Chapter 11:
An Unexpected Request
AN: Hello everyone! Honestly, there's not much to say here really. We're beginning the next arc, and I'm finally starting track season so that's nice.
I hope you all enjoy the chapter!
::
::
After the huge party last night, classes started later than usual since most students stayed awake for most of the night. Regardless, Ichigo woke up early and began to do his morning exercises. His body was well on its way to recovering, so for now he was told to just stick to drills and exercises that didn't push his body too much.
By the time he was done his light training, Ichigo only had thirty minutes to wash himself before the girls came in. Lux arrived around the same time he did, so they decided to make small talk while they washed themselves. The ex Soul Reaper knew that Lux wasn't an early bird like him. So he cut him some slack for not being at the training grounds in the morning.
When he entered his class, he greeted Instructor Raigree and made his way to his seat. Ichigo tried his best to stay awake, but on more than one occasion did he find himself almost nodding off during the lecture. Instructor Raigree caught him drifting away a few times, yet she decided to let him get away with it anyway. Maybe it was because he was currently caught up on all of his assignments, or the fact that he too stayed up pretty late?
Either way, Ichigo didn't get in too much trouble. All he got before break was a 'don't do it again or else' reminder from Instructor Raigree. Usually, the classroom was silent while Instructor Raigree lectured them on various things, most likely due to her serious disposition. The orange haired teen felt that there was never a shortage of scary females in this school.
At break, things become a lot more normal. Some students leave the classroom, while most decide to stay inside and talk about anything and everything. As for Ichigo, he didn't get to decide on how he spent his breaks, because everyone else felt the need to choose for him.
Lisha was the first one to strike up a conversation with the drowsy Ichigo, "Hey big brother, I was hoping you could finally take that test for administration into the Knight Squadron," the blonde girl said as she smiled prettily at him, "With your recent achievements, I think it'll be no problem at all for you to get admitted," while she may have been sounded pure and innocent, the ex Soul Reaper knew that she had her own motive too. What exactly that motive was, he wasn't too sure yet.
Ichigo replied back lazily, "Sorry Lisha, but no," looking at her crestfallen face he quickly added, "Sure I might be a proper student of this academy now but… I still have to recover properly, don't you remember?" She nodded back with downcast eyes, and the ex Soul Reaper berated himself for being so soft when it came to situations like these.
"Alright, I guess I'll try," Ichigo said while looking away, "No harm in doing so I guess," Lisha looked at him fairly surprised before a grin appeared on her face. I guess she really wants me to join, but just what is her objective here? The orange haired teen didn't have any time to ponder on that thought, for now it was Tillfur's turn to converse with him. Yet again, this was something that was not decided upon by him.
The cheery mood maker of the class bounced up to him with her usual smile, "How are you feeling Ichigo? Tired is what I'm guessing, since you almost fell asleep just like Princess Lisha always does!" The boy in question slightly smiled at her upbeat attitude, he may not have found Tillfur very likeable at first, but now he appreciated how happy she always was.
Tillfur was a girl that faintly reminded Ichigo of Orihime, so it pained him sometimes when they talked. In all honesty, he never got over the fact that he was forcefully removed from his own world. Over time, he just learned to suppress those emotions of sadness and continue on with life. That was also the reason he cherished someone like Lisha so greatly, it was because she was a person who could fill the gap in his heart that used to be reserved for Yuzu and Karin.
Then there was Almatea; however, Ichigo didn't want to think of her, it was too painful just remembering.
Realizing that he had been in some sort of trance, Ichigo quickly replied back to Tillfur as upbeat as he could be, "Well you know how I am, always training day in and day out," he suppressed a yawn before continuing, "Besides, that party lasted for a long time, you've got to cut me some slack for being tired today."
Tillfur sighed and gazed at Ichigo with admiration, "Man, you work so hard all the time Ichi! Tell me, how do you do it?" She suddenly appeared right in his face with a comical yet serious face, "I need to know your secret? Oh! let me guess, it's for the ladies right? After all, young men are always trying to impress those they find attractive right?" Ichigo looked at the brown haired girl with a dubious expression.
Trying to put it into the least amount of words as possible, Ichigo explained his reason for training so much, "There is still plenty of issues and bad guys out there that need to be stopped, and with the military's current state right now, the people of this country need to confide in someone," he sighed tiredly, "that someone is me. If everyone knows that I'm beating the crap out of the bad guys, then they won't have to feel fearful of what might happen tomorrow, the Old Empire may be gone, but plenty of evil still lurks out there… You just have to search for it," he added darkly.
