Before we begin, i have to reply to a review i got for chapter 3 which said that the whole teenage angst exposition and sob story didn't work for Ichigo. Here's the thing. The entire Fullbringer arc existed because of the longing and desperation Ichigo had to get his powers back. Of course Ichigo would be the one apologising if he died. He has a hero complex and places the blame of everyone's grief on himself. He would surely blame himself for his death too because it leads to those he cherishes the most being heartbroken. And why would Kisuke and Yoruichi apologise to him for dragging him into the story when HE was the one who chose to go to the Soul Society on HIS OWN ACCORD to rescue Rukia or to Hueco Mundo to save Orihime? They had nothing to do with how Ichigo died. If anything, he would be nearly as grateful to them as he is to Rukia for being the reason why he was able to make a difference in any world. And how many times did Ichigo get depressed during the Arrancar Arc every time any of his friends got hurt or simply because he got defeated? Each time, he shouldered the blame on himself.
I think a lot of people just fail to understand what kind of character Ichigo is. He's not some little kid with the ambition to either become Pirate King or Hokage. He's a human being who wants to protect everyone he cares about, a desire that was born when he lost his mother and for SIX whole years blamed himself for her death before he discovered that Grand Fisher was the one who killed her. That to me, is what makes him such a fantastic character because he acts exactly like a human being would. That is in fact one of the main reasons why i love Bleach and i consider it superior to the likes of One Piece and Naruto, because all of its characters, be it Human, Hollow or Soul Reaper, feel and act like human beings, because Kubo took the time to explore their backstory and show who they once were. (That is until the TYBW arc, which unlike what many people think, is what ruined Bleach for me but that's a story for another day)
Of course everybody has his/her opinions and i respect each of them, but what i cannot stand for is people who treat Ichigo like the typical Shonen protagonist, which coudn't be further from the truth. But i will agree that he deserved to form a bond with his Inner Hollow since he was actually the one who protected Ichigo most of the time, instead of Old Man Zangetsu. Therefore, i will do exactly that in my story.
Sorry for the rant.
Enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 8: Does One Truly Even Have A Choice?
For Omaeda, the aftermath of the duel with Ichigo Kurosaki was devastating.
Not only did he lose his position as Lieutenant that was his by birthright to someone who wasn't even born in the Soul Society he had to spend more of his family's money to upgrade his new room, that unsurprisingly, looked like that of a commoner. And to top all of that off, instead of Ichigo doing the paperwork Omaeda had failed to do, Omaeda himself was ordered to finish his paperwork on top of having to do the one of the previous holder of the Third Seat, who apparently, was quite happy of being relieved as Leader of the Detention Unit.
"This shoudn't be happening! Central 46 would have never intended to remove me from a position i had rightfully earned!" thought a still thunderstruck Omaeda as he paced back and forth in his new room, trying to come up with any sort of loophole that could possibly get him his position back, but there was none "This is outrageous! How could the Head Captain possibly have allowed a former Ryoka to become a Lieutenant?!
Finally, he sat down on his new bed and clutched his head with his hands "Dad's probably still laughing right now at how much i've been humiliated….." he thought, remembering how much his dad, Marenoshin Omaeda had mocked him for having lost to someone who used to be no more than a human, the night before.
"I always knew you would amount to nothing! Losing to another Lieutenant is one thing, but to a mere Ryoka? YOU'RE SUCH A DISGRACE, MARECHIYO!"
Omaeda wanted to die the night before. All of his family, including his beloved little sister, Mareyo had witnessed how harshly his father had reprimanded him and how he threatened to outright expel him from the clan were it not for his mother Mareka, standing up for him. And here he now was, at his absolute lowest.
But he sure as hell wasn't gonna let that punk get away with the injustice he had been damned with "Don't get too cocky just because you beat me. Sooner or later, i will get my position back, no matter how much time it'll take me or the means i'll have to use. That, i can assure you, you blasted Ryoka….." he swore, already beginning to come up with any means necessary to get his former position back.
After allowing him to have lunch in the mess hall, Soi-Fon took Ichigo to another much smaller field than the one all the other Executive Militia Members trained and began to explain him how to control his Spirit Energy.
"There's something i don't quite understand, Captain. Shoudn't i already be emitting much less Energy now that i've learned how to seal my Zampakuto?" asked the strawberry, wondering what exactly it meant to actually be able to control one's Spirit Energy.
Soi-Fon began, with her usual emotionless voice "True, but being able to seal your Zampakuto has nothing to do with actually being able to control your Spirit Energy. It is a skill, a skill that can only be learned with proper training. Usually, it takes a Soul Reaper at least three months of training in order to learn how to properly control his or her energy and many more to learn how to actually mask it, therefore preventing others from sensing it." she paused and, after sparing him another glare, she mockingly added "Clearly, you were never taught how to control your own, since it's constantly leaking out."
In response, one of his trademark annoyed scowls formed all over Ichigo's face and as he looked away, he snorted in annoyance "Blame Kisuke and Yoruichi for never even telling me how it's done. Although, to be fair, i didn't exactly have the time to learn how to do it since i had just only two weeks to be taught from Kisuke how to fight and only three days to achieve Bank-"
Only for Soi-Fon to interrupt him mid-speech, forcing him to look back towards her "Either way, you will learn how to control it. Being able to hide your Spirit Energy is the most essential requirement for a member of the Stealth Force. No matter how strong you are, an assassin cannot carry out his duty if he is unable to be quiet and stealthy. Understood?" she coldly asked him, and he could nod meekly, having figured out that she looked down upon him for that quality that he lacked "Good. Then let's get started." she proclaimed and, without wasting a second, Ichigo immediately got to work under her watchful eye.
4 hours later
Patience is one of the greatest virtues of any member of the Stealth Force. It enables one to perform their missions flawlessly, it grants them the temperance to wait at just the right moment to strike their target or to demonstrate the fruits of their labor. But even patience has its limits and Soi-Fon was already beginning to experience this, as after four whole hours of training and trying, Ichigo had yet to reduce the amount of Spirit Energy he naturally emitted. Even in spite of having never received formal training beforehand, it was taking way too long.
"You really are hopeless at this, aren't you?" she remarked in exasperation as she looked at him with great dissapointment, while laying her back on the nearby wall, with her arms crossed. She coudn't understand why someone with so much skill in hand-to-hand combat, Hoho and with such impressive swordmanship, sucked so much in something so simple.
