Eleven
Chapter Notes
alright so, these next few chapters are dedicated to the 'mysterious presence' arc and while I'm not entirely satisfied by how it's only gotten six chapters overall, I also don't really want to drag it out much longer considering how it's not the main focus and I do plan to keep the character involved around anyway… plus, even though it's only going to be six chapters it has also been about a year in the timeline of the actual fic, so…
Also, just for some clarification and a bit of warning about what will be coming in the following chapters… it won't entirely follow canon, obviously, but even more importantly: I may have a soft spot for Aizen, and for a lot of characters in Bleach, really. (a lot of characters in general honestly, but let's not touch on how easily I fall in love with various fiction people…) But the cake for it all (at least in Bleach) goes to Muramasa. I mean, seriously, talk about ripping my heart out…
And this needs to be said, because that means my self-control for giving him the happiest ending possible is at an all-time low and therefore I couldn't care less what any of you have to say about his fate :D not to mean I won't appreciate and cherish any and all comments about what you think or want to happen to him, just that what will happen is set in stone and I will die for him okay… okay. So now that that is cleared up, please enjoy!
A cloud that looked more like a pancake lazily drifted over the midday sun. There'd been a sheep earlier and a turtle-dragon before that. Although, Yachiru argued that it was more like a toad.
"That one's a snake," Ichigo said, pointing to a long and thin one off to the right, hovering just in view above the trees.
"A worm," Yachiru countered.
"You're both wrong," Rukia sniffed, "it's clearly a sword."
Ichigo squinted, "How is that a sword?"
Rukia just shrugged.
It'd been a lazy morning and Ichigo had a feeling it would been an even lazier afternoon. With almost all the captains recovering from their drinks the night before, and the mountains of paperwork that would no doubt be even slower to be done, Ichigo didn't see the three of them getting interrupted any time soon. Or he wouldn't have, if Rukia's work ethic didn't kick in.
She sat up with a stretch and sigh, her back popping slightly. "I should get going. Ukitake-taichou should be awake and delegating paperwork." She sent Yachiru a pointed look, "Shouldn't you be heading back too?"
"Ken-chan sends me away when he does paperwork hung-over. He says I distract him too much."
Rukia blinked while Ichigo snorted out a laugh. There was a moment where they all just looked at each other. Rukia, standing and shifting on her feet; him and Yachiru still laid out, two Shinigami- starfish in a sea of grass. It was just a few moments. But those few moments were filled with a hesitant reluctance to move. The kind that Ichigo's mom got whenever she went over to a friends and would wave goodbye but take an hour to get out the door.
It came to an end all the same, and Rukia took another step back before giving a half-wave, "I'll see you two later."
"See ya, midget," Ichigo said.
At the same time, Yachiru chorused a cheerful, "Bye-bye, Rukia-chan!"
And then she was flash-stepping away.
Ichigo watched her go through half-lidded eyes. There were days like this that he could forget he was in the future stuck in a too-young body. A dead too-young body. Days like this that all his plans and worries and the future felt too far away; like a fever dream that if he just kept his eyes open he'd be able to avoid.
He shook his head as he looked back at the sky. These past two days he'd been falling too much into his own thoughts. Not focusing enough on his goals and too much on everything he wanted and lost. Too much on how damn awful this situation was. Seriously, why was this his life?
Back before he'd even ended up stabbing himself on Rukia's sword, he'd had a picture of his life. Of becoming a medic of some kind. Whether paramedic or taking over his dad's clinic had always been up in the air, but he'd had that dream. Now? Ichigo mentally snorted at the thought. A dead boy had no place in a hospital for the living. And while Unohana had taught him the basics of healing kido, his control was never going to be good enough for anything more.
'You could always just poor reiatsu into them,' Unohana had said once. 'But it'd be like stitching up a papercut and they'd go into shock.'
A sigh caught on the back of his throat and Ichigo swallowed it down.
He'd made his choices. There was no use crying over spilt milk, and there was no use holding onto impossible dreams. He needed to focus on the positives. Being here may mean he'd lose his friends, but he could prevent tragedies in their lives all the same. It may mean leaving his family, but he'd stop them from becoming victims to Aizen's schemes.
Like Ossan said, he needed to look forward and move forward. Self-pity and wishful what-ifs had no room here. No more hesitations.
No doubts.
No second-guessing.
Ichigo would move forward with steady steps.
That was his resolve.
Even if his life was fast coming to feel like some shitty, poorly done manga where the author scrambled to make everything harder than it had to be.
