Bleach (c) Tite Kubo
Black and Blue
Consideration
Hardly anyone came to this part of Karakura.
Its a decent out-of-the-way place to train.
Quiet and away from prying eyes.
Originally this deserted district was planned and developed by some out-of-town investor, intending for it to become the newest hotspot for commercial activity in Karakura and help boost the local economy.
That was before his business went bankrupt a couple years before Ichigo was born, leaving the buildings half-constructed and derelict, scattered by a lot of expensive (for the time) building materials. All of which were lost to rust, rot and decay from exposure to the elements.
New investors, both local and national, tried to assume ownership of the deed over years and finish the construction work but eventually no one wanted to touch the entire street.
Any unwary humans attempting to salvage anything left behind would eventually be met with some terribly gruesome fate or other. A work place accident here, a safety gear malfunction there or unstable footing from the rotted foundations. Whatever the incident, it all ended up costing someone's life.
Didn't take too long before a bad reputation festered around the place. People started claiming the location was bad luck, haunted or even cursed. Ichigo vaguely wondered if maybe there might've been a ghost hiding away somewhere. Or a Hollow who used it as easy hunting grounds.
Funnily enough; Ichigo was right.
When the cousins arrived at the outskirts, Kaien's original plan was to use this place as a training ground with any collateral damage done easily attributed to neglect and disuse.
That is until they were greeted by a suspiciously familiar howling sound and ominous presence. Hollow-like but not quite.
Ichigo heard one like it before. Way back when that showboating TV Spiritual Medium Don Kanonji was in town and Ichigo tagged along with his family to see the live performance (Boy, did that feel like forever ago...).
It's the sound of a Demi-Hollow.
Well... That neatly explained away the accidents and why no Shinigami has come to handle the problem. Humans trespassing on the demi-hollow's territory likely pissed it off and it took care of the problem before hibernating again.
One ten minute detour later and the dup found a trapped spirit a deeper along the main promenade, shackled to the half-rusted skeleton of what would've been the main shopping complex. He's spouting off delusional marketing platitudes about how great the entire thing will be when it was complete.
The poor guy's Chain of Fate was so badly corroded he could've become a Hollow any day now.
In his usual friendly upbeat manner, Kaien engaged the sorry Demi-Hollow in conversation. Feigning interest and asking polite questions as a distraction while Ichigo slipped into his Shinigami form with the combat pass.
The Konsou was messy. The guy was so utterly lost to his delusions he hadn't noticed the chains binding him to his mortal regrets slough away, talking still even as a Hell Butterfly carried him away.
Ichigo had never seen the effects a Konsou had on a demi-hollow and was morbidly fascinated by the event. As though time played in reverse, the gaping wound in his chest rippled and shifted back to a solid form. The rust on the chains enveloping him evaporated completely, leaving strong iron links behind before those glowed and vanished in brilliant blue-white light, then the spirit was swept away on the wings of the hell butterfly.
At least the poor dude won't turn into a Hollow anymore.
"Good job." Kaien tells him, a proud hand clapping Ichigo's shoulder. "It'll take him a while to heal entirely. That pain won't go away for a while but he'll get the assistance he needs. Now lets find some nice area to train, shall we?"
"Don't know why you made me do the Konsou. You can do it too, can't you?" Ichigo points at Kaien's zanpakutou in his hand, Ichigo's own empty body slung over his shoulder as they make their way back into a vacant parking lot.
Kaien hums, rubbing his neck, "Yeah, I suppose I could of. But if I did it, you wouldn't get paid for it."
Ichigo concedes with a nod before doing a double-take, "Wait, what? You guys get paid to do this? I get paid?!"
Kaien gives him a strange look like he's a bit touched then nods slowly, "Yeah? Being a Shinigami is still a profession. If you think about it in the Living world's terms; as a Substitute Shinigami you're technically an independent contractor employed by the Gotei 13. So yes, you do get paid. Or you should be." Kaien frowns and thinks to himself, "Actually, I'm not too sure. Ask Captain Ukitake about it next time you speak to him. But if he gave you the pass, he probably set up a stipend for you too now that you're sanctioned."
"Why did no one tell me I get paid for this?" Ichigo wonders to himself idly, he scratches his head, "I guess it doesn't really matter to me either way. I can't use Soul Society's money in this world, not outside Kisuke's shop, and I don't know if you guys have a Kan-to-Yen exchange either. But uh... You know what, it never actually occurred to me. How exactly do you guys get paid?"
