Hey everyone, it's been a while but I'm back now with the latest chapter.
I've really been getting excited about writing again lately and I've made some more progress with the plot of this story. Also, I finally know how I want it to end which helps because I actually have something to write towards, whereas previously I was just writing blindly.
With this chapter, we have now breached the one hundred thousand word mark for Guardian of the Dead which is incredible. Now that I have a better idea of where I want this story to go it's kind of a daunting task, by the time all is said and done I could see us easily reaching half a million words which is a lot.
But, even more than the word count I have to give a huge thank you to everyone who has supported this story so far. I know it's a cliche thing to say but I honestly never thought GOTD would ever grow to be as big as it is. We're nearing nine hundred favourites and have already breached a thousand followers and that's just unbelievable. I can't thank you all enough for allowing this story to grow as much as it has,
Anyways, enough of the sappy stuff, please enjoy chapter 9!
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, Highschool DXD, nor any of their respective characters.
Guardian of the Dead
- Chapter 9 -
It was one of those things that couldn't quite be explained, one moment Issei had been sailing through the air with a lecherous grin on his face and his perverted technique ready to strike and the next his face was mashed up against a translucent wall. There was a mix of confused and worried looks directed towards this era's Red Dragon Emperor, the sole exception being Koneko who looked quite pleased with this turn of events. Her dislike for perverse actions and subjects was well known and so as much as she wanted to for the peerage's sake, she found it very hard to get along with the embodiment of lust that she was teamed up with.
The sound of glass shattering rang throughout the courtyard as the shimmering wall fell apart, with a speed no human could match Rias made to grasp a piece in hopes of discovering not only what this strange form of magic was that she'd never seen before, but who cast it. She huffed out in annoyance when just as her fingers were closing in on the shattered glass fragment it dissipated into nothingness, leaving naught a trace that something had ever been there in the first place.
She sighed out as her head tilted upwards towards the two exorcists, "Since it appears we've been interrupted let's just call it here, the both of you have clearly won," it was obvious she wasn't happy with the performance of her two servants. She had a look on her face that said training would be happening as she knelt next to the downed Issei.
"Very well, I hope you'll keep in mind what we discussed before," Xenovia simply replied, though before completely turning to leave the blue-haired exorcist shifted an uncaring gaze towards Issei who was massaging a sore spot on his forehead from his place on the ground. "I will give one warning to you as well, the Vanishing Dragon has awoken, you will meet him eventually though with your current state you would stand no chance of victory."
Even as she spoke such harsh words her voice was flat. It was obvious that she didn't care what fate befell Issei, in fact, if this so-called 'Vanishing Dragon' were to eliminate him she'd probably look at it as one less devil she had to kill. Issei didn't bear ill will towards her because of that though, he understood that the Angels and Devils were natural enemies. Even though there was peace right now he'd learnt from Rias that it wasn't really peace just yet, more of a 'you stop killing us and well stop killing you' kind of thing, a very fragile ceasefire at best.
Not waiting for a response the exorcist turned on her heel and began walking away prompting her chestnut haired partner to frantically don her white robe once more and take chase lest she is left behind. Slowing down briefly she left her childhood friend with some parting words, "Just come and find me if you ever feel like being judged Issei, and please never use that technique of yours again! Amen!"
All eyes shifted towards the downed Dragon Emperor as an unsettling and perverted chuckle escaped him, "You are a worthy foe Irina Shidou, but do not be mistaken! When next we meet I will be even stronger and your clothes will stand no chance of survival!"
Instantly he could feel the cold eyes of the school's mascot on him though that was to be expected, despite his best efforts so far Koneko still wasn't very fond of him. And well, it probably didn't help that he was mere inches away from accidentally stripping her bare just moments ago.
A short distance away from the laughter and teasing of the Gremory Pawn, the lone Night whom just suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the very sword which caused him so much pain and suffering from a young age was trying and failing brilliantly at controlling his emotions, suppressing the hate, the dark all-encompassing desire for revenge which burned anew in his heart.
He'd been living as a zombie for so many years, ever since Rias came to him that night and offered him a chance at a new life, a better life. Ever since he finally got a taste of what it was to be loved, to be cared for, to have a warm home, a comfy bed and more food then he could ever eat he'd lost sight of his true purpose. The purpose which only he could do as the sole survivor and carrier of his comrade's grudges, his purpose of destroying Excalibur.
He hoped that he would be able to walk away without anyone noticing just for the sake of avoiding this awkward situation which would surely arise but it seemed that luck was not on his side. So as his master called out to him he could only tense up and clench his fists in hopes that she wouldn't try and force him to stay.
"Kiba, I can't allow you to go," her voice was firm but compassionate, it didn't take a genius to figure out what was on the swordsman's mind and what he planned to do, and knowing his past she couldn't blame him for feeling as he did.
Still, Kiba did not turn to face them, instead, he just spoke with a solemn tone, "I know President, that's why I'm sorry."
With a few quick steps Rias was no more than a foot away from him, her hand grasping his wrist tightly, "Please stay Kiba, we've been together a long time and I know what you're feeling but this isn't the way to do it, you could be labelled as a stray if you go through with this and be hunted, then nothing will be accomplished."
Her tone was pleading and it deg deep into his heart, he wanted to stay, so badly he did, but he couldn't, and so with a small flick of his arm he broke free from her grasp and vanished with the speed gifted to him as a knight, leaving his friends to stare at the spot where he once stood.
All attention shifted to Rias who still hadn't retracted her arm from its outstretched position, she was at an impasse for what to do. On one hand, Kiba was the boy she saved so many years ago and an irreplaceable part of her family, on the other hand, she was the Heiress to the house of Gremory and one wrong move from Kiba could potentially restart the great war.
If such a thing were to happen all the blame would fall on her shoulders as his master. Now, that particular thought didn't bother her, she would gladly be reprimanded for one of her servant's actions if what they did meant something to them, but this was about a lot more than just her. Her family and more notably her brother who was one of the current four Satan's of the underworld would be on the line too, and because of that, she couldn't act recklessly like she normally would.
Therein lies the problem.
Does she report what has just transpired to her brother so that precautionary measures may be taken, or does she feign ignorance and give Kiba a chance to accomplish his goal, to free his heart of turmoil which holds him down. It wasn't a decision she could make lightly nor was it one she could spend too much time pondering, perhaps she could discuss it later with Sona.
'If only there was someone unaffiliated with Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels that could interfere without facing the risk of restarting the great war..' with that final thought she signalled to the rest of her peerage that activities were done for the day and they would reconvene tomorrow. She had some thinking to do.
