Chapter 17: Kasumiōji Conspiracy (Unseen threat)
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.
"Normal speech"
'Inner speech/thoughts'
'Inner Quincy/Yhwach speech'
'Inner hollow/Zanpakuto speech'
xxx
It took Ichigo a few moments to completely get over the brutal suicide of the man he just fought. The explosion wasn't very strong and barely made any dent in the ground but it was still powerful enough to completely destroy most of the man's body and splash his blood on the teen. Because of that, the first thing Ichigo did after seeing the scorched soil and after watching the spirit particles disappearing into the air was to find the closest source of water and wipe away the gore from his face and his clothes. Only once he did that was he able to somewhat calm down.
"I've seen a lot of people dying but… damn." He muttered, his shoulders shaking a little. The gaze he was pointing at the ground was unfocused, glassy. Mental image of the body getting blasted into pieces was etched deeply in his brain. Then he heard multiple voices coming from a distance. The unexpected sound helped his mind to restart.
"Right… the mission."
Ignoring the cold air crawling upon his wet skin, he turned towards the voices and seemingly vanished from the existence. A few Flash Steps later, he slowed down in order not to scare the other shinigami and decided to cross the remaining distance by simply walking.
"Ah, Kurosaki, you're here. Good job."
As soon as he took the last turn around a row of trees, Ichigo was spotted by the group leader who appeared to be in a better shape than the teen had remembered him to be. The man was limping and was covered with bandages but, otherwise, he appeared to be just fine. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Ichigo let out a mental sigh of relief.
"I guess the reinforcements came?"
"Yeah, if not a moment too late." The man grunted and then took a closer look at Ichigo's face.
"You alright, Kurosaki? You're awfully pale."
"I'm fine... but I need to speak with my… I mean with the Captain as soon as possible."
The group leader frowned at the urgent tone. Narrowing his eyes, he took a step closer to the teen and looked him over. Before Ichigo could turn away, the man noticed the blood stains on his academy robe. Unfortunately for Ichigo, it had been impossible to get rid of all gore from his clothes, being as white as they were. While Ichigo had sported some blood on him even before he had left the group to hunt down the escapee, it seemed the group leader noticed something odd. His jaw tightened and he gave Ichigo a hard gaze. As far as the teen could tell, the man wasn't angry; he just looked like he realized something. He motioned Ichigo to follow him to the rest of the group.
When the teen did that, he came across an unpleasant scene. Men were groaning in pain, ground was soaked with blood and he could see several academy students leaning against trees looking very much mentally exhausted. It was unsettling to see just how different the whole place looked now, after the fight was over. The small details, the remnants of the combat, were now glaringly in the display and created a rather depressing, gloomy image. It was ironic just how much the adrenaline could twist the focus of the mind when a man fought. Still, despite all the sadness and exhaustion, there was also happiness, a sense of encouragement, hovering in the air.
They were all alive.
The realization hit Ichigo fast and almost instantly lessened the burden weighing on his shoulders. All the adrenaline that had been flowing within his veins ever since he had begun fighting finally vanished. In its stead, a fatigue entered his soul. Even though his spiritual energy reserves were mostly full and physically, he didn't feel tired, he couldn't help but to sigh heavily.
Then he heard the group leader calling one of the bandaged officers. The man stood up and walked over to the teen.
"I was told to take you to the Captain. Follow me."
…
An uneventful trip through the Senkaimon later, Ichigo followed the man to the 10th Division barracks in complete silence. He wouldn't have minded a small talk but, at the same time, he was also glad for the lack of it. It gave him time to collect his thoughts, to secure his emotions and to take more than enough deep breaths; it gave him enough time to further calm down.
Before he knew it, the officer was already knocking on the doors of the Captain's office.
"Come in."
The officer glanced at the teen.
"Go inside, Kurosaki. I have to go back to the others."
Ichigo nodded to him. He waited until the man flashed away and then opened the doors.
"I'll be right… Ichigo?"
Taking several steps inside, Ichigo ignored the perplexed tone of his father and sat down on the chair next to the main table.
"What is going on? Did the mission end?" Isshin asked, suspicion seeping into his voice as he stared at the face of his son. Ichigo released a deep sigh.
"Not exactly. I just asked for a permission to leave because I needed to talk to you."
"Okay… is something wrong? Judging by your clothes and the blood covering it, I guess the mission didn't go as peaceful as we thought it would, huh?"
Ichigo shook his head.
"No. I don't know what exactly was written in the initial report but what we came across was a lot more than just 'a few hollows'. I wasn't exactly counting but I'm sure their number easily crossed 30-mark. We were lucky nobody died."
He watched as Isshin's features hardened and his jawline became more prominent than ever. Despite that, the man still appeared to be quite calm.
"I see. That's not why you're here, is it, though? I can read all of this once the report comes in. Something else must have happened for you to come here this fast."
When Ichigo blinked, looking surprised, Isshin snorted.
"You're still not used to see me being serious, huh?"
"Well, can you blame me?" Ichigo asked with a shrug.
"I guess not. Fair enough. Either way, I know you well, Ichigo. What happened?"
Ichigo gave him a long stare. Then he leaned into the chair and closed his eyes. Once he opened them, he began telling Isshin about what had happened after he had left the group to hunt down the escapee hollows. He told him about the little girl, her two bodyguards and then about the man he had fought. When he finished, Isshin rubbed his chin.
"I see… you alright?"
Ichigo barely stopped himself from snorting.
"Come on, you said you know me, dad."
