Chapter 13:

Searching

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Everything was hazy.

A boy, no older than fourteen, crawled over the damaged earth of a battlefield. All kinds of weapons lay around him, as well as bodies, but he paid no mind to any of it.

The barren ground that had been the place of a battlefield was now turning muddy with rain. Had it been any other situation, one would probably be enjoying the beautiful view of the kingdom in the distance. The rain seemed to illuminate everything, even the bloody body of a silver haired man.

The boy, whose orange hair was steadily become dirtier and dirtier, crawled over to the bloody body of the silver haired man. His arms were covered in dirt, yet he showed no signs of actually caring at all. Once he reached the silver haired man, he called out to him softly.

"Abel…?"

The silver haired man, Abel, suddenly turned to him with a jolt. Wounds littered his body, yet his eyes still held a fire in them, however weak his breath was getting. Abel looked to him for a moment, before finally opening his mouth.

"For you, and for me… grow Ichigo, grow."

Ichigo continued to stare at him, his face was as blank as an empty canvas.

"You're gonna…" Abel started, "you're gonna… be something, no matter what. I'm kinda glad that you changed me… because now…"

"I'm passing my torch onto you."

Still, Ichigo continued to stare.

Abel lifted his arm up, and grabbed the back of Ichigo's head. Slowly but surely, his hand slid down his head, but Abel managed to squeeze a few sentences in before then.

"A rose, growing in a wasteland. You're gonna be that, Ichigo… even if no one else cares… even if no one gives you support or help, just keep… growing."

Abel's hand finally slid down Ichigo's face and back to his side. The left side of Ichigo's face was now smeared with some blood. At that moment, Ichigo finally spoke.

"Grow…? For you, and me?"

Abel managed a smile, a full one.

"Yeah… grow, my time for growing is over…"

Abel closed his eyes for a brief moment, then he opened them again. Wind had picked up, making Ichigo's orange hair sway as well as Abel's, though to a lesser extent. Long silver hair fell in front of his eyes, so he blew it away as much as he could.

"What about, the monster in me?" Ichigo suddenly asked.

Abel picked up a pure black sword, and held it in front of Ichigo.

Ichigo grasped it hesitantly, as soon as he did, Abel made a fist and gently pushed Ichigo away with it.

"There are no monsters… neither in me, nor in you." with that, Abel closed his eyes. This time, they did not open.

He was dead.

Ichigo looked at him blankly, "Abel…?" he called out, but when he didn't get a reply back, Ichigo knew he was dead. At least, Abel died with a smile.

Ichigo began to wail in the rain.

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"Abel…?"

What the hell was that? Was it like that time before as well?

Ichigo stared at his palm. He had been suspicious before, but now he was sure of it. The ex Soul Reaper had a serious case of amnesia. As of late, visions had begun to flash through his mind, but Ichigo wasn't just concerned about that.

There was also a much larger issue at hand. This time, Ichigo had seen it with his own eyes, but he knew he had definitely had suspected something before.

The Sword Device Abel had given him was not the Sword Device Ichigo currently possessed. That strange dude with the white hair also said something about "Bahamut Synthesis", Ichigo thought, could these two things be related? There's definitely a huge possibility too. Not to mention I have amnesia, so it's fair to say that I… his heart skipped a beat.

What if… I'm not even remembering the fight from three years ago properly?! Also, I know who Abel is! I can faintly recall it… but I'm pretty sure he helped me when I was in deep trouble! Ichigo closed his eyes and focused more on the thoughts racing in his mind.

Just what the hell happened? How come I have a Sword Device different from the one Abel gave me? Wait, he also had silver hair, so I think he's related to Lux as well? Ichigo put his hand on his head while deep in thought, I think I remember Lux telling me about Abel… Lux said he was a jerk, but that's not how I remember him…

It's really faint, but I do recall that he was an incredibly kind person… and I can back that up with my most recent vision too. Damn… there's so much crap going on I can't even keep my thoughts in check! Ichigo thought frustratedly. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down before gazing at his sword device.

"Everything's gotta lead to you," Ichigo said, "I don't know how I ended up with you, but I'm going to figure it all out. I guess this also means I have a new objective in mind too..." he said while looking up at the sky.

"Fill the gaps in my memory. That's gonna be my primary goal from now on." Ichigo said with determination.

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It was possible Ichigo would never get over how stupid the idea of nobility was. Even when he had to read about it in the textbooks back in Karakura Town, Ichigo still thought it was incredibly idiotic. Just the entire thought of your life being dictated by what kind of family you were born into made Ichigo cringe.