"There's the fixed salary that all Shinigami get per year. Obviously amounts vary depending on rank. And Hollows have standing bounties on their heads that increases or decreases based on their age, experience, danger levels; blah blah blah. All that good stuff. Basically, it boils down to the more Hollows you kill on duty, the bigger the bonus pay." Kaien explains casually.
Ichigo processes this mildly intrigued, "Huh."
Before long they're in a parking lot and Ichigo puts his body on a bench out of the way. He hears the slow rasp of a blade behind drawn and Kaien's already across the parking lot.
"Alright. I just want to get a feel for your base limits before I figure out the best way to train you; the stuff we'll need to work on and all that. Just give me your best shot as you are now, got it? No need for your Bankai either." Kaien instructs, sword loosely in his grip.
"Why not? Scared I'll end up beating you?" Ichigo goads.
Kaien gives a half-indulgent chuckle, "I'm trying to assess your current skill level, not crush your ego into paste."
Ichigo's fingers curl around Zangetsu's handle, its cloth sheathe unfurls and Ichigo levels his sword at his cousin, "You sure about that? Maybe you didn't get the memo but I did defeat a huge chunk of the Gotei 13's upper echelon. Don't come crying to me when I knock you into the pavement."
"Whatever you say, pipsqueak. Now are you gonna stand there all day or are you gonna fight?"
"If I didn't know better I say you're underestimating me," Ichigo rolling his eyes at the good natured taunt and his smirk remains steadfast, "I wonder what Shinji, Kisuke and Yoruichi'll say when I tell 'em I kicked your ass!"
Ichigo lounges forward with shunpo. Kaien only smiles and lifts his sword up to guard.
The high throne of white marble is a constant reminder of Lord Aizen's might; as is the single point of light illuminating his reclined form. He sits there easily, like the entire structure was built to accommodate him alone.
On a surface glance the position Aizen holds over Hueco Mundo is an honoured appointment, if such a concept truly existed among Hollow kind. The throne itself could be seen as a gift and pledge of allegiance granted by the most veracious beasts, killers and mad monsters Hueco Mundo had to offer.
In truth, its a shameful concession and a continued trampling of another's pride; the one who sat upon it previously.
(Baraggan Louisenbairn still lives by cruel mercy, forced to yield his formerly matchless authority to others. First to Sosuke Aizen, who now presides as King of Hueco Mundo. Second to Coyote Starrk, who stands as the Primera Espada while Baraggan is relegated to Segunda.)
The rest of the chamber is cast in shadow, as if to further emphasize that divide between Aizen and the cursed dwellers of this endless desert. Not only as one of three Shinigami in Las Noches, but to demonstrate how high is he stands above them.
Massive rough stone benches and outcroppings crowd the edges of the chamber, and a fleet of stone masons are sitting in the wings with various tools. (Those plebs are standing by for the conclusion of this meeting so they can continue their work and finish carving this chamber into something more orderly to suit their Shinigami ruler's tastes.)
Lord Aizen is... ephemeral. Intangible. And the Espada - the Arrancar are but beasts he indulges at his table. They were all built for a purpose but possess an underlying understanding that they would be cast aside should they be found wanting by newer, more powerful prospects.
But for all his great power, Aizen is not infallible, no matter how other Arrancar might venerate him.
And the fact is this: Lord Aizen was wrong.
There. It's said.
Aizen. Is. Wrong.
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez would never dare say it out loud and certainly not in front of the others, but he can't comprehend why anyone else couldn't see that. He couldn't even understand why the hell that idiot Ulquiorra didn't kill that orange-haired punkass in the first place.
Yammy got his ass kicked for his recklessness and Ulquiorra stepped in to save him (Grimmjow would've let Yammy die on principle to teach him a lesson), but moronic incompetence excuses nothing. Frankly, its all the more reason to kill the runt. Cut off the head of the snake before it turns around and bites them in the ass down the road.
No matter what pretty excuse Ulquiorra gives, Grimmjow isn't going to sit down and take that bastard's word on it.
With the meeting concluded, all were dismissed and Grimmjow is now stalking towards his chambers in a foul mood. His Fracción aren't far behind him, bickering amongst themselves. He doesn't care enough to turn lash out at them. Already a plan is forming in his mind.
If Ulquiorra wouldn't do his job right then Grimmjow will just have clean up that mess form him. To show that pasty statue how a real Espada get the mission done.
