A/N: A slightly slower paced chapter that'll feature a bit more romance and a little fluff bordering on a lime (for those who don't know, a lime is when characters 'mess about' but don't have sex - i.e. a lemon) near the end, Kasumioji ARC will begin next chapter.
Italics + ' = Thoughts (Etc. = 'What is that?')
Bold + '' = Inner Hollow/Secondary Spirit (Etc. = ''Fucking Quotation marks!'' He roared) (Or Zangetsu in Ichigo's case).
Italics + '' = Zanpakuto Spirit (Etc. = ''Do not hesitate, Ichigo'' Zangetsu said) (Quincy part of Zangetsu for Ichigo's case).
I DONT OWN BLEACH!
Chapter 27: A Semi-Peaceful Respite - Alliance ARC
The rest of the day went by fairly quickly and uneventfully, leading up to lunch however both myself and Asami could feel the gaze of several Gotei 13 members at the back of our heads. They were no doubt suspicious of where we went, considering that they had apparently checked the Shoten thoroughly and the twelfth wouldn't be able to pinpoint us.
Finally lunch came around and with one very brief glance at Chad, Ishida and Inoue, myself and Asami crisply walked out of the room, the three other students following shortly after with the Gotei 13 on their heels. We reached the roof in under two minutes, and proceeded with the normal routine of taking out our Bento and idly chatting. The advanced team came moments after we did, joining the group as a layer of tension sat over the group.
Finally after several minutes of silence, Byakuya was the one to speak the obvious question ''Where were you for the past few days?''.
Asami raised an elegant eyebrow ''Training''.
''Where?''.
''I'm ninety percent sure you already know, Captain Kuchiki'' Asami said with an icy tone, making the noble narrow his eyes ''That aside, there is a noble matter that will occur in around a week that will change the course of the future by a notable amount''.
''What do you mean, Urahara-san?'' Inoue asked curiously.
''The Kasumioji'' I intoned for Asami, drawing attention to me ''From what we know, a man by the name Gyokaku Kumoi is attempting to become the next clan head by assassinating the currently next-in-line, Rurichiyo Kasumioji. Not only that, but he is currently producing Bakkoto; a sword that is like a Zanpakuto, only more of a parasite that feeds off the wielders Reiryoku to grow stronger until said wielder perishes''.
''Your memorising skills are improving'' Hollow Zangetsu snickered.
'Shut it'.
''Also the current captain of the tenth, Shusuke Amagai, plans to kill Yamamoto to avenge his father'' Asami pointed out before she muttered morbidly ''I'd like to see him try''.
''What evidence do you have?'' Byakuya stated to both of us in a stern but listening tone.
''None, but the Bakkoto factory should be easy to get into once we get past the barrier'' Asami shrugged almost casually ''We either blow it open - the easy way, or I shatter the barrier - the slightly slower way''.
''Yoruichi can deal with Kumoi'' Asami continued in a dismissive tone, before it turned colder ''But Amagai will be needed for the future, though his third seat Kibune will not - I'll have Chiro deal with him''.
Several of the others present, mainly Rukia, Renji, Inoue and Matsumoto, shivered upon hearing the cold tone of an assassin. While I kept my face uncaring, mentally I was imagine all the ways a tiny Chiro could beat down somebody twice her size and stifling a smirk.
The sound of a metal door being kicked open drew our attention to the stairwell, where - not this fuck again... - Reiichi Oshima, one of the bullies who fought me on my first day here, entered the rooftop with easily ten other bulky bullies. He smirked at us and the tension that had previously faded was now back full force, though I kept my face in a scowl and Asami completely ignored them.
''Well, well, what do we have here?'' Oshima said smugly, leering at the girls of the group - mainly Inoue and Matsumoto.
''Don't pretend like you didn't know we were up here, Oshima'' I say tonelessly, getting to my feet ''Do I have to kick your ass again to get you to piss off?''.
