BLEACH fanfiction - part 2

I don’t take part in the rest of the battle against the bounto but I follow the whole situation closely. It takes a while but eventually, we defeat them. After they have been eliminated, Seireitei takes some time to recover but once again, things go back to normal. I take my duty as 9th squad taichou and spend a lot of time with Hisagi, Ikkaku and Yumichika.

One night, after a crazy time with way too much sake, where all of us discuss like a group of kids, I become quite talkative. Ikkaku keeps asking me how I know so much about the real world and I decide I might as well come clean now.

Before becoming a shinigami, I was a shinigami slayer in soul society. Every time I met one, I killed them. Even high ranked ones. Little by little, Gotei 13 recognized my strength and tried to get rid of me by sending groups of shinigami bigger every time but I would easily destroy them all until I met the first taichou. He didn’t kill me then but it was close. When I fought him, I realised I could achieve a higher level by mastering a bankai. I trained but before I could use my new techniques in a real fight, Yamamoto Taichou banished me from soul society into the real world with a curse. I lived as a human with no spiritual power but I couldn’t grow old, that way, every time I would make a friend, they ended up dying and I would find myself all alone. One day, my best friend at the time turned into a hollow and a group of shinigami was sent to save her. They killed her in order to do so but it was a preferable end than becoming a hollow. Seeing what their contribution in the real world was, I felt guilty for killing so many of them and wanted to redeem myself. Yamamoto read through my intentions and allowed me to become a student shinigami with very strict observation. This was when I met everyone from the 11th squad. At the time, I was asked to hide my bankai and my past but it was a good way for me to start fresh and I could finally find my place surrounded by those who would then become like family to me.

Just as I finish my little story, Ikkaku gets mad learning what I did in the past. 

“Do you have any idea what you did? Do you realise how many lives you destroyed? It wasn’t just the shinigami you killed but their families too, not to mention all the hollow’s victims they could have saved!”

I close my eyes in shame. Yumichika comes closer to me and whispers in my ear.

“In one the groups of shinigami you killed, there were Ikkaku’s parents.”

I understand then that he probably takes me responsible for making him an orphan. Hearing these words breaks my heart and I feel terribly guilty. Ikkaku is furious, his hands shaking on his zanpakutou asking for revenge. Before he can take it out, Kenpachi stops him so he storms off.

We don’t see him for a few days and the whole time I can’t help but feel terrible for my actions. Kenpachi, Yumichika and Hisagi seem to have forgiven me but I can’t forgive myself for having done this to my best friend. I spend every free time I have looking for him but he’s nowhere to be found.

One day after a long meeting with all the captains, I meet up with Yumichika and Hisagi again to look for Ikkaku but he shows up on his own. He seems to have cooled down a little but he’s still deeply angry at me. Just as I prepare myself to fight him to protect myself from his attack, he slowly comes towards me, closes his eyes like if looking at me was too painful, and asks me why I became a shinigami slayer in the first place. So I tell him my story…

As a kid in soul society, I was living with my brother and sister in one of the poorest neighborhoods. One day, a pack of hollows attacked us and the shinigami didn’t come up in time to save us so my brother and sister died right before my eyes. Since then, I had promised myself to destroy all shinigami because I felt they were responsible for my siblings’ death.

Ikkaku places his hand on my shoulder, sighs, and looks deeply into my eyes.

“I understand where you’re coming from, believe me. And even though you are the one who killed my parents, I forgive you. We all lost enough… You have changed and done everything you can to redeem yourself. I know how hard it is to way the right path after being in the dark for too long. Let’s stay in the light together.”

His little speech brings tears to my eyes but before I can swallow them back in, Yumichika hugs us both.

“Yay! Everybody is friends again! This is so beautiful!”

I laugh and a blushing Ikkaku frees himself from the forced group hug, embarrassed.