Noticing that Tillfur wasn't responding, the orange haired teen looked over to see her shaking on the spot. Oh crap, I guess I went a little too far. Once that thought crossed his mind, a stern women's voice sounded within his consciousness.
"You're always going too far with those explanations of yours, Ichigo. Try to lighten up a bit, don't be so grouchy all the time!"
Ichigo mentally winced when he recalled those words, the words of the women who gave him the Pura Draco. His mood darkened visibly, yet there was only sadness and regret reflected off of his warm brown eyes. Orphel was her name, and the ex Soul Reaper had cherished every moment he had spent with her.
What caused his mood to plummet once he remembered her was the fact that he had no idea how she died or when she died. The only thing Ichigo recalled was that he was still young at the time of her unfortunate death, so he still had too much to learn about the Pura Draco in general. Not being able to remember the way she died left an empty feeling inside of him, and depending on how his day went, the emptiness would decrease or increase.
Out of nowhere, Ichigo saw a hand wave back and forth in front of his face, "Hey Ichigo? You okay…?" a concerned Tillfur asked, the orange haired boy snapped out of his sulky trance. Goddamn, I just had an episode there… I should really get my emotions under control.
Scratching the back of his head, Ichigo responded with a distant look in his eye, "Don't mind me, I just recalled some bad memories," he clenched his fist tightly, "memories I'd much rather not think about," Tillfur looked at him a little puzzled and concerned, but she didn't pry into it any further.
Noticing that the conversation was becoming increasingly awkward, Ichigo jumped to another subject to talk about, "So Tillfur, what're you going to do after school? If you're free, then come train with me, if you want to know my 'secret'," he smiled lightly at her. Tillfur blushed and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment, a dead giveaway that she did not want to train with him.
"Um, I don't think it would great for my physical health if I trained with you…" Tillfur trailed off a little nervously, Ichigo smirked and was going to continue his teasing until another girl interrupted him.
Who just so happened to be Krulcifer Einfolk, Ichigo would be lying if he said that Krulcifer didn't unnerve him. There was something about the daughter of the north that he felt wasn't right, and if his name was Ichigo Kurosaki, then he would definitely get to the bottom of it.
She greeted him politely, "Good morning Ichigo. I couldn't help but overhear that you wanted Tillfur to train with you, so may I make a request to train with you instead?" Krulcifer smiled at him charmingly, the ex Soul Reaper was surprised that she wanted to train with him in the first place. Most noble girls would be scared out of their wits if they had to train with him, Tillfur was a prime example.
Ichigo responded with a surprise, "Um yeah, if you want to then go ahead," he pondered for a moment before continuing, "we can start an hour after school ends, and make sure to bring some water, because we're going to be doing a lot more than your typical Knight Squadron practices!" he smiled competitively at the end, let's see how hard the Knight Squadron trains their members.
Despite the slight threat that Ichigo conveyed to her, Krulcifer smiled calmly as she replied, "That sounds great, I look forward to seeing how someone like you trains, it will be a valuable lesson for me," before the ex Soul Reaper could engage in any more conversation, he felt a slight tap on his shoulder.
When he turned around, he saw a pouting Lisha looking back at him with evident jealousy in her eyes. "Grrr, why are you so lively when talking to these two when you show hardly any enthusiasm when talking to me! Just wait until Mother hears about this, she will definitely punish you!" Ichigo chuckled at her jealousy but gave in anyway.
Suddenly, Ichigo felt a wave of nostalgia rush through him, "Man, I haven't seen Raffi in years, I wonder how she's doing?" Tillfur and Krulcifer were shocked that he said her first name so casually, "What? Raffi and I are pretty close to each other, that and it would be awkward for the both of us if I addressed her as 'Your Majesty'," the two girls continued to stare at Ichigo in shock and amazement as he explained his relationship with Raffi to them.
"Oh my, so you even have the Queen's favor, what a sly man you are, Ichigo," Krulcifer teasingly said. Much to her pleasure, the orange haired teen immediately tried to deny all of it.
"No way! It's not like that at all! Wait, Lisha… What are you doing?!" alarm flashed across Ichigo's face as Lisha smiled with a shadow under her eyes. Slowly she pulled out her Sword Device and pointed it at him.
"Don't tell me… that you are trying to seduce Mother, Ichigo? It's not true right? Because if it is, then I will personally castrate you right here and now!" in a second, Ichigo was running away from a bloodthirsty Lisha. You know what? I don't have to put up with this crap, I'll show Lisha who's boss around here!
