missmartian369: "Oof…this chapter was just trauma. I had a feeling that we'd read Soukens death eventually (it is a part of Uryu's history in the source material) and we did. And my poor Uryu had a foot row seat to it just like he did in the source material only this time he got involved and almost was killed himself. I was completely with Bambietta this chapter; Like no, kill then all. The difference in Uryu and Bambietta's philosophies clashed when it comes to killing people. I see Uryu's side but I also see Bambietta's, and I feel like as time goes on, it's going to change for one of them (I personally think it'll be Bambietta but I could be wrong). And I'm so glad Bambietta was there to talk Ryuken out of putting the Letz Stil glove on Uryu because that would've been a grave mistake on his part. I know he wants to protect Uryu from harm and doesn't want to lose him like he did his wife and now father, but Uryu would never forgive him if he used that glove on him. And now Bambietta vowed to herself that she won't let anything happen to Uryu until he can handle himself again. My girl's not about to leave his side; She'll be attached to him like Velcro lol. I'm excited for when they start high school and Uryu will finally be at the same school as she is. For one, it'll make her keeping an eye on him a lot easier lol. Uryu told Bambietta "So… If it came down to it… I would never be able to save you either…." Uryu vented while tears began to fall down his face." I might be delusional…but I think that could be MAJOR foreshadowing for WAY down the line in the story (*cough* TYBW *cough*). This is just me theorizing so I really just might be delusional here. Fantastic chapter and I'm excited for the next!"
Uryu is in for an extremely rough ride to the say the least. The effects of Sokens death is already making its full impact on Uryu. Fortunately for him though, he'll have Bambietta there for him when things get rough. The contrast between both of their ideologies is really starting to show, and I do have plans for how both of their beliefs will develop as a result of their extended time with eachother. Whether they'll change for the better or worse remains to be determined. Good catch on that detail btw. I won't confirm or deny whether or not it's foreshadowing because things or more thrilling that way.
P.s: it sucks to be Ryuken
4Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: "Dang! What an excellent chapter! How I enjoyed this! Keep it up! I can't wait to see how events will continue to go from here on out! I also guess I can understand Ryuken to an extent, but as I've grown over the years, family has always been vital to me. Just because I can understand Ryuken, doesn't mean I'll ever like him or approve of his choices. To me, a father, a PARENT, must do what ever they can to support their child as much as possible. And I can see Ryuken was trying with the freedom he gave Uryū, but it wasn't enough. Both may as well be strangers. Sorry for the rant, but as I said, family issues and lifestyles are everything to me and tend to trigger me if someone takes it for granted/is aloof to it."
Yeah, I can totally understand why you'd be put off by Ryukens negligent parenting, and his own past and issues in no way validates his behavior towards Uryu. My own experiences allow me to really sympathize with Ryuken though. I can't wait to expand on his relationship (or the lack their of) with Uryu down the line.
The Writing Sauce: "Honestly, I have trouble writing bambietta as well sometimes. Also, sorry I havent been leaving reviews I just been busy with work amd writing"
It's hard getting down Bambiettas character, but I think that you did an exceptionally good job writing her. I far prefer your version of her character in The Antithesis and The Explode and The Prince of Light over my own. I'd say that you did a great job at encapsulating the various facets of her character. Can't wait to see what you write for her and Uryu next.
3 weeks ago
Bambietta tiredly watched as Uryu restlessly shuffled around in his sleep. Uryu never allowed things like this to happen when he was awake, but the uncontrolled vulnerability which comes with sleeping stripped him of that privilege. He never told Bambietta what he dreamed of, but she still knew about the recurring nightmares that'd affect him nearly every night since he was hospitalized. He'd always shuffle around and mutter something incoherent in his sleep, and his face would reflexively bear a pained expression due to his dreams. Sometimes it'd be even worse. He'd sometimes disturbingly cry in his sleep which always startled Bambietta whenever it happened. Sometimes he'd jolt awake with a morbid expression, but he'd always catch himself and wipe away all determinable emotions from his face. Whenever this happened Uryu would always appear relieved to see her albeit with some embarrassment after she'd tell him about what he did in his sleep. He never told her about what he went through, and she never asked.
At worst he'd wake up in a vulnerable state where he'd deliriously breakdown due to what he was dreaming of. It was through these delirious ramblings that she found out what he dreamt of. Without fail, It was always because he was dreaming of that day. Ever since it happened the first time, Bambietta decided to always stay up late, so she'd be able to help him if he woke up in an inconsolable mental state again. It hardly happened but it was a constant risk, so she'd stayed up for his sake anyways. Tonight happened to be one of those times where Uryu would wake up in that hysterical state. This time it was worse than ever before. Bambietta had been walking over to the other side of the room to get a cup of coffee when he jolted awake.
"Please… don't leave."
Bambietta immediately turned around as soon as she perceived his frantic pleading. Before meeting everyone here in the living world, Bambietta had believed that she'd seen and experienced every conceivable emotion back in the Wandenreich and she always disregarded them all. This included the pained screams of her dying victims, and the hysterical cries of their family before that unluckily happened to watch before she killed them too. That was a common part of her duty when she was a Stiller Volstreker before becoming a Sternritter. However Uryu's simple pleading disturbed her more than anything she witnessed in the Wandenreich ever did. When she heard it she felt what can best be described as fear, but it wasn't like the fear she felt when she was confronted with near death situations like when she was face to face with his Majesty or put inside of Quilge's contraption. It was different, and she couldn't explain why. This feeling was only amplified when she saw Uryu's moonlit expression.
He was wide eyed as if he was in shock, and his gaze was distant and aimless making it impossible to determine what he was focusing on, if he even was. The moonlight shining through the window allowed her to see a stream of tears roll down his face. His ghastly face displayed so much panic, helplessness and shock that he wasn't even capable of forming coherent words. Bambietta immediately recognized this expression which she only saw one other time before. It was the same expression that the wounded boy had after seeing what she did to his father on her first mission as a Sternritter. Right before she carved his face in. Bambietta paid no mind to the boy's expression whatsoever back then. It hadn't even crossed her mind a single time until now. But for some reason, seeing his expression on Uryu's face terrified her in ways that she couldn't even comprehend let alone explain. But she didn't have time to work out her emotions right now. She immediately darted over to Uryu who was struggling to muster up any coherent words. The monitor beside his bed showed that his heart rate was rapidly rising just like hers was.
