THE COVENANT OF THE WITCH

Chapter Four

Ichigo had understood on a hypothetical level that he was being invited to a celebration, and that it would be only reasonable to assume that there would be an upbeat atmosphere. But truth be told, Ichigo had a hard time picturing this city as anything other than unpleasant. His few good memories of this place could easily be counted on one hand, and the bad memories were as numerous as the scars on his body. He thought back on the battles he'd fought back then, battles he'd fought against people who he now called friends. Well, he called one of them a friend, followed by a long list of people he'd met. The long and short of it was that now days he couldn't imagine a situation where he might face Renji, or even Byakuya in a life or death battle. Maybe Kenpachi though, he thought. Yeah, Kenpachi would still definitely try to murder him if he got the chance, and probably with a smile on his face.

A shiver ran down Ichigo's spine, and he found himself glancing around, just to be sure that the murderous 11th division captain wasn't nearby. He knew some of the captains were in attendance. Obviously there was Jushiro Ukitake walking alongside him and his friends, but he'd also spotted Soi-Fon of the 2nd division giving him the ole' stink eye from the perimeter of the festival grounds. If he were being honest, he'd been a bit creeped out by it, so he made a mental note to add Soi-Fon to the list of shinigami who would probably still be willing to kill him. Though he at least gave her credit on the assumption that at least she would probably be professional about it.

Then there was Shunsui Kyoraku, who was apparently in charge of security. Ichigo liked the captain of the 8th, and why not? The man had helped him stop the Sokyoku during Rukia's execution, and had also been cut down while fighting to defend him during the battle in Fake Karakura Town. But Ichigo could hardly picture the flamboyant captain handling security for anything more high stakes than a backyard cookout, never mind what now seemed to be a new national holiday. Ukitake had laughed when he said as much.

"I know Shunsui can seem a little silly, but there really isn't anyone I'd trust more for the job," Ukitake had said.

"Just a little silly?" Ichigo had said in response, which had earned him another laugh.

But Ichigo didn't see any sign of Kenpachi, which wasn't really a surprise. If there was anything less plausible than Kyoraku being head of security, it would be Kenpachi attending what alarmingly resembled the county fair he'd been to one time during a family vacation in Washington. There were all manner of food carts selling just about every type of food you could imagine from traditional Japanese dishes to modern junk food. Across from that were vendors selling clothes, art, games, and there was even a stall handing out toy Zanpakuto to children. Further in he could hear upbeat music being played, and he'd caught a glimpse of a large stage being set up in the center of the festival grounds. Crowds of shinigami and nobles were strung out amongst these activities, most of them smiling and laughing. No, Ichigo couldn't imagine Kenpachi Zaraki coming here, so he allowed himself to relax.

Somewhere in the back of his head, a small voice whispered "He would come here, if Yachiru wanted to come." Alarm bells went off in Ichigo's head as he realized that she absolutely would. He stretched out with his senses. Horror swelled up within him as he felt that terrifying and familiar reiatsu heading this way. Although it was erratic, frequently changing direction. Had Kenpachi gotten lost? If so, then Ichigo hoped he stayed lost.

"I have to admit, this really wasn't the kind of festival I would have expected in the Soul Society," Ichigo said, hoping that some conversation might distract him from the pinprick of terror in the back of his mind.

"It does seem rather unusual, but Urahara assured me that this is a popular form of celebration in the world of the living." Ukitake smiled brightly. "Besides, this seemed like a good opportunity to give the ranks a chance to have some fun."

"So this is his doing," Ichigo muttered to himself.

"It's amazing!" Orihime's head spun wildly as she made an admirable to attempt to take in everything there was to see all at once. "Oh look, they're baking bread over there! Come on guys, we have to get that bread!" The young woman sped away at a speed any normal human would have called blistering.

Chad stepped forward at a casual pace. "I'll keep an eye on her." He paused for a moment. "I don't think we have any money."

Ukitake said "Oh, don't worry about that. You all are special guests here, so I've instructed everyone to cooperate with you."

Ichigo frowned. "Doesn't that seem a little excessive?"

"Nonsense!" Ukitake turned to him. "The Soul Society owes an incredible debt to you. If you hadn't defeated Aizen, then we could have lost our entire way of life. Surely you didn't think you'd be expected to pay at a celebration of that event. And don't worry about the vendors, my division will make sure that they're compensated."

"Heh," Ichigo allowed himself a smile "Well, when you put it like that I suppose its hard to argue." Besides, with as much bread and pastries as Orihime was picking out it was probably just best to accept it and move on.

