Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any of its characters. They belong to Tite Kubo and whoever else actually owns it and I make no money from writing this. This story however is mine and is not to be replicated, reposted, or copied in any way without my consent. Thank you.
…
Of Battles and Blushes
…
The sun was shining, birds were chirping, he was receiving smiles and-or stares wherever he went; for all intents and purposes, the perfect Saturday. That would be of course, except he was still in Soul Society. It seemed fate truly had been keeping an eye out for him, because had it been any other day but Friday that Tatsuki had been abducted to a slumber party, he might have destroyed a few of Seireitei's buildings just to piss off Soul Society in general as revenge for making him overtired for the next school day.
Still, today was a perfect day, and he had even gotten out of the only thing he had been dreading since he had proposed: preparations. He knew the basics of a wedding, sure: bride walks down aisle, priest makes long speech, mushy vows are made, then groom gets to kiss bride at last. That was the extent of his knowledge on the matter, and he knew Tatsuki was probably no better off. The most strained part of their relationship would most likely have been when they were agonizing over how the hell a wedding was supposed to be put on. Now that burden had been lightened all but completely, and he even got both medical guidance and medicinal reiatsu training out of the deal.
Talk about walking away with the upper hand! He thought happily.
Yes, gloriously naïve Ichigo Kurosaki was completely oblivious to what changes would be made to what he still thought somewhere in his mind would be a
small wedding.
Ignorance truly was bliss.
The day was great, the stress was low, and he had managed to use a Kidou without blowing himself to kingdom come. It was so close to perfect he almost thought it couldn't get any better, but he knew he would be wrong if he even
thought that. No less than two days ago had he woken up to the perfect day, but then again a naked Tatsuki lying on top of him kind of made him biased in that opinion. Everything was going in his favor for once.
That was what put him on edge. Everything was
too perfect.
"Ichigo Kurosaki," a deep voice said in greeting from behind him.
Bing bing bing bing bing! We have a winner. Now he was no rocket scientist, but there was only one person who ever addressed him like that, and the voice was unmistakable. Before even turning around, he sighed dramatically and smiled. "Hey Byakuya, what's up?" He twisted around to regard him sluggishly with his arms crossed.
If Byakuya Kuchiki was affected by Ichigo's continued use of his name in the informal tense, his regal posture and unexpressive face didn't show it. As was his usual way, the stoic head of the Kuchiki family looked down on the savior of Soul Society with the look that could only be achieved by one of higher status looking down on one of common heritage. Unlike his usual glance to everyday people however, this one held what could only be described as respect. It was hard to tell with his expressionless visage, but the glint of that invaluable emotion was indisputable.
There was
another thing slightly different than usual, other than that respect glinted ever since Ichigo had beaten him in the battle for his adopted sister's life. Instead of looking down on him, which had been quite literal before, this time the lordly captain actually had to look
up at the orange haired Vizard. There was at least six centimeters of difference in their height, but unlike before where it had been Byakuya to have that advantage, this time it was
Ichigo who stood above
him by that margin. Since Ichigo had gained his father's 6'1" frame and the fact remained he was still gaining more to add to that, it went without saying he had gained more weight as well. He was certainly not a scrawny adolescent teenager anymore, and now his strength wasn't merely shown in his spiritual power, but also in his body.
Even Byakuya Kuchiki had to admit—only in the confines of his own mind of course—that there was good reason for the stares being sent the young Vizard's way. He didn't know why, but the way Ichigo held himself naturally was almost like he was nobility himself. He shrugged that unsettling thought out of his mind in the same instant he thought it.
"I would like to have a word with you;
outside the range of prying ears."
Ichigo's eyebrow rose questioningly, but he wasn't given any choice in the matter because the captain disappeared from his sight right after he was finished talking.
So if I want to know what's going on, I have to follow you, huh? Sure, why not? I've got nothing better to do anyway. With those thoughts done with, the younger man made chase.
…
It wasn't the setting he thought would have been chosen, but if one wanted to be away from sneaking ears, this was definitely one of the places to go; the one place that most Soul Reapers were frightened of to this day. Ichigo stood calmly on the ground of Soukyoku Hill, where he and Byakuya had had their epic battle after he had first obtained Bankai for the sake of saving Rukia. It was the place of another major turning point in his life too, for it was the place where his Hollow had first taken over his consciousness,
and used Tensa Zangetsu's Getsuga Tenshou for the first time. Tatsuki wasn't the only one to have had a first taken away from her by the monster within; he too had also endured that.
The wind of the sunny day was gentle and warm, as inviting as a lover's embrace, and from the altitude of Soukyoku Hill it was felt even better than from down below. It was a peaceful day, and that peace remained undisturbed as Byakuya and Ichigo simply stood silently on the dusty ground where their first real battle had taken place. There was no tension in the air, and that was surprising. The air around them seemed to hold the aura of two friends, instead of two enemies, or even two of different classes. Ichigo held his ground as easily against the stoic noble as he ever did, and regarded him with no more respect or awe than that a friend watching a friend. He was one of few people able to do this, as if his spirit itself refused to bow to the higher classes just like he refused to bow to the unjust law way back when he was saving Rukia.