Suddenly spinning around and grabbing Lisha's wrist with overwhelming strength, Ichigo brought his fist down on her head, earning a loud cry from the blonde girl, "OWWWWW! Why did you hit me that hard?!" Lisha screamed with tears brimming at the edge of her eyes. The ex Soul Reaper glared at her with unsympathetic eyes.
"Shut up and let me explain," Ichigo said with a scowl, "like I said before, Raffi and I are pretty close to each other, but that does not mean that we are in a relationship with each other, do you get it now Lisha?" he spoke in a highly dangerous voice, the princess of the New Kingdom nodded obediently. She then sat back down in her chair and began to rub her head while grimacing.
Ichigo huffed and sat back down beside her, he glanced at Lisha but looked away before she noticed. Finally, he got up and walked out of the classroom. He later appeared a couple of minutes after with an ice pack, which he handed to Lisha with a slight blush on his face.
"Thank you…" Lisha murmured quietly, she smiled slightly when Ichigo decided to take the liberty of tending to her himself. "Hehe… you're always so awkward in these kind of situations," she giggled lightly.
Ichigo remained silent for a moment, "Just don't go around chasing me with a sword whenever you get the wrong idea about something," he grinned softly, "at least you're strong though, I'm happy that you have no trouble standing up for yourself. I just wonder how Raffi is doing…" his answer wasn't questioned due to break ending a couple of seconds after.
Instructor Raigree walked into the classroom and didn't even bat an eyelash at the ice pack on Lisha's head. Instead she just sighed and resumed class as if nothing weird ever happened during break. Ichigo admired Instructor Raigree for being able to keep girls of such high status in check. If only he had patience like that, then maybe half the nobles in the country would have a better opinion of him as a person.
Even though Ichigo is regarded as a celebrity for his power and is famous all over the country, this is only in the view of the common people. The nobles were a different story altogether. The orange haired teen would be lying if he said that he at least tolerated the nobility; when in fact, he hated them just as much as they thought he was a barbarian.
Ever since the Old Empire's collapse five years ago, Ichigo had been in several skirmishes with the nobles of the New Kingdom. This in turn led to him forming a bad reputation with the majority of them, and while they are all grateful for his contributions to bettering the kingdom, that didn't mean they liked him as a person.
The only noble who he genuinely liked was Dist Ralgris, which was funny considering the fact that he was a part of the 'four Great Nobles'. The four most prestigious nobles whose families date back to the times of the Old Empire, Ichigo was used to having this kind of luck when it came to his friends. Hell, he even befriended Uryu on the field of battle.
Right now Dist was collecting data on something Ichigo had been thinking about for the past couple of days. It wouldn't be too long before he conversed with him again, and he was looking forward to the data he collected.
Tuning back to Instructor Raigree's lecture, Ichigo found himself diligently taking notes while Lisha dozed off beside. This surprisingly continued on for the rest of class, just him taking notes and doing his assignments. Lisha's work ethic really needs some work though, and I'm guessing she's going to head for the atelier once class is over. Ichigo thought exasperatedly.
Once class finished, Ichigo had an hour to himself before his practice with Krulcifer. He decided to stay in the classroom and finish his remaining homework, and no it wasn't because he found it difficult or anything like that. By the time he was done, an hour had already passed and nobody was in class.
Getting up and stretching a bit, Ichigo sighed and got ready with his proper equipment. He lightly jogged to the training grounds, where the ex Soul Reaper saw Krulcifer waiting for him with her Sword Device ready.
Ichigo walked up to her and said, "Sorry for the wait, I had some homework to finish. Anyway, let's start with the practice-" he was cut off by a certain blonde haired girl.
"Not without me you're not!" Lisha suddenly appeared and puffed out her chest pridefully, "I too am joining in on your practice Ichigo! Truth be told, I'm actually stronger than Krulcifer you know?" Ichigo exasperatedly gazed at the blonde girl, to which she gazed back at him with a smile on her face.
Ichigo sighed, "Sorry Lisha, but you can't. You have homework to do," Lisha's face fell instantly, "but if you can catch up on your missing assignments, then we can practice together with no else, deal?" the princess of the New Kingdom huffed, muttered something that Ichigo couldn't hear, and took off.
"That just happened."
Krulcifer spoke up beside him, Ichigo couldn't help but nod in agreement.
Sighing again, the orange haired teen turned to look at his classmate, "Let's just get on with the practice, also, put your Sword Device away," Krulcifer's eyes widened slightly, "we're going to be doing practical training instead of Drag Ride training for now. You can't pilot a Drag Ride if you don't have the required physical strength first," Ichigo told the blue haired girl.