"You've got a helluva scary face on there, Grimmjow." His head jerks up at the sound and he levels an irritated glare at... himself.
A mimic of himself lazily slumped against the wall, arms folded over his chest and wearing a very coy expression entirely uncharacteristic of the Sexta Espada.
"Get the hell out of my way before I smash your head through a wall, Yarelli." Grimmjow grunts at the Noveno Espada. "And take that stupid disguise off. Wear it again and I'll kill you."
This mimic wearing Grimmjow's face peels off the wall. The guise shifts, melting like candle wax and remolding itself to a form of a female Arrancar with platinum yellow hair and silver eyes. She wears a white overcoat with overly long sleeves. The top half and collar are closed by a zipper, but the rest splits out just under her bust, exposing her stomach and the bold black nine tattoo over her navel. The remnants of her hollow mask forms like a tiara over her forehead with two antenna extensions sweeping over her crown.
"Here I am, going out of my way to try and cheer up my fellow Espada and you're reacting with such hostility. You were ever-so-miserable in that last little gathering, too." Yarelli La Apariencia coos mockingly.
Grimmjow simply continues to glower. "Unless you want me to smeer your brains across that wall, you've got five seconds to get to your point or get the hell out of my sight."
The ultimatum simply amuses the Noveno, who shrugs as though the threat hardly mattered.
"As it so happens, I want the same thing as you." Yarelli answers. Her voice is a high pitched tone like nails down a chalkboard.
"Four seconds." Grimmjow states, unamused.
Yarelli cuts her act and skips to the point, clearly disappointed Grimmjow isn't taking her bait but she hasn't remained among the sole original member of the Espada through its successor generations by picking unwinnable battles.
"I happen to agree with your sentiments. Ulquiorra made a mistake in not killing that human boy. It's an intolerable risk to our future plans, and if Ulquiorra's wrong and fails to clean up his own mess? We're all thoroughly screwed. I'm not prepared to take that chance on the hope and prayer the boy may be persuaded to join us or self-destruct of his own accord."
"Is that supposed to earn my appreciation or something?" Grimmjow questions, "Three seconds."
"I know you're planning to go hunt that human mutt down by yourself. It was practically written all over your face." Yarelli points out, "I want to help."
"What? Out of the goodness of your heart?" Grimmjow scoffs.
"When it comes to the security of Las Noches, of Hueco Mundo? I don't deal in whimsy, Grimmjow. I deal in absolutes. The absolute fact is that boy is a threat. Threats should be eliminated. Its a simple case of - how do human's say it? Many hands make light work. Nothing more and nothing less." Yarelli declares.
Grimmjow scowls at the female Arrancar, scrutinizing her.
This isn't out of purely altruistic desire as she claims.
If anything, Grimmjow figures Yarelli would use this opportunity to advance in the ranks of the Espada once more, ambitious little bitch that she is, sacrificing Grimmjow to advance her own standing among the ten.
Or to throw Grimmjow to the wolves in the unlikely instance they came back in failure, spinning some wild tale about how Grimmjow pressured her into participating in a suicide mission.
Or she'd use the opportunity to launch a double-cross on Grimmjow after he's weakened from killing the kid (as if the Shinigami would be a challenge?) and spin some crap about how she 'tried to stop Grimmjow' before things escalated but ended up finding his corpse instead.
Yarelli was predictably conniving in that way.
In any case, Grimmjow would simply have to strike her down first when the job was done.
"In the hypothetical scenario that I really am up to something here; will you and your Fraccion follow my orders to the letter?" Grimmjow ventures after a moment, testing the waters.
Yarelli offers her hands, "But of course. You're the Sexta, I'm only the Noveno. Your authority supersedes mine. How could I possibly refute any order you give?"
Grimmjow narrows his eyes at the woman, thin and predatory. As surely as he's making plans to kill her should she turn treacherous, Grimmjow's more than certain Yarelli's scheming and plotting to kill him.
One thing's for certain, he's not letting this bitch take his prey.
"Fine." He grunts. "Hypothetically speaking; I suggest you wait 'til I tell you it's time to go. Understand?"
"Hypothetically speaking, of course." Yarelli gives a sweeping bow before
"I, for one, don't trust her." Shawlong muses when the Noveno is out of earshot.
"That makes all of us." Yylfordt grunts.
"Then after we kill that runt we'll just kill her little posse too. Problem solved." D-Roy cackles.