"You have grown stronger since Hueco Mundo," Byakuya stated directly after the long, but companionable, silence. "Your skills in Kidou seem to have improved more than anyone would have anticipated." What he didn't say, was that he was also part of the 'anyone' he had just mentioned.
His statement in itself was an understatement. It had taken not only two captains with the highly destructive skill of Shunkou and a Bankai's cannon to stop the attack, but it had also taken Senbonzakura Kageyoshi to stop the many small attacks that had been spawned from the large attack being destroyed. That was
four captains for just
one attack. And for it to be a Kidou used by one who knew the art about as well as a senior citizen knew computers, the concept of improvement was terrifying, but very much real.
Ichigo shrugged. "I guess, but don't tell me you brought me way out here just to talk about that." He paused for a second at that. "Wait, did you?"
The barest trace of a smile was seen on Byakuya's face. "No, no I didn't." His voice had even lost some of the coldness, instead of it—if Ichigo hadn't have heard it with his own ears he wouldn't have believed it—he actually sounded amused. With that small trace still on his face, he calmly drew his zanpakutou from its sheath at his side and pointed it at the young man opposite of him. "I wish for you and I to fight. I want to see how much more powerful you have become."
That got a smile from his orange haired counterpart, but eventually he closed his eyes and sighed sadly. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that. If I were to fight you with everything I had…you'd be no better off than Aizen. Rukia already lost one person close to her, I won't do that to her again." He probably shouldn't have been talking so carelessly with his eyes closed, because at the end of his overdramatic monologue, he heard two words obviously said through strained teeth. Words that signaled the beginning.
"Ban. Kai."
The beginning of their fight.
Ichigo had no more than a second to dodge the first strike of the uncountable blades glowing so beautifully they looked like pink Sakura petals. However, the Shinigami prodigy had long since learned to move between the ticks of a second, and dodging the attack was easily completed. It wasn't over though, and he had to use Shunpo to the best of his current form's ability to outmaneuver the flying weapons, but even that didn't keep him unscathed. By the time the assault had ceased he was cut in numerous places, but nothing serious enough to be fatal or even enough to be a hindrance in battle. They were nothing but flesh wounds, but they were enough to make Ichigo's eyes glow with the ever-familiar bloodlust of battle.
Once again Byakuya Kuchiki surprised him, and instead of continuing his assault, he lowered his palms from their attack stance. Satisfied he now had the younger Shinigami's full attention, the nobleman removed his priceless scarf. As if that wasn't shock enough, he continued; removing then his Kenseikan—the hairpieces that marked him as nobility—and last but not least his captain's robe, turning his appearance into that of an ordinary, albeit extremely beautiful and extremely powerful, Soul Reaper. His long hair dangled elegantly in front of his face, until the man it was attached to gingerly weaved the threads of said hair to the back of his head, where he placed it in a simple band, just like one a commoner would use.
Turning steel-grey eyes back to his stunned counterpart, Byakuya looked even more intimidating than usual. "In this fight, I will acknowledge you. I will fight you not as an educated master, or a noble, nor even as a captain of the Thirteen Squads. For this fight, I will attack you only as a fellow Shinigami, using all of my knowledge to defeat you. I will use everything at my disposal, from Kidou to Hakuda, so if you are not prepared to battle me in the same manner, you will lose." He raised his right palm and regarded Ichigo evenly from behind the outstretched fingers.
"Let us begin again, Ichigo Kurosaki."
Ichigo stood there staring for more than a little while, more surprised at his opponent's sudden change in appearance than his words. Eventually the words sunk in though, and a smile so menacing, yet at the same time…happy, broke over his face. His body was unexpectedly engulfed in black energy tinged with light the color of blood and the calm breeze of the day turned into a violent wind around him as his reiatsu flared and expanded with the contrasting compression of his spiritual energy. When the explosion settled, Ichigo stood there, still smiling, with Tensa Zangetsu in hand.
Already his ability was showing.
The ability to call his zanpakutou into Bankai without even calling out the release…interesting; you've been hiding things from us haven't you, Ichigo Kurosaki? That wasn't entirely true. He had just had no occasion to show that power to anyone since Hueco Mundo where he started doing it naturally. "Don't expect me to go easy on you then, Byakuya Kuchiki!"
And then just like their first fight, he vanished from his sight.
