Heyya fam, sorry for being so late with this one
There will also be no more reviews response, sorry!
Enjoy the chapter!
Previously on Sub Father:
'I do not! He's far younger than me! I have a child! Plus! I am a princess!'
'And he is the Heir of a noble family.'
'Does he know that?'
'He will soon. Oh, one more thing. He's going to be staying for a while.'
'And why is that, Mother?'
'I hired him to be Kunous bodyguard. Imagine, the child being free to wander where she pleases and no one daring to touch her because she has the protection of a God of Death.'
'It makes sense…it might…YOU HIRED A WHAT!?"
Chapter 1: Stand
Ichigo let out a sigh as he walked through the Palace gardens, enjoying the silence that they had brought. Running his hand through his long black hair, he considered attempting to cut it, when a voice caught his attention, and made him stop dead in his tracks.
"Excuse me…you…yes you, tall man, yes…could you please assist us…we seem to have…gotten stuck…" Noticing the voice came from above, Ichigo craned his neck upwards and found himself looking at a rather flustered and very stuck little version of Yasaka in a very tall tree. Chuckling slightly, he slowly rose through the air, using his reiatsu to lift himself up, which piqued the little fox's attention. "So cooool…" Her mutterings reached his enhanced ears, and a smile reached his face.
Reaching eye level, he crossed his arms and gave her a flat stare, smile still evident on his face. "I have just one question for you…how'd this happen?" he gestured at her rather uncomfortable position.
She blinked and coughed slightly, trying with all her might to keep up her façade of indifference to the situation, something which made Ichigo chuckle even more. "We were attempting to escape our confinement within that thing called a classroom. We noticed how the branches hung over the wall towards freedom and attempted to climb it…but alas…we fell…and ended up getting stuck…now are you going to help us?"
He just stared.
"Please help…" She stretched her arms out to him and let her façade slip momentarily, revealing the mischievous child underneath that realised she had made a terrible mistake. Smiling and shaking his head, Ichigo stepped forwards and pat her head.
"Don't worry kid, I'll get you out of here." She smiled brightly and let him do his thing, awaiting her rescue eagerly. It was at this point that an annoyance made itself known.
'Ichigo…I suggest eradicating the tree and catching her mid fall.'
'Aizen…no.'
'Ichigo…yes.'
Cutting the connection to the demi-god in his head, Ichigo grabbed the small girls' waist and promptly lifted her out of her predicament, and her giggling reached his ears.
"We thank you for your service. Now…can you teach us to fly?"
"Huh?"
"Teach us to fly! Like how you are doing now! If we obtain the secrets of this power, then there will be no more need to climb these dangerous trees! Escaping can be easier!" Holding her close to him, he lowered himself and her to the ground slowly, shaking his head in the process.
"Class and study are important kid, you shouldn't be running from your classes."
"But they are boring!"
"Nonetheless. You shouldn't be making people worry when you disappear. Do you think about how they feel when you suddenly vanish?"
"…" Ichigo looked down at her, ears pressed flat atop her skull, and her tails twitching rather sullenly.
'Don't bully her Ichigo. Go bully her teachers. If they cannot make a class exciting enough to enrapture the students attention…they should not teach at all.'
'Aizen…I swear if you don't keep quiet I will find a way to temporarily murder you.'
'My, my Ichigo…is that how you treated your teachers back in school? No wonder they called you a delinquent.'
'I seriously can't deal with you right now…go bother a rock.'
'Very well…you…strange rock…prepare to be bothered.' With that, Ichigo finally managed to cut the connection with Aizen, allowing for a moment of clarity.
"Say, kid…aren't you meant to be in class now?"
"Eep!"
"Haa…come on…let's get you cleaned up before you go back to class." Gently leading her, he ushered her indoors, before making her sit on a stool. "Right, don't move…please."
She nodded, before she started kicking her feet absently, before her face lit up in shock. "You asked me not to move…"
"That's fine kid, I just don't want you to think you need to escape confinement." Chuckling, Ichigo walked over to the closest closet, hoping that there were towels or something he could use to clean her up with, and opening the door, he found exactly what he was looking for. "Score, towels."
"Did you not know? This is the back entrance to the bath house. Of course, there will be towels." She gestured to the closet with an exaggerated pose. Ichigo just shook his head.
"Well, I honestly just got here. I don't know where things are at the moment."
"Oh? How long have you been a servant of Mother?"
"I'm not a servant kid, I was hired as a bodyguard."
"Oh! You must be the one who Mother told me about!"
"No wonder I was sneezing so much yesterday." The girl giggled and Ichigo returned after having found a bowl, filled it with some warm water, and set it down next to her. "Now stop moving." Dipping the cloth into the water, he raised it her cheek and gently started wiping, making sure not to cause her any harm, or to rub to roughly.
