Disclaimer: Bleach its characters and its settings are not mine
I turned around and there was Ukitake "Law of the Twin Fish" Jushiro, captain of the Gotei and the closest thing the old man had to a successor. The man was standing within arms reach of me.
I'd been bagged.
I couldn't fight him, Jushiro is a friend.
It all came to an end on goddamn random chance.
I'd been bagged.
It was over.
It was all fricking over.
It didn't have to be violent though, not here and not with Ukitake-san. He might even give me a head start.
I'd have to get Zangetsu back, surely he'd let me go for my Zanpakuto-
Ukitake's eyes widened and he grinned at me.
"Shiro-kun! It's great to see you, lad! How have you been keeping?"
Shiro-kun?
He slapped a hand down onto my freshly shaved head, rubbed like he was trying to put a shine on it.
"Still shaving your head I see. When are you going to learn that white hair is nothing to be ashamed of?" I thought I felt him do something, something kido based.
"Grow your hair out son. You look so much better with hair. Regardless of what Ikkaku says."
He was grinning at me! Ukitake was grinning at me!
"I can't stay boy, I'm here to see one of my officers who's here on leave teaching. You should keep up with your kido lad." He put the slightest emphasis on the word kido.
He was onto Rukia.
Oh God, he was onto Rukia.
But he wasn't ratting me out. He had the advantage of me, he had his Zanpakuto and I didn't, a fight wouldn't have gone well.
I guess I've lost more confidence than I'd thought - I never knew I had as many friends as I seem to have.
"Grow your hair out lad, and keep up with your kido. It'll make you a better officer." Ukitake turned, shunpoed away. I turned back towards my companions.
Sei-san, Yuki-san and Saito-san (friends of Sei-san I think-there'd been quick introductions at some point) and Morisato-san stood there with their mouths hanging open. Even Seymour had the whole I'd-like-to-catch-some-flies look happening. Yuki-san managed to say "that was Ukitake-tachio of the Gotei 13."
Well what was I supposed to do? How could I play this any way but totally, totally cool?
I mean, really.
"Yep. You want to go for dinner?"
"You know ataicho. And a taicho knows you. He called you lad."
"Yes."
"Your name is Konshiro?"
"My full name, I usually just go by Kon."
Morisatto-kun hadn't gotten past the whole captain part. "You know ataicho."
"Yes." And I had to do the whole deadpan face, I mean, how could I not? "What's so strange about that?"
"I thought you hadn't been in soul society for very long?"
Shit. I'd just trapped myself.
"Not that long." How the hell was I going to back the hell out of this? "But I did meet Ukitake-taicho. Two of his newer recruits were attacked in the forest," I was making this up as I went, "and I happened by. Ukitake-san came by after that."
"You defended two Soul Reapers?"
Uhhhhhhhhh, "yeah, well," I leaned a little closer, stalling until some kind of excuse came. "These two were special I think," that was nice, how did it help me? "Nobles, I think." Okay, What did that mean? "I don't know that either could fight their way out of a paper bag."
"And you rescued them."
"More sort of made a lot of noise and scared the robbers off." I smiled, tried to look modest. "Ukitake-san is as nice a guy as you could hope to meet."
Oh yeah, addressing the captain by name, I'd just made another mistake. At a minimum they'd think I was an ass kisser.
"Is your hair white?"
Oh shit. That was Yuki-san, I think from my spirit pressure class. I was beginning to think she was like Keigo's sister, with a thing for bald heads.
"Well, you know." I had no idea if Jushiro had done something. I was going to have to be vague. Damn I just wanted this conversation over.
It'd be absolutely wonderful to have my hair back though, even if the color was wrong.
None of them were saying anything, they were just looking at me in shock.
"Dinner?"
The whole dinner thing wasn't going to work. I'd wasted enough time, I had to get to Rukia right away, Jushiro might be waiting for me.
"Okay, I've got to stop off somewhere, I'll see you later."
I almost shunpoed, just barely stopped myself. Instead I turned and hurried away,
I had to pretend I didn't hear the question shouted after me
"Ikkaku? Wait a second! Did he mean Madarame Ikkaku?"
Yeah, old Pachinko himself. I ducked around the side of a building and found some privacy. Then I shunpoed. I went to the building Rukia's office is in, knocked.
"Who is it?"
"Sensei? It's me. You wanted an explanation for my kido problems?"
"Like why you're a moron? Come in, new boy. I can't wait to hear your explanation."
Something told me this wasn't going to go well. I pulled the panel open, stepped inside the room and shut it behind me. Sure enough Rukia and Ukitake were sharing a pot of tea.
"Sit down Ichigo-kun," said Ukitake. He didn't seem all that pleased to see me.
Surprise surprise.
I assumed the seiza position, wishing the Seireitei wasn't quite so traditional.
Jushiro hadn't ratted me out yet, but there was something I didn't want to hear on his mind.
"I can't know you're here, Ichigo-kun. I'm glad to see you and I'm happy you're well, but my orders from Yama-san are to bring you in for questioning and I have the full resources of the Seireitei to do it. Even you can't fight off all of us."
I sipped my tea, couldn't quite meet his eyes.
"I haven't done anything wrong, Ukitake-san."
He sighed. "I know Ichigo-kun. That's what makes all of this so rotten. I'd cheerfully ignore you if I didn't have direct orders to the contrary."
Nobody said anything for a moment. Rukia hadn't said anything at all.
"I'm sorry about the accident Ichigo-kun."
It still hurt.
"Thank you, Jushiro-san."
There was a very awkward silence. I hadn't fetched Zangetsu, and my reasons hadn't changed. I simply refused to pull a weapon on Jushiro.
"Relax Ichigo, you get another chance. I've asked Rukia to erase my memories of our encounter. You've got to keep a lower profile. Now go. And keep in mind the next time we meet I won't know this ever happened."
He shook my hand.
"Good luck Ichigo-kun. I applaud what you're doing. Just don't try joining my squad after graduation, because I will find you. Try fourth or eleventh, either can keep you out of sight. No, neither of those. Go to Urahara in third."
I nodded.
"I'll go back to the court and continue my search for you. We are actively looking for you Ichigo-kun, but no one dreamt you'd be here in the Seireitei." He thought about this for a moment. "Twelfth division records insist you didn't arrive through a gate, which was very clever of you. I wish I knew how you'd arranged that-"
-I'd had friends. Nemu probably-
"-Keep your game at that level and you might get away with this." Jushiro shrugged. "Because we have no reason at all to believe you're here we're focusing the search on the mortal world and Hueco Mundo. As far as I know there are no plans to turn the scanning engines on this place, so you should be safe. Provided," he held up a finger, "you don't run into any more captains. I really want to know how you managed this but the fewer facts Rukia has to overwrite the better."
I didn't answer anyway.
"I've also left Rukia a sheet of paper with my seal on it. You can use it to forge a letter from me. Keep in mind that it can't ever make its way back to me, because I won't remember having given it to you. I'll spot it as a forgery at once."
Ukitake-san finished his tea. "You can leave first. Try to keep your head down Ichigo-kun, and grow your hair out. You know the captains to say away from, but you'll have to add me and Shunsui to that list, we've obeyed old Yama too long to go against him now. I'm sorry lad, but this is the best I can do."
"It's more than I'd hoped," I said. "Thank you." I finished my tea and stood to go.
Rukia picked up the memory device.
Ukitake realized what he'd forgotten, opened his mouth to tell her to wait, to tell them about Kon-
Click.