Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.
Shiro: Hi
Ichigo's thoughts: Hi
Zangetsu: /Hi/
Chapter 13 – Stepping on Thin Ice
BONG BONG BONG BONG.
Ichigo groaned and slowly opened his eyes. After glancing through a crack in the blinds barely covering his window, Ichigo rolled over and buried his head in his pillow. The sun was low on the horizon, which meant it was only six or seven in the morning.
The alarm had been recently installed to ensure students would get up and out of bed. It was a good method to force the students to be awake and alert enough to pay attention in class, since it was so loud and annoying. Apparently there had been one too many students falling asleep or missing from class because they had slept in too late.
Why, oh why, did the Academy have to set the alarm so early? Classes don't start until 8:30!!
/Get up, Ichigo. Getting to your classes early won't kill you./
Oh, quiet, Zangetsu… I wanna sleep…
/I will not let you fall back asleep, nor will I leave you alone until you're up and out of bed. Up, Ichigo!/
Fine, fine, I'm up, I'm up. Where's Shiro?
/Sleeping./
Why does Shiro get to sleep, but I don't?! OI, SHIRO, GET UP!!
Shut the hell up, strawberry!! I'm tryin' to sleep over here!!
Make me, Shiro-chan!!
DON'T CALL ME THAT!!!!
If either Shiro or Ichigo had been paying any attention to Zangetsu, they would have noticed him groan and rub his temples.
Ichigo collapsed into a chair at the back of the cafeteria. It was breakfast time, and the ceaseless chatter was giving Ichigo a headache. Ichigo began to eat the food on his tray slowly and methodically, not caring that it tasted worse than usual.
Ichigo winced as his burns stung when he gripped his chopsticks too hard. He hoped no one would notice the bandages covering his burned hands. And arms. And legs. And chest. Thankfully, the Academy uniform hid most of the bandages from view.
The bandages had been made from Ichigo's ruined Academy uniform from the previous day (at least the parts that weren't scorched and didn't smell too bad). The nurses at the infirmary would be mighty suspicious if Ichigo walked in with several serious cuts and burns or if a large supply of their bandages suddenly went missing.
Someone dropped into the chair beside Ichigo. Whoever it was had piled their plate high with rice, pastries, and… was that an American style waffle Ichigo saw?
"Good morning, Ichigo-kun!" Kaede said cheerfully, cutting into her waffle. Ichigo simply grunted in reply. Why was Kaede being so friendly, anyway?
"Not a morning person, huh?" Ichigo answered with a yawn.
After a few moments of silence, Kaede said, "Hey, did you hear the news? Hokkaido-sensei was found unconscious on the Academy grounds yesterday afternoon!"
Ichigo choked on his rice and began hacking loudly. Kaede looked at him with concern. "You ok?" After hearing no response, Kaede pounded him on the back to help dislodge the rice obstructing Ichigo's windpipes. After Ichigo recovered, he croaked, "How badly was he hurt?"
"I believe the nurses in the infirmary said that he had a concussion and a few shallow scratches, like he was being chased through a dense forest."
"But chased by who or what, I wonder?" Ichigo mused, while inwardly sending a death glare at Shiro.
"I dunno. Whatever attacked Hokkaido-sensei must have been extremely strong, to have knocked him out! But, since whatever attacked Hokkaido sensei had defeated him, why did it leave Hokkaido on the grounds instead of killing him?"
"Who knows?" Ichigo said, forcing an unconcerned smile on his face. "Wait – why are you being so nice to me again? I thought you were insanely jealous of my skill."
Subtle subject change, King. Real smooth. Sarcasm dripped from Shiro's every word.
Shut up! Hey, aren't you supposed to be in hiding right now?
You're not supposed to remember that!!
/Shiro, you need to hide to preserve our secrets. If a talented reiatsu sensor detects you, your existence, my shikai and bankai, Ichigo's true birth date, and a myriad of other things best kept hidden will no longer be labeled 'secret'./
Alright, alright, fine, fine. Geez…
Don't forget to suppress my reiatsu, either!
Didn't Zangetsu take over last week?