Bambietta hastily took his hand as soon as she reached him.
"Uryu, I'm right here." She panickingly said in a desperate attempt to calm him down. Uryu's eyes only narrowed while even more tears began to roll down his face more intensely, and his prior attempts at speech deteriorated to a guttural combination of sobbing, weeping and gagging.
Bambietta propped herself onto his bed so she could hold him. She carefully embraced him and Uryu immediately clung onto her as if his life depended on it.
"I promise that everything will be ok." Bambietta claimed softly while she embraced Uryu having no idea how she's actually supposed to handle things like this. It was never taught to her in the Wandenreich, and her only other experience was Uryu's previous breakdowns.
"You're safe here." Bambietta added while Uryu struggled to compose himself. "I'm here with you."
During previous instances of this he showed signs of composing himself by this point, but he was still hysterical much to Bambiettas dismay, She tried to think of other solutions, and her mind immediately went to when she fell asleep with Tatsuki. Lying on Tatsukis lap somehow felt reassuring and calming to her, so she figured it'd be the same for Uryu. She mindfully propped his head onto her lap, trying the best she could to avoid his injured areas. She then began gently caressing his hair much like Tatsuki did to herbwhile telling him whatever affirmation came to mind. Once Uryu started to show the faintest hint of collecting himself she tried out an exercise which he read in a pamphlet she found at the hospital called box breathing.
"Take a breath in."
Uryu eventually complied while she continued caressing his hair and back.
"Now breathe out."
Uryu complied and after a few more cycles of this Bambietta felt that he'd mostly regained his composure even though he still wept.
His expression softened before allowing himself to vulnerably begin falling back to sleep in Bambietta's lap. Bambietta wanted to ask what was wrong, but she decided that it'd be better not to disturb him at this time. She felt Uryu's grip on her loose while she consoled him, indicating that he was starting to fall asleep.
After a while Uryu went completely silent and limp. This left Bambietta stuck in an awkward position since she didn't want to risk waking him up by moving. Her only other option was to just deal with her situation and fall asleep with Uryu resting on her lap which was surprisingly easy for her since she fell asleep minutes after Uryu did.
The Present
Uryu repeatedly thrusted his spear towards Bambietta which she countered with blut vene. However, Uryu's spear had the range advantage, and he wouldn't let Bambietta safely close the gap between them. The spear was a solution which he developed to the initial issues that Bambietta brought up with other reishi constructs. The shaft and shoe of the spear was entirely blunt with only the spearhead being sharpened somewhat similarly to the standard Quincy Heilig Pfeil. This made it relatively easy to safely construct and maintain in comparison to other melee constructs. And of course spears had the benefit of being relatively simple to effectively use. Uryu was able to quickly pick up on how to effectively utilize it. He'd grown to such a degree that he can properly zone Bambietta and maintain the distance between them despite his injuries.
Uryu unexpectedly launched a relentless offensive which Bambietta was still able to easily keep up with. Despite his injuries he fought just as effectively if not even more so than before he was injured. Undoubtedly because of a new found determination and intensity that Uryu had as soon as he was able to fight again. Not only this, but he started to fully adhere to Bambiettas previous advice. He always took every possible opening and opportunity in an attempt to quickly defeat her. Even when it meant dealing lethal damage if he were to succeed. Of course, Bambietta physically outclassed him enough to always counter these attacks, but she was proud of him for this nonetheless.
It showed that he had full trust in her and her capabilities while also picking up on the integral skills which she had been previously trying to teach him. There weren't any openings in Uryu's defense that were caused by his mercy and emotions. Not anymore.
Uryu extended his body and lunged with his spear, allowing him to reach Bambietta despite the long distance between the two of them. Bambietta easily dodged, but Uryu continued his onslaught by creating a ramshackle reishi sword which he used to continue his offensive. Bambietta opted to dodge his attacks, recognizing that Uryu can possibly break through the current level of blut vene she was using with blut arterie. His sword movements subtly reminded her of Quilge's style albeit much wilder and less skillful and elegant. Uryu repeatedly thrusted his sword towards her while simultaneously keeping his distance in case she retaliated, which she eventually did.
Uryu can't maintain such a difficult construct for extended periods of time, and Bambietta exploited this during a brief moment where the strength of his sword began to falter. Bambietta deflected his weakened sword strike rather than dodged it which created a seemingly free opening for her to attack. However Uryu suddenly slipped out a reishi dagger which he'd been literally keeping up his sleeves for who knows how long.
As soon as Bambietta recognized the position she put herself in she got unreasonably angry at herself for falling for such an absurd trick. This caused her to overexert her power which was only made worse by Uryu failing to capitalize on his opportunity due to a sharp pain he felt as a result of the pressure he was placing on his injured abdomen. These two things culminated with Bambietta hitting Uryu with a blut-arterie boosted strike to the chest which pushed him meters away. She could have sworn that she heard something crack. Whether it was the crack of his blut or his ribs, she couldn't tell. But Uryu still maintained his footing and quickly reentered a sloppy fighting stance with his dagger in hand.
Bambietta knew that he should be in immense pain due to her strike, but Uryu showed no reaction. His expression remained stoic and unreadable just like it always has been since that day. It was nearly the same expression as the one that was constantly worn by his father. It was only due to Uryu replicating Ryuken's expression that she began to notice how much he looked like him. It was scary to Bambietta. It wasn't just the same expression used by Ryuken, but it was also reminiscent of the expression that Jugram and Lillie Barro constantly wore on their faces. It was unreadable with no determinable emotions which was what made Jugram and Barro so threatening. Their motives and thoughts were entirely unknowable and that unreadability was intimidating to everyone in the Wandenreich.
That particular look was bad enough as is, but seeing that terrifying blank expression on Uryu's face as well was even scarier to her. Prior to his grandfather dying, Uryu was vibrant and expressive when he talked to her, but that was all gone now. His emotionless mannerisms, expressions and voice made him a borderline mirror image of his father. Bambietta had previously tried to get him to open up and act how he used to before but it was futile. It was made worse by the fact that she knew Uryu was extremely hurt by everything that happened to him, but he chose to keep everything to himself rather than tell her about it. Bambietta wondered if that was why that damned unreadable look was so much more frightening to her on Uryu's face than the others, but even when taking this into consideration she couldn't rationalize how she felt.