After that incident, I start my new training with Kenpachi-sama. In order to improve my bankai and make him work on his own strength, we go to the forest to stay away from Seretei and fight in my bankai dome. Under its influence, we’re training all day. After a full day where he almost kills me, I decide to end the fight by posing my lips on his to absorb his vital energy. When I do so, I expect him to move back but instead, he embraces me. At first, my surprise makes me lose balance and determination but when I realise he stopped fighting and is actually kissing me back, I put my arms around his naked body, holding him and just go with the flow. Before we can go any further, we are stopped by Hisagi’s voice. My lieutenant is browsing the forest and calls out for me as I have been summoned in a meeting. Awkwardly, I decide to never mention this to anyone, especially Kenpachi who may also want to keep this little weak moment a secret.

Weeks go by. I spend a lot of alone time with Kenpachi-sama. It looks like we both decided to keep our kiss just a memory but I can still feel a tension between us that has nothing to do with fighting… I also try to train with the 11th squad and spend as much time with them as possible outside my taichou duties. But I get more and more tangled into the 9th squad preparations and hollow missions which means I get to spend less and less time with my best friends. To fix this, the three of us decide to organise to get together one night to go drinking. We spend all night chatting and fighting like kids.

Yumichika is particularly clingy.

“We really miss you!” He tells me after too many drinks.

“Why can’t we train together anymore?” Ads Ikkaku. “All you do is train with Kenpachi! What about us? We need to get better too!”

They make me smile with their heart-warming drunken words so I agree to block out one whole day for them. We make out plans to meet in the morning then Yumichika suddenly falls under the table. I laugh so hard I fall too and Ikkaku stands up.

“Well, I should really take him back to the barrack. We see you tomorrow morning then?”

He helps Yumichika get up and carries him on his shoulder to help him walk. He winks at me and leaves the place. I get home soon after and try to get some rest but I’m too excited about the training plans we made for the next day.

As soon as the sun is out, I get out of my house to meet them but before I can reach the dojo, Kenpachi-sama stops me. He tells me that Ikkaku and Yumichika were sent to the real world with Hitsugaya taichou and others. I feel heartbroken since I didn’t even have the time to say goodbye. I get mad at Kenpachi. I yell at him that he shouldn’t have let them go, like it’s his fault they’re gone. He knows I miss them but I just pretend I’m jealous they’re going to have all the fun fighting without me. He smiles at me and tells me I should go too. I’m surprised by his advice and I do have a bad feeling about this but decide to ask Yamamoto if I can join the team in the real world. After his agreement, I prepare my departure with Hisagi to make sure he can handle everything without me.

Before I leave, I decide to go see Kenpachi-sama to say goodbye. After all those one-on- one times we had, and even though we never talked about it, we both felt something reinforced the bond between us. I make sure no one is around to hear our conversation and decide to talk to him freely about my fears.

“You're not allowed to be killed!”

He laughs.

“You're the only one who could kill me! He says reminding me of a very old conversation we had.”

He starts walking off but I insist and speak a little bit louder, no longer concerned by any eavesdroppers.

“Promise me. Promise me that you won't get killed by anyone but me!”

He doesn’t turn around and replies with a wave of his hand. I smile as I hear his silent promise in my heart.

When I get to the real world, I look for Ikkaku and Yumichika. After locating their reiatsu, I find them just as Ikkaku wins what seems to have been a long fight against an Arrancar. But I’m surprised to see him using his bankai. 

I finally show myself when he’s back to normal and meet them both but decide to not say anything about it. I follow them silently to Ichigo’s friend Keigo’s where we’ll all sleep. When we are settled, I suddenly interrupt our conversation by yelling at poor Ikkaku.

“You had a bankai and never told me?!”

“Isn't that exactly what you did too?” asks Yumichika.

He’s right but that’s not the problem here…

“Whatever,” I sigh.

Ikkaku then explains why he hid his bankai and wants to keep it secret. I understand and promise I’ll keep it for myself.

“But still, why did he know about it and I didn’t?” I ask pointing at Yumichika.

“Sorry… I promise I’ll share everything I tell him with you too!”

Ikkaku’s apology sounds so sincere and his blushing face makes me feel so awkward, I decide to change the subject and we spend the rest of the night discussing our plans until we all fall asleep.

