Chapter 22: I'm not Alone; I Hear your Call

"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Zanpakutō"
"Hollows/Vizard"
"[Reading/listening to a message/letter]"
"{Speaking a different language}"

AN: Btw, this story has a TvTropes page

-]|[-

Flashback, Night of Grimmjow's Incursion

A Garganta opened within Los Noches and out of it stepped Tia Halibel, the unconscious Grimmjow still slung over her shoulder like a sack of rice. Though she was outwardly stoic, helped by her clothing and mask fragment, inside the Third Espada was disgusted with the Adjuchas. In a single shortsighted move, he had cost them a full fifth of Aizen-sama's forces. Hollows might be plentiful, but ones strong enough to fight Shinigami officers weren't. If not for Aizen-sama's orders, she'd… well, she'd still have saved her fellow Espada, if only because his strength would be necessary in the conflict to come. Still, in many ways, Grimmjow was Halibel's opposite. He ruled because his underlings weren't strong enough to oppose him. She ruled because she was strong enough to protect her followers. He embodied destruction: killing anything in his path until he was killed in turn. She personified sacrifice: allowing herself to die so others might live.

Regardless, Grimmjow was a comrade even if he wasn't a friend. If he was fortunate, Aizen would accept the intel on the fighters in Karakura, including that Kurosaki boy Aizen had sent Ulquiorra and Yammy to test, as an acceptable trade for the Arrancar lost. If not, there would be another opening in the Espada ranks. But for now, she had to get Grimmjow to the healer; he was in no shape to give a report to anyone. Throwing open the door to the medical bay, Halibel tossed him onto one of the cots before addressing their sole medic, "Grimmjow ran afoul of Karakura's defenders. See to it that he's patched up."

Roka, ever the passive type, silently nodded and got to work as Halibel strode out of the room. Unseen to anyone, Aizen took in Grimmjow's battered form from near the doorway. 'It seems Kurosaki is somewhat more powerful than I had anticipated. No matter. That he was unable to kill Grimmjow even without him using resurreccion should motivate him to seek out the Vizard. His Hollow already took over his body once so it stands to reason it will do so again unless he gains control.' The mastermind nodded. Yes, everything was following his plan. Besides, even if the boy ended up two, three, even four times stronger than expected, it would merely cause the Hōgyoku to push him further as a result. In some ways, it was actually best that his enemies become as strong as possible.

-]|[-

Present

Ichigo's mask broke yet again as he clashed with Hiyori, the sudden loss of power allowing the blond loli to knee him in the face. "Pay attention, dumbass!" she growled from behind her own mask, "What good are you if your mask only lasts 6 seconds? And you get so distracted when it breaks?"

Though she might have had a point, Ichigo wasn't going to let it go. "I seem to recall putting you on the ground with one hand the first time I used my mask," The teen quipped. With a gesture like he was ripping the air, Ichigo redonned his mask. Of course, this resulted in the former lieutenant rushing him in a rage at the reminder. This had been his training for the last two days since he'd slain Tirana and claimed her powers: Summon his mask, fight until it breaks, resummon it. Rinse and repeat. Though he trained against almost all the Vizard, Hiyori took particular pleasure in smacking him around. And since he wasn't allowed to use Bankai (as the whole point was getting him used to his Hollow powers), the midget did put up a pretty good fight. Not that he'd ever tell her.

In the distance, most of the other Vizard were doing their own thing, some paying attention to the spar but just as many not. Alfred was still in Ichigo's body and was currently practicing chords on a secondhand guitar he'd picked up, Rose next to him and offering the occasional correction or encouragement. "Technically, you don't need to use a pick, but it's much easier on your fingers to do so," the former captain explained to the Gikon.

"So it's like wearing gloves while gardening," Alfred surmised.

"Something like that, yes."

The echo of the warehouse door slamming caught everyone's attention (and earned Ichigo another kick to the face). Down the steps stomped Kensei, his perpetual frown deeper than normal. He damn near slammed the bags he was carrying down on a table before calling out, "Hiyori! Tag out! I'm training the kid now!" The irritated man didn't even wait for a response before donning his mask and charging in.