"All of you, shut it. We've got better things to do than idle gossip. Get your asses in gear." Grimmjow barks the order over his shoulder. "If Yarelli or her Fracción try to start some stupid crap, kill 'em."
"She's probably ordered them to do the same for us." Erdad points out with a shrug.
Grimmjow grunts. "Ain't anything probable about. She will order 'em to kill us and take the glory for herself. So don't embarrass me by falling for her traps."
Okay. It takes a big man to admit he's wrong, and yeah, Ichigo got a little too big for his breeches.
Zangetsu slips from numb fingers and Ichigo's down on one knee, sucking in great lungfuls of precious oxygen. Sweat runs in rivets down his face and he's covered in scrapes and bruises from being knocked around like a ragdoll.
Conversely Kaien isn't even breathing hard or showing any signs of fatigue in the slightest.
It makes Ichigo seethe with envy. He's not going to lie, this stings a little. Made worse with the constant gleeful laughter reverberating in his brain.
Shiro is taking extreme pleasure in watching Ichigo get smacked around. While Ichigo could try to scold him for it, that'd just make the Hollow's mocking guffaws all the louder.
Mercifully, Kaien didn't cut him when he slipped past Ichigo's guard. At the last fraction of a second, he'd twist his wrist and strike Ichigo with the flat or blunt edge of his zanpakutou, giving him a hard knock as warning. Good thing this was just a spar because those impacts would've been fatal if Ichigo was fighting a real battle. (It still hurts like hell. He doesn't even want to think about the minefield of livid purple bruises forming under his shihakushou).
Frankly, this whole skirmish has been insane.
Whenever Ichigo's strikes were blocked, he felt the impact reverberate through his bones like he'd struck an anvil. A feeling reminding him uncomfortably of the time when he'd initially dueled Zaraki Kenpachi and couldn't even manage a cut.
And when Kaien made his counter strikes? Ichigo may as well have been standing still with how deftly, how casually, Kaien wove past his guard.
Ichigo already witnessed how fast Kaien could be even with baggage, but the gulf between the two of them is absolutely mindboggling to behold.
Even when their blades did clash, it didn't even feel like Ichigo was fighting a person. More like he was sparring against an immutable force of nature.
Yeah, there's no illusion in Ichigo's mind.
If they were fighting for keeps? At his current level, Kaien would annihilate Ichigo before he even finished chanting 'Bankai'. And that's without using any kido, his Shikai or his own Hollow mask.
Ichigo brings up a hand to clumsily wipe away the sweat pouring down his face. He could be a brat and bemoan this result, but he ultimately decides to take it on the chin like he always does. It's just a sobering reminder that he's still got a lot to learn, that's all.
Thankfully, Kaien has the good grace not to say 'I told you so' and rub it salt in the wound when he helps Ichigo back to his feet, even if he is chuckling. Despite their mutual trash-talking, Kaien mixed his playful taunts with enthusiastic encouragement to goad Ichigo into getting back up every time he got knocked down.
"Do you want to take a break for some lunch or do you think you have one more round in you?" Kaien asks, studying him with the corner of his lip quirked up.
Ichigo's doubled over, hands on his thighs while he struggles to catch his breath. Taking a moment to compose himself, Ichigo forks a hand through his sweaty hair, answering breathlessly, "Frankly, right now I'd kill for a shower... but lunch doesn't sound half bad either."
Kaien tosses a thumb over his shoulder, "Fair enough. Go get your body and we'll find some place to eat."
Ichigo's about to do exactly that but hesitates. It's a whim but its worth a try, right? "Uh, actually before we go. Since we're already here and all, I was wondering; how do I summon my Hollow mask?"
A puzzled frown flashes across Kaien's face for a second while sheathing his Zanpakutou, as if he hadn't quite understood what Ichigo just said, "I'm sorry. Run that by me again?"
"My Hollow mask. How do I use it?" Ichigo repeats, breathing steadily now, "Shiro. My Hollow I mean. Funnily enough, he's actually been behaving himself lately and we're on... decent-ish terms, I guess. So how, please?"
Kaien's utterly stunned. "For real? When did this happen?"