It wasn't going to be that easy, for Byakuya Kuchiki learned from previous mistakes. Even though he may not have been able to see his opponent, there was no doubt about where he was headed. With a simple twitch of his finger, his sword's innumerable petals created a circular wall around him and thwarted any attacks that would be tried from any direction around him, but what he didn't expect was for a small laugh to be heard from
above him and for Ichigo to be seen falling down from the sky to his unprotected upper areas. That was easily remedied however, especially with Senbonzakura Kageyoshi's abilities, and instead of completing the defensive wall they instead shot upwards and forced the Vizard onto the defensive as he was pushed away by the waves of sword fragments.
It was a futile effort though, for though the Getsuga Tenshou may be bulky and slow in its Shikai form, in Bankai it was fast and maneuverable, and more than enough to make it necessary for the petals to scatter else they be destroyed utterly in the twisting energies of the highly-compacted reiatsu. But there was a downside to the highly destructive attack, and that was the area of impact was often covered in smoke after it hit, and so he narrowly avoided the beam of white energy—easily discerned as White Lightning—that flew through that smokescreen from his opponent's finger.
Sheesh, he's really serious this time! He didn't start using Kidou until way later in our other fight! Ichigo thought as he zigzagged his way through the petals that had once again renewed their attack. They were just as persistent as ever and try as he might, his speed just wasn't enough to break through the swirling defenses Byakuya had around him as he used the rest of his weapon to attack. The noble had even formed a sword to hold in his hand just in case the orange-haired young man managed to break through both his attacks and his defense.
But once again, it wasn't that simple. Just when Ichigo thought he had the pattern of his moves down and could go on the offensive, the now simple-looking but still beautiful Soul Reaper started using Shunpo of his own. That was when the sword in his hand got
very annoying. Not only did Ichigo have to worry about attacks coming from all sides in relentless waves, he had to worry about a body that may be following that strike with an attack of his own, forcing him on the defensive while keeping a constant eye out for the other attacks. His reflexes and instincts were second-to-none however, and even that tactic didn't guarantee a hit on the speed phantom. It was, if nothing else, very irritating.
Finally, Ichigo got fed up with getting a fool made out of him. His reiatsu flared around him just as furiously as he was and his eyes changed from their regular amber to the most intense shade of ice-blue imaginable. When the next strike came, he angrily raised his hand and pointed directly at the center of the incoming wave. "Hadou number four! White LIGHTNING!"
Finally, he understands, Byakuya Kuchiki thought passively, but that passivity was quickly overrun by the need to dodge when the Demon Art demolished its way through his attack and right towards where he was coming in behind it. The attack was angry and violent, and it tore through Senbonzakura Kageyoshi like a hot knife through butter. He managed to evade it, but not before it destroyed some of the left shoulder of his shihakushou and burnt the flesh under it. He landed heavily on the ground and tried to ignore the throbbing pain coming from his burnt shoulder.
What power…though he lacks much in Kidou, his strength is certainly not to be trifled with. But payback was not over, and he soon had to jump out of the way of an equally angry Getsuga Tenshou that ripped through the ground as it neared him and even followed the path of his jump. He could practically
taste the thirst for blood in the twisting energies chasing him. It was not an attack he hadn't dealt with before, and he thought he could get out of its way in time, but he hadn't taken into account the person that had done it, as unlikely as that seems. "Hadou number thirty-three! Blue Fire Crash!" And the words punctuated the blast of power that seemed much too potent for an Incantation Bypass.
The attack didn't come from where the black-haired noble expected it though, and soon a wall of blue energy had blocked his retreat, forcing him to face the full strength of the angry black and red spiritual attack. He wasn't a captain for nothing, and so as he ducked down and slammed his palms to the ground while he knelt on one knee, his Bankai broke through the ground to cover him in a swirling orb of deadly blades, just barely shielding him from the assailment. It took its toll on his weapon though, and as Byakuya stood up again many of his blades fell to the ground to recover. He saw his tattered challenger smirking at him no more than ten feet away, but there was something different this time, this time his eyes were glowing yellow and his sclera was as black as his shihakushou.
And glowing at his fingertips was a malicious red ball of reiatsu.
"
I was hoping you'd do that." Then the Cero was released.
The only thought running through Byakuya's head as he used all of Yoruichi's training in Shunpo to try and avoid the certain death that awaited him was he to be hit by the Menos Grande's signature move was:
Where is his mask? That wasn't what he should have been focusing on at that moment. Though Ichigo's Bankai had been defeated once by the older Soul Reaper and it was only thanks to his Hollow's revealing that he had succeeded in winning, with his Hollow now fully under control it gave his Tensa Zangetsu a speed boost even more powerful than the freakish Shunpo the fully released zanpakutou gave him.
That was when the true battle began, and it was as though the title of 'God of Flash' was on the line.
