Chapter 26 – Four Months' Memories
Time passed. Three months went by in the blink of an eye as Ichigo settled into a comfortable routine. He improved his hakuda past his previous experience of karate and street brawling to the point where Akamizu was forced to forbid Ichigo from sparring with the other freshmen. "The students are here to learn and improve," he'd said, "Not to be flung across the room within three seconds of a spar's start." Ikoto soon adopted the same philosophy since, if anything, Ichigo gotten even more deadly with the blade. Ichigo completely mastered short-distance shunpo, so Hokkaido discreetly gave him exercises to increase the distance Ichigo could span with a single flash step. In kido, Ichigo had at least improved enough to blow up a mannequin only once or twice a week, since he still didn't have enough control to adequately perform the spells. He wanted to steal some books that would teach him advanced kido that required a lot of reiatsu, but he'd been so focused on improving his Shinigami and hollow powers that he hadn't had the chance. Surprisingly, due to Ichigo's enormous amount of spirit energy, he could turn out to be an excellent healer if he could make sure to not push too much energy into the being he was trying to heal. Matsumura had started giving Ichigo techniques from all levels of skill to master, given the freshman's incredible growth rate (though Ichigo remained at ground zero when it came to kido). Ichigo even made some progress with normal reiatsu control, though his body still lacked the durability to properly contain his enormous reiatsu. Ichigo and Zangetsu hadn't touched the abnormal reiatsu control since the first Sunday training session due to their preoccupation with Shiro's abilities. Ichigo didn't pay any attention to the teacher in zanpakuto meditation, since he either communicated with or sparred with his inner spirits the entire time.
Hokkaido had apparently talked to his colleagues, since they stopped watching Ichigo like hawks. Hokkaido didn't attend any more of Ichigo's training sessions, but he occasionally inquired about Ichigo's progress in learning about his hollow powers.
Ichigo had made considerable progress in mastering hollow abilities. He mastered high-speed regeneration, Cero, and Bala, and began to gradually perfect his own double bladed fighting style. Ichigo found that, while fighting with both Zangetsu and the as-of-yet unnamed white zanpakuto, he could use Cero and kido by lifting two fingers from the grip of one of his weapons and focus the energy blasts in that manner. It was risky, since it weakened Ichigo's hold on his blades, but he was getting better at firing the Cero/kido faster and reducing the risk of being disarmed.
Ichigo figured out that the oddly-colored Getsuga Tensho could only be produced by an Arrancar's blade coupled with pure Shinigami reiatsu. No one had any idea why the two were so compatible, but just as long as they produced a powerful attack, Ichigo didn't really care. He also discovered that combining Zangetsu's Getsuga and the white zanpakuto's Getsuga would result in an enormous deep purple-rimmed, cerulean crescent that was almost as powerful as Ichigo's bankai's black Getsuga.
Ichigo learned quite a bit about Renji's and Rukia's lives in Inuzuri and grew closer to Momo and Izuru. Ichigo promised himself that he'd visit the two when he returned to his own time. He had no idea where Kaede was in the Gotei 13, or if she was even alive in his time.
Ichigo's only close call occurred when Momo brought her friends to her home on one Sunday. Ichigo couldn't refuse without looking odd, so he grudgingly agreed to meet Momo's "sweet granny" and "cute little brother". Upon sighting Momo's younger brother, Ichigo had immediately blurted, "Toshiro?" eliciting several surprised looks and an outraged outburst from the white-haired boy in question. The rest of the visit was spent eating watermelon and enduring suspicious glares from the future white-haired captain.
And then came the fourth month of the school year, during which two incidents would be forever etched into Ichigo's memory.
"You summoned for me, captain?"
"Yes. Tell Kiyone and Sentaro that I've finally been able to find a free day to visit the Academy."
"They'll be ecstatic. What about you, captain? Will you be joining us?"
"Of cour-" Ukitake broke off in a fit of coughing. Kaien hurried to his captain's side, concerned.
"But you're ill; you can't go in this condition!" Kaien protested.