A tiny grin crossed Isshin's face only to disappear in the next instant.
"You said you think that the man you fought was an assassin and that he was after the girl you saw. If she really was from a Noble clan then you're most likely right. It wouldn't be the first time somebody gets assassinated simply because of internal fights within a Noble Clan. You want my advice? Forget about it. Nothing good comes out of it if you mess with the Nobles. Take it from somebody who actually is from a Noble Clan. Or at least… the former Noble Clan." He said and gave Ichigo a serious gaze. For a moment, it looked like Ichigo accepted the explanation.
Then he sharply stood up and put both his hand on the table.
"You can't be serious. How can I ever forget it? The man blew himself up and covered my face with his innards! Just because he failed his assassination! An assassination of a little girl! What kind of messed up shit is that?"
Isshin just calmly returned his gaze.
"If this is you being alright then I don't want to see you not alright… Is that what's bothering you?"
"Yes! No! I mean… partly! I'm aware of how assassins live. I know that this is their Modus operandi… but in the human world! In the world of the living! We are in the afterlife, damn it! Why are things like assassinations considered to be normal here?" Ichigo raised his voice and lightly punched the table, causing the pens on it to scatter in every direction.
Isshin narrowed his eyes at him. Through his agitation, Ichigo wasn't able to spot a small hint of worry in the man's gaze.
"That's still not it, is it, Ichigo? You've been here long enough to know that Soul Society is not a nice place. It is a society of souls with its own rules and laws similar to the real world. You knew that things like these existed here. You've been taught how the Gotei 13 works. Things like these should not have shocked you to this extent. It shouldn't have upset you so much. Even seeing the man's violent death shouldn't have made you this agitated. Am I wrong?"
The teen's mouth trembled and he grit his teeth, punching the table one more time. Feeling defeated and exhausted, he sank into the chair.
"…you're not." He muttered.
"It's because of who that assassin targeted, am I right? It's because of that little girl, am I right?"
"…you are."
Then Isshin lowered his voice, a pained expression forming on his face.
"It's because that girl reminded you of Karin and Yuzu, am I right?"
Ichigo fell silent and remained like that for a long while. His head was lowered and he kept his gaze on his hands, unable to meet his father's stare.
"…yeah."
Unbeknown to him, Isshin formed a warm smile. A smile he rarely showed to Ichigo because of how vulnerable it made him look.
"Well, in that case I guess it doesn't matter how much I'll try to talk you out of it or how bad the consequences could be and you'll still tell me that you want to help that girl. Am I right?"
A short moment of silence later, Ichigo involuntarily released a sad chuckle.
"Damn it, dad. You really do know me after all, huh?"
…
While Ichigo was trying to calm down his nerves, Isshin heated up a pot of water and, a short moment later, put a large cup filled with steaming tea right in front of the teen. Gladly accepting it, Ichigo put his palms around the cup and enjoyed the warm sensation on his skin. It seemed to warm not only his hands but also his whole being.
Isshin poured a bit of tea into his own cup too and sat down again. For a while, neither of them spoke and the only thing keeping the complete silence away was the sound of the two of them slowly sipping the hot beverage.
"As I said, I won't try to talk you out of this. However, you need to know some facts before you attempt to do anything." Isshin said after gulping down several mouthfuls. He waited until Ichigo raised his head and looked at him. Then he continued.
"To be honest, I don't know any Noble girl with the name Rurichiyo. However, the other two names, Enryū and Kenryū, do sound familiar. If I'm not mistaken, we are talking about the Kasumiōji Clan here. Just so you know, the Kasumiōji Clan is not one of the Great Noble clans but, at the same time, it is ranked higher than the other Noble clans. You could say they are a special case. Moreover, they abide by their law that the head of their clan can only be a female." He took a pause and gave the blinking Ichigo a meaningful gaze.
"Yes, I think we can make a possible conclusion just from this simple little fact. What are the chances that this Rurichiyo is the next heir of the Kasumiōji clan? If somebody is going to this length, to have her assassinated, I think it's fair to say this is the case. Now, what we should think about next is who can possibly profit from her death. To answer that, we would need to research the Kasumiōji clan and that can't be done so easily. You can't simply conduct an investigation of a high-ranking Noble Clan without evidence of a treasonous crime. And as you have heard during your hearing with the Central 46, a witness testimony is not a sufficient evidence. Going by all of this, if you want to learn something, you should find those three and make them talk. Voluntarily, if possible." Isshin grabbed the cup and took a gulp to moisten his throat. While he was doing this, he noticed the expression on Ichigo's face.
"What?"
"Wow, you're actually smart."
Isshin spit the tea he just sipped all over the table.
"Don't get so surprised about that, damn it! I thought we went over this already!"
Ichigo chuckled.
"Right, sorry."
Isshin scowled at him but didn't hold the expression for long. Before he opened his mouth again, he snatched a small towel from the cupboard behind him and wiped the table.
"What I'm trying to say, Ichigo, is that you don't want to mess with a Noble family just because you feel like it. Even the name that rightfully belongs to you, Shiba, won't do you any good in case you try to tarnish such a high-ranking Noble clan without having any hard evidence. Do you understand? The gravity of what you want to do?"
The grin that had been on the teen's face for the last few seconds slowly diminished and his brow creased itself into a deep frown.
"I do. If it turns out that somebody else can save that girl, I will step back and let him do it. I don't enjoy being in the spotlight so I'll have no qualms with it. But right now, it looks like I'm the only one who gives a damn." Ichigo stated firmly, sending a gaze filled with resolve at his father.