Ukitake turned his head to the side as if he'd just noticed something. "Ah, Rukia,"

Ichigo turned to look and saw Rukia approaching with a stuffed bunny clutched in her arms and a smile on her face. Next to her stood Renji who was chewing on a meat skewer. The red haired man grunted and offered a lazy wave with his free hand.

"Ichigo, you made it!" Rukia looked around him. "Where are the others?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Uryuu said he couldn't make it, but Chad and Orihime are over there getting something to eat. Not really sure where Kon went though; he took off almost as soon as we got here, said he had something to investigate."

Rukia gave him a disbelieving look. "You brought Kon with you?"

"Yeah, well, the guy doesn't really get out much so I thought it'd be good for him," Ichigo said.

Renji frowned. "Kon? Isn't that the weird talking lion you keep as a pet?"

Ichigo glared. "He isn't a pet, he just happens to live in my house."

"Yeah, in your room," Renji said.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Well here's a news flash for ya Renji, my house only has so many rooms, and I sure as hell ain't letting him stay with my sisters."

"And we've already started." Rukia sighed wearily. "I'll give you two idiots this much, you don't waste any time getting into it."

Ukitake chuckled warmly. "Well, now that you're all together, I think I'll leave you kids to have fun. The main event will be starting in an hour or so, so just head for the stage in the center when you hear the bells ringing."

"Yeah, I meant to ask about that," Ichigo said. "Whats up with the stage; are you guys putting on some kinda performance?"

"Indeed," Ukitake nodded. "The finest actors in the Soul Society will be re-enacting key moments from the war. They've been carefully selected to help promote a triumphant mood."

Ichigo gaped at him, and even Rukia and Renji looked surprised. "You mean I came all this way to watch someone else pretend to be me? What the hell is that?"

Ukitake offered a shrug and continued to smile. "It was another of Urahara's ideas."

Ichigo scowled. "That bastard. The next time I see him I'm gonna shove a Getsuga Tensho right up his-"

"Well well, you must be Ichigo Kurosaki!" Ichigo spun to see a man dressed in a green and gold silk cloak worn over a high quality Shihakusho.

"Benjiro!" Ukitake waved at the newcomer. "Ichigo, this is Benjiro of the Nosaku Clan, and the former Captain of the 3rd division."

Ichigo cocked his head in confusion. "I didn't know you could stop being a captain."

Benjiro shrugged. "Its certainly not normal, but it was an unusual situation. The clan head recalled me to help deal with an internal crisis, so I took a leave of absence. Unfortunately it wasn't a matter that could be resolved quickly. Once I'd been gone long enough, they just quietly replaced me."

"I see," Renji nodded, no doubt trying to look thoughtful. "Once the crisis was over you'd already been replaced, so there was no need for you to leave your family."

"Exactly," Benjiro agreed cheerfully. He turned towards Ichigo and extended a hand. "Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself."

Ichigo shook his hand and felt himself relax. A light buzzing filled his head and his checks flush with warmth. "Uh, its nice to meet you."

"Likewise. I'm sure we'll get a chance to talk properly later on, but for now I'll let you and your friends enjoy yourselves." Ichigo frowned as the man walked away and had to adjust his weight. He felt dizzy, wobbly even.

"You doin' ok?" Renji asked.

Ichigo shook his head and felt it clearing. "Yeah, yeah I'm good." He looked after where Benjiro had gone, but the man had already vanished into the crowd. "Did that guy seem kinda odd to you?"

Renji followed his gaze. "He's a noble, they're all weird."

Rukia pinched her chin thoughtfully. "It did seem odd that he would be so brief in meeting you, all things considered."

"Ichigo, come help!" He whirled around and felt his jaw drop. Orihime and Chad were struggling to make their way back to the group, but they were loaded down with so many bags and boxes that they could hardly move, and they smelled like a small bakery to boot. "We can't carry all of this bread!"

Ichigo sighed, Ukitake laughed.

–

Benjiro considered the traces of Kurosaki's reiatsu that still clung to his hand. He hadn't been entirely sure what to expect; he'd felt the reiatsu of thousands of shinigami and even more hollows in his day, but this was his first time meeting a hybrid face to face. He had been surprised to find that he wasn't really able to detect more than just a hint of hollow power in the boy. He knew that couldn't possibly be right, which meant the boy must have had a solid handle on that part of his soul. That made the boy even more dangerous; it would be impossible to gauge the full extent of the boys power until he'd seen it in action.

He made his way to the seating area where Haruka was enjoying some tea with some of her colleagues. Ren noticed him first and offered a silent nod as greeting. Benjiro gave him a lazy wave in response as he took up a spot standing near the table.

