Chapter 2
I own nothing
"Wow. You weren't kidding about this party when you said everyone was celebrating." Ichigo said as he
looked out on Soul Society's Gotei 13 barracks. He and his friends, along with Unohana, stood at the entrance
to the 4th divisions barracks. As far as the eye could see and all you could hear were people celebrating the end
of the war and the death of Azien. People were dancing, drinking, and laughing in joy.
Rukia said "This has been going on for a while. The Captain Commander said that we had to head to Sōkyoku
hill at 12:00 A.M tomorrow for a ceremony to assign new captains. Until then everyone's just partying."
"Can't blame them. I just glad this is over. Do you know where I could find Kisuke? I have a question I want to
ask him about this."
He lifted his hand and opened it for an instant to show the Hykogen.
"No I haven't seen him since the celebrating started. I think he said something about talking to the commander
for a minute. I'd say check the first division barracks." She looked a little nervous as she said this. She knew
that the look in Ichigo's eyes would be the cause of a head ache later and she didn't want to have her night
ruined.
"Thanks"
He flash stepped away leaving the group standing there.
Orihime said "I wonder what he has in mind for that thing."
Uryu spoke up with a slightly grim look on his face.
"Knowing him, something rash and shortsighted. Then again, if he could make good plans then he wouldn't be
Ichigo to begin with."
Rukia and Renji both burst out laughing, chad another chuckle, even Unohana let out a single laugh. Orihime
looked like she was about to speak up in Ichigo's defense but Chad beat her too it.
"Maybe, but then we wouldn't be where we are now. All of us are here thanks to Ichigo."
Everyone nodded in agreement. They all knew that Ichigo had changed things for the better by being himself.
He had saved Rukia from being executed, awakened Chad and Orihime's power, brought friends into Uryu's
life, and help lighten the laws and strictness in Soul Society. And of course saved both the world of the living
and Soul Society by defeating Azien.
"Let's trust Ichigo. He has yet to lead us down the wrong path."
With Ichigo
Ichigo walked down the streets of the first division barracks, heading to the main building to look for the
Commander and Kisuke. He walked through the door and was lucky enough to find them in the entrance hall
talking in hushed voices and seeming agitated for some reason. The commander had the appearance of an old
man with red eyes, a very long white beard, and long eyebrows. There were many scars on his bald head, the
two most prominent being a pair of long, perpendicular scars above his right eye, forming a sideways x, and
suggesting numerous battles in his past. And Kisuke was a tall, lean-built man with light skin and gray eyes.
His hair is messy and light-blond (almost pale), with strands framing the sides of the face and hanging between
his eyes, and he had chin stubble. He wore his usual clothes and a black coat, which sported a white diamond
pattern along its bottom half, with a dark green shirt and pants underneath while wearing wooden sandals and
his striped dark green and white bucket hat, which usually shadowed his eyes
"Am I interrupting something?"
They looked toward him as he walked toward them. The captain commander looked at him calmly while
Kisuke smile his usual goofy grin and hid it behind his fan.
"Ah, there he is the hero of Soul Society. Feeling better?"
"Much, thanks to Orihime's healing and some sleep. What about you two?"
"Oh, nothing she and some rest couldn't fix."
The commander spoke up next, his voice reminding Ichigo of boulders rubbing against one another.
"I am well. Though I am thankful that she was able to restore my arm."
The commander had used his left arm in order to use a sacrificial kido in his fight against Azien, but sure
enough his arm was resting on his cane in front of him along with his other hand.
"Good. Now I had a question for you Kisuke."
"Shoot."
"I had an idea for what to do with this…" he lifted his hand, palm open, to show them what he had " ... But I
need you help in order to make it work. And if you agree with it."
They both looked at the Hykogen and then back at him and the look of determination in his eyes. The
Commander open one of his eye's to look at him with a calculating look while Kisuke dropped his fan to show
a slight grimace at seeing his creation.
"What was your idea?"
"I want to be able to place this in a small pocket dimension. One that only you and I would have access to."
Kisuke blinked. He thought it over for a few minutes. He wasn't expecting Ichigo to come up with something
like this. After all it was a somewhat decent idea.
