Author's Note
Hey, it's been a little while. I've been kind of busy starting my other story and watching Code Geass. Johnny Yong Bosch is a great Lelouch. So yeah.
Anywho, enjoy the chapter!
The days have been peaceful. Everyone who knows about Kurosaki-kun getting free is getting along well with him. Rukia-chan and Sado-kun have both started to spar with Kurosaki-kun along with Ishida-kun. Apparently that was what Kurosaki-kun and Ishida-kun were doing when Sado-kun and I got attacked by those two hollows. Rukia-cha always seems grumpy when she comes back from sparring Kurosaki-kun, but she'd never tell me why. Kurosaki-kun says she's just a sore loser. I wish I could watch them spar, using their super-duper special techniques and being awesome like super heroes! Unfortunately, they seem to be really good at picking times when I can't go because of work, homework, or hanging out with Tatsuki-chan.
Crack
I pout as I look at the poor little shovel in my hand. Mean weeds. The shovel has broken, though I suppose that can be expected since it's a cheap plastic one. I sigh and Kurosaki-kun gets up from where he was laying among the flowers to rub against my side, silently imploring me to tell him what's wrong.
"Poor Froggy-san broke." I lament the green, plastic, frog-faced shovel. "He was such a cute shovel and now the evil weeds have killed him! Well, I won't let his death go unavenged! Say your prayers and prepare to get pulled, evil weeds!" I rally, pumping a fist in the air.I get back to work, but things are slowed down without Froggy-kun. Kurosaki-kun helps a bit when nobody's looking, burning away the weeds I show him by just batting them with a paw.
After all the work is done, I go to put the tools away in the gardening shed. I look down at the poor fragments of Froggy-san, eyes getting watery. Taking a breath, I toss the remains into the garbage bin, only for them to get plucked out of the air by tan hands.
"So you really liked the design of this shovel?" Kurosaki-kun asks, inspecting the fragments he now holds in his hands, having switched to his human form without my noticing. I blink at him wondering where he's trying to go with this question. He seems to pick up on my confusion and elaborates, "What I mean is, if you got a new shovel, would you want it to look like this one?" He shakes the remains of Froggy-san in front of me, holding it together so that it looks whole.
"You mean a Froggy-san Junior?" I ask, looking up at him. He nods his head in reply, carefully watching for my reaction. "That'd be great!" I say hopping up and down. "Ah… but I wouldn't want to inconvenience Kurosaki-kun or make you buy anything for me." I mumble, looking to my feet. His warm chuckle rings out and I look up to see him smiling at me.
He puts his hand atop my head, it's big, and ruffles my hair. "Don't' worry about it. I'll make you a new one that'll be sturdier than this plastic thing. Besides, I wouldn't offer if I didn't want to do it, yeah?" He looks down at me, warm eyes and a peaceful grin on his face. "I think I can get it done by tomorrow, so I'll see you then. Later, Inoue." He says, taking a few steps before he disappears in that high speed stuff that everyone else can do.
I ponder what he's said as I head back in for dinner. He said he'd make a new shovel for me, but how's he going to do that? Is he going to carve one from wood? Somehow make one out of plastic? Or maybe out of fire? I giggle at that one. I'm not sure how you'd use a shovel made of fire. It'd bake the ground and make it hard to dig in or burn the plants. No, I don't think he'll make my new shovel out of fire. I suppose I'll have to wait and see.
I carefully heat the metal so that it's soft enough to mold, but not enough for it to warp or bend. I set my claw against it and carefully carve out the rings that define the eye. This shovel is trickier than I thought it was going to be when I started, but I'm almost done. It feels good to be doing work like this again. I'm really glad I asked Urahara to get me reequipped so I can forge again. I hum as I carve the finishing details on the shovel. I suck the heat out of the metal and look at the finished product. It'll need a bit of paint and a cover on the handle, but it's practically an exact replica of the silly looking plastic shovel, except it won't break nearly as easily as that flimsy thing. I nod to myself, satisfied with the shape, and prepare to start polishing and buffing the metal when...
"Are you here, Kurosaki-kun?"
I start at the sound of her voice, cursing as I almost drop the shovel. I really need to get better at sensing other people's presences.
"Uh, yeah! Just give me a second." I call back, putting the shovel down and grabbing my shirt off a peg. I try reverting to my human form, but it doesn't do much with all the fire I've got running in me for forging. I grumble a few errant curses as I slip the shirt on, hating how it won't go all the way down in the back because of my tail. At least I managed to get my horns to retreat, they're an absolute pain in the ass when trying to put on shirts. I suppose I'm just lucky they came when I was almost done and it wasn't a major forging. I leave the forge Urahara kindly built for me in his secret basement, grabbing the unfinished shovel to see if Inoue likes it.
