Disclaimer: I don't own bleach.
Chapter VII
Five years had passed since Zansatsu and Ikkaku had first fought, and while Ikkaku remained the same, Zansatsu had changed a lot. He was no longer the small child he used to be. He'd grown much taller, his hair was now long and fell halfway down his back. He'd become more muscular due to spending nearly all his free time training with Ikkaku and the others at the eleventh division, and he had become much more mature.
"I gotta say, sometimes I miss the good old days when I used to be able to kick your ass," Ikkaku said, staggering to his feet after a particularly rough blow from Zansatsu's zanpakutou.
"All things come to an end at some point," Zansatsu said. He had long since surpassed Ikkaku in power and fighting ability, but they still enjoyed sparring with each other more than anyone else.
"So, just one more day, and you'll graduate," Ikkaku said, "then you'll become a real member of the eleventh squad."
"Yeah, can't wait to get out of that damn academy," Zansatsu said.
"Just suffer through tomorrow, and you'll be squad eleven's new fourth seat."
"Seriously! Fourth seat?" Zansatsu asked, "Captain Zaraki said that?"
Ikkaku laughed, "The captain has been saying for the last three years that they should just let you graduate so he can make you fourth seat."
"Heh, I certainly wouldn't have minded skipping these last few years at the academy," Zansatsu said, "well, I'm gonna head to bed. Normally I don't care if I'm late, but I figure I should at least be there on time when I graduate."
He walked back to his dorm for the first time in months, glad that when he got there, his roommate was already asleep.
Zansatsu lay down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He was about to graduate, about to become the fourth seat of squad eleven. He should be happy, but he wasn't. Perhaps it was because just three weeks ago, three of the Gotei 13 captains revealed themselves to be traitors. Aizen, Tousen, Ichimaru, Zansatsu hadn't really known them, the only words he'd spoken to them were quick greetings as he passed one of them while walking, but still, he never thought anything like this would happen. Or maybe the real reason he was so annoyed was because he found out that the teacher that made his life at the academy a living hell had just been promoted to squad five captain.
Something else was bothering Zansatsu as well. A few days ago, Kenpachi told him that Captain Yamamoto was questioning him, about Zansatsu and his zanpakutou. And on the few occasions that Zansatsu had seen Yamamoto at the academy, he would always return Zansatsu's greetings with a cold stare before walking away from him.
"There's no way he could know," Zansatsu thought to himself, "nobody knows I can use Shikai, not even Ikkaku knows." His reassurance didn't make him feel any better.
"Whatever, I'm sure I'm probably just worrying for nothing." He turned over on his side and fell asleep.
"Welcome to squad eleven," Kenpachi grinned at Zansatsu, "from here on, you're our new fourth seat."
"Thank you captain," Zansatsu said, bowing
"Eh, don't be so damn formal," Kenpachi said.
"Yeah, Ken-chan doesn't like when people are overly formal," Yachiru said from Kenpachi's shoulder.
"She's the only one who's allowed to call me that though," Kenpachi said.
"Hey, I know how shit works around here," Zansatsu said, "this place has practically been my home for the last six years."
Ikkaku brought out a large bottle of sake, "C'mon, you just got promoted, you aint allowed to be sober."
Zansatsu took the glass and was about to take a drink, when a Hell Butterfly came flying into the room, and captain Yamamoto's voice came from it. "Zansatsu, you are hereby summoned to appear before the Gotei 13, please report to the captain's meeting room in the squad one barracks now."
"Oh, you gotta be shitting me," Ikkaku said, "hurry up and go see what they want, so you can come back here and get smashed with us."
"Yeah, sure thing," Zansatsu replied, trying not to sound worried.
"He's been asking Captain Zaraki about my zanpakutou, he glares coldly at me whenever I see him at the academy," Zansatsu thought, "and now he summons me to appear before the Gotei 13 three days after I graduate."
"So what the hell do you think this is all about?" Kenpachi asked as they walked towards the squad one barracks.
"Not a clue," Zansatsu said.
They were the last two to arrive at the meeting room. Kenpachi took his place in the lineup next to Komamura and Unohana. His former teacher stood in line on the opposite side of Kenpachi. He wore the squad five captain's Haori and had his head turned away from Zansatsu. Hisagi and Kira stood in place of their captains, who had yet to be replaced. Zansatsu knelt down before the captains and waited. Yamamoto stepped forward and spoke.
"Zansatsu, after much investigation and research, it has been concluded that you and your zanpakutou are both too dangerous to be allowed to exist in the soul society."