~ Kuoh Academy, Sunday Morning
"Alright, so the reason we have gathered here again is because I'd like to discuss what happened yesterday during the fight with the exorcists," Rias started from her position at her desk, Issei and Asia were sat on one of the couches on the room, Koneko was opposite to them and Akeno was stood at Rias's side like usual.
Despite the ordeal with Kiba going on Rias didn't let it affect her mood, she had broached the subject with Sona and the Sitri heiress had told her just what she needed to hear. Quite simply that Kiba wasn't a fool. He was overcome with resurfaced feelings of anger and hatred which was why he was out on this solo mission of revenge, but he wouldn't let that cloud his judgment to the point where he would do something as foolish as jeopardizing the fragile peace between the three great factions.
For now, they would keep quiet about it and just monitor the situation from afar with their familiars. Sona said it perfectly, sometimes people have inner demons that they must conquer alone, that if someone does it for them then deep in their heart the problem will never be truly healed.
"That translucent wall which stopped Issei was unlike any magic I'd ever seen before, the fact that there was no magic circle present only makes it all the more confusing," this was also something that she'd discussed with not only Akeno but Sona and her Queen Tsubaki as well. Both of them were quite knowledgeable when it came to the technicalities of magic for their age.
The one constant between the four of them, however, was this, "To my knowledge, there has never been a person or race that could utilize magic without a magic circle, this is unprecedented and could potentially provide substantial advancement in how we use magic. So with that said I need to ask if anyone noticed anything odd or suspicious at all during the fight, anything that could lead to the origins of this magic?"
Unbeknownst to the rest of the occupants in the room, in the depths of Issei's soul the Welsh Dragon, Ddraig was pondering something that brought his mind no small amounts of concern. He recalled back to a short while ago when he'd shared with his current host and his comrades a tale from his time as a true Heavenly Dragon, the tale in which he fought against a true demon of fire.
There was one thing he didn't mention about that fight, not because he was withholding information, but because it never actually clicked in his mind that what the man was doing shouldn't be possible. He wielded a fire hotter than any he'd ever seen, moved at speeds most could only dream of, and held enough strength in his fists to shake the very earth to its core and yet not once during the whole fight did the man ever summon anything even resembling a magic circle.
This was a reason for concern because just as the Gremory heiress said, there was no magic circle associated with that barrier. Now there was no definitive proof of this but the most logical answer would be that right now in this very town, a member of the Shinto Faction and more specifically their Royal Guard was active, someone who his wielder currently would stand no chance against.
It bothered the Red Dragon Emperor because times had changed, no longer did he merely give power to his wielders for a chance at killing the white one, that had gotten old so long ago. He found it much more interesting now to give his wielder power and let them use it for whatever they wished.
Would they be selfish and use it for personal gain? Would they be selfless and use it to help others? Or would they let the power consume them and turn their hearts black, going on a rampage of destruction and murder until their bodies could no longer take it and they'd die? To see all these different paths that a humans mind could take them was fascinating, and he wanted it to continue.
His current wilder was no different. Sure he'd had some hosts in the past which liked woman a little more than the next guy, but he'd never had one so obsessed with woman and more specifically their breasts than Issei Hyoudou, it was interesting in its own way. He enjoyed the peace which filled the world right now and he enjoyed watching his current host stumble through life as he did.
He would be sad if Issei died but that was where the problems began, there wasn't all that much Ddraig could do to make him stronger quickly. In terms of strength, he was a below average human born from two below average parents with not a single trace of latent magical potential at all. This wasn't a case of starting from zero and working your way up, this was starting in the negative and trying to get back to zero before you could even think about going further.
If all this wasn't enough to deal with it was confirmed earlier that Albion had woken up, meaning he'd found a new host, one that could have had a complete opposite start from Issei. A person born from Magician's with overflowing magical power and potential, that would be the worst case scenario though thankfully it was unlikely.
The Welsh Dragon threw his senses back outwards when he noticed his wielder perk up, it seemed that the Nekomata had risen her hand to speak.
"Yes, what is it Koneko?" this was what Rias had been hoping for, even though she was completely untrained in her powers Koneko's sense was still far superior to any of theirs. If anyone was going to notice something then it would be her.
"Someone came halfway through and watched the fight, they left after that magic was used."
Rias perked up at this, she figured that someone had been watching because who else would have summoned that barrier otherwise but if Koneko had gotten a good feel of their energy then maybe they could head to where they were watching from and look for clues or residual energy to study. "Could you pinpoint their location?"
The white-haired girl shook her head lightly in response causing the other people in the room to slightly deflate, it was worth a shot.
It was surprising though, "Why? Is there something interfering?"
Once more she shook her head prompting a couple brows to raise in confusion, "It felt like they were everywhere."
That rose some brows though this time out of surprise more than confusion, how could it feel like they were everywhere? After slightly contemplating those words for a few seconds Issei rose his left arm slightly into the air and inquired about their dilemma to the legendary being tied to his soul.
"Ddraig, do you know anything?"
A flash of red briefly blinded the room before leaving to reveal the familiar gauntlet of the Boosted Gear. [Mm, the little one is right in saying it felt like they were everywhere, I could sense it too. It's not a special technique or anything like that, just simple energy manipulation.]
"eh? What do you mean?"
Ddraig sighed internally, his wielder still had a lot to learn. [To put it simply, whoever the spectator was, spread their energy out thinly all over the surrounding areas so that they could blend in seamlessly to the surroundings, meaning even if you knew they were there you wouldn't be able to pinpoint them.]
Rias held an impressed gaze, "Which means whoever it was isn't low levelled.."
[Correct, the amount of energy required to pull off such a feat would outstrip any of you in your current states, furthermore they've demonstrated that they have a fine control over their power however vast it may be, they are likely quite experienced in combat and at the very least have spent many long hours training.]
The Gremory group deflated at those words, they knew Ddraig wasn't trying to insult them but this was information that had to be said and it was depressing to hear that this unknown person outclassed them, likely by a wide margin. If this unknown was an enemy than Rias and her Peerage probably wouldn't stand a chance at winning.
Sensing their distress the Heavenly Dragon tried his hand at comforting, [Don't let it get under your skin too much, I don't believe this person is an enemy. Based on power alone they had no reason to hesitate in attacking you earlier, more so, they used that barrier to defend Koneko and Asia from my wielders perverted technique.]