/Yes, but it's your turn to suppress Ichigo's reiatsu now./
Ichigo mentally shook his head. Was it just him, or was Shiro becoming more logical and not instinct-driven, like an Arrancar? Usually he whined and complained very loudly or used the white Zangetsu to convey his thoughts before turning to a diplomatic, logical approach. Actually, there were only a couple of other times that Ichigo could think of when his inner hollow had used diplomacy at all…
Ichigo tuned out his inner spirits' bickering and suppressed his confused thoughts before concentrating on Kaede again. He barely managed to catch the end of the speech.
"…that's why I think we've really gotten off on the wrong foot." Kaede gave Ichigo a warm smile and stuck out her hand. Ichigo shook it hesitantly.
"Alrighty, then!" Kaede grinned. "What's your first class on your revised schedule?"
Ichigo glanced at aforementioned schedule. "Hoho. I wonder who the substitute will be…"
Kaede shrugged. "Kido's my first class." After grabbing Ichigo's schedule and looking it over, she continued, "Well, since I have zanjutsu and you have kido as our second classes, I guess I'll see you at lunch." Kaede grabbed her things and ran off to get ready for kido. Ichigo stared confusedly after her. How did she finish all the food on her plate so quickly, anyway?
Hoho was extremely boring, since the substitute focused solely on theory. Ichigo already knew all of the information, so he found himself drifting off about a quarter of the way through the lesson. By the end of the period, Ichigo discovered he was not the only one who had decided to use the class time to nap. Kiyosugi was just as boring, as she focused on the theory of reiatsu control and manipulation. While the information presented was interesting and very helpful, in theory, to aid Ichigo's (and other's) abominable reiatsu control, the key words were 'in theory'. The students never tried the techniques during class, so Ichigo had no idea if he would be able to use the techniques or not. But Ichigo was just glad that they didn't have a practical class that day, as he had no idea how Kiyosugi would react to the new form of reiatsu control.
Lunchtime, Ichigo thought, collapsing into a chair. I'm halfway through the day.
"Hello, Ichigo-kun!" Kaede called cheerfully, settling herself next to Ichigo. Once again she had piled her plate high with food.
Hey, King, Shiro began, mischief obvious in his voice.
Hide! Ichigo cut Shiro off as Kiyosugi approached the table. Shiro reluctantly obeyed. Kiyosugi gave Ichigo a long, calculating look, but she passed by without major incident. That was too close… Relieved, Ichigo stabbed at his beef with his chopsticks with more force than he intended to. The motion sent jabs of pain through Ichigo's hands, causing him to hiss in surprise and drop his chopsticks onto his plate. Kaede peered at him with concern, and her eyes widened when she noticed the bandages covering Ichigo's hands.
"That's right! I forgot to ask at breakfast, but why did you run from me last night? Why were you covered in wounds? And why did your reiatsu feel weird?"
Ichigo glared at her. "It's none of your business."
Kaede returned Ichigo's glare with equal force. "Of course it's my business. Why wouldn't it be?" A thought struck Kaede. "Are your wounds connected in any way, shape or form to Hokkaido's wounds?"
"Not at all," Ichigo replied firmly. But his eyes told a different story.
Kaede's eyebrows shot into her hairline as she pieced together the story. But she guessed wrong. "Whatever attacked Hokkaido-sensei didn't kill him because you stopped it. You fought it and got all those injuries! And your reiatsu seemed off because you had picked up traces of the thing's reiatsu! Am I right? What attacked Hokkaido-sensei, anyway?"
Ichigo winced. Kaede's words struck too close to the truth for comfort. Shiro didn't kill Hokkaido because Ichigo would have killed him in return; Ichigo had fought Shiro and gotten all his present injuries from the hollow (minus the burns on his hands), though Ichigo was just sparring with the hollow and not directly protecting Hokkaido; and since Ichigo was part hollow and his reiatsu had not been suppressed by Shiro or Zangetsu in the alley, his reiatsu had felt different to Kaede. (1)
Thinking fast, Ichigo replied, "Just don't tell anyone, ok? And I couldn't see what the thing was, because it was hidden by the trees…"
Kaede gave Ichigo a mock salute, then grinned, "Your secret will follow me to my grave, o noble Warrior of Strawberries!!"
A tick mark appeared on Ichigo's forehead. "My name doesn't mean 'strawberry', damn it! It means 'one who protects'!!"