"That tickles!" She tried to swat his hand away when he got to the base of her ears, which had somehow managed to get some twigs entangled in her hair.
"Hey! I'm trying to help you here!"
"I know! It just tickles when you scratch like that!" She giggled once again as he pulled yet another small twig from her golden locks. She couldn't help but laugh happily as he managed to remove yet another twig.
"What in everything holy is going on here?" Both Ichigo and Kunou (not that he knew just yet) both turned towards the door, as Yasaka stuck her head in, before her eyes went wide with shock.
"Ichigo-san! What are you doing? Kunou!? Aren't you meant to be in class?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the young child shrink, her ears pressing flat against her head and her tails dropping out of sight.
"Woah! Calm down! I had a small accident when I tried something out…caused a whole ruckus. Sent dirt and sticks flying about all over the place. As it so happened, the kid was showered in twigs…and I thought it best to clean her off before sending her back to class. She so happened to be on a toilet break." Ichigo instinctively moved in between Yasaka and Kunou, who seemed to relax once she was out of her mother's glare.
"Is that so?" Yasaka glared hard at him, hoping her glare would be enough to coax the truth from him, but he stood defiantly, guarding her daughter (that he didn't know about yet) from her wrath.
"Ichigo-san. Kunou has to abide by strict class schedules, ones that were designed to bring out the best in her."
"Yeah, I get that, but you're missing one, just one, important thing."
"Oh? Am I now?"
"Yes…she's a child! It's natural for children to explore and want to see everything that their small, yet infinitely curious eyes can see." He crossed his arms leaned back. "Reminds me of my sisters when they were about this age. I could never, ever, get them to sit still so I could clean their faces." He turned his back to her.
'This brat! He turns his back on me?'
'What a big back! Do you think he could carry you on it once he finds out you're an alcoholic?'
'Mother! Now is not the time for jokes!'
'Does it sound like I am joking. He does bring a very valid point to the argument. She is a child. She doesn't need to know the things you knew at her age. She wasn't born into war.'
'Mother, we shall discuss this later please.'
'Very well. I shall converse with Ichigo-kun later myself anyway.'With that, Yasaka felt the voice of Amaterasu recede from her mind, and she focused back on Ichigo, who was gently patting Kunou's head, which the small fox seemed to really enjoy. Sighing, she gained their attention by clearing her throat.
"I think you two should be introduced."
"I already know who she is. She smells like you, not in a bad way…heightened senses remember." Yasaka frowned when Ichigo kept wiping the dirt from her daughter, acting more like a doting parent than a bodyguard. Noticing her curious gaze, he spoke up. "Sisters."
That seemed to make complete sense to her. Shiba Ichigo had two younger sisters, Shiba Karin and Yuzu. She knew this because she decided to do some checking into his background. She had found many interesting things. First of all, his father was a doctor. Second, his mother passed when he was 9, and he had borne witness to the whole thing.
"Penny for your thoughts?" She looked up to see both Ichigo and Kunou looking at her.
"Do not worry. I was merely lost in thought. Now, back to what we were discussing before. Ichigo-san, you…make a valid point. Keeping Kunou locked away for classes is nothing but a detriment to her growth." Ichigo stood and smiled.
"Right, so, how are we going to make sure tha…oh no." He froze, his eyes started scanning before setting on the horizon. Yasaka looked at him curiously, her self-control taking hold in order to not make her tails sway about to physically display her curiosity.
"Ichigo-san? Is there something wrong?"
"She found me. Quick! You need to hide me! Anywhere! Please! Don't let her catch me!" He darted past her and looked around frantically. "How did she find me? Was is the pulse? Was it Inoue? Chad? Uryu? Maybe that old goat told her…water!" He quickly dived into the bath, shocking both Yasaka and Kunou, who was watching with curious eyes, something that Yasaka seemed to notice, now that Ichigo had pointed it out to her. Coughing slightly, she managed to break through his panic ever so slightly.
"Ichigo-san? What on earth are you doing?"
He popped up out of the bath, looking her dead in the eyes. "I need you to deny my existence."
"Huh?" Ichigo gave her a deadpan stare as the most unladylike response came from her.
"I need you to trust me…and deny my ever being here. You hosted me for a couple days, then once I had healed from the fighting, in order not to draw any unwanted attention to you or your family, I left for Hueco Mundo to live and eventually die. Never to be seen again."
"Master?" Ichigo spun his eyes landing on both Yin and Yang, who were about to enter the warm waters of the bath.
"Sorry girls! You too! Please don't let her catch me!" Diving under the water, Yasaka basically felt him vanish. His entire presence was erased from the area, something she found quite interesting, and something she would most definitely get him to teach her.
"He said he was going to teach me to fly…" Yasaka turned to face Kunou, who seemed rather dejected that his presence vanished.
"Not until you're older kiddo." Yasaka perked up at the sound of a familiar voice. Turing around, Yasaka found herself facing a tall, mocha skinned woman with purple hair.