Which was why in some ways Ichigo couldn't stand the kind of people he hung out with daily. Being born in a much more modern time and being mentally older than everyone left little room for tolerance. It wasn't as though Ichigo had anything against the noble ladies of the Royal Officer Academy, it was just that he was so much more different than them.

One of the best ways Ichigo let off steam in these types of situations is to get into a fight on the streets. Plus, it wasn't that hard either. People came after Ichigo regularly; in Karakura it was because of his hair, and in the New Kingdom it was because he had the reputation of being the toughest guy on the street. A title Ichigo earned throughout the years.

These factors all played a role in why Ichigo was currently surrounded by five thugs in the middle of the street. Not to mention, during his "date" with Krulcifer too.

Ichigo looked at them with his regular scowl, "So, what the hell do you guys want? If it's a fight you're after, then I guess I'm all for it," one of the thugs stepped towards him with a malicious smile.

"Putting up a tough guy act huh?" Thug #1 asked haughtily, "Nice girl you got with you too... all the more reason to beat the crap out of you right here and now!" he charged at Ichigo with his arm pulled back. Sadly for Thug #1, Ichigo planted his foot in his face and downed him instantly.

Thug #2 attempted to catch Ichigo from behind via a punch to the head, but the ex Soul Reaper beat the thug to it. Ichigo spun around and swept Thug #2 off his feet before punching him out before he could fall down. Thug #3 pulled a knife out of his pocket with a smile, Krulcifer gasped lightly upon seeing the blade.

"Been a while since someone pulled a blade on me," Ichigo said, "but it's not like your chances of beating me are going up or anything." he said with a calm disposition. The thug charged at him and thrust the knife forward in an attempt to stab him, yet all Ichigo did was catch Thug #3's hand while simultaneously punching him in the face, knocking him out.

These guys are pathetic, all going down in one hit, must be newbies. Ichigo scratched his head at the thought. Before anyone could get a breath out, Thugs #4 and #5 had dashed away while begging for their lives. Ichigo face-palmed himself as the silhouette of the thugs got smaller and smaller.

Ichigo stretched a little bit, "Numbers don't mean anything if you're weak as hell, maybe they'll come back once they've learned that," when Krulcifer didn't reply, Ichigo turned to look at her with one eye open. A dull smile was on Krulcifer's lips, and she dimly asked Ichigo a question he had been expecting for a while now.

"Is this your way of letting off steam?"

"Yeah."

Unknown to Ichigo a blonde girl dressed in a ridiculous detective outfit, a pink haired girl dressed in an equally ridiculous outfit of the same kind, and a silver haired boy dressed as a merchant of some kind were all staring at him in admiration and awe.

"So cool…" the blonde girl quietly leaked out. The other two nodded their heads in agreement.

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Krulcifer stared at him charmingly, "I must say, those suits looked good on you, too bad you will probably never wear them," she said with a wink. Ichigo scoffed at the idea of him wearing a suit in the first place. Those things felt suffocating and Ichigo couldn't understand how most noble men put up with them.

Ichigo gazed around at the stores, until his eyes landed on a particular one. Quickly turning to Krulcifer, Ichigo said, "I'll be right back, wait by the fountain over there."

Krulcifer watched Ichigo as he ran over to the store and disappeared inside of it. A couple of minutes later, Ichigo came back out with his hands behind his back. Walking over to Krulcifer, Ichigo averted his eyes with a light blush and a scowl.

"Here, since you got me something, I decided to get you something as well," Ichigo said with a hint of embarrassment. Silently, Ichigo held out a silver chain necklace with a black butterfly. Krulcifer stared at the necklace as if she were in a trance, and she silently extended her hand.

Then, Krulcifer smiled brightly. At the same time, Ichigo swore he saw a tear build up at the edge of Krulcifer's eye.

"Do-do you like it?" Ichigo asked hesitantly.

Krulcifer replied back immediately, "Of course, this is the most beautiful gift anyone has ever given me." those words struck Ichigo, since in all honesty, the necklace wasn't that expensive. To have it called the most beautiful gift Krulcifer had ever received…

Ichigo shook his head and sat down beside Krulcifer.

"You know, this isn't all that bad," Ichigo suddenly said. Krulcifer smiled as she put on her new necklace, and as if on instinct, she put her hand on Ichigo's.

Krulcifer closed her eyes while Ichigo's cheeks slightly reddened from the hand holding. Then, Krulcifer asked, "I think we should end this day off with a dinner at a restaurant or tavern, does that sound good?" she asked with a full smile.

"Y-yeah… sounds good." Ichigo replied back.

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Krulcifer had apparently already decided on a tavern she wanted to go to. As the fake couple walked down the streets towards it, Ichigo couldn't help but notice how happy Krulcifer seemed with her new necklace. From time to time, Krulcifer would look at it, smile, play with it for a bit, before gazing at the buildings the two passed by.