"Alright, Protector-san, since you're so…" Ichigo didn't hear the rest of Kaede's statement. He had taken his leave of her and had fled the cafeteria. He needed to regain his composure; Kaede's guesses had unnerved him more than his cool façade let on. Ichigo slumped against a maple tree in the courtyard, taking several deep breaths to help slow his pounding heart.
The best thing to do is to just let her believe wrong. Hopefully she won't spread the rumor and just forget about it in a few days.
/You do realize you're underestimating the memory of women, don't you?/
And how would you know?
/I had to live with Sode no Shirayuki during your first months as a Shinigami. Never EVER bring that beast back…/
Was she really that bad?
/She was. Trust me, she was./
If she's anything like Rukia, I understand your pain…
Cutting his mental connection with Zangetsu, Ichigo stood and worked out the kinks in his now-stiff muscles. Once he had gotten his rampaging emotions under control, he slid quietly into the shadows and began to creep along the edge of the courtyard. There was something he needed to check up on to help clear his guilty conscience.
Hokkaido felt like he was floating on a warm, fluffy cloud. He felt no pain, nor had any worries; he just floated peacefully in the soothing blackness… It was so warm…
Hokkaido lazily opened his eyes. He was in a white space and was lying on something very, very soft. All of a sudden, dark, chattering blobs surrounded him. He wished they would stop making such incessant noise; it was hurting his ears… One of the blobs forced something very bitter into his mouth. Hokkaido tried to spit it out, but the blob wasn't about to let him have his way. The liquid was forced down Hokkaido's throat anyway. Hokkaido coughed weakly, but immediately stopped as waves of dizziness and nausea crashed into him. He wished he could go back to the warm, dark, comfortable place…
"Hokkaido-sama? Can you speak?" It took a moment for Hokkaido to realize that the blob was addressing him, and another few moments to understand what it had said.
Hokkaido forced himself to answer. "Where… am I?" His voice sounded horribly rough.
"You're in the infirmary at the Shinigami Academy." Oh, so the blobs must be the nurses.
"Do you remember anything about your attack?" another voice cut in.
Attack? Hokkaido frowned. He remembered something white with gold eyes… or was it gold with white eyes? And there was a forest, and a butcher's knife…
Hokkaido found himself unable to concentrate anymore. He resolved to think about it later, when he subconsciously knew he would be able to think clearer. But now… darkness beckoned. (2)
The head nurse glanced down at her patient. He seemed to have dropped unconscious again.
"At least he was able to speak," a trainee for the fourth squad said.
The head nurse nodded in agreement, then chased all of the chattering people away from Hokkaido. The poor man needed undisturbed rest.
"How long do you think Hokkaido-san will be here?" the trainee asked.
"A week, perhaps. Maybe less, if we are diligent at making sure the reiatsu treatments are administered according to schedule. And the more reiatsu you are able to push into his body to enhance the healing process, the faster he will be out of our hair."
The trainee nodded and, taking the not-so-subtle hint, settled herself next to Hokkaido and began focusing her reiatsu into her fingers, forcing it from her fingertips into Hokkaido's body. A soft sky blue glow surrounded her hands as the healing kido began to take effect.
Unseen by both the head nurse and the trainee, a dark figure detached itself from the shadows and fled the infirmary before crossing the grounds and settling itself under an isolated maple tree in the courtyard.
Ichigo leaned against the maple tree, sighing with relief. At least Hokkaido's injuries weren't permanently damaging…
The longer he stays in the infirmary, the better. Hokkaido's too nosy for his own good. And before you say anything, I'm not in hiding 'cause there's no one around.
Paranoid much?
"Hey, Ichigo!" Said Vizard-in-hiding jumped what must've been ten feet into the air before mentally shoving his hollow into hiding. To his surprise, Shiro didn't put up any resistance at all.
Ichigo turned around and blinked in surprise. "Rukia."
Rukia punched him on the shoulder. "Is that any way to greet a friend?" Nevertheless, she sat down next to Ichigo, setting her lunch tray on the ground.
"It took you that long to get your food?" Ichigo asked incredulously. "Just how long was the line, anyway?"
"You don't wanna know. For some reason, they were understaffed today. Anyway, have you seen Renji?"