When he saw that, Isshin couldn't help but to form a small and honest smile. The teen had been through a lot and Isshin had been worried he was going to lose his son forever, replaced by somebody he no longer knew. The first time they had met in Seireitei had been a rough wake up call for him. He had immediately noticed the damage done to his son. But from that moment, the more time he had spent with the teen, the more he was sure that Ichigo could, one day, return to what he had always been.
To being Ichigo.
…
Two days later
Following the conversation with his father, Ichigo and the other Academy students that had participated in the mission had been sent back to the Academy. Aside from Ichigo's circumstances, the mission had apparently changed and nobody outside of Gotei 13 had been allowed to continue working on it. For the time being, while Isshin was doing some research, Ichigo had no other way to go to the Human world without raising suspicion and so he became a simple student once again. Though, being back at the Academy actually worked in his favor. Instead of recalling the scene full of blood and gore, it forced his brain to focus on the lessons.
Although, despite all the bad that had happened during the mission, something good had managed to come out of it. The group of students that had been with him in it started to address him cordially and with respect; some of them less, some of the more. Considering that most of them had been born as Nobles, Ichigo quickly realized one thing.
A change like that was something of a rare occurrence. Subconsciously, it made him a bit happy.
After his last lesson of the day ended, he swiftly returned to his room, eager to take a shower. He barely finished rinsing his back when a hell butterfly flew inside his bathroom. At first, he didn't notice it but when it began to fly circles around his head, he quickly stuck out his hand and let the messenger land on it. A message relayed itself in his mind.
'Ichigo, meet me in my office as soon as you can. Dad.'
Ichigo narrowed his eyes. The tone of his father's voice wasn't urgent, yet he felt like he should hurry. And so he did.
Five minutes later, he knocked on the doors of Isshin's office.
"Come in."
When Isshin glanced up and saw Ichigo walking inside, he hummed to himself and motioned Ichigo to sit down in the sofa, next to the busty woman with blonde hair.
"Matsumoto-san." He greeted her with a stiff voice. Since the woman was fanning her cleavage with one hand while loosening her robe with the other one, he tried not to look at her directly. When Rangiku heard his voice, she opened one eye.
"Hello… uhm, mind if I call you Ichigo? Calling you a kid feels kind of wrong now that I know you're Captain Shiba's son."
"Fine by me." Ichigo replied and seated himself on the opposite side of the sofa. Then he turned around to look at his father.
"So, what's the urgent message?"
With his head buried in paperwork, Isshin briefly looked up to give the teen a surprised expression.
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing like that. I just-"
"Captain Shiba?"
At the sound of a feminine voice interrupting him, Isshin turned his attention to the doors.
"Ah, come in."
'Rukia?' Ichigo thought, confused. The petite shinigami entered the room a second later, looking around until she saw him.
"So he's already here? Good, we'll be on our way. Follow me, ichigo."
Ichigo blinked. He glanced at Isshin and then at Rukia.
"Huh? What's going on?"
Rukia frowned at him. Then she looked at Isshin, who was trying his best to avert her gaze.
"Captain Shiba, you didn't tell him?"
"Tell me what?" Ichigo asked with raised eyebrows.
"Urgh, can you be more quiet you two?" Rangiku chimed in with a groan.
Releasing a deep and heavy sigh, Isshin gave Rukia a pleading stare.
"Just… take him away and explain everything to him on the way."
"Explain to me what?"
"Will do." Rukia said.
"Hey, does anyone hear me? What is this about?!"
"Argh, damn it! Keep it down!" Rangiku whined.
Ichigo's brow twitched in annoyance. It looked like he was being completely ignored. Before he could voice his thoughts, though, Rukia walked over to him, gripped his left wrist and literally dragged him out of the office.
"Oi!" Ichigo protested.
No response.
"OI! I can walk by myself!" Ichigo exclaimed one more time once they were outside.
"Hm? Oh, sorry." Rukia said and released him from her grip.
"So? Will I finally get an answer?"
Rukia nodded but didn't stop walking. Despite feeling irritated, Ichigo followed her.
"Don't worry. I'm just taking you to the Kuchiki Manor. Captain Shiba asked Nii-sama for a favor."
When he heard that, Ichigo almost tripped on his own legs.
"Come again?"
Rukia chuckled and turned her head only to show him an evil smirk.
"Nii-sama is going to teach you everything you should know about the Noble families of the Soul Society."
…
That night, Ichigo lay down on his bed with a throbbing headache, his brain filled to the brim with different aristocratic laws and customs. Some of them were understandable, even logical and Ichigo had no problems accepting them. Some of them felt odd, unusual or straight up alien. These Ichigo tolerated barely. He considered them to be outdated. However, there was also a third set of customs and laws. To Ichigo, these were purely nonsensical, illogical, mind-boggling or even disgusting and when he first heard of them, he felt like releasing all of his reiatsu in one quick burst to calm himself down.
Despite all those writhing emotions, there was another thing he noticed; a thing that surprised him at least as much as the laws and customs of Soul Society's Nobles.
Byakuya.
Well, not the man itself. What surprised him was Byakuya's newfound endless patience when dealing with the irritated teen and his new, almost human-like behavior. The change was so noticeable, Ichigo suspected somebody must have replaced the Captain with a fake. But the longer he talked with the man and the longer he saw him interacting with Rukia, the more he began to think otherwise.
