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

Right.

On to the Red Flower.

I thought long and hard about Zangetsu and left him in the room. Don't care how good these kids are, one of them knows who I am. Kurosaki Ichigo showing up with his Zanpakuto- people could take that the wrong way. Better to go without him. Besides, I'm doubting they're going to throw anything serious my way. If they do...

Black Coffin and Cero, anyone?

Morisato was out somewhere, thankfully, and I don't think he'd heard yet. Hopefully he never would.

I didn't put on the badge. I don't need the damn badge. My badge is white with nine red stripes and it makes Espada fill their drawers with excreta.

I'm wondering how I'm going to do this without blowing my stack. I've got a really,really low tolerance for people messing with me.

Shit.

Time to go. I rolled out of the room I share with Morisato and shut the door behind me. There were people out to watch me. Just what I needed, a crowd.

The whole people thing got worse as I went. By my room there were only four or five, who just happened to be hanging around the hall, talking in low voices. Then there were a few on the stairs. Then there were all sorts of random pods between me and the specified dojo.

What the hell is it with Academy students? Don't they have anything better to do with their evenings? I never cared what other people were doing, surely they can extend me the same courtesy?

Shit!

My temper had been out of control all afternoon. You want the truth of it, I hadn't trusted myself to carry my Zanpakuto. Not that I'd need it for these assclowns.

Tonight I'm Kurosaki Fucking Ichigo, and you don't like it you're going to be wearing your ass as a hat. Ass-Hat. Got-That?

Too many damn people between me and the dojo. I eventually got sick of looking at them, found a tree to step behind. From the perspective of anyone watching I never stepped out, having shunpoed away so fast there wasn't a student in the place who could keep track of me.

Shit!

I talk so big, like it's a huge deal to escape the notice of the students. Keep an eye out for when I manage the same thing with the captains. I managethat I'll be impressed myself.

The dojo had one of these forbidding portal things going down, big black doorway, the door open but buried in shadows. Left open for me in case I arrived at the speed of Shunpo.

Well that was considerate of them. Hana told me an absolutely hilarious story about eight captains trying to get through a doorway simultaneously. Remind me some time, I'll tell it to you.

The hallway turned into a corridor, long and dark. I stopped the flash steps as soon as I managed to hide myself in the darkness, did a little math.

I didn't like the math. There were several captains fast enough that it'd be a real race to get back to my room (and my Zanpakuto) before they caught me. I couldn't feel any of them immediately around me, but so what? Didn't mean they weren't lying in wait.

Shit.

Did I say that already? Shit? Did I? In case I didn't (and just in case), allow me to say, shit.

Rock on kids. I walked down the corridor and into the reddish light at the far end.

The dojo was fancy, one of the special ones, for the particularly elite students. No favoritism here, no sir, not at the Shinigami Academy.

Shit. Did I say that already?

I'd go through the whole shit rigmarole but it wouldn't be funny a second time.

Or a third, for that matter.

There were twenty one of them in the room, ten up each side and Fumiko at the far end in the middle. Each of them had a Zanpakuto, and each of them had released it.

Standing there like a damn captains' meeting!

Best in the fucking academy, they'd all mastered their Shikai release. Different years, there were two people I recognized from my own class, and one or two from the class above, but the rest for all upper years.

All these cute Shikais.

I guess I was supposed to be impressed.

They weren't too happy that I wasn't.

"You seem to have forgotten your Zanpakuto," smiled Fumiko, standing there like she was supposed to be the Captain Commander.

"No I didn't."

"All of these people know who you are."

And there it is. The other shoe drops.

"Telling tales out of school? My name is Sado Kon. If these people like living they'll remember that."

You know, for one single moment I was absolutely serious in that threat.

There's always one in every crowd, one of them jumped at me, managed a credible shunpo.

I hate Aizen. I really hated the man. But just for tonight I borrowed a page from his book (though he cheated and used his illusion Zanpakuto the time he'd tried it on my Captain-level ass).

I caught her sword with one finger. I think she got the point.

All of them bowed low.

-----------------------------------------------

"So I've got no sense of humor. Why exactly have you done this again?"