Ichigo shook his head. "I haven't seen him at all today…"
Rukia's eyes glazed over slightly as she peered into the distance. "Hmm…" Her gaze refocused on Ichigo. "Hey, where were you yesterday? I couldn't find you anywhere!"
Ichigo inwardly winced. She was looking for me? Aloud, he said, "Solitary training."
"Ah. Can I come next time? I hear you're prodigious in zanjutsu, hakuda and hoho, so I'd like to watch you train," Rukia faltered, then continued hesitantly, "And maybe pick up a bit of your fighting style…"
"Does the word 'solitary' have any meaning to you at all?" Ichigo asked, slightly amused.
Rukia looked hurt for a moment, but quickly hid it behind an unreadable mask. "What's your next class?" she asked, hoping to break the tension between herself and Ichigo.
Ichigo glanced at his schedule, grimacing when he saw his first class after lunch. "Reiatsu control. Ugh."
Rukia grinned at her friend's obvious dislike for the class, then her eyes drifted to the clock mounted above the cafeteria doors. "Crap, it's 12:55!! We only have five minutes to get ready for our next class!!" Rukia chucked the remains of her lunch into the nearest trash can and raced off towards her next class. Ichigo sighed.
Taking a reiatsu control class is kind of pointless now, isn't it?
/Still, it won't hurt you to try and learn normal Shinigami reiatsu control./
Zangetsu, I'm everything but normal.
/…Point taken./
The reiatsu control class was uneventful. The teacher just introduced herself (Chikako Kimoto) and listed her expectations of what the freshmen should be able to do by the end of that year. Why she needed two hours to do this, Ichigo didn't know. They would learn how to identify the different forms of reiatsu, how to suppress their own reiatsu, and how to wield it effectively in battle (if one wastes their reiatsu needlessly, they will be unable to endure long battles; one can also channel their reiatsu into their arms, legs, and zanpakuto to increase their power). (3) Ichigo noticed Izuru and Momo were present for the class, but Renji was nowhere to be seen.
In zanjutsu, the only thing Ichigo learned was that zanjutsu theory was pointless and incredibly boring. Ichigo already knew all of the material Ikoto was preaching about by heart; hell, it had been pounded into him by Urahara before entering the Soul Society and by Zangetsu during bankai training.
Ichigo's final class, healing, was almost exactly like reiatsu control. The teacher, Yuka Morishita, was a retired member of the 4th squad. She was very lively and had a very commanding voice, but Ichigo still didn't see why introductions and covering course aims took up an entire period… Healing was a class that taught students how to infuse their reiatsu into another's body to speed up the healing process. They'd also learn, in extensive detail, all the delicate parts of the human body, as well as symptoms for certain illnesses and injuries not visible to the naked eye. Ichigo noticed that Izuru and Momo were taking this class, as well (he didn't look for Renji, since Renji wasn't taking healing in the first place).
Needless to say, Ichigo was extremely glad when classes were over. Ichigo returned to the dorms with the intention of taking a nap before dinner to help relieve the headache that had slowly intensified during the day. Since no teachers were present, Shiro found no reason to continue hiding. The only student skilled enough to sense him was a 7th year girl (Ichigo only knew about her because he had heard the rumors of the reiatsu–reading prodigy from his fellow freshmen), and girls weren't allowed in boys' dorms, and vice-versa.
So, how were things in the torture chamber?
Dreadfully boring. There wasn't a single practical class today.
/The teachers are concerned for the well-being of their students. Think about it from their perspective; only an opponent with the level of a seated-officer could have hurt Hokkaido. And more than a few of the students here would be hopelessly outclassed by the lowest of hollows./
Well, most of the 5th years and older might be able to defend themselves reasonably against a low level hollow…
All other mental conversation was cut off when a figure came hobbling down the hallway toward Ichigo. Ichigo whirled around and made a grab for Zangetsu's hilt, but his hand closed only around empty air. Ichigo sighed with relief and relaxed as he recognized the familiar head of red, spiky hair. His wartime reflexes had not been dulled at all, even though the atmosphere of the Academy was friendly and tranquil. (4)
"Jeez, Renji, you scared me half to death…" Ichigo paused as he noticed the unsteadiness in his friend's steps. Ichigo immediately strode up to his friend. "Hey, Renji, what's…" Ichigo trailed off as he noticed the scent of wine on Renji's breath.