He started to stretch, "So let's start with some workouts first, then we'll train with our Drag Rides after," Krulcifer followed his example and began to stretch herself. Once ten minutes had roughly passed, Ichigo stopped stretching and went into a pushup position.
"Alright!" he started to do his pushups, with Krulcifer staring at him in bewilderment. Ichigo stopped after his one-hundredth pushup, and didn't look tired in the slightest. "That's how you do it, don't worry, I won't make you do what I'm doing. Actually, I was thinking that maybe you could do fifteen to twenty push ups, ten squats, ten sit ups, and repeat."
Krulcifer sighed with relief, "That doesn't sound too hard-"
"Oh, and I forgot to mention, you're going to be doing that for the next hour."
Krulcifer's eyes lost their excitement at that moment.
And so, the two began to work out for the next hour. By the time an hour had passed, both Ichigo and Krulcifer were covered in sweat. "Okay… now we can move on to Drag Ride training!" the blue haired girl shook her head in rejection.
Krulcifer faced him exasperated eyes, "You… mean to tell me that we're not even done yet? Jeez Ichigo, you are definitely harsher than Celistia when it comes to training..." she huffed with a tired smile.
Celistia… where have I heard of that name before?
"Who's Celistia…?" Ichigo queried, Krulcifer responded after regaining her breath.
"Celistia Ralgris is the strongest student at this academy," Ichigo widened his eyes briefly, "she is a third year and is also the leader of the Knight Squadron. I'm fairly surprised you have never heard of her before, as I am certain she could rival you in strength," Krulcifer said with a serious expression.
Ichigo smirked, "Rival me you say?" I know her name from somewhere, but from where? Besides, Krulcifer just mentioned that she's super strong, so maybe fighting her would jog my memory or something? Wait… her last name is Ralgris, so that means she must be Dist's daughter!
Krulcifer however, still wasn't done with her mini explanation, "Though for you, a male, there is a problem concerning Celistia," Ichigo looked at her, "she has a rather… strong disposition towards men, and a part of her famousness stems from being a man-hater."
Ichigo eyes widened, I've definitely heard something like that before! Goddamnit, I just can't seem to remember, oh well… I guess I'll find out when I fight her.
Sighing, Ichigo turned towards Krulcifer, "If you don't want to continue, then that's fine. Though if you do want to come and join me from time to time, I wouldn't mind."
"I will definitely think of that Ichigo," Krulcifer smiled slightly and started to walk back to the dorm. The orange haired teen sighed and pulled out his Sword Device. Thankfully, nothing abnormal happened when he summoned his Drag Ride. He still couldn't figure out what his vision had meant, but he knew that it was somehow connected to his master.
Sighing heavily and pushing those thoughts out of him mind, Ichigo took off to the air and began to train.
::
::
After the sun had begun to set, Ichigo found himself in Principal Relie's office. "Soooo, want to sleep in my room again?" the ex Soul Reaper face- palmed before refusing her offer like it was routine.
Ichigo growled, "Look Principal, I just need a proper room to sleep in. Camping out in the infirmary is starting to make me uncomfortable," Principal Relie put on her thinking face for a good minute. I don't understand how she's still the principal, he thought with confusion.
She sighed with a troubled face, "You see Ichigo, my room is your only option if you don't want to sleep in the infirmary or the visitor's room. So, either sleep in my room comfortably, or, sleep in the visitor's room uncomfortably. What will it be?" Relie asked with a smile that would make any man's heart flutter.
...Take the offer King. Don't pass up a chance with this hottie. Ichigo felt something cloud his mind for a brief moment. It was like he was hardly conscious when the words came out of his mouth.
"Alright fine, but I'm not going to be doing this again," the look on Relie's face as he uttered those words was of pure shock. "I'll repeat myself once more, I'm only-" he was cut off by the ecstatic pink haired principal.
"Oh you and I are going to have so much fun Ichigo! Come now, it is quite late so let us go to my bedroom!" Principal Relie squealed. The orange haired teen was more or less dragged to Relie's room. Once he got there, Relie left him and went to the bathhouse. Ichigo found some pajamas on the bed that were practically waiting for him there, that goddamn principal…!
After he changed, Ichigo felt his eyelids start to droop at an astonishing rate. He yawned uncontrollably and flopped onto the bed, and soon after he drifted off into sleep.
The orange haired teen knew that Principal Relie would have a hard time moving his body, but he was too sleepy to care.