Something had happened to the Captain of the 6th Division. Obviously, the man still acted and talked like a Noble but the coldness disappeared from his voice and was replaced by warmth. At least when he talked to Rukia.
Ichigo didn't know what happened but he didn't want to ask neither Byakuya nor Rukia about it. After all, he knew he didn't need to know. All that mattered was the outcome.
And the outcome made him a bit happy. Happy for Rukia.
As he lay on the bed, he stretched his sore muscles and let out a quiet groan.
"Time for another shower." He muttered. Reluctantly, he pushed himself up and took off his clothes. Once the water splashed against his head, his thoughts changed.
"So… a new Captain, huh?" He muttered. The news about a new man in charge of the 3rd Division reached even him.
'He sure sounds suspicious.'
'That's just the paranoia talking. We know nothing about him.'
Ichigo closed his eyes and let the warm liquid flow down his face.
"For the moment, I agree with… Yhwach."
He heard a loud scoff.
'Didn't we come to the conclusion that I represents your instinct?' Zangetsu said in a fake hurt tone. In response, Ichigo let out a snort.
"Sure, but we're not in a fight right now. I think balancing instinct with reason is the right thing to do. Until I meet this Amagai guy in person, he has my benefit of the doubt."
'Even after what happened with Aizen and all the others?'
Ichigo turned the tap a bit to the right, changing the temperature of the water from pleasantly warm to pleasantly cold.
"I consider myself to be a realist with just a hint of pessimism, Zangetsu. I have to believe there is good in this world. Otherwise, how can I hope to create my little piece of heaven here?"
Then he frowned.
"That doesn't mean I don't find many things disgusting here, though."
…
"You know, I think I'm here too often these days. Aren't you forgetting that I'm still just a simple student?" Ichigo stated in a casual tone as he watched his father putting stamps on a stack of papers. For a second, Isshin raised his head and gave him a mock stare.
"Right. You're as much of a simple student as I am a good father." He retorted shamelessly, causing Ichigo to erupt in a coughing fit. Glancing at the two of them, Rangiku shook her head.
"I agree with Ichigo. I get that he's your son, Captain, but if he's here almost every day, other students may spread rumors…" She said, for once properly doing her share of paperwork. Isshin scoffed at her remark.
"Oh, please. Like this delinquent son of mine cares what others think of him. He never did, he never will. Besides, what can they do to him? He could wipe the floor with half the Academy students going at him together at the same time."
Ichigo was already opening his mouth to shoot a nasty reply to the man when he realized what Isshin just said. He blinked in surprise.
"Was that a compliment, Dad?"
"Yeah, right." Rangiku smirked, writing Isshin's words off as a joke. Isshin smoothly ignored the teen and turned to his Vice-Captain.
"I'm not joking, Rangiku. Ichigo may look like a student to you but you'd be wise not to underestimate him. He could give you a run for your money." He said in a particularly serious tone that made the busty Vice-Captain raise her head again. She gave him a disbelieving gaze.
"I don't doubt that he's strong, I felt his reiatsu before, but I think you're going too far, Captain. I'm not nearly as weak as I was twenty years ago."
Turning his expression 180 degrees around, the man smirked.
"Care to give it a try? Right now? How about it, son?"
Ichigo looked Rangiku over and shrugged.
"Eh? Why not? Ikkaku-san has been too busy lately so I'm ready to go anytime."
When she heard the mention of Ikkaku's name, Rangiku completely stopped filling the paperwork and visibly stiffened. She nervously glanced from him to the Captain and then pursed her lips.
"You're being mean! I want Captain Hitsugaya back!" She exclaimed and sharply stood up. Then she ran away from the office. Watching the doors slam, Ichigo called out to Isshin.
"That was… too easy."
He heard his father snort.
"Pff, that's because she was eager to get away from the paperwork. Don't let her fake tears fool you. Rangiku is a shrewd woman."
Ichigo gave the doors one last glance. Somehow, what Isshin said did not surprise him. Then he turned around and walked to the main table. Putting his hands on it, he sat down on the chair.
"She's really gone. You can start talking."
Isshin raised one eyebrow and stared at him for a full minute. After that, he shook his head while chuckling.
"You saw right through me, huh?"
"I know you as much as you know me, Dad. Now spill it. You didn't call me here just because you wanted me to join you in bullying your Vice-Captain." Ichigo said and lowered his voice a little. In response, Isshin stopped chuckling and took a single paper out of the stack in front of him.
"This is the report of the mission you participated on three days ago."
Ichigo narrowed his eyes when the man put the report away so Ichigo couldn't see its contents.
"Is something wrong?"
The Captain of the 10th Division nodded and leaned backwards, into his chair. With his left hand, he rubbed the untrimmed stubble on his chin.
"Not wrong per say, just… strange." He paused for a moment and then gave the teen a long stare.
"Aside from the obvious, you didn't see anyone suspicious anywhere while on the mission, did you?"
Ichigo narrowed his eyes further.
"No. Definitely not."
"I see…"
When Isshin remained silent for far too long, Ichigo shifted his chair closer to the table.
"What is it?"
Isshin scrunched up his chin and crossed his arms, looking a bit unsure.
"I don't know… but something has been bugging me ever since you described the mission to me. The report I received only supports this… hunch that I have. You see, it's nothing unusual when a hollow crosses from Hueco Mundo to the Human World. It happens all the time. Every hollow instinctively knows how to create a Garganta. But only for himself. Only Menos have the ability to create larger Garganta. You see where I'm going with this?"