"I'll be graduating this year," said Fumiko. "When I do you'll be in charge of the Red Flower, Kurosaki-sama. Unless someone here challenges you for it." She grinned at her private little joke.

"That's Sado-kun. Don't make me repeat that again."

Twenty one people now know who I am. Only one of them has to rat to fuck me right over. One in twenty, five percent.

Great. So much for keeping a low profile.

"This dojo has the latest spirit power drains," said Fumiko, "you won't be found-"

"This dojo has crap. You got nothing. The candy ass shit they build into academy facilities overloads fifteen seconds after you turn it on. So no, I'm not going to fight you."

If I fought I might earn enough respect to keep them quiet. But when I beat them I might make at least one of them angry enough to rat me out.

Which one to chance?

"The manga," said one of them, "is it true?"

I assume they had individual names but I wasn't very interested in them.

"No."

Jaws dropped.

"Some of it is. Some of it's been bent out of shape."

"You didn't rescue Ikkaku-"

"I wasbreaking in to the Seireitei. Ikkaku and I fought. I beat him."

"You what?"

"Then Abarai Renji. Then Zaraki caught up with me. I battled him to a draw, though he says I beat him. Both of us were carried from the field. After that was Byakuya. He conceded the fight."

I hoped they liked the truth, because I wasn't going to lie. I take pride in what we did, it was the right thing to do.

"You-you-"

"Most of that rag is a lie," I said. "Propaganda by someone who's on my side. To answer the rest of your questions, yes, some people did call me the hero of the Arrancar war, and yes I was one of the gang who assaulted Hueco Mundo. And yes, I did eventually ram my Zanpakuto through Aizens' guts. Took down a bunch of Espada too. I stood in the palace of the King and ended the goddamn Winter War with the strength of my arm. But now, due to circumstances beyond my control, I'm considered a criminal." Did they understand that? That Central-46 won't even allow to know I'd ever existed? "I'm under a death sentence. All the captains of the Seireitei are looking to make good on it. That was fine when I was alive, but my mortal body is dead now. I have nowhere to go. For the rest of fucking eternity, I have nowhere to go. So here I am," I threw my arms out, "trying to break into the squads. And here you are. Thank you, you. My life is now better, thanks to your input! Why theHell can't you leave 'well enough' alone!"

I shut my eye and pinched the bridge of my nose. My damn eye-

I'd just given them a lot of spoilers for 'The Substitute.'

Hadn't meant to lose my temper. My problems were nothing to do with these people.

"I have no regrets," I said. "I did the right thing."

Seconds ticked by.

"And Hitsugaya really does look like that. Like in the manga - with the big girly puppydog eyes. They're huge, like grapefruits-"

There was yet more silence, until a rather timid looking girl said "is it true, that you're a h-" She couldn't finish it.

I looked at her, and thought about answering. My emotional reserves were – shall we say – somewhat spent.

Sigh. In all this world or any other I've got just a handful of people I can trust. I have no choice now but to trust these people as well.

I answered quietly. "Strictly speaking I'm a Vizard, a shinigami who crossed over into the realm of the hollow. I have both a Zanpakuto and a hollows' mask."

In all these years I don't think it ever came out this way before.

"I'm not proud of it, but I'm not ashamed either. Releasing my inner hollow was the price of saving someone I dearly love. I'd do that again in a minute. No, I can't teach any of you that, and I wouldn't if I could. I won't make anyone else a criminal for something they can't change."

"What kind," asked another, "what kind of hollow are you?"

"Do you know anything about Arrancar? No? Then the answer wouldn't make sense to you."

"You reallybeat Kuchiki-taicho?"

"Yes. I was bloodied badly but I won, that fight didn't end in a draw."

"Is it true-"

"Enough questions. I'm tired of playing."

"How strong is Zaraki Kenpachi-taicho?" That was Fumiko.

"You want to be eleventh squad, don't you? You figure being the best around here will make you a match for those guys?"

She misunderstood me and got miffed. "Eleventh squad has a woman as vice captain-"

"Eleventh squad has a Yachiru as vice captain. There's only one Yachiru and the rest of us are probably safer that way. As for your gender I don't care about it and neither will they. You probably want to fight Ikkaku or Yumichika, don't you? Work yourself up to taking on Kenpachi? Kenpachi's lots of fun. Even the other captains don't like to fight him. I got news for you. Any one of those three would take on all of you at once and beat your sorry punk asses into the ground."

