After that disastrous evening, the children came back with twinning handprints on their necks. The matron treated them while interrogating them, implying not-so-subtly that whoever did that "should have one of Uchiha's siked on them." When Ichigo finished his story, the matron soured and sent them to an early dinner and bedtime.

Ichigo passed out the moment he fell asleep while he continued mulling over the events.

It's not like he's a psychopath and has an extreme hatred for children.

Ban furrowed his brows as caught the sun setting ever so slowly...

If he was, he wouldn't have been allowed near the orphanage at all. Plus, the matron would decide if the Konoha military police force should be called.

It was out of the question if the man was acting with malicious intent. The answer was a clear 'no.' All children would be informed if there was a crazy man going around trying to choke them.

It was also wartime. No way can a psychopath harm the next generation of precious soldiers. Since it's not harmful, it left the only option as choking being... beneficial?

How could choking be beneficial?

They were talking about shinobi life. They were talking about power. Power, and shinobi life? He hummed as it clicked.

Slowly, the sun set lower and lower...

That was a demonstration and a test to make sure we were fit to be shinobi.

Ban curled up to turn in early as well.

The next morning, he had to convince Ichigo that they should continue being around the old man. They needed him.

Shinobi-sama would not hurt them for a bad reason. It was for their own good.

"No! I don't want to talk to him anymore!" Ichigo huffed and stomped further into the foliage. Ban bit his lip and trialed along the same path. Ichigo seemed to have lost his idolization, but he knew him.

He still liked him.

If Ban could just justify Ichigo forgiving the man, then Ichigo would have no problem still basking in the presence of the other.

"It's not like he was trying to kill us. He probably just wanted to show us what being a shinobi is like," He argued as Ichigo marched onwards. He stumbled after him, pushing the bush that rebounded into his face.

"Psh-whatever reason it was for," Ichigo rolled his eyes, "He hurt you!"

Ban tugged his shirt again. A part of him would never forgive the old man for hurting Ichigo either, but Ban forced himself to look past that.

They both had to.

But he ran out of coaxing techniques and had nothing smart to say, so he could only appeal with, "'Go..."

The other boy continued, pout clear on his face as his eyes firmly glued to the bug, "I can't accept someone who hurts my friends, even if it's the old man."

And with that, Ichigo's mouth resolutely shut.

Ban sighed.

He needed time to think this through. He wasn't super quick about things like this. So he took a seat on the dirt floor where the other was crouching, not taking a look at him after that last glance. It was clear Ichigo was sulking.

The boy closed his eyes to think.

He loved this idiot and this idiot was a highly emotional idiot. The way to best appeal to him would probably be to his own motives. But since Ichigo was also a highly protective idiot, he had to find a reason that triumphs over his need to protect Ban. And something that won over his mother-hen instincts...

After he gathered his thoughts, Ban spoke, "But you want to become a shinobi, don't you?" That caught Ichigo's attention as he turned around and raised one eyebrow at him, "You would have to kill others. You're hurting other people's friends."

"So what? It's them, not me," He turned back to the bug, this time a bit more forceful with his pushes, "Even if they're best friends with some other person, that person is not me."

"'Go..." Ban sighed, again. That did not go the way he wanted, "He did it for a good reason."

"I don't care. The old man can die on a mission!" The stick snapped from Ichigo's grip as the boy swerved to direct his fury at Ban. "Look at you!" He snarled with one hand gesturing, "You have his handprints all over your neck!"

Frustration built up as the conversation was getting nowhere, Ban raised his voice, "It was for a lesson!"

"It hurt you!"

"Would it have been fine if it was just you?!"

"Yeah! It would be fine if he only choked me but he choked you!"

Ichigo promptly shut himself up and went back to now murderously jabbing the dirt as he tried to ignore Ban trying to placate him again, "Ichigo, please! He did it to help you be-"

The other boy suddenly got up and began climbing up the nearby tree yelling an angry, "Go away! You're annoying!"

Him?! Annoying?!

All he tried to do was convince his idiot best friend to forgive his idol when he was the one who was choked first-why couldn't this idiot just take the kindness Ban gave to him already—Ban stalked out the forest to get away from Ichigo's furious stench.

When he reached the edge of the clearing, he shouted, "Come to lunch then! You don't have to see him if you don't want to, just don't starve yourself!" and turned back to the main building.

Halfway to the building, he joined Kai who was watching the other children in the playground. The other boy was polite enough to not mention the blue cloud hanging over him… or those nasty handprints. Instead, he made comments about the children playing, and Ban either agreed or quietly disagreed.

Some of the usuals weren't there. There was a missing boy who usually hogged the monkey bars and a girl who liked to bury things in the dirt. The place almost seemed barren without them.

They continued until lunch rolled around and they sat in their usual seats. Ichigo came only to eat. He didn't even rile up to any of Kai's comments as he usually would. At some point, the jabs became more frustrated at the lack of attention, so the Kai roughly pushed Ichigo out of the dining hall while as Ichigo slouched along.

The boy watched and as the afternoon sun took a rest, he saw the man awaiting at the orphanage gates. Shinobi-sama was standing at the same place he usually would, and in his hands was a roll of bandages. The evening sun dyed him bluer than usual.

Ban's lips wobbly tilted slightly as he shuffled forward.