"Shut up! I'm trying my best here!" yelled back Ichigo, equally frustrated at his lack of progress. And after a few more dozen minutes of trying as much as he could, to the point his whole face was as red as a tomato due to how much he forced himself, he finally snapped, slammed his left foot on the ground and, with his hands balled up into fists at his sides in a classic pose he had seen over and over again in all sorts of manga, yelled even louder and in even more frustration than before, to the point it was almost comical "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH ME?! I can fight the likes of Byakuya and Kenpachi to a draw and i can't even do something as simple as this!"
Soi-Fon sweat-dropped at his outburst "Well, at least he's genuenely trying, unlike Omaeda. And the fact that he gets so mad at his shortcomings shows that he really cares about improving himself as much as he can." a bit relieved to see just how much Ichigo was self-conscious about his shortcomings and that he was actually upset for not being able to at least reduce his leaking Energy by even a fraction. Still, it was quite shameful to suck so much at something so simple when he was so skilled in three of the Four Soul Reaper Fighting Styles.
"Yo, King." suddenly came a high-pitched, reverberating voice within Ichigo's mind that was similar to his own, which caused him to gasp in surprise and his eyes to widen. It was the voice of his Inner Hollow, whom Ichigo believed had dissappeared forever ever since he fused with Tensa Zangetsu when he was taught the Final Getsuga Tensho.
"You?! You're you still in my mind? Didn't you dissappear when…." thought an absolutely disbelieved Ichigo, only for his Inner Hollow to cut him off "God, you're still just as brainless as ever. Did you already forget that me and Old Man Zangetsu are both part of your Zampakuto?"
Ichigo mentally slapped himself for having forgotten that before asking "Forget i asked. Why is it that you're talking to me right now?"
With a frustrated sigh, his Inner Hollow replied "Don't you think the reason you can't control your Spirit Energy at the moment, is because you're trying too hard? I mean, having this much Energy is great and all but you've only just begun to learn how to control it." he paused, before stating encouragingly "'sides, we both know that we would rather be rushing head-first into battle rather than standing still like a dumbass and doing nothing for four whole hours straight.
"Your point?" asked Ichigo once more, wanting to know what his Inner Hollow was getting at.
"Just ask that babe to get you something to assist you in reducing your Energy output. Doesn't that Kenpachi have something that does exactly that?" he suggested, causing a look of realisation to form on Ichigo's face.
"You know, for once i think you're right." he replied casually, which caused his Inner Hollow to snap at him in indignation "For once, my pale ass! You'd be dead right now if you didn't listen to me and my advice! So do me a favor and make my life more interesting instead of having to watch you trying to blow up like a fucking puffer fish for four hours straight!" and with that his Inner Hollow retreated into the deepest depths of his mind while Ichigo sweat-dropped.
"Captain, i think i have a better idea." he called out as soon as his Inner Hollow left, earning Soi-Fon's attention.
"What is it?" she asked, hoping that whatever he was going to say, woudn't further waste her time.
"What if i were to use something that would allow me to further suppress my Spirit Energy for the time being, kinda like Kenpachi's eyepatch?" proposed her newest Lieutenant.
Soi-fon raised a brow and asked "An Energy Suppression Device…. Are you sure, Kurosaki?" wanting to know why he would take the easy way out, something she normally disapproved when it came with the training of the basic skills required for the members of her Squad.
Ichigo nodded and explained "Obviously it's gonna take me a while to learn how to properly control my Spirit Energy, let alone how to fully suppress it. And i would rather prefer to be sent on missions as soon as possible instead of spending whole days here just standing up like an idiot and make so little progress on something that, either way, is gonna take me several months to fully master." hoping to sound as sincere and humble as he possibly could. At heart, Ichigo wanted to help others. It was what brought him fulfillment the most and the thought that something like this would have required him to stand still like a complete idiot for whole days, if not months didn't sit right with him.
Normally, Soi-Fon would have always denied such a request as she believed that everything had to be earned. However given that Ichigo had made absolutely zero progress in four hours and since he had already proven to be highly skilled in three of the Four Fighting Styles, she decided to make an exception for him. Thus, after much thinking, she declared "You do raise a good argument. Even if you were much more skilled than your current level, it would still take you many more months to properly learn how to fully suppress your energy. So be it, then. I shall send Omeda to Squad Twelve to procure that device for you." she then paused and shot him another one of her sharp glares "But make no mistake, i'm only making an exception for you because of how skilled you have proven yourself to be in Zanjustu, Hakuda and Hoho. In the Stealth Force, there are no short-cuts for true mastery: everything must be earned." to which Ichigo merely nodded in undestanding. And as she turned around, she glanced towards him one final time, gave him a smile and added "But you may consider yourself lucky, Kurosaki, for i have taken quite a liking to you. I can tell that you're not the same hesitant and naive boy i saw on the battlefield a year ago. And you do have quite the potential, so i look forward to see your training through to the end." her voice clearly filled with much faith and respect towards him.
Returning the smile, Ichigo bowed slightly and thanked "Thank you, Captain. It means a lot." charming Soi-Fon even more. She didn't know he was actually this humble but for some reason it made him even more likeable to her.
With her smile turning into a devious one, the raven haired woman then declared "I have some paperwork to attend to now. In the meantime, you may resume your Kido training." causing Ichigo's face to turn pale, much to her amusement "You may still suck at it, but at least it shoudn't be too hard for you to master the lowest ranked spells, right?" she asked, to which the strawberry simply meekly nodded, not looking forward to have even more spells blow up in his face. And with that, Soi-Fon turned around, stated "I shall return to check your progress in a few hours." and with that, she left.
After Ichigo found himself just standing there with a look of pure perpexity all over his face, his Inner Hollow teasingly remarked in his mind "Way to go, King. She likes you already." which caused Ichigo to sweat-drop "Shut up…." he snorted back as he took his leave and headed back to the larger training field.
Later, in Squad Twelve's Barracks
"Mmph. Captain Soi-Fon must think quite low of me, to have the indecency of sending no more than a Third Seated Officer to ask for my services." coldly and emotionlessly stated Mayuri upon seeing that Omaeda had come to his complex, making no effort to hide his contempt for the ugly, overweight man behind him as he tapped on one of the many high-tech devices that surrounded the room he was in. The former obese Lieutenant was visibly sweating, and for good reason: after all, the mad scientist before him was the only prisoner in the Maggot's Nest to be considered dangerous enough to be confined into a small prison cell, with his ankle chained on the wall to boot. To this day, 110 years later, his crimes were considered so heinous that the mere act of speaking about them would even cause some people to outright throw up.