"Well well," Junichiro leaned forward in his seat, scrutinizing Benjiro. "Look who finally decided to show himself."

Goro said "It's been a long time. There were rumors that you'd died and been replaced by a body double. Glad to see that's not true."

Benjiro regarded him with a casual smile. "And who says it isn't true? Maybe I'm just really good at what I do."

"You'd better be damn good at it," Goro said, jabbing an over sized finger at him. "The penalty for impersonating a noble is death after all."

Benjiro adopted a very serious expression. "I see. Well I can't say that sounds terribly fun for me. I guess I'll just have to keep up the deception."

"Nah," Junichiro yawned. "It's been boring for a while now, a public execution is just the sort of entertainment I need."

"Excuse me gentlemen," Haruka set her tea down. "I would like to speak privately with my brother, perhaps we can reconvene later this evening?"

Junichiro said "Only if we don't have to suffer that slop Goro calls food."

He was met with a smile. "Don't worry my friend, you won't have to eat a single bite. The rest of you can have full servings."

Ren stood from his chair. "Until then."

The Nosaku siblings waited patiently while the others gathered their belongings and vacated the area. Only once they were out of sight and earshot did Benjiro take the seat across from his sister who was dressed in a black and yellow kimono that day.

Haruka sipped lightly at her tea before she addressed him. "So, now that you've gotten a look at him, what do you think?"

He considered. "Well, the kids got a crap load of reiatsu, I'll give him that much. I doubt there's much the average captain could do against him if he decided to go all out."

"But can you handle him?" She asked in an impatient tone.

"It depends." He looked down at the surface of the table as he gathered his thoughts. "Do I really need to kill him? He seems like a good guy, maybe it'd be better to just exile him from the Soul Society. You know, make him stay in the world of the living."

She shook her head. "No, it'd be much to dangerous to let him go. If you're squeamish about killing him, then we can keep him imprisoned, but he cannot be allowed to go free. Now, answer the question, can you handle him?"

Benjiro sighed, but nodded. "I've never seen him fight after all, I've just heard stories. Based on what I felt when our hands touched I think I could subdue him if need be, but I'll need to see him in a fight before I can know for sure."

His sister smiled, and there was something just a bit wicked about it. "You won't have to wait terribly long for that opportunity."

He went still and felt himself shudder. "So, our new ally is ready to move forward?"

She nodded in response. "Very soon now. I need you to be at your best, little brother. Everything depends on the next few days. If we succeed, we can bring the Gotei 13 to heel and restore the integrity of the Sereitei."

"And if we fuck it up, we die," Benjiro debated his next words for a moment. "Are you really sure we should be relying on that witch? Even if we succeed now, if people find out about this later then the ensuing scandal would ruin us."

Haruka shrugged. "Once everything is settled then you'll simply have to deal with her."

He met her gaze. "And if I can't?"

She shrugged. "You're going to be the Head Captain, which means you'll have the entire military strength of the Soul Society at your back. No matter how terrible this Yamauba is, even she won't be able to withstand that kind of power."

"You hope," Benjiro muttered. "Besides, whats to stop her from revealing the truth in that scenario just to spite us?"

Haruka scowled at him. "You had best figure something out, because unless you think you can bring the old man down in a duel, this is our only way forward."

Benjiro brushed her off. "Yeah yeah, I know. I'll figure it out, I'm sure there's some winning play I can make." He considered it. "Actually, come to think of it I might have a way to solve both problems."

"Oh?" Haruka leaned forward. "Do tell."

He smiled. "Oh no, I can't go giving away the twist that easily. You'll just have to wait and see."

She held his gaze a moment longer. "Well, it had better be good then."

Benjiro said. "Oh it will be. Now, I think I'm gonna go find something to eat. Kurosaki's friends were gathering a lot of delicious smelling bread, and its got me feeling hungry."

–

Managing security had proven to be about as boring as Captain Kyoraku had anticipated. At first he'd been able to spend some time making his rounds through the vendors and food stalls, which might have been fun if he hadn't been obligated to ask each and every one of them for their papers. Everyone had been friendly and cooperative of course, but it was still a long and tedious process. He had gotten a free meal though, which he had enjoyed considerably.

Now though, he had taken up a post in the main area in order to oversee the preparations for the upcoming reenactment. Ukitake claimed that the theater troupe they'd hired had been recommended by Kukaku Shiba herself, so at least he knew the production value would be top notch. Where entertainment was concerned, the Shiba clan was incapable of accepting second best.