::
::
In Ichigo's dream
The ex Soul Reaper stood on a familiar skyscraper. Despite the fact that he was standing to its side, Ichigo did not fall at all. The skyscrapers were tall and oddly blue, and the sky itself was a bright blue with clouds here and there.
He was wearing black robes and wooden sandals. However, there was no sword on Ichigo's back, something that he secretly felt immense frustration for. Sighing lightly, he turned around and faced the man who used to be his power.
The man was wearing a cloak and had ragged black hair, and he wore glasses as well. "Welcome back Ichigo, it's certainly been a long time," he said in his calm voice which he usually used, "Ichigo… are you… looking for this?" he started to walk towards the orange haired teen. While doing so, he waved his arm in an arc and mysteriously summoned a large sword. The sword itself was like a large khyber knife, but it was a little different in shape. Even so, Ichigo felt a wave of nostalgia from seeing his old blade.
"Zangetsu…" he breathed, "how are you here? What's going on? How is my Hollow returning?" Ichigo fired question after question. Coming to a stop just a few feet in front of him, Zangetsu closed his eyes and remained silent.
Until he suddenly spoke up, "I have no obligation to tell you that, Ichigo. Why should I tell you something that concerns your Soul Reapers powers, when you are not even using those same powers?" Zangetsu now had an almost angry look on his face, while Ichigo widened his eyes in shock.
"Instead of trying to bring out your powers that are slowly returning, you resort to using pathetic toys to fight your battles," Zangetsu reprimanded, "I am disappointed in you, this was not what I taught you to be like. You have become a shell of your former self Ichigo, both mentally and physically."
In contrast to Zangetsu's angry look, Ichigo's face was a mixture of hurt and confusion. He called out to Zangetsu once more, "I… I know that but…! Look Zangetsu, I just don't know what to do right now! I have people that I want to protect, and I can't afford to put them in danger because of my inner Hollow! Zangetsu please-"
His Zanpakuto spirit cut him off rather harshly, "I do not care about what happens to the things you want to protect. You remember when I said that, don't you Ichigo? This same principle applies here as well, only this time, I am not doing what I am doing out of a need to protect you. I am doing this to bring back your real strength, the strength that even I cannot bring out."
Ichigo continued to stare at Zangetsu, "If you defeated your Hollow before, then you can do it again. No excuses, Ichigo. That is a rule that goes for the girls of this academy as well as you," the orange haired teen blinked in confusion for a moment, "ah I forgot… no one ever told you this, but you too are a noble in your own right Ichigo."
"Your father comes from a noble house in the Soul Society, the Shiba Clan to be exact," Ichigo gasped in surprise, "while I do not know why he chose to never tell you, I can only assume that he never found the proper moment to. So yes, you are a noble of the same caliber as these people, so start acting like one and give up the entire 'rebellious freedom fighter' personality."
Before a demoralized Ichigo could utter a single word, his inner world began to collapse. However, in the moment where everything was fading to pitch black, the ex Soul Reaper swore he saw Zangetsu's body flicker into that of a different man. Sadly, he had no time to ponder on it, since everything quickly faded to pure black after…
::
::
Morning
Ichigo woke up with a start. When he looked at the unfamiliar bedroom he was in, last night's events came back to him in a rush. Along with that, the memories of last night's dream slammed back into him. Ruffling his hair, the orange haired teen sighed dejectedly as he tried to process the information Zangetsu had told about earlier.
What the actual hell? Me? A noble? Goddamn, I mean… this is Zangetsu, so I know he wasn't lying when he said that. Dad never told me about his past as a Soul Reaper, but he was exceptionally strong. Not to mention, he was a captain judging by how powerful he was too. So what made him leave…?
Oh who cares about that right now! I'm sure Dad had his own reasons, but I've got another issue to deal with currently. Zangetsu never led me astray in his teachings before, so maybe I should consider changing my ways… all right, today will be a new day for Ichigo Kurosaki!
Ichigo was pulled out of his thoughts when he noticed a certain principal stirring beside him. "Hey what time is it Ichigo…? Oh man, I was so excited last night… but then you decided to just drop dead after I went to change…!"
Instead of doing his usual gig, the ex Soul Reaper sighed calmly and got out of the bed, "I'm going to be changing now. I need to get to class soon, but when school is done, I want my own dorm room Principal Relie. Anyway, see ya," with that, Ichigo went into a seperate room to change. Afterwards, he dashed to the classroom where he almost tripped a good dozen times.
Opening the door, Ichigo greeted Instructor Raigree politely, "Good morning Instructor Raigree. It's pretty nice today, isn't it?" the teacher in question looked at him in surprise. Some of the students were glancing at him weirdly, as if this was the strangest thing they had ever witnessed before.