The next day, while everyone goes to Ichigo’s school, I pay a visit to the Kurosakis’ house in secret. I ring the bell and Ichigo’s dad answers.

“A… ta… shi…”* I say to the voice on the other side of the intercom.

Isshin looks shocked to see me.

“I can’t believe you’re back after all this time away!” He says once we’re comfortably seated around the table sipping some tea. 

“And I can’t believe how old you look now!” I tease him.

He laughs. Of course, I haven’t changed since I went back to soul society but he’s grown old living here as a human.

After some catching up talk, I briefly explain the situation to him regarding his son to make sure he’s in the loop about the vaizards who contacted Ichigo and the arrancars who started showing up. He already seems to have an idea and be prepared but I worry.

“Are you and your family going to be ok?”

He doesn’t answer but despite how bad things will get from here, I have the feeling his skills are as sharp as ever. He asks me to trust him and I agree to let him handle this on his own terms. 

“But don’t forget you can ask for help any time if you ever need it.”

“I know. Thanks.”

He smiles, hiding his doubts and worries behind his brave look. I leave his house asking him to keep our little reunion and our connexion a secret.

*"It's me..."

BLEACH fanfiction - part 1

The alarm echoes in Seireitei. A small group of humans has come to soul society and has managed to penetrate the protective barrier around us. All squads have the same order: stop the humans no matter what. As the 4th seat in the 11th squad, I can’t let anyone beat me to the fight. I race my 2 best friends to reach the humans first. Yumichika and Ikkaku go one way, I take another betting I can reach our enemies faster. I also have another good reason to not fight around them, but as I always did, I’ll keep this a secret. Unfortunately, I don’t have the chance to fight the intruders. I get lost in the maze of Seireitei and the other two beat me to it. 

I only manage to meet them at the 4th squad barrack after their fights. They both fought hard and somehow lost to the enemy. But they don’t have serious injuries. It seems the humans have no intention of fighting dirty. They came here with a goal and only want to reach it without hurting anyone on their way. But they seem strong and I know our captain is definitely going to fight their leader. Not to follow orders, just for the fun of it.

Speaking of, I should really go check on him. He left with Yachiru fuku taichou and followed her terrible sense of direction. They may be lost somewhere. When I find them, Kenpachi-sama is in the middle of a fight again the strongest human around. I decide not to interfere and sit quietly by Yachiru’s side. I just watch the show and enjoy the beauty of it. Kenpachi-sama gives himself into the battle so intensely it's mesmerizing. But, crazy as this sounds, he falls. 
I can’t believe the man I respect and admire the most, the strongest captain of Gotei 13 and most skilled fighter, is losing to a mere human. When I see that, I stand up suddenly, ready to fight the one who defeated him but Yachiru holds my wrist. When I turn around, I see on her face a serious look I never saw her take before. She shakes her head to stop me from doing anything. I hate being held back but I know she’s right. I try to contain myself to avoid intervening. I decide to let our lieutenant handle the situation and wait for Kenpachi’s return at the barrack.

I can’t seem to calm down. I pace nervously around the 11th squad barrack. The others keep asking me questions I don’t want to answer. I just hate waiting! Thankfully, it doesn’t take too much time for our captain and lieutenant to return. When he’s fully healed, Kenpachi-sama convinces us to trust the humans as he doesn’t believe they are our real enemy. It looks like something else is going on and we need to keep a sharp eye because things are not what they look like.

We then follow the humans' progress in Seireitei and learn much later, and thanks to them, that Aizen, Gin and Tousen are the ones we should fight. Kenpachi’s orders go against the captain commander’s orders but it doesn’t matter to us 11th squad so we change our position. A few other squads follow our lead and join us in the inner battle of Gotei 13.