"Couple days ago before Aizen's goons showed up." Ichigo explains at length, he scoops up Zangetsu and leans on it, "He dragged me into my inner world when I was trying to sleep. We ended up tearing into each other for a bit, then we tried to talk, ended up fighting some more because of course we did. Then I guess something you said last time we spoke finally clicked. I realized how pointless it was to keep struggling against him. Like you said, he's me, right? And... much as I'd hate to turn into that kind of crazed lunatic, acknowledging that potential in me doesn't mean I have to act on it, and fighting against the darkest part of myself isn't accepting anything at all."
Ichigo offers an awkward shrug, scratching his cheek. "I stopped resisting. Stopped fighting back against him. Even threw my sword away, and let him stab me while concentrating on the fact he was part of me."
Kaien gives an amuse snort before he caught himself, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh. But... you let him stab you?"
Ichigo rolls his eyes but forges on. "Yeah. And after that his sword disappeared and after Shiro sulked for a bit, we came to an agreement, he asked for a name and he's been... chilling. Even kept his end of the bargain; helped me out when the Arrancars attacked." Ichigo presses a hand to his shoulder, his tone suddenly very somber. "If he hadn't, I'd probably be dead."
"Oooh..." Kaien says slowly, understanding dawning on him before he scratches the back of his head sheepishly while sending an apologetic look Ichigo's way, "That's why you were knocked out for so long... Huh. Whoops."
Ichigo blinks feeling a prang of panic, "What, why the 'whoops'? My Hollow and I are getting along now. Its a good thing, isn't it? That's what we want. Can we not put 'inner Hollows' and 'whoops' in the same sentence please? You're gonna give me a complex."
Kaien grimaces, holding a hand up to stop Ichigo's tirade. "Hey, wait. Slow down. I didn't mean it like that. You're fine - more than fine, I promise. I just... if I'd known you were gonna get on with your Hollow this quickly, I'd of warned you against using it in combat so soon."
Ichigo's puzzled, seems rather contradictory advice to give. "And why not? Isn't the whole point of learning how to work with my Hollow so I can fight with a mask?"
Kaien waves that away, "Yeah it is. But using your Hollow powers is a massive reiatsu drain even at the best of times. And hollowfying for the first time is always the worst. Think of you and your hollow as two weights on a scale, even if you take a weight away the scales still need time to rebalance themselves."
"You could've warned me anyway." Ichigo complains, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Excuse me? You were resistant and challenged everything I was telling you. On my end, I was gearing for a long haul of playing couples therapist between you two." Kaien admits matter-of-factly.
Despite his annoyance, Ichigo stifles bark of laughter at the idea coupled with a mental image of Ichigo laying on a reclining lounge while Kaien sits to one side, scribbling on a notepad while asking the cliché 'and how does that make you feel?' every TV therapist ever has uttered at some point or other.
Ichigo physical shakes his head of that mental image, "I don't know why. You were pretty damn explicit with your instructions."
Kaien arches an eyebrow, "And you were stubbornly rejecting everything I was saying. With a hostile reaction like that, what was I supposed to expect?"
Ichigo opens his mouth to argue more before realizing he doesn't have a counterargument and concedes. "Fair point."
"Alright. If you're feeling confident about it; do you want to try to call on your Hollow's power now?" Kaien prompts, shoving his hands into his pockets, his zanpakutou hanging over his shoulder.
Ichigo's brows crease in thought, "I... guess? Is it the same as drawing on Zangetsu's power except focusing on my Hollow instead?"
Kaien acknowledges with a nod, "That's effectively it, more or less. Just some forewarning; its gonna be disorientating as hell and your gut reaction will be to panic and fight it. Don't. Just focus on something else for a couple seconds, a memory or whatever, doesn't matter what, and the feeling will pass. After that, you'll be fine. With that in mind, give it a shot when you're ready."
Ichigo nods steadily. If it's anything like when he fought Yammy, he already has some idea what he's in for.
Fortunately, there's no immediate danger so he can take his time and get this right. He closes his eyes and concentrates. Shiro's strangely as keen to try this out as Ichigo is.
Not gonna try ta fight me on this one, King? Shiro jeers, though there's a distinct lack of threat behind it.
Ichigo draws in a fortifying breath, guarded in his answer, Not unless you make an issue of it. I'm game if you are.
Like before, there's a deliberate disconnect from his senses as Shiro draws closer and Ichigo's cut adrift in that darkness again. Without the threat of impending death, the transition is a lot smoother this time and Ichigo fights against the instinct urge to panic. He's not being pushed down or locked away like against Byakuya; just told to bunch up and make a little room.
