Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

Chapter Twenty-Eight- The Powers of Heikichi

Heikichi Yamino was making his way toward school, in a bit of a hurry because he was running slightly behind schedule, however all thoughts of being late to class vanished as he felt a strange and yet eerily familiar energy. Gazing around the young boy searched for the source of the energy and his eyes widened as his gaze fell upon a large Hollow. The beast was standing only a few yards away and was eyeing the young boy with a hungry look in it's eyes.

"Not good," the young boy muttered to himself as he eyed the approaching Hollow in apprehension. Heikichi's gaze sifted around wildly as he searched desperately for some signs of a Shinigami, unfortunately he found that he was completely alone with the beast.

"I can't believe this," Heikichi moaned as the Hollow roared and ran toward him. He'd really been hoping for a Shinigami to show up and kill the Hollow. Even though he'd fought against the beasts before victory was far from a certainty however there were no signs of any approaching Shinigami and the young boy sighed and resigned himself to his fate. There was nothing for it; he'd have to use his barely controllable powers and hope that they were enough to save him. "Okay. I really hope this doesn't backfire on me this time."

Heikichi muttered a small prayer to himself that his powers would work this time around and then he held out his hands.


Shiro was on his way toward school, running late but completely unconcerned by this fact, when he suddenly felt the combined reiatsu of his classmate Heikichi and a Hollow. Now this was far from a rare occurrence; Heikichi was more of a Hollow magnet than Shiro himself, which was saying something. "What's he gotten himself into this time?"

With a sigh Shiro pulled his Gikongan from his pocket and used the green pill to assume his Shinigami form. All thoughts of class had been replaced by the image of Heikichi in trouble and the boy quickly used his flash-step and vanished.


"Kurosaki!" Heikichi's eyes actually lit up as his gaze fell upon his young classmate in Shinigami form.

"What is your problem?" Shiro asked as he drew Hyourinmaru and quickly made short work of the Hollow that had been targeting his classmate. One pass of the ice dragon was enough to completely obliterate the beast that had been after Heikichi. "Can't even walk down the street without being attacked by something."

Heikichi heaved a sigh of relief as he watched the Hollow disintegrate. Then the boy sank to the ground, fighting hard to get his rapid breathing under control, and placed a hand on his chest over his rapidly beating heart. "I thought I was a goner that time."

Shiro gazed down at his bruised and burned classmate, one eyebrow raised. "Why didn't you fight back?"

"I tried," Heikichi moaned as he wiped a couple of drops of blood from the side of his face.

"So what happened?" Shiro asked. "You look like you caught on fire."

Heikichi rolled his eyes in the direction of his friend. "In case you've forgotten I have limited, and by limited I mean absolutely no, control over my powers. The singed look was caused by my own attack, not the Hollow's."

It was Shiro's turn to roll his eyes. "We have GOT to do something about that particular deficiency."

At that moment the alarm on Heikichi's watch began to sound, which caused the boy to stare down at his arm, a horrified expression instantly appearing on his face. "We're late for class!"

Completely unconcerned by this statement Shiro shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well, won't be the first time."

"It will be for me," Heikichi said, seemingly appalled by the very thought.

"You are such a nerd," Shiro said as he turned and led the way back to the spot where he'd left his physical body.

"And you're a delinquent," Heikichi said as he watched his classmate return to his physical body.

"Yea," Shiro said, not even bothering to deny the accusation from his classmate. "And this delinquent saved your butt so you really should be a little nicer."

"Ugh," Heikichi groaned as his thoughts flashed back to the Hollow that he'd just battled, with disastrous results. "I can't believe this. I have powers and I still end up getting my butt kicked on a regular basis."

"Actually, in your defense, you kicked your own butt." Shiro paused at this point and then he pointed his index finger at Heikichi and laughed. "I was wrong. That makes it worse. You're all beat up and the Hollow never even touched you."

Heikichi groaned yet again, shaking his head in frustration.

"Tell you what," Shiro said as he and Heikichi made their way toward school. "I'll help you train after school if you want. Maybe if you had someone to help you then you'd be able to master your powers, at least to some extent."

"Really?" Heikichi exclaimed, stopping dead in his tracks and whirling around to face his friend. "Are you serious Kurosaki?"

"I'm serious," Shiro said, eyeing the older boy warily. "But I swear if you hug me the deal's off."

Heikichi made a face and took a few steps away from Shiro. "I wasn't going to hug you."

"I'm just saying," Shiro said. "Now come on. Every minute that we spend hanging around here is a minute that you're not in class. You have to be careful about things like that or else you could become a delinquent like me and we simply can't have that."

"You know I didn't mean anything by that delinquent comment Kurosaki," Heikichi said as the two boys resumed walking.

"Uh huh," Shiro said.


Shiro and Heikichi spent a very boring day in class and then, when the dismissal bell finally rang, the two boys met Kasumi under the shade tree out in the courtyard as usual. "Hey," Kasumi called out brightly as Shiro and Heikichi walked across the courtyard toward the spot where she was standing. "So how was class?"