"Yoru! You made it! How did your business go? It seemed super urgent since you ran off so quickly." Yoruichi Shihoin chuckled when Kunou ran up to her and threw herself at her. Grimacing, Yoruichi caught her and put her down quickly.
"Sorry kiddo, Auntie Yoruichi got into a fight and got hurt. Can't play around with you for a while. I'm here for two things really. First, is to say that I will be out of commission for a bit to heal, that bastard Kisuke forced my Shunko to rampage. The backlash is what hurts."
"Why would Kisuke-kun do such a thing? Isn't he just a shop owner?" Yasaka quickly glanced to her right, making sure that Yoruichi was looking the other way so she wouldn't notice.
"THAT BASTARD IS INSANE! Oh…crap." Ichigo burst from the bath, pointing right at Yoruichi, who grinned, something Ichigo shivered at.
"Second thing I came for. Ichi-kun…you've got some explaining to do."
"Hi…uh…Yoruichi-san…how are you? Are you well?"
'Run…Ichigo…I can feel her bloodlust from in here.'
'I agree with you…for once. Time to leg it!'
Yoruichi watched as his eyes sort of just glazed over slightly, before they refocused and began scanning the room. "Don't you dare…brat."
"Look over there! It's Kisuke!" His hand shot out and pointed in the opposite direction, and Yasaka had to fight the urge to slap her forehead at his use of the oldest trick in the book to try and distract Yoruichi.
"Kisuke you bastard!"
This time, Yasaka did slap her hand against her forehead as Yoruichi spun to face the mad scientist, fury and rage rolling off her in waves for reasons unknown to Yasaka.
"Score!" Pushing himself faster than he had ever gone, he vanished, only the swiftest sound of Shunpo the indicator that he used a movement technique. Realizing her guard was momentarily down, Yoruichi spun, only to catch an afterimage that slowly faded away.
"Tch…damn brat got quick. Not even I could follow him. He's in for a world of hurt once I get my hands on him though."
While all this was going on, Yin and Yang were having a cute sister moment as they bathed together for the first time in a long time, enjoying the warmth of the water and each other's company. Neither of them noticed Ichigo as he darted past, but they did notice how the water suddenly got very cold.
"Master! Your wind cooled the bath water! Give me back my heat!" Waving her fist at the long-gone form of Ichigo, Yang sighed and brought forth her own power over fire, heating the water back up to a lovely temperature, and relaxed back into it, once again enjoying the moment. It was quickly interrupted however, when Yoruichi decided to get in her space.
"I remember you. I killed you. Both of you, back when Kusaka invaded with the Ōin. How are the two of you alive? If I don't like your answer…I'll just kill you again."
"Are you sure you can do that in your current condition, Lady Yoruichi? From what I've heard, the final form of your Shunko is extremely taxing. Not only that, but I also heard rumours that Urahara Kisuke used his Ban-Kai, which means that he was responsible for the stitches going up and down your arms. You try to hide them, but the steam makes your clothes stick to you, revealing the location of what his Ban-Kai did to you. So, let me ask you again. Are you sure you can do that in your current condition?" Yang stood, making Yoruichi straighten, and stared dead into her eyes as she spoke.
"Won't know until we try. By the way…I didn't like your answer." Moving quickly, and ignoring the pain that her body was screaming at to submit to, she drew a knife and lunged, only for her hand to stop dead, caught by golden haired fox.
"Yoru. You are my personal guard, which means there are many things that you can do. I will not, however, let you kill without reason in front of Kunou. Don't make me repeat myself when I say, let this go. If you harm Yang, then Ichigo will really cut every tie with you. He is already walking a wire with Soul Society from what I've been told. Are you sure you want to be the final nail in the coffin?" Glaring at her, Yasaka emphasized her point by gently squeezing Yoruichi's hand.
What many people didn't realize is that Yasaka, in her own right, was extremely powerful. If she were to indulge in the power granted by the Ley Lines of which she was in charge of, then she could easily rival the power of the Crimson Lucifer himself, who is said to be amongst the Top 10 most powerful in the world. The only problem with that, however, is that if she were to do that, it would most likely be her last act, seeing as how the sheer power she would gain would be enough to tear her apart, but she would be able to use it for a few minutes.
Yoruichi grit her teeth as her body screamed out in pain. Dropping the knife, she reneged to the judgement of Yasaka, who sighed in relief. "Thank you, Yoruichi."
"That bastard Ichigo really does have a lot to explain. I'd catch him if I could, but in my current condition, I can barely pull off a thousand flash steps in a row. By now he's probably done a couple thousand…if he's smart." Walking off, Yoruichi threw a tentative wave over her shoulder, grunting in pain as she did so.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ichigo leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets, waiting for Yoruichi to step outside. As he stood there waiting, he decided to consult the man in his head.