His eyes still narrowed, Ichigo raised both his eyebrows.
"Yeah. All those hollows came through one big Garganta and not through several individual ones."
Isshin nodded.
"There are several possible explanations for this but none of them sound good. That's why I asked whether there was somebody suspicious. There is a thing called the Hollow bait that attracts hollows in great numbers. Coupled with a large reiatsu, it can attract even a Gillian who, in turn, has the ability to open such a big Garganta. Somebody could have destroyed or prevented the Gillian itself from appearing but that… sounds improbable. Then there is a possibility of somebody purposely opening a Garganta with a device, either from the Human World or Hueco Mundo."
"Somebody like Urahara Kisuke or Aizen?" Ichigo interjected with a grimace, causing Isshin to give him a hesitant shrug.
"Possible but again, improbable. Neither Kisuke nor Aizen is so obvious in his actions. I don't know of anybody else who could have done something like this. Maybe the 12th Division… but its Captain kills anyone who tampers with his toys. Right now, I can think of one other explanation. Something is wrong with the Precipice world." Isshin said with a sigh and massaged his temples.
"That doesn't sound good."
"No. But that's a problem of the Gotei. We'll deal with it. Meanwhile, I'm sending you on a mission to the Human world. Using the results of this report, I'm sending you to patrol the Karakura Town and the borders of the Naruki City. Officially, it's for the safety of the souls but I thought you could use it to try and find that Rurichiyo girl."
Ichigo frowned. He felt surprised but the idea was solid. What bothered him was something different.
"I don't think I can go alone. I'm still a student."
Isshin smirked.
"Don't worry. I got that covered. You'll be going with Rukia-chan."
…
A blinding ray of bright light briefly illuminated the late evening in Karakura Town as Ichigo and Rukia walked out of a Senkaimon gate. Their feet touching the cold asphalt ground barely made a sound; the constant mild humming from a nearby old Karakura train station drowned it instantly. His eyes closed, Ichigo flared his nostrils and took a deep breath. Since he hadn't had the time to do it on his last mission, he tried to smell the scent of the town he had been born in now. When he did it, a tiny smile flickered on his lips. Karakura Town still had that same odor.
"Hmm…"
Ichigo opened his eyes and slightly turned his head to look at the petite shinigami next to him. She was staring into distance but when Ichigo followed her gaze, he saw nothing but an abandoned warehouse.
"Is something wrong?"
Rukia scrunched up her chin but, after a few more seconds, she tore her eyes from the place and shrugged.
"I thought I… ah, it's nothing. Let's go." She said and resolutely stepped forward. Ichigo narrowed his eyes but didn't ask any further question. A moment later, he trailed after her.
Together, they arrived to the southern border between Naruki City and Karakura Town. From there, they followed the trail of the Onose River while giving lots of attention to their surroundings. Ichigo was very tempted to break their route and step by the Kurosaki Clinic. He really wanted to see his previous home. However, in the end, he didn't go. It took a few words from his raven-haired companion to stop him, though.
Minutes, even hours passed mostly in silence or in occasional chatter yet the two of them didn't find or see anything suspicious. Everything seemed to be in order. Once they got to the northern border between the two cities, they continued to the east and made a round around the Karakura Town. Still, nothing unusual.
After they finished the whole round, Ichigo couldn't help but to sigh. It was his first patrol mission but he was already getting bored to death.
"Come on, we'll make a few rounds within the town too." Rukia said when she heard him sighing. Her words did not bring the teen any comfort.
"…right."
The night set in and slowly enveloped the Karakura Town with its dark claws. Ichigo and Rukia were the only ones still outside, jumping from roof to roof in a relentless search for any oddity or any anomaly.
'Or any freaking hollow.' Ichigo thought bitterly. He didn't want to admit it but the peaceful night was getting on his nerves, making him feel restless.
'I would like it so much if a hollow or anything else jumped on us. Damn it, just give me something, anything! I'm dying of boredom here!'
"If we don't find anything unusual in this round, we should start looking for a place to sleep. I don't know about you but I don't like sleeping in the open." Rukia suddenly said, causing him to almost lose his balance.
"Sleep? I thought we would either go all night or go back to the Soul Society."
Rukia made the effort to turn and give him an incredulous look to which he reacted with an annoyed shrug.
"Well sorry for not knowing how these missions work."
Rukia sighed and vaulted over a chimney.
"Just… keep an eye for any abandoned place where we could crash for a night."
The teen followed her without replying but something felt odd. He couldn't place his finger on it but the tone of Rukia's voice somehow made him feel alarmed. As they continued forward, he mused about it until Zangetsu's innocent whisper made him come to an abrupt stop.
"You said crash for a night… you mean like… together?" He asked hesitantly.
"Of course. We are on a mission and should be close to each other in case something…" Rukia trailed off when she glanced backwards, at his face, and a tiny spark of realization flashed across her eyes.
"Let's not go there, Ichigo. I meant sleeping in the same room, not… well… you know." She said quietly. She kept looking at the teen for a while longer, causing him to blink.
"I understood, don't worry."
She waved her hand.
"It's not that. I'm just... surprised you don't look as repulsed as I thought you'd be. I mean, you even thought of us doing…that."