"Oh, Ichi-nii, look! It's a butterfly attacking a unicorn!"
Ichigo squinted up at the sky, taking a few breathes to center himself after pushing away the last of his thoughts. The clouds Yachiru were pointing at… "It sort of is."
"Ichi-nii, do you want sweets?"
"I'm okay."
Yachiru popped up to her feet, a smile splitting her face, "I'll be back then!"
"Do you want me to come with you?" he asked, already starting to push himself up.
"No, no, Ichi-nii, you wait here."
"Are you sure?"
She puffed out her cheeks, hands going to her hips, "Yachiru is perfectly capable of getting her own sweets!"
Ichigo couldn't help the small smile at the picture she painted but sunk back into the grass in assent, "Alright."
"Don't go anywhere."
"Where would I go?"
She nodded in response and then was gone, hardly a blur left behind.
It wasn't even a breath later that everything went wrong.
Of course starting, rather suddenly and bluntly, with excruciating pain. As all things in Ichigo's life seemed to. There wasn't any build up. No itching or burning or shortness of breath. One moment he was watching another cloud crawl its way towards the sun in an attempt to offer a bit more shade and then a scream was working its way with raw precision up his throat as his spine arched into what he knew would be a painful angle if it wasn't such a secondary ache to the sheer agony of having every ounce of reiatsu wrenched from him. It was a slow drag for all that it was sudden. A mutilation of his very soul, being torn apart by pieces – dying by pieces.
His lungs shuddered out another breathe of pain pain pain. And just as he thought he'd surely die from it, that dying would be a mercy, it was gone.
Ichigo blinked back into focus to the sight of pale eyes a shade off from early-morning frost, and a hand with startlingly long nails pushing down on his chest. "Does this happen often?"
Purple and white clothes. Brown hair.
"You're my stalker." And someone he'd never met in his future. This was new. He'd changed something by coming back or maybe he'd changed nothing, and they were simply supposed to die in the next few years. Not knowing put him at a distinct disadvantage. They'd been watching him for almost a year; knew his strengths and weaknesses.
"I'm more of an observer, if you will," said stalker murmured calm as can be, pulling back to look down at him. "It was never my intention to become so studious of an individual Shinigami. Especially not one so young." Stalker's head titled to one side, "Your relationship with your blades is what fascinates me. Tell me, Shinigami, what do they mean to you?"
He pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the phantom waves of pain still roiling through him,
"What's it to you?"
"Curiosity."
"That's it?"
"I admit I'm vested in your answer. You see, when you put your spirit in danger by letting them chase after me, an unknown enemy, it seemed rather contrary to how I've come to understand you."
"Danger?" Ichigo snorted, "Shiro can take care of himself." In fact, he could hear Shiro's particular brand of annoyance at being underestimated loud and clear. "And what do you mean understand me? Just because you watched me train doesn't mean you know anything!"
"Ichi-nii!" Yachiru's voice rung out like a death bell.
"Yachiru, get back!" he cried, sword unsheathed and stepping between her and his stalker. With a scowl he locked eyes with them, "Don't you dare touch her."
"Ichi-nii? She's your sister?"
Ichigo scowled, "Short for Ichigo, and she may as well be."
"Ah, Ichigo. An interesting name for an interesting character. It means protector, no?" He looked between Yachiru and him, a small smile curving the corner of his lips and setting Ichigo on edge. "Fitting." Taking a step back Stalker continued, "All the same, let us see if your words ring true. Why don't we talk with your zanpakuto and see, hm?"
Ichigo falls back as a sword manifests in Stalker's hand.
"Oh? Not so willing to let them out to play now?"
"Yachiru, run. Go get a captain."
"I'm not leaving you, Ichi-nii," Yachiru protested, voice a steely promise.
"Yachiru-."
"Are you embarrassed, perhaps? You don't wish for your friend to see the true nature of who you are…" Stalker shook their head, "How sad."
"What kind of bullshit is that?!" Ichigo demanded, reiatsu flaring sun-bright, his sword splitting and leaving him feeling more whole than he has in a while. Even if Shiro was still awkward in his hold.
"Then why not let them out?"
"You know perfectly well why, Stalker," Ichigo snapped. There was no chance that Stalker hadn't realized Shiro was a hollow after all those months of watching and then again when Shiro gave chase. Unless their sensing was as bad as Kenpachi…
Stalker tipped his head in acquiesce, "As I said before, your relationship with them fascinates me. Your bond is your source of strength. I wonder. Would you crumble if I cut it?"