He hoped the bells would ring soon, Shunsui Kyoraku was always in the right mood for a good play, especially one where he would receive a heroic portrayal. Who knew, maybe his popularity among the women's association would go up a bit if the show was a hit. Even if it didn't, he was sure to enjoy himself.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt two familiar reiatsu signatures approaching. He glanced up from the latest form that he'd had to double check, this one certifying that the stage designer was in fact the man he claimed to be, and saw Ukitake and Old Man Yama entering the main plaza from different directions, though they shortly converged on him.

He plastered a lazy smile on his face as he regarded first his best friend, and then his mentor. "Ukitake! Yama! How nice of you to join me here, seeing as this is your guys' show."

"Sorry," Ukitake scratched at the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. "I would have been here sooner, but I wanted to be sure to greet our guest of honor personally."

"Very good," Yammamoto said. "Although the nature of this festival seems different than I had anticipated."

"I wanted to make sure that there was a happy and energetic tone today," Ukitake explained. "First we had the war, then we had to scramble to replace the traitor captains. The truth is, most of our ranks haven't had a chance to really relax since before Aizen's defection."

"Hmph," Yammamoto glanced back towards the main sprawl. "I suppose it will be good for morale."

"At any rate, preparations are just about done over here," Kyoraku said. "The stage is fully assembled, and the theater master tells me that his people are ready to start whenever."

Old man Yama looked to Ukitake. "Excellent, then let us begin at once."

The white haired captain frowned. "Really? Don't you think it might be good to allow everyone to enjoy the festivities for a bit longer?"

"Later," the old man replied. "For now it is most important to make sure that everyone is reminded of our enduring spirit, so that they can continue to carry it forward for generations to come."

"No pressure," Kyoraku muttered, and he could tell that Ukitake had to work hard not to chuckle in response.

The old man turned and shouted at a nearby employee. "You there, ring the bells at once! It is time for the show to move forward."

Ukitake sighed. "Here I thought I was running things today."

"Don't worry," Kyoraku clapped his long time friend on the back. I'm sure there will other chances to exercise your authority before the day is done."

Once the bells started ringing, additional shinigami from the 8th began to move into position, helping to guide new arrivals to their seats as the theater area began to fill. Shinigami and nobles alike filtered in and began filling seats, talking amongst themselves in happy and excited tones. Shunsui caught his old friends eyes, and saw the satisfaction and contentment there. His own heart filled with an equal measure of joy at the sight, and he returned to his own duties with a renewed enthusiasm.

It didn't take long before Ichigo's group filtered in, carrying a truly alarming quantity of bread. Based on the wide smile on Orihime Inoue's face, and the mildly baffled looks that Ichigo and Chad were sporting, it was easy enough to guess who was responsible. They were followed shortly by Benjiro and Haruka Nosaku, the former of whom offered him a solemn nod as he took his seat.

Kyoraku frowned briefly in the direction of his one time subordinate, but quickly turned his attention back to Ichigo. He approached the substitute shinigami with a welcoming smile. "Ichigo, welcome." He gestured at a group of seats which had a completely unimpeded view of the stage. "Your group has been assigned seats over here."

"Thanks," Ichigo said as he made his way over. "I don't suppose you know what, exactly, this performance will be covering?"

The flamboyant captain could only offer a non committal shrug. "I can't say I do. But between you and me, I'm hoping for a flattering portrayal."

Ichigo scowled. "I don't like the idea of seeing somebody else pretend to be me."

Kyoraku could understand that. He'd been around for many centuries now, so he'd been in somewhat similar situations on a few occasions. "Try not to worry about it. If nothing else, it can be fun to laugh at the misconceptions that people have about you."

"That's true!" Orihime interjected excitedly. "One time in the third grade I was in a play, and the other girls thought I would be no good, but I was actually so good that everyone gave me a standing ovation!"

Kyoraku graced her with a friendly smile. "Oh? What role were you playing?"

She smiled at him. "I was Humpty Dumpty!"

Kyoraku blinked. "Uh-huh. Well, its best if you take your seats, the show will be starting soon."

As it turned out, he wasn't wrong. Mere moments after the visiting humans had taken their seats, the theater master took to the stage and began to speak to the assembled crowd. "My fellow souls, mighty shinigami and proud nobles alike, today I come before you to share a story which I have no doubt will echo throughout our history from now until the end of days. Its a recent tale with which you are no doubt familiar. It is a tale of treachery and deceit, loss and triumph, battle and courage. But above all else, it is the tale of an unexpected hero who, in our darkest moment risked everything to buy our salvation. Ladies and gentlemen, on this fine day I proudly present to you the tale of The Winter War!"