Bambietta felt her expression automatically soften when she saw Uryu's current state, but he still showed no reaction to the change in her expression.
"I think.. that's enough for now." Bambietta said with an unusually concerned tone.
Uryu silently nodded in understanding before taking out a Ginto vial and melting the dagger back into a liquid state which shows that the construct was the result of a Ginto spell rather than a traditional construct.
Bambietta helped him back to their cave which had a few vials of Ryukens paste and other Quincy healing appliances. When they got back, Bambietta laid Uryu down in their tent before she got out the medical supplies.
Bambietta returned to his side once she got everything she needed, and Uryu allowed her to treat his injuries.
"How long do you think it'll take to heal?" Uryu faintly asked while she applied his fathers healing paste to his chest.
"Probably under a week with this."
Uryu once again nodded, and she then left the tent after she finished to give him time to change out of his ruined clothes. Uryu had opted to stay in the cave after he was released from the hospital, and Bambietta promptly followed along with him. Due to this they both brought along a ton of additional belongings that they didn't keep there before. Bambietta wondered why he didn't want to return to his fathers house considering that she didn't tell him about Ryukens intention to use Letz Stil, but she didn't want to bother him about it.
After Uryu changed he popped out of the back tent while Bambietta scraped together some canned food that they had.
'Todays your first day of school, right?" Uryu curiously asked while he sat beside her.
"Mhmm." She muttered in response with her voice being muffled by the food in her mouth. School hadn't been a concern for them whatsoever since they were both on break, but that break was over which meant that they didn't have the luxury of just disregarding it like they did before.
"Aren't you going to go?"
Bambietta swallowed her food before answering. "Nah. Besides, it's your first day of school too, but you're dressed in your Quincy garbs rather than your school uniform."
"I don't really have anything to look forward to at school, but you have those friends that you told me about. The ones who remembered your birthday and got you that beret. You didn't tell them why you left, so they're probably worried about you."
Bambietta remorsefully looked at the floor without responding. It was true that she didn't contact them at all during her time with Uryu. It also didn't help that she didn't explain why she left either. This hardly even crossed her mind until now when she was directly confronted with reality which angered her way more than she showed. While they were all most likely worried by her. She didn't even give them the courtesy of so much as thinking about them. Being tied up with Uryu is hardly an excuse for that. This realization made her feel disgusted with herself which then caused her to grow increasingly frustrated with her own feelings.
"I think that you should go. At least for today to let them know that you're fine." Uryu elaborated while she continued to stare at the floor. She eventually composed herself and lifted her head up, so she could speak to Uryu face to face.
"But what about you?" Bambietta demanded with concern. Despite her negligence towards her friends, nothing changes Uryu's current vulnerability to both Hollows and his father. She didn't believe that she was in a position to leave him either.
The strange combination of strict sternness and genuine concern in her voice inwardly startled Uryu. It was uncannily similar to the way his mother used to speak to him whenever he endangered himself when he was a toddler. He didn't think that he'd ever hear that voice again after his mother died, but now he can hear it through Bambietta's speech. Uryu was overwhelmed by emotions from being reminded of his mother in this way, but he was able to stay entirely composed.
"I'll be fine." Uryu immediately countered with a strict deadpan tone that resembled his fathers.
"But-"
"Bambietta, please." Uryu sternly interrupted before she could say anything. "I don't want you to miss out on your life because of me."
"Who said that I was missing out by choosing to spend my time with you." Bambietta passionately refuted. She didn't know what was running through Uryu's mind exactly, but she wouldn't allow him to think anything as outright wrong as that. She chose to stick by him on her own accord, so he has no reason to feel responsible for her own mistakes and negligence towards her friends.
"Me"
"What? That barely even makes sense."
"That makes perfect sense." Uryu replied defensively before further elaborating on his reasoning. "I think you're missing out by choosing to spend all your time helping me over your friends."
Bambietta didn't put in any effort to try and refute him. Consequently, she had to experience Uryu throwing her school uniform on top of her as a direct result of that. Bambietta eventually put on her school uniform after some additional coercion and reassurance from Uryu. She chose to follow along despite her doubts regarding his safety out of respect for Uryu and his wishes. She understood that he didn't want to feel responsible for Bambietta's isolation from her friends even though Bambietta didn't think that he should hold this against himself whatsoever.
Once she put on her school uniform she handed Uryu the beret that was practically part of her Quincy attire by this point for safe keeping. Uryu gratefully nodded at her before she silently left without looking back.
"Time to shine, Ichigo!"
Ichigo barely had time to react and dodge before his dad slammed into his bed. He managed to curl up and avoid his dads tackle just before he would've otherwise gotten slammed by him. Ichigo instantly reacted by kicking his insufferable father in the face.
"Oww, what was that for?!" Isshin groaned while he covered his injured nose to prevent blood from dripping onto Ichigo's bed.
"What?! You're the one who dived into my bed. I'm the one who should be asking that." Ichigo replied irritably, sparing no sympathy for his father.
"Well, I couldn't just let you sleep through the first day of school." Argued Isshin while he stole some tissues from the corner of Ichigo's room.
"I had an alarm. And besides, when have I ever missed the first day of school?"
"You're almost a teen now. The things that were true before might not apply anymore, I mean when I was your age I-"
Ichigo silenced him by pushing a pillow into his face which muffled his voice before silently heading to the bathroom with his school uniform in hand. Ichigo sighed as he stared at himself in the mirror before taking out a toothbrush and toothpaste and beginning his typical school morning routine.
It's been so long that it felt unusual to return to his school. After he finished brushing his teeth he was interrupted by a knock on the door while he was getting dressed.
Ichigo responded by knocking back on the door which earned a small chuckle from the other side of the door which he immediately recognised as Yuzu.
"Do you need anything Yuzu?" Ichigo asked while he finished putting on his outfit.
"No, I just came to tell you that breakfast is ready."
"What are we having?" Ichigo replied tiredly while he opened the door which allowed him to see Yuzu's excited expression.
"It's a surprise." Yuzu answered before taking Ichigo's hand and rushing them downstairs. Yuzu rushed them into the dining room where Karin and his dad were already waiting.
"About time."