Their movements were a blur of reiatsu and swords; attacks were faster than hurricanes, and counterattacks were essential was the person to keep moving at the pace they were. The air of Soukyoku Hill was filled with the swirling blades of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, because they could no longer hit if they stayed in their trademark waves, they had to be spread out were they to even be able to land a blow on their opponent. This was a double-edged sword however, as Byakuya had to watch where he was going just as much as Ichigo if he wanted to stay unscathed by his Bankai. He had lost his previous reserve, and now full swords formed by his zanpakutou were coming just as quickly as the petals themselves, but Ichigo in all his Hollowized glory laughed in the face of the attacks as Getsuga Tenshou's and Bala's flew like streamers at Mardi Gras. The faster form of the Cero was extremely irritating to the captain, but nevertheless the battle continued.
Kidou was fired just as much as the Hollow attacks and signature weapon techniques, but the Incantation Bypass was hard to utter when one is running for their life while trying to attack at the same time. Soukyoku Hill was a lightshow of brightly colored reiatsu for the entire remainder of the battle, and it was only when both Soul Reapers were panting for breath as they leant on their swords did the display stop.
Yes, Byakuya Kuchiki had been reduced to panting like an unseated officer facing enormous spiritual pressure. However, Ichigo was in no better condition. Their black shihakushou's were stained with blood but the thrill of battle kept smiles on their faces, or at least what passed for a smile for Byakuya Kuchiki.
"You…have improved much…Ichigo Kurosaki…" Byakuya strained out.
The still yellow-eyed Ichigo grinned confidently as he shakily stood up straight. "
It's not over yet. Let me show you my true strength, then…I'm going to show you what someone named Grimmjow taught me."
Thus, Byakuya Kuchiki witnessed firsthand the White Transformation. It started first at Tensa Zangetsu, then up his arms and down his body until lastly his face and head were painted with pure ash. Not only did the transformation change his appearance, he seemed to visibly
breathe easier once it was done, like the pain from his wounds was gone.
The more accurate way of putting it was: his wounds were gone completely.
Even that was soon to be rectified, for as the stunned noble looked on the photonegative man ran his fingers down his sword's blade, and red blood flowed from the ashen tips. The tired captain was too exhausted to move, but when the blood that had been dripping from his foe's fingers stopped in its descent and instead started churning into a circle back up in front of his outstretched fingertips, Byakuya knew he had to run or counter.
Or he would die.
The malevolent red reiatsu that he knew as Cero soon joined the blood and the incredible pressure it put on the air defied logic as space seemed to warp around the roiling reiatsu just begging to be released.
"You didn't want me to hold back, right? Fine! GRAN REY CERO!" Byakuya Kuchiki cursed for the first time in his life at that moment.
When the explosive sound and light of the Espada-only attack died down after ripping through most of the soil of Soukyoku Hill on the way to its target, it was revealed that Byakuya had known that escaping was impossible, and had chosen to stand his ground. Two great skids in the earth were visible going diagonally away from him, from where the attack had been split in two from Byakuya's last-ditch effort. As Hakuteiken shattered from around him as the last of his spiritual energy that wasn't his life-force was drained, Byakuya fell once more onto one knee as he resealed his sword back into its standard zanpakutou. He wasn't expecting Ichigo to do the same, but it happened.
"Sheesh," he panted, "that sucker still takes as much out of me now as it did back then. Damn." He was still smiling even as the sweat washed over his now regular face.
Byakuya gave a small chortle in response to the teen's admission, which was the first laugh, albeit small, he had uttered in what seemed like an eternity. "Very good, Ichigo Kurosaki. You…have passed."
The look on the youth's face was priceless.
"Passed?! What the Hell?!"
…
It was still early in the morning and Tatsuki was seriously wondering why she couldn't be out with Ichigo while all the rest of the Association stayed together. But nooooo, they had insisted they finish the party they were supposed to have after they were…interrupted. It hadn't been too bad actually, which surprised her, even though her hair—perfectly
fine hair, in her opinion—had been done so many times by so many different people her scalp hurt. There was one upside: she had avoided the tape resurfacing, though she didn't know where it had disappeared to.
That disturbed her.
Nevertheless, there she was. She was surrounded by beautiful women and they were all talking about her. She was sure Chizuru would be in heaven if she was to be the one in this situation, but there was one downside. One very, very
big downside. They were all talking about her and
Ichigo. Normally, in any
normal world, the questions would be relatively
normal, but no, these people were asking questions of the most
personal nature.
She was turning red just at the words coming out of their mouths.
Yoruichi and her smirking as the questions came weren't helping the black-haired Vizard any either. She was the only one in the room that could prove without a shadow of a doubt that the mortified tomboy had actually acted like a woman for once. And Tatsuki knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, she just
knew, that sooner or later the athletic ex-Special-Ops Commander would give something away that would completely ruin her attempts at acting innocent.
Thankfully, and unexpectedly, a saving grace diverted their attention. "Hey! Is it almost time yet!" Rangiku whined about something as-of-yet unknown, and suddenly all the females were dashing over to the giant screen on one of the walls after they had checked the time.