The ex Soul Reaper sat down in his chair and pulled out his notebook. Never did he think that he would be using the proper manners of a noble that were taught to him by Raffi and Count Atismata. Seeing Ichigo going about his business in such an orderly fashion confused the other students to an amazing degree.
When asked to write an answer on the board, the orange haired teen did so with the air of a noble man. Truthfully, Ichigo was praying that he was presenting himself correctly, since the stares from his classmates weren't telling him anything. At break, girls swarmed him over his sudden attitude change.
That is, until a box full of paper slips was dropped on his desk. Ichigo looked up to see Lux smiling at him, "These are all the requests that have piled up because of your poor physical health… you can't just make me do all of them you know?" he asked with a shadow under his eyes. The ex Soul Reaper smiled nervously with sweat coming down his face.
Lisha suddenly popped up in his face, "Hey what's wrong with you today Ichigo? You're acting… a lot more professional and it's… weird," she said with confusion.
The ex Soul Reaper scratched his head lightly, "I guess you could say that I remembered a certain somebody's advice," his eyes became distant for a moment, "and now I'm finally acting on it."
The odd explanation didn't seem to satisfy Lisha, but she didn't pry any further. Class dragged on for a long time, and when they were dismissed both Ichigo and Lux were called to the principal's office. Upon arriving there, the principal held out a large box full of requests from students of all ages.
Ichigo audibly gulped while Lux sent an accusing glance at him, "Lately, I have been getting complaints from a lot of young ladies that their requests haven't been tended too yet, and some of them have waited a very long time as well," Principal Relie said with an oddly calm voice, which didn't match her mischievous smile at all.
The two teenagers decided to remain silent as she continued to speak, "So in order to make sure that everyone has a fair chance at getting their requests done, I have made a competition specifically concerning you two as the prizes! The lucky girl who gets either of these forms can request anything from you two for one week!" she placed a red form in both of their hands as they were getting over their shock.
Principal Relie smiled deviously, "You two have one hour-" Ichigo bolted out the door at an incredible speed. Lux panicked for a moment before running out of the room as fast as he could too. Unfortunately for the silver haired prince, Ichigo was already long gone and he found himself facing a legion of girls instead.
Poor Lux had no choice but to run in the opposite direction of the girls; however, he couldn't help but yell out, "How could you leave me Ichigo?!"
::
::
With Ichigo
The ex Soul Reaper bolted down the hallways of the prestigious academy. There was no way he was going to let any of the girls get his form. He felt guilty about ditching his friend, but his own panic got the best of him. As he dashed down the halls, he was eventually surrounded by a group of first years.
The leader squealed when the girls surrounded him, "Okay… keep calm, keep calm. *Ahem*… you're already surrounded, so do you mind putting this collar on for me?" Ichigo looked at her with a deadpan. The leader didn't even seem to have too much confidence herself, at least that's what he thought.
One of her lackeys pointed at her accusingly, "What did you say about Lord Ichigo putting on the collar for you?" Lord Ichigo? The ex Soul Reaper thought in perplexity, "I thought we all agreed that we would share him equally!"
Another girl joined in, "Oh man, just imagine what we could do with him! Oh wait… I didn't mean it like that!" the girl hastily added on after seeing the look of disbelief on Ichigo's face.
"But you totally did! Also, why the hell are you drooling?!" he pointed to a girl who was starting to drool in the back. Ichigo shook in his head in bewilderment and found an opening in their formation. And it was all thanks to a misunderstanding that caused the girls to start fighting themselves.
Dashing past them all, Ichigo thought about where he could go next. "Maybe I could go to Lisha?" he thought aloud, but quickly discarded the idea knowing that she would try to take his form as well.
Ichigo considered Airi for a moment, but realized that she might try to take his form too. She probably won't take Lux's though, damn it all! He shook his head in frustration and decided to hide in one of the rooms. If he was cornered, then he would fight his way out like a real man.
Without checking the sign, the orange haired teen bolted into the room and hid behind a couple of boxes close near the back wall. There was a large bookshelf right in front of him, and he could move the boxes if someone did come in. However, Ichigo wondered why there were thin wooden walls dividing a section of space from another.
Sighing, Ichigo slumped back and waited. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, since he was too scared to look over his shoulder, but it was odd how no one came to check this room. Several times did he hear the footsteps of girls coming down the hall, but not once did they come and check the room he was situated in.
