Off to the Races 2
Ichigo stared at a tall brunet seated on a bench inside the stables. The man had approached his gang and himself during Zangetsu's warm ups though Ichigo knew the others could take care of their horse while he interrogated the stranger and his even stranger proposition.
"So what did you mean by you could help and who are you anyway?" Ichigo spoke evenly, his arms crossed over his chest, one orange brow raised in suspicion. The other man, with slicked back brown hair, gave Ichigo a calm, even look as though nothing could ruffle him. "My name his Sosuke Aizen which I assume you recognize as that of the owner of Hueco Mundo Corp. and Los Noches Stables." Ichigo nodded, keeping the shock from his face though his eyes widened marginally.
"Ah, I've heard of you. I've also heard you personally own a colt named Hougyoku. He was supposed to be the finest of the West coast, taking the Santa Anita Derby in a blistering 1 minute and 42 seconds. It is now the new record. Brings up even more questions such as, why are you asking to sponsor a rival?"
Aizen crossed his legs and leaned his chin against his folded hands. "Hougyoku has a hairline fracture in his cannon bone. Running him in the Kentucky Derby and maybe even as far as the Preakness could cost him his leg. I'm not interested in ruining my favorite beast. Be this as it may, I checked into my stable and found none of my other stock prepared for the Derby accept for Pantera but she is already registered for the Kentucky Oaks."
Ichigo smiled slightly. He had heard about the astounding Filly. A blue roan owned by some guy named Grimmjow; she had a big body, long legs and a vicious temper.
"I happened to be at a restaurant when I 'overheard' Yamamoto of Soul Society Stables talking with your sponsor, when I heard the man bow out with the parting words of 'It's a cruel thing to do to such an amazing beast but my business is more important' I decided to look you up. I learned much about your colt and your team and chose to back you."
Ichigo leaned further. "What did you learn about us?" his voice was lined with suspicion considering he didn't like people digging into his life nor did he like that people were snooping around his friends.
"I learned that Orihime Inoue lost her brother in a car accident and that he was rushed to your clinic which is how you both met. She was an orphan and now works as your Public Relations official; she is very good at what she does. Chad Yasutora has been your friend since grade school and became your groom. You chose him after discovering how good he is with the horse which is to be expected with his calm demeanor. Ishida Uryuu is a bright mind who manages your finances. He also has a flare for design and was put in charge of creating all the outfits your stable wears including racing silks. Shiro Hisaki, you met him after he was released from prison. He was a part of a release program that allowed him to work on your farm in return for board and food. It was revealed he knew a lot about Equine bone structure so you kept him on as both a driver and a handler."
Ichigo was shocked. The guy had really dug into their backgrounds without any of them knowing. It both frightened Ichigo and excited him. If this man wasn't afraid to do a little digging, he wasn't going to be easily scared off.
"Your jockey, Tensa Zangetsu is the son of your former mentor. He is only 17 years old but has ridden Zangetsu to victory in every race and said to be the only person able to ride your hot tempered stallion. As for that stallion, he is three years old, has a vicious personality and has won every race he entered. His coloring is a deep black like his sire, Mugetsu but he has white markings that most likely come from his dam, Benihime. Those markings are: four white socks, a white dorsal stripe and a perfect white crescent moon on his forehead."
He smiled as he thought of Zangetsu's mother and father. Mugetsu was about as temperamental as they got and had to be retired last year after he threw another jockey. Now they just used him as a stud. Benihime on the other hand was a sweet natured mare owned by his mentor's good friend, Urahara Kisuke. She was a tall strawberry roan with redish markings which is how she gained her racing name which translated into Crimson Princess.
