a/n Alright so I know I have some explaining to do. First of all when a human becomes a Death God they lose memories of their past life. Second, I know the pairing hasn't been decided, but please don't expect it to be anywhere near canon. I may make it an IchiRuki fanfic, but I've always felt that she belonged with Renji or Toshiro. Why you ask? They're meant for each other! Both are short, bossy and stoic and they both possess ice-type Zanpakuto. Please don't abandon my fic. I want my fanfic to be unique while stile incorporating elements of my favourite fanfics which include Ichigo going to the Shinigami Academy. Nearly the entire first chapter was Kazuma's pov, but don't worry, the pov will change from time to time.
Glen Morski: Remember that in my storyline Ichigo never got his powers back from Rukia, therefore he will be slowly regaining them throughout. He may or may not be as powerful as post dangai Ichigo. It all depends on how the story pans out
Third person POV
Kazuma awoke to the same backwards world that he had the night before. In front of him was the same mysterious teen.
"Who are you? Where am I?" Kazuma asked, both frightened and a little excited. He had long since learned that one's zanpakuto typically contacts them in their sleep.
"This," the teen gestured to their surroundings, "is your inner world. The skyscrapers signify your hopes and ambitions while the fog surrounding us symbolizes your insecurities."
"My insecurities?" Kazuma asked, sure he was unsure of himself sometimes but he was also confident in his abilities. Being a first year student being in advanced sixth year classes did that to you.
"You're unsure of yourself. You know you belong somewhere but you aren't sure where exactly. I know what you're thinking at every time, during every day. I was you, or at least a part of you."
"Are you my Zanpakuto," I asked, ignoring his previous comments.
"Wrong," he said in a dark voice, "I am not your zanpakuto, I am the Zanpakuto of ****** ****ki, my name is T***** Za******."
"Why can't I hear you."
"It's because only he can hear me. You must find the truth of your past before you can have any hope of wielding me, boy."
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Kazuma and Ryoto walked to Hoho-P together. Seeing that his roommate seemed to be in deep contemplation, Ryoto kept his mouth shut throughout the day. Although Kazuma appreciated the noble's reverence, he couldn't help to feel strange. In the three months that he knew him, Ryoto had always been the loud mouth, ignorant one who always was on everyone's nerves. It didn't surprise Kazuma that his friend hadn't had any type of friendship with anyone other than himself
"Today we will learn a fundamental technique that you will all need to combat hollows effectively," Iwate-sensei stepped onto nothing, giving the impression that she was floating on air. "Now to execute this technique you will have to solidify the reiatsu beneath your feet, creating a platform on which to stand on. When you become proficient enough, you will be able to use flash step while keeping a steady platform. By the time you graduate I expect you all to be able to do this subconsciously."
Ryoto swore under his breath as he failed to solidify a platform, "shit!" Kazuma smirked, "Need some help?" Ryoto rolled his eyes, "okay almighty prodigy, show me your greatness!" he said in a sarcastic tone. "Talent," the black haired prodigy replied, "and natural ability."
"Just show me how to do it asshole."
"Alright fine dumbass."
Kazuma showed his blonde friend the trick he used to execute the technique, "Just imagine walking on a path." Kazuma saw his friends close his eyes as Ryoto visualized the scene. "Now use your reiatsu to create the path in the real world." Ryoto took a step into the air as he opened his eyes to see that he was indeed 'standing on air.'
"I'm doing it," Ryoto exclaimed, "Hey Kazuma can you see thi-"About fifty feet above him, Kazuma folded his arms across his chest and shot his friend a boastful grin.
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Hinamori sighed out loud; it had been the fifth day in a row Rukia needed to have a 'girl to girl' talk. "Are you sure I should go through with this?" She said pleadingly, much to Hinamori's already growing disdain. "I still love him but I love Renji just as much."
Hinamori sighed for the umpteenth time that day. She didn't even know the Ryoka that had killed Aizen but at the same time, had grown a deep understanding and respect for the orange haired substitute. To give up ones Zanpakuto, ones shinigami abilities, was like killing a part of yourself or tearing off your legs and to do so without hesitation was something to be remembered and merited for millennium to come. So when news had reached the Soul Society that the once infamous Death God had died due to their indecisiveness, the feelings of sadness had spread through the squads like wild fire. Each squad had their own reason for respecting/admiring the teen, whether it was his battle prowess that the eleventh so loved or his undying determination that everyone admired.
The fifth squad vice-captain had owed the man she never met everything. By defeating Aizen, he had given her life back, allowed her to forgive and had changed the centuries of stiff rulings and dictations given out by the foolish forty-six men that governed them. Every year on his memorial day she would thank the shinigami proxy for his services and sacrifices to the Death God and offered him a tribute, starting a tradition amongst the Gotei thirteen in which all squads would wear an orange armband in remembrance of the man who saved them.
"I'm sure if could he would tell you to be happy and move on." Rukia nodded slowly, tears slowly drying in her red, puffy eyes. She knew that Hinamori was probably annoyed by now, but at the same time was thankful for her patience with her.
