Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach!
Warning: It's short.
Summary: Ichigo isn't in Kansas and learns some information, Aizen plots, Isshin get mad, training for Ichigo, and the Vaizards worry. Plus a flashback!
"Hi." Hichigo talking
/Hello. / Rei and Zangetsu talking
Chapter 4-The Plotters Take the Stage
Aizen watched with interest as his spies from the human world reported their finding on locating the substitute Shinigami.
"Aizen-sama, we are unable to find Kurosaki Ichigo." The two black figures said very nearly kissing Aizen's feet.
"I see…" Aizen said looking off behind them. "You are dismissed."
The two figures left surprised at not being punished, and another person arrived in their place.
"Everything going to plan?" Gin Ichimaru asked smiling that creepy smile of his.
"Perfectly, and because they acted sooner than they should have, the damage dealt will be that much greater." Aizen said reflecting the same insane smile that Ichimaru had.
"How fun. See ya' later Aizen-sama." Gin said wondering out the room.
"How fun indeed." Aizen mutter thinking.
Soon he would rule over all three worlds…
~*~
Isshin couldn't take it anymore. Ichigo hadn't come back from destroying that Hollow and then the sudden absence of his reiatsu had Isshin really worried for his only son.
He was going to get to the bottom of this, regardless of who stood in his way.
Even if it meant destroying Soul Society he would get Ichigo back, both for himself and for Masaki.
~*~
Ichigo groaned and tried to open his eyes, but found them too heavy to open. He mentally sighed and instead he opted to listen to the conversation happening around him.
"Kurosaki-kun got multiple injuries, and a concussion, never mind the exhaustion and poison he has in his system, right?" A sugary sweet voice said sounding very familiar but Ichigo couldn't place it.
He heard two people gulp.
"But sou-taichou said any means-." Renji's said, his voice trying to defend his actions.
"I will be having some words with Yamamoto-sou-taichou." The first said interrupting Renji. "Right now Kurosaki-kun is out of critical condition, but he needs to rest. And if he does wake up I expect him to do that…right Kuchiki-chan and Abarai-kun?" The voice continued.
The two gulp but answered.
"Hai, Unohana-taichou." Rukia and Renji said unknowingly answering Ichigo's silent question, as to why that voice sounded so familiar.
'So it's Unohana…but that means I'm in Soul Society, but why? Why are there orders from the old man Yamamoto about me? They know something.' Ichigo thought falling back into sleep.
~*~
"What do you mean you don't know?!" Isshin yelled panic lined his voice, as his worst fears played out in his head.
"I don't know Isshin, I'm as much in the dark as you are," Urahara said waving his fan.
A figure stepped out of the darkness.
"Correction was I've just come back from Soul Society." Yourichi said walking to her two friends in her human form. "But, what really made the trip memorable was Rukia Kuchiki and Renji Abarai bring in a bloody Ichigo."
Isshin paled.
"What the hell is going on?!"
~*~
Rukia and Renji shifted slightly in their seat and kept shooting worried looks at the ginger-hair teen laying on the bad in front of them.
FLASHBACK
Rukia and Renji followed closely behind Ichigo as he went after the unmistakable reiatsu of a Menos Grande hollow.
It surprising didn't take long for Ichigo to find the said hollow, and both continuously checked their reiatsu to make sure they were cloaked.
They had a golden chance to complete their mission, and they would have to take it. Regardless of the fact they would effectively make Ichigo pissed off at them. But hey miracles only happen once right?
They both silently watched from the tops of two nearby buildings as Ichigo tried in vain to defeat the Menos Grande hollow, but for some reason having a hard time doing.
Both spectators Shinigami wondered why exactly Ichigo was having such trouble destroying a hollow that should have only taken minutes.
It never crossed their minds that they were in fact the indirect cause of Ichigo's trouble.
