XXII.

Halcyon Days Again

Dated: Gotei Thirteen Era Five

Ichigo's jaw drops. Yamamoto stares silently. Without a glance to each other, they both draw their swords. The sliding of steel on steel is the only noise on the open gardens.

A veritable army of bloody, dismembered corpses lay, strewn over the long dead plants of the palace. Amongst the bodies, there was not a single head. Empty holes occupied the spaces that should have held their hearts.

The once white walls were stained almost entirely red. Yamamoto walked forward, carefully stepping between the corpses. Ichigo followed silently, ducking to avoid a severed arm that stuck out of a nearby bush.

They reached the gates of the palace without incident.

Finally, Ichigo managed to find the courage to ask.

"What happened here?"

"I don't know… It has been a year since I…"

As the gates slid open of their own accord, Yamamoto's jaw dropped.

"What?" Ichigo asked.

"No… He would not dare…" The Sotaichou whispered to himself.

"What? Who?"

The doors stopped moving with an ominous thud. Silence settled over the palace grounds. Inside was an enormous entrance hallway, miles and miles long. Along the walls were hundreds, if not thousands, of severed heads in glass cases. Each stared silently, mouth shut, eyes coldly gazing across the hall. Their eyes were all perfect black spheres, without any sign of life.

"What is this?"

"A testament to his power."

"What?"

"This was Ikatsue's doing."

Ichigo's eyes shot open even wider.

"No… no, it can't be."

"Ichigo… you do not understand. There is a reason he is called the Grim Reaper by name. I was his apprentice, long ago. Almost… three thousand years. Back then, the Gotei Thirteen had just been formed… I was young and naïve. I thought I could actually trust him. We all did…"

"We?"

"Ekirei, Baishin, Ran' Tao…"

"Wait… Baishin and Ran' Tao…"

"Baishin was sealed during his time as Sotaichou. That was a minor loss, though. Compared to the purge."

"Wait… I remember. Byakuya told me about that. The second Gotei Era…"

"Yes. Back then, I found out Ikatsue's secret. Have you ever seen him fight?"

"No… why?"

"He has absolutely no care for his own safety. I've seen him laugh when he loses a hand or an eye… or his head. He's found a way to remain immortal. No matter how many times he is killed, he will never advance in the circle of reincarnation. He will never go to hell, despite his evils."

"He's a hero." Ichigo muttered stubbornly, though he heard the doubt in his own voice.

"He's a demon in sheep's clothing."

Ichigo rose to his feet, storming toward the exit.

"He brought Orihime back to life when I couldn't protect her. I, for one, will thank him. Where is he?"

Yamamoto sighed.

"He is… not here anymore. He left."

"To where?"

"I do not know. I'm sorry, Kurosaki." Sorry that you had to be mislead in order for us to win. You've paid the greatest price of us all…

As the boy stormed away, Yamamoto proceeded further into the palace. His most frightening discovery lay, face up, on the throne.

Ichigo leapt out the glowing gold opening, landing once more on his roof.

"Where have you been?" Isshin asked.

"No time to talk. I need to see Urahara."

"About what?"

"The Grim Reaper."

Isshin's eyes flashed wide for a moment as Ichigo picked up a few random objects from his room.

"Ichigo…"

"I know who he is, even if everyone else disagrees. When Yamamoto gets back, tell him to burn in hell for me, okay dad?"

"How was the king?"

"Very dead." The boy responded, leaping out the window toward his old mentor.

The knocks were quiet on the wooden doorway.

"We're closed."

"I don't give a fuck, Sandal-Hat. Open the damn door."

Urahara slid the door open.

"What do you want?"

"Where is he?"

"Who?"

"You know damn well who!"

Urahara scratched his head, beckoning Ichigo into the shop. "No, I really don't. What's wrong, Kurosaki-san. You seem troubled."

"Listen…" The boy panted. "I don't want to hear any preaching or explanations. Where is Karite Ikatsue?"

"I honestly couldn't tell you, Ichigo."

Ichigo said nothing. His gaze fell to his feet. He slid his hands into his pockets, turned, and left.

"Will he be all right?" Yoruichi purred from her place at Urahara's feet.

"He always is…"

"Yes… but he's never been so far out of his league before. We were always there to watch over him. We can't protect him if he keeps going into this…"

"He has the potential. Can he harness it in time?"

"What?"

"You don't want to know some of the things I learned that night, Yoruichi. Be grateful for the little ignorance you have."

