too stubborn to admit that I will!"
"That's not why, Pineapple!"
"Really, Strawberry?!"
The arguing pair was on the ground in an instant. Rukia sighed, shaking out her hands, and glared at the boys below her.
"Are you done?" She demanded.
"Yes," Ichigo and Renji groaned at the same time.
"Good. Then we're heading back, and no more arguing, okay?"
"Okay."
It took the Shinigami and Substitute Shinigami a total of twenty minutes to defeat the hollows and head back. Rukia informed the group that Ikkaku was fine with staying out on his own. He'd claimed that, "I don't want to sit inside like a baby and share stories like little pansies".
"Figures," Ichigo had scoffed. "He's always had a hard head."
"Like a cue ball!" Orihime put in, earning a snicker from Renji.
"Hey, Ichigo," Uryū said, "Can I read the next few chapters? I know you want to give your voice a break."
Ichigo smirked. "I know you just want to have the spotlight, but sure, Uryū. We'll see if you're actually a better reader than I am."
With that, the laptop was handed off to Uryū, who cleared his throat and began reading while everyone else settled in.
Ugh this chapter was hard to write. I hope none of the characters seem too OOC; I know Orihime isn't dumb, but she does have her moments.
Anyway, I feel like this story is giving me way too many opportunities to break the fourth wall and criticize myself. It's weird, but fun.
I'm sorry to any of you who wanted to see Ikkaku come into the room and do his thing, but that won't work since Karakura Town is kind of a hot spot for Hollows right now. As a side note, the reaction chapters will be fewer and farther between from this point onward.
-RoR
Coming up: My personal favorite chapter to write so far because Ichigo . . . well, Ichigo's protective instincts come to the fore.
Please review.