Watching the petite shinigami avert her gaze in embarrassment, Ichigo almost chuckled. Then her words hit him and he stiffened. For a moment, he involuntarily pictured him and Rukia on one bed with most of their clothes missing. His throat slowly dried out and he felt a bit of trepidation in his trembling stomach. Despite that, his face did not twist into a disgusted grimace; a fact that surprised him immensely. The thought of him and Rukia doing intimate things didn't disgust him, it didn't make him feel sick. When he imagined her hands making contact with his skin, he didn't shudder. It was as if subconsciously, he wouldn't have minded doing that with her.
However, when his mind showed him such a scene, he felt awkward. The scene would feel awkward.
'Okay…enough of that.' He thought and resolutely erased the image from his mind. It was too dangerous to think about such things. He was kind of happy he was able to think of something indecent without feeling sick; it had been far too long since he could do that. On the other hand, he was on a mission and he definitely couldn't afford to start acting like a normal teenager now.
"Uhm, right…" He finally replied and then scrunched up his chin when Rukia refused to meet his eyes.
'This is awkward.'
Desperate to clear the heavy air, he studied his surroundings. Fortunately for him, he chose the perfect moment to do so as he noticed something odd in a distance.
"I think I see something." He stated while pointing to his far right. As he hoped, Rukia quickly shook off her emotions and turned her gaze in that direction and squinted.
"That's…"
A bright flash of green light momentarily illuminated a distant area. It was followed with a mixture of fearful yells.
"I guess we found something." Ichigo muttered in a low voice before vanishing from the existence.
"Ichigo! Wait!" Rukia exclaimed indignantly but she was too late. The teen was already a long Flash Step away.
"Damn him and his speed."
…
As he was nearing the area from which the flashes of green light were coming, Ichigo felt more and more certain of the situation. When he saw the green light turn into a solid wall-like structure, he sped up.
'Let me get there in time…' He thought pleadingly and strained his muscles to enter one last Flash Step. His surroundings turning into one big blur, he hastily reached for his sword.
*CLANG*
The blade of his zanpakuto clashed against a large polearm, stopping it in mid swing and causing the man holding it to look at him in surprise. Seeing that, Ichigo put his weight into his blade and pushed the man backwards.
"Surrender and I may spare your life." Ichigo stated rigidly. In that moment, he heard a few sighs of relief coming from behind him.
"…that was too close."
"Ah, it's the same guy we met three days ago!"
Completely ignoring the voices, Ichigo continued to stare at the man holding the polearm. The man looked almost exactly the same as the one he had defeated three days ago and, for a fraction of a second, an image of a body blowing up flashed across Ichigo's mind. It caused him to momentarily lose his concentration. Angrily, he shook his head to get rid of the unpleasant memory only to see his opponent rushing towards him.
Renewing the grip on the hilt of his zanpakuto, he swung it upwards and forced the man to stop in his tracks. Ichigo watched him jump backwards and prepared to follow after him but the man proceeded to swing his polearm downwards. When a blast of green energy shot out of it, Ichigo quickly glanced behind him and then sidestepped the blast as it solidified into a wall.
"Gah! What are you doing?! It almost hit us!" He heard a yell from behind him. The teen didn't bother to turn and simply raised his voice.
"But it didn't. I had it calculated."
Then he heard a sudden rush of air coming from his right side.
"Make sure they won't flee the scene. I'll take care of this guy."
"Right."
He didn't need to even glance to the right to know that despite the annoyed tone of her voice, Rukia quickly listened to his words. It made him smirk a little. Then he sent a dangerous glare at the man he was fighting.
"Give up. Your weapon is not suited for fighting somebody like me." He stated confidently but his opponent barely reacted to the taunt. Instead, he raised his weapon again.
"Your loss. Bakudō #1, Sai!" Ichigo said and quickly pointed his index and middle finger at the man, causing his arms to snap backwards before another green light escaped from his weapon. The teen then closed in on him and sent a powerful punch into his guts.
"Gh!" Having his breath knocked out of him, the man bent forward. It allowed Ichigo to grab him by the hair and smash his face into the ground.
"Now talk! Why are you after the girl? Who sent you?"
Apparently refusing to talk, the man incoherently grunted. Having little to no patience, Ichigo pressed on the back of the man's head and forced it to sink into the soil.
"I'm waiting!"
A pained groan escaped through the man's teeth. At first, Ichigo thought it was because of him but then he noticed a green light emanating from the place where the man had his weapon attached to his right arm. Sensing danger, the teen let go of him and jumped away.
As if on an order, the man's body eerily got up. The green light enveloped his whole body and broke the Bakudō on his arms. Ichigo narrowed his eyes when he noticed the man's rigid movements which looked like they did not belong to him.
'What is going on?'
He didn't have much time to ponder about it as the man began to rapidly swing the polearm all around, releasing the blasts of green energy in every direction. It forced Ichigo to go on the defensive and he had to move fast in order to avoid it all. However, the attacks became too numerous and the walls they produced gradually began to restrict his movements. Resolutely jumping high in the air, Ichigo managed to catch a glimpse of the man's expression.
He was terrified and in pain.
'He's…' Ichigo thought and, while still in the air, tried to get one more look at the man's weapon. What he saw surprised him greatly.
'It's… growing?'
He narrowed his eyes. Something felt wrong and horribly out of place. The handle of the man's weapon was pulsing and crawling up his arm like a living organism, forcing more and more energy to surround him.
'Where the hell is this energy coming from? This guy certainly didn't feel this strong.'
Then he bit his lip and his expression hardened. Resolutely, he raised his sword and pumped it full of reiryoku. With a mighty swing, he brought it down.
"Getsuga Tenshō." He stated evenly and watched his attack plow through the walls until it finally hit his opponent dead-on. The man didn't even try to dodge.