Hesitantly, Tatsuki tiptoed over to the back of where the group was all sitting on their knees expectantly, looking at a screen displaying nothing but a dusty expanse. She didn't know what the big deal was, that was until she noticed one other very important object in the background. She had never seen it personally, but she had heard the stories from Orihime about how Ichigo had broken the Soukyoku's cross, a practically impossible feat. And there in the background were the remnants of a once proud stand, split in two by some unknown force.
Yoruichi saw the look on the young woman's face. "Yes, that's Soukyoku Hill. And if all went as planned, there should be something happening right…about…" Two figures appeared in the middle of the screen, and Yoruichi smiled. "…now."
It was Ichigo and Byakuya.
"Wha…what's happening?" Tatsuki could only ask numbly.
"You'll see."
Oh and they saw.
After the initial spar, viewable only thanks to the incredible slow-motion capabilities of the Twelfth Division's technology, they saw something that no person save one had ever seen before. Byakuya Kuchiki…normal. One by one the women froze in awe of the men standing on their screen, and it was surprising by how much attention Ichigo was getting, even though it had been Byakuya to drastically change his appearance. But even that was soon changed when darkness enveloped the other person and came out just as changed, revealing more muscular abdomen than any other Bankai there was, and showing off the strong arms connected to the well-built frame by straining tight black material over them. The women were shaking in their places now. It looked like they were close to either wetting their pants…
…or staining them with a very
different fluid.
And then there was Rukia, who looked like she was going to faint. "Nii…Nii-sama…" She was still in shock from seeing her adopted brother going so far to respect the orange-haired Substitute Shinigami. It was more than he had ever done in his life, well, to a male anyway. She was sure that Hisana had had the honor of witnessing not only his respect, but his love too. If there was any of that in this situation…well, it would be a dream come true for the Association, but Tatsuki would probably kill them all for even whispering that idea out loud. It went without saying that even without his Kenseiken, scarf, or jacket, he looked every bit the noble he was, but it was still such a shock to everyone in the room. Even Yoruichi was surprised, and
that was saying something.
Then the battle started, and the women went from being shocked, to positively
drooling. Tatsuki caught more than one jealous glare being sent her way throughout the slowed battle, but when she looked at the corner of the screen,
that was when
she almost fainted. In the corner of the screen there was a small reading that told how slow they were showing the actual battle, and to them it only looked like regular time.
In actuality, it was being slowed down to the millionth of a second.
"Holy…" Tatsuki muttered breathlessly. Yoruichi seemed unimpressed, that was until the battle shifted gears once again and this time the viewer could only keep up to Byakuya, and even
he was a blur. However, the yellow-eyed Ichigo was completely out of its range to slow, even with all its technology.
That had even the ex-Special-Ops Commander choking on her own saliva.
"Holy
shit!" The mocha-skinned woman exclaimed, and startled everyone present. If even the 'God of Flash' herself was awestruck by the display, then…
…then just like she said.
Holy shit.
But when all was said and done, and Ichigo's final transformation had unleashed what seemed like Hell's fury itself, the purple-haired woman smiled when Byakuya's words trailed through the monitor. That same smile, small yet proud, almost...maternal...stayed on her as she walked over to the wall and picked up a folded white bundle.
"Let's go ladies, the other captains are probably waiting for us by now," she ordered smugly.
The others smiled and followed Yoruichi out the door, barely giving Tatsuki any time to gather her wits before she had to chase after them.
What did she pick up?
…
Ichigo and Byakuya were still bleeding and panting on Soukyoku Hill, when suddenly they were surrounded by
all the captains of the Thirteen Divisions. Byakuya was unsurprised by this, but Ichigo on the other hand, he was as lost as a blind man in the endless maze that is an Ikea store.
"Passed…? What the hell is going on here! Why the hell are all of you here!" shouted the completely confused young man.
Ukitake was the one calm enough to go forward, with his happy-go-lucky smile on his face even though death was a constant threat to the ailing captain. "Byakuya here wanted to test your ability before we gave you what you deserve, but since you have his approval now, the decision is unanimous!"
Needless to say, this didn't help Ichigo understand any better than he had before. "You have three seconds to explain this to me in understandable terms…" he gritted out as his grip tightened on Zangetsu.
That was when he felt extra weight on his shoulders, and someone's hands smoothing out a new garment on them. His hands responded of their own accord, impaling Zangetsu in the ground and slipping through the armholes without conscious direction. Yoruichi whistled appreciatively as she stepped back to survey her work. "As always Orihime, your work is perfect. I'm surprised you guessed his sizes so well," she complimented, directed at the busty orange-haired young woman being set down by Soi-Fong. They were soon joined by the other Association members that hadn't been able to keep up with the super-speeding Special-Ops commanders, both Past and Present.