His smug look faded into one of irritation and badly concealed anger. Before any other words could be said a quiet but echoing click was heard, followed by all gazes being turned behind me. Asami, sitting with her back to the barred fence and Bento casually on her lap, held the same handgun from the time she disarmed the bully - which was confusing since she had handed it over to the police. Pushing that thought aside I felt some grim satisfaction as she levelled the loaded gun at the bullies, who had visibly paled.
''I'll give you fifteen seconds to get off this roof, otherwise I'll have no problem with putting a bullet through your skulls'' She spoke coldly, but only I could detect the carefully concealed smugness.
With speed worthy of an Olympic athlete, all eleven bullies cleared the rooftop and was thundering down the stairs, slamming the metal doors shut behind them. After they were gone, Asami casually put the handgun into her Bento box and continued eating her lunch like nothing happened.
With a smirk, I sat back down myself and continued eating my own lunch, taking in the human groups stunned looks and the Shinigami's confused ones.
''Wasn't that a little... overkill?'' I commented as we finally broke off from the rest of the group, heading back to the Kurosaki household.
''Nah, it'll get them to be more wary of approaching me, and by extension, you'' She smiled ''Plus it was entertaining to see them piss themselves''.
''Point taken'' I return the smile, approaching the front door. I open it and take a step to the side, avoiding my fathers surprise attack and grabbing him by the ankle, slinging him into the wall ''Hey dad''.
''You are getting better my son!'' Isshin grinned ''Soon I will have nothing left to teach you!''.
''You didn't have anything to teach me last month, or the month before that'' I smirked ''I could kick your ass if I wanted''.
''I wouldn't underestimate your father'' Asami cut in with a smirk of her own ''He's stronger than you think, plus he's like a bouncy ball when it comes to Hakuda''.
''See! Somebody has faith in me!'' Isshin grinned and I sighed but still held a grin as I walked into my home.
''Welcome back, Onii-chan, Asami'' Yuzu called from the kitchen ''Will the both of you be staying for dinner?''.
I spared a glance to my partner, who gave a indifferent shrug - she didn't mind - and I call back ''Yeah''.
''Yo, Ichi-nii, Asami'' Karin greeted with a lazy wave from the couch ''What took you two so long?''.
''Finishing up on some training'' Asami answered with a small smile ''Oh I forgot, you didn't tell Ichigo yet did you?''.
''You guys were training, so no'' Karin smirked and turned her attention to me ''Soon you won't be the only one with Bankai''.
''You're close to Bankai?'' I queried.
''Karin and Yuzu spent a total of 8 months in Jikan Yari, with us staying an extra month and a half to complete our training'' Asami supplied as both of us sat down ''Your perception of time is distorted, so it only feels like a short amount of time has past while in reality much longer has past''.
I merely nod, turning my gaze on to the TV and my eyebrow twitched at seeing Don Kanonji, not only that but coming to Karakura. I hear a quiet snicker and turn to see both my sister and Asami snickering at me, obviously aware of my annoyance towards the eccentric man. Unfortunately Yuzu popped her head out with her mouth moving to call for dinner, only to pause upon seeing the TV making me groan.
''No arguments'' Isshin grinned as he abruptly appeared before us, smirking victoriously as I hear a 'Bohahahah!' from the kitchen.
'Knowing that man, he'll end up accidently crushing hollow bait...'.
After the rest of the family head off to bed none of them caught both me and Asami entering the same room, closing it behind me before they could see. With a quiet yawn I undressed, my back to Asami as she had her back to mine as she also got changed. I simply changed to a casual red and white shirt and my boxers, while Asami wore a black shirt and grey shorts.
Both of us moved to the bed, with me against the wall and her back against my chest. I pull my covers over the both of us and swinging an arm around Asami, she tilted her head back and we exchanged a sleepy goodnight kiss before settling into the warmth of the bed.
''Night'' I whispered.
''Night'' She replied softly, snuggling into me.
I fell asleep with a smile.
With a look of indifference on my face I entered the classroom and sat down in my usual seat, Asami taking hers. As usual whispers had followed them wherever they went, only encouraged by the apparent rumour that Asami had scared off Oshima and his gang single-handedly, which wasn't entirely untrue. Thankfully nobody knew that she was in the possession of a gun (why again?) because transcendent Shinigami or not, it would be a hassle to erase everyone's memories.