"Mind numbingly boring," Shiro muttered under his breath. "I knew that I didn't want to be there. Should have just skipped class this morning."

Kasumi shook her head as she gazed at her best friend in a disapproving manner. This wasn't the first time that her friend had voiced that particular opinion and she didn't like to hear it. "What have I told you about that Shiro-chan?"

"That skipping class is bad and I could ruin my future," Shiro recited instantly, having been down this particular road a number of times with her already.

Heikichi snorted as he listened to Shiro's reply, finding the very thought of his genius classmate ruining his future absurd. "With his grades, not likely. Kurosaki almost never pays attention and yet he's still at the head of the class."

Shiro smirked as he listened to Heikichi defending him. Then he turned his attention back to Kasumi. "And for the record it wasn't MY fault that I was late for class this time." Shiro paused and pointed an accusing finger at Heikichi. "I was late because I had to save HIM from a Hollow. Again."

"I was wondering what happened to you," Kasumi said as she turned her attention to the older boy, who looked slightly worse for wear.

Shiro smirked and shook his head, recalling what Heikichi had said to him after he'd destroyed the Hollow. "Um Kasumi, the Hollow didn't do that to him. He did that to himself."

Kasumi gaped at Heikichi. "He's kidding right? Please tell me that he's kidding."

Heikichi shook his head, his eyes cast downward in a dejected manner. "He's not kidding. I tried to fight a Hollow this morning and I ended up zapping myself."

"You poor guy," Kasumi said in a sympathetic voice.

"Oh I know you did not just say that," Shiro said, his tone slightly annoyed. "If I'd been the one who'd done something like that you'd be laughing your butt off right now."

"Probably," Kasumi said with a shrug. "But it wasn't you."

"Ugh," Shiro groaned, staring at his best friend through narrowed eyes.

"I think you made him mad," Heikichi commented as his gaze shifted back and forth from Shiro to Kasumi.

"He'll get over it," Kasumi said, offering Shiro a bright smile. "He always does."

"Always?" Heikichi repeated. "How often does this happen?"

"Too often," Shiro muttered. Then his expression turned serious and he focused an intense gaze on Heikichi. "So where should we go to train?"

"We can go to my house if you want," Heikichi replied after a moment of thought during which he debated the question that Shiro had posed to him. "It's more secluded than your house plus my parents are out of town for the weekend. There won't be anyone there to bother us."

Shiro nodded. "Alright then. I have to swing by my house and tell my parents that I'm going to hang out with you this afternoon and then we'll go to your house and get started."

"Right," Heikichi said with a nod.

Shiro turned to face Kasumi. "Would you like to come along Kasumi? It could be entertaining."

Kasumi's gaze shifted back and forth between the two boys and then she nodded. "I'll come. Just in case either of you end up wounded."

Both boys looked offended by her comment however neither of them said anything about it. Together the trio left the school grounds and made their way to Shiro's house. Then, once the young boy had informed his parents that he was going to Heikichi's house, the children made their way across Karakura Town.

"The backyard's probably the best place for this," Heikichi stated once they'd arrived at his house. "The fence will block most of the weirdness from view."

Shiro's gaze shifted toward the sky. "And it actually looks like it could storm at any moment so we're safe there as well."

"Hadn't thought about that," the older boy mumbled, slightly embarrassed by the oversight.

"Of course not," Shiro said, shaking his head. "And that's why I'm the brains of this outfit."

"You shouldn't be that way Shiro-chan," Kasumi said in a reproachful voice as Heikichi led the way into the backyard.

Shiro opened his mouth to reply to her reproach however he was interrupted before any words escaped his lips by a series of shrill, ear-piercing yelps. "What the. . ." Shiro exclaimed as a startled Kasumi jumped back and stumbled into him. The young girl lost her balance and would have gone crashing to the ground if Shiro hadn't wrapped his arms around her to steady her.

"Thanks Shiro-chan," Kasumi whispered as she regained her balance.

"No problem," Shiro said, turning a questioning gaze toward Heikichi as a small, tan dog ran toward them barking wildly.

"It's the neighbor's dog," Heikichi explained in a slightly apologetic voice, as he gazed at the dog that was running around wildly and yapping at them. "He thinks he lives here and he hates my guts."

"You seem to have that effect on people," Shiro muttered before he dismissed the dog's presence entirely. "So are you ready Heikichi?"

Heikichi nodded however there was a confused expression in his intense brown eyes. "Aren't you going to become a Shinigami Kurosaki?"

"Heck no!" Shiro exclaimed, shaking his head vehemently.

"Why not?" Heikichi asked. "I thought you were serious about this training."

"I'm one hundred percent serious about this training," Shiro said, his gaze focused on Heikichi. "And I can use kidou while in my physical body so don't worry about having a worthy opponent."

"But. . ." Heikichi began.