'Aizen.'
'And you can then cast a line without worrying about the weight of the lure? Interesting thesis Mr. Rock.'
'Aizen!'
'Forgive me Ichigo…it seems that Mr. Rock here knows how to fish. He said this world was flooded once, and that there was an abundance of marine life.'
'Sounds great. Maybe I can go fishing here one day…anyway…I think Yoruichi deserves to know the truth.'
'The Shihoin Princess certainly has earnt the right. She has been one of your most reliable companions throughout everything. Even more so than Sado-san, Ishida-san and Inoue-san. She trained you for Ban-Kai. She trained you with your mask. She trained you with Fullbring after Ginjo, and she trained with you, even if only temporarily, when you had time on your way up to Wharwhelt.'
'Exactly. I trust her more than the others. It's not that I don't appreciate what they did, and the fact that they got stronger alongside me. It's just that Yoruichi was always a sort of target for me to reach and surpass one day.'
'That day has long come and gone Ichigo. She couldn't even follow your footsteps, or sense your presence in the bath. If you feel as if she is the one person you can call a confidant, then by all means, reveal to her the truth.'
'She is. If there is anyone I trust more than her, it's my Old Man. Kisuke…eh…I'm having trouble ranking him.'
Aizen chuckled. 'Urahara Kisuke has always known more than he lets on. I do believe that he has already learnt of your presence here and what exactly transpired between you and Mother.'
'I don't doubt that. She's coming. Thanks…Aizen.'
'I'm here solely to guide you. You must have faith, that even though my methods are roundabout, they are meant to put you on the path not of greatness or extravagance, but rather of survival. I want you to live, free of Soul Society, and free of the expectations that being a Substitute Shinigami would have been placed on you. I'm sure you felt them weighing you down more than once during your tenure there. Focus now, a mighty foe awaits you.'
'Yeah, let's do this.' He focused back on the real world as Yoruichi walked out of the bathhouse, stretched as much as she could, and groaned in pain.
"Dammit. It's gonna take a long time to recover from this. And these damn stitches itch like crazy."
"I don't recommend scratching them. They could infect the wound. Trust me, you have no idea what kind of crazy shit lives on the palm of our hands." She turned to face him, eyeing him as he smiled sadly at her. "There's a lot we need to talk about. Come, I'll fix you up this time. It's the least I can do." He pushed off the wall, hands still in his pockets, and walked past her. "If there is one thing I remember about this place, it's where the medical room is. You too…Dad. There are some things you need to explain as well." Looking to his right, Ichigo chuckled when Isshin stepped out from behind a tree, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
"Right. Thought I'd get out of this by hiding. I forgot how crazy strong your spiritual sense is."
"I didn't find you with that."
"How'd you find me then?" Isshin crossed his arms, and Ichigo smiled.
"I heard you breathing."
"You're joking."
"Isshin…he's powered by Energizer Aizen…he's on a completely different level now."
"Incorrect, Yoruichi Shihoin. My presence within Ichigo's soul didn't actually affect the amount of power he possesses."Appearing in between them, Aizen merely bowed his head and stood there with his hands in his pockets.
"AIZEN! Since when have you been here you bastard!" Isshin drew his blade, Engetsu, and pointed it at the most wanted prisoner of Soul Society. Smiling Aizen just shook his head.
"A most interesting ploy, Shiba Isshin. But if I didn't know better, then your contact with Urahara Kisuke would have already revealed this situation to you. Even Ichigo knows that you know what is going on. What he wants to know…" Aizen faded away, leaving Ichigo standing alone, with a hurt look on his face.
"Is why you let your family crumple like this? Kukaku and Ganju have to live on the outskirts of town, and always be on the move. Once everything fixed itself after the whole issue with Xcution, why didn't you go back? Why didn't you try?" Isshin sheathed his sword before crossing his arms.
"What would you have expected of me, Ichigo? I abandoned my post and my family to protect your Mother."
"I'm not arguing that. I'm arguing the fact that they don't know that you're still alive!" Ichigo slammed his fist against a tree, splintering it, and let it fall to the ground. "If Mom taught us one thing, it's that family sticks together, even through the worst parts. Now that the Blood War has ended, a simple 'Hello Kukaku, hello Ganju' would have sufficed."
"Right after the Blood War Ichigo, you fused with the H ōgyoku and Aizen. There hasn't been a chance for me to go see them."
"Wrong again. The H ōgyoku broke when Aizen merged with me. The marble crumbled. The reason I was dying was because I never got Juha and Zangetsu back from Ywach. I was supposed to but I never did. Because they were in my soul…I started to crumble. Aizen just replaced them and is holding my soul together." He held his hand up to his chest and sighed. "We're getting off topic here aren't we?"
"We really are. So, to sum everything up. You and Ywach fought. He stole your Quincy powers which were tied to your other powers. But…shouldn't that have killed Ywach if he took your Hollow and Shinigami powers?"