When Rukia had seen his body in the living world, lying lifeless and defeated beneath the feet of the exiled substitute, she had been devastated. She was furious that such a man would meet his demise at the hands of scum like Ginjo but was even more furious that she had not told him her true feelings; though at the same time she couldn't shake the feelings that Ginjo couldn't be completely at fault. How many enemies had the Soul Society created? Ginjo was exiled and used, Kusaka had been killed for some petty dispute regarding Hyourinmaru, the Bount and Quincy faced a racial purging, heck even Aizen's actions could be justified an extreme way of straightening out Soul Society.
Hinamori smiled, wiping Rukia's tears away with her sleeve, "there, better now? We wouldn't want the bride to be questioning her commitments so close to her wedding day." Rukia nodded although Hinamori could still see traces of doubt lingering on her face. She frowned, "Rukia won't ever let him go, will she?"
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Renji paced back and forth while Kira sat their tapping his foot on the ground in front of his division's barracks. Much to his chagrin, Renji had scheduled various 'man talks' with him which were generally spent listening to Renji's nervous rants regarding his wedding plans. Not that he shouldn't be nervous, a marriage between two vice-captains was extremely rare and well publicised, Kira wouldn't have been surprised if the guest list was well over two thousand. Adding to the fact the Rukia was a friggin Kuchiki, the wedding would no doubt be amazing and expensive. It still baffled the third's vice captain that Renji had convinced the elders and Kuchiki-taicho to allow him to court Rukia-san.
Renji paced back and forth, visualizing every possible thing that could go wrong with his wedding. Kira shifted uncomfortably, "Renji, the wedding's been planned by none other than the Kuchiki's. If it isn't perfect and luxurious in every way than I can guarantee that the end is nigh." Renji nodded but Kira doubted that the vice-captain even was listening to him while he was no doubt lost in thoughts.
"It's not the wedding that I'm worried about," Renji said, finally speaking up. "I don't know if I'm ready for this, hell I ain't sure if Rukia's ready for this!" Kira cringed at the mention of the short noble. Renji hadn't been convinced that Rukia had found closure with his death and Renji was afraid he was nothing more than the rebound guy. They weren't even sure if he had made it into Soul Society. His soul's signature had never been picked up by the twelfth's sensors and Isshin-san and Urahara-san were really tight lipped about the whole situation. There was a good possibility that Ichigo's soul had died, after all he had been stabbed by a zanpakuto which did in fact as much damage to the soul as it did to the body. He had known the substitute a little more than some of his fellow vice-captains. Unlike Isane-san, Momo, Omaeda, and Sasakibe-san, he had had the pleasure of meeting the man and although the substitutes stay in Sereitei was short, he had quickly been given Kira's trust. So like everybody else, he too was greatly saddened by the loss of such a trustworthy man. At the memorial on Sokyoku hill, Izuru could've sworn he saw a slight depression taint the usual stoic face of both the Soutaicho and the sixth squad captain. "You shouldn't be too worried about that, Rukia isn't that type of girl and I'm surprised that you doubt yourself, after all, you aren't that type of guy." He knew he was lying to his red haired friend. Losing the strawberry had thrown Rukia into depression for nearly a year and a half. Kira frowned at his thoughts, "Otoribashi-taicho wants me to finish my paperwork as soon as possible." Seeing that Renji hadn't even acknowledged him he sighed, "well bye."
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Kazuma dodged a swipe to his head as he tensed the muscles in his hamstrings, readying them to pounce. Jumping into the hair at heights impossible to an average human, he brought his bokken down on his female classmate, stopping millimetres above her forehead. "Match Kitagawa!" Oshiro-sensei shouted. Katsumi shrugged her shoulders in defeat; she had never managed to beat the black haired prodigy even though this was her sixth year as opposed to his first. "Good match Kitagawa-kun," she said through gritted teeth. She honestly hated how he got all the attention, all the girls and all the praise from all the teachers. Kazuma grunted in reply, readying himself to face the sensei. They were playing king of the court, advance by defeating other students until you reached the king (i.e. the sensei). Kazuma bowed, while keeping his eyes on his sensei's bokken, his instinct dictated that he should never ever let his opponent's weapons out of his sights. Where he got these impulses, feelings or instincts he didn't know. While the nine years he had spent in Rukongai weren't exactly idyllic, they were far from traumatizing since any thief that came across him would find himself in a far worse state than before the 'pillaging.'
The remaining students looked on to see the two ready themselves, getting in their respective starting stances. They knew he could fight, hell he held his own against the Third seat of the eleventh. When the prodigy fought he exhibited his top notch conditioning and experience in fighting. His male classmates felt both awed and jealous that there was a first year who bested them in every aspect. While his female classmates gaped at his impressive physique and talent, giggling and whispering as they passed Kazuma in the halls and cafeteria, much to his chagrin that is.