-]|[-

An hour later, Kensei was tired out and Hiyori had once more taken over training Ichigo. Though she would never admit it, the hour's rest had been useful. Both she and her mask had needed time to recharge. Meanwhile, Love sidled up to Kensei. "So, you gonna share what that was all about?" The former captain asked his comrade curiously. The other man was certainly an irritable person, but he was usually more prone to yelling at the subject of his ire.

Kensei sighed before answering, "Yeah sure. Just lemme get a drink first. I'm not telling this sober." Once he grabbed a beer from the fridge, the silver haired man sat down on the couch, sprawled out in a way that said no one else was going to be sitting there. "So, I was out buying stuff, right? Well, what happened was…"

Flashback

As Kensei picked up the last item on his list, he heard an unfamiliar voice ask, "Captain Muguruma? Is that really you?" Against his better judgment, the Vizard turned towards the voice. The speaker was some kid he didn't recognize. If he didn't know better, Kensei would think he was some teenage hoodlum given his facial scars and tattoos. But he could sense this was a Shinigami. Either a lieutenant under a limiter (he'd eat his gloves if this was a captain), or a lower ranked officer.

"Sorry kid, you've got the wrong guy," He tried to deflect. He'd really rather not start a confrontation in such a space that was both public and enclosed. That was always a clusterfuck in the making.

"No, really. I remember you. You saved my life as a kid!" The Shinigami insisted. Now that he looked closer, the 69 tattooed on the younger man's cheek did rather resemble Kensei's own, though obviously in a different spot. "What happened to you? I thought you died a century ago!"

"Apparently this is now my fucking problem," Kensei grumbled under his breath. "Look, I'm going to buy my stuff and leave. You have until I'm out those doors to ask questions. As for your first question, Aizen's a prick and he tried to kill me. Had to go into exile." As he spoke, Kensei got in line at the nearest cashier. He really hoped the two people ahead of him were quick.

Hisagi stared in shock for a moment before realizing he should join the other man in line. "But now that Aizen's crimes have been exposed, surely you can come back!" He offered.

Kensei rolled his eyes, "You're assuming I'm interested in coming back. I served for nearly two hundred years and they decided to off me because of one bastard. I'm fine where I am. Actually, what's your name? I'm not going to keep calling you 'Shinigami kid' in my head."

"Oh, I'm Hisagi Shūhei, Lieutenant of 9th Division," He quickly offered before looking around surreptitiously, "Should we be talking about such things in public, sir?"

"My old division, eh? Hope you didn't get screwed too badly by having that traitor as a captain. At any rate, anyone who is bothering to listen isn't gonna be able to tell anyone. Besides, they'll all have forgotten by the time they get home anyway. We're not as interesting as you think," Kensei explained.

"Captain Tosen was a very helpful mentor. It's hard to believe that he would betray Soul Society like that," Hisagi weakly protested.

That earned a scoff from Kensei. "Give it a few years, kid. Bastard's been on Aizen's side for over a hundred years. He used his Bankai to disable me and my top four officers so Aizen could pull his shit."

"Oh. I see. Wait, what shit did Aizen pull with you?" Hisagi barely even knew what was apparently the cover story: That former Captain Urahara had been experimenting on his fellow Shinigami, resulting in the deaths of four Captains, three Lieutenants, and the Vice-Captain of the Kidō Corps. Allegedly, former Captain Shihōin and former Head of the Kidō Corps Tsukabishi had been his accomplices.

"That is none of your business. Just know his latest round of crimes is just that: his latest. He's been up to no good for a long time." Being reminded of what happened to him and the others was fouling Kensei's mood even more than talking with a Shinigami. That night, they'd lost damn near everything. All because of one asshole wanting to play god.

"Well sir, what about-"

But he was cut off. "Time's up. Now, before you fuck off, I have one thing to say: Don't go telling anyone from Soul Society where I am. I will know it was you and I will kill you." With that, the gray-haired man stormed off, leaving the store before vanishing in a blur of Shunpo.