Ichigo completely tuned out Karins complaint while he focused on the meal in front of him. It included some biscuits, mashed potatoes and white gravy. Ichigo immediately recognized this dish. It was something that his mother would make for them on the Weekends when she had the time. It was a pretty unusual breakfast to them, but it was so good that they never complained about it. Ichigo automatically began reminiscing upon seeing this reminder of their mother, and he unknowingly frowned upon being reminded that he was the reason why she wasn't here.
"Take a seat Ichigo." Yuzu reminded him while taking out his chair for him
"Right, my bad."
Ichigo took his seat while Yuzu scurried over to hers. As soon as they were both seated Karin instantly started eating what was in front of her, not that Ichigo can blame her because he practically did the same thing. Their mom didn't have a recipe book, so he had no idea how Yuzu managed to replicate it.
"Holy shit that looks good." Declared a distorted voice fervently
None of them replied to the voice whatsoever. Mostly because Ichigo was the only one who can actually hear the spirits speech.
"Hey Ichigo, there's some weird ghost by your shoulder." Yuzu stated, only being able to make out the vague silhouette of the spirit.
"I know, this one's rather chatty." Ichigo responded critically while glaring at the spirit above his shoulder.
"Aye that's my fault man. If I was talking too much then you could have just told me."
Ichigo tiredly sighed and continued eating his food.
"Yuzu, how'd you learn how to make this? It tastes the exact same as it did when mom would make it." Karin stated while she was simultaneously chewing her biscuit.
"Dad helped me figure out the recipe." Yuzu answered, which made both Ichigo and Karin turn to their father in disbelief.
"Oh, don't worry about it. It was nothing."
"You're telling me that dad can cook." Ichigo asked Yuzu.
"Well, she never said that! I just happened to have the recipe written down somewhere."
"Bullshit. You just don't wanna cook yourself." Karin boldly claimed with a smug smile on her face as if she caught Isshin doing something he wasn't supposed to; it's an expression you'd expect to see on the parent rather than the child.
"Come on, if you ever tasted my food you'd immediately realize why I'm not the cook, right Yuzu."
"I thought that your cooking was fine." Yuzu replied plainly which earned a scoff from Karin and a gasp of betrayal and disbelief from her father.
"Well, Yuzu likes everything. She's an outlier, not the standard." Isshin pleaded.
"That's it, how about you cook something for once rather than making Yuzu do it?"
"But I like cooking!" Yuzu innocently interjected which made Karin audibly groan and give up.
None of them noticed that Ichigo was watching the scene unfold before him without any determinable expression on his face besides shame. Over the course of the school break they had tried to return to some form of normalcy for one reason or another, but it wasn't the same because she wasn't there.
It was the first new school year that started without his mother. She would always be the one to wake him on the first day of school, so he wouldn't be late since he always forgot to set his alarm before the first day of school. Then she'd take his hand and guide him downstairs where breakfast would already be prepared. Karin never argued with dad back then since she'd always be there to diffuse it unlike now. Yuzu wouldn't be the one doing house chores years too early since she'd be there to do them for her. Dad was somehow somewhat civilized since she was able to properly manage him. All that changed though because of him. He watched as Karin hid her emotions so no one would pity her, and he watched while Yuzu tried to fill the missing gap that was left by her death. Even now, they don't sound like they did when she was still alive. They sounded like they always had some type of burden on them and it was entirely his fault. She died because of him. How could the others manage to put up with him after that?
"Ichigo, you okay?" Asked Yuzu who must have noticed that he was severely zoned out.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Ichigo reassured her before finishing his food. "Anyways, I'll end up being late if I don't get out of here soon."
"Bye Ichigo!" Yuzu yelled out while he left the room and put on his school bag. He subtly waved bye to her before leaving the clinic.
The aimless spirit followed along with him for whatever reason. They've become more abundant now more than ever before. Ever since his mother died, and Bambietta showed up it's been nearly constant. He realized that each one of the spirits had the capability of becoming a hollow. Ichigo recalled the appearance of the quadrupedal hollow that attacked him and realized that the creature was once a regular human, a passive soul which was corrupted; despite its previous humanity the Quincies still killed it. They were evil spirits but at some point they were just like everyone else.
The Quincies, a clan which kills the dead to protect the living. Are they the reason why he'd never encountered a hollow up until that point? Ichigo sighed knowing that his doubts and questions probably wouldn't ever be addressed.
Ichigo ignored the spirit that followed him while he approached the bench where Bambi waited for him. For the first time since they started walking to school together, Bambietta wasn't there. Ichigo rationalized that she might just be running late but the longer he waited the more doubtful he became. He eventually cut his losses and continued his regular walk towards the school. He knew that he'd show up late as is, so he couldn't keep on perpetually waiting for Bambi. The two of them usually picked up Mizuiro along the way as well since they all used the same route, but Ichigo figured that he probably already left ahead of them due to how late he was.
As much as he tried to keep his mind off of it, he couldn't help but feel concerned for Bambi. She'd been hanging out with him someday like she usually does, but she suddenly left because of a sudden emergency. That was the first time he saw Bambi scared even if it was for a brief moment. She quickly wiped her visible fear off her face just as quickly as it suddenly appeared before she sprinted away from him. None of them have seen her since then. None of them knew where she lived so they had no way of finding her or knowing what happened.
Before she left, Bambietta told Ichigo not to worry about her and that she'll be fine, so he let her go without any interference. Back then he didn't know that'd be the last time he saw her. He clung onto her words to reassure himself that she was safe, yet he still felt worried. With each passing day he felt more and more uncertain about her words.
As a result he became more regretful overtime as well. He continuously thought about how he could have better handled that situation.
He trailed down their usual path, and he wasn't surprised to see that Mizuiro wasn't in his usual waiting spot. It's not like he'd be able to talk about his concerns regarding Bambietta to him anyways. The only other person he knew he'd be able to discuss that with was Tatsuki who was just as close to Bambi as he was, if not even closer. He noticed that Bambiettas disappearance was weighing down on her too. She was willing to go as far as to alert the authorities, but Ichigo managed to convince her out of it after reminding her that Bambi told them not to worry about her.
Ichigo knew that the bell which indicated the start of class had already rung before he even reached the school. Once he arrived he dejectedly entered the building without any concern about his late arrival. It was the first day so he'll probably be able to make up an excuse for why he was late anyways as long as his homeroom teacher wasn't bitchy. He leisurely walked through the halls until he found his homeroom class.
