Author's Note: Hey guys! The new chapter is out. I hope you enjoy the story. Your thoughts and constructive criticisms are welcome. Also, I don't own Bleach and I am not earning any profits from this story.
Chapter 2
After breakfast, I grabbed my school bag and headed out the door, falling into the rhythm of my usual walk to Karakura High. The city was just beginning to wake up, people bustling about on their way to work or school, completely unaware of the world that existed alongside theirs—the world of spirits, Shinigami, and Hollows. My world now.
As I approached the school gates, I saw the familiar faces of my friends. Tatsuki Arisawa was leaning against the wall, arms crossed and already giving me her usual unimpressed look. Keigo Asano waved wildly from a distance, his over-the-top energy impossible to miss. Mizuiro Kojima stood next to him, calm as always, his phone in hand. And of course, there was Sado Yasutora—Chad—towering over everyone else with his usual quiet presence. Orihime Inoue trailed in last, smiling brightly at everyone, completely oblivious to the chaos of Keigo's antics.
"Yo, Ichigo!" Keigo yelled, practically sprinting over to me as if we hadn't seen each other in ages, despite it being only yesterday. "You look so serious, man! Lighten up! School's going to be awesome today! I can feel it!"
I sighed, knowing what was coming next. "Keigo, it's just school. Nothing about it is going to be awesome."
Before he could launch into one of his dramatic retorts, Tatsuki punched him lightly in the arm, giving him a deadpan look. "Don't be such an idiot this early in the morning, Keigo. You'll scare away the few brain cells you have left."
Keigo clutched his arm, acting as if she'd broken it. "Tatsuki! That's harsh! You know I'm sensitive in the morning!"
Mizuiro just chuckled softly, his eyes still glued to his phone. "You're sensitive all the time, Keigo. It's not just the mornings."
Chad, always the quiet one, gave me a nod. "Morning, Ichigo."
"Morning," I replied, grateful for his calm amidst the usual chaos of Keigo's energy.
"Good morning, Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime chirped, her smile as bright as ever. "Did you have a good breakfast? I tried something new today—peanut butter and mustard sandwiches. They were amazing! You should try them sometime!"
I blinked, trying to process the combination she had just described. "Uh… I'll pass. But I'm glad you enjoyed them, Inoue."
Orihime giggled, unfazed by my lack of enthusiasm.
Tatsuki just rolled her eyes and grabbed Orihime by the arm. "Come on, Orihime. Let's get to class before Keigo starts trying to drag Ichigo into one of his ridiculous schemes again."
"Hey, I don't have schemes, Tatsuki!" Keigo protested. "I have plans. Genius plans!"
"Yeah, sure," I muttered under my breath as we all started walking toward the school building. Just a regular day—or at least it seemed that way on the surface.
After the usual greetings and Keigo's antics, I made my way through the morning classes. But as soon as lunchtime hit, I slipped away. My mind was still buzzing with everything that had happened a few days back, and I needed some space to think. The rooftop was usually a quiet spot, so I headed up there, expecting some peace.
Speaking of Rukia, she was now standing opposite me, arms crossed and her usual calm expression fixed on her face. Her presence here at school was bizarre enough. After using some kind of gigai—an artificial human body—to blend in, she had enrolled as a new student. It was surreal, to say the least. Here I was, waiting for the rest of my friends to show up, while a Soul Reaper casually stood next to me, and my entire world had been turned upside down.
The next day after the incident with the hollow, Rukia had appeared in my school. I had no doubt that this was done with the aid of our resident shady shopkeeper, one Urahara Kisuke and hence Rukia was 'blending in' with the crowd as a new transfer student. Our conversation regarding me being a Substitute Soul reaper had gone as well as it could have.
1 day ago…
Rukia and I stood on the rooftop of our school away from the prying eyes and ears. She stood in her usual composed manner, arms crossed, her sharp eyes scanning the skyline of Karakura as if expecting a Hollow to appear at any moment. I could already guess what she wanted to talk about and it didn't take long for her to break the silence.
"Kurosaki," she began, her tone formal as usual, "we need to talk."
I raised an eyebrow, leaning back against the railing. "I figured as much. What is it now?"
She stepped forward, her expression serious. "Until I recover my spiritual power, I need you to perform the duties of a Substitute Shinigami."
I blinked, not entirely surprised but still a bit caught off guard by her bluntness. "Substitute Shinigami, huh?"
"Yes," she continued, her voice firm. "You have the ability, and there's no one else in this town with the power to protect it from Hollows. If you refuse, more innocent people will die, and their souls will be devoured. You don't have a choice in this."