"It should have, but I think the real reason I won in the first place was that he took my powers. He had to devote a lot of his own powers to reducing or nullifying my Hollow powers. Since he had fused with the Soul King he had a lot of Shinigami reiatsu in him, which could have countered the Hollow reiatsu in him as well. It didn't kill him, but I think it did severely weaken him. But then he goes and pulls Zanka-no-Tachi out of his pocket and hurk! Stabs me with it." He does a stabbing motion with his hand to emphasize the point.
Isshin and Yoruichi both stare at him, slightly dumbfounded. "Wait, wait. Ichigo, are you telling me you withstood a blow from Zanka-no-Tachi?"
"Yeah. Hurt like hell and it left a decent sized hole in me. Bigger than the previous hole I had in me by far."
"How many holes have you had in you…Ichigo?" Yoruichi frowned at that statement.
"As far as I can remember…2. First was at the hands of Ulqiuorra Ciffer, blasted a Cero Oscuras right through me. Second was Ywach. Oh! I was almost cut in half by Aizen…I was impaled to a tree when I tried to rescue Senna from the Valley of Screams." He raised his hand and counted each injury he sustained, eventually having to resort to marking them down on the downed tree at his feet. Isshin perked up when he realized something Ichigo had just said.
"There was a Valley of Screams?" Isshin crossed his arms and frowned. "That's not good. If that thing still exists then it could cause serious problems."
"It's gone now. Don't worry." He looked away to hide the pain clearly reflected in his eyes, still trying to figure out how he could remember her when no one else couldn't.
"If you say so."
"Yeah. I should have died many times. Thankfully, death doesn't stick to me." He chuckled slightly when he remembered a great deal of his injuries. "Did you know that Byakuya almost broke my Soul Chain and Soul Sleep. An inch to the right and bye-bye Ichigo." Yoruichi sighed at his antics.
"We're getting off topic. So, no H ōgyoku and no Aizen level power boosts?"
"Nope, neither of those. Aizen is teaching me control though. According to him, my reiatsu control is 'appalling and unbecoming of a Shinigami'…or so he says. I have near perfect reiatsu control these days since I trained with Squad 0. They made sure I had control…and I'm pretty sure I still have the broken ribs that never healed properly from every time my reiatsu slipped and I would get smacked." He gently rubbed his ribs, feeling a couple lumps that shouldn't have been there.
"Right. And according to you, there is no way to remove Aizen from you, right?"
"Yeah…unless you want to kill me in the process. When Aizen removed the H ōgyoku from his chest to enforce his wish, all his previous wounds opened up. Even the one from where I cut him in half. If you were to remove Aizen from me…all my wounds from my battle with Ywach would open up, my chest would explode in a fountain of blood, my right eye would explode, my ribs would cave, my back wou-"
"We get it, it's bad. Right. One more question…well…two really."
"Fire away."
"First: Do you feel despotic? Genocidal? Downright traitorous?"
"Not any more than usual."
"Right…okay…second, why the black?"
"Oh, yeah…I've transcended again…surprise…heh." Ichigo heard Isshin sigh.
"Why Ichigo…you do know you gotta eventually end up using Mugetsu right? The sheer power strain is immense, and your body will start shutting down from the huge amounts of reiatsu flowing through you."
"Not at all. There are many things you don't know about Mugetsu. First of all, it's technically not a 'Getsu' technique, like a Getsuga Tensho or a Getsuga Juujisho. It's actually a 'form'. Sure, the power drain is huge, but if you actually stay in the form, it also maximizes your reiatsu absorption rate as well. It boosts recovery, speed, strength, almost everything. Also, if you're strong enough, then there is the slight possibility of using Mugetsu twice, or even three times if you're lucky during the same instance." Isshin stood dumbfounded.
"We're getting off track. The real question here is…what are you going to do now?"
Ichigo leaned against a tree, crossed his arms and pondered the question. "I'll stick around here. When I'm here, I'm safe from Soul Society. If they try anything, however…I won't sit by idly." He turned his gaze to the wall, where he could sense the faint, almost completely erased reiatsu of a little bee. "You best come out from hiding, Captain."
"And what shall happen to me when I do? Will you hand me over to Aizen, so he can have his ways with me? Or will that fall to you, Kurosaki Ichigo?" Now, Captain Sui-Feng had put on a brave voice, but in reality, she was terrified at the fact that he had sensed her when not even Shiba Isshin or Lady Yoruichi had.
"Nothing will happen to you, geez. Why does everyone think that I'll do something to hurt them. Aizen can't even physically touch anything." He shook his head, before gesturing at Yoruichi to follow him. "If you want to come, then do so. I will be talking about what I plan to do from here, so if the Soul Society wants to know, then I strongly recommend that you come silently and don't piss me off." He closed his mouth and walked off, Yoruichi following close behind, Isshin waiting a few seconds, seeing if the petite Captain actually had the balls to follow. He whistled in appreciation when she appeared next to him, the soft rustle of the grass the only indicator that she had moved.