I'm glad she likes it so much, that took quite a bit of money. Ichigo thought with a hint of pride.

"Now's my chance!" someone yelled from behind. Ichigo snapped his around and saw that it was one of the thugs from earlier! More specifically, Thug #4.

"Die Kurosaki- uwaaahh?! Ow, ow, ow owwwww?!" the thug was suddenly caught in a chokehold by a woman in a butler uniform. Thug #4 passed out soon after. After she made short work of the thug, the woman with black hair and dressed in a butler uniform gazed at the two of them for a moment.

Then the woman suddenly bowed her head with respect, "It is good to see that you are healthy, My Lady," Ichigo then noticed that the woman was bowing her head in the direction of Krulcifer. Which meant…

She's the person Krulcifer mentioned before! The person who was going to see how Krulcifer had progressed in terms of marrying a noble!

When the woman turned to look at Ichigo however, her eyes widened in shock, "You are-" the orange haired teen decided to introduce himself anyway.

"The name's Ichigo Kurosaki, nice to meet you," Ichigo said with no attempt to hide the scowl on his face at all. The woman looked at the two for a brief moment, and then introduced herself as well.

"I see… very well then, my name is Alterize Mclair, and I am the Einfolk family's personal butler," Alterize said with a slight bow, "it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Ichigo Kurosaki."

Now it was time for Krulcifer to speak, "It is good to see that you too are doing well, Alterize," she said a little forcibly, "I was just about to head to that tavern over there, would you care to join us?" she asked professionally. Ichigo immediately caught onto the fact that these two clearly did not like each other.

Upon walking into the tavern and having Alterize reserve a table, Ichigo was greeted with a surprise that came in the form of three ridiculously disguised people. It also didn't take long to identify who the trio were, but Ichigo had other issues to attend to first.

Alterize had motioned for Ichigo and Krulcifer to take a seat directly in front of her. Once they did, Alterize decided that the time for mincing her words had come to an end.

"My Lady, I believe you are well aware about why I am here," Alterize started, "I have been tasked with overseeing your progress in terms of finding a suitable marriage partner during the time you have spent in the Royal Officer Academy," Krulcifer's face remained neutral but Ichigo noticed the clenched fist on her lap.

For now, I'll just see how this all plays out.

"I am aware of that Alterize," Krulcifer said, "but as you can see here, I already have a wonderful boyfriend." In spite of himself, Ichigo blushed upon hearing the fake compliment (at least he thought it was fake).

Krulcifer wasn't done just yet, "Alterize, I believe I have safely secured a suitable marriage partner, so there is nothing to worry about at all," Alterize, to Ichigo's surprise, sighed in disappointment. Before the conversation could continue any further between the three, a haughty and noble voice sounded from behind Alterize.

"Ho, so it seems that I've been duped, hm?"

A tall blonde man suddenly appeared behind Alterize. The tension in the air immediately skyrocketed as soon as the other customers were aware of his presence. Alterize herself looked completely flustered, as if something she had planned did not go right.

Alterize hurriedly bowed to the blonde man, "L-Lord Balzeride! Wh-why are you here…?" she asked, "I scheduled the marriage interview to be tomorrow…" Krulcifer looked mildly shocked and so was Ichigo.

Krulcifer narrowed her eyes, "Alterize, what is the meaning of this? I believe your job was to observe my progression," she asked the black haired butler.

Alterize gestured to Barzeride as a sign of introduction, "This man is Lord Barzeride Kreutzer, his family is one of the distinguished Four Great Nobles of the New Kingdom," Barzeride smiled and slightly bowed in the direction of Krulcifer.

"Oh, so that's who you were, I thought I recognised you," everyone turned their heads to the unprofessional voice that rang throughout the tavern. Unsurprisingly, it was Ichigo.

Barzeride's smile instantly faded when his eyes met with Ichigo's. "So I finally get the chance to talk with the great Ichigo Kurosaki in person," he said with his pleasant expression returning; however, it wasn't hard to see the glare in his eyes.

Ichigo, having dealt with these kinds of people before, didn't back down in the slightest, "Cut the crap Kreutzer," Barzeride's expression darkened further, "What are you here for?" Alterize immediately berated Ichigo before anyone could say anything else.

"Do not speak to an heir to one of the Four Great Noble families," Alterize said defensively, "My Lady, I have arranged a marriage between you and Lord Barzeride." Krulcifer's eyes widen for a moment before anger swept over her.

"Alterize, explain yourself in more detail please," Krulcifer said with obvious anger present in her voice, "just what is the meaning of this? Don't tell me…" Krulcifer trailed off leaving Alterize open for explanation.