The fact that Ddraig had just taken a jab at his technique completely left Issei's mind as he was reminded of the previous day's unfortunate turn of events, "That's right! That bastard! I was so close to seeing boobs and then they had to interfere, they'd better hope we never meet cause I'll make them pay!"
Upon finishing his wild declaration he shrunk back into his seat, Asia was smiling bashfully and Rias and Akeno thought it was funny, Koneko herself wasn't so much a fan though, instead, she was currently glaring daggers at the pervert, no doubt wishing that her gaze could kill him.
Perking up at her desk Rias grasped the room's attention with a small clap of her hands, "That's right, I just remembered! Sona said that tomorrow there's going to be a new third-year transfer student, an Ichigo Kurosaki if I recall correctly."
To her right, Akeno rose a hand to her mouth as she giggled, "Ufufu, Strawberry-chan huh?"
"Another girl for Issei-senpai to pray on.. how sad." this comment earned another giggle from Akeno as Issei started crying fake tears and whining about how mean Koneko had been lately. Unknown to him his troubles as a pervert were only going to get worse because it wasn't a girl he'd be seeing tomorrow but a man who most woman would agree was the reincarnate of Adonis.
~ Monday Morning
Ichigo had slept better than he thought he would, it was his first night in this new world and asides from the companion in the depths of his soul he was completely alone. He wasn't really nervous about starting at his new school, he'd been punched, kicked, stabbed, sliced, had holes blown through him, been shredded by Byakuya's Senbonzakura. Ulquiorra had thrashed him so badly his bones had pretty much become dust and he'd even died a couple times to top it all off.
Something like starting at a new school was so far down on the 'wow' scale it wasn't even funny.
He wasn't worried about the fact that he was behind a good couple months either. After doing some exploring yesterday and checking out his new apartment he'd sat down and browsed through the new textbooks and honestly there wasn't anything that he had to try to hard to figure out. He supposed that Ishida was owed a thank you the next time they met, that bastard was so hell-bent on making sure Ichigo didn't flunk classes while saving the world that he'd actually forced Ichigo to go a little bit ahead in the curriculum.
Speaking of the town itself, it was really nice. He'd taken his time exploring it with a mix of ground and air travel and had mentally marked out a couple key locations he would be frequenting. It was a fairly large town but it wasn't overly crowded or noisy, it was a place he felt he could enjoy living. His apartment was just as nice as expected, it was a modest two bedroom suite with a great view and no more than a couple years old. It would be perfect for when he needed to wind down and be to himself.
Looking himself over in the mirror he wasn't sure what to think, the Kuoh Academy uniform wasn't bad per say, but it was just a little too fancy for his taste's. And what was up with the three layers anyways? He would be far to warm in all that clothing and as such decided to forgo wearing the stripped middle-shirt and ribbon. What the hell kind of guy wanted to wear a ribbon anyway? It was obvious that this school had recently gone co-ed if that was part of the male wardrobe.
The teacher would probably give him shit for it but oh well, he didn't wear the Karakura High uniform properly either. So with those two items of clothing gone, he was left with the black pants and blazer, a white v-neck shirt and black dress shoes, it would do.
The walk to school wasn't as pleasant as he thought it would be, sure it was a nice morning and the streets were fairly clear asides from other students but in this case that was exactly the problem. He was starting to understand just how lopsided the ratio of girls to boys really was, and oh god the attention.
His bright orange hair was drawing the gazes of the men and woman around him, his appearance was holding their attention and once they noticed that he was wearing the same uniform as them the gossip started.
"Oh my, who is he?"
"Isn't that our uniform?! Kyaa! I'm so glad we became co-ed now!"
"Should we go say Hi to him?"
"What?! Are you crazy? Look at him, he's way out of our league."
"Oh look, he's scowling now."
"..Mmm, that's pretty nice too. I wouldn't mind if he disciplined me."
"Oh my god, you pervert! How can you say something like that out loud?!
... but now that you mention it.."
And with that Ichigo officially tuned out the rest of the outside world. It would be best if he didn't hear the rest of that conversation otherwise he didn't think he'd be able to keep the blush from rising to his cheeks anymore. The newest student of Kuoh Academy could feel the amusement radiating from his Zanpakuto spirit.
"You're too stiff Ichigo, as long as you respect woman there isn't anything wrong with enjoying your youth. And don't try and act high and mighty, when our souls were bound I was given access to your memories, thoughts, and feelings and I witnessed firsthand some of your more adventurous fantasies during your times living with Rukia Kuchiki as well as when you were trained by Yoruichi Shihoin."
'S-Shut up! I don't know what you're talking about.'
"Oh really? Well if those two don't ring a bell there was another that I remember seeing quite often, one involving the Second Division Captain. She was always quite hard on you but I was surprised to find out that you have such a sadistic streak in you, I wonder how she would react to you thinking about dominating her, I-"
'Fine! Fine! Fine! I get it, I'll try and loosen up a bit so please stop!'
"Hm, I'm glad we could work something out, now then you should probably do something about that red face before you get to school, wouldn't want people thinking you were a pervert would you?"
The remainder of the walk had been spent silently cursing out Ryujin Jakka who just continued to ignore Ichigo, the Zanpakuto had accomplished its goal and thus left Ichigo so silently fume. He'd returned to normal by the time he arrived though as soon as he crossed the gates to enter the school ground it felt like he was being watched.
He wouldn't put it past the Devil's to have set up some sort of observations around the school as this was technically their base of operations, it would only make sense to secure it. 'But man, there sure are a lot of Devils here..' it was kind of crazy to think about all the humans here who had no idea what they were really living alongside.
It made him glad to be in the position he was in. Sure, for some people it would be scarier knowing that monsters you are told about when younger to scare you are actually real, but in his opinion what's scarier is the unknown. Always looking over your shoulder or down a dark alleyway wondering if there was some horrific demon there and you just couldn't see it, he wouldn't want to live like that.
Brushing those thoughts from his mind he continued onward to the main building, he still needed to check in with the main office so he could get his schedule and maybe a nod in the direction of his classroom. He didn't really want to ask any of the students here as the first day hadn't even ended and they were already pissing him off. The males were glaring at him and the girls were staring at him like he was candy, this would get old really quickly.
"It seems like the start of your school life is about to get better too."
It didn't take long for the meaning of Ryujin's words to be realized, at the top of the large staircase before him stood the Student Council President and Heiress of the Sitri family, Sona Sitra and her Queen Tsubaki Shinra. He had heard about them, apparently, they were both the diligent, serious, proper rule-abiding student type's which was fine, but it made Ichigo think that maybe they wouldn't get along so well. Sona was already eyeing him as if he was a walking violation.