The black haired prodigy relaxed his muscles, taking on a more dynamic style of fighting since the sensei utilized his slightly smaller body to be more flexible and more effective in close ranged combat. He took everything into consideration, the way his opponent tightened the grip on their wooden sword and the way his feet moved, edging slightly farther away from each other signifying that he was most likely about to strike. Kazuma grinned has he saw the muscles in his sensei's face tense slightly as he saw his right ankle straighten out. Using near shunpo speeds, he side stepped the oncoming blow while utilizing his longer reach to bring the bokken into an upwards slash.
Oshiro's eyes widened slightly moving backwards quickly, avoiding the upwards slash. He was pleasantly surprised that a master such as himself was pushed back by none other than a first year. Grinning widely, the master saw an opening in his pupil's stance, lunging forward in an attempt to stab Kazuma in the gut. Seeing that Oshiro-sensei had fallen for his trap, he again side stepped the attack while this time landing a downwards slice on his sensei's shoulder.
Cringing in pain, Oshiro grinned. He had never had the pleasure of teaching such a prodigy since the captain of the tenth graced his classroom decades ago. "This kid's going far."
Kazuma curtly bowed towards his teacher, ignoring the shouts and cheers from his classmates as he took his seat beside Ryoto. He hated all the attention he got, he didn't feel like he should be congratulated for anything, being the introvert he was.
The sensei bowed to his students as he dismissed them for Kido theory, "remember to practice during your free time! Another captain will be visiting as I'm sure you've all heard and he may very well be your first captain."
The class filed into the auditorium like classroom, taking their respective seats. "Today we will be learning the incantations for bakudo's sixty-one and sixty-three. These will be the highest binding spells you will be asked to perform at the practical so I hope you all will do your best in mastering them." Nearly all the boys in the class sighed, save Kazuma. They were all entranced by Hinamori-sensei's infectious smile and bubbly attitude. Her quiet beauty and great humility were traits that all men would want from their future wives. Kazuma, however, was still contemplating the words he heard the night before
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Flashback
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The moon hid behind a conglomerate of clouds when I decided to get going. I was only a few halls from my dorm when I heard two voices.
"What course of action do you think the Soutaicho will take?" A female voice I recognized as Hinamori-sensei's.
"It's hard to say," a cold stern voice began, "the Vasto Lordes have never been unified under a common flag." Hinamori nodded, "what would they want with the academy?"
"They most likely want to kill off any powerful shinigami hopefuls. That said you should be on your best. Report anything strange or suspicious to a captain and make sure to not do anything reckless."
"Mmhm, thank you, Shiro-chan!" Hinamori said cheerfully. "Anyways, have you heard about Rukia-san's and Renji-kun's wed-"She was cut off as the white-haired shinigami put a hand to her mouth. "We're not alone."
Realizing I was caught I casually entered the empty classroom, "Good evening Hinamori-sensei, Hitsugaya-taicho, I was just finishing up my detention. I'll be on my way."
I left the classroom hastily, not wanting to intrude any further on their conversation but not before hearing them speak again.
"Hinamori, is he-"
"Yes?" she asked
He shook his head, "no, it's fine, never mind."
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End Flashback
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"Vasto Lorde teaming up? I guess they don't really pose a threat after Soul Society hadn't suffered a single casualty thanks to him but If they're targeting the academy there would be little anyone could do to stop them."
"Kitagawa-kun?" Hinamori questioned, bringing Kazuma out of his gaze. "Can you please recite the incantation for bakudo 61?" She asked in her usual happy voice, completely unlike the tone she had used yesterday. He did feel bad for her however. News gets around fast now in Sereitei, ever since Urahara-taicho replaced Mayuri-fukutaicho, the Soul Society got a full technological reboot complete with computers and our own internet. For a reason still unknown to him, he knew that Kuchiki Rukia would be a handful for even someone as patient as Hinamori-sensei.
"Of course Sensei," Kazuma spread his legs, lowering his center of gravity in preparation for his spell. "Carriage of thunder! Bridge of spinning wheel! With light divide this into six! Bakudo no 61, Rikujokoro!" Six bars of light materialized, coming together at a focal point than dispersing into nothingness. "Well done, a perfectly executed Rukujokoro!" Hinamori nodded enthusiastically, "clearly someone's been reading ahead and practicing. Take note from Kitagawa-kun!"
Katsumi rolled her eyes, "teacher's pet." She despised the prodigy for his seeming natural ability. He had his reiatsu and skills without lifting a finger while she had to bust her ass to get to the top of the class. Although it has been only three months since Kazuma was accepted, the two had grown a powerful rivalry, even though the prodigy had no idea of the ill feelings his classmates felt.
"Wow, you're really just a peach, arentcha Kitagawa." Kazuma blinked, not feeling the malcontent directed towards him. Not that anyone should be surprised. After all, he still wondered why girls giggled at him when he passed them in the halls.
"Thanks!" He said while reorganizing his notes.
Katsumi mentally facepalmed, "He can be honestly so clueless."