Aspect of Blades
A Bleach fanfic
Chapter 36
Ichigo's POV
-zanpakuto speaking in the inner world
-zanpakuto speaking outside the inner world
-Ichigo's Thoughts or speech in the inner world
"How are you feeling, Ichigo?" Yama-jiji asks. I'm lying in a bed, and the room around me is painted white, the lights on the ceiling calming me a bit.
"I just finished a thirty-two hour long battle and I'm in the Fourth Division, how do you think I feel?" I respond.
"Very poorly. But then, your wounds justify that. Your left leg had to be amputated and regrown with Kido. Both arms were broken. Your ribs were a fine powder. You had a punctured lung, your guts were spilling out, you had a kidney destroyed, both arms were broken in a dozen places, seven skull fractures, internal bleeding in five different locations, twenty-three separate wounds that would have killed with five more minutes of fighting, reiatsu depletion, and your ribs were turned to powder they were shattered so many times," Yama-jiji hisses. He is furious about this. His only heir, Isshin being a deserter and thus ineligible, nearly got himself killed. I will be lectured for a long time about this.
"Indeed, your wounds were quite serious," Unohana says. She and Chojiro are standing next to Yama-jiji, not far from my bed.
"You should have used Chi no Te no Megami's Bankai from the start," Yama-jiji snarls. "There is avoiding relying too much on a single zanpakuto and then there is foolishness, child. You nearly got killed due to your antics. Now, who else has Shinigami no Uta and why did you wave Unohana away?" He asks through gritted teeth.
"Shinigami no Uta was Tousen's first zanpakuto. He tried to destroy her by ejecting her from his soul when he took up Suzumushi. Suzumushi instead allowed her to stay in her realm, and sheltered her until she established a realm in my inner world. Her abilities are based in song. The song she chooses to sing decides what effects are had. The limit on this power is simply that she can only sing so long as her voice holds out. She has only recently started talking and singing again. She didn't do so until she established a realm in my inner world," I inform him.
"Tousen has much to answer for," Yama-jiji says calmly, but his anger is clear, since the room is far hotter then it was when he entered.
"As for the attempt to keep Unohana away, you can lay that at Urahara's feet. He attempted to use forced encroachment on me, and that created an inner Hollow, which was attempting to take over at the moment. I stopped it, but it will try again," I say grimly.
"Urahara may know how to deal with this problem," Chojiro offers. "If not him, then perhaps those who were similarly Hollowfied a century ago. If they survived, they may be able to help him," he says.
"They survived," Yoruichi says, stepping out of the shadows. "We helped them do so. I've been observing Ichigo for the past couple months, and he is certainly strong enough for them to feel like helping him. They call themselves the Vizard now, and have become almost a family with how close the bonds between them have become. If Ichigo wants help beyond defeating his Hollow, he'll need to find a way into that family," she says.
"Understood. Are there any things they might want that the Seireitei can provide?" Yama-jiji asks.
"There are a couple things they want. Hachigen left his zanpakuto behind when he fled with the others. I know he's missing it. Mashiro is missing that candy she always loved, which she says the world of the living doesn't get quite right," Yoruichi responds.
"They will have these things, then," Yama-jiji says.
"They'll be happy about that," Yoruichi says cheerfully. "Now, let them approach you, okay Ichigo?" She asks, then vanishes.
"Yama-jiji. May I invite them to join the Eighth once my training is done?" I ask him. I feel I need a bit of testosterone around when I'm working to avoid drowning in the presence of so many females.
"I will not be a hypocrite," is the response. As my hopes sink, Yama-jiji continues. "I may either allow them to take positions once more or exile you from the Gotei 13. I will not exile you from the Gotei 13, so instead they will be offered positions in the Eighth Division. Chojiro, record this decree and record that it is proclaimed under martial law, when my authority as soutaicho is absolute," he proclaims, and Chojiro leaves to do so.
"Can I go to sleep and focus on healing now?" I ask hopefully. The moon is beginning to rise, I see from the view out my window.
"No. You and I are going to be having a little chat first," Yama-jiji replies, and I discard my hopes of sleeping before dawn. This is going to be a long lecture on what I should have done, and I steel myself for it mentally.
The next day, at noon
"Taicho, your orders?" Kurenai asks as she enters my room. She is clearly out of bed against orders, as her torso is wrapped in bandages and one arm is in a sling. Nanao limps in after her, one leg in a cast but otherwise fine.
"Rest. Heal. We need to recover. The Second is dealing with the Bount problem and the surveillance I ordered until the Eighth is ready to return to combat duty," I respond.
"Yes taicho," Nanao replies.
"First, we have a couple things to do, though. How many did we lose?" I ask.
"The Eighth lost ninety-five of ours in battle in the end. The Eleventh, not having our discipline or having our healers work on them at any time except between waves, lost seventeen hundred and twelve," Kurenai says sorrowfully. An idea entered my head last night, and I decide to see if it can be done now.
"Nanao, are the names of all dead Shinigami and Academy students who died while in the Academy recorded somewhere?" I ask.
"Yes, why?" She asks. If anyone would know, she would. Nanao reads any book that falls into her hands, and thus has a lot of knowledge, covering many subjects.
"Get my seal ring from Unohana if she has it," I say.
"I do have it. Might I ask why Ise-fukutaicho needs the kind of authority that seal would place in her hands?" Unohana asks sternly. She is currently standing in the doorway. I didn't sense her, but I suppose that is forgivable. I'm tired, after all.
"To access my funds. I want a memorial wall for every division. A place where the names of all fallen Shinigami of that division are recorded. One for the Academy as well. A place where Shinigami can go to remember the sacrifices that have been made. A place where Shinigami can go to honor their fallen comrades. A place where Shinigami can remember the proud heritage of the Gotei 13, so that the fallen are never forgotten," I say.
"A noble goal," Unohana says, smiling kindly. This isn't one of her scary smiles, but rather a gentle one that warms me inside.
"Every name is to be inscribed on those walls," I say. "Ranks by the names of the officers. Taicho's names filled with gold, normal officer's names with silver. Have it done, Nanao. As soon as possible," I instruct her.
"Yes, taicho. I will go immediately," Nanao says. She leaves the room as fast as she can, grabbing my seal ring from Unohana as she goes. Kurenai has straightened, and is saluting me with her good arm. A solemn air has fallen across the room as comrades who left and never returned are remembered.
"Taicho, thank you for remembering the lost," Kurenai says.
"It is necessary. Not just for one person, but for all of us. If we do not remember those who are gone, how are we to remember their sacrifice?" I ask. Unohana is nodding at this, clearly remembering past sacrifices by her division.
"I will put my full support behind this," Unohana says. I nod my thanks, then lie down fully, content with this day's work. I return to my healing sleep knowing no sacrifice will be forgotten, that the walls will remember when we do not.
Like this chapter? Like the idea of the memorial walls? Ichigo took a fairly major beating in that battle, but apparently it knocked a good idea or two into his head. Will the Vizard rejoin the Gotei 13? That is for me to know, and you to find out in later chapters. Read and review, thank you.