I stared out the window in boredom, after all those months of training it was difficult to return to simple class when so much shit lay just beyond the horizon. The had the god of bloody hollows after the soul kings head, and as such everyone had to get stronger. The only problem I see is that Asami hadn't told the Gotei 13 to train, as it wasn't something that someone could shrug off.
With a quick glance around the nearly empty classroom, I turn my gaze to Asami.
''Why haven't I informed the Gotei 13?'' She smirked at my now-dumbfounded expression ''Our spirits - both yours and mine - have now decided to use our thoughts as a game of telephone''.
'Really? Telephone?'.
''Hey! Its fun!'' Hollow Zangetsu barked with a snicker in the background ''Kuro agrees!''.
Shaking my head in mild exasperation and my, and by extension Asami's, Zanpakuto spirits I return my gaze to Asami with the previous question on my lips.
''I haven't spoken to the Gotei 13 on the matter because they are already training to fight against Aizen, despite the fact they have severely underestimated him'' She said with a scowl ''His Zanpakuto is powerful, most illusion-type are after all, but Aizen has mastered Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Kido and Hoho; he Is far more powerful than soul society regards him as''.
''I have no doubt that when the Espada are deployed they'll consider them more of a threat, which is almost funny'' She continued ''The reason why I haven't told them, is because they have no need to know. They are preparing for what they will assume is full-out war with Aizen, training themselves and their subordinates. If I told them that there was another war on the horizon, not to mention the possibility of two, then it'd only cause panic and despair''.
I frowned ''You said two wars? I thought only the Hollow King would be our problem?''.
''Yhwach, the son of the soul king. While he isn't as big a threat as the Hollow King, he is still capable with fighting on par with the captain commander and possibly stronger, so that speaks of his strength'' She explained with a small smile ''I'm having the Bount from Kariya's group, the Septima Espada Szayel and my father work on numerous devices to assist us in the coming wars, mainly to counter Yhwach''.
''I'm assuming he has an army of his own?'' I say dryly and she nodded.
''He has been in a deep slumber for a thousand years and during that time has garnered not only an army of Quincy, but almost twenty-six captain-class fighters - double the amount of captains'' She said with a small frown as she looked around her, making sure nobody was listening ''I plan on leading an incursion before Yhwach invades soul society, meaning we eliminate the problem before it starts, however even with our power level he is not one to be taken lightly when we inevitably fight him''.
I nodded but before our conversation could continue I felt Byakuya approach the door, and as such I return my gaze to the window. However with a random thought passing by I got an idea, so I put it into motion.
'Is there a way to communicate mentally without our Zanpakuto playing telephone?' I thought and after half a minute I got a response.
'I think there is a Kido for that, but I cant cast it with the others here' She replied.
'Does it matter? Like is it a known spell or one of your own ones?'.
'It is a known Kido, but one that is exclusive to the Kido corps and messenger corps, so while the advanced team will be unlikely to recognise it, if they mention it in their reports one of the senior captains will' She paused for a moment before I saw a small smirk appear on her face 'Actually, that is not a problem'.
Asami moved both her hands only to her lap, both glowed a soft purple - which caught all spiritually aware peoples attention - before it disappeared in a flash of blue, leaving a slightly smirking Asami.
'Better?'.
'Yeah, now at least we won't have to wait almost a minute between sentences' I felt a small smirk tugging at my lips too and I felt confusion and suspicion from the advanced team 'Why the sudden change of heart?'.
'It'll make them nervous, which I find amusing in Captain Kuchiki's case' Was her ridiculous but admitted truthful response.
I attempted to stifle my smirk, 'attempt' being the key word.
''Ichigo! How dare you hang out with all the new transfer students without me?!'' Keigo cried as he sat down on the rooftop with myself, Asami, Chad, Ishida and the advanced team ''And all the hot chicks too!''.
Asami didn't even blink from the second comment, Rukia twitched in annoyance and Matsumoto ignored him. Though Byakuya did turn a scathing look on the teen, making him shiver before eventually sitting down with us.