Swallowing his saliva, Omaeda hesitantly cleared his throat and after gathering as much courage as he could, stated "I've been sent here by my Captain to be provided with a Spirit Energy Suppressor Device for Lieutenant Kurosaki, that is necessary for his training."
As soon as he finished speaking, Mayuri turned towars him and bore his yellow eyes towards Omaeda's. The obese man tensed up as soon as those two eyes, filled with so much apathy they almost looked like those of robot, met his, before the Captain of Squad Twelve remarked "I thought as much. Not that it should surprise me, seeing how that boy was never taught something as simple as to control his own Spirit Energy. Quite the oversight of my former Captain, don't you think?" he asked him, referring to Kisuke Urahara, whom he held much contempt for, while giving Omaeda such a creepy and gleeful smile that it horrified him. It was like being in the presence of some sort of demon or monster, courtesy of those gold, long teeth.
"Follow me." Mayuri ordered, and Omaeda immediately followed him through a hall, hoping that he would not be in his presence for too long. The halls they passed through were long and bland, white with no windows and light coming from thin bars with no visible power source on the floor and ceilings. They soon came to a door marked with SERD scrawled in large, printed on it.
After pressing his thumb on the keypad next to the door, Mayuri led Omaeda into the room and waved a hand casually to the items in the department room, items that ranged from strange looking clothes that looked right at home in a haunted house or in a dungeon, common items of the World of the Living for more….. Recreational activities.
"These are the products of the Spirit Energy Research Department. Pick any item you see fit to use for Kurosaki and leave. I dislike wasting my time with such trivialities." scornfully stated Mayuri as he turned around and began to take his leave.
But as Omaeda looked at the various items, which ranged from chains, eyepatches, collars or metal wrist-bands, he suddenly got an idea. After mustering enough courage, he turned towards the Captain of Squad Twelve, who looked like some sort of Sun God with his make-up and spoke "Wait, ehmm, Captain Kurotsuchi…." and at once the scientist stopped in his tracks "I may have a proposal that might interest you." proposed Omaeda, visibly sweating.
Not even bothering to turn towards him, Mayuri coldly replied "That, i greatly doubt, but you're welcome to indulge me."
Having already chosen the metal wrist band, Omaeda asked "I was thinking….. Would you be interested in putting some sort of tracking device of some sort in this?"
"Your point?" emotionlessly asked back Mayuri, making Omaeda sweat even more "I know the Head Captain has strictly forbidden you from putting Captains Otoribashi, Hirako and Muguruma under observation out of debt for the help they gave us in the War, but….." he began, trying his best and failing to give a smug smile "Woudn't you like to collect information on a Vizard for the first time? To see how Kurosaki's Inner Hollow works and his relationship with it?"
Mayuri actually found himself quite intrigued by that offer. As a man of science, research was one of the many purposes of his existence and the more he discovered, the more he felt fulfilled. He was eagerly looking forward to see how a Vizars's Inner Hollow worked and how it would react to various stimuli, such as in near-death scenarios or under intense stress.
However, he had Omaeda already figured out. So he turned towards him and asked bluntly "Let me guess: this is because of your miniscule and highly unlikely hopes of getting your former position back, by trying to undermine Kurosaki and his reputation as much as you can?" having already heard that Ichigo had replaced him as a Lieutenant, causing the obese man to gasp in anxiety. As he hesitantly nodded, Mayuri walked menacingly towards him and coldly lectured him, bearing his yellow eyes into Omaeda's black ones as he literally came face to face, only a few inches apart "You are nothing but a delusional, bumbling fool. Hope is the same thing as Foolishness. It's a fault of those who refuse to face the harsh realities of life. It is often said that without hope, life seems overwhelmingly difficult but the truth is, hope is the worst of all evils, because it only serves to prolong the torments of those who are forever destined to remain under someone else's shadow, no matter how much they attempt to come out of it." chilling Omaeda to the core, not only due to the sheer contempt Mayuri had for that concept as a whole, but also at how it only served to make the former Lieutenant all the more pathetic than he already was. The Former Lieutenant then shivered as soon as Mayuri's lips twisted into a downright depraved smile before the creepy Captain declared "But, luckily for you, it is something i was really interested to discover, so i shall indulge your request. Either way, we both profit something from it, don't you think?" and a downright horrified Omaeda could only weakly nod and reply, with a forced smile "Y-Yeah…." while also chuckling a bit in order to appear more composed.
Minutes later, after Mayuri had finished installing his survellaince bug within the Suppression Device and after finally leaving the Barracks of Squad Twelve, Omaeda blew some air out in relief "I hope the Captain never sends me here again…..That man is so scary….." he thought as the began to return to the barracks of his squad, absolutely terrified of the mad scientist but happy that he had somehow managed to convince him to put Ichigo under survellaince. Now he was confident to get his position back.
He just had to wait. One wrong move on Ichigo's part would have been all it would take.
Meanwhile at the larger training field
"Hado Number 4! Byakurai!" thundered Ichigo, only for the upteenth time, to shoot a beam of lightning that was too large for what the spell was intended for, obliterating the target instead of just punching a small hole in it. A bummed look formed on his face upon seeing all the dozens and dozens of targets he had destroyed and he remarked "Damn. It's definetely gonna take a while for me to get good at this." thankfully he was the only one left since the other Squad Members had left to attend to their duties, so none of them were there to witness just how much he sucked at Kido.
But no sooner that he had spoken those words out loud, a familiar voice came "Ichigo, it's true then! They really made you one of us!" which caused the strawberry's eyes to widen. He then turned his gaze towards the wall that separated the Squad Barracks from the outside street and standing right at the top in a crouched position, was a bald, tall, lean built but also quite muscular man with brown, narrow eyes with a small red marking at the outer corner. Lazily holding his Zampakuto within its purple sheath placed on his right shoulder and wearing the stardard Shihakusho but with no socks in his sandals and with a gold plated shoulder plate on his right arm with the kanji for dragon printed on it, was none other than Ikkaku Madarame, Third Seated Officer of the infamous Squad Eleven and the first opponent Ichigo faced when he and his friends first infiltrated in the Seireitei in their quest to rescue Rukia.