I crossed my arms, taking a deep breath before responding. "I get that, Rukia. I do. I'm not going to back out of this responsibility. I'll do what needs to be done, but there are a few things I need to make clear."
She raised an eyebrow, clearly curious. "And those are?"
"I'm not going to let this soul reaper stuff mess up my normal life. I'll protect the town, but I'll do it on my own terms. I've got my family, my friends, and school to think about. I'm not going to abandon all of that just because I'm swinging around a zanpakuto now."
Rukia's eyes narrowed slightly, but she nodded. "I see. And what else?"
"I'll follow my own path," I said firmly. "I'm not going to become some copy of a Shinigami or blindly follow Soul Society's rules. I've got my own morals, and I'm not afraid to bend the rules if it means protecting the people I care about."
For a moment, Rukia just stared at me, her expression unreadable. Then, after what felt like an eternity, she nodded again, though this time her posture relaxed slightly.
"I suppose I shouldn't have expected any less from you, Kurosaki. Very well. As long as you uphold your duty, I won't interfere with how you choose to balance your life."
"My final condition, and the most important of them all, is that my sisters, and friends, will be kept away from anything to do with the afterlife, unless there is absolutely no choice in the matter. I will not have harm befalling them if I can help it – not from any hollows, and not from you."
Rukia shivered faintly when she saw the promise of deadly violence in my eyes. She could do nothing but nod in agreement to that last request. I knew that I was being hard on her, but this was a necessary precaution. Eventually my friend will become involved with the supernatural world, but I couldn't let Rukia know that.
I offered a small smirk, appreciating her understanding. "Good. Then we're on the same page. Oh, and one more thing, my friends call me Ichigo"
"Then you can call me Rukia, Ichigo" she said with a light smile.
Back to the present…
Since then, Rukia had started to teach me more about the soul society, hollows, soul reapers, their duties etc. etc., which brings us to this point.
I decided to summarise my 'learnings' to Rukia during our lunch time.
"Okay, so let me get this straight," I began, pacing slightly as I tried to piece everything together. "When people die, their souls leave their bodies and are attached to the physical world by something called the Chain of Fate. You Shinigami—who are basically spirits with high spiritual power—are responsible for regulating the flow of souls between the physical world and the afterlife, which is called Soul Society."
Rukia nodded, silently encouraging me to continue.
"You send 'plus souls'—the good ones—to Soul Society by using this method called konso. You press the hilts of your swords—zanpakuto—against their foreheads and, boom, they're on their way. But if a plus soul hangs around too long in the physical world, their Chain of Fate starts eroding. When it erodes completely, they turn into Hollows, which are basically corrupted souls. And it's one of your duties to purify them and send them to Soul Society as well."
Rukia raised an eyebrow. "Not bad for a beginner."
I let out a small huff, shaking my head. "It is not that complicated, you know." I mean, I can't really say that I already know half of these things from an anime. Plus, it never hurts to verify then continue on assumptions.
"Alright continue with the rest of it. You did grill me about the workings of the Soul society so let's see how much do you remember." Rukia smirked at me.
"Sure. Let's see, in Soul Society, the Shinigami belong to a military organization called the Gotei 13, which is divided into thirteen divisions, each led by a captain. These captains are the strongest Shinigami, having achieved the ultimate form of their zanpakuto, called bankai. The initial release form is shikai, which most vice-captains and seated officers have. You're an unseated member of the Thirteenth Division, led by Captain Ukitake Jushiro, and you were sent into the living world to watch over Karakura Town, which has a high concentration of spiritual energy. Did I get all of that right?" I gave her a smug look.
Rukia's eyes widened in disbelief, her jaw practically dropping as she stared at me. "How the heck did you remember all of that? And more importantly you're just accepting it? I'm sure that for a human like you, this entire story would be at least… unbelievable!"
I shrugged, a small smirk tugging at the corner of my lips. "I've been through some weird stuff lately. Besides, once you see Hollows firsthand and realize that the afterlife exists, you start to take things in stride. Plus, I'm a fast learner."
She blinked, still gaping at me as if trying to process the fact that I had recited her entire explanation back to her almost verbatim. "Unbelievable."
I laughed softly, shaking my head. "Welcome to my life. Nothing makes sense anymore, so why fight it?"
Rukia huffed but smiled despite herself, seeming both impressed and slightly exasperated at the same time. "You're certainly something, Ichigo."
We fell into a comfortable silence for a moment. The distant chatter of students filled the air as the sunlight bathed the rooftop in a soft glow. The door to the rooftop creaked open again, and I turned to see Tatsuki and Orihime walking over, having finished their lunch downstairs. and I knew the others—Chad, Keigo, Mizuiro—wouldn't be far behind. As they made their way toward us, Tatsuki raised an eyebrow, her expression full of suspicion.