"Ichigo Kurosaki, you're late." The teacher scolded bitterly the moment Ichigo walked through the door causing Ichigo's to roll his eyes out of annoyance as soon as she looked away.
"I realized."
"Sit in that empty seat in the front." She sternly demanded. Ichigo followed along while simultaneously analyzing the class for anyone he recognized, but nobody he was familiar with shared the class with him. This annoyed Ichigo since there were two main groups of students within every grade which can appropriately be divided into group A and B. If he couldn't recognize anyone in his home classroom then he was most likely put into a different group than all of his friends.
The impatient teacher waited for a few more minutes before heavily sighing when no one else arrived. "So be it. Everyone not currently here will be marked late." She declared.
Ichigo rested on his hand while the teacher went through the students until she reached Bambietta.
"Bambietta isn't here, so she'll be marked absent." The teacher explained to no one in particular. Ichigo's eyes only grew more downcast when he heard the teacher mention her name. As the class went on, Ichigo grew completely dissociated from the introductory lesson since he couldn't keep his mind off of Bambietta's safety and the existence of hollows. The anxiety which he'd been building up ever since she vanished was reaching an overwhelming boiling point. He couldn't think of any way to rationalize it. Tatsuki's suggestion became more and more inviting every day. If anything, he probably should have supported Tatsuki's proposal from the start, and he once again started reflecting on how he could have handled everything differently. If it comes down to it he'll just discuss it with Tatsuki again later.
The bell eventually rang and Ichigo immediately roamed the hallways for Tatsuki, fully knowing that they wouldn't have the same class, but he couldn't help it. He hurriedly wandered through the halls of the other wing of his grade with the small hope of coincidentally running into Tatsuki in the halls. He picked out what he believed to be Tatsuki's figure through the waves of people in the halls. He pushed through the horde to reach her, but what really surprised him was that she was walking alongside Bambietta which left Ichigo speechless.
Bambietta appeared visibly stressed and tired, yet she still slightly smiled when she saw Ichigo begin unintelligibly stammering which was all the reassurance that Ichigo needed.
"I'm fine Ichigo… Sorry that I couldn't explain things better back then. I would have saved everyone a ton of time and stress."
"Don't worry about that." Ichigo said in a clearly relieved and glad tone of voice. Bambietta was astounded by how tolerant he was of her bullshit, but she didn't express it. "I am curious about what exactly happened though."
Ichigo noticed that Bambietta's expression shifted for the worse when he asked this, and he immediately tried to take it back.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
Bambietta nodded gratefully in response. After an awkward pause Ichigo changed the subject and ignited another conversation.
"So um, why'd you miss first period. We had the same homeroom teacher."
"I had to take a different route to get here than the usual one and I got to school at the same time Tatsuki did. She suggested that we skip a period to catch up after seeing each other's schedules and finding out that we didn't share any classes. I didn't think that you'd be there, so I was fine with skipping class." Bambietta explained in embarrassment. Undoubtedly due to her sudden disappearance and return.
"Oh, by the way, can I check your schedule? If we shared our homeroom class then we probably shared a few other classes." Bambietta added in something which somewhat resembled her usual tone of voice which eased Ichigo a bit more.
"Yeah." Ichigo responded while he took a crumpled up piece of paper from his pockets before handing it to her.
"Look at that we share two more classes. This period and the last period."
Tatsuki, who'd been silent up until this point patted Bambietta on the shoulder before speaking.
"Don't go out disappearing on us again, at least not without explaining why first." Tatsuki demanded threateningly which admittedly intimidated Ichigo since he'd learnt to fear that tone of voice from years of training with Tatsuki, but Bambietta on the other hand was entirely unphased by this.
"Yeah, I won't." Bambietta nonchalantly replied which seemingly didn't satisfy Tatsuki whatsoever.
"I promise." She elaborated with an uncharacteristically soft voice which convinced both Ichigo and Tatsuki about her sincerity.
"Well, I'll see you later then." Tatsuki said with a drastically different demeanor. Ichigo always wondered how Bambietta and Tatsuki could just flip their mood that quickly. Tatsuki casually left in the opposite direction while simultaneously waving bye without even looking at them.
"So we have gym second period?"
"Gym with you? At that point I might as well not even show up. I already know how that's gonna go."
Bambietta loudly scoffed just like she always did. Even though it's only been a few moments it almost felt as if she never vanished at all. Her presence made everything feel normal again despite how long it's been.
The two of them were the last ones to reach the gym, but the PE teacher who they'd grown acquainted with over their time at the school wasn't a stickler for the rules whatsoever, so he let it slide without question. Since it was the first day they didn't have much to do. He just handed out a few forms which needed to be signed, and he then gave the students a free period, letting them do whatever. Ichigo and Bambietta sat on the bleachers while they caught up with each other.
Ichigo took out a biscuit which he snuck from his house and offered it to Bambi in much the same way Bambietta did on the first day they met, and she then promptly turned him down. Ichigo didn't pressure her to accept it; he instead shrugged his shoulders and started eating it himself.
Bambietta randomly started the conversation by bringing up the same question that she previously shut down.
"Do you remember when you asked what exactly what I had to leave for? I already told Tatsuki so I might as well let you know too. I don't really know why I didn't before, but that's besides the point." Explained Bambietta, much more in control of her emotions this time around.
Ichigo looked at her curiously before while she started explaining what happened.
"A close friend of mine was severely injured, so I immediately went to help them as soon as I could. I helped take them to the hospital at which point I stuck by them until they were healthy enough to take care of themselves again, so I didn't have an opportunity to tell you or the others about what happened."
Much to Bambietta's embarrassment, Ichigo stared at her sympathetically which wasn't exactly a good feeling for Bambietta. She despised being pitied because of how weak it made her feel, but she didn't bring this up to anyone.
Ichigo stammered over his words while trying to form a response until Bambietta eventually cut him off.
"So what'd you do over the break?" Bambi asked in an attempt to change the discussion.
"Not much, I didn't really do anything. I was pretty out of it most of the time, so I just stayed in my room for most of the break."
Bambietta stared at the floor, knowing that she and Ichigo would always meet up with some of the others and hang out together for hours on end sometimes. But Ichigo hasn't been doing that. Ever since she left Ichigo's been secluded within his room. The others wouldn't just leave him behind which means that he intentionally secluded himself, seemingly because of her.