A couple seconds and a few strides later and the both of them were no further than arm's reach away, all the students around them had stopped and gone silent, interested to see what was going on with the mysterious new person.
"I am the Student Council President of Kuoh Academy Souna Shitori, and this is the Vice President Tsubaki Shinra. May I ask who you are? I recognize our uniform but not your face."
She had quite the impressive presence, Ichigo could see a lot of students being scared to get on her bad side though for him it was a little different. It wasn't that he didn't want to take her seriously, but with both of them craning their heads up due to the height difference it kinda killed the whole serious atmosphere.
"I'm the new transfer student, Ichigo Kurosaki." just briefly Sona's and Tsubaki's eyes widened though not long enough for a normal person to catch it, 'Odd, I'm sure she was aware of my transfer, maybe she expected someone else?'
Sona hummed briefly in thought before giving him another once over, stopping briefly at the neckline of his shirt, "You're uniform is lacking a couple articles of clothing, surely you wanted to make a better first impression than this?"
Ichigo gave her a dry look, "Nah, it's fine like this, that other stuff wasn't really necessary so I threw it out," He didn't miss the twitch of annoyance above the Student Council Presidents eye as he waved his hand dismissively at her comment.
The most annoying thing for Sona was that there actually wasn't a rule stating that the boys had to wear the ribbon or middle shirt, as long as they had on a respectable undershirt, the blazer, pants, and the shoes they were technically within school regulations so there wasn't much she could say. Not willing to go down without a fight however she attacked from a different angle, "Dyed hair is against school rules."
This time it was Ichigo's turn to hum in thought, meanwhile inwardly he was smirking because no matter what he thought of her the girl had come at the perfect time, "What's her excuse then?" he could've sworn he heard Sona tsk under her breath as his eyes flashed to the top of the stairs where Sona herself had first appeared.
It seemed that Sona would be going 0-2 today versus this new student. Due to her energy sensing abilities she didn't even need to turn around to see who Ichigo was talking about but for sake of keeping her secret she did, and up there with her bright red hair was her best friend Rias Gremory. The Gremory in question met eyes with Sona quickly before heading back to the man in front of her, an action which she mimicked.
With one last effort at beating Ichigo she spoke up, "As hard as it may be to believe, that's her natural hair colour."
Ichigo met her gaze once more and simply replied, "And this is mine."
Sona accepted her defeat and dropped the subject at that, after handing Ichigo his timetable and telling him where his classroom was she went back upstairs to meet with Rias.
She would admit that she was curious, it wasn't very often you got a third-year transfer student especially one so late in the year. Couple that along with the fact that she could feel the person's energy before they even entered the school grounds was enough to lour her from the ORC club room and out to the main hall to see who this person was.
It wasn't as if they're energy was massive and overflowing all over the place, no it was because it was so tightly held in and compressed that it warranted some looking into. It was obvious that whoever, or whatever this person was, they had power and were at the very least trained in controlling it so that it didn't leak out. This could be another potential Peerage candidate for her and if that was to be the case then she definitely wanted to beat Sona to the punch.
Yeah the issue with Riser was resolved but she never wanted to feel that helpless again, and so she would keep going until her peerage was full and train herself and her servants to be the very best they could be.
When she reached the main hall instead of stepping right out into the open she leaned against the pillar on the right and used her heightened Devil senses to listen in on the conversation. The first shocking discovery was that 'Strawberry-chan' wasn't a '-chan' at all, it was a male which was odd, why would their parents name their son after a strawberry? Ignoring that for the moment she focused on the second shocking discovery, the guy was actually managing to get under Sona's skin which was a feat all in itself.
After hearing their argument touch on his supposedly 'dyed' hair she decided that it was time to see this mystery person once and for all and oh boy she wasn't disappointed. The guy was a looker alright. 'Issei really isn't going to like this,' she thought to herself with a small giggle. Focusing on her best friend and the new guy once more she was interested to hear that his hair was actually natural, well with hair like hers it wasn't all that unbelievable.
A couple more brief exchanges later and Sona was walking back up the stairs towards her, Tsubaki following shortly behind. As soon as the Sitri Heiress was within earshot Rias opened the conversation. "So what do you think of the new student?"
Sona's mouth twisted into an annoyed mockery of a smirk before responding, "His mind is just as sharp as his tongue."
That comment earned her a short huff of laughter, "Mm, it's not very often I see you on the losing end of an argument."
"Don't remind me," shifting her glasses back up the bridge of her nose she addressed her queen, "Tsubaki, what did you think of Kurosaki-san?"
It didn't take long for the girl to respond, though her answer wasn't totally as expected, "When I met his eyes I found it hard to breathe."
Another giggle escaped the red-haired girl, "Oh dear, that doesn't sound very good for Kiba-kun," Sona rolled her eyes at this comment, give it to Rias never to miss a chance at teasing someone. Then again, with Akeno always getting her she had to try and get her revenge somehow. It was no secret that Tsubaki had a crush on Kiba and so this was a perfect chance to tease that point, it clearly worked because her face went beet red as soon as she realized how her words could be interpreted.
"T-T-That's not what I meant!" realizing that she was only being teased she briefly pouted before regaining her composure and elaborating on her original statement, "What I meant was that his gaze was intimidating, at the same time however it was alluring, like the longer I gazed into the depths of his eyes the harder it was to break away, it felt like I was going to be consumed."
Those words took the smile off Rias's face, that was a worrying thing to hear, looking towards Sona her response was much the same.
"I couldn't have worded it better myself, there's definitely more to the transfer student than meets the eye."
"Alright then, please introduce yourself."
He wanted to groan as he turned to address his new classmates, not only was he the only male in it but it held the four devils he least wanted to be around, Rias, Sona, and both their respective queens. It was understandable that the four of them were eyeing him closely even if they were doing a good job of hiding it, the rest of the girls in the class? Not so much, they were openly ogling him.
"Yo, the name's Ichigo Kurosaki, pleased to meet you all."
"How charming, it's good to see you're as gruff as usual."
Ichigo merely gave his Zanpakuto a mental image of him flipping the bird as his new teacher tried to think of something to say, she clearly hadn't been expecting such a.. lacking greeting either.
"A-Ah, Kurosaki-san, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?"
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes he briefly locked gazes with that of Sona before beginning, "Well before it gets asked, yes this is my natural hair colour," he inwardly smirked as the student council presidents brows tilted together ever so slightly, "Also my name means 'He who protects' not 'Strawberry,' so please don't make that mistake." he had to make sure he got that out of the way, the woman in his past all loved teasing him about that, telling him how cute it was.