"Hey, what are you two talking about up here?" Tatsuki asked, crossing her arms as she approached. "Planning something shady, Ichigo?"
I rolled my eyes, glad for the chance to shift the topic. "Yeah, sure, Tatsuki. You caught me. Super shady stuff."
Orihime giggled at my sarcasm, her bright energy a refreshing contrast to the talk Rukia and I had just been having. Tatsuki, however, wasn't letting go that easily.
"Uh-huh. Knowing you, I wouldn't be surprised if you were planning something," she said, narrowing her eyes at me. "You're acting very strange from the last two days."
"May be Ichigo is planning to be some sort of secret warrior who will fight the monsters to save the world," Orihime said, narrowing her eyes in concentration. "And Rukia is his trusted sidekick"
I almost chocked on my spit at how close her wild guess was to the reality. Rukia seemed to have turned into stone as she looked at Orihime in sheer horror at being found out this easily. I hastily decided that we needed a change in topic and went for one of my favourite things, teasing Tatsuki.
I smirked, deciding to have a little fun at her expense. "You know, Tatsuki, you've been acting a little strange yourself lately."
Her eyes widened for a second before narrowing into a wary look. "What are you talking about?"
I leaned in slightly, lowering my voice like I was about to reveal a scandalous secret. "I happened to stumble upon something interesting the other day… A certain novel in the library…"
Tatsuki's face immediately went pale as her eyes darted to the side. "What novel? You're not making any sense," she said, her voice a little too high-pitched to be casual.
I grinned, pushing forward with the tease. "Oh, you know… a romance novel. One with some pretty steamy scenes. Didn't know you were into that stuff, Tatsuki."
Her face turned crimson in an instant, and she took a step toward me, her fists clenched at her sides. "You've got five seconds to shut up, Kurosaki, or I'll throw you off this roof!"
I couldn't help but laugh, holding up my hands in surrender. "Hey, I'm not judging! Everyone's got their hobbies. It's just interesting to see this side of you, Miss Karate Champion."
Tatsuki shot me a death glare, clearly embarrassed. "For the last time, it's not what you think! It was just one book, okay? I was curious! That's it!"
Just as I was about to deliver another quip, Keigo's voice rang out from behind us. "Whoa, whoa, what's going on here? Did I hear something about romance novels?" He sauntered over, Mizuiro and Chad trailing behind him, both of them with knowing smirks on their faces. My friends were very much aware about my tendency to tease Tatsuki into a blushing mess whenever I got the chance. And they looked forward to the entertainment they derived from it.
I sighed, knowing Keigo would never let this go. "You didn't hear anything."
"Oh, come on, Ichigo, spill the details," Keigo pressed, his grin widening. "Are you saying Tatsuki's into those kinds of novels? Man, that's golden. I'd never have guessed!"
Mizuiro, always the smooth talker, added in his usual laid-back tone, "You know, romance novels are popular for a reason. There's nothing wrong with indulging every now and then, right, Tatsuki?"
Even Chad, my ever-stoic friend gave a thumbs up at that. Well, look at that even Chad is now trying to tease Tatsuki.
Tatsuki, still red-faced and fuming, shot them both a warning look. "Shut up, Mizuiro. And you, Keigo, keep pushing me and you'll regret it."
Keigo, oblivious to danger as always, just waggled his eyebrows. "But really, speaking of romance Ichigo is the one who has the best luck with ladies just because he is the national champion in Kendo and Karate. You're living the dream, man!"
Yeah, this was a fact. I had badgered my parents into letting me join the karate and kendo classes since I was 5. Hey, its better to be prepared knowing what's to come. After all some grounding in technique is better than learning while engaging in life and death situations.
I rolled my eyes. "It's not like that, Keigo."
Just then, Rukia, who had been taking all of this in with wide eyes, finally spoke up. "Wait, wait, wait—national champion? In karate and kendo?" She looked genuinely astonished. "You're telling me this idiot," she said, gesturing at me, "is some sort of martial arts prodigy? I find that very hard to believe."
I smirked at her scepticism. "Why's that so hard to believe? I didn't just spend my life sitting around doing nothing, you know."
Rukia blinked, still trying to wrap her head around it. "But you… I mean, how did you ever win national championships?"
Tatsuki cut in with a smirk of her own. "He's a freak of nature, that's how. He won the national championships in both karate and kendo. I finished second in the girls' category for karate, and even I have to admit he's annoyingly good at what he does."
I grinned, shrugging. "Hey, what can I say? I'm just that good." Yeah, a freak of nature is the perfect way to describe what I actually am.