I find myself facing Hisagi, the 9th squad’s lieutenant. I like the guy and don’t want to hurt him but I heard Kenpachi-sama is fighting the other captain and want to hurry to fight by his side. I feel really conflicted. 
"I’m sorry Hisagi, I wouldn’t normally use my full power on you but I'm in a rush. I hope you can forgive me…" 
He doesn’t seem to understand what I’m saying, and why would he? Nevertheless, I stop him very quickly using my true strength but I’m still too late and when I find Kenpachi-sama, he’s done fighting.

After all our fights, we hear that Aizen, and the two others plotting captains, left through some kind of portal with a hollow making device which is what we were fighting against. I guess we lost that battle in the end, despite winning multiple fights within it.

After the storm, we manage to rebuild Seireitei little by little and things get back to their normal calm selves. 

One day, while I’m training with Ikkaku in the dojo, I am being summoned in the 1st squad barrack. Being called over the headquarter is usually not a very reassuring thing. At the 11th squad, we are quite the troublesome ones but we are usually sent there by groups. Ikkaku laughs at me. 
"What did you do this time?" 
I want to say something back but when I look in his eye, I see he’s actually worried so I keep my comment to myself and smile as I follow the messenger who’s showing me the way. There, I see Captain commander Yamamoto who asked for me. I am feeling nervous around him since he knows my secret and my past but I’m sure I didn’t do anything wrong this time.

After a little discussion about the recent events and the current situation we’re now facing, he asks me to become captain of the 9th squad. Surprised by his request, I don’t know what to say. It’s a great opportunity but I really don’t want to leave the 11th squad. The commander has pretty good arguments and in the end, he convinces me to take the job.

 We hold the official ceremony a few days later. I am surrounded by all the captains and my new lieutenant Hisagi. It’s quite stressful as I feel like most of them don’t even know why Yamamoto chose me but they all accept me, most of them with pleasure. During the ceremony, I see Kuchiki taichou and his impartial face and can’t help but roll my eyes. I see Kyoraku taichou and Ukitake taichou, by far my favorite captains and the ones I get along the most with. They both offer me a deep “congratulations” smile and I smile back at them, feeling more relaxed and supported. As my glare moves around the room, I try not to look at Kurotsuchi taichou. This guy creeps the hell out of me! Kenpachi-sama is sending me a look both proud and curious. I guess explanations will be due soon after.

When I’m finally officially a captain, I move to my new quarters and spend the rest of the day with Hisagi, who forgave me for fighting him a few weeks back. I fill up my duties carefully all day but as soon as the night falls, I meet up with my 11th squad family. While we’re all chatting and drinking away to celebrate, they ask me why I never said anything about my bankai level before. Since there’s no point in hiding the truth any longer, I explain to them I was ashamed because I love fighting more than anything just like we all do in the 11th squad but my bankai is the ability to absorb any spiritual energy. 

When I say these words, I can see their eyes on me asking for clarification. I sigh and decide to give them more details despite my hatred for my own power.

"I can create a sort of bubble where all spiritual particles are absorbed by my bankai. If I use this for a fight in soul society, which is entirely made of spiritual particles, everything disappears, the surrounding, up to a couple of meters around, even the clothes my opponent and I are wearing. It’s like floating in a white dream where only your consciousness remains. I can then absorb my enemy’s vital spiritual energy by swallowing it through from their mouth to mine, which makes them weaker and can even kill them."

After my explanation, I lower my head in shame but everybody seems pretty impressed. I’m glad they’re not judging my bankai as worthless and cowardly. Ikkaku pokes my shoulder and whispers in my ear. "I understand why you kept this a secret!" I look at him, surprised by his comment but he only winks at me and leaves the room. A couple of drinks later, only Kenpachi-sama and I are still up. Before I can get up to go home myself, my former captain finally opens his mouth for the first time that night. 
"This bankai of yours is quite something, isn’t it? For having fought Tousen with an ability close to what you described, I think this is actually a great opportunity!"
"What do you mean?" I ask. 
"I think we could use your bankai to our advantage by training with you in your bubble to improve our fighting skills."