Glancing at Isshin, Sui-Feng crossed her arms and leaned on her right leg. "He doesn't seem that bad, besides, I do want that information."
"Forever the intel-broker aren't ya?"
"Pipe down, Former Captain Shiba."
"Understood, Shāolíng Fēng." Sui-Feng spun to face him, now that she had moved in the direction that Ichigo had moved in, only to find nothing, Isshin being long gone.
"How the hell did he even know my birth name? Only Lady Yoruichi and my own family know it." She pondered this thought as she started to move again, her senses on high alert for any sign of Isshin so she could kill him. "How did he…"
XXXXXXXXXX
"Ow."
"You're kidding right? Aizen literally snapped your bones like twigs, and yet you complain about a little alcohol swab?"
"It stings."
"Right, right. Hold still."
"Ow."
Sui-Feng walked in just as Ichigo dropped the used swab into a little container, Yoruichi sitting on the end of a gurney. Noticing her enter, Ichigo smiled softly. "Glad you decided to trust."
"I need info." She stood motionless, her mind drifting off as she was lost in thought, something that Ichigo had noticed. He also noticed something else, something that really made him concerned. Something he decided to take care of immediately. He looked at the empty bed next to Yoruichi and pointed at it.
"Ha, sure. Just sit there, and take off your shirt." Sui-Feng nodded, her hands already untying her uniforms obi when she seemed to be brought back into reality by what he had just said.
"Oka-wait, what?" Ichigo frowned when she stopped and gave her a stern look.
"I'm pretty sure that you have some lingering damage to your lower back from the war. I can tell just by the way you stand, and the fact that you're favouring your left leg, and placing all the weight from your body on your right. That isn't something that you can call a habit…that's called being in pain. I want to see if there is anything noticeable, so take off your shirt and lie on your stomach. I'll leave the room if you wish to undress in peace."
"No, don't. I'm used to it. Plus…I feel as if there is no actual point arguing this with you. Former Captain Shiba is a doctor isn't he?"
"Yup, and I tended to pick up a few things. That, and Captain Unohana noticed my interest in medicine so she taught me a few things. Then Tenjirō taught me more and more when we trained in the Royal Dimension, and he made sure that I knew it by the time I left." Whilst he spoke, Ichigo turned around, letting her have a minor amount of decency as she undressed.
"Ready. Also, weren't you tending to Lady Yoruichi?"
"She's fine. There are limits to my abilities. Plus, those stitches were left by Geta-Boshi and his Ban-Kai. I don't wanna meddle with someone else's Ban-Kai as there might be repercussions, and then Yoruichi-san may get seriously injured." He turned around, chuckling when he saw that she had actually draped herself with a towel, leaving only her lower back exposed. "Right, let me have a look." He warmed his hands and got to massaging, feeling her back for any tenderness or severe pain in the form of reactions from the Captain.
"Ow." He raised a brow when he got to the base of her spine, and her entire body stiffened ever so slightly.
"Hm, I'm gonna touch your legs." Without waiting for a reply, he traced his hands down her body, wrapping his hands around her thigh. "Hm. Does this hurt?"
"A little, now move your hands."
"How about here?"
"Again, yes, now remove your hands."
"How about…now?" He pressed his hands down on her ass, applying pressure to her lower half. It took Sui-Feng a second to register what happened, and she was about to spring up into a flying rage, but stopped when the constant numbing pain that she felt from her legs suddenly vanished.
"No-nothing? How?" Ichigo frowned as he let up on her ass, before turning back around.
"Please get dressed and sit on the edge of the bed."
"Ri-right." It took her a second, but when she was dressed and sitting on the edge of the bed, she couldn't feel the numbing pain from her legs anymore. "What's wrong with me?"
"Well, thankfully, it's nothing serious, I mean, not too serious. If left untreated like you were doing then it could have progressed into something that could have affected your ability to perform as a Captain." He glared at her, and he could see her shrinking slightly under his gaze, before she gathered her courage and glared right back at him. "I think you have a type of extension dominant back pain. Do you have pain from standing for long periods?"
"Yes."
"Do you feel stiffness in your back?"
"Yes."
"After using Shunpo or running, do you have short bouts of severe pain?"
"Yes." She noticed the way that Yoruichi was glaring at her as she answered each of Ichigo's questions, shrinking more and more under her idols heated glare.
"Now, does sitting afford some sort of relief?"
"Yes. How did you know?"
"Well, when I applied pressure to your gluteus maximus –"
"You mean when you grabbed her ass?"