Ichigo froze. A cold dread pooled fast and torrential. Heart an off-beat staccato as months of agony came rushing back. All he was and all that filled him was empty nothing gone lost empty empty
empty. Before losing them he'd never known he could feel so broken. There was nothing to compare it to. No pain. No loss. Nothing that could hold even a candle to the way his entire soul quaked. His very existence becoming an act in weary resignation to never being anything but broken again. A life like that… there was no word in any language that could bear the weight of what it was. He couldn't- wouldn't go back.
"No."
"No?"
The earth cracked beneath his feet. "I'll never let you take them."
"Take them?" Stalker raised a brow, "Hardly. I mean to set them free. If they wish to join in the new world I will build, that is their choice."
Why did Ichigo doubt that?
"Perhaps a show of superior strength is in order," Stalker said, thoughtful and calm and infuriating.
Stalker whipped his arm to the side with sweeping grace, their hand clenching around a ripple of pooling reiatsu and pulling forth a purple-hilted katana. Shimmering and beautiful and cutting forward with such ease to try and skewer him. Ichigo jumped back, bringing Shiro up as best he could to deflect. It was just for a moment that their blades connected. A heartbeat. No. Less than that. And it was all he needed. A rush of something like sadness stung him. Sadness and yearning and-
Stalker pulled back fast as Yachiru's attack came swinging from the right with a cry of, "Don't touch Ichi-nii!"
Ichigo was never one to waste an opportunity. He let Shiro's hilt slide form his hand but kept a tight hold on the bandage that connected to it as he jumped high. With a huff of effort he swung Shiro in an arc, letting reiatsu build in the blade to make the attack all that more powerful. It crashed into the dirt just shy of hitting Stalker, but with more than enough clearance from Yachiru. Damn. His timing had been just a second off.
In the back of his mind Shiro crowed a laugh at how Ichigo was clearly taking after him with a move like that.
Pulling Shiro back to him, he met Stalker's next strike with Ossan's shorter sword. Again, the sadness and yearning were back. They were accompanied, however, by resolve and a hint of-
Stalker blocked Ichigo's counter strike, and then Yachiru's as well, easily defending against both of them with hardly a sign of strain. Whoever this was, they were strong. Ichigo doubted that they'd have been taken down easily in the future, which begged the question of what happened to them and why hadn't Aizen used them during the war. But then…
Ichigo ducked, jumped back, skid to a halt and spun just in time to block another attack.
But then… did Stalker even work for Aizen? They'd said they wanted to free the zanpakuto spirits and Aizen… in the end he'd given up his own sword spirit. Destroyed it if Ichigo remembered right. Their goals didn't appear to align at all, but that hardly meant Aizen hadn't manipulated Stalker into working for him with false promises and illusions.
"You're distracted," Stalker said, his next attack coming harder.
Ichigo grit his teeth, "Who do you work for?" He pulled Ossan up in a sweep before dropping low and trying to kick Stalker's legs out. Neither strike hit their mark. However, his next one with Shiro, aimed for Stalker's shoulder managed to draw a thick line of red.
"Work for?" Stalker repeated, falling back as his free hand came up to press on his new wound, "I work for no one. I even killed my own master, you know."
A shiver of horror went down his spine at that. This spirit… "You-."
Stalker pulled back, "Does that shock you, little Shinigami?"
"Why would you do that?!"
"He was holding me back."
Ichigo recoiled, breath sucked in between his teeth. That… but then why… "Why are you so sad then?"
Stalker's eyes went wide, lips parting before that cold and collected mask slipped back in place. Mask. What an apt term for it, Ichigo thought. Because that was all it was. "You would never understand, so do not bother, little Shinigami."
"Maybe not," Ichigo conceded, "but it's rather arrogant to assume."
Stalker shook their head, "That is not what we are here to discuss."
"And what exactly could you have to discuss with my student?"
"Aizen," Ichigo said on a breath, wanting to turn and confirm that the captain was there but not daring to take his eyes off his stalker.
"Why is it that when there's any sort of trouble these days I always find you in the middle of it, Ichigo?"
Ichigo's scowl thickened, "This wasn't my fault. He attacked us."
"So it would seem." Aizen hummed, coming to stand half-in-front of him all confidence and masks and for a split second Ichigo felt relief. Felt happy and safe knowing that Aizen was there. He squashed those feelings into the dirt with prejudice. "Who, may I ask, is so keen on speaking to my student?"