"I'll be fine in about a week or so, and that's when we'll be going to the Academy. Don't worry!" The reassuring smile Ukitake offered to his lieutenant was completely ineffective, since Ukitake's sickly appearance made the pale skin stretch wide, causing the smile to look hollow and fake.
Kaien studied his captain doubtfully. "If you say so."
"Hado 33 is Shakkaho!" Renji declared to the rest of his friends during lunchtime.
"Are you stupid, Renji? Hado 31 is Shakkaho, while Hado 33 is Soukatsui!" Ichigo said.
"But it says in my textbook that Hado 33 is Shakkaho!" Renji protested before digging the tome from his bag and presenting it to his friends.
Rukia snatched the book and flipped through it to the appropriate page. "You idiot! Someone scribbled all over the page and switched the two spells around!" She lobbed the book-turned-projectile at Renji's head, where it elicited a pained yelp.
"Having fun?" a somewhat familiar voice said. Ichigo halfway recognized the student – it must have shown on his face, since the student hastily added, "I'm Ryota Asukai. Remember me?"
Ichigo scratched the back of his head before deadpanning, "Not at all. Sorry."
"It's alright. Anyway, you may want to cut the horseplay. A captain and some of his subordinates will be coming any minute now. You wouldn't want to make a bad impression." Ryota then bowed and gracefully strode off, leaving his stiff classmates behind him.
"Another captain?" Momo gaped. "Don't they usually visit only once a year?"
"I can't believe it," Izuru breathed.
Kaede's mind was on a different subject. "Tch. Bloody noble."
"You know him?" Ichigo asked, trying to cover up his disconcertment from the announcement.
"He's a lesser noble. He doesn't have that much talent or reiatsu; his family just pulled some strings to get him in the advanced class, bypassing those who got in on pure talent," she grumbled.
"Were you two listening to anything he said?" Rukia exclaimed.
"It went in one ear and out the other," Kaede deadpanned.
"There's another captain coming!"
Kaede was caught off guard for a moment, then demanded, "What are we waiting for? Let's get to the front gates!"
Ichigo stood at the fringes of the crowd, ready to bolt if need be. He was only part of the captain's welcoming committee because he really didn't need to attract any more of his friends' attention; they monopolized enough of his time as it was. Plus Ichigo didn't really want a repeat of Aizen's visit.
A ripple traveled through the crowd, and Ichigo tensed in anticipation. Who was it this time?
"It's been a while since I last visited," Ukitake commented sadly.
"You've been getting sicker and sicker! You couldn't help it!" Kiyone protested.
"The captain feels guilty all the same! You should know that, Kiyone!" Sentaro chided.
"We're here," Kaien said dryly, forestalling the brewing argument, for which Ukitake was grateful.
The grand Academy gates opened, revealing a huge crowd of students clustered along the boundaries of an invisible path. Ukitake smiled warmly and nodded in greeting to the students. He scanned the crowd, taking in the young, excited faces and reminiscing of his own Academy days. An orange bush poked above the other heads, catching Ukitake's eye. He'd heard the tales from Kiyone and Sentaro about the orange-haired prodigy who looked exactly like Kaien. A couple more steps gave Ukitake a clear view of the student, and his eyes widened slightly in surprise. The student's resemblance to his lieutenant was uncanny; the two could have easily been identical twins, were it not for the hair, the lack of prominent lower eyelashes, and the fearsome scowl.
Ichigo inwardly sighed with relief when he felt Ukitake's reiatsu float through the crowd. Ukitake was one of the nicest (and most normal) captains in the Gotei 13, and he was also one of the ones Ichigo trusted the most.
Ichigo caught sight of the sickly captain and was annoyed to discover that Ukitake was staring right back at him, shocked. Maybe it had something to do with his lieutenant; after all, Ichigo had heard multiple stories about his similarities to the deceased lieutenant. Not yet deceased, Ichigo realized as a black-haired twin of himself came into view behind Ukitake. After the lieutenant came the two third seats who always bickered with each other. Though they were fourth seats in this time, weren't they?
Someone jostled Ichigo. "Are you Lieutenant Shiba's twin or something?" Renji whispered in disbelief.
"Of course not! Do I look like a Shiba to you?" Ichigo retorted furiously.
