Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, its characters or its settings

I staggered back on to campus. My regeneration abilities fixed the broken bones easily enough, the cracked ribs, broken wrist, ankle and hand were all healed, though they hurt abominably. I could have put some effort into it, healed up totally, but El Directo was wandering around campus with all the marks I'd put on him. It'd be more than a little suspicious if I didn't have a few on me.

My eye was swelling shut. When you've only got one that's something of a problem.

At least fight club had to be over. Who else could they send?

I hope they have no one else to send.

Please don't send anybody else.

Shit.

It was dark enough that nobody noticed me slip back onto campus. I'd missed dinner because I hadn't wanted to come back too quickly after the fight, Chad was supposed to have me so totally outclassed that I'd be lucky to make it back at all.

Anyway, I found the dorm in an uproar. As I said it was already dark but the halls were filled with students, and all they were talking about was how the Proctors had just turned over all the rooms. Looking for that damn manga of all things.

First a fight with Chad and then my room gets ransacked.

The room where I keep my Zanpakuto.

Oh no, not-

Thankfully Zangetsu hadn't been disturbed, his sealed form still stood in the corner.

What a goddamn day. My eye hurts so much I can't tell if my nose is still straight. I just want this day to be over so I can sleep off the pain. First the broken bones then almost a hundred miles of flash stepping just to get back to my room. About the only good thing that happened, the Proctor invasion had everyone talking about something other than the gauntlet challenge.

Chad did me a favor, I guess. I'm glad I wasn't around when the Proctors came by. Official things like unauthorized searches make me nervous now, especially with little bits of evidence like Zangetsu standing in the corner.

Morisato was cheesed because the proctors took half his manga collection, cheesed enough to ignore me lurching around like Frankensteins monster. No mention of El Directo though; apparently the search had stopped the rumor mill for a couple of hours. Fine by me, I didn't feel like explaining. Keep my mouth shut and I might just get a night's sleep.

I lay down, told Morisato I didn't want to talk about it and shut my eye.

Searching my bloody room. What a pain in the arse.

At first I hadn't really thought anything of it. Nuisance, nothing more, right? Nothing to do with me, complete random chance. It'd have happened whether I'd been here or not. I was actually glad to see the end of the manga, even if the timing made me a little twitchy.

Kind of thirsty, so I figured I'd get a glass of water. Morisato sees me get up and figures that makes it time to start talking again.

"They gathered up all of us," he says, "We got private interviews with Captain Unohana."

He waited until I had the glass to my lips to drop that little bomb. I end up spraying half the room.

"Captain who?" Shit and double shit, Retsu is hanging around campus? I'd figured it was just a crackdown on people who weren't paying attention to their work. Now Retsu's involved?

Just relax. Calm down, and relax. This was a one time thing. I missed it, I'm fine and no one's going to recognize me all beat up like this. It was past, I hadn't been caught and Retsu wouldn't be coming back.

It's all coming up roses.

Only problem is people wondering what the big deal with The Substitute was.

Had to say something to Morisato though, so I decided to play dumb.

"You're making that up, you didn't meet a Captain."

"It's the truth, Sado-san."

"I'm going back to bed."

"Sado-san," Morisato whispered. "A new copy of The Substitute is in. Want to read it?" He must have felt guilty that he hadn't said anything about how beat up I was.

"Weren't you just busted for that today?"

"What's your point?"

"You don't think it might be a good idea to do what The Captain said?"

"Not until I know why I can't read it. What's so bad about a manga?"

"Go to sleep Morisato."

Bloody manga. They won't let you read it because it's propaganda about public enemy number one. I'll admit I'm kind of looking forward to reading the bit where I kick Zaraki's ass - I haven't seen that issue yet. Hopefully there'll be some good dialog and witty repartee. Whoever the artist is, they always show a shorter pudgier Aizen and uglier Tousen and Gin characters in the background, up to God knows what. They're trying to set up the whole betrayal thing without actually dealing with the three of them, like the artist is getting some kind of revenge by making them look stupid. Aizen usually has flies buzzing around him, Gin's a toothpick with a big head and Tousen just looks like a dumbass, always picking his nose. The few times Aizen has spoken they've shown him whining.