With a smile, Ichigo greeted back "Ikkaku, it's been a while! What brings you here?" and as soon as the bald man returned the smile with one of his cheshire grins, he leapt from the wall to the ground and jokingly asked back "You mean aside from wondering who or what was causing all this mess in one of the quietest Squads around here, while i was leisurely strolling around the streets and enjoying some good'ol sake?" he then took a look at the destruction Ichigo had caused and remarked as he walked towards his friend "Judging by all the destruction you've caused, i take it you were attempting Kido…." he paused, turning towards him and, with an even wider grin, stating "And failing miserably at it." which caused an embarrased look to form all over Ichigo's face.
Turning away, the strawberry snorted "Like you're one to talk. I don't recall ever seeing you use Kido." which caused the bald Third Seat's smile to dissappear.
"That's because our Squad lives by the creed that fighting is what makes life worth living. As such the moment we became part of it, we forsook all other abilities and focused only on refining our skill with the sword as much as we could. As a result we usually look down upon those who would prefer to stay back and hide themselves through all those stupid spells. In fact…." explained Ikkaku before pausing, his smile making its way back on his lips "You would have been right at home with us, given that you always like to swing that massive blade around and….." he stopped upon seeing that said massive blade was no longer strapped on his back and upon seeing that Zangetsu was now in its sealed form, sheated on Ichigo's left hip, Ikkaku remarked "Who would have thought, you've learned how to seal your Zampakuto too."
In response, a proud smile formed on Ichigo's lips as he drew Zangetsu from its sheath and stated "I bet you weren't expecting me to learn this, were you? I told ya, i have a habit of surprising people." before he looked back towards the destroyed targets with dissappointment and annoyance while sheating his sword back "Now if only, i woudn't be sucking so much at Kido…"
"To be fair, you do have better control than Renji did when he first started out." pointed out Ikkaku, earning a surprised look on Ichigo's face.
"Let me guess, he sucked at Kido too?" he awkwardly asked and, with an amused chuckle, the bald Third Seat replied with his cheshire grin "Yep, as a matter of fact the first spell he used outright blew up in his face when he and many other students were practicing Kido at the Academy. From what i was told, he looked exactly like a fried chicken afterwards." while a chuckle escaped his lips.
A part of Ichigo wanted to laugh since it was exactly what happened to him before when he used Shakkaho for the first time. However he was mostly embarrassed because of that and as soon as he awkwardly stated"Actually, that's exactly what happened to me earlier." all at once, Ikkaku covered his mouth with his free hand and busted out laughing so much that he was almost puking "HAHAHA! I KNEW IT! You really are all brawn and no brain, Ichigo! How the hell did they put you here is beyond me! HAHA!" he remarked as he clutched his stomach due to how much he was laughing, causing Ichigo to sweat-drop and blush in embarrassment "Stop reminding me…." he snorted while looking away in shame, causing Ikkaku to laugh even more.
After finally getting a grip on himself after two whole minutes of laughing, Ikkaku looked seriously at Ichigo and declared "Let me give you some advice." earning the orange haired man's attention back "Not all Soul Reapers can perform Kido properly and even if you can diminish the amount of Spirit Energy you have by sealing your Zampakuto, the only way to get good at it, is just to keep practicing it. And i should know, because i was never as good with the sword as i am now." he then paused as he turned away from Ichigo, who looked at him inquisitively "I was never born in the Seireitei, you know. I came from the Zaraki District in the North Rukongai." he declared with a somewhat melancholic tone that was completely out of character for someone like Ikkaku and all at once, the strawberry's eyes widened.
"Zaraki? Isn't that also…." he began to ask, only for Ikkaku to cut him off "Yeah. It was where Captain Zaraki came from and in fact, he named himself after said district. It used to be the worst, most lawless region of the Rukongai, a place in which thievery, murder and all other sorts of crimes were daily occurences. It was also where i met him for the first time. Up until then, i had made a name out of myself as a fierce warrior who always went from village to village looking for strong opponents to fight. But he…." he paused, surprising Ichigo even more. He had no idea that, like Rukia and Renji, he also came from a place where the poor greatly outnumbered the rich "He was the first man i encountered who was stronger than me. No one before him had ever managed to force me on the defensive. My blade coudn't even touch him. But as he defeated me, he refused to finish me off."
Ichigo gasped in disbelief upon hearing that not only had Ikkaku faced Kenpachi in combat and lived to tell the tale, the latter had actually showed him mercy "At first i thought he was making a fool out of me. But then, he taught me the most valuable lesson i have ever learned in my life: one should only admit defeat in death and when you survive, you should consider yourself lucky and only think about killing the man who failed to kill you. So of course, when i learned that he had become Captain of Squad Eleven i just had to come along and join. And the rest of course, is history." fondly recalled Ikkaku with a content smile as Ichigo listened in awe, amased that the same monstrous man, who had nearly torn his guts out in their climatic battle, meant so much to Ikkaku. The bald man then turned towards his friend and after placing his free hand on his right shoulder, he stated encouragingly "What i'm getting at Ichigo, is that men like us, who always seek to become stonger, must always have a reason to fight and just like yours is to protect those you care about, mine is to one day become strong enough to surpass my Captain. So don't feel too ashamed for sucking at Kido at the moment: given that you're going to be one of us for the rest of your existence, i'm sure that with time, you'll get good at it."
Ichigo had to rethink his entire image of Ikkaku. Up until then he thought of him as a brave, honourable but also reckless man prone to funny outbursts. But he never thought of him as someone this wise and encouraging, someone who was capable of such speeches of wisdom. He was also aghast to learn that much like Rukia and Renji, he came from a place of utter poverty and anarchy and that he probably passed from the World of the Living right into such a chaotic and poor place.
"Thanks, Ikkaku. I really appreciate that." thanked Ichigo, warming Ikkaku's heart before he jokingly stated "I sure as hell didn't think of you as one for philosophical speeches, though." earning a laugh from his friend, before an idea popped up in his head.
A confused Ikkaku watched as Ichigo dissappeared in a burst of Flash-Step and appeared a few meters behind where he once stood before stating, with a devious smile "And since you were so kind to pay me a visit….." while gripping the sheath of his Zampakuto with his left hand and grabbing the hilt of Zangetsu with his right hand "How 'bout we have a go at each other for old times's sake? I was tired of practicing all this Kido crap anyway." he proposed as he drew his Zampakuto and pointed it at the Third Seat in front of him. Knowing how much Ikkaku loved to fight, it was the least he could do for his friend, for having taken his time to visit him.