"Actually, you do," Renji pointed out.
"I'm not a Shiba!" Ichigo hissed furiously.
"So, which classes are we going to view, captain?" Kiyone asked excitedly.
"Let's see… how about upper combined zanjutsu, upper combined kido, and lower combined Practical Combat?" Ukitake suggested after scanning the schedule.
After flipping through the class rosters and examining the schedule meticulously, Sentaro declared, "Captain! I formally request to attend lower combined kido and lower combined hakuda instead!"
"I want to see the freshman who beat Sentaro!"Kiyone grinned.
"Fine, then. You two clowns can waste time making fun of each other in those classes while the captain and I look for new recruits," Kaien said.
Ichigo stiffened as a familiar voice yelled out, "There he is!" The two future third seats had run into the hakuda building and were chattering excitedly.
"Do you mind if we borrow one of your students, sensei?" the midget girl queried sweetly, smiling widely.
"Uh… sure…" Kiyosugi stammered, caught off guard.
The strawberry-blonde giggled excitedly before bounding over, latching onto Ichigo's arm, and dragging him out of the training room.
"What do you want, you crazy midget?" Ichigo yelped, which earned him a punch in the gut (courtesy of said midget).
"Don't call me short!" she yelled.
"Calling Kiyone a midget? That's gutsy. Very nice, Ichigo," the familiar man said.
That brought all of Ichigo's whirling thoughts to a screeching halt. "How do you know my name?"
The man pouted. "You don't remember me? I'm so hurt!" He clutched his heart theatrically in a way that reminded Ichigo of his father, then grinned and said, "Fourth seat of the 13th squad, Sentaro Kotsubaki!"
"Oh yeah, you're the guy I beat during the entrance exam!" Ichigo remembered.
"I still won't let him live it down," the girl said proudly. "The other fourth seat of the 13th squad, Kiyone Kotetsu. It's great to finally meet you!"
"Right… So what do you two want?" Ichigo asked warily.
"We just want to watch your classes," Kiyone said innocently.
"Uh huh. Real convincing."
"Well, we did make a bet…" Kiyone relinquished.
"You're the kind of guy who is great a hakuda and zanjutsu, but terrible at hoho and kido. I saw your talent at the test, but we want to know if it's actual talent or just beginner's luck. If you're good at either hoho or kido, I have to treat both Kiyone and Captain Kyoraku to all the sake they want. If you're not, then Kiyone has to treat Captain Kyoraku and me," Sentaro explained.
Ichigo growled in frustration. He couldn't break up a bet between the two, but perhaps… "Who made the bet?"
"I did," Sentaro declared proudly.
Well, if he couldn't stop the bet, then he could at least manipulate it so that Sentaro would lose. "Base your bet on my kido and hakuda classes only."
"Sure thing!"
/Are you sure this is a good idea?/
Leave me alone, Zangetsu.
/You'll never be able to do well enough in kido for Kiyone to win the bet./
Gee, thanks for your encouragement.
"All right, class, out to the training field! I'm going to assess your practical skills and memory for incantations!"
/My point./
Granted. But I'll prove you wrong. I'll prove the world wrong. I can do kido!
Good luck with that.
You're not supposed to be out; Kiyosugi's here!
Sentaro gazed fondly at the familiar Academy training field, thinking of times when he was a mere student and earning more punishments than he could count for goofing off and shooting kido at a certain strawberry-blond midget.
"Darn it, Sentaro! Suggesting for the students to have a pop quiz is unfair! You're rigging the bet to make me lose!" Kiyone hollered in Sentaro's ear, ruining the moment.
"Shut up! We didn't set up any rules for the bet, so it's fair!" Sentaro retorted.
"First we'll drill bakudo, then hado. Do your best, especially since two fourth seats will be watching! Start with bakudo 1, then work your way up to bakudo 10! Begin!"
Don't kill anyone don't kill anyone don't kill anyone don't kill anyone-
" Bakudo 1: Sai!"
"So far it looks like I'm winning!" Sentaro crowed gleefully. It was true; Ichigo was worst with bakudo and continuously poured way too much power in the spells. Though the dummies had stopped being blown up, the binding spells regularly snapped limbs and shredded torsos.