Ichigo looked down on himself, still in the same confusion, and fell over backwards like he had just been punched in the face when he saw what was now on him. Tatsuki, who had just arrived, was just as shocked.
It was a captain's haori, identical to the ones worn by Byakuya Kuchiki and Toshiro Hitsugaya. Unlike theirs however, it was like it had been custom fit to his exact physical form down to the nearest amount of non-existent body-fat. In fact, it actually made his shihakushou fit better than it had before.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!"
Genryuusai Yamamoto stepped forward and slammed his ancient cane to the ground to bring about order. "Ichigo Kurosaki, we of Soul Society are granting you the title of captain. It is something long overdue, as your work has saved Soul Society numerous times in such a few short years. For any and all matters concerning Karakura Town or the Living World, you have been appointed captain. Any Soul Reaper, with the exception of other captains, sent to the Living World will report to you should something go wrong. You know that world better than any Shinigami alive save only myself; something shown more then ever during the assignment of officers through the war, and your youth is something much needed in the Thirteen Squads.
"We hope you will continue to conduct yourself like you have in the Past, even if it means following your heart instead of your head. This jacket will make sure you face no punishment should that ever happen…
again. Congratulations." The old man could crack jokes even in his old age.
It took a while for that to sink in. Finally, Ichigo grabbed the white garment now on him and looked at the symbol on the back. What was on it was unexpected. It was blank. The only thing there was the customary black diamond that would regularly surround the squad number. He was a captain, but given no squad. Basically, his strength and skill were being recognized, but they weren't putting on him the responsibility and obligations of a completely dead Soul Reaper, because as of yet, he wasn't. He was a human and still alive, but he was also a Soul Reaper. He was being given more authority and recognition out of respect, but nothing else.
He could hardly contain himself.
Check that, he
didn't.
His laughter echoed in the large expanse of land covered by nothing but sky as he fell over again, this time from the force of his laughter. It went without saying that this hadn't been the reaction they'd been expecting—all except Yoruichi—and they all backed away on impulse with the thought in mind that he had finally cracked. He tried to stop but he ended up laughing even harder. Finally, his life was coming together. After everything he had been through, finally, things were going his way.
He punched his arm to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
In his mirth, he had forgotten that his hands were still cut and he had used up the majority of his remaining stamina on his finisher: Gran Rey Cero. As such, that laughter soon turned to strained coughs even though Byakuya was far more injured but had said nothing so far. Orihime instantly rushed over to the hurting teen and the half-circle of her two fairies soon covered him, removing his injuries and even the damage to his clothes.
As he lay there panting, she turned her attention to the other captain that had held his voice admirably even though the pain must have been excruciating to the exhausted body. He stayed bowed on one knee silently as Orihime made his wounds disappear and when she had finished, he stood up and looked down on the intimidated young woman with gentle appreciation written in his gaze. "You have my gratitude; thank you for your assistance," he said in his traditional monotone.
This day was just
full of surprises.
When Tatsuki went over to check on her fiancé, imagine her surprise when he grabbed her shoulders and brought his lips to hers in full view of everyone. There were a few stares, a few 'awww's, a few gasps, and more than a few whines of disappointment or jealousy as the grounded man kissed the woman over him with no restraint, until when he finally pulled away, Tatsuki herself was feeling a little lightheaded.
"How would you feel about being my lieutenant in my nameless division, eh Tatsuki?" he asked through the smile that had left his mouth only long enough to kiss her.
Tatsuki smiled back when she regained her mental faculties, something she had gotten quite good at since Ichigo seemed to have made it his mission to erase anything and everything from her mind whenever he touched her. "Would that mean I'd have to be by your side at all times, oh great captain sir?" She asked mockingly.
Ichigo faked being contemplative, which looked rather strange considering he was still lying on the ground beneath her. "Hmm…not that I know of, but I definitely like that suggestion…"
She gave a low chuckle. "Consider the job taken."
The silence after was soon broken.
"Awww! Aren't they cute! Right captain?" Rangiku crooned and jumped against what must have once been the little Toshiro Ichigo once knew, but what stood in his place was hardly recognizable. The little boy had shot up in what he could only guess was a Soul-Society-Only thing, as his growth was impossible in the Living World. He guessed it had something to do with his huge amount of reiatsu, the thing that made it possible for him to be a captain at his age in the first place. It was a no-brainer that souls barely aged at all in Soul Society and stayed at the prime of their life most of the time, but the body of a child, even one as powerful as his, was far from the strength the body of a youth had.
It appeared as if Toshiro Hitsugaya's body had finally caught up with his maturity level.
While not as tall as most men of Soul Society, he was now as tall as his Lieutenant, and thus spared the embarrassment of being lodged between her breasts when she launched herself at his back to wrap her arms around his neck like she usually did. Of course he would never tell anyone that it had been that that had started this whole growth spurt in the first place.