Flashback End

"And that's the end of it. Damn brat, bringing up shit like that. 'I can't believe Tosen was a traitor'. Of course he fucking was!" Kensei ranted angrily. Love simply sat quietly, offering the occasional grunt of agreement. He knew the mood. When someone was like this, they simply wanted to vent. They didn't want solutions or advice; they wanted to be angry and rant about it for a while. They'd all been there.

-]|[-

As she finished taking roll call, Ochi Misato found herself commenting, "No Kurosaki again today, huh. Well, I'm sure he'll return eventually." Though everyone was surprised by their teacher's lackadaisical attitude, they still remembered her telling them to break a few laws over summer break so it wasn't that out there. "Though if he doesn't, he'll be enjoying my company for another year." Just then, the door opened. Misato looked up, half expecting her absent student to make a late appearance, only to be met by a short older woman she didn't recognize. "Um, excuse me, but I feel like you might have the wrong room, ma'am."

The other woman wore a royal blue skirt suit and a pale-yellow cravat that had a dark red gem of some sort embedded in it. With her rich black hair gathered in a bun, the woman altogether presented the air of someone who was Very Important. "I do not believe so. You are Kurosaki Ichigo's homeroom teacher, correct?"

"Yes…" And now Misato was officially Worried. A woman like this could not be here for anything good if she was asking about Kurosaki. Sure, he got good grades but he also got into a lot of fights and more than a few thought him a delinquent. Knowing him, he'd gotten into a fight while still in uniform, caused some kind of trouble for this woman by accident, and she had decided to enact her own version of Hiroshima on their school for it. 'When I said to break a few laws, I meant something that wouldn't cause me problems. Like visiting a brothel or something.'

So caught up in her thoughts was she that Misato was surprised when the shorter woman handed her an official form of some sort. "Very well, this is for you. I'm afraid Kurosaki's arms were badly broken in an incident recently and he won't be able to attend school for some time." Though no one present knew, and only a few even suspected, both statements were true but completely unrelated. Ichigo's arms had indeed been badly broken. Along with a couple dozen other bones. But Unohana had healed them after their little spar was over. Likewise, Ichigo wouldn't be able to attend school if he was going to keep up with his duties as a Captain and train that new power of his.

Taking the form, Misato looked it over. It was definitely official, even if she didn't recognize the hospital it referenced. "Well, I hope he gets better but shouldn't you be giving this to… the… principal?" As Misato looked back up, the other woman had vanished entirely. "Where the hell did she go?" Of her students, only four had been able to track Captain Unohana leaving, but they certainly weren't going to tell. Even if their teacher believed them, they weren't snitching on Unohana.

-]|[-

"Are you really doing paperwork right now?" Lisa asked, watching Ichigo filling out forms she still recognized over a century later. The boy's training was done for the day, mostly because he couldn't summon his mask at all any more after hours of doing so continuously. And once they'd called an end to his practice, he promptly fished out a stack of forms from his bag and started working on them.

"Well, it's gotta get done eventually. Better than letting it pile up until I have to spend all day on it," was his reply. Lisa supposed that was a fair point. She'd certainly seen more than one officer put off their paperwork for so long that they had to spend multiple days and nights catching up, her own former captain included.

"Still, this doesn't seem like very much, even if it's only today's paperwork."

Ichigo shrugged in response, gesturing towards the stack with his pen. "Between the fact I'm still probationary and how much I flat out wouldn't understand, I think I only get maybe half of the paperwork I should be. Nemu and some Akon guy handle the rest and simply forward anything that absolutely needs a Captain's attention to me." He wasn't an idiot, but the only time he'd ever heard of a flux capacitor was when he had watched those old American movies. Now he had an 8th Seat who requisitioned three of them. 'I swear, if any of them ever mention an Oxygen Destroyer, I'm feeding them to a Menos.'