"No, Yoruichi-san, I did not grab her ass, the process of grabbing her ass would involve my hands doing the usual 'grabbing' motion." He emphasized with said grabbing motion. "What I did was apply pressure to the nerves in her glutes. She's strained the zygapophyseal joints at the back of the spine, and this is causing inflammation to the nerves that run down from her spine to her legs. The very fact that she feels relief from sitting is a prime factor in diagnosis." He turned back towards Sui-Feng. "I'm gonna prescribe some painkillers and exercises. The meds are to be taken if absolutely necessary, the exercises must be done at least once a day until the stiffness is gone. When that comes around, come back to see me, and we shall run through some exercises that should strengthen the base of the spine and the muscles surrounding it. Please refrain from extreme physical activity in the meantime. If there is a Captains meeting, tell them to bring you a chair so you can sit when your legs start feeling uncomfortable. Do I make myself clear, Captain?"
"Yes Doctor. Thank your for your treatment." She bowed her head to him, something that earned a rather surprised gasp from Yoruichi.
"Never thought I'd see the day where even the Little Bee bows to you." Sui-Feng shot her a look.
"It's only appropriate. He has given me a moment of respite, and is willing to help me overcome this pain that is a remnant from the War. It is only natural to thank a Doctor after he sees you as well, is it not?" Yoruichi chuckled.
"Right, right. Got me there with that one. Fair enough. Yo, Ichigo, are you sure exercise is gonna be enough?"
"It should be. What we want is to loosen the muscles in the back, which will relieve the pressure on the nerves, which will relive both the pain and the stiffness. Then we want to strengthen in order to avoid a repeat." He finished jotting down some rather easy exercises. "I've added some yoga and tai-chi to the list, they're good for stretching and allowing negative energy leave the body. As I said, do these once a day until the stiffness is gone. Once that is gone, it means that the muscles have loosened, and you shouldn't feel any more pain." He handed Sui-Feng the piece of paper with jotted noted and some crude drawings of a stick figure man doing some poses and stretches.
"Couldn't you have drawn these a little better?"
"I could have, but I don't have the time. I need to go talk to Yasaka-sama about what exactly it is that I'm supposed to be doing here. We are supposed to be meeting for dinner in a couple hours if the note in my room this morning was to be taken seriously." He turned his back to them and walked towards the door, before turning and looking back at Sui-Feng. "Tell Soul Society this…I do not wish to fight, after everything I've given for them, all I wish for is at least the benefit of the doubt. As you have seen and experienced, Captain, could you look me in the eye and tell me that I deserve death?"
With that, he walked out the door, leaving Sui-Feng and Yoruichi to ponder the words he left them with. Turning to her protégé, Yoruichi asked a simple question. "So what's the verdict."
"A simple one."
"Oh? Care to share?"
"Kurosaki Ichigo…is not a threat."
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"So you're telling me that you spent a period of time judging his character through a medical examination?"
"Yes, Sou-Taicho. Kurosaki Ichigo has always been the kind of person who placed the care of others above his own, and we cannot deny that fact based upon all the things he has done for us. He has not changed at all. I have also determined that the presence of Aizen Sosuke has not in any way shape or form added to his current level of power. He is actually acting something like a Zanpaktou spirit, seeing as how Kurosaki Ichigo lost his Zanpaktou to Ywach. Without the presence of his Zanpaktou, his soul started to undergo Soul Suicide…however, Aizen Sosuke implanted himself into Ichigo-kuns soul to act as a lynchpin in place of his Zanpaktou."
"Hooo~…" Kyoraku raised his eyebrow under his hat, and a wry smile reached his face, something that all the other captains bar for Sui-Feng, who was kneeling, noticed.
"Sou-Taicho?" She raised her head and looked at him, and she regretted it instantly. Kyoraku leaned forwards a little, a full smile now plastered on his face.
"Ichigo…kun?" Sui-Feng just looked back down, in an attempt to both hide her slight blush and to avoid looking that dumb Captain in the face.
"Forgive the slip of the tongue, Sou-Taicho. But after spending some time talking to him in a civilized manner, Ichigo-kun and I have placed our past differences behind us. He has asked for the benefit of the doubt, and I, for once, am willing to give it to him."
"Good. Cause Central is pushing for us to hunt him down. Tell us, what would happen to us if we were to…say…attack the compound where this Princess of Kyoto is staying?"
"Well…for one, Yoruichi-sama would retaliate seeing as how she's one of the Princesses personal guards these days, and second, Ichigo-kun would turn on us, and seeing as how only he could defeat Ywach, the enemy none of us could touch, I would say we wouldn't have a very good time attacking." Sui-Feng stood and returned to her post, and once she took her place beside the new Captain of Squad 4 Isane, the Sou-Taicho stood.
"We now have to take a vote, for formalities sake. All in favour for attacking the compound of the Princess of Kyoto?" He looked around the room, and wasn't surprised in the least when Zaraki stepped forwards.