"Hhmm. That's not a bad idea. But I wouldn't be able to do it in a manageable amount of time, nor would I be
able to make it so only you or I could get it without more tests then I would care to run."
The commander said "why should we allow you to be able to place an object of this power in a space that only
you and Urahara would be able to retrieve it at any time you choose?"
" Because it's better to have it in the care of only a few people who care more about the welfare of others then
to have it in a place in where any who may succumb to temptation and attempt to use it may take it if their bold
enough to try. If this was left, even under heavy guard, there would be no end to the number of people that
would try to steal it for their own selfish desires."
The commander looked at him. He saw and heard the honesty and conviction in the voice and eyes of the young
human before him. He was an oddity. He was a Shinigami, a human, vizard, and barely 17 years of age, yet he
had been pushed to every limit there was and gained power that only a select few of very old Shinigami would
achieve and experience.
Ichigo looked back with a calm expression. He waited while the commander inspected him. He felt deep in his
heart the need to protect the people from themselves and other from the corruption of power and pride that had
befallen Azien. He was determined to find a way to remove the Hykogen from the reach of others for their own
good.
Suddenly there was a glow of white light from the Hykogen. Everyone present looked at it as Ichigo quickly
lifted it up.
"What the…"
Then they heard a deep voice. It was a voice that had the weight of power, experience, and wisdom. It was the
voice of the Hykogen.
"What is your wish master?"
Ichigo blinked.
Kisuke blinked.
The Commander open his eyes then blinked.
Ichigo looked stunned. Master? Wish? WTF?
"Kisuke, what's going on?"
He looked just as stunned as Ichigo did. In fact he looked at him and back at the Hykogen several times before
he spoke.
"Unless I'm really getting old and hard of hearing, the Hykogen just called you master."(Thank you captain
obvious)
"NO FREAKING SHIT! Why would it think I'm its master?"
"Because it understands your heart. That's what its power is. It will grant the wish of the person who has the
strongest heart it can understand. And your desire to protect others along with the immense spiritual pressure
you have, it recognizes you as its master and will do you will."
Ichigo looked at it in shock. Was his heart really that powerful? So powerful that even the Hykogen would do
its will? His eye's cleared and left determination. There was only one way to find out.
"I wish that you would go to another space. One where no one but Kisuke Urahara and I would be able to
retrieve you from, and replace you in, at anytime, anyplace.
"Yes, master"
A bright flash blinded everyone present. When they could see again they saw the Hykogen was gone.
Ichigo concentrated on an image of the Hykogen as a test. A small black hole open before them and residing in
the darkness was the Hykogen. He reached in and grabbed it. The hole closed after he removed his hand. As he
focused on the Hykogen disappearing, it vanished.
"Well…that worked."
The others stayed quite for a moment in order to gather their thoughts. They couldn't believe what just
happened.
"Um… well that worked so I guess I'll go enjoy the party if it's all the same with you." He turned to leave.
"Ichigo Kurosaki."
Said person turned to face the Commander as he looked at him with an unreadable expression. Slowly the
commander offered his hand to Ichigo.
"Thank you."
Smiling, he reached out and shook the commander's hand. "No need. I did what was right."
He then turned walked out of the building and then flash stepped to find his friends.
Captain Commander and Kisuke
"That kid is one of a kind"
Kisuke felt pride in seeing Ichigo being able to control the Hykogen and how he had grown from being that
young boy fallen in the rain to the man he now was.
"Indeed. But we have more pressing matters to attend to I'm afraid. Are your sources sure of this information?"
the commander said with a grim expression.
Kisuke face fell as they were brought back to the conversation they had been having before Ichigo walked in.
"Yes. They not only saw it firsthand but they work in a high enough rank in the organization that's working this
threat to go undetected and want a way out. I'm afraid that what we feared has come to pass. The Blacklight
virus from the first outbreak in New York is back. And with it will come nothing but a wave of death."
"How long before the number of souls passing will be too high to allow and desperate action must be taken?"
"Given the time frame of the last outbreak, we have at most 2-4 months, human world time. Soul Society time
would be about 14-28 months. And we have no other option but to send him if we want to have a chance of
countering this."
"Very well. We will tell him after a few days. Ichigo Kurosaki will need his rest in order to be ready to fight
this infection."