After impossibly long seconds, Ichigo feels himself breath again. His other senses return just in time to hear Kaien's spirited whoop of triumph and feel himself wrapped in a bone-crushing bear hug.
"Will you get off-?" Ichigo's irritation is cut off by the startling sound of his own voice echoed unnaturally by his Hollow's distorted tone.
"Feeling okay?" Kaien probes, releasing his grip but still keeping a supportive hand on Ichigo's shoulder. He's thrilled, clearly taking Ichigo's success as a personal victory, but its tempered by his concern.
"Yeah. Fine, I guess. Feels... different. Like its me but also kinda not?" Tentatively, Ichigo reaches to touch his face, feeling something strange there and feels his fingertips brush again bone.
A mask. His Hollow mask.
He wonders what the mask looks like? Is it the same one that manifested during his skirmish into Soul Society? Scanning around, Ichigo notices a nearby storefront still has a partial window. Shrugging out of his cousin's grip, he breaks into a light jog to get a glimpse of his reflection in the glass.
Upon closer inspection, his eyes have that characteristic black sclera, but his irises retained his normal brown instead of Shiro's luminescent yellow. He'd seen his mask a couple times before, so the shape wasn't anything new. What was different were the patterns.
There used to be a trio of red stripes sweeping above the left eye but they've been replaced. Instead there's two pairs of black stripes. The larger set traced from the top of his mask all the way down to his jaw. The second thinner set formed into spikes and stopped at the corner of his eye slits.
Sure, it was unsettling to look at but that's how it worked with Hollow masks.
Tracing the stripes, Ichigo thinks he might miss the red but he can live with this. He has no fear. He's still himself. Shiro's present, practically vibrating with childish glee like a kid in a candy store, but not overwhelming him.
They're... synchronized. Balanced. And with this power, Ichigo feels like he can take on the world.
He grins despite himself.
"Oi, you done makin' love to your reflection over there or should I leave you two alone?" Kaien's teasing interrupts his musing and Ichigo shoots him a nasty glare.
"Keep your mask on and let's test out your shunpo. I want you to focus on moving one meter forward, you understand me?" Kaien instructs, keeping an eye on his watch.
"Why only one meter? I can go further than that."
"Just trust me."
Ichigo frowns under his mask then he remembers last time he'd hollowfied and decides the extra caution's a good idea. He doesn't fancy any more broken bones. Healing them wouldn't be difficult with Orihime's help, but he doesn't want to explain how they broke in the first place.
"Fine whatever. One meter it is. Here I go." Ichigo aims for a short distance and performs the technique, but the actual flash steps carries him all the way across the lot in less than a heartbeat, nearly barreling into his cousin. Effortlessly, Kaien sidesteps but his hand snatches Ichigo by the elbow before he faceplanted into the asphalt. "Whoa, shit! That's different."
"See? This is why I told you to go only a metre. If you aimed for me, you'd of knocked yourself out on that building behind us." Kaien tells him, but he's absolutely beaming with pride.
Ichigo straightens up, rolling his shoulders and stretching his legs out. "Yeah, I don't think I'm nearly drunk enough to shunpo into a wall."
The pride evaporates and Kaien gives him a reproachful stink eye despite his lips curling up in a smirk, "Smartass."
Ichigo chuckles while checking himself over. "At least I didn't break anything this time. There is that."
Kaien gives a cheerful laugh, "Ah, you'd be in good company. First time I hollowfied, I tried shunpo. That was not a pretty picture. Ended up shattering my collarbone, snapped my arm in three place then conked out for a day after; the laws of physics be a very harsh mistress. I think Shinji told me he gave himself a concussion his first time wearing a mask, Lisa snapped both her Achilles tendons and the rest of the Visoreds had a whole bunch of other injuries. Don't worry. Its just a matter of training and practice. You'll get used to it."
Ichigo snorts at this, and he's about to ask Kaien something else but all of his strength evaporates and his legs buckle. He's vaguely aware of Kaien cursing, being caught before he hit the ground and then the world goes completely black.
Ichigo pries his eyes open with a groan, awakening to a pounding headache. Its almost as bad as last time, but he can already feel its effects abating.
"Hey kiddo, you back with me?" Kaien probes carefully, squatting by his side.
Ichigo groans, tentatively pushing himself to a sitting position and nursing his head in his hands. "Ow..."
"You were out for about ten minutes." Kaien tells him, one hand on Ichigo's back for support.
"I was...?" Ichigo slurs, his brain hasn't quite caught up to his body yet.