Alterize sighed, "I knew you would run away from this problem for as long as you could My Lady," Ichigo looked at her with a sinking feeling as to where this was going, "So I decided to choose a partner for you instead, a proper noble man who holds a great amount of influence in the New Kingdom."

That last comment was definitely directed at me. Ichigo thought sourly.

Ichigo sent a glance at Lisha, Lux, and Philuffy; his eyes told them to not make a sound while he dealt with what was going on in front of him. Krulcifer was tense, Barzeride was smiling pleasantly, and Alterize was busy introducing Barzeride to Krulcifer. Though the latter didn't seem very interested in the introduction.

At this point Ichigo decided to do what he does best.

"If you wanna settle it with a fight, then let's do it," Ichigo said calmly, all noise in the tavern stopped completely. Alterize seemed to pale, Krulcifer looked at him shocked, and Lisha gasped loudly behind him. Barzeride, on the other hand, was looking… amused.

"Hahahaha!" Barzeride chuckled, "It seems that the rumors really aren't a lie, you actually do pick fights with strangers everywhere you go! Fine then, I will humor you Ichigo Kurosaki!" Barzeride said with laughter evident in his voice.

"In three days, you and I will duel for Krulcifer Einfolk's hand in marriage, I will also be choosing the location for this duel as well," Barzeride said as he began to leave. Just before Barzeride could leave, Krulcifer suddenly joined in on the fray.

"I do not like being a mere prize in this squabble, so I too will participate along with Ichigo," Krulcifer said, narrowing her eyes at Barzeride she said, "if you want this duel to be fair, then Alterize will be your partner. If everyone can agree to these conditions, then you two may leave."

With a huff, Barzeride left. Ichigo sighed, he suspected that Barzeride had wanted to say more, but the ex Soul Reaper hadn't given him the chance to. Alterize had stayed behind, though Ichigo paid no attention to the earful the butler was giving him and Krulcifer at the moment.

Not even bothering to wait for the right time to jump into the conversation, Ichigo cut in, "If all is said and done here, then can we all go home?" after Ichigo said that, he began to head out of the tavern as well, not even caring if anyone was following him. Though Ichigo did hear the sound of footsteps coming from behind him.

"You had no reason to involve yourself with this matter, you know," Krulcifer said quietly, the tone of her voice and the change in her attitude was a far cry from the usual Krulcifer.

I guess everyone wears their own masks, Ichigo thought to himself.

Ichigo kept on walking without looking at Krulcifer, "I hate guys like Barzeride, and I also hate the thought of someone's entire life being planned out for them," Krulcifer looked at Ichigo with surprise, though he didn't know that.

Ichigo continued on, "Isn't being able to carve out your own future the entire point of being alive? If so, then having someone plan out your future is the same as having someone deny you the right to live." Ichigo finished.

Krulcifer wryly smiled at Ichigo, "If that is what you believe, then I guess I have no way of keeping you out of this duel, is that right?"

"Yeah… I guess," Ichigo replied. The two walked back to the academy in silence after that.

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Upon entering the classroom the next day, Ichigo was promptly slapped by Lisha.

Lisha's reasoning? Ichigo shouldn't be challenging people of Barzeride's status so easily, and that he also shouldn't fight strangers in general. Ichigo knew that Lisha was just trying to keep him safe, but did she really have to slap him?

Ignoring it, Ichigo sat in his desk like usual. Lisha and Tillfur were a bit miffed that Ichigo hardly reacted to the slap, but he could care less about that right now. All class, Ichigo thought about the situation he had roped himself in to, albeit it was his own fault that he was involved.

"Hey Ichigo, you in there?" Lux asked out of nowhere. Ichigo slightly jumped, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine," Ichigo replied quickly. Ichigo noticed that Lux looked like he wanted to talk to him about something, so the ex Soul Reaper led him outside for a bit.

Ichigo turned to face Lux when they had walked enough, "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Lux sighed, "I feel as though you can read my mind sometimes, you know?" Lux asked with a deadpan.

Ichigo looked at Lux with a scowl as he continued on, "Ichigo, I'm aware that you always rush off into danger, but will you be okay-"

Ichigo cut him off, "I'll be fine man, don't worry yourself too much Lux."

With that, Ichigo walked back to the classroom. Lux muttered under his breath as Ichigo was walking back.

"How can I not worry about you, Ichigo?"

END

A/N: I want to apologize for the incredibly late update. I have been very busy with family and sports, and recently one of my uncles died, so I haven't been working on this story so much.

With that being said, it's summer now so I will try and update as frequently as I can. Please look forward to the next chapter.