"I enjoy reading and am a big fan of Shakespeare, I love playing sports and being active, I've been trained in two styles of martial arts since I was young and I'm currently still practising one of them, I've recently gotten into Kendo as well." which wasn't actually a lie, one of the staples of his training with Ryujin was the art of the sword.
Of course, it wasn't that the oldest and most powerful Zanpakuto was trying to change Ichigo's current style because for someone who only ever learned in the heat of battle his swordsmanship was excellent, but learning the basics would allow his base form to be improved and enable him to bring his Zanjutsu closer to the level of a master swordsman, much like Shigekuni.
It's not like Ichigo was opposed either, he'd seen the ridiculous power Kenpachi had used against Nnoitra when simply using a two-handed Kendo swing. Also, Ryujin had already demonstrated some powerful precision techniques done with the sword that could really give him an edge in battle, and when fighting with your life on the line you take every bit of help you can get.
A small round of applause from his classmates later and he was finally allowed to go to his seat letting class begin, not that the attention strayed from him. The four Devils especially were intrigued, a level of energy much higher than that of a regular humans as well as training in both hand to hand combat and swordsmanship. His eyes which held a depth much like that of their siblings, parents, and relatives who had seen war, there was no question about it, Ichigo was a part of the supernatural, of that they were sure.
Lunch was pretty anti-climactic, it was most likely because of the unapproachable aura he subconsciously gave off but none of his human classmates attempted to try and talk to him, instead choosing to admire from afar. Upon the bell ringing, Rias and Akeno both left the room most likely going to meet up with their club, before he could stand to go purchase his own food though he once more found the Student Council President at his front, the Vice President just behind her.
Thankfully it wasn't anything serious that she wanted, quite the opposite actually. She merely extended an offer for a tour around the school grounds which he graciously accepted because now that he thought about it he didn't even know where the cafeteria was.
~ Thursday after school.
As he watched the pawn of Gremory approach with narrowed eyes he wasted no time in prodding the king of perverts for information on the current situation. "So? Why did you call me out here Hyoudou?"
The suspicion lacing his voice was enough to make Issei sweat-drop, was he really so untrustworthy? "C'mon Saji, can't a guy just want to hang out with his friend?"
"Hah! Maybe a normal guy sure, you however not so much. If it doesn't have boobs you don't want anything to do with it."
It was kind of sad that Issei couldn't refute his claim, "Well you know how it is.. I mean you like Sona don't you?"
What was meant to be a bit of lighthearted defection turned into something much more depressing, as soon as Sona was mentioned he deflated in his seat, "Don't remind me of such painful memories, ever since that new student came she's been spending more and more time with him than me!"
With fake tears streaming down his face and a fire burning in his heart Issei felt his camaraderie growing with his fellow pawn at the mention of that evil bastard, "I know how you feel, ever since he came all the girls have been gushing over him! They won't even spare enough time to bash my perverted tendencies anymore!"
A few feet away sat on the other side of some hedges was the school's mascot Koneko Toujou who face was set into a flat deadpan at what she was listening too. For a few days now she had noticed that the embodiment of lust had been acting strangely, often lost in thought, jumpy, overly defensive when asked what he was thinking about, and so out of curiosity she decided it would be best to keep an eye on things.
That curiosity quickly started fading as no matter how much she watched him he did nothing out of the ordinary. Until today that is. Issei had gone to meet up with Saji which in itself was odd, not that the two were on bad terms however they didn't exactly hang out all the time either and so upon hearing the time and location in which they would convene Koneko made sure to arrive there ahead of time so that she wouldn't miss anything, because something had to be going on behind the scenes, right?
The more she listened in on the two twits behind her she began having some serious doubts, what had started as a suspicious and awkward greeting had turned into a full-on bashing of the new transfer student. The white-haired Nekomata had yet to even meet the guy and she already liked him more than these two.
Just as she was about to call it quits and head home an unexpected fourth arrived bringing an end to the goofing off and the beginning of a plan that just may cause more harm than good.
"Kiba, thanks for coming on such short notice."
The man in question merely nodded his head in response. He much like Saji had been was very suspicious when Issei called him telling him they had to meet up right away as Issei had something to talk with him about, seeing the pawn of Sitri alongside him only rose his suspicion further. "What is this about Issei?"
The Red Dragon Emperor fidgeted a little bit, sure of what he wanted to say but finding it hard to actually speak it out loud. Honestly, he wasn't sure if Saji would even agree to help. The guy really didn't have a reason too, even if they succeeded in Issei's plan he would still be in serious trouble with his master, but this was important to the Red Dragon and so it was worth the chance, it's not like there was really anyone else he could ask anyway.
~ Thursday, with Ichigo
He knew a little of what was going on behind the scenes, a Cadre class Fallen Angel named Kokabiel was moving separately from Azazel and trying to stir up trouble with the other factions, though to what end he didn't know. It would be a lie if he said he hadn't hoped for a bit more of a break. He'd just started school again and was working hard to catch up on missed assignments and tests and his days were relatively free of interruption.
Asides from the Sitri Heiress and her Queen who exchanged a little more than pleasantries with him daily pretty much no one talked to him, instead choosing to 'admire from afar' which was more than fine with him.
"Oh please, have mercy on our pitiful souls!"
"We are naught but errant sheep of his Lord!"
Yes, he had hoped for some more peace before things started really moving once more behind the scenes, but as he watched the scene unfolding before his eyes the famous quote 'no rest for the weary' popped into his head. He'd only wanted to go out for dinner but that's exactly where his problem started. Stood right in front of the quaint little restaurant he'd spotted during his initial scouting of this town were the very same exorcists that defeated Hyoudou and Yuuto now looking like they hadn't eaten in a week, preaching about God's humble sheep and pity, it was honestly pretty depressing to watch.
"Oi," Ichigo called out gruffly gaining the attention of the duo, "You're bugging everyone with all this yelling out here." After looking around and seeing the irritated frowns directed their way they at least had the decency to look sorry. Taking a moment to weigh out his options he nudged his head in the direction of the restaurant, "Come on, I'll buy you guys a meal."
He hadn't planned on having company but this was a good opportunity to gather some information on Kokabiel and maybe that mysterious killer as well. He'd noticed it the first night here when he was exploring the town, perhaps because he had so much experience with battle or maybe those of the supernatural just had a natural ability to sense that dark, eerie coldness akin to death but he'd already found the aftermath of a brutal murder three of his five nights here.