The lack of a honorific when talking about Zaraki always impresses the yokels. I just figure I'm on a first name basis with anyone who's ever tried to kill me.

Except Aizen, I had other names for him.

"The Red Flower almost always join eleventh squad," Fumiko said.

Big deal.

"Good luck with the boys in eleventh. And don't cross Yachiru, Zaraki will kill you before you have a chance to apologize."

Led to a sort of awkward silence. You know the kind I mean.

Fumiko finally said, "Will you join the Red Flower?"

"Do I have any choice?"

Fumiko smiled. "Excellent, Kurosaki-sama. Our first order of business-"

"Our first order of business," I interrupted, "we've got a new president. Me. Got that?"

Fumiko-san bowed. "Of course, Kurosaki-sama."

"I've got one wish," I said. "I want to get through the academy without fighting a bunch of captains. Then I want to join a squad and kill hollows. You folks keep your mouths shut I might just teach some of you how to fight. Any of you up for that?"

Now that was an offer that intrigued the Red Flower.

-----------------------------------------

Two hours later I was walking alone on the dark campus.

Second year. Sheesh, who needs it?

You know, there was awhile I'd worried about the name I'd chosen, but I've gotten very used to being Sado Konshiro. Every time I think of that name I think of two good friends. There are worse ways to spend your afterlife then that, even if strictly speaking you didn't die.

I did have a bit of unpleasantness ahead of me though. That Zanpakuto class; someone going through the files had decided I shouldn't have an exemption on the Zanpakuto. That's how I ended up in a class. Obviously the class isn't a problem, but as I mentioned I sometimes forget to get hit.

You know, the crazy thing is I've settled into a life here. It' s not much of a life, but I've got my routine. I'm doing okay. And my friends are okay. Or beyond my reach at the moment.

It's nice to be able to put myself first without feeling guilty for a change.

Still, if you'd told me this morning I'd be the head or Red Flower before bed-

Rukia says it's the most secretive club on campus, I hope she's right. Twenty-one people – strangers – know Kurosaki Ichigo is here. Fumiko is untouchable – she's already blabbed. God only knows when my secret got out.

Twenty-one people know. Surprising there aren't a lot more.

As far as I can tell they haven't told anyone yet.

And that's supposed to make me feel better?

I think part of my ease at blending in is that Shinigami age so slowly. I wasn't in Soul Society between seventeen and nineteen. In that time I grew, I filled out. I don't think the Reapers realize that. They're still looking for the fifteen year old me, that was twelve centimeters and twenty kilograms ago (all of it muscle, thank you, unlike Aizen my stomach doesn't appear on the manga panel before the rest of me shows up). I look just different enough to get by.

It's all okay. One more disaster pulled out of the fire before it blew up in my face. Granted I'm a lot more exposed now, but -

I've got some friends now – I've got cover. I'm blending in, I-

-I need Ikkaku to come for a few lessons with Red Flower. Just to reinforce the point that -wait a sec, I can't do that, can I? I can't tell anyone that Ikkaku and Renji and the gang know about me! Shit this is getting complicated – Rukia's already exposed – she was nailed the instant anyone found out about me just because of The Substitute, and some people might know I took my Zanpakuto classes last year with Hanataro, and of course Momo is also here, she'll get blamed and she's not even involved!

This is getting out of control. Ten seconds ago I was happy and worry-free. Now I'm standing at the bottom of a house of cards, except the cards are twenty meters tall and made out of cement or something – this whole fucking thing is going to come tumbling down on my head and I'll never even know who dropped the bomb on me – what a day what a daywhat a goddamn day!

Calm down - maybe tomorrow-

Epiphany – that brilliant shining moment of lucidity returned, when my IQ soared into the hundreds of millions and the entire world became crystal, crystal clear -

What could make today worse? In all of the universe, what single thing could make everything that had happened up to this instant seem as nothing – what could really ruin my day – what could drown me in urine – what single thing could make me wish I'd never even been fucking BORN!-

And then I heardThe Voice.