Rukia crossed her arms and huffed, clearly still trying to process the information.
Keigo, who had been waiting for his moment, couldn't resist jumping back into the conversation. "See, Ichigo? Even Rukia's impressed! With your skills, you could be a total playboy, leading girls on left and right. Yet you're always so serious—what gives?"
I turned to Keigo, my expression firming up. "Look, Keigo. I'm not some playboy, alright? I've got responsibilities. I have to take care of my family, especially my sisters. I don't have time to be messing around or leading anyone on. And I'm not the kind of guy who'd do that to a girl anyway."
There was a moment of silence as my words sank in. I wasn't kidding—my sisters, my family, they came first. Everything else, including all this talk about girls and romance, took a backseat. There was too much at stake in my life to be playing games with anyone's heart. Although I am not opposed to some light dating and outings, but a serious relationship with anyone was not on cards in the near future.
Chad nodded again, humming quietly, as if to say "well said," while Tatsuki gave me a subtle smile, understanding exactly where I was coming from. She'd known me long enough to know how much I cared about my family.
Orihime, who had been standing quietly off to the side, spoke up again, her voice soft but sincere. "I think it's really admirable, Ichigo. You're always putting others first."
Keigo, oblivious as ever, clapped his hands together. "Well, there you have it, folks! Ichigo's not a playboy—he's just a stoic, heroic type with a heart of gold. How are we supposed to compete with that?"
Mizuiro, with his usual easy-going demeanour, added, "Well, some of us don't need to compete, Keigo. I've already got a girlfriend, remember?"
Keigo groaned dramatically. "Yeah, yeah, rub it in, Mizuiro. Must be nice to have everything figured out!"
Ignoring Keigo's antics, I turned back to Tatsuki, eager to switch the focus back to her. "So, about that romance novel, Tatsuki…"
Her face flushed again as she shot me a glare. "Don't even start, Kurosaki. You've embarrassed me enough for one day."
"Oh, come on," I said, grinning. "There's nothing wrong with a little romance. You're the tough karate girl with a soft spot for steamy love stories. It's kind of endearing, honestly."
Tatsuki's fists clenched, and she took a menacing step toward me, but before she could make good on her threat, Orihime chimed in again, her voice filled with her usual enthusiasm.
"I think it's sweet, Tatsuki! Romance novels can be so heartwarming. They remind us that love can happen anywhere, even when we least expect it. I hope everyone gets to experience something like that. I always imagine myself in those stories… falling in love with someone special."
At this, Orihime glanced shyly in my direction, her cheeks pink once more as she quickly looked away.
"I-I mean, not that I have anyone in mind or anything… But it would be nice to experience something like that in real life, with someone who really cared about me."
Her words hung in the air, and I could feel the weight of them, knowing exactly what she meant. Orihime had feelings for me—she'd never said it outright, but I wasn't clueless. The way she looked at me, how she was always there in my company, —it all pointed to how deeply she cared. Seeing it in a TV show or manga is very different from when you become the target of romantic affection of a good friend of your.
And as much as I wanted to say something in return, I couldn't. There was too much happening, too much at stake with Aizen, Yhwach, and the looming threats that lurked in the shadows. I couldn't afford to get distracted, not now. Not when so many lives depended on me staying focused.
I gave her a soft smile, "Yeah, maybe one day, Orihime."
She blushed even more, but her smile never wavered.
Tatsuki, now fully recovered from her embarrassment, punched me lightly in the arm again. "You're such a jerk, Ichigo. But thanks for not spilling everything."
I chuckled, rubbing the spot where she'd hit me. "What are friends for?"
As the conversation shifted back to lighter topics, Chad gave another nod and hummed his approval at the turn in mood, his calm presence grounding us all.
For a brief moment, I allowed myself to glance at Orihime again. She deserved to be happy, to experience the kind of love she dreamed about. And maybe, someday, when all of this chaos was over, maybe I could be the one to give that to her. Or perhaps she will find love with someone else. Heck romance hadn't been my top priority at the age of fifteen in either of my lives. Because for now, there were other battles to fight—ones that had nothing to do with romance novels or teenage dreams. And these weren't the battles I could afford to lose.
Author's Note: There you go guys. How was the second chapter? This was a bit more of a slice of life type and background setting and I am hoping to give you people some action in the next one. Till then bye-bye. BTW I am going to respond to the reviews I got for my first chapter so here we go:
1. thomascastillo9987: You review made me smile. I actually never considered if something like your comment/observation would be the first review for my story. Anyways thank you for that and hope you continue enjoying the story.
2. Uncertainreader: No spoilers for now .
See you next time.