''Shut up'' I growled lightly as per our usual banter.
Silence fell for all of two seconds before Keigo spoke again ''Are any of you going to see Don Kanonji tomorrow?''.
''He's back again?'' Rukia said flatly ''Its only been like a month''.
Keigo smiled widely, apparently happy he broke the slightly awkward tension ''Yeah! He's going to the old warehouse at the back of the industrial district! Apparently there are good spirits who have been infected by bad spirits, pretty weird huh?''.
Asami stilled for less than a second, but resumed eating without drawing any suspicion from the others, though I say a faint flicker of worry in her eyes.
'Something wrong?' I as mentally through the still-active Kido.
'If he is speaking of the half destroyed but blockaded warehouse, then that is where the Vizard have taken to staying when they are outside HQ' She mentally replied 'It could be bad if they are discovered, I'll call them and warn them'.
''I need to call someone'' Asami said, walking over to the stairwell and bringing the phone to her ear. I stay silent as some idle chatter spurs among the others, and I was mildly thankful that Keigo had actually appeared because while he was annoying beyond belief, he did have good skills in breaking the tension. After almost a minute Asami came back, her public face as stoic as always.
'They're notified and will be watching from a distance, they'll probably wanna meet you considering you've also a Vizard' She spoke mentally.
'Do I have to go?' I mentally groan 'I do not want to see that idiot man again'.
'Yuzu got your father to get you and your sisters tickets' I could see the smirk on her face from where I sat 'If it makes you feel better I'm having to go with my eccentric father, who refuses to wear anything but his store clothes... at least Chiro will keep him out of trouble... hopefully'.
I smiled wryly in her direction and she returned the gesture with a quiet sigh.
More people actually came to see the show than I expected, probably because of how successful the last one was. I sat off to the side of the crowd in my Shinigami form, sitting with Asami right beside me on the rooftop of one of the adjoining warehouses with our legs swung lazily over the edge. I could easily spot my father, Yuzu, Karin, Urahara, Yoruichi (cat form), Chiro and Toshiro all standing in the crowd watching.
''Shinji and the others should be here in a minute'' Asami updated as she pocketed her phone with a sigh.
''If they Vizard used to be lieutenant and captains, shouldn't they be able to use Shunpo to get here?'' I question.
''Yeah, but since this Don Kanonji will likely enter the building they're hiding all their stuff and messing it up a bit to make it look abandoned'' Asami answered and tilted her head so she was leaning on my shoulder. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her to me with a small smile, which lingered even as we exchanged a quick but sweet kiss, making her cheeks burn slightly.
''I interruptin' anythin' here?'' A man asked with a slight accent, making both me and Asami turn to see a grinning blonde with a bowl cut, Shinji Hirako if the description of his attire is anything to go by. Behind him stood Rose and Love, again going from the descriptions Asami gave me.
''Nothing major'' I say coolly, getting to my feet with Asami ''You Shinji?''.
''Ichigo?'' The man asked and I nodded, making his grin widen ''Nice ta meet ya''.
''You too'' I incline my head at the other two.
''I am Rojuro Otoribashi, also known as Rose'' The blonde man said gracefully.
''Love Aikawa'' The spiky brown head waved casually before turning his gaze to the show, where Kanonji was doing some strange dance routine while ranting about good and bad spirits ''Why of all places did he come here?''.
''Probably because Hiyori used her hollow mask outside the barrier, thus making him think there was a 'bad spirit' here'' Rose answered smoothly.
''To be fair, it was a high-level Adjuchas hollow that had a weird ability'' Shinji retorted.
''Weird ability?'' I query.
''It could teleport, but the problem was that it was instantaneous and made no sound of Reiatsu signature, plus the only way Hiyori managed to kill it was by chopping its head off, since it had incredible high-speed regeneration'' Shinji explained with a light scowl ''It looked like a crocodile standing on its hind legs, but more angled for walking on them''.
Asami frowned ''That's a scary ability, especially for an Adjuchas class... you don't think it could be Perdida?''.
