Ulterior

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Bleach.

Episode 3

【Previously】

"That's repulsive, Orihime-san! Who would eat that?" He continued laughing scornfully. Orihime's expression saddened from the disapproval of her friends. Just then Rukia's face twitched and asked slyly, "Eat what, Renji-kun?" It sounded as though Renji was about to be served with a recipe for disaster but he was oblivious. "Eat whatever Orihime-san suggested of course!" he answered. "Well, eat this then!" Rukia punched him in the stomach and Renji contorted in pain.

The rest felt it was rather comical and chuckled a little. In the background, Orihime was advising Rukia that it was fine with her as everyone has different tastes. "Hah! Baka! You deserved it." Ichigo blurted. That earned a death glare from Renji. "Ya want a fight, Kurosaki!" Renji threatened and Ichigo was already rolling up his sleeves.

Just as Renji and Ichigo were about to give each other a piece of themselves, despite Tatsuki's "stop being so childish!" and Orihime's "please don't fight!", the shadow of two figures loomed over the group… "Did someone mention a fight?"

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Everyone looked up to see who was responsible for the eclipse and was surprised to see a baldy with the ability to reflect the sunlight with his head. "The name's Madarame Ikkaku… Hey! What are you guys starin' at?" the intruder barked when he noticed he wasn't making eye contact. Rather, the gazes of his audience were fixed on his head. Twitching in annoyance, he continued barking, "Don't look elsewhere, you twerps! I'm talkin' to all of you!"

"Ikkaku-san…" Rukia started, "Why are you bald?" As soon as she finished her question, the word 'bald' resounded in Ikkaku's ears with an irritating ring. At that moment, another guy stepped in front of Ikkaku. "Let me handle it," he spoke. "I'm Ayasegawa Yumichika. My friend here's a little sensitive about accusations like that. As you can see before you, unlike me, who adores a head of well-conditioned hair handled with only the best hair-treatment and products, my friend Ikkaku here, prefers not to go through the trouble of maintaining a head of hair." Yumichika explained. Just then, Ikkaku cut back in, "Yumichika! Are you implying I'm lazy?" He turned at once to face the others. "Look here! I'm a fighter! Vice-captain of the Kendo club, ya hear me! I move faster without a head of hair! The reason's wind resistance, ya fools!"

The rest blinked. It's not everyday u're picked on by the weirdest people in school. "What's that got to do with us?" Ichigo blurted, looking away uninterested. "Well, if you're the type to fight, then I'm game for a challenge!" Ikkaku replied. "Are you crazy? We don't even know you! Besides, it's between me and this orange-head! Go find an opponent somewhere else!" Renji retorted. Ikkaku started to steam and murmured 'you're asking for it' under clenched teeth as he started to role up his uniform sleeves…

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A squeal of delight was heard, "There you are, Ikkaku, Yumichika!" and a rough pat landed on Ikkaku's back which sent him plummeting to the ground. "Oh! I'm sorry! I was just glad to have finally found you!" Ikkaku tried to hold back his desire to lay a punch on his female companion. "Looks like you've been really hardworking, Ikkaku-kun! It's the first day of school and you're already picking fights with freshmen!" The overly excited tone from Hitsugaya Matsumoto resonated. She then noticed many eyes fixed at her and smiled. "Well, well, this looks like a decent bunch! Oh! What luck! Orihime-chan and Rukia-chan!" she exclaimed. Both Orihime and Rukia could recognise her in an instant… especially her voice. "Heh, heh... Konnichiwa, Hitsugaya-san…" Orihime replied. Matsumoto was the facilitator put in charge of the orientation group that Orihime and Rukia were in. She's rather rough as she had told them that she used to be in Kendo but realised she'd prefer socializing instead and went on to become the Vice-head of the Student Council.

"We must keep in touch now since it was fate that I've found you all! By the way, I've got a younger brother your age! He's Hitsugaya Toushirou! That poor little cute boy is so anti-social he's got no friends! As a responsible elder sister with a heart of gold… " Matsumoto seemed to go all fluttery, "I want what's best for my younger brother! Please invite him into your little group over here!" Everyone started to imagine how Toushirou would look like. A weakling perhaps? The total opposite of his loud and rough sister? If he's anti-social, doesn't it mean that he doesn't want to have friends anyway?

All of a sudden, a shinai flew from nowhere to hit Matsumoto's shoulder. Then came a boyish, crude and young voice, "I don't need your help, sis! And I'm not cute nor a little boy! Address me by the name of 'Taichou'!" A boy with spiky silver hair, looking totally unlike his sibling, marched up. "Cheh! Taichou's decided to show up!" commented Ikkaku. Matsumoto, though met with the hostility from her younger brother, gave him a big hug. "There you are my little brother! I know your actions are spurred from the very fact that you're experiencing teenage angst and biological changes… but I'll be your emotional support!" she continued. Toushirou shot her a death glare and went to retrieve his shinai.