Damn self-control, why couldn't you have held out longer! Shiro cursed his inner self. Okay, so he might have gotten tired of being cooed at from behind and turned around to give her something to be excited about, but really, he had held out longer than any other person would have. With her breasts always at the same level as his head at that time, turning around definitely caused what he had set out to do.
Yes, Toshiro Hitsugaya had finally lost the battle. In his own personal opinion though, he had won the war.
What he didn't know was, Rangiku thought the same thing.
"T-Toshiro!" Ichigo shouted in astonishment, and pointed at the now taller, now more defined teenager aghast.
The white-haired teen's eyebrow started twitching and his jaw set irritably. "That's
Captain Hitsugaya!" If that didn't confirm it, nothing would.
Ichigo mumbled incoherently for a solid minute while trying to find the words to say to the more grown captain, but when nothing came to mind and he realized he was still surrounded by all the captains of Soul Society
and the Shinigami Women's Association, he did what any man with a sense of self-preservation would do.
He shut his mouth and hid behind Tatsuki.
Hid may not be the right word, because soon his hands had wound themselves around her waist and pulled her to him, which was precisely when he forgot the entire reason he was behind her in the first place and nestled his chin into the crook of her neck. It required a bit of bending on his part because of his taller height, but it was worth it in his mind. The fact that he could feel Tatsuki's knees buckle temporarily made it all the better.
Renji, who had taken over as captain of Squad Nine since their exploits, was still stunned that this girl Ichigo had never introduced him to was suddenly his fiancé. It didn't make sense in his mind. He scratched his head in bewilderment. "Who is this and why exactly are you engaged to her?" The redhead asked Ichigo in all tactless honesty as he looked on at the couple. Sure he had seen her last night, but he had yet to know her personally.
It was all of one second after he had said that that he found himself on the dusty ground with a throbbing cheek.
"
Dammit I'm getting really tired of that response!" The fully Hollowized young woman who had somehow disappeared from Ichigo's grip complained angrily as she cracked her knuckles.
The masked face above him would have been astonishingly beautiful, as geisha's masks usually are, had it not been for the skull-like teeth lining the area where her mouth would usually be shown. It did add a certain aura of danger that offset the beauty of the mask wonderfully, and suddenly Renji knew what Ichigo had seen in her. He hopped to his feet in an instant and stared into the yellow eyes of the mask glaring back at him full-force.
She seemed to sense what he was going to ask, as many of the other people—with the exceptions of the people that had seen her transform last night—were looking at her with the same stares.
"How bothersome." Nonetheless, she reverted back to normal and she and Ichigo proceeded to explain everything, in the minutest detail, about how and why she was a Vizard. They didn't go into detail about how she gained control over that particular power, but then again they weren't feeling too fond of embarrassing themselves for the rest of their lives at that particular moment. It
was a great cure though.
By late afternoon, the course of action was decided and while Tatsuki went back with the Association to do something—something which all the girls were itching to do for some unknown reason—Ichigo found himself allowed to simply enjoy the rest of the day, after which they would return to the Living World.
He had moved the multilinked red strap that held Zangetsu over his new jacket-vest into its regular spot going diagonally down his chest and it secured the coat in place even more than the regular fit did, which he thought was good. After all, using Flash Steps with this jacket would take some getting used to.
As he walked down the road and put his hands behind his head to look up at the darkening sky, he wondered what Tatsuki and the others were up to…
There were some things better off not knowing.
…
For Tatsuki, there were few times in her life she never wanted to remember, but she now had one, more than one even. The first had been a few hours ago when she had transformed and punched Renji Abarai with no remorse, only to see Orihime looking at her like she was a completely different person. That hurt, it hurt more than she had ever thought possible. She found Ichigo had faced the same thing though, and he said that Orihime had taken a while to get used to his eyes in that form, something Tatsuki could definitely relate to.
She herself had almost frozen completely after seeing his masked face looking at her for the first time.
And the second, that would be right now.
Apparently the sleepover wasn't over.
They all sat in front of the giant view-screen that had displayed Ichigo and Byakuya's battle with what was, for everyone else, eager anticipation. Tatsuki though, she wanted to sink into the floor and disappear. Attached to that giant television like any piece of hardware in the Living World were the vision glasses Nemu had used during her recon. Yes, Tatsuki Arisawa wanted to find her fiancé and hide indefinitely behind his muscled frame.
"Ahem," Nemu cleared her throat politely to try and bring the assemblage of females to order. Eventually—after the speculation and gossip of what would be on the tape had died down—she finally achieved the order she had been trying to attain. "As you all know, I followed our newest member for an entire day before bringing her to our induction. I knew the moment I saw her form she would be admitted without difficulty, but to be sure, I recorded what I saw for the whole day before making that decision with certainty. You…" she paused for a second and the slim outline of a smile formed on her face, "…will most definitely be entertained." And with the push of a button, Tatsuki's fate was sealed.