"Good evening, Shinobi-sama," he bowed as he always did, but did not make a move to get him a chair.

Shinobi-sama choked Ichigo. The fingerprints burned into his neck, and even more so into his eyes whenever he saw him. Even if Ban accepted that he did this out of good intentions, the final choice was still with Shinobi-sama to make his belief true.

"Where's the other brat?"

The man's feet wore the same sandals as he fidgeted into a semi-bow, "Ichigo... might need some time to cool down, Shinobi-sama."

"Hmph," the man grunted as he stopped moving his head around, "You're here even after I choked you. Tell me your answer."

His body locked up, air barely passing through his nose. The answer was an obvious but sacrilegious one, "I still do not want power."

There was a scoff, "So why are you still here? Why else would you come to an old man?"

"I... like you Shinobi-sama. You're a very warm person. You're very nice. I just want to... be near you."

"Me? Warm?"

"Yes, sir. You always tell Ichigo your stories, even if sometimes you-you haven't made peace with them. For you, it might just be something small like talking, but for us-at least, having an adult near is... nice."

The man made no other comment, just left him the roll of bandages and turned away. Before he left, he said, "Meet me tomorrow."

A smile spread like butter across his lips as Ban held the bandages, "Yes!"

Perhaps a smile finally graced the man's lips as he walked away from the orphanage, leaving the boy to stand there. As he looked on the empty road, somewhere along the existing takoyaki stand, Ichigo came to mind.

He can't continue without him. Even though he didn't want to become part of the world, Ichigo is going—one way or another. The only difference… would Ichigo be the one kneeling or the one holding up two fingers?

His heart skipped a lonely beat.

Ichigo joining was a must, and Ban was edging towards using any means necessary.

Any means… including being a little bit mean to him…

This wouldn't hurt Ichigo, but it didn't feel right that he couldn't convince Ichigo by just coaxing him, since this would probably cause him stress for the next two days. But he can't go on without him—he knows he can't.

Because if Ichigo wasn't there, one of them is going to die.

Ichigo was going to be there with him tomorrow, through any means necessary.

That evening, after Ichigo successfully avoided him at dinner, Ban stayed up to talk to him. He tried to avoid talking to Ban by staying up later than usual, but he caught him anyway.

As Ichigo slipped into the futon, he began.

"Hey."

"Are you still mad at me?"

There was a little bit more shuffling; Ichigo was getting comfortable under the blanket. Maybe next morning will be better. After he's cooled down-

"No."

His ears perked as he reached to grip the person that now turned to face him. Under the blankets, Ban took a look at his best friend's tired and grumpy face. He wasn't mad anymore, but he was still annoyed.

At least, he was willing to talk with him.

"Shinobi-sama came today."

Ichigo rolled his eyes, "Wow, what a surprise. That old coot didn't die yet."

Ban laughed, "Not yet."

"He came to give us a roll of bandages."

Ichigo's eyes grew skeptical at the thought that someone like Shinobi-sama would know how to apologize.

"You're going to become a shinobi, right?"

Ichigo nodded, cautious of the direction of the conversation.

"When you get strong, people will try to hurt you. They'll try to hurt you through me." Ichigo tightened up, but he cut him, "You must become strong."

"What about you?!" The other began, "Why can't you become strong?!"

"Because if I become strong, they'll try to hurt you instead!" He hated doing something like this, "To become strong, you must go to Shinobi-sama's lessons, even if you don't like him-"

"This is just to get me to forgive him!"

"Yes! Yes, it is!" He repeated, "But you don't have to forgive him. You must go to him. The stronger you are, the more power you have, and the more people you kill. Those people will have people that would grieve their death and come after you. And when they can't reach you, they'll reach for me."

"I'd rather die than go back to that old man," Ichigo swerved around, he whispered behind, "You'd rather I die before you go back to the old man." The boy paused.

"There is no choice in this, Ichigo. You must quit being a shinobi, or go down it with any means necessary."

With that, he turned back into his sleep and tried to sleep. He could feel Ichigo tossing the entire night, making perhaps the most important decision of their lives for them.

If Ichigo didn't attend tomorrow, Ban wouldn't either.

That morning, Ichigo's haggard but determined face met his. He didn't speak further as they worked on their routine in silence. They ate in the morning, Kai noticing the shift in mood between the two of them.

They didn't play in the woods. They sat watching children play on the sandpit. Ichigo opened his mouth first, "You…"

Why… that?

"I…" He couldn't find the right words, that he died and had to speak himself back to life, scratch himself back to reality, "Dream."

"That dream?" Ichigo repeated, "I won't let anyone kill you." His hand crawled nearer to Ichigo. They lay atop one another, faces at the children before them. The weight of the decision is heavy in his mind, and how can they both comprehend this? How can Ichigo stop… the fact that he died?

That evening showed its peaks when, once again, the man with his strange clothing came to the empty chair. Ban folded his legs properly while he sat on the ground. Some place a little further away, Ichigo sat crossing his arms and pouting.

Shinobi-sama ignored Ichigo and once again, began another story.

The next evening, Ichigo sat a little closer. Then the next, then the next. Then the next, and the one after that. Finally, Ichigo took his original place, seemingly to have forgotten whatever grudge he swore he would hold in his heart.

The puzzle pieces fit back into the places they were before, surer, tighter.