"Right. Well, mind doing me a favor?" Lisa waited until Ichigo looked up at her before continuing, wanting to be certain she had his attention. "Kensei's reasonably sure, but double check that Hisagi kid isn't going to cause us trouble, would ya? Even beyond the unnecessary problems it'd cause for us, I really don't want to have to kill a Shinigami Lieutenant for doing his job." It wouldn't stop her from doing so, of course. She'd just feel bad about it afterwards. Seeing Ichigo's hard look, Lisa explained, "You don't have to threaten him. From what Kensei said, sounds like the brat still nearly hero worships him. He's not gonna intentionally rat us out. Just… remind him to keep his mouth shut." When Ichigo nodded, Lisa told him sincerely, "Thanks. I meant it when I said I didn't wanna hurt other Shinigami. Hiyori might insist we're not Shinigami anymore, but we are. We're just also… more."

"Huh," Ichigo pondered her answer, "That's an interesting way of putting it. We're still us, just more."

His thoughts were interrupted when Lisa sat on his remaining paperwork. "Hey, Ichigo. How good are you with that spear of yours?"

"Is that a come on?" Ichigo deadpanned at her. He wasn't going to deny the Vizard was sexy, nor that his opinion of her had improved over their conversation, but he wasn't terribly interested in sex right now. Okay, that was a lie. As a fifteen-year-old, he was always interested in sex; it came with the territory. What he meant was that he currently had other things to do and he wasn't going to let his dick make his decisions for him.

But to his mild surprise, the fake schoolgirl shook her head. "I mean that spear you used while in Bankai. Are you any good with it?"

"Oh. Uh, I'm not terrible?" He offered. "I've only used it a couple times, but its raw destructive power makes it difficult to practice with."

"Well then, we'll just have to fix that, won't we?" Lisa exclaimed as she hopped to her feet. As she walked away, her Zanpakutō simply appeared in her hand. Leaping into the air, the young woman slammed the hilt of her sword into the mouth of her scabbard and twirled it in the air, declaring, "Smash, Haguro Tonbo!" The scabbard and sword melded together before rapidly lengthening as her Zanpakutō transformed. After a few seconds, what was left was a massive polearm that was nearly twice as tall as Lisa. A blade reminiscent of a monk's spade adorned one end with a metal ball at the other, seemingly as a counterweight. "C'mon, I'll show you a few things."

-]|[-

Uryū ran frantically through his father's "Study Area". 'Does everyone in this city have training facilities in their basement?' The teen thought in frustration. Not that he had the time to waste on such idle thoughts. His father refused to allow him even the slightest amount of breathing room, bombarding him with constant barrages of arrows. Worse, the man did it with only a single hand, keeping the other in his pocket. Part of Uryū burned at the idea his father was always so capable yet refused to do anything. He didn't even train his own son, who had to get by on self-study. The rest of him burned with exertion. A high-pitched whistle made itself known, quickly growing louder. Knowing what it meant, Uryū turned the first corner he saw, anything to get himself definitively out of the line of fire. Almost before he had gotten behind cover, a series of explosive impacts rocked the area. '"Not much of a Quincy" she says.'

Indeed, Kanae might not have the greatest skill of any Quincy, only knowing how to manifest her spirit weapon and use Hirenkyaku, but given her spirit weapon was a gun that functioned like a damn portable artillery cannon, that was plenty. By Uryū's count, she could only fire up to six shots before needing to pause for a brief period, and the more power each shot contained, the fewer she could use before recharging. 'Given the strength of her shots just now, she has one more before she has to recharge.' Ryūken took that opportunity to remind his son of his presence, appearing nearby and firing another barrage as Uryū scrambled away.

-]|[-

"Hm. I wonder where Isane went?" Kiyone was currently lounging around the small apartment she was sharing with her older sister. While it wasn't a six mat room, she was honestly glad that Lieutenant Hisagi hadn't taken Isane up on her offer. It'd have been crowded with just the two of them if they weren't willing to sleep next to each other. Adding a third person was just asking for trouble. "Well, at least I can keep reading that One Piece story Nemu told me about." So saying, Kiyone grabbed the next volume and got to reading, eager to see the Straw Hat crew finally enter the Grand Line.