I’m trying to imagine how that would work but I don’t want to question his reasoning since I’m sure he knows what he’s planning. He smiles, his eyes sparkling with new excitement. "Use your bankai on me! I want to start training with you with your full abilities!" I smile back at the exceptional man in front of me and graciously accept. Even though I am now the 9th squad's captain, and I take my responsibilities seriously, I still feel like I’m part of the 11th squad and training with Kenpachi-sama one on one regularly is the greatest honor for me.

Unfortunately, before I have to chance to start this, I am sent to the real world with Kuchiki Rukia and Abarai Renji who seem to have befriended the humans. They are meant to team up with Ichigo and his friends to help them with the bountos. 

Renji and I both live with Urahara, but he meets up with Rukia and the others regularly. I, on the other hand, have other orders and only keep an eye on them occasionally. My mission is kept secret from them for now.

One night, as I’m on my way back from a hard day, I see some agitation in Urahara’s place. I draw my zanpakutou out before approaching the door. I hear the noises getting louder as I’m getting closer to the main room. I storm in and see Kenpachi, Ikkaku, and Yumichika around the table with Urahara and the kids. Excited to see them, I fall into Yumichika’s arms to hold him and poke Ikkaku on the shoulder with a wink. We spend the night drinking and discussing their own little mission here.

The day after, I drive them to a place where they were asked to go, escorted by me and Renji. I put some music on to break the tension that seems to have emerged from the others in the car for a reason they refuse to explain. Only Yumichika is as excited as I am about being here together. We chat like two teenagers. I can almost hear the others' eyes rolling but I don’t care I’m happy to share things from the real world with my best friend. And Yumichika is ecstatic to hear about the band I love and discover their songs. When we finally get quiet too, Renji asks me how I know so much about the real world and how I’m so good at driving. I don’t answer, returning to the awkward silence I broke earlier.

Later that night, I eavesdrop a discussion the guys are having. Renji is asking Kenpachi why he’s not curious about my past. 
"Don’t you think it’s suspicious she knows so much? I mean, everything here is new to us, right? How can she be so comfortable and adjusted?" 
Kenpachi-sama stops him. 
"I don’t care about her past. I don’t care about what she did and how she lived before. All I care about is what I know about her now. I respect her deeply and trust her with my life. That’s all I need to know about her."

My eyes get watery as hear him talk that way about me. I run off before they can see me, to avoid any uncomfortable situation but my heart is filled with pride and joy.

After their little mission in the real world is complete, Kenpachi-sama and Ikkaku go back but Yumichika stays around to help Renji and the humans to fight the bountos. This time I am asked to stay with them and help as much as possible. Unfortunately, our enemies find a way to soul society so we follow them closely. I finally get my moment of glory against Maki, the shinigami who’s with the bountos but our fight is long and we both get pretty beaten up. Kenpachi-sama meets us just before either of us can kill the other. He gets mad at me for stealing that fight from him since he believes this fight was his from the start and he didn’t want me to get myself so badly wounded in a fight that didn’t belong to me.

The others go ahead but I stay behind to watch Kenpachi fight Maki. He’s like an angel of death, clean, fast, and beautiful. I realise then how much I worship him. He does what he does with such passion and talent, it's impossible not to fall in love with him when you watch him fight. I respect him and admire him more than anyone. What I feel for him, far from being romantic, is a deep infinite love.

When he’s done with his opponent, he comes to me, picks me up from the ground where I was laying, and carries me home. He holds me tight, one arm under my knees and the other under my shoulders. My head is resting against his chest covered in blood. He walks silently towards the setting sun. As I observe him, I realise he’s not in much better shape than I am, yet he carries me without complaining, walking tall and proud as always, being strong for both of us. 
"You got cut bad," I say. 
He sighs, staring at the horizon. 
"You distracted me." 
I suddenly feel terrible for being such a burden on my hero. 
"I'm sorry!" 
"It made the fight more interesting," he says with a grin. 
I can’t help but blush. 
"Life too," he adds with a whisper.

I smile and close my eyes. I don’t really know how to take his comment but  I just want to enjoy this little fleeting moment of happiness, rocked by his steading steps, my head against his heart.