Somehow, Orihime convinced me to come with her and Sado to check on that flaming moron, so here I am, in that ridiculous secret basement, waiting for said moron to some out of the special secondary shop thing that's been built down here. The shop thing is new, or at least, it was put in between now and when I was here last, so in the last couple of days. I finger my zanpakuto while we wait. Orihime has mentioned that she'd like to see a sparring match, so is that why she asked me to come?
When Ichigo comes out, I'm surprised. I haven't actually seen anything of his yokai form in all the short time I've known him. It's surprisingly human, or maybe it's not his full form. His skin is now pure white with a pair of deep red, almost black, stripes running from his hairline, down through his eyes, and continuing down his throat to disappear under his shirt. His eyes are bright yellow surrounded by black, somehow reminding me of fire in the distance at night. His hair is now as long as Orihime's, though he's tied it back, probably to keep it out of his way. There are also tufts of red fur encircling his wrists, ankles, and neck. A long, lizard-like tail trails behind him, tipped with the same almost black coloring with a waving pattern going out from the tip like it got dipped in something and then ran down his tail some. He shifts nervously under our gazes, there's no way I'm the only one staring, hand coming up to rub the back of his head.
"Ah, hey guys." He nervously says, coming forward to us. "I know I look kinda weird right now and–" He stops mid-sentence, suddenly stiffening. "Inoue, what are you doing?" he asks, slight panic in his voice as he turns to face her.
"Looking at your tail." She says calmly, innocently. She is holding his tail, fingers softly running over it. "It's covered in teeny-tiny scales." She giggles, not a care in the world as Ichigo just stands there, staring at her, frozen. My curiosity piqued, Sado's too I suppose, we step up next to Orihime and run our own hands over his captured tail, ignoring the further stiffening of Ichigo from our touch. She's right. While they're hard to see, I can feel the small scales that cover his tail underneath my fingertips. They feel ruff and abrasive as he suddenly yanks his tail away from our hands.
"Hey! I wasn't done looking!" I shout at Ichigo.
"Like I give a damn!" he roars back, holding his tail close to his chest. "You two," he points a clawed finger at me and Sado, "should know better! Ask before you just start touching me all willy-nilly, dammit! That's like if I just went and randomly started playing with your hair or something. It's damn weird and awkward and I don–" His tirade is cut off by a hiccupping sob.
"I-I-I'm sorry, Ku-Kurosaki-ku-kun." Orihime sobs. "I-it's my f-fault. I t-touched you t-tail first. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable and angry. I–"
"Agh, it's not your fault, Inoue. I'm not used to people just touching me like that and you guys took me by surprise. So quit crying already, please." He tries calming her down, releasing his tail to put a hand on her shoulder, though his tail remains tucked close to him. He is so whipped if he gives into her crying this easily.
"What's that in your hand?" Sado asks out of the blue.
"Huh? Oh, you mean this?" Ichigo holds up his left hand, revealing something triangular made of metal. "This is the new hand shovel I promised to make for Inoue. Um, here, take a look and tell me what you think, Inoue." He says handing it off to her. Is that why we're here? To accompany Orihime while she gets a shovel from this guy? What the hell.
Orihime squeals in delight. "Look, Rukia-chan!" she says, holding the shovel up in my face. "It looks just like Froggy-san! Isn't it cute?" she chirps, bouncing in excitement and joy. I study the little shovel and have to admit it is kinda cute, but it'd be cuter if it was a bunny.
"Oh, uh, glad you like it." He says, rubbing the back of his head, it's gotta be a nervous habit, looking down at the ground. "It's not quite done yet though. I still need to polish it up and get a proper handle on it. I was also considering painting it so it looks more like your old one, but I haven't really decided on that yet, so…"
"It's fine if you don't paint it." Orihime claims. "It'll look great just like this. Thank you so very much Kurosaki-kun." She says, a sincere smile on her face.
"You're welcome." He says, voice low and soft as he looks away, but I thought I saw… something, I don't know what, flash in his eyes as he said those words.
"So you're a Smith?" Damn, what is with Sado today, asking questions out of the blue like that?
"Hmm? Oh, um, well, I am a Shiba, but I'm not quite a smith. I mean, I know all of the techniques and stuff, but I haven't really earned the title." He embarrassedly explains. I know I'm looking at him curiously, and I guess the others are too because he further explains, "In the Shiba clan, you're not considered a true Smith until you forge a zanpakuto on your own. I helped my dad make a couple and I've fixed plenty of them, but I've never made one without any help. So I'm not a real Smith, but I can pretty much do all the work expected of a Smith."