''Nah, probably just a strong hollow'' Shinji replied ''Not every strong hollow is under his command, chill''.
Asami sighed ''I know, I know''.
Frowning lightly, I turn my gaze to the show again. I could easily spot most of the advanced team within the crowd; Matsumoto was with Toshiro and Chiro. Rukia, Byakuya and Renji were with my family, while Ikkaku and Yumichika were off to the side a bit. They likely could sense me from this distance, but I doubt they could pinpoint me from the way Renji and Rukia were looking around, the lights from the show making it harder to find me and the others.
Abruptly, I caught sight of a sandal racing towards us and before I could warn anyone it smacked right into Shinji's face, sending him tumbling back a few feet. Love and Rose smirked and took a few feet back, which Asami mimicked and dragged me with her. Not a moment later a short, child sized midget appeared - judging by the red tracksuit and blonde hair it was Hiyori.
''Baka Shinji!'' Hiyori yelled and she took her sandal and hit the prone man in the face a second time.
''What the hell?!'' Shinji barked ''What did I do this time!?''.
Hiyori smirked ''Nothin' at all''.
A whoosh of Shunpo echoed as Urahara appeared before us with a Cheshire grin ''Well hello my favourite old married couple''.
''Shut up!'' Hiyori and Shinji yelled, Hiyori throwing a sandal making the man tumble back.
''Hiyori-chan~'' A sing song voice called and I snickered at seeing the blonde pale slightly before she was tackled by Chiro in Shinigami form.
''Get off me ya pink-haired fur-ball!'' Hiyori barked as she tried to peel the smaller girl off her.
''Ne, Ne, I'm not a cat, Hiyori-chaaan~''.
''Your as clingy as one! GET OFF!''.
I chuckle lightly, accompanied by a round of laughs from the others.
I sat with Asami and the Vizard on a hilltop not far from the Vizard warehouse, probably half a mile or something away. We all sat quietly watching the stars, cups of Sake for each and several empty bottles already, but it was fairly peaceful and we made passive conversation. To be honest it was relaxing, and I could tell it was also relaxing for the Vizard and Asami too.
''Baka Shinji!''.
...though that didn't stop Hiyori's outbursts.
A small round of chuckles was given by the Vizard at the duo's antics, consisting of Hiyori using some kind of devil magic to summon sandals from nowhere and replace the ones on her feet in record time.
''So, Ichigo'' Love asked amicably ''How long can you hold your mask?''.
''My mask?'' I hum thoughtfully, looking at the sky as I thought.
'Zangetsu, how long can I hold my mask?'.
''Ask queenie'' Zangetsu almost sounded sleepy, like he had run a marathon.
''I don't know, Asami?'' I end in a questioning tone, making Asami also hum thoughtfully.
''The last time we sparred and you used your mask, we fought for around six hours and the mask had yet to crumble, so six hours minimum'' She answered, the Vizard gave a low whistle of approval in return.
''Damn kid, and we thought we were gettin' somewhere at the one hour mark'' Love chuckled ''I assume you're working with your inner hollow unlike our original solution?''.
I nod to his question but let my confusion show on my face ''Original solution?''.
''Yeah we, uh, kinda locked away our hollows in fear of them taking over'' Love said sheepishly ''Asami came along and after talking to us-''.
''Kicking your asses you mean'' Asami interjected with a cocky smirk.
''-we began co-operating with our hollows, building trust and training with them. It was difficult at first, but now I'd say we're on pretty good terms with our counterparts, though we are training to gain access to Resurreccion''.
''Any luck?'' I ask, taking a small sip from the bitter but warm Sake.
''Shinji, Mashiro and Kensei are close'' Rose answered ''Myself and Love are not far behind, though Lisa and Hiyori had started last and will finish last''.
Lisa snickered at that comment and it became apparent to what perverted meaning that comment could have, as most of the Vizard chuckled at the it while Hiyori glared at Rose with a blush on her cheeks.
''How is my first love Candice doing?'' Shinji grinned as he directed the question to Asami, who merely smirked.
''She's doing fine, but haven't you learned your last lesson after she struck you with lightning twenty seven times?''.