Bambietta was just now starting to realize just how severely her actions affected them. Tatsuki was up front with Bambietta about how worried she and Ichigo were for her, but she only now realized the full severity of it due to seeing just how much she affected Ichigo even though he didn't say it. She'd left Ichigo without warning or any reassurance despite being aware of his insecurities and how much his mothers death still affected him. Bambietta never considered the ramifications of her actions until Uryu brought it up. If it wasn't for Uryu's coercion she'd still be with him right now.
For the first time since Bambietta could remember, she felt some type of guilt and remorse for her actions which was strange to her. By all means she undeniably committed acts that are exponentially more heinous than this, but she didn't feel any sympathy or remorse for those actions whatsoever. There was no point in time where she ever felt remorse for the victims she hurt or killed in the Wandenreich or otherwise, but this was different. Bambietta couldn't rationalize why she felt so bad for this but felt nothing when it came to her more conventionally cruel actions.
Ichigo noticed that Bambietta zoned out until her eyes suddenly widened as if she had some sort of epiphany. Her eyes then softly narrowed again, faintly displaying some form of guilt or shame that he'd never seen on her face. Ichigo didn't want to intrude on her personal life anymore than he already did, but Bambietta's unforeseen expression of guilt was far too alarming for him to just disregard it.
Ichigo playfully hit her shoulder which brought her back to reality. Surprisingly, Bambietta didn't react with irritation like she usually would which confirmed that something was off.
"I thought I told you not to worry about it? Ichigo reassured her, having precisely concluded what was bothering her.
"Right." Bambietta said with a vague smile on her face which eased Ichigo a bit.
"Seriously, there's no reason for you to feel bad about it."
Bambietta nodded slightly, but she wasn't convinced. It's not that she didn't think Ichgio was being insincere, she knew that he entirely meant his words. Rather, she simply didn't agree with him. Bambietta couldn't understand how Ichigo was able to set it aside so easily. Even though she was grateful to him for his lenience, she didn't see Ichigo's pardon as an excuse to avoid accountability for what she put them through.
"How are you able to forgive so easily after what I put you all through?" Bambietta mistakenly uttered. Despite her curiosity over Ichigo's reasoning, she hadn't met to say that out loud and she mentally cursed herself for it. She didn't want to bother Ichigo with her concerns, but she'd already said what she said. She instantly doubled down by elaborating on her spoken thoughts further. "Even before I explained my reasoning, you'd already forgiven me."
She looked over at Ichigo while she waited for him to respond. Ichigo appeared to put some thought into it before he eventually responded.
"Well, I guess it's because I found out that you were safe. To me that's all that all that mattered. Like I said before, there's no reason for you to feel bad about it regardless of why you left it."
Bambietta didn't initially respond at first. She stooped forward and stared at the floor which allowed her hair to conceal her face. Ichigo worriedly looked at her, fearing that he somehow said the wrong thing. Before Ichigo could speak Bambietta looked back up at him with an emotional smile on her face which surprised Ichigo since yet again this isn't something he'd expect from her.
"I think I understand."
Ichigo audibly let out a sigh of relief before slouching back on the bleachers.
"Besides Tatsuki, do the others know that you're back yet?"
"Nope, not yet." Bambietta quietly responded while fixing her sitting posture unlike Ichigo.
"Wanna surprise them at my house later?" Ichigo asked her mischievously.
"Yeah, why not. Do you have anything in mind?
Bambietta immediately recognized Ichigo's delinquent tone and realized his intentions.
"Yup." Ichigo answered that he took out a few deflated balloons.
"Do you casually carry around balloons in your bag?" Bambietta teased when Ichigo handed her the balloons.
"Not really. It would have been my moms birthday in a few days, so I guess I bought them out of habit." He said in response to her question in a drastically different tone before quickly catching himself. "Well now I'll have an actual use for them. All I need you to do is set these up, and then you'll let them loose when the others show up. I'll tell them to hangout at my house either at lunch or after school today, and I doubt they'll have anything better to do."
"Got it. I'll make sure that it's something they'll remember."
Ichigo was about to respond, but the clock on the far end of the gymnasium caught his attention. "Look at the clock. The period is already about to end."
"It doesn't even feel like it's been that long." Bambietta commented disappointedly. "In any case I'll see you later then."
A ringing noise immediately played on the intercom right after she finished which indicated the end of the class period. Bambietta waved bye to Ichigo before strolling out of the gymnasium with anticipation.
After the final period ended, Bambietta immediately darted to Tatsuki's classroom after making sure to say bye to Ichigo. Bambietta sat by the door while waiting for Tatsuki's class to be let out. She guessed that Tatsuki was stuck with another group of delinquents who held up the entire class with their antics again. After a few minutes an scarily annoyed Tatsuki strolled out the classroom behind a wave of similarly angsty classmates.
"Damn, what happened in there?" Bambietta asked jokingly while standing up to follow behind Tatsuki.
"Bitchy teacher." Tatsuki said tiredly. Bambietta noted that whatever happened in that classroom made her look about a decade older than she was due to how worn out she was. Bambietta was somewhat curious about what happened in that classroom, but she didn't think it was worth asking.
"Tell me about it. I wish that we can go back to last year already." Replied Bambietta while she reminisced on her rather lackluster and irritating school day, and then compared it to the entertaining antics they all go into the previous school year. She did recognize that it was just the first day, and her first day of class the previous school year didn't at all indicate how enjoyable her experience would go on to be, so she reminded herself to keep a positive outlook despite her mostly miserable first day.
"To be fair It's not all bad, at least for me it isn't." Tatsuki stated as if she was trying to convince herself that her words were true, but Bambietta didn't notice this subtle shift in Tatsuki's mannerism in spite of her usual perceptiveness.
"It's good to hear that at least someone has a decent day."
"Now, I never said that. Today still sucked but that aside, you wanna go out later?" Tatsuki asked with her signature enthusiasm which Bambietta always immediately recognized.
"I would, but Ichigo and I already planned to surprise Keigo and Mizuiro at his house later." Bambietta explained nonchalantly, not noticing the way Tatsuki's newfound enthusiasm vanished after she said this.
"Ichigo gave me a few balloons. I'm gonna fill them with water, and toss em at Mizuiro and Keigo as soon as they get through the door." Declared Bambietta nefariously which elicited a smile from Tatsuki.
"That does sound pretty fun."
"You should come along with me. It's probably gonna take a while for the others to get there, so we'll have a bunch of spare time."
