A/N: *Gets down on hands and knees* I'm sorry this took so long. First I was taking longer to do some detailed detailed planning for the story, then I had (and still do X_X) a lot of stuff to do for school. And then I got sick, on top of dislocating my toe. I also am guilty of being distracted by playing Scribblenauts, which is an amazing game XD. Thanks for all the reviews!
I have also decided that for the most part I will use the English translations for things, like soul power, but I will keep the honorifics when they are used. I will also bounce between soul reaper and shinigami, merely for varieties sake. Shun-po, Sonido, and Hirenkyaku will stay in original form because calling all of them flash step would offend the pride of the Quincy and anger the Arrancar. Zanpaktou are zanpaktou and other things that can't be translated will stay in the original form. Thank you, that is all. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: If I owned Bleach, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction for it. The fanfiction would be the canon.
Format Key:
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts' 'Inner World Thoughts'
*Flashback*
'Hichigo talking/ Zangetsu talking'
Time Stands Still
by: Noelani Aiko
Second Chance
Ichigo was finishing putting on his blue academy uniform when someone decided to use his door as a drum-set. "It's open!" Ichigo shouted
"You ready for the test today Ichigo?" asked a young Iba Tetsuzaemon.
Ichigo grabbed his zanpaktou from his futon and smirked. "More ready than you are!"
Iba smirked at the challenge. "Lower score has to supply the sake tonight."
The two shook hands and headed out of the dorm to the testing fields.
While walking in silence with Iba, Ichigo started thinking about everything that had happened over the past few months.
*THREE MONTHS PRIOR*
"Alright, I'm in."
The purple haired shinigami turned toward the guard. "Go ahead and let him out."
"But he's a-" the guard on duty trailed off as the smiling Sato got a sharp look in his eyes.
As soon as Ichigo was free, the happy captain put an arm around the berry's shoulder.
"Let's go get some food. I'm starved!"
Twenty minutes later, Ichigo's stomach was singing praises to the food gods. Over the meal, the wary Ichigo was telling an altered version of his arrival to his new...friend.
"...and I tried to shun-po, but ended up flat on my face."
Noburu nodded thoughtfully. "It sounds like you've had you spiritual energy drained. It'll take some time before it comes back, so just take it easy. Not too easy though, the academy will be hard work. Are you ready to head over? You'll need to take the entrance exam and if you need a surname, you can use mine Ichigo-kun! We can be like family." Sato grinned widely across the table.
'Hey King...does he remind you of-'
'Urahara. Yeah. Kinda creepy too. Now get out'
'But I can' get out King. Unless you're offerin' your control up...' Hichigo drawled suggestively.
"NO!"
"Oh you don't have to use my name of course, Ichigo. It was just a suggestion."
Ichigo blanched. "Sorry Noburu-san. I got lost in thought. I'd be honored to be part of your family."
In Ichigo's inner world, Hichigo was rolling on the sideways skyscrapers. 'Too...funny!'the hollow wheezed.
One of these days, he was going to kill that sorry excuse for a hollow.
After arriving at the academy, Ichigo was situated in a testing room. Slouching in the small desk, the orange-head realized that while Hichigo was making too much of a presence, old-man Zangetsu had been awfully quiet.
Slipping into his inner world, Ichigo looked around and called out. 'Hey Zangetsu, you still in charge in here?'
'Sorry King. Old Man's taking a vacation. What can I do ya for?'
'You can shut-up, horse. If I wasn't getting ready to take an exam, I'd bash your face in.'
'Aw, where's the love, Berry-tan? You wound my Hollow heart.' Hichigo bemoaned.
While Ichigo was glaring at his hollow, a stately woman with two inch rimmed glasses had entered the testing room. "Sato Ichigo, I presume?"
Ichigo snapped back to reality. "Yes, ma'am."
"Good. This part of the entrance exam is written. You will have one hour." The examiner seemed to glare over her glasses before she turned and left the room.
'Alright. Number one. List your knowledge of hollows.' Ichigo almost grinned. This would be too easy.
Ichigo jotted down his answers to the questions, moving on down the sheet. When he reached the end, the substitute shinigami had ten minutes left, so Ichigo just lay his head on the desk. The glasses lady came back the second the hour was up to collect his test.
Test in hand, she turned to the door. "Follow me young man."
The proctor led him to an open room with other shinigami hopefuls.
"This is the hoho test. It will test your agility, so be quick. Good luck" Surprisingly, the strict looking woman smiled at him before leaving. As soon as the door closed, the lights flickered and plunged the testers into dark.
A few of the females, plus one who sounded like a burly male, screamed. Two minutes later, the lights returned and the room was now a huge obstacle course. Ichigo looked at each apparent stage of the course, noting the kido nets set up between poles at the middle of the test. "Looks like we're going to be jumping around on those things."
"Welcome to the second test. My name is Kuukaku Shiba and I'll be testing you wimps on how well you can dodge." Kuukaku grinned like a maniac.
Ichigo couldn't stop his jaw from dropping. It wasn't just the fact that Shiba-san was the examiner, but rather that she still had two arms.
Grabbing a list from an assistant, the Shiba woman began to read the instructions for the test.
"Okay. For all you newcomers, the point is to try to get to the end of the course. Failing that, we'll have been watching you carefully to determine what level of training you would need. Do your best! Now, first up is Asuhara Miyako."
A tall, confident brunette stepped up to the start line. Kuukaku rang a gong and Asuhara ran into the mini forest part of the obstacle course. Three minutes later, the gong rang again. Shiba called another name, and another, some making it to the next course, others not even getting through the forest. a lucky few had made it to the end of the test.
"Sato Ichigo!"
Ichigo walked into the forest cautiously. 'What's making all these students fail? Is there someone ambushing them?'
'Hey King...you might wanna...'
Ichigo nearly missed having an anvil drop on his head from the trees limbs above.
"WHAT THE FUCK!? That's it, I'm getting out of here." The strawberry rushed out of the anvil forest and to the jumping poles. Ichigo climbed the ladder provided and got ready to start leaping along the poles. From the sidelines, balls of kido started launching toward the shinigami, who was mid leap. Ichigo twisted in midair and landed on one pole before launching for the next.
He was untouchable. Every other soul that had made it to this stage had been hit at least once. Whoever this kid was, he was gonna be good. Kuukaku made a note on the exam sheet for Sato Ichigo. 'There's something wrong though. He's moving like he's already been trained, but is holding back. Maybe...yeah, I'll use that.' The fireworks specialist motioned for her assistant.
Kuukaku whispered her instructions. "Go get Test B and have it ready in forty-five seconds."
Nodding, her assistant flash-stepped away to prepare the special test.
'Let's see what you can really do, Sato'
The last stage of test was a kido enlarged room with nothing in it but another door at the end. The floor was made up of tiles. Ichigo walked forward two tiles, but the next he started to step on began wobbling before falling out. The shinigami was testing the next tile when a slot in one of the walls opened and a target-seeking missile was set loose.
Ichigo began dashing toward the door at top speed and without notice, began to shun-po. Sometime during the test he had recovered enough soul power to use the technique, and made it through the door, slamming it shut just as the rocket hit.
A/N: I decided to stop here...because it's a good cliffhanger and because I don't have time to finish this chapter until after November 6th. So, I hope you enjoyed the uber late update and don't kill me. Review and answer the poll on my profile while I work on the next chapter!