(OST: "Showing Off" = Bleach Soundtrack )
A wide, excited grin that matched those of Kenpachi, made its way on Ikkaku's lips as he put his sheated sword horizontally in front of him before gripping its sheath with his left hand, reply "Now there's the Ichigo i know! Nothing excites your blood more than using your blade!" and draw his Zampakuto, Hozukimaru from its sheath. He then pointed it at his opponent, while still holding his sheath with his right hand in a reverse grip and beckoned him "Go ahead, show me how far you've come!"
And with an excited grin of his own, Ichigo charged Ikkaku head on and his friend did the same. Soon they locked their Zampakutos in combat and began to exchange blows. Once again, Ikkaku's unusual and complex fighting style which consisted in using both his Zampakuto and his sheath to attack at the same time, or to first attack with his sheath, held in a reverse grip as a means of distracting his opponent and leaving it wide open for a follow-up slash of his blade, gave Ichigo some trouble but nonetheless, most of the time, he managed to counter Ikkaku's swings while holding the sealed form of Zangetsu with just his right hand, all the while perfectly keeping track of Ikkaku's attacks and effortlessly parrying Hozukimaru's swings and thrusts.
Ikkaku was blown away. As he kept spinning around and attacking Ichigo with both his sword and sheath, trying to open a hole in his defences, he found himself either anticipated, blocked or forced on the defensive by his friend's attacks, which came with elegance and insane strength at the same time "It's as if he's a completely different person." he thought in awe, while looking into Ichigo's brown eyes and seeing that there was a calm and confidence that his former self from a year ago lacked completely, not to mention the insane difference in skill from a year ago and how handsome he had become what with that longer hair "There's no hesitation in his attacks…..No unnecessary movements…..And he's not even using his Shikai. How the hell did he become so skilled, after spending a whole year out of practice?" Finally, as Ichigo leapt in the air and, with a roar, brought Zangetsu up for a downward slash, Ikkaku barely blocked it with his sword and sheath, having put the former in front of the latter. The force of the blow still managed to be strong enough to cause the ground beneath the bald swordsman to collapse slightly, shocking him even more. He coudn't believe that even with his sword sealed, he was still this powerful.
His eyes meeting Ichigo's brown ones, Ikkaku grinned in delight and remarked "Impressive, considering you spent a whole year without your powers! I had no idea you were this strong, even with your Zampakuto sealed!" as he found himself with his blade and sheath locked in a test of strength with his friend where both tried to overpower the other.
Returning the sly grin, Ichigo complimented back "And i see that you haven't lost your touch, Ikkaku! I still had some trouble countering that style of yours!" as he also tried to overpower him, charming the Third Seated Officer even more. He was in for quite the surprise when Ikkaku, suddenly removed his sheath and, after reversing his hold, slammed it into Ichigo's abdomen, causing him to grunt in pain and double over.
"And you still have much to learn, my friend!" proclaimed the bald Soul Reaper as he swung Hozukimaru downwards, aiming to strike Ichigo down…..
Only for his eyes to widen in pure shock as soon as his friend's left hand shot forward with astonishing speed and grabbed his wrist moments before his Zampakuto could cut him. With a devious chuckle, Ichigo held Ikkaku still before he swiftly kicked him in the face with a roundhouse kick, sending the bald swordsman tumbling on the ground. As the Third Seat got back on his feet, the former Substitute Soul Reaper taunted "Guess what, chromedome." causing him to look towards him again "I didn't just sit on my ass and do nothing for a whole year. Turns out there are other ways to keep your skills in check. And having thugs to beat up certainly helps." declared Ichigo as he smugly readjusted his orange hair, while standing in front of the bald swordsman by his left side.
"Hell yeah! I like this guy's attitude! He sure has changed a lot since the last time we fought him!" Ikkaku chuckled as the excited voice of Hozukimaru rang inside his head while some blood came out of his mouth, recalling how even without he sword, no one before Kenpachi had ever beaten him in a fist fight "I see that as your skill has improved, so has that smug-ass attitude of yours. And that makes me so happy. I would have loved to have you in my Squad but heh, guess ya just can't have everything." and with those words, he brought his sword and sheath in front of him. Holding them horizontally, he proposed "What do you say we kick this up a notch?"
With his smug grin growing even more, Ichigo gripped Zangetsu by the hilt with both hands and pointed it towards Ikkaku while replying "That's fine by me!" as his blue Spirit Energy began to build up all around his body while Ikkaku slammed the hilt of Hozukimaru into its sheath.
"Extend, Hozukim-"
"Pierce The Heavens, Zanget-"
But as both combatants began to speak their Release Commands in order to release their Zampakutos…..
"And what exactly is going on here?"
(Soundtrack Ends)
Both of them froze as soon as they heard the cold and emotionless voice of Soi-Fon, which quickly gave away that she was far from pleased. Ichigo swallowed as he turned towards her and hesitantly called out "Captain…" while the normally smug and arrogant Ikkaku could only do the same and quickly address "Captain Soi-Fon!" while hastily disconnecting Hozukimaru from its sheath.
Looking at Ichigo with much disdain and with her arms folded over her chest, she berated "I thought i told you to continue practicing Kido." before she turned towards Ikkaku, unfolded her arms, narrowed her eyes and admonished even more angrily "And you, Madarame! Why are you here and not attending to your duties with the rest of the dim-witted boneheads that make up your Squad?!"
And as Ichigo tried to come up with some excuse "Captain, i can explain….." Ikkaku wasted no time bowing before her and apologising "My apologies, Captain Soi-Fon! Today was my day off and i was just walking around these parts when i heard the mess Ichigo was making, so i let my curiosity get the better of me and i found out that an old friend of mine had been assigned here! So i stopped by to visit him, gave him some advice and, as a way of thanking me, he offered to spar with me!"
Ichigo could only look at Ikkaku with his eyes comically wide open in disbelief. He found it hard to believe that someone as reckless and battle-loving as him would immediately cower in fear at the mere sight of Soi-Fon bearing her grey eyes into his own. Deciding to play along, he put his free hand behind his head and with a fake laugh, he added "Yeah, and like i said, it's gonna take me a while to learn Kido anyway, so i thought: why not spar with one of the most talented swordsmen of the Soul Society and hone my Zanjutsu skills more? Didn't you say that a true warrior should always strive to improve himself as much as he could?"