Tatsuki seemingly deeply considered Bambiettas offer before she eventually responded. "Thanks, but I'll pass for now."
Bambietta was visibly disappointed to hear this, but she didn't want to annoy Tatsuki by continuously trying to convince her to join them. The two of them left the building through a side door before Bambietta waved by to her.
"I'll be at Ichigo's house if you change your mind." Bambietta abruptly added before she left. Tatsuki nodded in response, but didn't say anything. Bambietta noticed that something was off, but she couldn't point out the reason why.
"I'll see you soon." Bambietta finished before finally leaving. Bambietta took an alternative route to Ichigo's house, so she wouldn't risk getting spotted by the others early. She couldn't keep her mind off of what was off with Tatsuki. During the entire walk to Ichigo's clinic, Bambietta was overthinking all of her and Tatsuki's previous actions. She couldn't properly determine what was wrong or what caused it, but she still told herself that she'd make sure to resolve whatever the issue was regardless.
Bambietta knocked on Ichigo's clinic after carefully checking to make sure that Ichigo, Mizuiro and Keigo weren't nearby, and she was nearly immediately greeted by Yuzu.
"Bambietta!" She exclaimed before instantly hugging Bambietta much to her surprise. Yuzu clung onto her with way too much strength for such a young girl. Bambietta almost wondered if she somehow learned blut arterie before hesitantly reciprocating Yuzu's hug. Even though they've only seen each other a handful of times, Yuzu had already grown pretty attached to Bambietta for whatever reason.
"We should go inside." Bambietta told her after eventually breaking her hug. Yuzu excitedly nodded, and took her hand to guide her into her home.
The first thing she saw upon entering was Ichigo's eccentric dad popping up from around the corner.
"Oh, Bambietta!" That fully grown man yelped with even more excitement than the actual child. She forcibly reminded herself that this man-child was somehow a captain at one point.
"Hey Isshin." Responded Bambietta cordially while she remained trapped in Yuzu's grip.
"We weren't expecting anyone, so the house kinda looks like crap, but feel free to make yourself feel home."
Bambietta simply nodded in acknowledgement before Isshin took off to go do whatever. This was the most normal thing he'd said to Bambietta yet. He usually acts much more eccentric than this. Bambietta guessed that he probably didn't want to put her off with his behavior since as far as she knows, Isshin's entirely unaware of why she stopped showing up. Isshin behaving normally was a completely unexpected merit of her disappearing which she kept in mind. Bambietta waited for Isshin to disappear entirely before continuing.
"Yuzu, I need you to help me with something. Me and Ichigo are gonna prank Mizuiro and Keigo. You wanna help." Bambietta to the impressionable girl who quickly nodded at her.
"Alright so the plan is to throw a few water balloons at them as soon as they walk through the door. They aren't supposed to see me though, so you'll be the one to answer the door. After this I'll toss a few water balloons at them as soon as they round the corner."
Yuzu gave her a thumbs up before speaking. "I'll set up some towels, so you don't wet the floor."
She then scampered off to go get some towels, and Bambietta waited on the stairs while her thoughts shifted to everything else that was happening. Yuzu got back absurdly quickly, and she quickly broke Bambietta out of her stupor.
"I got the towels."
"Thanks Yuzu, I'll set them up."
Bambietta let Yuzu roam freely while she set up the towels, making sure that it covered everything important along with most of the floor by the front door. After this she went to the kitchen to fill the balloons before handing them to Yuzu for safekeeping.
"By the way, where's Karin?
"She's at soccer practice right now. She has a match in a few days." Yuzu answered proudly before the two of them sat on the stairs and began waiting for the others to show up.
"They should be here any minute now." Claimed Bambietta while the two of them sketched on a notepad, waiting for someone to show up. Bambietta showed her how to draw various simple shapes as a basis for more complex and detailed sketches, and she then tried to explain and demonstrate how perspective and shadows work. She had no way of telling how well Yuzu was taking in let alone retaining this information, but she was completely entranced by Bambiettas sketches, so Bambietta assumed that Yuzu was learning from her drawn out examples.
"You wanna try?" Asked Bambietta while she gestured to her school notepad which she was drawing on.
"Mhmm"
Bambietta then handed Yuzu her notepad, and she watched as she drew various things. While it was still the art of a toddler, Bambietta noticed that Yuzu retained and tried to apply the things that she was explaining to her prior which was more than enough to satisfy Bambietta. Before Yuzu could finish there was an abrupt knock on the door, and Bambietta immediately took her position while Yuzu opened the door.
"Thanks, Yuzu." Said a voice which Bambietta instantly recognized to be Tatsuki, so she put her balloons down before greeting her.
"I was starting to think that you wouldn't show up."
"I couldn't bring myself to skip a free opportunity to splash those dumbasses." Tatsuki replied in her usual tone. Whatever it was that was bothering her earlier was gone which relieved Bambietta. Tatsuki took a seat on the kitchen counter while Bambietta gave her notepad back to Yuzu. Bambietta quickly took out a chair, so she could talk to Tatsuki until the others showed up.
"Since no one else is here right now, what happened earlier?" Bambietta hesitantly asked, fully aware of how insensitive her question could be. Tatsuki's expression shifted while she thought of what to say. She audibly sighed and rubbed her face before eventually speaking.
"It's not your fault, but I was hoping to hang out with you just the two of us y'know. After how long it's been it was pretty disappointing to hear that you made plans with the boys already. I know that I'm not entitled to your time but still." Addressed Tasuki with visible embarrassment which Bambietta paid no mind to.
"I get that."
Bambietta was able to put herself in her shoes. She'd disappeared for over a month without warning, and then when she came back she didn't even offer to go out with the person she'd consider her best friend. Bambietta would be far angrier than Tatsuki if the same thing happened to her. She once again couldn't comprehend how the others were so tolerant of her, but she was grateful for them nonetheless.
"We can go to the movies sometime if you want. Just us two."
Tatsuki appreciatively nodded at her, resulting in Bambietta letting out a subtle sigh of relief.
"Do you have any particular movie in mind?"
"Actually yeah, there's this-"
She was promptly cut off by more knocks on the door and they both immediately took their positions around a corner while Yuzu went to open the door. Bambietta was able to detect that Ichigo was the first to enter with her inhuman perception, and she extended her hand to stop Tatsuki from turning the corner.