"I'm surprised they'd seal you, Smiths are so rare now. I think that there's actually only two others besides you right now and they're pretty reclusive. They only deal with the Gotei 13 when we go to them." I sadly state, thinking about how I helped ruin our relationship with some of the most important individuals to the shinigami. After all, without them a broken zanpakuto is practically a death sentence.
"Yeah, well I was causing a lot of trouble. Being a Smith actually made it worse." He morosely states. He sighs, "I was in a bad place and, honestly, I wasn't trying to get better. Sure, I was targeting people they wouldn't give a damn about if they died, but the fact that I had trouble stopping myself, discriminating between friend and foe once I got started… well, I'm sure you get the idea." He says with a shrug, acting like it doesn't matter, though I'm pretty sure it bothers him, a lot. I may not have known him for long, but Ichigo is a nice guy, except when you do something that angers him so much he loses his reason. He scowls and acts grumpy, but it is just an act. He's trying to guard his cracked heart by only letting the people who will truly care get close to him. It's obvious that in that past of his, where he was mindlessly hunting these 'bad people', he hurt others, Gotei 13 members most likely, and he regrets having hurt them. The truth is, I can see some of me in him. I can see that he's burdened by his past, just as mine burdens me, but unlike me, he's not nearly as recovered from it. I can see why, I mean, he's got the threat of being sealed, possibly killed, hanging over his head because of it. Me, I just have the unresolved guilt and occasional nightmare. He may be older than me, but he still acts like he's younger. In some ways, he is though. I know he's been sealed for over one hundred years, but he had less than twenty to see the world, to mature and learn. I suppose in some ways, I see him as a little brother. Someone lost and needing my guidance. Rukia-onee-chan. I like the sound of that. It means I get to boss the moron around.
We chat some more about lighter subjects with the sound of rasping metal in the background as Ichigo runs the shovel along his tail, slowly bringing out a polished and bright appearance as he files it. I demand a Chappy the Rabbit pin from him during our conversation which he rudely rejects until I lovingly convince him with my fist. We leave later, Ichigo promising to deliver the finished shovel tomorrow. It's been a good day, peaceful and fun. How I wish days like this would never end.
I stare into the dying forge fire, done metal working for today. I may not use the forge Urahara's provided as often as my own fires, but I do use it. I try to lose myself in the flickering flames, to squash down the memories of the past, but she reminded me of them. It was innocent, what Inoue did, thanking me for my work, but it reminded me of what practically started the mess that became my life.
"Thanks, Ichigo. It's wonderful!" she says, excitement sparkling in her orange eyes. If I looked closer, would I have seen her sadness, her regret? She picks up the monk's staff, the rings jingling as they clash with one another.
"I'm glad you like it. I made it just for you, Senna." The orange-haired boy replies, wide smile on his face. I thought maybe she could fill it, that emptiness inside. I felt like her praises might fill me up, but they never really did. The boy begins to point out all the features, the small details on the staff. He never expected what would come next. Not what would happen to her, nor him. An innocent gift that somehow started a war, bringing a mad man down on him and his family.
"She's dead, Ichigo. Senna tried to kill a captain and was sentenced to death."
"Why?" his voice trembles as he asks.
"According to her, she couldn't use you anymore, not for him."
"Who is he?" a slight trace of anger in the words.
"Aizen Sousuke."
About a week later, Aizen was found guilty of treason when he stole a special artifact. He fled, raised an army, and went to war with the Gotei 13. Urahara said that in the end, Aizen retreated and has been flitting in and out of the shadows ever since. I suspect Urahara knows at least part of the reason why, but he hasn't told me. It doesn't matter.
I'll kill the bastard if I ever get the chance.
So, what do you guys think? I've had the idea of Ichigo being a Smith for a while now and finally can get to it here. For those wondering, yes, Ichigo's yokai form is based off his Vasto Lorde/final versus Ulquiorra form, but I decided that he should have the tail from visored training. Orihime's shovel is based off of those cheap plastic things you can find in stores for little kids to use because those things are cute and I think she'd use one.
Check out my second story Harry Potter and the Weirdos from Japan. As I'm sure you can tell from the title, it's a cross-over, Bleach/Harry Potter. This was the pick of AoNoBleachShoujo and somehow it's already got like 80 followers, over twice as many as this. How did that happen?! So yeah, check it out.
Please review/comment to tell me how I did.