A week passed. It was quiet. Words were left unsaid for a long time. The friends didn't speak to each other.

Finally, the day came. School began again. It wasn't something Ichigo wanted to do, but the reunion of the group couldn't be postponed.

To no great surprise, Ichigo was running late that morning. A dark, cloudy sky left the streets of Karakura clouded and melancholy.

"Do you want a drive to school?" Isshin had asked.

"I'm fine… I'll be all right."

The city seemed barren and lifeless. Curtains were pulled shut on the houses and buildings along the roadside, leaving Ichigo to feel as if he were the only person on earth.

The hallways were strangely deserted as well. Ichigo thought nothing of it. Classes had already started.

Finally, he reached his room.

The door slid open easily. Inside, every single student stared at him with curiosity, and the slightest tint of fear.

"What is it? What do you all want with me?" He shouted.

"Er… nothing… we were waiting for the replacement teacher. Sorry…?" Kiego muttered. "But… where've you been, Ichigo. No one's seen you in weeks."

Ichigo stormed over to his desk.

"'Don't wanna talk about it."

"Well… have you talked to Rukia or Renji since you got back?"

They remember…? I thought she would have wiped their memories. Unless…

"Ichigo…" A soft hand landed on the boys shoulder. "I'm sorry about what happened, then. Can we forget about it? Can we move on?"

The voice belonged to Chad.

Ichigo lowered his head. "Yeah. Sorry I haven't talked to you…"

"It's fine." Muttered Ishida. The entire room riveted on him.

"Wait… you two are friends? How long has this been?"

Ishida glared at the speaker of the offending question, sliding his glasses up on his nose just enough that they pinged with the light.

"Well, well… nice to know we all get along well in this class."

The entire room pivoted as one, facing the speaker. He was a clean shaven man, with rather formally combed brown hair and dark eyes hidden behind a pair of square-lens glasses. He was tall and well built, but neither to an extreme level. He wore a white dress shirt and black pants, with a solid, blood-red tie.

"Now… if you could take your seats, please. I am your new teacher, here to take over your history and philosophy classes. My name is Sansaku Naijin."

The class stood on the roof of the school-building, eating their lunches.

Off in a corner, Ishida, Ichigo, Chad, and Orihime had a private talk.

"Where'd Rukia and Renji go?" Ichigo asked.

"Back to Seireitei." Chad answered.

"Then why didn't they wipe everybody's memories?"

"Beats me…" Orihime muttered.

"They'll be back. They always are. We just need some sort of crisis to happen."

The group shared a small laugh.

"Speaking of which… what happens now?" Ishida asked, looking off into the horizon.

"What do you mean by that?" Ichigo asked.

"Well, we wiped out a lot of hollows… Aizen's gone… there's not much left."

"They'll need our help again. Some sort of major catastrophe will come up like it always does. Right now, though…"

Orihime seemed to sense his thoughts.

"No one blames you for what happened, Ichigo. You were a hero."

"No… not that. Yamamoto and I went to the Royal Palace…"

"What was it like?"

Ichigo sighed. "Everyone was dead."

"What?"

"Every single person was dead. Decapitated. There's literally no one left."

"Looks like you found your catastrophe."

As if on cue, Ichigo's substitute badge ignited in light.

"Oh! Listen, I'll be back. Cover me if that new teacher gets on my case."

The group nodded as Ichigo's soul slid out of his body.

The straw sandals clicked against the pavement. The hollow was enormous, easily comparable to a Menos in size. Ichigo hefted Zangetsu in his palm.

The beast charged. It never reached Ichigo.

Instead, a brilliant stream of red light pierced the beast. Purified, it disappeared. Behind it, Yamamoto sheathed his sword.

"Oh. Kurosaki-san. Thank you for the help."

What help? "You're welcome…?"

"Now… I've got to be going."

Ichigo dashed back into the classroom.

"Where've you been?" Kiego asked.

"Bathroom."

"Do you have… stomach problems, or something? You're in there all the time." Asked another boy.

"No… he's just being crafty and skipping out, aren't you?" Kiego muttered.

Ichigo clasped his fist to punch the boy.

A hand grasped his elbow, holding him back.

"Try to hold back the violence, Kurosaki-kun. You have a class to take."

"Sensei!"

The class fell quiet as the man released Ichigo and walked to the front of the room.

"Now… I'm sorry about this. I got lost on the way in. I see you can control yourselves well enough without my guidance…" He added sarcastically. "…So I'll be keeping a closer watch on you. And Kurosaki."