Stalker tilted their head, eyeing Aizen up and down, "Aizen-taichou. Captain of the fifth division specializing in kido." Stalker's gaze fell on Aizen's zanpakuto, "A water-type release, or so rumors say, but that's not quite true, is it?"
Aizen's eyes blazed. "Yachiru-fukutaichou, please take Ichigo home. I will deal with this invader." He unsheathed his blade in one swift motion.
"There is no need for that," Stalker said with a tip of their head, "I'll be leaving first."
Aizen had already raised his hand to cast a kido before Stalker even finished speaking, but it was still too late. The kido hit nothing but dust. Ichigo stared at the spot in confusion for a long moment. Why would Stalker retreat so easily? They'd taken on both him and Yachiru with ease and backed away when Aizen came? Did they actually work for Aizen? But then again, Stalker had revealed a rather big hint towards Aizen's true nature and abilities…
The injury, perhaps, or the thought of fighting a captain was enough to make them back off. Even then, the reason sounded weak. There was something he was missing here. Stalker said they wanted to free the zanpakuto, but how?
Aizen told Yama-ji.
Ichigo couldn't really say whether it was because Yachiru had seen it all or he genuinely thought it was the best thing to do. Not that it mattered. Either way, Ichigo found himself marched out in front of everyone once more. Yachiru was in the same boat, however, and as she was the higher ranked it was her that Yama-ji turned to for information.
Ichigo forced himself not to stiffen at the brief silence between his order and her bow. Aizen had all but dragged them in from of the soutaichou after their encounter with his stalker, never giving them a second alone that Ichigo could use to try and convince Yachiru to not mention a few things. Namely Stalker's comments about his 'true nature' and not wanting his spirits to come out again because Yachiru was there… not to mention his own about Stalker being sad. There was no way to explain either without revealing more than he wanted to.
And while Aizen already knew about his hollow, that didn't mean he knew everything and he certainly didn't know about his bankai. A card that Ichigo would rather keep close to his chest.
"Ichi-nii and I were watching clouds with Rukia-chan, but Rukia-chan had paperwork so she left and then I wanted candy so I left," Yachiru said, and for all her voice was light and childish, her eyes were sharp and posture only just shy of what it should have been for a formal report. "Then I got back, and Stranger-san was already there. Ichi-nii told me to go get a captain but I wasn't going to just leave him there. They talked a bit and then Stranger-san attacked, but then Aizen-taichou came and Stranger-san ran away. Ichi-nii was the only one Stranger-san talked to…"
"What did they speak about?" Yama-ji demanded.
Ichigo could feel his life slipping away.
And then Yachiru looked to him. All wide eyes and smile and it took Ichigo a moment to realize everyone else was following her gaze, was waiting for him instead. But why? Yachiru heard most of the conversation. Enough to report on at the very least…
"Ichigo," Aizen said softly, a hand placed on his shoulder jostling him from his thoughts. "What did the invader ask you about?"
What could he even say? If he lied too much than… but he couldn't…
Ichigo took a breath. No more hesitating. Whatever came of this came of it, and he'd deal with it then. "After Yachiru left, I think I fell asleep because Sta- Stranger-san woke me up and asked if that happened often. I don't know what he meant by that," Ichigo was quick to clarify; no need to have Unohana scanning him. As it was, he was just thankful this bout of pain hadn't come with the usual exhaustion. All the same though, it would be enough to grab their attention and that's what mattered. "And then Yachiru came and Stranger-san asked me about my zanpakuto and-." Ichigo paused. If he played this right, then it should be enough to end the meeting without any more questions. "And I think he wanted to take them."
The room burst into barley hushed whispers, but Ichigo kept his eyes on Yama-ji. Saw the brief
hint of recognition and not fear but worry perhaps; an old warlord sensing an advancing enemy.
"Silence."
Yama-ji's eyes remained on Ichigo, waiting for him to continue. "Then Yachiru and Stranger-san fought, and then, like Yachiru said, Aizen came and he left."
All eyes turned to the head captain.
"An investigation will be launched," Yama-ji started. "I advise you all to proceed with caution. While the idea of anyone stealing zanpakuto sounds impossible, I assure you it is not. Kuchiki- taichou, Sui-Feng-taichou, you will both head this search. The Kido-Corps will see to our wards being up and I expect you all to schedule extra patrols. Is this understood?"
"Yes, Soutaichou."
"Good. Then this meeting is dismissed."