With the thoughts, the recent Aizen rebelling would turn into a war, both close friends of Ichigo had quickly turned from combat Shinigami into the messengers that Soul Society employed to deliver information to everyone station in the living world. By doing this, and Hitsugaya's team being in training nearly every day, it combined to put extreme pressure on the orange-hair teenager to both live his life in the real world, and be a Soul Reaper by night, and thus leading to Ichigo's current predicament.
'What the hell is Strawberry thinking? That hollow should have been easy!' Renji thought, missing the obvious.
'Something's up with Ichigo's fighting…it weak, too weak.' Rukia thought focusing on the reason behind Ichigo's dramatic decrease of power, instead of being Renji and getting pissed off.
They watched Ichigo charge the hollow and miss, while the hollow aimed at the perfect target of Ichigo's back with a fury of swipes from its razor sharp arms. Ichigo dodged and did a downwards slash at his opponent's mask to end the fight, but the hollow was too quick and got a cut across Ichigo's arm sending a small stream of blood on the ground below their feet.
Ichigo flinched slightly but showed no other signs that this slash on his arm hurt him, and instead took stance even though his already small strength was cut in half.
The hollow smiled evilly and charged at the orange haired Shinigami. Ichigo knew he didn't have enough spirit energy to evade the incoming attack, so copied the hollow and striked at the last possible moment, cutting the hollow's mask in half and ending the tiring fight.
Ichigo huffed out of breath and used his zanpaktou to steady himself, as a small steam of blood flowed down his arm onto the dirty cement below.
"Rukia I'm going in…" Renji said shunpoing behind Ichigo.
"Wait Renji…get back here." Rukia hissed, but she was too late.
Renji reappeared behind Ichigo and used the back of the blade to knock Ichigo unconscious. Sadly, no one knew that attack wouldn't have been necessary if they had waited just a few short seconds for Ichigo to fall down of his own accord…
FLASHBACK END
Rukia continued to look at the battered form of her savior, Ichigo.
Why did he have to be such an idiot?
Why couldn't he have told someone that he was having such a hard time balancing his life in the living world, and being a Shinigami?
'Because he didn't want anyone to think he was weak, and knew the war effort was more important.' Another voice in Rukia's head said. She recognized it as her knowledgeable side that understood boys and actions they took.
Still…it made her feel beyond guilty that one of her friends was suffering in the dark when she could have done something to prevent this.
Rukia sighed.
Ichigo saves her and she can't even repay him one little bit, and even this time she would have been able to prevent this from happening but failed. Rukia couldn't help but feel she was utterly useless.
Just what kind of nakama was she?
Like Ichigo's fight with Grimmjow and the whole Bountou episode, she just ended up being a burden on Ichigo rather than an asset.
Rukia's eyes darken.
She wondered if Orihime felt like this…
She probably did, and she tried her best especially when Rukia told her it wasn't her place to decide if she was usefully or not…
Brave words, but Rukia knew they only counted for so much, and right now she had no doubt that she was utterly useless.
"Rukia. " A voice whispered harshly into her ear.
Rukia jumped.
"What Renji?" She asked slightly annoyed.
"Stop."
"Stop what?" She asked very confused. She wished he'd just speak in complete sentences; it was difficult to understand him when he spoke in one word liners.
"Stop thinking like that you not useless," He said. Rukia looked ready to argue but a look from Renji silenced her.
"I've know you long enough to tell when you're blaming yourself for something." He offered as an explanation.
Rukia raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sick?"
Renji looked insulted.
"I'm not sick, Ichigo's the one on the bed remember?" He said pointing to the orange head.
"Sure…and Renji?"
"Yeah?" He asked slightly annoyed.
"Thanks."
~*~
"From what I can gather," Urahara said waving his fan in that annoying way that told everyone he knows more than they did. Isshin, was surprisingly unaffected by the all too common urge to kill the man. "One of two things has happened, one Soul Society has found out Ichigo is a Vaizard, or two they have finally discovered the second option for creating the king's key."
"Second option?" Isshin and Yourichi asked trying to figure out what the heck Urahara was talking about.