This announcement was followed by a polite round of applause, and then the show began. Kyoraku would give the performers credit, between the wigs and the make up, all of the actors looked the part. He watched as depictions of various shinigami he knew, such as Byakuya, Hitsugaya, and of course Ichigo himself flitted across the stage engaging in mock battles with equally well presented mock arrancar. Every so often the theater master would return to the stage to provide whatever context was needed to understand the following section before once more retreating behind the curtains.

The overall portrayal of events was rather optimistic, Kyoraku thought. In almost every instance the shinigami characters were shown to be unambiguously triumphant in their battles, even though the true battles had been a struggle. Only Aizen was portrayed as a true threat in the play, although even he wasn't shown to be nearly as dangerous as he had been in reality. He supposed that was to be expected; it wouldn't do much to inspire confidence if the rather miserable defeat of the Gotei 13 were to be shown in front of everyone.

As the play was nearing its final stage, Kyoraku snuck a look first at Ukitake, and then at Old Man Yama. He turned just in time to see a green flicker of light in the old man's eyes, followed by a pained expression. He frowned, and had just started to step forward when everything started to go wrong.

Suddenly, blood erupted from the nose and mouth of the Head Captain. The panicked cry was still rising up in Kyoraku's throat when the old man doubled over, and a towering pillar of fiery reiatsu erupted from his body in an explosive release that immediately consumed those who were seated the closest to him. Screams rose from the assembled crowd, and those who weren't being crushed by the sudden release of power or burned in the flames began to run.

Kyoraku saw Benjiro across the way, and met the man's gaze. His one time subordinate looked calm. To calm, as if he'd known this was about to happen. The 8th division captain turned to face the noble fully, but Benjiro gestured behind him. He turned to see a flash of green light in Ichigo's eyes, just like the one that he'd seen in the Old Man's.

Then the substitute shinigami drew his sword.

–

Ichigo would never have admitted it, but on some level he had been enjoying the play. The over the top, exaggerated performances had almost been enough to draw out a laugh from him. Next to him Orihime had been watching with rapt attention, enthusiastically cheering on whichever shinigami was being portrayed at any given moment. Fortunately very little of his battles in Heuco Mundo were shown, only a couple of brief highlights to provide the context needed to understand the narrative. That was fine by him, there were some moments in that conflict that he'd prefer to leave in the past.

But then everything had gone wrong. He heard screaming, turned to see blood pouring down the old mans robes. Then the fire had come, a raging inferno that was enough to dry Ichigo's skin and crack his lips even from this distance. He watched as first the flames dissipated, and then the old man slumped to the ground with a moan.

Ichigo started in that direction, but paused. He felt a sudden certainty that there was danger nearby, an enemy. He turned and saw a hollow racing across the plaza towards the old man, its claws out and gleaming.

"Look out!" He drew Zangetsu from his back and flash stepped into the monsters path, his sword descending in a powerful slash meant to split his adversary in two. The hollow twisted away with surprising speed, managing to avoid taking any fatal damage, though Zangetsu still tore a deep and bloody wound. The hollow fell to the ground, and Ichigo moved to finish it off with his next swing.

Kyoraku suddenly appeared in front of him, sword in hand and raised to block Ichigo's swing. The sound of steel clashing against steel echoed throughout the plaza. Kyoraku said "What are you doing?"

Ichigo opened his mouth to answer, and felt himself go numb as he looked past the 8th division captain. Ukitake lay on the ground behind the flamboyant man, a deep gash running down his torso. A gash just like the one Ichigo had inflicted on the hollow, which had been exactly where Ukitake now lay.

Ichigo stumbled backwards in horror. "I don't understand."

Off to the side, a woman in a black and yellow kimono stepped forward and pointed at him. "I am Haruka, head of the Nosaku clan, and representative of the Central 46! Soldiers of the Gotei 13, this man, Ichigo Kurosaki has attempted to murder one of your own! I command that you bring him down at once!"

Ichigo's mind was racing a mile a minute. He couldn't understand what was happening, he knew that he'd been swinging at a hollow. He could have sworn his life on it, but now Ukitake lay in a spreading pool of his own blood, suffering from a wound that Ichigo had inflicted. Somehow he had been tricked, he had to have been. He looked around and saw many shinigami reaching reluctantly for their swords. Even Soi-Fon had emerged from the crowd, a look of cold determination painted across her face.

Ichigo cried out "Wait! You don't understand, this isn't what you-"

Ichigo's words were cut short as an incredibly powerful wave of reiatsu washed over the entire area. Most of those who hadn't already managed to run were driven to their knees and the rest felt themselves touched by an impossibly strong blood lust. The substitute shinigami whirled to face the source of that power.

Kenpachi Zaraki grinned back at him. "Finally."