"What's with the towels?"
"There was a spill." Yuzu instantly answered on the fly. Ichigo played along and excitedly continued into the house like Bambietta expected.
Moments later two more pairs of footsteps entered the residence.
"That's them." Bambietta mouthed to Tatsuki after Mizuiro and Keigo walked in. Once they got close enough, Bambietta and Tatsuki simultaneously rounded the corner they were hiding behind, and they tossed their balloons at them which splashed them on impact. Bambietta even managed to hit Keigo in the face. Twice.
"What the fuck!" Keigo yelled while Mizuiro muttered some intelligible nonsense while shaking his arms. Keigo looked up with a bittersweet expression when he noticed Bambietta. Ichigo stared at the scene and silently laughed at the sight in front him before coming before him to his senses.
"What'd you do that for? This is gonna take forever to clean, even with the towels!"
"Is that seriously your only concern right now?" Interjected Keigo irritably while taking off his shirt. Yuzu stumbled over with more towels even though nobody asked her to get them and handed them to Mizuiro and Keigo.
"You said to surprise them and gave me a bunch of balloons. I thought it was self explanatory." Bambietta said nonchalantly while the others dried off.
"That's not what I met!" Ichigo said with alarm while staring at his floor. Bambietta remorsefully scratched the back of her head while Tatsuki just shrugged her shoulders. Ichigo tiredly sighed. They had the courtesy to cover up everything important, and they had enough towels on the floor to stop the wood floor from getting too wet.
"If you were planning on splashing them then you should have done it outside."
"How considerate of you." Keigo added irritably which promptly got ignored by everyone else.
"We might get mold now."
"Mold?" Bambietta questioned which got everyone else to stare at her. "Why's everyone staring at me?"
"Do you seriously not know what mold is?"
"Umm, no? Am I supposed to know that."
"It's a fungus that grows in warm and moist areas." Ichigo explained, which caused Mizuiro to subtly laugh. "Shut up Mizuiro."
Bambietta just stared at the mess they made with visible guilt in her expression before crouching down to help Ichigo clean up.
"Yuzu, can you get clothes from my closet for Mizuiro and Keigo?"
Yuzu nodded and darted up the stairs towards Ichigo's room. Ichigo noticed the downcast remorseful look on Bambi's face which was much more concerning to him than his floor and walls.
"Bambi, don't worry about this. It's nothing serious."
Bambietta gratefully smiled and nodded at him, but otherwise didn't respond. The two of them finished drying everything down at the same time Mizuiro and Keigo came downstairs with Ichigo's clothes.
"Leave your wet clothes here, I'll put them in the drier."
Keigo and Mizuiro tossed their wet clothes at Ichigo much to his annoyance.
"Since we're all here, you guys wanna watch something."
Bambietta and Ichigo nodded from the floor while Mizuiro instantly went to stretch out on Ichigo's couch the moment Tatsuki finished her sentence. Bambietta, Tatsuki and Keigo followed behind Mizuiro while Ichigo left to put the wet clothes in a drier.
Tatsuki, Mizuiro and Keigo took up the majority of the couch space, so Bambietta sat on the armchair. Ichigo and Yuzu got back while they were picking a movie and Ichigo sat on the edge of the couch while Yuzu sat with Bambietta. The others eventually scrolled to a channel which was playing a decent movie, and Yuzu nuzzled closer to Bambietta. It was a pretty awkward position, but Bambietta wasn't so cruel as to unnecessarily move Yuzu. While she watched the movie she realized how peaceful it felt here in comparison to the Wandenreich. The only other time she felt like this was when she was with Uryu. The thought of that made her wonder what he was doing with his free time. Well, she got her answer when she felt his reiatsu flare up in the distance. Despite his injuries, he was still a Quincy with his own duties. Nothing would change that.
Sorry that it took so long to get out such an uneventful chapter. The writers block was crazy. I think I mentioned somewhere last chapter that I wrote most of that chapter in one day. The same cannot be said for this chapter. I would sit down, stare at my computer, write 3 setences (yes, 3 setences), get stuck on what to write next and then stop for the reat of the day. Especially the character moments. It was a struggle to write any character dynamic besides Uryu and Bambietta. The other main issue is that the introduction is mostly over, but the main plot still hasn't started yet which is a real strange position. I can't just skip these chapters either since I have to introduce Chad and Orihime. On that topic I was planning on intruducing Orihime this chapter, but I reread the start of the manga to make sure that the continuity was right, and she doesn't meet Ichigo until high school except when her brother was hospitalized. Ichigo also meets Chad in 8th grade so neither of these characters can be introduced this soon.
I also think that I'm going too fast with Bambietta's character arc, but at the same time I don't wanna write filler chapters with nothing of value in them until the plot gets going again with Rukia's introduction either. Speaking of which, with my style of writing I have major character moments in mind and then just fill in the blanks to reach those character moments as I go along. As it stands I have 2 major scenes planned for next chapter (One of which is still conceptual, and I have no idea how I'll execute it), but I have literally nothing else thought out, so next chapter might take just as long to release as this chapter did.
On the bright side though I've thought a bunch of characters moments, dynamics and interactions and I've mostly figured out the plot of the story later down the line when the story truly diverges from the canon story. Ulquiorra, Quilge, Jugram, Uryu and a character that can't be named yet are the characters that I'll look foward to writing the most. Especially Ulquiorra. Out of all the dynamics and interactions I've thought out, his is my favorite.
Something that should be mentioned is that I've been revising previous chapters which was mostly grammatical and clarity changes (There's an intolerable amount of grammatical and spelling errors. Idk how y'all put up with it, and it's real obvious that I don't proofread my chapters). There's also a seri s minor additions and changes too. For instance I refer to Hirenkyaku by a different name in chapter one and added a scene of Quilge telling Bambietta to use the Ishida's Japanese terminology in chapter 2. These are minor additions and changes thougj. The only major change is the start of chapter 1 with Yhwach, and I do plan on extending chapter 7 eventually which I believe I mentioned at some point.
I also didn't proof read this chapter since I wanna get it out as fast as possibly, so it'll probably have more grammatical errors than usual which is already bad as is.
P.s: I added the Uryu x Bambietta tag a while ago. I've decided on Uryu x Bambietta a WHILE ago while I conceptualizing the story. I just now actually added it, so there isn't any wonder about what the main ship will be anymore.