Zansatsu's eyes snapped open and he rose to his feet.
"What the fuck," Zansatsu yelled, "how can you just decide something like that!?"
Yamamoto continued as though he hadn't heard him.
"Your zanpakutou will be taken and destroyed. You will then be stripped of your spiritual power and banished to the world of the living."
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?" Kenpachi roared.
"No way," Zansatsu said, "if you think I'm gonna go without a fight, you're dead wrong. The only way you're getting your hands on my zanpakutou is if I'm dead."
Zansatsu let out a blast wave of reiatsu, catching everyone in the room off guard and knocking them off their feet. He then turned toward the door and began flash stepping away as fast as he could.
"After him," Yamamoto ordered, "don't let him escape."
Zansatsu's former teacher was the first one back on his feet and took off after him, closely followed by Mayuri, Soifon, Komamura, Toshiro, and the others.
The only ones left in the room were Yamamoto, Kyoraku, Ukitake, and Kenpachi.
"Well, was I not making myself clear?" Yamamoto said, "go after him!"
Kyoraku and Ukitake looked down, a saddened expression on their faces, and left the room.
"You're telling me to go after and capture one of my own men, one that grew up with all of us at the eleventh division," Kenpachi yelled, "sorry, I aint going after him."
"You will do as I say," Yamamoto said sharply, "or I will have you dismissed from the Gotei 13."
"Go ahead, but just remember, if I leave, my whole squad leaves with me," Kenpachi said, "those men are all loyal to me, not to you, and not to the seiretei. If you dismiss me, you won't just lose a captain. You'll lose an entire squad."
Yamamoto turned away, "Fine then, even if you don't go after him, he's got every other captain hunting him right now, it's just a matter of time until he's caught."
"I wouldn't bet on that," Kenpachi said, grinning slightly, "he had the strength of a lieutenant in his second year at the academy. He's far stronger than most of the captains by now."
Zansatsu was running faster than he'd ever run in his life. He couldn't believe what just happened.
"He tried to have me killed," Zansatsu thought to himself.
Zansatsu stopped to catch his breath in a deserted field on the outskirts of the seiretei. Then he sensed it.
"Shit, that reiatsu, it's.." Zansatsu unsheathed his zanpakutou and blocked the attack from his former teacher as he flash stepped in front of him. "Oh, I hoped I'd be the one to get to you first," his former teacher said, "there's no use running or fighting back, the rest of the captains will be here soon."
Zansatsu sighed, "Then it looks like I'll have to finish you off quick." He jumped back and raised his zanpakutou.
"Lay To Waste, Zangyaku," he yelled.
Zansatsu's body became surrounded by a dark aura, his sword was now seething with black fire, and his reiatsu had increased exponentially.
His former teacher stared at him, horrified, "You truly are a monster, just like your captain." He charged at Zansatsu and swung his sword at him with all his strength. Zansatsu caught the blade in his hand, the dark aura around him acting as a shield.
"Heh, that's it?" Zansatsu said in an inhuman voice, "they'll make anybody a captain these days." In one fluid movement, Zansatsu broke his former teacher's zanpakutou in half with his bare hands, and ran him through the heart with his zanpakutou. He was dead before he hit the ground.
Zansatsu sealed his zanpakutou back to his dormant state, and stared at his former teacher's lifeless body.
"You're pathetic, you don't deserve to be a captain," he said, bending down and tearing the Haori off of him
Zansatsu could feel the other captains getting closer. He tucked the Haori under his shihakusho and flash stepped away as fast as he could.
Zansatsu sat against a tree in the woods in Rukongei.
"Well, what am I gonna do now," he thought to himself, "I can't stay in soul society, and a shinigami can't survive in the world of the living forever without a gigai."
He looked down at the Haori he'd taken from his former teacher, staring at the squad five symbol on the back, and then it hit him.
"Aizen," he thought. He thought about it. Aizen obviously intended to destroy soul society, and right now, Zansatsu would love nothing more than to see the the place brought to its knees.
"That banished shinigami, Kisuke Urahara created a way for shinigami to enter Hueco Mundo," Zansatsu said, "all right, that settles it, I'm going to Hueco Mundo to join Aizen."
He got to his feet, taking one last look at the seiretei, "I'll make those bastards pay for what they did to me."
AN: That's the end of the flashback chapters. And for those who are wondering, the name of his zanpakutou, "Zangyaku," means "cruelty." Reviews would be awesome, thanks.