"This isn't open for debate," Shiro snapped, cutting the older boy's words short. "If I assume my Shinigami form and something happens then I'm a goner, for keeps. At least this way I have an extra life, so to speak."

"Oh," Heikichi said. That was something else that he hadn't thought about; the possibility that he might hurt his classmate during this training session.

"And now that we've had that little fight let's switch gears." The white-haired boy held his hands out in front of him.

Heikichi arched an eyebrow. "Exactly what are you doing Kurosaki?"

Shiro didn't reply verbally to the question that had been posed to him by his classmate however his actions spoke way louder than words. "Pale Fire Crash!"

"Crap!" Heikichi exclaimed as he barely managed to dodge the kidou blast that Shiro aimed in his direction. Heikichi whirled around to glare at his friend and promptly lost his balance and fell backward. Shiro rolled his eyes and sighed as he watched Heikichi fall on his butt. "Oh bravo."

"Hey!" Heikichi said indignantly as he got quickly to his feet. "At least I dodged it."

"Good thing too," Shiro said dryly. "That would have seriously hurt."

"Are you serious?" Heikichi asked, his eyes wide.

"Of course I'm serious," Shiro replied. "I told you already that I was one hundred percent serious about this training. Are you still disappointed that I didn't change into my Shinigami form?"

Heikichi shook his head as he eyed the singed spot on the ground where Shiro's attack had struck. "I could have been killed."

"Guess that's a good incentive for you to dodge," Shiro said with a smirk.

"You're crazy," Heikichi said, his eyes widening as Shiro once again raised his hands and prepared to attack.

"I've been called that," Shiro said with a laugh. "And worse. Red Flame Cannon!"

Heikichi set his jaw firmly in determination and this time, instead of dodging, he held up his hands and summoned all of his dormant powers. "Please work," he muttered.

"Not bad," Shiro thought to himself as he jumped out of the path of a small bolt of lightening. He was slightly impressed by the attack although he'd never admit that fact to his classmate. The boy landed lightly on the ground a few feet away from his opponent and turned his gaze back toward Heikichi. "That was pitiful," he said in a taunting voice.

Heikichi clenched his teeth together to keep from cursing at Shiro and he raised his hands for a second attack. The wind began to blow fiercely around the yard and several black clouds formed overhead, eclipsing the storm clouds that were already there. Heikichi prepared to attack and Shiro eyed him in anticipation however when the attack was finally released Shiro knew immediately that he would not be the victim if it struck. The neighbor's little yappy dog dashed across the yard and, seeing the immanent danger that the little thing faced, Kasumi dashed over to save it.

"No," Shiro exclaimed as he dashed across the yard and pulled both Kasumi and the dog out of the path of the huge bolt of lightening, barely managing to avoid the attack. The group rolled on the ground a couple of times and then landed in a heap a few feet away from the spot where Heikichi's attack had struck. Not happy about it's rescue the little dog bared it's teeth and growled menacingly at Shiro however the boy simply growled back. "Dog, if you bite me I swear. . ."

The dog immediately ceased it's growling and wagged it's tail.

"That's what I thought," Shiro muttered as he watched Kasumi place the dog on the ground. Once the dog had been deposited on the ground Shiro go slowly to his feet and then offered Kasumi his hand. The young girl took the hand that her best friend held out to her and allowed him to pull her to her feet. Once both kids had regained their footing Shiro turned slowly to glare at Heikichi.

"Kurosaki I. . ."

"Don't make excuses," Shiro said sharply as he turned away from the older boy. "Come on Kasumi, let's go."

Kasumi offered Heikichi an apologetic look before she followed Shiro out of the backyard. Shiro led the way back across Karakura Town to their respective homes and when they were about halfway there Kasumi placed her hand on her best friend's arm. "Shiro-chan. . ."

"It's okay Kasumi," Shiro said as he stopped walking and turned to face her. "I know what you're going to say and it isn't necessary. I'm not mad at Heikichi and I have every intention of continuing to help him train but I just don't think that it's safe to be training there. I have a better idea."

"Alright," Kasumi said, accepting Shiro's explanation without further question however there was something that she wanted to know. "But did you have to be such a jerk about it Shiro-chan?"

"I didn't mean to be a jerk," Shiro said in a quiet voice, thinking back to the way that he'd treated his classmate after the disastrous attack that had almost struck Kasumi, not to mention the neighbor's dog. "But you could have been hurt and that was unacceptable."

Kasumi gazed over at her best friend with a warm look in her blue eyes. "Aw Shiro-chan."

"Don't go reading more into that than there is," Shiro warned.

"Of course not," Kasumi said with a smile.

"Come on," Shiro said, suddenly uncomfortable with his current situation. A slight blush rose to color his face. "I'll walk you home and then I'll see about fixing the problem with Heikichi. I know one place where we can't possibly hurt anyone innocent."

Kasumi nodded and allowed her best friend to walk her home.

A/N- Cliffhanger! Oh no! Hope you enjoyed this latest installment of Shiro's story. Until the next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.