Captured the three of them perfectly.

I've been trying to figure out who's writing the damn thing, I'm sure there are clues in it. Hanataro doesn't know either, though it casts him in a pretty favorable light. Maybe someone has a crush on him, I don't know. Whoever they are, the artists always show Byakuya with his shirt off and Snowy with huge puppydog eyes. Toshiro would flip out if he saw.

Can't be anyone I know. Whenever I think of drawing and shinigami I think of Rukia's rabbits and teddy bears.

Morning came and I was swearing before I opened my eye, mostly because it wouldn't open. It was swollen shut.

Must have been a hell of a shiner. Morisato said it was beautiful, huge and black and purple, really a black eye to be proud of.

I must have looked bloody absurd with the patch on one side and the shiner on the other, I had to pry it open with my fingers and hold it just to get a slit of vision. It hurt like hell.

There was a lot of silence in the first year halls as Morisato and I went past. Eventually Seymour ran into us, told me to put a hand on his shoulder. It helped, even if it did leave me staggering along in the dark. Luckily my first class after breakfast was Kido. Hopefully Rukia could do something for me.

Instant regeneration, what's the point when you can't use it?

Breakfast was messy but the guys managed to get me to class. Rukia was shouting at me before I'd even sat down.

At least she fixed my eye enough for me to see her kido demonstrations. Got told to see her in her office after class too.

I'm the only student at the academy who loves a good detention.

Rukia was pissed off and she's very forceful for such a little thing, ended up perched on my chest like I'm some kind of cushion. I wouldn't mind that at all except she insists on sitting in the seiza position. Grinding her little knees into my tender ribs.

She'd bend forward every once in a while to kiss me though, so that was good.

"Have you heard about Unohana's visit?"

"A bit," she admitted. "I didn't know they were coming, none of the Senseis were told."

"According to Morisato the Proctors turned over all the dorm rooms. Anyone caught with a copy of The Substitute was given a personal interview with the captain."

She looked a little worried. "They're nervous in the thirteen court squads Ichigo. With the captain commanders failing health you picked a bad time to fall off the radar. The captains are starting to become suspicious of each other."

"Confusion to my enemies," I said. "Or at least to my adversaries. Do you know if anyone is on to me?"

"No one could be. Your father is frantic."

"He's acting."

"I don't think he is, Ichigo."

"Karin and Yuzu would have told him."

"Apparently not," said Rukia, leaning forward to kiss me. "They might think he's being watched."

"Watched? What, Dad? Who on earth would watch him?"

Rukia gave me a very dry smile, then an appropriately wet kiss. "He's a lot like you Ichigo."

"So what? Who cares?"

"Ichigo," she said simply, "you might not have figured this out yet-"

I'm about to be insulted.

"-but you're the last known Vizard. Most of the rumors put your hollow powers on the same level as a Vasto Lorde, and your shinigami powers are captain level. Powerful captain level."

"I don't get where you're going Rukia."

"Ichigo, if Aizen had one successor who would it be? What immensely powerful shinigami hollow would people suspect?"

"Oh come off - you're not - you're serious, aren't you?" It was a revelation to me.

"I'm deadly serious," said Rukia, "Someone like Soi Fon would be very interested in where you are Ichigo. And on the other side of it, if you held up a Vizard banner there are shinigami who'd follow you. Not many, but a few. Probably more than you'd think. That's why they're so afraid of you Ichigo."

"What for? What the hell would I-"

"Ichigo," she used her little old lady voice. "Don't be dumb."

Never in my wildest dreams had I thought anyone would voluntarily sign up for having a hollow inside them. But that's because I know just how closely your personal hollow matches you. Any day of the week it's hit or miss. And the way Vizard are treated - who in their right mind would sign up for that? Of course if you didn't know, if you were romantic or naive or just figured the mask would make you look dashing you might just think having a hollow in your mind was a small price to pay.

Say if you were an idiot.

"Sorry Sensei."

She kissed me again.

"If you do can't kiss better than that Ichigo I won't fix your eye."

"Sounds like a challenge."

I do love a challenge.