"Yeah?"

"See me after class."

Shit!

"Now… What were you studying before the… incident?"

"The Edo period." Ishida muttered.

"Ah. Good. My favorite."

The class pulled out their books.

"Oh. No, you won't need those. Just pay attention. Now… someone tell me about a great Shogun of the Edo period."

The man picked up a piece of chalk.

"Er…" Tatsuki began. "There was Tokugawa Yoshimune."

The teacher smiled, but his back was to the class.

"Very good. Tell me about him."

"Well, let's see. He was a great politician. He reformed the economic system."

"What did he use in battle?"

"What? We don't know that?!" Ishida exclaimed.

"Oh. Well, to answer your question, his personal weapon was a unusually thin-bladed katana which he called the Horizon. Do you know what he looked like, at least?"

A small piece of paper landed on Ichigo's desk. He unfolded it.

What a weird teacher… who does he think he is?

Ichigo scrawled an answer, looking over the room. His gaze met Orihime's. Maybe he's another one like us... Though I don't sense any reiatsu from him.

Slowly, he lifted the paper, and lobbed it to his friend.

The teacher turned, pulled his letter opener off his desk, and hurled it like a knife. The ball of paper hung from the far wall, suspended on the blade.

"Now then, Kurosaki. Since you and Orihime-chan enjoy disrupting my class so much, you can both join me for double time after class. But first… let's hear what you have to say. Who wants to read it?"

Oh shit! No!

Ichigo glared across the classroom, rubbing his knuckles, in a clear message to everyone as to what would happen if they volunteered.

"No one. . . Oh well… I guess if no one wants to, then I'll read it myself."

Sansaku Naijin walked over to the wall and pulled out the letter opener. His open palm caught the paper as it fluttered down.

"Let's see. This first part was written by Orihime-chan, I think. Here we go: What a weird teacher. Who does he think he is? Well, Orihime, I think that I know a lot more about history than you. But since you're such an expert, tell me… What kind of knives did Tokugawa Kito use? No answer? Well then… what are the literal translations of the names of the Bankinese twins? Who won the duel at Sendo point? What are the Seven Legendary Zan…" The man stopped in mid sentence. "If you don't know this, then please; shut the fuck up about me and my teaching methods."

Tatsuki and Ichigo both rose to their feet.

'Well, well… to the girls rescue, I see. A wonderful choice if you want to be expelled. Please, sit down. Especially you, Kurosaki-kun. You're in enough trouble already."

Both students sat. He glanced at the note.

"Kurosaki has nothing pertinent or friendly to say about me either. I'll spare you his words."

Thank you! But… wait? He understands what I said?

"Listen to me, all of you. You will focus in my…"

The bell rang with a sharp, crisp tone.

"Well, well… saved by the bell, I see. Go on. I'll continue tomorrow. Hopefully, you will be more receptive."

"Naijin-sama…?"

"Huh?" The teacher asked, sliding his feet off the desk.

"Your paycheck and starting bonus."

"Oh. Thanks."

"You're a lifesaver, Naijin-sama. We would have had to hire a substitute for weeks if you hadn't shown up."

"Just a bit of good timing. I was looking for a job anyway."

"Well, in any case, thank you."

"You're welcome." Naijin smiled. His face fell into a scowl as soon as the door shut.

"If Kyoka Suigetsu wasn't the world-conqueror, then that must be Murasame. Of course, that means that… wait… Ryujjin-Jakka is the flame of justice, not Sokyoku… that means…"

Ichigo entered the classroom.

"Ah. Kurosaki-kun. Nice of you to come. Now, if you could please explain to me why you're acting so terribly in my class."

"Oh, cut the crap. You're a Shinigami and we both know it."

Naijin smiled. "You figured me out quickly. Yes. Sotaichou-sama sent me here. I've got to do some work for him. Now, however, this is real life. I'm not here to work with you, nor you with me. So sit down and write me twenty sentences about…"

Ichigo punched the man in the chin. It wasn't enough to lift him off his feet, but it made him stagger backwards a bit.

"So… you'd like to settle this the Shinigami way? All right. I'll beat you with my bare hands, with my Gigai on and everything." Ichigo glared at the man as he lifted his substitute badge, releasing his Shinigami form.

"Well, well. You really are what they say in the barracks. Well then, come at me."

Ichigo lunged forward. Naijin caught Zangetsu on his palm with no apparent effort. "Come on. You beat Kenpachi, didn't you? Bankai me or something. I'm waiting."