The area around the assassin exploded.
Ichigo waited until the dust and smoke from the explosion completely died down. Once it did, he saw that the area was devoid of any life and there was no trace of the man's body. Not even blood. It was as if he completely vaporized. The teen gave the destroyed ground one last glance before turning around. He felt bad about killing the man but, from the assassin's last expression, he was sure he did him a favor.
"Do you have any idea to whom are you speaking? Let us go this instant or you'll face severe punishment!"
The loud exclamation came from a man standing next to Rurichiyo as he tried to threaten Rukia. Before the petite shinigami could retort, Ichigo walked up to the group.
"You too! We are grateful for helping us but-"
"You mean for saving you." Ichigo rudely interrupted him with a hard gaze. The man narrowed his eyes.
"Either way, we are grateful but you have no place keeping us here. We have to go!"
Ichigo unflinchingly met the man's glare.
"You're not going anywhere until we have a little talk."
The man's eyebrows twitched and in the next instant, his colleague, a large muscular man with a small Mohawk appeared right in front of Ichigo, towering above him.
"Watch your tone, brat. I was being nice because of what you did but you are seriously overstepping the boundaries. You too, shinigami. Now, you will let us go or you'll have to face Enryū."
Humorlessly, Ichigo chuckled.
"Really? If this guy is so strong then where was he a few minutes ago?" He said and then took a step to the side to look at the shorter guy again.
"I don't think you realize your situation, Kenryū." He mentally grinned when he saw the man blink in surprise. Standing next to the teen, Rukia released a heavy sigh.
"What this buffoon is trying to say is that we want to help you. We are somewhat aware of your situation but it would be better if we spoke in private." She said.
Kenryū, the shorter guy, gave her a doubtful look.
"What could a shinigami and an Academy student do? Besides, this is a private matter of the Kasumiōji Clan. Now, please leave."
Ichigo scoffed and when the man turned to him with an unpleasant stare, he opened his mouth.
"And what will you do when another assassin comes for her?" He nodded towards the girl hiding behind the man. She visibly gulped and tugged on his clothes.
"K-Kenryū… we think we should ask for their help. This is the second time this boy has saved us. We think he could help us." Rurichiyo whispered in a low voice, causing a pained expression to briefly appear on Kenryū's face.
"Listen to her. I may be only a student of the Academy but this 'shinigami'…" Ichigo continued and pointed his finger at Rukia.
"…is actually Kuchiki Rukia from the Kuchiki Clan."
When the two men, Kenryū and Enryū, visibly stiffened, Ichigo felt a light smirk forming on his face.
"Still think we can't help you?"
…
Thirty minutes later
Within a house protected by numerous, specially crafted Kidō barriers, Ichigo and Rukia silently sipped a tea while intently listening to the shorter man, Kenryū. Once he had realized just who Rukia was, he had promptly changed his attitude and invited her and the teen to their temporal home.
"Once again, I apologize for our behavior, Kuchiki-sama. I have never imagined I would come across a Kuchiki in the World of the Living." Kenryū said while bowing deeply. Sitting next to him, Enryū silently mirrored his actions.
Looking quite embarrassed, Rukia put the cup of tea on the table and waved her hand with a friendly smile.
"That's alright. No need to stand on ceremony."
Slowly, Kenryū raised his head and briefly looked around, at the thin wall that was separating the group from a room in which Rurichiyo was sleeping. In that moment, when he closed his eyes, it looked as if came to a conclusion, some sort of a definitive decision.
"If Kuchiki-sama is willing to help us, then… ah… Rurichiyo-sama is the sole legitimate heir to the Kasumiōji clan. That wouldn't be a problem if her parents, the former heads of the family, were still alive. However, Rurichiyo-sama's mother, the previous matriarch of the family, passed shortly after her daughter was born. Her father followed soon after her, taken by illness. Me and Enryū have been her guardians ever since, standing in for the parents she never knew." He explained quietly.
"You're talking as if she still hasn't assumed her place as the head of the family."
Kenryū negatively shook his head.
"It's too soon. She's still too young. We thought it would be better to wait for her to come out of age but… the situation is more complicated now. A man by the name of Gyōkaku Kumoi is acting as a temporary viceroy for the clan." As he said that, Kenryū's expression twisted into a grim scowl.
"Lately, vassals under the service have begun to disappear. Seems he has been disposing of anyone who doesn't fall in line. We believe he has been abusing his station, using his influence to seize the control of the Kasumiōji clan. Not to mention, there have been strange things occurring around Rurichiyo-sama as of lately. Dangerous incidents."
Ichigo interrupted him with a hard gaze.
"Assassination attempts."
Kenryū nodded.
"Yes. Rurichiyo-sama is the rightful heir to power and she's standing in Gyōkaku Kumoi's way."
"Can you prove any of that?"
"No… I'm afraid we can't. Gyōkaku Kumoi's influence is now far too large to attempt anything within the clan so, under the cloak of fog-heavy night, we took Rurichiyo-sama and, without telling a soul, disappeared from Soul Society and into the World of the Living in hope to spare her of this. However, it seems there is no way to escape the man's reach." Kenryū answered in a solemn tone.
"What do you plan to do now?" Rukia asked after a moment of silence.
"We… I don't know. We only escaped to the World of the Living because of the growing desperation, hoping the situation would calm down and resolve by itself."
His hard gaze still pointed at the man, the corners of Ichigo's mouth twitched.