Right at the beginning, the entertainment started. All that was shown at first was a house window, but then that window opened and Ichigo jumped out, carrying his fiancé in a very romantic position. Instantly almost all heads were turned back at her and she beat down the blush that was threatening to rise on her cheeks, and without any response the women simply turned back to the screen to continue watching.
The difference on their hands was noticeable on the recording after they left the Urahara Shop, and that got even more stares, especially from Orihime and Rukia at the way she and Ichigo had been so companionably walking to school.
Embarrassment promptly took centre stage when the lunch hour recording was shown and the video so easily showed when they had discreetly taken off, and the entire Association was granted the privilege of watching a heated Ichigo Kurosaki push his love against a fence and give her lips some company. Needless to say the blush was threatening her with more force this time, and the way all the members were looking at her with smug grins on their faces wasn't helping any. Thanks to the glasses' infuriatingly good audio, they were also privy to some very heated 'discussion' between the two too.
But when the last class' recording was shown—which was surprisingly clear because of the open window to try and alleviate the heat of the boiling day—laughter and 'aww's were the most prominent sound coming from them. Orihime and Rukia had the tact to look down in shame the entire time, which received the raised eyebrows of more than a few members.
Then the kicker. After school.
By now all the women were leaning forward in anticipation, as the entire day had yet to be disappointing, but imagine their surprise when one of their favorite boys pinned their newest member to a wall. The imagery was extremely well done on Nemu's part, as it almost looked like it was right from Tatsuki's point of view when Ichigo's eyes decided to split into his separate personalities. The effect was extraordinary and even the unshed tears of his other eye were caught in the film.
Predictably, the women's laughter and general squeals of approval quickly turned to crying in shame at Ichigo's questions and gasping in alarm at his bloody hands. Even Orihime and Rukia had never seen this unfold, and they were brought back to just how much they had hurt their friend. Then, the feverish kissing started and through their tears, the ladies' eyes opened wide in shock.
"They wouldn't…" Isane started as she stared at the screen.
"They aren't…?" Orihime gaped.
Then the sounds started becoming louder.
Yoruichi smiled. "They
are."
No eye was torn away from the screen as the scene continued, and even though they could all tell both the participants were still fully clothed, what they could also tell was the intense pleasure berating their newest member and one of their most-favored eye-candies. She was sure she could even hear some of them whimpering every now and then, like they were feeling residual bliss just from the recording itself. She couldn't really blame them, just watching it over again, and from such wonderful angles—no matter how badly that disturbed her—was reigniting the lust simmering at the farthest reaches of her mind so she didn't jump Ichigo whenever she saw him. She could have
sworn she saw some of them even
shudder as if in the throes of orgasm when the two on screen cried out and fell to the concrete.
With the scene over however, all the heads of the ladies turned around and stared at her. This time Tatsuki wasn't able to fight down the heat rising on her cheeks and it turned into a full-body blush under their proud and mischievous looks.
"Hadn't gone that far, eh? Wasn't that what you said?" Rukia asked tauntingly. That was when something hit her, something that she should have realized earlier. "Oh you can't be serious…" she muttered under her breath, but with the Soul Reapers around her, their hearing picked it all up.
"What, what?!" They all asked in unison.
Yoruichi's grin grew wider. "You felt the flares too, didn't you?"
Rukia nodded wordlessly, then after a few more moments of contemplation, her face went redder than the blood filling it. "Bu-but those went on for an entire
day…" she stammered, like she couldn't believe the conclusions her mind was coming to.
When Yoruichi's grin reached inhuman proportions and Tatsuki's face went brighter than a Christmas tree, her thoughts were confirmed. Following her friend's line of thinking after seeing what she had just seen, the seemingly innocent Orihime blushed just as much as her shorter friend.
Before they both fainted from the amount of blood rushing to their heads.
Uryuu and Renji were going to be in for a very pleasant surprise when the two girls woke up.
The women laughed at this, but when they turned back to continue to prod the tomboy, the only thing they saw was an open door swinging closed.
…
In Tatsuki's mind, they were leaving and they were leaving right away. Once she found Ichigo—not hard considering how powerful his reiatsu was—they were running to the nearest exit as fast as he could carry them. It didn't help that seeing that video again so vividly had aroused her so thoroughly. She even had trouble concentrating on running.
As soon as they got home….
…
The women pouted cutely. Their prey had escaped, but Yoruichi stopped them from giving chase. "How about we watch the rest of the tape first; she probably wants to get back to her fiancé right about now."
The women could only nod in understanding, and more than a few sly grins.
The men closest to these members would be forever thankful to that tape for a long time coming, even if they didn't know that it had been it to have spawned what was going to happen that night…
…
Author's Notes: Thanks for reading!