As they started to file from the room, Ichigo noted with no small amount of curiosity that Byakuya stayed behind, sending Yama-ji a calm but pointed look. But he had something else to focus on right then, and that was finding some time alone with Yachiru. She'd been next to him a moment ago and now… He, thankfully, spotted her just as she made her way to Kenpachi.
"Yachiru!" he called out, catching her attention.
"Ichigo," Aizen of course, had to make that more difficult, "I'll wait for you here. From now on, you aren't to go anywhere alone. Understood?"
Ichigo nodded. Yes, yes, if it got the megalomaniac off his back for the next few minutes, then Aizen could keep him under watch. It wasn't as if he wasn't already. Aizen raised a brow but said nothing as Ichigo ducked away and weaved around a few other captains, ignoring the way Gin reached out to ruffle his hair and the way Juushiro off-handedly mentioned having received a new delivery of candies. Really, did he think that would work? Although… maybe he could take a few back to Yachiru as thanks…
"Ichi-nii," Yachiru greeted him, smiling. "Come on, I wanna show you something." And then she was grabbing his hand and flash-stepping to the tallest branch of a tree some meters away. From there they could see the way the captains mingled and loitered around with the pretense of catching up or an interesting conversation. Ichigo snorted at the sight. Lazy paperwork-avoiders, the lot of them.
"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked as the captains below finally looked away from their perch.
Yachiru, her eyes still locked on the crowd and legs swinging back and forth, hummed a soft sound, "Say what?"
"Say that-," he started and then stopped. What if Yachiru hadn't put the pieces together?
"That Ichi-nii knows bankai, and that you've obviously met Stranger-san before, or that you lied about it being me to fight him?"
His shoulders slumped, "Yeah. That."
Yachiru beamed at him, "If Ichi-nii is keeping things like that a secret, it must be for a reason and I
didn't want Ichi-nii to get in trouble." She looked back down at the crowd, "As much as I want you in the eleventh, I know you're happy with Aizen-taichou."
Ichigo swallowed down the bitterness rising like bile at the notion of being happy with Aizen. Aizen who was doing nothing but acting like a doting mentor. Aizen who would see Soul Society burn. Aizen who wanted to be Soul King and rewrite the universe in his image. Aizen who- "you better be worth it."
"Thank you, Yachiru."
"It's what friends are for, Ichi-nii!"
"I thought you were my sister," he said on a soft smile, trying for light and sarcastic. Trying to bury the twisting in his chest under Yachiru's happy cheer. It was hardly a minute more before Kenpachi was calling Yachiru down and Ichigo in turn had no choice but to make his way back to Aizen.
"Can I visit Gin?" he asked later, as he settled in with a book and a warm cup of tea.
Aizen sat across from him, his own tea in hand and a stack of papers ready to be signed. "Tomorrow. And Ichigo, we need to talk."
Ichigo scowled, "It's not like I wanted to get attacked."
"I'm not blaming you," Aizen said, and if he were any less dignified Ichigo was certain he'd have rolled his eyes, "but you trying to send Yachiru away? Ichigo, prodigy or not, you couldn't have thought you'd be able to take them on."
He could have. He did.
"Yachiru may look young, but she's a lieutenant for a reason," Aizen continued. At Ichigo's stubborn silence and stare Aizen just shook his head, "It pains me to see you hurt, Ichigo." Liar. "So, if not for yourself, then for myself and your friends, refrain from doing something so stupidly reckless in the future. Now, finish your tea, you can go see Gin-taichou tomorrow."
Ichigo stared down at the steaming cup, counting tea leaves as he concentrated on swallowing down the dry lump in his throat. A mantra of 'it's not real, none of it is real, he doesn't care' repeated in his head.
It was going to be a long night.
Gin knew nothing.
Because of course Ichigo's life couldn't be that easy.
"How old do ya think I am?" Gin asked with his usual fox-grin.
Ichigo blinked, "I don't know? I don't even know how old my stalker is."
Gin huffed, "Well, I can look into it for ya… ask Yoruichi for help 'r somethin'. The cat's older than me anyhow. It's weird, though. A zanpakuto withou' a wielder…"
Ichigo hummed, his hands splaying out over his own sealed sword. "He felt sad. Lonely."
Gin glanced over at him, his grin falling and eyes opening to take in Ichigo's thoughtful expression. "Don't go gettin' any ideas, Berry. Sad 'r not, he attacked ya."
"I know," Ichigo said with a roll of his eyes.
Really, he did.
Except…
Except the sadness that he felt echoing down his blades had been so achingly familiar.