After a long and unsettling silence, the door creaked open. Ichigo held his breath, but to his utter confusion, the girls who were entering didn't seem like they were chasing him.
He recognised one of the voices too, specifically Sharis' voice, "I thought about participating in the contest that's currently underway, yet there's no way I could catch Ichigo or Lux," a girl, whom Ichigo guessed to be a third year student, replied to her.
"Are you really okay with letting someone like Ichigo Kurosaki in the academy? Even though he is a man, and from what I've heard, a barbaric one at that, you all still accept him?" the ex Soul Reaper unknowingly stiffened upon hearing that distrustful comment.
Tillfur responded to her with her usual moodmaker tone, "I know he seems like a bad guy on the outside, but Ichigo is actually really nice once you get to know him properly."
Sharis voiced her opinion about him after Tillfur, "He's not that bad of a man, Saniya. Ichigo has saved the academy before and he put his life on the line to do so. I know that he seems hard to approach at first, but think about how much pressure is on him all the time. Everyone always expects great things from him, so can you really blame him for not being so open?"
Saniya didn't respond back, Ichigo only heard a 'hmph' which marked the end of the conversation. Quickly peeking around the corner, he realized that she was the same girl who was glaring daggers at him during the party last night.
Not only did he discover that, but Ichigo also found out that the girls were… changing. Which obviously meant that the room he was in was for changing. This can also explain why no one bothered to look in the room either.
Because there was no way the chivalrous Ichigo Kurosaki would ever hide in a girls change room, right?
Girls that he could only assume were from the Knight Squadron changed out of their clothes and into their Dress Gears. Lacy panties, bras of equal caliber, and the fair white skin the girls possessed was almost too much for Ichigo to handle. The colours varied, most being white, but there were some girls who were wearing black undergarments instead.
The orange haired teen recognised some of the girls as well. He saw Tillfur, Sharis, Krulcifer, and Nokuto (or Noct, as she wanted him to call her). They too were in their bra and panties, yet Ichigo couldn't help but feel extremely guilty accidently peeking on them like this. It also didn't help that he was enjoying the sight too, since it was only natural for a boy his age to be excited from seeing almost naked girls.
What the hell have I gotten myself into…
If luck was on his side, which it probably wasn't, then the girls would leave and never discover Ichigo. Worst case scenario, he would be caught and expelled from the academy. The chances of him getting expelled were probably way higher than him never being discovered.
Just as Ichigo was lamenting, Tillfur called out to Krulcifer out of nowhere, "Hey Krulcifer, do you mind getting that Drag Ride handbook in the back? It should be in the second column," the ex Soul Reaper went pale once he realized that the second column was right next to him.
Ichigo held his breath in and hoped for the best. He saw Krulcifer walk over in her lacy, white, and beautiful undergarments- Stop that Ichigo! Get a hold of yourself goddamnit… but they really do match her fair white skin, and her slim body isn't too bad either- wait STOP! Shit, she's looking right at me!
Indeed, Krulcifer was looking straight at Ichigo with surprise written all over her face. The look on the ex Soul Reapers face must have been that of pure panic, because she shook her head in pity and sighed. "Actually, you all can go on without me, I just remembered that Fafnir still needs some adjustments before its ready for training again. Enjoy your practice, everyone."
The cadets of the Knight Squadron bid their farewells in return, which left Ichigo and Krulcifer by themselves. Neither said a word until Krulcifer called to him reassuringly, "You can come out now, handsome pervert. My, to think you would go so far as to hide in the girls change room just to get away from everyone… I underestimated your strategic prowess."
"Wait it's not like that I swear! I-I was just looking for a place to hide and hid in this room, it was pretty suspicious how no one came in to look here but still! I-I'm s-sorry… Krulcifer," Ichigo pleaded to the blue haired girl. Much to his dismay, the daughter from the north laughed and smirked at him playfully. It was clear to the orange haired teen that she knew she had complete control over him now.
Krulcifer walked over to him and looked at him with eyes full of laughter, "Anyhow, the competition has ended, see that clock over there? One hour has passed," Ichigo sighed in relief, "also, do you still have your form Ichigo? It would be pretty disappointing if you lost it on your way here, mind if we check if you have it?" she asked prettily. The ex Soul Reaper complied and checked to see if he had his red form.
Releasing a huge sigh of relief (it seemed he was doing quite a bit of that today), he gave it to Krulcifer to look at. Then a stampede of footsteps sounded from outside. Ichigo looked around confused, and suddenly the door burst open with Lisha standing at the doorway. She was backed up by a horde of eager looking girls, which confused him even more.