"If that's the case, why were you so stubborn as to refuse any help?"
Kenryū lowered his head.
"Hurt pride at being unable to save Rurichiyo-sama by ourselves is probably one of the reasons. I also didn't want to get anyone else to get involved as it would only result in another pointless death and there has been enough blood spilled already. We also can't ask the Gotei for help as I fear that if word of this internal strife were to get out, the Noble Kasumiōji Clan would be in danger of dissolution…"
At that point, Ichigo tuned the man out. Thanks to the lessons he had received from Byakuya, he knew what the man wanted to say next. So, instead of listening to the same thing twice, Ichigo tried to think of a solution to the situation. Inadvertently, while doing so, his head turned to the side and his gaze fell on the wall behind which was Rurichiyo.
"Rurichiyo-sama is somewhat aware of the situation. We wanted to keep things away from her, as we feared it would devastate her but, such a thing was impossible to do. Still, she doesn't know all the details. The only thing she knows is that somebody is after her. It scared her enough and so she did not ask any further questions so far. But I'm afraid we will not be able to lie to her forever." Kenryū said when he noticed where Ichigo was looking. The teen glanced at the man and then closed his eyes for a short moment.
"At least she's aware of the danger and she won't try to do anything stupid. That's… a good thing. Since I'm still in the Academy I can't really be here every day so it's better this way." He muttered quietly, earning a surprised look from Kenryū. Rukia chuckled.
"Whether you had actually accepted our help or not, Ichigo already made the decision for you."
Kenryū's surprised expression slowly turned into a grateful smile.
"I see. Thank you. However, please remember that the Gotei can't be involved in this." He added worryingly.
Rukia shook her head and looked at him with a placating gaze.
"Don't worry. I will act solely as a member of the Kuchiki Clan and not an officer of the Gotei." She then glanced at the teen next to her.
"Also, Ichigo is not yet an official member of the Gotei so he'll be fine too." It looked like she wanted to say more but before she could, Ichigo sent her a meaningful stare.
"Once again, thank you." Kenryū said while bowing deeply. As he watched the man do that, something occurred to Ichigo and he narrowed his eyes.
"We'll be back tomorrow or the day after that. Hopefully, with some good news. Do you think you'll be safe until then? I noticed the barriers around this place are quite unusual but can they hold against the assassins?"
Kenryū straightened his back and looked at the teen with a small amount of pride in his eyes.
"Yes. These barriers are special. They conceal reiatsu signature and alert us if anyone attempts to break them. Therefore, even in case somebody could locate us, we have enough time to flee. I made sure to locate multiple houses we could use if a situation like that occurs."
Ichigo met the man's gaze with a concerned stare. Subconsciously, he strained his neck muscles to turn his head and look at the thin wall in line of his sight.
'I hope his confidence is not unfounded. If only for the girl's sake.'
…
A while later, Ichigo and Rukia entered the Senkaimon gate, ready to return to the Soul Society. Both of them were quiet, preoccupied with thoughts about what they had just heard. As they absentmindedly took steps forwards, the gate closed after them.
"I'll talk to Nii-sama. I'm sure he'll know something."
Ichigo briefly nodded, not really looking at her.
"Yeah, I'll…"
As soon as the gate opened again, this time to let them in the Soul Society, the teen trailed off and stared at the scene in front of him in disbelief. Next to him, Rukia blinked.
"…I think we missed something."
Her voice was filled with bewilderment. Ichigo couldn't really fault her for that. Not when they watched as a swarm of shinigami chaotically ran from side to side while a large group of Menos Grande bombarded the Seireitei with their bright red Cero.
End of Chapter 17.
Finally... finally I've been able to finish this chapter. I apologize for the delay but I have my reasons.
We're slowly dipping into the Kasumioji arc. This arc is necessary for more than just one reason but I hope you'll realize it later by yourselves. Because of that, I won't tell you why.
Next chapter, Ichigo will meet not only Amagai, but also Kukkaku (finally!) and Urahara. Also, it will be heavy plot-wise. I swear I'll try to make it as good as it appears to be in my mind!
To reviews:
*Dinner - if you liked the Amagai arc in anime, then I hope you'll like it here even more. I will spice it up! Yes, Rurichiyo won't be the main focus. There is much I plan to do with Yhwach. I just hope I'll be able to write everything. Aizen wasn't in this chapter either. Will he appear in the next one... ? About the smaller sword... thought about it, I may even include it in the story.
*Kragh50 - what if he won't need to fight Amagai at all? Hm? HM?
*Grimjaww - well, he won't be romantically involved with her. I can tell you that much. Rangiku will appear from time to time.
*Orange3WhiteSkew - well, that's Yoruichi for you!
*Harbinger_Of_Kaos - yeah, I won't show Yamamoto's POV much. But I plan on refining my clue-putting in the future. It seems I lack in that area! Yep, Zangetsu is a naughty boy so he'll keep that image for a while.
*Lorde_Wolfe - thank you and no, Ichigo will certainly not use that method to achieve bankai.
*Kika_Chan_5 - yeah, Urahara has issues. A lot of them. Well, I'll try not to get lost then because this fic will not end soon. I hope I won't bore you to death till its epilogue comes.
*Moon6Shadow - are you a mind reader? Damn it! You got too many things right! (I will never admit what you got right, though!)
As always, I read every single review and every single one of them is much appreciated. They are like pointers, showing me the direction in which I can or should move.
I hope life will allow me to focus on writing once more.
I really need to finish my other Bleach story...
Till next time!