Bodies chopped up into small pieces with a stomach-turning reiatsu permeating the area, he had tried for hours to locate the person behind it but no matter how far he stretched his senses, not even with Ryujin's help was he able to locate the person behind it, it was like they just vanished into thin air. They were lucky he was having such a hard time because something like this he wouldn't stand for, and when he finally got his hands on the culprit he would..
He shook his head to distance himself from those dark thoughts, it wouldn't do well to dwell on that right now as there were two girls waiting for him to fill their stomachs. Speaking of.. it was like something out of a cartoon how fast they'd managed to clean up their makeshift stall and before Ichigo knew it the two were marching right on in the building not even checking to see if their willing donor was following them.
His purpose for coming here had originally been to have some dinner though with the two people who currently kept him company he found that his appetite was a little lost, thus he instead chose to nurse a cup of coffee, half watching out the window at the people passing by and half watching the two savages before him devouring everything within arms reach.
Funnily enough most of the attention in the diner was directed at him, usually it would be the man who ate enough food for a family of four but instead, it was two teenage girls, in this situation he was the odd one out and not them.
Despite what Ichigo thought the two girls weren't solely focused on the food, well okay maybe at first they were but after they got past their starving hunger they started studying the man before them. Yes Irina and Xenovia weren't the sharpest tools in the shed but even they knew that not many people would just buy a random person a meal and not expect anything in return, let alone two, so instantly they were suspicious.
He didn't seem in the least bit hostile, they say that a person's eyes are the window into their soul yet on the occasion that his eyes would meet with one of theirs there was nothing hidden within the golden brown which should give them cause for concern, they were intimidating yes, very much so, but not dangerous. He looked like any normal – really attractive – human guy and if it wasn't for the energy he gave off they would think he was.
It wasn't something they'd felt before, he was clearly Japanese which meant he wasn't from a different pantheon around the world and neither was he any of the races which made up the three great factions. So that only really left the possibility of him possessing a sacred gear, something which they had no way of confirming unless he said so himself, and that was unlikely.
Finally, a good twenty minutes after their original arrival the duo finished eating and were finishing the last of their drinks while Ichigo just patiently waited. He didn't mind that it was taking so long, in fact, the calm was nice, he didn't know the two before him at all but he didn't find being in their company displeasing either.
The sound of a throat being cleared drew Ichigo's gaze back inwards to the girls currently in his company. "Thanks for buying us dinner, I don't think we could've gone on much longer without food," the twin-tailed exorcist noted shamefully, she had been very foolish with their money and because of it, they ended up in this situation, she wasn't very proud of herself, to say the least.
"Yes thank you, unfortunately, we don't have much to offer you in terms of repayment for your kindness so if it is up to your standards then my body will have to do."
The young Shinigami had to quickly reach for the nearest napkin as he chocked on his drink, he cast an incredulous gaze at the blue haired girl's partner who looked just as shocked as he was while trying to hide her cherry red face. Ichigo had been teased before, Yoruichi was the definition of a seductress and she loved to rile him up so he was fairly used to such comments, but it was the way she said it with such seriousness, without a hint of any colour on her face which would signal embarrassment and the simple fact that he could tell she was being 100% serious that caught him off guard.
Even now as he cleaned up the spilled coffee she was looking at him as if he was the crazy one!
He hoped this wouldn't offend her as she was quite attractive but, "It's fine, I don't need you to do something like that."
Well thankfully she didn't look offended, more determined if anything, just as she was preparing to push her offer again the second of the two cut in, "While Xenovia's offer was a bit.. extreme, I feel it would be wrong not to do something to repay you so if there's anything you'd like than just say so."
Ichigo didn't respond right away, instead choosing to let the question linger in the air a little, the longer the silence went the tenser the pair became. Perhaps he was a bit of a sadist, as he watched the two squirm under his heavy gaze he found it quite amusing. Deciding that he'd waited long enough he finally breathed out, "I'd like information." It wasn't so much for mercy that he finally answered because as he said those three words a small smirk was on his face that told the two he wanted exactly the type of information they were thinking of.
The atmosphere shifted between the three people. Irina and Xenovia did know what he was referring too and while they still didn't know what he was or who he was affiliated with, they at the very least knew he was aware of the supernatural and likely of them too.
It was not a comforting thought. It seemed very unlikely to the duo that this man could be their enemy and yet they know nothing of his power or the information he already possessed, they were at a complete disadvantage.
Irina tried to put on her usual cheery smile and deflect but it wasn't happening, "Well we don't really know too much you see so.." she could only trail off at the end as the look in the young mans eyes told her that unfortunately for them he wasn't stupid nor was he buying her poor attempts at deflection.
The orange haired teen hummed thoughtfully as he relaxed back into his seat, a more casual look setting onto his face. "Look, I ain't going to force you to talk if you don't want to, I didn't just do this because I wanted information, you guys just looked really sad out there begging for money when you could hardly stand."
Both girls acquired a light dusting of pink on their cheeks at those words and became rather bashful, "Are you an ally?" Xenovia asked bluntly, it could be possible that he was sent to help and they just hadn't been informed of it, it was highly unlikely but still possible.
Ichigo mulled over the question briefly before answering slowly, "No, I'm not an ally." Yes he would probably interfere at some point depending on what the situation was or would be but right now it wouldn't be wise to affiliate himself with anyone, he'd always been a lone wolf just doing whatever he thought was best and it'd always worked out.. eventually.
He could tell that the girls were alert because of those words so he figured it would be best to continue his sentence, "I'm not your ally, but neither am I your enemy, for now, I'm just a neutral party that likes peace."
A moment of silence passed before they exchanged a brief glance with each other and nodded in agreement, they felt like they could trust him and so they would share a little bit of information, but first "I just realized that we don't even know your name."
His eyes widened briefly at that statement, it had completely slipped his mind because he knew who they were from watching the fight yet they didn't know him, shaking his head lightly he corrected the issue, "I'm Ichigo, Ichigo Kurosaki."
"It's nice to meet you Kurosaki-san, I'm Irina Shidou and this is Xenovia Quarta." the bubbly girl greeted. clearly not having recognized the name, her partner, however, was different.
Xenovia was an odd girl in that her memory was quite selective, she would often forget things that most other people would deem as important and instead remember obscure things that probably wouldn't be of help to you unless in the most unique of situations.
Funnily enough, this was one of those situations.