"Better than three days. C'mon," Kaien offers a hand and hoists Ichigo up but the sudden motion sends Ichigo into a brief dizzy spell, "We'll get something to eat and get you back home. Believe me when I say you'll be sleeping pretty damn well tonight."
"N-no. I can keep going." Ichigo tries to push his cousin off but the second he manages to get out of Kaien's grip, his knees buckle and he's about to tumble back down again before Kaien catches him.
"Stubborn, aren't ya?" Kaien sighs, "No need to push yourself. You don't know this but you're already handling this leagues and miles better than the other Visoreds did their first time around. Most of 'em couldn't hold their mask for more than a handful of seconds at a time when they got a grip on things. You got thirty-two on the clock."
Ichigo nods slowly, drawing in steadying breaths as Kaien helps him get back to his body, all the while the elder Shinigami was giving him a look over with an appraising eye.
"Yeah, you're done for today." Kaien declares with finality.
"I think I am." Ichigo agrees reluctantly, back in his body and sitting on the bench with his head in his hands, "Ah... crap, that's bracing. Can I just... have a minute?"
"Take your time." Kaien tells him, taking a seat beside him. "I'm just thinking in hindsight I probably should've bought some packed lunches or something. As a holdover until we got a proper meal in you."
"Hindsight's always twenty-twenty." Ichigo mutters, exhausted but starting to feel slightly better. Even if keeping his eyes open drained all his willpower, and he's about twenty seconds away from passing out on the seat. Shiro's quiet... actually, no, the lucky bastard's asleep.
Kaien traces his neck tattoo thoughtfully, "All and all, I have to say your swordsmanship's pretty good for a self-taught style. There's obviously a few gaps in your defense that you'll need to work on."
"A few? You basically dancing around me the entire damn time." Ichigo bemoans, maybe a bit childishly.
Kaien makes a sound equal parts indulgence and amusement. "But how much experience do I have compared to how much you have? And if we compare your abilities and experience to line officers with the same tenure? You are so far ahead of the pack its not even funny. Even by the Great Noble Houses' standards, your growth rate borders on insanity. As far as Shiba go, I haven't seen this kind of progress since... well, me."
"If you're trying to flatter me, its not working. I'm pissed about all these bruises and next time we're sparring, I'm using my Bankai and getting even." Ichigo threatens darkly, a mean spirited smirk splitting his face.
Kaien laughs merrily, not concerned in the least. "Thanks for the warning. Just don't start complaining if I decide to respond in kind."
Ichigo chuckles, shaking his head. As much as Kaien annoys him sometimes, its practically impossible to stay angry at the guy for more than a minute or two.
"Have to admit though, I'm a bit shocked you didn't try any kido during our spar. Was it just not on your mind or are you not too confident with it? 'Cause if you're struggling I can lend you a hand there too."
"Oh. I don't know any kido." Ichigo says simply, but the way his cousin reacted? Ichigo might've confessed to sacrilege.
"Why don't you-?! Gah!" Kaien groans as if physically pained and buries his face in his hands in frustration, if Ichigo didn't know better it sounded like he was about to cry, (this is probably the closest thing Ichigo's done to damage all day), "Why don't you know any kido? What in the hell has Kisuke and Yoruichi been teaching you?"
"Mostly Shikai, Bankai and 'try not to die'." Ichigo offers cautiously, wondering if he should be worried by this extreme reaction. "Is it really that much of an issue that I don't know any kido?"
Kaien draws in a steadying breath, face still buried in his hands, "The Shiba clan founded the Kido corps. All of the Commanders with the exception of two have been Shibas since its inception."
Oh. Ichigo blinked, "So... its kind of our thing?"
"Its kind of our thing!"
Ichigo purses his lip and after a minute's silence awkwardly pats his cousin on the shoulder, "I'm... not opposed to learning? It's probably a pretty damn useful skill to fall back on if I lose Zangetsu somehow, right? It might even help me learn how to control my Reiatsu a little better."
Kaien inhales sharply, "Put it on the To-do list."
Author's note:
So I would like to shoutout a lovely artist on Twitter/Tumblr name Yakittyrants who completed a commission for my Visored Kaien Shiba design as you can see in the chapter body.
The artist did a fantastic job and kudo to her! :D
Edited: 24/4/2023 - Cleaned up the chapter's grammatical errors and spruced up the language a little.
Regards,
Aurora313