"What an interesting lot…" Sado spoke. Tatsuki nodded in agreement. Toushirou propped his shinai over his shoulder and walked away coolly, "Don't listen to her spout nonsense. She's been drinking too much of my dad's stuff." Matsumoto wiped a tear from her eye, "My brother… Isn't he the cutest?!!!" she chirped. Everyone's face faltered. "It's Taichou! And I'm not cute!" Toushirou raised his voice to shoot back a final comment before he disappeared.

RRIINNGG! It was then the school bell rang, indicating that lunch was over and it's back to the classrooms for everyone. "Gotta go! See ya!" Matsumoto waved and pushed Ikkaku and Yumichika away from the group. "It's not over yet, orange-head and the baboon!" Ikkaku shouted. "Who are you calling baboon, you baldy!" Renji shouted back. It was just the first day of school and things were already getting rather interesting…

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"Aizen-sama," Ulquiorra addressed respectfully. Aizen sat in a huge armchair in the centre of a massive library. The library was decorated and furnished with a medieval accent. There were columns of towering shelves made of dark wood and a single source of light came from the floor lamp situated next to Aizen's reading armchair. He opened his eyes, his face still leaning against his right palm. His thin lips curled up into a faint smirk. Kneeling on one knee was his right-hand man, Ulquiorra. If there's one person he trusted the most and would not question his loyalty, it would be him.

"I have a mission for you, Ulquiorra," Aizen spoke. "This is very important to me and you must not fail," he continued. Ulquiorra's eyes held no emotions. Whatever the mission bestowed to him by Aizen, he would accomplish it without fail no matter what. Failure meant incompetence. "I have enrolled you in Karakura High by the name of Ulquiorra Schiffer. Gin Ichimaru will be your guardian for any official matters by the school. Your mission is to source out a girl by the name of Inoue Orihime. Gather information about her and report to me when I request so. I will give you further instructions soon," Aizen said. Not many know about Aizen's former identity. Ulquiorra did not know about it. "Yes, sir. I will accomplish this mission," the fifteen-year-old adolescent replied and left.

"Gin, you shall take over from here. Make sure Ulquiorra is able to fit into mainstream schooling. He will find this mission a challenge. Guide him." Aizen instructed. A figure appeared from behind one of the shelves. His face held a perpetual grin across it. "Sure," he answered and left as well.

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Aizen leaned back in his armchair. He recalled a time when he first started out his underground business. A man by the name of Rayoshi (Ray) Schiffer was his partner. Aizen found this man injured and took him under his wing. He later learnt that he was an assassin. Although he accomplished his mission, the man he worked for betrayed him and sent another assassin to get rid of him. Fortunately, he managed to kill the other assassin but was brutally injured. He regretted having to do the dirty work of a corrupted politician, only to be a victim of his employer because the politician wanted to erase all evidence of his shady dealings. Aizen saved Ray from his ordeal and gave him a second chance at living. As a result, Ray had been very loyal to Aizen. They always watched each other's back and if it wasn't for Ray's valuable experience in the underground society, the establishment of his empire would not have been so smooth-sailing.

A sigh escaped Aizen's lips. The memory of it all was vivid. Ray had a son. His wife passed away shortly after conceiving the child due to weak health. Ray single-handedly brought up his only son ever since then and resorted to working for the corrupted politician in order to raise his son. Aizen knew about Ray's son and brought his son under his wing as well. He figured that it was necessary to nurture another generation to sustain his empire. Although Ray was not very educated, he was very faithful and dignified. Ray taught his son well. He taught him self-defense, encouraged him to accumulate knowledge and experience, and taught him never to use underhand methods in a fight…

Unfortunately, Ray lost his life protecting Aizen in an ambush. The undesirable recount of it was best forgotten. After so many years, Aizen lost a dear friend and his right-hand man in one night. Aizen learnt never to let down his guard and to always calculate his strategies in advance. It was a heavy price paid. Aizen may be brutal and cold-hearted, but he recognised and valued talent and loyalty and was a great judge of these two aspects. In order to repay Ray's commitment, Aizen decided to raise his son on his behalf. He allowed Ray to have his last words with his son. Aizen took over as a father-figure when that child was eight. For his protection, he arranged for home-schooling and watched this boy flourish and excel in every aspect of intelligence, combat and resourcefulness through the years. That boy was Ulquiorra Schiffer.

【To be continued…】