-]|[-

"Do you have a lot of experience with ice skating?" Isane asked Ichigo as the two of them laced up their skates. She hoped he did as she certainly didn't. Heck, the lieutenant had never even heard of ice skating until recently. A downside of being an officer, especially in the 4th Division: much less time in the Living World. If she remembered correctly, the last time Isane had been on assignment in the Living World was when Tokyo Tower had officially opened.

"Some," Ichigo replied, "My sisters enjoy it, well more Yuzu than Karin, so it's one of those things I learned looking after them." Satisfied their skates were on properly, he stood up, balancing on the blades as he held one hand out to Isane and grasped the low wall of the rink with the other. "Don't worry, I'll show you the ropes." The taller woman took his hand and let herself be pulled up, stumbling only slightly on her ice skates.

Once the pair were out on the ice, Ichigo moved away from the wall, still holding Isane's hand as she held onto the wall with her other hand. "Alright, the first thing is to bend your knees and ankles so you can't see your toes." The argent haired woman gave a meaningful glance down at her bust before looking back up at him. Ichigo coughed awkwardly before saying, "Right. Well, match the rough angle of my knees… little more… perfect. Now, with your entire weight on one leg, push that leg out to the side. Keep your skates low to the ice and once your leg is straight, bring it back and repeat with the other leg." As he spoke, the teen demonstrated his own skating, slightly rough but serviceable. Letting go of the wall, Isane gave it a shot. Her first attempt nearly sent her stumbling again until Ichigo caught her. Still, she picked up the technique quickly and within a few minutes, the amazon was slowly skating alongside her date, the pair still hand in hand. "You're a natural," Ichigo smiled up at her, impressed by how quickly she had gotten it down.

"I'm barely pulling it off and we're going slow," Isane protested. As if to emphasize her point, a little girl whipped by on her skates, managing a full flip before twirling to land on a single skate backwards, all without losing any momentum.

Ichigo chuckled slightly at the display. "Don't compare yourself to others. You're you. Besides, what're the odds that kid can break a man's collarbone with her thumb?" The lieutenant's cheeks pinked slightly at the reminder. She wasn't sure who, but someone had shared that story and it spread throughout the entire division in a matter of days. "Anyway, you're an amazing woman and whether you can figure skate or not won't change that." Isane was filled with a warmth that had nothing to do with the turtleneck sweater she wore. Smiling softly, she leaned against the shorter man, content to simply skate laps around the rink as they enjoyed each other's company.

As they skated, Isane considered Ichigo and how the pair of them fit with Retsu (even after becoming her captain's lover, Isane found it strange to refer to her by her first name), or rather how all three of them fit together. She knew Ichigo had at least one other lover in Nemu; she'd have to be blind not to know, really. But though it might sound slightly callous, Nemu wasn't currently a factor. Isane was entering a relationship with someone who was in a relationship with Nemu, but not necessarily seeking a relationship with the other woman. 'Wow. That might actually sound even worse. I mean, I like Nemu as a friend, certainly. I just don't know if I could be romantically interested in her is all! And besides, she's the one encouraging Ichigo to pursue other romances too!' And now she was going on a tangent. Regardless, the point was they each complimented each other. The fierce protector, the steadfast healer, and the graceful fighter. Or if she were to use a different analogy, Isane would liken Retsu to the sea: Beautiful, calm, nurturing… deadly. On the other hand, what she'd seen of Ichigo reminded her of a fire: Intense, uncontrolled, but warm and bright. As for herself? Isane was in the middle as the earth: reliable, stalwart, and crushing. 'Does that mean we need an "air"? Would Nemu qualify as air?' She was drawn from her thoughts by Ichigo's voice, "Hey, want to get a drink?" Following his arm, Isane saw a stall advertising tea and hot chocolate. Only now did she realize they had been skating for quite some time and the hand that wasn't clasped in her date's had become rather cold.