"This ain't my vote, but can I get permission to fight Ichigo alone?"
"No."
"Bastard." He stepped back and crossed his arms, annoyance leaking off him in waves. For his part, Toshiro just chuckled. "What're you laughing at, Pipsqueak!?"
"Never change. So that's a 'no' to the suicide mission then?" He turned his eyes to the Sou-Taicho, who nodded.
"It's a no. To frame it nicely for Central, the risk involved in launching a mission against the compound harbouring Kurosaki Ichigo is too great, and we are far too undermanned for any sort of action against him as well. The Millennium Blood War, as the youngsters are calling it, bore too heavy a toll on us, and we lost many close friends and allies. No one is to make any move against Ichigo-kun from this point on, that's a direct order. Sui-Feng, pass this on to Ichigo-kun, and stay with him for the time being, if Central asks, just say you're keeping him under observation."
"Sir." She vanished from her spot.
"Hitsugaya-kun, please gather Ichigo-kuns allies from the World of the Living and bring them here."
"Right away." He too vanished from his spot.
"Kuchiki-san, please bring Harribel-san and Nelliel-san from Hueco Mundo, and if you run into Grimmjow-kun, bring him too."
"Understood, should I bring Renji and Rukia, since they have had more contact with the Hollows than I?"
"Good idea, and the Hollows would be more open to talk to friendly faces." Instead of moving with flash-step, Byakuya simply walked to the door and left on foot.
"Zaraki, bring the prisoners. I think it's time we laid judgement on them, however, I don't want Central to find out what we are doing, since they are getting more and more insatiable in their control."
"Sure thing boss." He broke out into a feral grin, and his reiatsu spiked a little, before darting out of the room, making his way, in a roundabout fashion, to the Maggots Nest, where the prisoners of Soul Society were held.
"Are you sure about this?" Kyoraku turned to his Lieutenant, Nanao, who was looking at him with worried eyes.
"Not at all, but I fear we may have no choice in the coming future."
"Understood, Sou-Taicho."
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A sharp kick to the foot jolted her awake, before a gruff voice made her open her eyes. "Get up. We're moving." Looking at the man before her, she sighed and stood, letting her black hair fall out behind her.
"We're we going, Captain-san?" A look to her left saw her comrades step out beside her, the only three to survive the war.
"Finally getting you processed, then probably sent somewhere else to face your punishment, I wasn't told that much. All I was told, was to keep this silent and between us. You lost the war, and we made it a point to say that we are not the blood thirsty monsters you think we are. Even I am capable of some…" He drifted off, looking out over the rest of the prison. "Let's go."
"Yeah, yeah, Captain Zaraki."
"Shut yer trap, Catnip. If you're that energetic, then carry Basterbine."
"How rude! I can walk just fine."
"Without a leg?"
"…"
"Thought so. Now hurry up." Zaraki turned on his heel, moving quickly and surprisingly silently through the prison, now that he had finally accepted his true power, his control over his reiatsu had become rather precise, much to every ones surprise.
"Well, let's go., Come here Bambi."
"Thanks, Candice. Sorry."
"Not your fault. I knew Gigi was twisted, but I never thought she'd be a fucking psychopath. At least…not to that extent."
"Are you alright there?"
"Yeah, Meninas, we're good. The Captain is waiting for us. Let's go."
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"So, I just found out that Central want's to have you three executed in front of the whole Gotei as an act of dominance, power and control, and that's not something I agree with, and no one else as well for that matter." Kyoraku leaned back in his chair, the cool breeze of the night air gently flapping the papers on his desk. His eyes passed over the three girls who all looked back at him differently.
Meninas just looked at her feet, ever since Ywach stole her power, she had a feeling of emptiness inside that undermined her once defiant personality, reducing her to a more subservient role.
Candice, stared back with her usual defiant eyes, eagerly awaiting the next move of the Sou-Taicho.
And Bambietta, who leaned on Candice, just stared out the window with empty and tired eyes.
Kyoraku let his gaze hang on her a little more than the others, since the trauma she had gone through had been far more…impactful…than the other two. From what he knew, she had undergone zombification at the hands of her once ally and friend, Giselle Gewelle, and then said former ally went on to brutalize and disfigure her corpse, out of both combat necessity and pure enjoyment…and the worst part is that Bambietta remembers almost all of it.
"I have a plan. Though, you might not like it at all." This caught the attention of all of them, who now looked at him. "There is one place that Central 46 cannot go, and if they do, then it will cause all out war, and that is something that we cannot go through again so soon, so you should be safe there for a while, until Central gets to full of themselves and goes anyway."
"Oh? And where is this place?" Candice leaned forwards a little, being extra careful not to tip Bambietta.
"The World of the Living, Kyoto, to be exact. Where you will be placed in the care of one Kurosaki Ichigo."
There it is! Hope you enjoy this one!