She twitched ever so slightly upon hearing the name, a memory of her childhood flashing back to her. Unless doing her tutoring with Griselda she was often alone, her emotionless face and voice often gave her the appearance of being cold and arrogant, like she believed she was better than everyone else, this had the unfortunate effect of turning all the other children her age against her.
So instead of being shunned by the other children, she would seclude herself in the library and study. One such book she remembered vividly because of the contents it held were of a forgotten race, the Quincy, a group of humans who could draw in the powers around them to form bows which fired arrows of energy.
The book also spoke a little of their creator who was revered by the other Quincy as a God and some of the more prominent Quincy families, the Quincy royalty so to speak, and one of those names which were always spoken of as immensely powerful was the 'Kurosaki.'
Now of course the Quincy were said to have just vanished from existence over a thousand years ago so it was highly likely that they never existed in the first place, and even if they did Kurosaki isn't exactly a rare name, it was uncommon yes, but not completely rare, thus there was no way to know if this man before her was even slightly related if the legend was actually true.
However, she still had to consider the possibility because what else was there? He wasn't an Angel, Devil or Fallen Angel, he wasn't from another pantheon around the world, nor was it likely that he had a sacred gear because she had been around many sacred gear users in her life and he felt nothing even remotely like them.
Yet he had power.
It was hard to gauge accurately because it was so tightly wound up and suppressed, but he definitely had power and the longer she sat in his presence the more she realized how dangerous he truly was.
Unaware of her partner's inner thoughts she just continued on with granting Ichigo's request, "We can't go into to much detail but a little should be alright.
Said man nodded his head towards the exorcist, "Even a little bit is helpful."
This prompted a short joint explanation from the two detailing that they had been sent by the church to retrieve some stolen property that the Fallen Angels were using to try and bait the Angels into attacking them, it really was the bare minimum of details but that was fine with Ichigo, with the little that he already knew he was able to piece together a fairly good picture.
Essentially Kokabiel who was working against Azazel's wishes stole something from the church which as they said was being used to goad them into attacking, although there wasn't really a point in doing so much just to go at it with the Angels so clearly there was more to it than what these exorcists thought. Most likely the Devils were somehow going to be drawn into it as well if Kokabiel had his way meaning the Great War would restart which was likely his goal.
At that thought he couldn't stop the sigh which escaped him, 'what a pain, looks like I really will have to keep an active eye on this, I'm already having enough trouble catching that killer too.'
When the two girls across from him stiffened up and started casting looks out the window from the corner of their eyes Ichigo stretched his senses out and found what had put the two on edge, "Devils?" they were small blips, so much so that if the two before him hadn't picked up on it he probably wouldn't have noticed.
But he hadn't been training ruthlessly for nothing and so with a bit more concentration four faces popped into his mind, 'Toujou, Yuutu, and Hyoudou, the fourth is a part of Sona's peerage though I don't know his name.' This was honestly quite troubling, if they spotted him here with the two exorcists it would lead to suspicions being raised against him that he didn't really want to deal with.
He wasn't worried that they would find out something he didn't want them to know, but if the Devils started following him around which was all too likely then it could really hinder his until now free movements. "Well let's call it here for the day, I don't know what the Devils are sneaking around here for but it likely has something to do with you two."
The two exorcists nodded in agreement, they weren't aware that Ichigo was currently going to the same school as the Devils and so didn't question him suddenly wishing to part ways. With one final thank you for the meal and a goodbye the two groups split.
~ With the Devil Group.
When Issei finished explaining his plan Saji could only stand there, mouth agape in silent horror as he imagined what Sona would do to him if he went along with this and she found out. He loved his master and was glad that out of all the Devils he could work for he was with her, but she was not kind and forgiving like Rias was. She was a serious and diligent girl who always expected obedience and perfection in every task given, and if she found out he was doing something like this behind her back then the consequences would be severe.
"No, no, no, no, no! You're crazy! That's suicidal and I'm not taking part! I'm going home!" Well, he attempted to at the very least, Issei and Kiba could only look on curiously as a small hand stretched out from the opposite side of the thin hedges and grasped Saji's shirt, holding him in place and demonstrating a strength that shouldn't be possible for such a dainty arm.
Taking this opportunity Issei slung an arm around Kiba's and Saji's shoulders and led them around to the opposite seating area to meet his mystery helper, though all three were shocked when they noticed the school's unofficial mascot, Koneko Toujou stood at one of the tables. "Koneko-chan?!" he blurted out in surprise, ignoring the half glare sent his way at the use of the '-chan' honorific.
Seeing another of the Gremory's peerage only made Saji think that she was working with Issei and that they were going to try and force him into this, his fear of the punishment Sona was bound to give him was growing by the second, "Let go! Let go! Why me?! Isn't this a problem for the Gremory house?! You may have a death wish but I want to live past 20!"
Issei brushed off his frantic plea's with a halfhearted laugh, "Aw c'mon, you're a Devil too, at times like this we need to stick together and help each other out."
Now instead of trying to escape it looked more like Saji wanted to strangle the Red Dragon Emperor, "Screw you! Rias may be strict and gentle but Sona is only strict! She is a dictator who wouldn't stand for something like this! You don't understand the torture I would be put through!" He looked towards the silent Koneko who had yet to say anything in hopes that maybe, just maybe she would be the voice of reason but it wasn't happening.
"Even though there is such a risk I'll help as well, for Kiba's sake.."
"Wait guys.." the man in question finally spoke up in a soft tone, his hands up in a manner suggesting pause, he was happy that his friends would be willing to go to such lengths to help him, he really was, but this was a battle he had to face alone, he couldn't bring them in on it too, he couldn't risk them getting hurt after he'd walked out on them all.
"This means a lot to me Iseei, and you too Koneko, that you would want to help me in this situation make my heart lighter than it's been in a long time, but I'm already in enough trouble as it is, I can't bring you guys in on it too. Just go back to the President and wait for me, okay?"
Issei's response was instant, surprising the Knight, "I refuse."
"Issei pl-"
"No!" he blurted out, cutting off his foolish friend, "Wait for you to return?! Don't be foolish! You're just asking to get yourself killed!" Kiba flinched at the harsh words, it wasn't like they held no inkling of truth. "You don't have to do this alone, this is what friends are for! We care about you and want to help you!"
"And I appreciate it Issei, I do, but this is different, I-"
"No it's not!" once more Issei cut him off, tired of this foolishness, "Just like you want to get revenge for your fallen comrades, we want to help you because you are our comrade, our family! Denying us is like denying those who you swore to avenge!"