Lisha shouted joyously, "Finally! I found you Ichigo, now hand over that form right this instant!" the ex Soul Reaper was even more confused now, but he realized he had fallen for a trap all too late. The bell rang, yet all the orange haired teen could do was curse his own stupidity. Krulcifer held up his red form triumphantly for all the girls to see.
Lisha gasped in surprise and anger, "D-damn you Krulcifer! That snake… taking away my Ichigo! Rrrr, how dare she…!" she growled the last two sentences quietly so no one could hear her.
The students crowded around Lisha gossiped as to what Krulcifer's request for one week would be. All of a sudden, the blue haired girl put her hand on Ichigo's shoulder and calmly stated her request. "Starting now, you are to be my lover for the following week…"
.
..
…
The room went dead silent.
No one moved, no one made a sound, they all just stood in shock. Perhaps it was from the request, or maybe it was from the kinds of things said request allowed. Regardless, for a solid thirty seconds, no one dared to say anything. Until one Ichigo Kurosaki broke said silence.
How? By screaming of course.
"W-WHAAAAAAAAT?!"
This was the disastrous start of Ichigo's new life for the next week. Inwardly, Ichigo crushed the thought of ever acting like a good nobleman. There's no way in hell I'm going to act 'noble' around here, not with these freaking girls! Screw it all!
::
::
Evening
There was a good amount of commotion following Krulcifer's request. Ichigo still couldn't believe the kind of situation he had roped himself in. Not only did he have to be Krulcifer's lover, he also had to present himself accordingly. Which would've been slightly easier if he hadn't resolved himself to not act 'noble' around these noble girls.
Sighing, Ichigo made his way to the rooftop just like Krulcifer had asked of him. "So, what the hell did you call me here for? I'm not exactly your freaking waiter you know," he said sourly, his usual scowl present.
Krulcifer replied without looking at him, "In a foul mood are we? Well, pushing that aside," Ichigo's eye twitched, "I called you here to tell you something fairly important. Earlier my request to you was to be my lover, but I only meant that in an acting sense. You see, my family sent me here with an order."
"While you are attending this academy, you will find a high ranking noble and get engaged, that was the order they gave me," Krulcifer spoke rather bitterly. It was at this point that Ichigo guessed that the blue haired girl might have family issues.
Even so, Ichigo voiced his own opinion, "I think that's wrong. So you're just going to marry some rich asshole and be done with it? A marriage should be done with love, not political nonsense."
Krulcifer lightly laughed at his comment, "Ah, but most noble marriages are like that. Though this is where you come in, Ichigo. I myself am not a huge fan of the order put on me by my family, so I intend to evade the problem for as long as possible. In a few days, a butler from my family will be coming for a progress report, your role is to help me trick her into believing that I have already found a suitable boyfriend. Of course, you'll have to trick everyone else as well, just to make make sure no one finds out."
Ichigo sighed, "Okay okay, I'll help you trick your family. But I better be getting something out of this, you got that?" he asked with a mean scowl, Krulcifer giggled but didn't respond. The orange haired teen grew even more frustrated but decided to not saying anything.
This is going to be a wacky train ride, as if my school life back in Karakura wasn't crazy enough, Ichigo thought exasperatedly. Standing there for a couple of minutes, the ex Soul Reaper stared out to the horizon. It would not be long before night arrived…
::
::
Walking.
Walking.
Walking.
Walking.
Walking.
Walking.
I could not touch. I could not smell. I could not hear. I could not speak. I could not taste. The only thing I could do…
Was see.
My eyes reflect nothing. The things my eyes cannot see do not exist.
Perhaps, I am 'void'.
I do not have anything to love, and I do not have anything to lose either. I simply…
See.
The beings down here, they are not like me. Just as the ones in the pit I was born from were not like me, these creatures are worlds different from me.
They scurry away whenever they see me, their black bodies reminding me of how much different I am from them. I am pure white, a light in a never ending darkness. A lonely light.
When I see the sky, I see nothing but a dim light. Maybe… there is something beyond the sky? But if I cannot see it, then there is no way it exists.
Maybe, I should try.
Maybe…
I have no companion. I just walk, and see.
I keep walking, eventually I spot something… an exit. As I bring my hand closer and closer to the exit, I cannot help but think about a certain orange haired woman and man.
Envious because I do not have a heart.
Gluttonous because I do not have a heart.
Greedy because I do not have a heart.
Prideful because I do not have a heart.
Slothful because I do not have a heart.
Wrathful because I do not have a heart.
Because I do not have a heart,
I lust for all that you are.
END