It's our second week since entering the Academy, and Renji's already drunk?! For crying out loud… What was his room number again? 534! That's it!
Grabbing Renji's arm, Ichigo dragged the future lieutenant down the hall and up several flights of stairs to his dorm room. Ichigo was extremely relieved to find the door unlocked.
After guiding Renji to his bed, Ichigo said, "Now sleep till you're sober, you idiot."
Abruptly, Renji reached out and grabbed Ichigo's arm. His grip was surprisingly strong. Ichigo tried to pry Renji's fingers from his arm, but to no avail.
"Rukia…"
Ichigo tried harder to force Renji to let go of him, but Renji's grip only tightened.
"Rukia… I wanna tell you something…"
Ichigo stopped trying to remove Renji's hand. What was Renji trying to say?
"I… lo…" Apparently, Renji's sudden burst of energy ran out, since his hand flopped limply onto the bed and he began to softly snore.
After closing the door to Renji's door, Ichigo started to snicker uncontrollably.
What?
Oh, man… This is great blackmail material!!
WHAT?!
Didn't you hear Renji? It sounded like he was about to confess his love for Rukia or something like that when he collapsed…
Shiro's shrill laughter echoed throughout Ichigo's inner world. Well, they do have a tendency to argue like a married couple… But for the blackmail to be most effective against Renji, it should be used on the Renji of our time. So how're we gonna get back?
Blackmail and headache forgotten, Ichigo discussed with his inner spirits his theories of the nature of the stone that transported them to this time, how they could activate it again to return to the time stream (5), how to actually get to their own time once inside the time stream, and what the effects of the time paradox (6) would be when they returned. The conversation took up the remainder of the evening, so Ichigo skipped dinner. After the discussion took more fantastical turns, Ichigo tested some of their more plausible theories on the mysterious stone that had transported them to the past, but no matter what Ichigo did, the stone would not react whatsoever.
Oh well, Ichigo thought, yawning, There's always tomorrow to discuss this stuff…
Ichigo fell asleep peacefully, unaware of the invisible net that was slowly tightening around him in the past… and the future.
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LONGER CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so sorry that this chapter took so long to publish. I was in the UK for three weeks and there's only so much you can do when you have no access to a computer. I apologize. On a lighter note, chapter 14 is already written out. The more reviews I get, the faster the chapter will go up. Please review, people. It makes me feel happy and motivated to write…
Before you get too excited, I am doing extensive work on the first nine chapters. I'm changing a few minor details so in the next chapter, IT IS NECESSARY TO READ THE LIST OF WHAT THE CHANGES WILL BE. I'll be posting the changes at the same time I post chapter 14. I'm sorry because I know this will confuse some people, but no flaming the changes. Please?
I most likely won't be posting anything new in the next week or so, since I'll be in Colorado. I'm sorry I wasn't able to give you an advance warning for the Europe trip!! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME FOR TAKING SO LONG TO UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!! *hides behind a table and Sil*
Another reminder of the poll on my profile: what do you want me to do after Twisted Time?
(1) The freshmen haven't yet learned how to distinguish between Shinigami and hollow reiatsu, which is why Kaede didn't recognize Ichigo's hollow reiatsu for what it was.
(2) Note that Hokkaido is delirious when he is attempting to recall his encounter with Shiro. He may remember more when he has recovered. Then again, he may not.
(3) Empowering one's limbs with reiatsu is NOT shunko; shunko is using kido to greatly empower one's hakuda (used during Yoruichi vs. Soi Fon battle during SS arc, remember? I'm not really explaining shunko well…). Also, one must strengthen one's zanpakuto using reiatsu so the zanpakuto doesn't break under the strain of battle (remember how Byakuya and Urahara cut through Ichigo's sealed Zangetsu before he learned to strengthen Zangetsu with his reiatsu?)
(4) Ichigo's been preparing for a war during the past month with the Vizards, and before that, he waged his own miniature war against the Soul Society. Who wouldn't have picked up the reflexes of a soldier in that kind of environment?
(5) You know the place with all the swirling pictures from the first chapter? That's the time stream.
(6) Ichigo, Shiro, and Zangetsu all realize that their presence will cause a paradox when they get back. They just have to prepare for any and all possibilities when they return. If they return.
-HM