Shinji smirked ''Ah but you see, the way to winning her heart is persistence''.
''No, not getting electrocuted is'' Asami said before she chuckled ''Unless you've become a masochist Shinji?''.
Hiyori burst out laughing, holding her sides for added effect. Myself and the other Vizard laughed alongside her at Shinji's reddened face, though even he joined in with a light chuckle after a few moments.
'I think I'll get along just fine with these guys'.
''I think I'm starting to feel the effect of a hangover'' I muttered as I covered my eyes with my arm while Asami came back from the shower with a quiet yawn, if anything since Asami stays with me more often than not my father doesn't do his usual sneak attack until I leave the room. I was dressed in my school uniform but I decided to stay in my room, considering it would be better than being with my insane father.
''You'll be fine'' Asami chuckled and I moved my arm to look at her, but quickly replace it when I realised she had taken her shirt off to get changed, leaving her in only a plain black bra. I felt my cheeks burn but pretended that it didn't happen, merely sighing.
''Perv'' Asami said in a teasing tone and I felt her sit on the edge of the bed, followed by her hand running through my hair repeatedly in a soothing motion. I removed my arm and met her honey brown eyes off to the side of me, she had (thankfully) put on the white Karakura High shirt and was smiling down at me. She leaned down and gave me a soft kiss, one which I easily returned.
So lost in the kiss, I barely registered myself sitting up to deepen the kiss, one hand moving to her side and pulling her closer to me. We broke off, in need of oxygen, and panted lightly as our senses returned. Both of our faces undoubtedly burned a dark red from the intimate kiss, though a smile creeped up on my face, Asami following a moment later. She wrapped her arms around my neck and our lips met again, I gently pulled her closer to me and she complied, now practically straddling me. My tongue snaked into her mouth and fought for dominance against hers, and she let out a quiet moan as I explored her mouth.
We broke off again for air but I moved to her neck, lightly nibbling on it. She let out a quiet but pleased moan, making me shiver lightly at the sound as I trail small kisses down her neck and down to her collar bone. My hands had wandered on their own, with my left absently going down her back while my right travelled to her chest, idly giving a squeeze making her moan and bite her lip.
Before we could continue, a cry of ''Breakfast is ready, Onii-chan! Asami!''.
Asami let out a quiet whine of disappointed, giving me another quick kiss before getting off me and fixing her shirt.
She blushed heavily and gave a smile ''We can continue later, if you want''.
I smiled ''Yeah''.
''Though time for school'' She sighed, actually sounding tired for it.
I got off from the bed and hugged her, holding her to my chest ''Tired for school? That's new''.
Asami chuckled ''I can't say I enjoy it, mainly because I've learned everything they have to teach and I can feel the advanced team burning the occasional gaze into the back of my head''.
I smiled wryly ''Probably shouldn't have used a high-level Kido in front of them then''.
''What can you do?'' She shrugged with mock innocence.
''Not cast the Kido?'' I joke and she laughed lightly.
''And where's the fun in that?''.
I sighed and shook my head, smiling at her intentionally flawed logic ''Yeah, Yeah''.
''Hey Shiro-kun?'' Kuro asked as she fixed her inverted Shihakusho.
''Hm?'' I hummed.
''Do ya think that us 'playing' has had any effect on Kingy and Queenie?''.
I shrugged ''Meh, if it does it'll only reduce tha time before they knock each other up''.
''Mm'' She hummed ''Lets a-go back ta the beach, I wanna bug Queenie 'bout it''.
I grinned ''Heh, good idea''.
And with that, we took off in a burst of Sonido.
A/N: So how's that for a little fluffiness? I will guarantee that a lemon between Asami and Ichigo will happen sooner or later, but when is currently unknown as the day this chapter was posted was the day it was finished, since this chapter fought me.
A notice for those readers who have been reading for a while; I know I used to update every 3-4 days but now it'll be anywhere from 3 days to a week or so, since mock exams are now in effect and like I have previously said I'm working on like ten different stories, 5 of them being ones I'm working on more-so than the others.
In the name of Gin, Bai Bai~