The pair skated off the rink, turned in their skates, and placed their order. A quick sip of her hot chocolate brought a smile to Isane's face. The splash of black tea added in worked perfectly to counterbalance the sweetness of the chocolate. "This is nice," Ichigo commented, a sentiment Isane quite agreed with. "I'm not sure about you but it feels like I've been going nonstop ever since Nemu was arrested. If I'm not fighting, I'm training. Honestly, the paperwork is almost relaxing some days."

Isane nodded, taking another sip of her drink. "It can be like that sometimes. Especially when you become an officer. You have to make time to just relax and unwind." Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she explained, "If you just rush around constantly, you'll work yourself into an early grave. That's why Captain Unohana has her mountain climbing and ikebana club. I hear Captain Hitsugaya likes to take afternoon naps."

Ichigo couldn't help but snort into his drink. "For someone so insistent he isn't a kid, he certainly likes to act like one." Despite herself, Isane giggled a little as well. "But yeah, I get you. It's part of why I enjoyed this date so much. I'm glad I asked you out." And that Retsu had brought it up, he didn't say. It was almost funny in a way, between his two "most official" girlfriends, they had set him up with three different women so far. Though Retsu's reasoning wasn't voyeurism. Instead, she'd wanted the two people she was interested in to see if they were interested in each other as well. Sound reasoning. It'd be awkward to say the least if they couldn't stand each other while both dating Retsu. But Isane was fun, endearing, and a total sweetheart. And she certainly seemed to enjoy his company. It occurred to him that he should tell her as much. "The larger part is the company. I've had a great time with you today, Isane."

The taller woman was taken back by the warmth in his eyes. She quickly hid her face by drinking more of her hot chocolate, wishing she could blame her flushed face on the cold.

-]|[-

Upon reaching her apartment building (well, technically Nemu's apartment building), Isane paused and turned towards her date. "Well, this is my place." Inwardly, she could scarcely believe she had enjoyed herself as much as she had. She didn't have low expectations per se, but she had expected their outing to be more like the few occasions Matsumoto convinced her to go drinking. Well, minus the embarrassment of being an overly flirty drunk. Hence why she only gave in to the bustier lieutenant's pleading once or twice a year at most. Regardless, the time with Ichigo reminded her almost of when she'd enjoy some tea under the moonlight with Retsu. It wasn't quite the same, especially as the senior healer preferred a companionable silence as they drank to a cheerful conversation. But the similarities were there. Yes, given time, Isane could see herself potentially falling for Ichigo.

"I wanted to say again that I really enjoyed today. We should do it again some time," Ichigo offered, a warm expression on his face.

Rather than reply with words, Isane grabbed him by his collar and pulled him in for a kiss. It only lasted a few seconds and their lips remained closed the entire time, but it held a passion of its own. Pulling back, she gazed down at her date, her cheeks pink once more, and said, "I'd like that. Maybe some time, we can take Retsu along and all go out together. Good night, Ichigo." With a smile on her face, Isane entered the building as Ichigo turned and headed home.

Walking into her shared apartment, Isane didn't even try to keep the smile off her face. Ichigo had been such a gentleman. She thought she could see some of what had drawn Retsu in. As she entered the apartment, Isane saw her sister quietly sobbing as she read something. "Kiyone?! Kiyone, what's wrong?" She asked as she rushed to her little sister's side, trying to see what had her so upset.

"It's just so saaaaad!" The blonde bawled, "Vivi stayed in Alabasta! But they all showed the X of their friendship! It's so beautiful, but it's so saaaad!" Isane stared uncomprehendingly at the shorter woman. Literally none of that made any sense to her at all. Instead, she simply rubbed Kiyone's back and whispered soft nothings in her ear.

-]|[-

AN: Well, this one was damn near late. But in my defense, I posted three chapters for other stories since I last updated Vow. Not a lot to say except Hisagi's scene fought me hard. Anyway, current plan is to write out another oneshot or two for S3 before getting to work on the next chapter.

Next time on Vow of the King: Science, bitch and science bitch! Also, don't take advice from future mass murderers; take it from past mass murderers.