"Now, let's see your hado! Demonstrate the hado we have learned: Hado 1, 2, 3, 4, 31, and 33! Begin!"
Don't kill anyone don't kill anyone don't kill anyone don't kill anyone don't kill anyone-
Within a deep crevice of Ichigo's soul, Shiro suddenly realized something. Throwing caution to the wind, the Arrancar poked his head into the main part of Ichigo's mindscape and screeched, "Zangetsu!" Seconds later, the darkly-clad zanpakuto was speeding toward Shiro.
"What is it?" he hissed urgently.
"I think that Ichigo's mindset is causing him to fail kido! It's just like training with Urahara – Ichigo was able to hold his ground and even beat Sandal-hat back when he changed his mindset and stood his ground without fear! Think about it – not once during kido class does Ichigo try to perform kido with resolve!"
Zangetsu blinked, then said, "I suppose we could give it a try…" Shiro sunk back into his hideout, while Zangetsu relayed his idea to Ichigo.
Well, I could give it a shot. Ichigo's voice echoed eerily through the horizontal skyscrapers.
I won't kill anyone. Lightning will shoot from my fingertips and destroy the target. No, not the target. It will blast clean through a hollow's mask.
"Hado 4: Byakurai!"
Kiyosugi stared in shock at the smoking remains of the target. Kurosaki, the worst student that she'd ever taught, had just shot a decent Byakurai. Granted, it had been too powerful, but it had been perfectly aimed and it hadn't fizzled out, blown up, or separated into several smaller bolts in the middle of the shot. Kiyosugi rubbed her eyes to confirm if she was just hallucinating or not. Behinds her, she could hear sounds of surprise and disappointment.
Ichigo grinned. His inner spirits' reminder of his resolve had really paid off. At least his hado spells would probably no longer be so terrible.
Ichigo glanced at the two fourth seats. Both looked rather perturbed, but the sound of approaching footsteps drew Ichigo's attention from the officers and to his kido teacher.
"Kurosaki," Kiyosugi began slowly, "You've been holding out on me this entire year, haven't you?" Ichigo gulped as his sensei's visage became more and more infuriated. This would not turn out well.
Only halfway through hakuda did Ichigo's ears stop ringing from Kiyosugi's loud rant. The two fourth seats fidgeted as Akamizu demonstrated the techniques that the students would be learning that day. Finally, the students pushed the desks aside and paired up to try the techniques. Ichigo was paired with a small, mousy third-year girl. Understandably, the girl looked bewildered as she easily knocked Ichigo to the floor for a fifth time. "Are you feeling alright?" she asked.
"I'm trying to make someone lose a bet. Just go along with it," he whispered to her. She shrugged, helped him up, then promptly knocked him to the floor again.
At the end of the class, Ichigo was very satisfied to watch Sentaro hang his head dejectedly and shake hands with a very smug-looking Kiyone.
Omake!
"Hado 33 is Shakkaho!" Renji declared to the rest of his friends during lunchtime.
"Are you stupid, Renji? Hado 31 is Shakkaho, while Hado 33 is Soukatsui!" Ichigo said.
"But it says in my textbook that Hado 33 is Shakkaho!" Renji protested before digging the tome from his bag and presenting it to his friends.
Rukia snatched the book and flipped through it to the appropriate page. "What do you know, this book does say that Hado 33 is Shakkaho!"
"What? That's ridiculous!" Izuru exclaimed, looking over Rukia's shoulder. He scanned the page before seizing the book and flipping it over. "Where did you find this, Renji?"
Renji shrugged. "It was just lying on my bed…"
Izuru looked him in the eye. "Then I give you this advice: don't use English Dubbed Kido as a reference!"
Geez,I can't believe how many dividers I used in this chapter...
Yay,fun filler chapter. The next chapter will be more loaded; we're finally going to have Ichi meet Kaien and Ukitake.
Finals are coming up, and that's why it's taken so long to get this out. I'm very sorry. Don't expect another update until sometime in June.
Good luck to anyone who has to deal with finals around this time of year.
-HM