Ikkaku had to do a double take, not believing just how casually Ichigo was talking to quite possibly the deadliest woman in the entirety of the Soul Society "Does he even know what she's capable of?" he thought as he looked at him in pure disbelief.
But no matter his excuses, Soi-Fon's face remained stone-cold, causing Ichigo to tense up even more. He cringed as soon as she narrowed her grey eyes towards his own and lectured him "You do have a point, but a true warrior should always prioritise on improving on the skills on which he is lacking." before bluntly ordering "To my Quarters. Now." she then turned around and added "And you may take your leave, Third Seat Madarame." putting much contempt on the last three words just to put him in his place. One of the many things people didn't know about Soi-Fon is that she didn't hold Squad Eleven in high regard mostly due to their rude manners, how their love for fighting often clouded their judgement and led them to commit mistakes such as underestimating their enemy or unnecessarily prolonging their battles and most of all, for how they looked down on all the other fighting styles and preferred to just rely on their swords alone, a way of thinking that, as an assassin, who must resort to any means to accomplish its objectives, she greatly disliked.
Not wanting to piss her off even more than what she already appeared to be, Ichigo followed after her, while glancing towards Ikkaku and bidding farewell "Sorry about that, Ikkaku! I'll see you around!" as he took his leave and the bald swordsman could only look upon in utter incredulity and astonishment as his friend left, following after his Captain. When he heard that Ichigo had been assigned in the Second Squad, he coudn't believe it. But that disbelief paled in comparison to what he had just witnessed. He talked with such nonchalance and friendliness to none other than the Supreme Commander of the Stealth Force, a woman so deadly and powerful, she could kill anyone in just two hits. To do something as brazen as that would have required an incalculable amount of courage….
"Or maybe he's still as reckless as ever. Either way, i sure he doesn't get stinged to death…." thought Ikkaku as he jumped on the wall that separated the training field from the outside road. He then spared one final glance back at the barracks of the Squad and spoke out loud "Who knows…. Perhaps he's found just the right woman for him….." before scoffing at what he said, rolling his eyes and adding "Nah, who am i kidding. He'll end up like a pretzel if he so much as proposes to her. Just like the last dumbass who attempted such a thing."
And with that last remark, he leapt back into the street and took his leave, with the sun just a few hours away from setting.
Not a word passed between Soi-Fon and Ichigo as she led him into the main building of the Squad Barracks. Knowing full well from the tone of her voice alone that she was far from pleased, the latter didn't even dare to speak up and risk irritating or downright angering her further.
Finally, that silence was broken when, after finally arriving at the highest floor, the raven haired woman spoke up "There is something i wanted to show you, Kurosaki." earning Ichigo's attention before she went towards what appeared to be a pair of sliding door and opened them up. The orange haired young man was amased to see an enormous room with a red floor, white walls and ceiling as well as a yellow carpet that ran along the middle of the room and led to a second, smaller room, right in front of the larger one that had a yellow floor as well as a red carpet in the center. His amasement turned into pure astonishment as soon as he saw a pair of beautiful murals with a red background, white flowers and two birds, a white one and a red one in each mural. And right in the middle of those murals, was an hexagon shaped emblem with four stars arranged in a + shape all connected by several interconnected lines which all led to a rhombus shape flame at the center.
"No way…. Is that….." was all he could say, having recognised that symbol when Yoruichi gave him the brown coat he wore when he came to rescue Rukia from the Sokyoku, along with a golden crest that had the exact same emblem.
He got his answer when his Captain stated "That's right. That, is the emblem of the Shihoin Clan, one of the Four Great Noble Families. For as long as the Thirteen Court Guard Squads have existed they have led the Stealth Force, passing its leadership to each new firstborn of any generation that followed the first." causing his eyes to widen in amasement. He recalled when Yamamoto mentioned Yoruichi's surname as well as the fact that she used to be the Captain of Squad Two as well as the Supreme Commander of the Stealth Force.
"Then this is….." he began in realisation before Soi-Fon finished for him "Yes. This room used to be Lady Yoruichi's personal chambers." as she stopped in front of the emblem before motioning Ichigo to follow her, earning a look of understanding from the orange haired Soul Reaper.
As he did as he was told, Ichigo asked, letting his curiosity get the better of him as he looked around in fascination at the highly decorated walls "I heard that the Head Captain referred to Yoruichi as both the Captain of Squad Two as well as the Supreme Commander of the Stealth Force. Why's that?"
Soi-Fon replied as she went towards a nearby book shelf to take a book out "Originally, the Stealth Force used to be a separate military branch from the Thirteen Court Guard Squads along with the Kido Corps. But when Lady Yoruichi became a Captain, she linked the Stealth Force to Squad Two and from that point on, 110 years ago, they have been one in the same. As such, the duties of the Stealth Force and Squad Two are one in the same and that means that, yes, i am both the Supreme Commander of the Stealth Force and the Captain of Squad Two." surprising Ichigo even more and making him realise what Yamamoto meant.
"I see. That must be quite a lot of responsibility." he remarked, while crossing his arms over his chest. Turning towards her newest Lieutenant with the book on her hand, she proclaimed, while walking towards him "More than you can imagine, Kurosaki." she then stopped in front of him and added "Fortunately, since the Stealth Force is divided into five branches, each with its own commander and with its own specific duties, it makes leading the Squad a much simpler task. That way, i can mostly focus on the duties of the Executive Militia, which is the highest ranked of all the branches of the Stealth Force and the one which i command. I should also tell you that, since Squad Two and the Stealth Force are basically one in the same, all commanders of the five branches are also high-ranking seated officers of the Squad."
Ichigo listened in interest at how the Squad was organised but then a look of surprise filled his face upon hearing that each division was led by a Commander who was also a high ranking officer of the Squad. And since he was a Lieutenant, that meant…..