"As for you, Ichigo Kurosaki, your past was a bit harder to find out. You are 23, have been living in the states since you were 13 and are a run away. Your mother, Masaki, died when you were ten and your twin sisters were six. She had been a jockey and died in an accident on the track. Your father allowed you around horses despite the accident and you met Zangetsu Sr. who was working in Japan with Mugetsu. After seeing how good you were with horses, he propositioned your father, Isshin, who turned him down. You ran away despite your father's words and Zangetsu hired you until you gained citizenship in the states. You now have a good relationship with your family who still lives in Japan. As of the last few years you have strived to make Zangetsu into the greatest racing horse of all time as well as his two younger brothers Getsuga and Tensho who you will be training for this same race next year."
Ichigo nodded, his scowl firmly in place. "I don't like being looked into though I must admit, you did a rather thorough search. After knowing everything about us, you still want to back us?" Aizen smiled. "Yes. I find you all to have the exact amount of backbone to go against the Gotei 13 and the Soul Society which has been my goal for years. I don't know if your Zangetsu is better than my Hougyoku but that is a race for another time. Right now, the ones you need to worry about are Shikai, Zabimaru, Hyorinmaru, Shinso, Sakanade and whatever else they decide to throw at you."
Ichigo slowly mulled over everything he knew about those five horses. Sakanade belonged to his friend Shinji Hirako and regardless of how this race went, he knew Shinji would be fair. It was the horses the Soul Society was racing that he was worried about. Zabimaru was a big heavy horse that Ichigo felt only posed a threat if he managed to cut Zangetsu off because he was hard to get past. Hyorinmaru was a fast runner but Ichigo didn't feel the ice white colt had the stamina to hold the pace he would most likely set. Shinso belonged to a business partner of Aizen's but Ichigo couldn't remember his name. The one that was the most dangerous in this field was Shikai, the blood red stallion owned by Yamamoto, the president of Gotei 13.
"Zangetsu will win. I guarantee you that, my colt is gonna take the Derby by 3 ½ lengths off the lead." Aizen smirked at the young man's words. He was a smart man but this kid new his stuff and the brunet couldn't help reaching out and shaking the offered hand, making the pact. "I expect great things from you Ichigo Kurosaki. Now, to work out the finer details of this contract."
With a smile, Ichigo sat back and waited. He was pretty sure he could swing most of this deal in his own favor but he didn't want to completely disregard his new sponsor.
"I want my jockey to see if he can ride Zangetsu. If he can, I want you to switch jockeys." Ichigo bulked. "You can't do that! Tensa has been riding Zangetsu since he was broken! We have tried others, Tensa is the only one able to ride him!" Aizen sighed. "If what you say is true then you have nothing to fear from giving it a try."
Ichigo growled but reclaimed his seat. "Okay, anything else?" "I want you to be the trainer for Pantera who is entering the Kentucky Oaks and I want your driver, Shiro, to be my transporter for all my horses." Ichigo nodded slowly, he could do that. "I'll have Shiro transport Pantera here then." Aizen shook his head. "Other way around Ichigo. I have the best in everything; you will be moving Zangetsu to the stables I own on the other side of the track. I do not want you to have to worry about his security." Ichigo nodded again, that was reasonable.
"Fine, invite your jockey while I go inform the others." Ichigo stood and went to leave before turning back with a stern look on his face. "Right, forgot one thing. When it comes to Zangetsu's training, my word is law so listen very carefully to what I am about to say. Tell your jockey that if he brings a whip anywhere near my horse, he will be risking death. Trust me on this and do as I say because this isn't something he can handle." Aizen raised a brow but nodded anyway, allowing the orange haired teen to leave.
He pulled his phone out and pressed the number four for speed dial to the person he wanted. "Ulquiorra."
"Aizen-sama…" A deep, even voice answered after only one ring.
"Come to the stables where Zangetsu is stationed. I want you to test ride him to see if he as good as everyone says. Also, I have been giving a warning for you to not use a crop and though I am interested in what happens, I would rather not lose you."
"Of course Aizen-sama. I will be there in ten minutes."
Without saying another word, he flipped his phone shut and left the stable to see how the members of Karakura were faring.
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