Kiba recoiled, eye wide as the words rang throughout his head, his fists were balled as he berated himself, and when his shirt was tugged on leading him to meet the teary eyes of Koneko the only thing he could do was stand there and lament about how foolish he was, "You're right, Issei. I'm sorry for pushing you guys away.."
Saji could only stare on curiously as he watched Issei brush of the apology, stating that he had nothing to apologize for as long as he realized his foolishness, Rias Gremory's rook nodding in agreement. He didn't understand it, "Why? Why are you two trying so hard? Even at the risk of punishment, or worse, over-stepping your bounds and causing a far bigger problem than you can handle alone, why are you going so far as to help with his revenge? Just what is it that happened?"
Issei and Koneko glanced at Kiba, it wasn't their story to tell so unless he felt like sharing it again to someone else there probably wouldn't be much they could do in the end to convince Saji to take the risk of being punished and help them. Thankfully Kiba nodded resolutely, understanding that to gain allies he would have to extend them the trust of knowing about his past.
In the next few moments that passed, Saji had never felt such strong emotions in his life, listening to the tale of the tragic past the Knight before him had lived was too much and he too found himself unable to stop the tears which formed in his eyes. He finally understood why they would risk so much to help him on his path for vengeance, even when the stakes were so high.
'Agh! Dammit! How the hell can I say no now after hearing that?!' Saji screamed internally, his logic and common sense at war with his heart and what he knew was the right thing to do. "Fine! You got me! Let's do this and damn the consequences!"
His three accomplices all smiled at him, thankful that they would have another ally on their side, now it was time to decide on their next plan of action. As much as they talked things over, about all the potential what if's and maybe's, it was a unanimous decision that first and foremost they would need to find those two exorcists.
"We obviously need to find them for two reasons. Firstly because they are by no means weak, as they demonstrated last weekend they outstrip both myself and Issei in power, having them work with us would increase our chance's of success that much more. And secondly, even if they wished to work separately from us as we are Devils than maybe they could at least point us in the right direction."
This earned a collective nod from the Devil team, though there was one glaring issue, "Finding them is easier said than done.."
Koneko's words were a real blow to their confidence because for all they knew the two girls could be long gone, yes they were here to collect the stolen Excalibur fragments but that didn't mean they hadn't been switched with someone else. The pair hadn't been spotted by any of the Gremory group thus far since their initial meeting and since it would be unlikely that the girls were lying low due to their mission, that only further gave traction to the theory that they were no longer here, or at the least not here right now.
"Let's not give in too quickly, it's already pretty late so why don't we do a bit of group searching and then tomorrow we'll set area's for everyone to search." the Red Dragon butted in, surprisingly being the voice of reason and taking the lead in this situation.
"Uh, I found them" the pawn of Sitri spoke out in a detached tone, too bothered by what he was seeing to let any emotion seep into his voice.
It was almost laughable how easily they found the two exorcists. They had been preparing themselves for what could potentially be quite the tedious task if not impossible and yet here they were no more than half an hour later gazing into the glass window of a modest diner which Saji's outstretched arm pointed, gazing at the two they needed to find and a shocking third.
The four young Devils weren't veteran's of war nor experienced politicians, they had, however, each been around enough high ranking Devils and important people due to who their masters were to know that judging by the facial expressions being used between the three it wasn't simply friends out for dinner.
They all knew from the very beginning that Ichigo Kurosaki was no ordinary human, it wasn't even the above average energy which he possessed that made them think that either. It was his presence that was so dominant and overwhelming that it felt as if they were in the presence of one of the four Satan's. It was his gaze that spoke of a man far older than the 17 years which his profile stated who had seen a lot more than any of them would ever want to.
It was the lethargic and disinterested front he used to hide his elegant and graceful posture, the way every motion he took was precise and bore no wasted movements, the way his body was always tense and poised for quick action even when he was likely unaware of the fact.
He was someone who they all instinctively felt they should fear, and to see him now with the two exorcists and likely allied with the church did nothing to lessen that instinctual fear either, in fact, it only made it grow larger.
When finally Issei spoke up breaking the silence the three other Devils wholeheartedly agreed with his opinion, this could be far bigger than any secret plans they held of destroying Excalibur and it couldn't remain unknown, "We have to tell the President."
~ A/N:
Alright, let's talk about the chapter a little bit.
So firstly let's talk about names, Shiba vs Kurosaki, that was the question I had proposed the last chapter and I just want to say thanks to everyone who took time to give me their opinion on the situation because it helped me make the final decision. I was really leaning towards using Shiba, like so close that when I originally started writing this chapter I was using Ichigo Shiba, however, when I was editing it and re-reading to check for errors it just didn't sound right to me.
I want to clarify however that this doesn't mean that Shiba will be taken from the story completely, as I've stated before I already put a lot of emphasis on the Shiba clan and what they stand for in the Shinto society and that isn't going to change, Ichigo is still going to embrace that side of his heritage and it will play more of a part during the story however I just couldn't bring myself to change his name completely to Shiba, not after he has been Ichigo Kurosaki for so long.
Moving on now, I put a lot of emphasis on Ichigo's appearance and the way the girls around him responded to him, there wasn't really a reason for this other than I just wanted too. I know some people will think it was unnecessary and maybe even took away from the chapter and maybe it did but idk, it was just something I wanted to put in.
I've always thought that Ichigo was one of the best looking male anime characters ever – well as long as you ignore end game Ichigo who looked like he was balding due to the trash life Kubo gave him but lets not get into that – also I dare anyone to tell me Dangai Ichigo was not one of the sexiest bastards you've ever seen, I feel like girls would fan-girl over him like crazy and I thought it'd be fun to put some of that in here, it's not like I'll be talking about how much the girls are drooling over him every chapter, it was just a bit of fun for the start of his new school experience.
And while we're talking about a bit of fun that leads us into the next point, I'd like to say a little on the scene I had with Ichigo talking with Ryujin and Ryujin 'refreshing' Ichigo's memory on some of his more perverted thoughts so the guy would loosen up a bit. Just like the girls fangirling over Ichigo's appearance this was just for fun, no Ichigo isn't turning into a pervert where he talks about dominating girls every chapter and no this isn't turning into a harem either, I just wanted to have a bit of fun and remind people that while he is a serious person who respects woman, he's still a guy at heart just like everyone else and does have thoughts like that.
If you have any thoughts on the chapter than feel free to leave a review, I'm always looking to improve my writing and so constructive feedback is appreciated. If you have any questions then feel free to message me, I always reply when I can.
- Vertius