"Captain….. You mean i'm going to…." he hesitantly began in astonishmen, earning a nod from Soi-Fon, who replied "Yes. You will be leading the Patrol Corps, the second highest ranked branch. Their main purpose is to usually gather intelligence around the Seireitei or in the Rukon District, but they are also tasked with finding and apprehending those who escape house arrest as well as undertake Hollow hunts whenever their presence is reported in the Rukongai. Tomorrow morning i shall lead you to their main compound so that you may have your first meeting with the men that will be placed under your command from now on." a smile then replaced her emotionless and professional look as she declared "I expect many great things from you, Kurosaki, and i know you will soon win the respect of all those brave men." she then paused and extended the book towards Ichigo "Here, take this book. It will tell you of the rules of the Stealth Force as well as its history and a summary of the laws of the Soul Society."
The strawberry could not believe it. He thought his Captain would have wasted no time berating him for not continuing his Kido training as she had instructed and instead spar with Ikkaku. And here she was, smiling encouragingly at him as if that had never happened "I guess she really is kind after all…..Provided you stay on her good side." he thought, happy to see this side of her.
Returning the smile, Ichigo then nodded and replied "Thank you, Captain. I'll make sure to read as much as i can later." as he took the book from her hand and after seeing its title "THE STEALTH FORCE: A SUMMARY OF ITS RULES, ORGANISATION AND HISTORY" he put it under his right arm.
"Oh, and this." added Soi-Fon as she pulled out the metal wrist band that Omaeda brought her from Squad Twelve out of her pocket "This is the Suppression Device you asked for. Put it on your wrist and it should lower your Spirit Energy output enough for you to learn how to properly cast Kido spells or at least, the lower ranked ones." with a nod, Ichigo reached out for it but then something unexpected happened.
As he grabbed the metal wrist band, his fingers unintentionally touched Soi-Fon's. Both of them gasped slightly as they felt their touch on each other's fingers. And both of them were greatly surprised by what they were feeling.
"So soft….."
"So warm…."
Was what Lieutenant and Captain thought respectively, for some reason feeling pleasantly surprised by what they were feeling. The former quickly realised that this was getting awkward so he pulled the wrist band away and, after turning away slightly, he put it around his left wrist and his eyes widened as he immediately felt his Spirit Energy drop considerably.
"Wow. It actually works! It's almost like i have no energy at all!" as he looked at his free hand in incredulity much to the amusement of Soi-Fon "Hehe….I guess he still is just a teenager…." she thought with a charming smile before her eyes widened slightly in realisation that she was thinking that "No, wait, why am i having such thoughts?"
As she thought in bewilderment at her out-of-character reaction, Ichigo's voice brought her back to reality "Captain….. About earlier…." he spoke, earning her attention while also looking away in slight shame "I apologise for not continuing my Kido training until you arrived. It's just that Ikkaku is an old friend of mine and i wanted to thank him for taking the time to visit me. So i-"
"It's alright, Kurosaki. I wasn't mad at you for what you did." she replied before he could finish, causing Ichigo to gasp slightly and look towards her again and to his surprise, she was smiling reassuringly to him again.
"You weren't?" he asked, andto his bewilderment, Soi-Fon's smile was quickly replaced by her trademark scowl when she turned away and stated "I only acted that way to put that fool Madarame in his place. He and the rest of the dim-witted brutes that make up his Squad are not welcome here."
Ichigo sweat-dropped at the sheer amount of contempt her voice now held "Let me guess: you don't really care about Squad Eleven that much, do you?" he asked awkwardly, with a frown of his own "Of course i dont't." she coldly replied as she began to walk towards her desk, where more paperwork awaited her "They are nothing but a bunch of arrogant and poor-mannered savages who think only of charging head first in battle, not even bothering to approach their battles tactifully. And the fact that they completely disregard and look down upon any other style and rely only on their Zampakutos, all for their so called "Honor Code" serves only to highlight their stupidity. And their love for battle that they pride themselves so much for, blinds them and leads to them constantly underestimating their enemies or needlessly prolonging their battles."
Part of Ichigo was greatly amused by what Soi-Fon said as well as the sheer contempt she held towards Squad Eleven. As much as he didn't like admitting it, he would have loved to see Kenpachi's reaction to those hateful words or, for that matter, even Ikkaku's. And another part of him disagreed with what she said about them being stupid, because as a man who lived by his own code of honor, he respected Ikkaku and Kenpachi for living by a code of their own that defined their very being.
What little hint of amusement that had made its way on his face disappeared when the raven haired woman sat on the chair in front of her desk and codly warned "Know this, Kurosaki: an assassin cannot allow himself to be held back by things like honor and fairness. You must be willing to use every means in order to accomplish your objectives, no matter how unfair or dishonorable. That is why we dedicate our lives to become proficient in all four Fighting Styles, not because we have some code of honor to uphold, but simply because carrying out your duty is all that matters. In the end, things like honor and fairness have no value compared to peace and as such, no matter the process and method used, everything must be done in order to eliminate those who threaten it. Everyone is equal before the law and therefore, anyone who breaks it must be punished the same way, accordingly to the severity of the crime commited and yes, that includes you and your comrades. You'd best keep that in mind from now on because in the future, your duties may require you to do just that."
Ichigo shuddered at those words. Having already killed Ulquiorra, he was by no means free from having done something that, in the World of the Living would have been seen as morally wrong, with very few exceptions. But assassinating others in cold-blood without even giving them the chance to defend themselves? It didn't sit right with him and his code of honor. But what really hurt him deeply was the reveal that he could be asked to strike down his own comrades, should they ever cross a line that nobody could cross, not any Captain, Noble or Central 46 Member.
Trying with all of his might to keep a straight and stoic face at those words, he nodded, replied "That i will, Captain. And if i have no other duties to attend to for today, i guess i'll just go to my quarters and read this book. Oh, and thanks for the arm band by the way." trying as much as he could to keep a formal and stoic tone.
But no matter how much he tried, the hurt and shock in his face and voice was clear.
Immediately realising what she had done, Soi-Fon nodded back and replied "You're welcome. I'll see you tomorrow morning at the Patrol Corps Compound then." and with those words, Ichigo took his leave, book under his right arm and the Energy Suppression arm band in his left wrist.
By this point, night had fallen as he made his way into the spacious room that was now his personal quarters, whom once belonged to Omaeda. Ichigo greatly appreciated the luxuries that the former obese Lieutenant had put in it, such as the desk, comfy chairs, a highly bathroom with a big bathtub and above all, a comfy, king sized bed. It was as if he was still back in Karakura Town.