"Yes, there are coincidentally two ways to create the King's key. You can sacrifice a 200-mile radius piece of reiatsu charged land…or you can sacrifice a being with a huge amount of reiatsu."
"Ichigo?" Isshin asked fearing the already obvious answer.
"Correct. As we all know Ichigo process a very limitless supply of reiatsu which I assume Aizen will try to use to create the king's key." Urahara explained airily.
Isshin paled several shades over, and asked another hard question.
"How would Aizen sacrifice Ichigo?"
"He would likely drain Ichigo of most, if not all his reiatsu slowly…and then finally kill him to complete the key."
The blood drained from Isshin's face, and silence reigned.
~*~
Ichigo listened intently to Rei as he continued to lecture about all the weakness he had seen during Ichigo's fight with Zangetsu.
/ More control on Getsuga Tensho. / Rei said looking at Zangetsu who nodded. / Anyway today we're going to start on the sealing of Zangetsu. /
Ichigo nodded and took his soul slayer from his back and waited for Rei's instruction.
/ Now the whole goal to sealing a Zanpaktou is control. Put Zangetsu on your lap and concrete. /
Ichigo obey and tried his hand at sealing.
He placed his hand on Zangetsu's blade and tried to control his reiatsu.
A mixture of blue and red spirit energy swirled around Ichigo as he tried to do the sealing of Zangetsu.
/ Ichigo, /Zangetsu said. / Push your reiatsu into my blade and complete the transformation…/ He guided stoically.
Ichigo didn't answer and closed his eyes forcing with every inch of his being for the sword to seal.
"I will seal…" He whispered to himself, unaware that Zangetsu heard him.
The huge blade resting in his lap warped and rearranged itself turning pure white with a reverse blade…it became a sakabato.
/ Open your eyes Ichigo-sama! / Rei said excitedly.
Ichigo did so.
"Wow…" He said looking his blade over.
/Yes, wow you did it! / Rei smiled happily and clapped Ichigo on the back.
"Thanks…"
/ Now we can finally start on your real training! / Rei said messing the look Ichigo gave him.
"Yes, now the real training can begin, right Aibou?" Hichigo said appearing behind Ichigo and smirking evilly.
Why did he have a feeling he wasn't going to like this training?
/ Okay Ichigo-sama, go train. / Rei said helping Ichigo up.
He shooed Ichigo letting Hichigo drag the ginger haired teen away.
/ Good luck…you'll need it… / He said as an afterthought.
Ichigo would need it. His hollow was anything but gentle.
~*~
Shinji watched his teammates and family members fight each other over food portions, but said nothing.
Something felt off, and it was driving him crazy.
"Yo dickhead!" Hiyori said trying to get Shinji's attention although she failed horrible and had to resort to her sandal smacks. "I SAID DICKHEAD!" She yelled into Shinji's ear.
"What Hiyori?" Shinji said calmly looking at her, while smiling like there was no tomorrow.
"What the hell's wrong with you? I'm been shouting my ass off and you're just staring off into space."
"I'm not sure-."
"I've return." The voice from yesterday said meekly, appearing before Hiyori and Shinji. "Her highness commands that you continue your mission with or without Kurosaki Ichigo consent. You are to return with him at the earliest time possible." The teenage girl said vanishing again.
"What was that?" Love asked looking at the spot the girl had occupied.
"Hell, if I know." Hiyori said glaring at Shinji waiting for him to spill all his life secrets.
"Completing our mission comes first." Shinji declared walking in direction of the door. "Find Ichigo so we can head home." He ordered and the members of his makeshift family nodded and shunpoed out of the warehouse all searching for the substitute Shinigami.
~*~
A/N: I hope lots of people enjoyed this chapter...it's the longest one so far...now to finish typing Strange Candy... before my loyal readers start coming after me with a pitch fork and other dangerous weapons...
READ & REVIEW! AND I MIGHT UPDATE AGAIN...REMEMBER I HAVE THE NEXT CHAPTERS ALREADY TYPED...ALL I NEED IS TO QUICKLY BETA THEM...
JA NE!