But reading the book did nothing to ease the apprehension and great doubt Soi-Fon's words had brought. However, Ichigo had to admit that it was interesting to learn of the story of the Stealth Force and that it technically answered directly to Central 46 along with the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and the Kido Corps despite being linked with Squad Two and of the various duties of its five branches, from how the Inner Court Troop served exclusively to transmit information within the Seireitei, to how the fourth branch, the Noble Security Unit actually provided personal security to high ranking nobles who were not members of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads as well as the safeguarding of royal artifacts. Then there was the third branch, the Detention Unit, whose members were responsible for the imprisonment and supervision of all the criminals within the Seireitei, including those who were judged as being to dangerous to live freely and thus were put through a sort of rehabilitation, despite having never broken the law beforehand.
Then he read of the duties of the Patrol Corps which were exactly like what Soi-Fon said them to be. However, his blood froze as soon as he read about the duties of the Executive Militia which included punishment and assassination of those who either broke the law severely or chose to escape confinement while they awaited their punishment, leading hunting parties for Hollows which could also incude members of the Patrol Corps. And the book made it clear that in some cases, members of the Patrol Corps could also be given the authorisation to execute those who escaped house arrest…..
Including its Commander.
By the time he had finished reading about the duties of every branch of the Stealth Force, Ichigo's face was filled with nothing but dismay and apprehension. While it was something he could never bring himself to, he was expected, in some exceptional cases, to assassinate those who broke the law without hesitation, as his Captain had told him. And since Soi-Fon was the Supreme Commander of the Stealth Force on top of being the leader of the Executive Militia, meant that, if she wanted to, she had the full authority to directly task Ichigo himself in carrying out an assassination in spite of it not being one of the main duties he will have to carry out.
"Damn… What have i gotten myself into….." was all he could think in shock and dismay as the full implication of what he had read hit him with full force. If even some of his friends such as Rukia and Renji were to…..
"Oh, come on, King. What else did you expect from a Squad of people who are basically Ninjas? It's obvious that things like assassination are right up their alley!" came the teasing voice of his Inner Hollow and Ichigo soon saw him sitting lazily on the chair of the desk from which he would compile and sign up his papers from now on. The spirit of his Inner Hollow looked exactly like him, with the only difference being his skin, hair and Shihakusho being white and his eyes being yellow with a black sclera. Oh, and for some strange reason his tongue was blue.
"I know, but….." he replied as he stared at the floor, his fear of what he could be ordered to do, gnawing at the very core of his being "I can't just kill my own friends should they ever….."
With a sigh, his Inner Hollow interrupted him before he could finish "Deal with it, King. It's the way things are here. Either way…." he paused as he got up from the chair, a disturbing smile making its way on his lips "It's only going to get more interesting from now on. And if i were you, i'd stay on that babe Soi-Fon's good side. She's definetely got quite the fierce temper, not to mention how sexy she looks. I'd shudder to think what she could do to you if you were to defy her." and with a final grin, he faded away from Ichigo's sight, returning back into his mind, leaving an even more dismayed Ichigo alone. As much as he hated how blunt and downright perverse his Inner Hollow was, he spoke the truth. He coudn't just disobey his Captain. Being one, she most likely was extremely powerful and not just in hand-to-hand combat, flash-step and Kido as she had demonstrated earlier.
But he also knew that he would have never been able to bring himself to kill people whom he had come to deeply care about, should they ever commit any crime that would automatically lead them to being sentenced to death. And just like that, he had found himself in the same conflict Byakuya had found himself in, between upholding the law and doing what was right.
And with those troubled thoughts, Ichigo removed almost all of his clothes, with the exception of his underwear and Hamaka pants, laid down on the King sized bed and drifted off into sleep.
The Captain of Squad Two continued with her paperwork, trying as much as she could to think of anything aside from what had happened earlier, but that look on Ichigo's face was so full of sadness, hurt and even dismay that it shocked her and made her pause for a brief moment. It was the look any young man or woman had after they had committed their first assassination, an act after which, they would never be the same again.
"He was hurt by those words, you know. You really didn't have to be so brutally honest to him." came the sweet and girly voice of her Zampakuto, Suzumebachi, her spirit having manifested on the pile of papers Soi-Fon had compiled and signed. She looked like a small, pink eyed young woman with long brown hair tied into two long pigtails at her back. She had a collar of white fur around her neck, wore puffy shorts and leggings with alternating yellow-black stripes on them as well as simple black shoes. She also had two small yellow and black plates covering her small and petite breasts as well as short, puffy, yellow-black striped sleeves covering each shoulder. Most interesting of all, her entire right arm was covered by a segmented, yellow-black stinger that was as long as her entire body. She was so small, she literally could fit inside a pocket and were not for the lack of butterfly wings, she almost looked like a fairy. A fairy with an enormous stinger for a right arm and colored in black and yellow patterns, just like a hornet.
Sparing a glance to the spirit of her Zampakuto that was sitting on top of the compiled papers, she replied "I had to tell him sooner or later, Suzumebachi. It's a reality he must come to terms with. It's the price all who join the Stealth Force must pay."
Even more worried and saddened than what she already was, Suzumebachi sat up on the pile of compiled papers and exclaimed "But he never chose to join the Stealth Force in the first place! Think, Soi-Fon! He was only a human less than a few days ago! He may even never get the chance to see his former friends and family again! This wasn't the life he wanted to have!" holding much pity towards Ichigo and for her part, Soi-Fon had to pause at those words. All at once, memories of her youth flashed back before her eyes and she began to feel guilty for what she had told her newest Lieutenant, who, technically speaking, was still a 17 year old teenager, not a hundreds year old Soul Reaper who was born in the Soul Society.
But that was exactly the point. This wasn't the World of the Living. This was the Soul Society, and its rules were not the same as those of the World of the Living.
"You're forgetting one thing, Suzumebachi. I was never given the choice on the path my life took either. And you were never given the choice on what master to have, just like any other Zampakuto." she replied, and the fairy like spirit quivered at those words of truth but was also surprised to hear that, beneath its mask of coldness, Soi-Fon's voice was filled with much empathy and melancholy, which gave away that in her own way, she pitied Ichigo because he reminded her so much of her and of everything she went through in her life before she arrived where she was now.
"After all…." she spoke as she looked at the emblem of the Shihoin Clan embedded in the middle of the wall of her chamber, her grey eyes filled with both fondness and melancholy, and Suzumebachi did the same.
"Does one even truly have a choice on what life to live?"