Bleach: Aftermath

[Okay, so I had made an RP about Bleach and let it die because...I was bored. Originally I wanted to do a fanfic out of boredom and because it's one of the few things I haven't tried. So I borrowed a lot from the RP and...to be honest, this is all out of boredom and just for fun so my writing here isn't as good as my three other(original) stories. Yay for fanfic. <<]

Four Days Ago

An elderly man’s voice echoed through the hall as a lone figure walked slowly towards the direction of the sound. He wore a standard shihakushō and a white haori over it. Even under normal circumstances, this man would still stand out from other Soul Reapers for the mere fact that he carried three blades with him. Two katana strapped to his right side and his zanpakuto placed at his left. As the male continued forward, the voice became audible and almost gave him the chills when he heard his own name spoken aloud.

“After an extensive background check and the recent captain proficiency test, a new captain has been added to our ranks. Captain of the Fifth Squad, Arashi Zanshou.” The male stopped at the entrance, seeing the others in the room who all seemed to be staring at him. He lifted a hand and waved slightly at the other captains, not saying a word. The one introduced as Arashi stepped forward into the room and turned his head both ways to get a good look at everyone present. It had been the first time he had seen all the captains in one place at the same time so he just had to take in the moment.

“Nice to see all of you.” Arashi finally spoke shifting in place, as the uniform was so uncomfortable for him, and it did not suit his taste. He stood there for several more moments, wondering if he could just leave since it felt like all the other captains had somewhere else to be. Guess even captains have awkward moments of silence… He ran a hand through his long black hair which rivaled that of Captain Ukitake’s in length. “So are we dismissed?” He plainly asked as he lowered his hand to his side.


.::.::.Chapter 1.::.::.

Arashi stared at the uniform hanging in front of him and crossed his arms, shaking his head slowly. He had grown tired of wearing the black shihakushō and instead was wearing a white one. The day he was promoted was the last day he wore his old outfit and he was glad to finally be rid of it because his new uniform was much more comfortable and loose. The only problem was that it called too much attention to him and he had heard several captains call him “overly flashy”. Arashi smiled slightly and left his office where he kept his old uniform, it was a reminder to him that he had been a low-ranking officer for such a long time before he became captain.

As soon as he was out in the open Arashi found himself looking at a particularly young looking Soul Reaper with a sleeveless shihakushō. This meant that he must have been from the Ninth Squad which was bad news for the new captain as he knew that the Ninth Squad was trying to get an interview from him ever since he was promoted. He cursed under his breath, knowing that it was only a matter of time before someone got close enough to speak to him, even Hell Butterflies never reached him. “Can I help you?” He quietly said, his deep voice surprising the one in front of him.

“I-I have a few questions to ask you s-sir.” The Soul Reaper stuttered, hastily taking out a notepad and a pen from inside his own sleeve.

Arashi sighed and nodded slightly, having no interest in speaking with someone with questions. “Sure.”

“Well…uhm…” Already he was beginning to be annoyed with the young Soul Reaper’s presence, the boy could not even finish a sentence, much less give a proper interview. “Is there any particular reason to your flashy choice of clothes?”

It was obvious that he would be asked about it since he was the only Soul Reaper who refused to wear a black shihakushō from day one. “White is my favorite color. It looks better than the regular uniform and now that I’m a captain, nobody can tell me that I can’t wear this.” There was a pause in which the boy jotted down what Arashi had just said.

“Do you have three zanpakuto? I see that you’re carrying three weapo-”

“No. Only Jushiro and Shunsui have zanpakuto that come as two blades. My own is just this one.” He motioned to the blade on his left side. “The other two are just regular katana that I use on any opponents unworthy of being struck down by my zanpakuto.”

There was another pause, this time it was so brief that Arashi began to wonder if the boy was writing anything down or just scribbling.

“What do you think of your fellow captains?” Now that was a question worth answering since Arashi had already met each captain and had formed his own conclusions of each one of them.

“I’ll start with Squad Thirteen’s captain, Jushiro Ukitake. He’s a nice guy with hair just as good as mine, if not, better.” Arashi laughed a little to himself before continuing. “Mayuri Kurotsuchi is probably one of the only two captains that I would deem scary…even if he is easy to pick on. Kenpachi Zaraki is admittedly very strong but he’s nothing more than an overgrown muscle. Toshiro…well, he’s just young and short. Sunshui is a fun person to hang around and can really hold his alcohol and Sajin Komamura gives me the urge to throw a bone at him to play a game of fetch.” Arashi rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he thought of who was next on his list. “Ah! Byakuya. That’s who’s next. Well, he just needs to smile more. Maybe I should give him a hug or something. Then there’s Retsu Unohana…” He whistled loudly and grinned. “Get what I mean?” The boy laughed slightly and nodded in response. “That leads us to Soifon who is just not as impressive as the others. Finally, the Head Captain…he’s old and he’s the only other captain that can be considered someone to fear.”

Arashi took in a deep breath, having not been accustomed to speaking so much. He looked down at the young Soul Reaper and watched as he lowered his pen. “Captain Zanshou, there’s been talk of your actions…or lack of them. Do you have any comment?”

“Bye.” Without another word, Arashi vanished from sight leaving the reporter speechless. He appeared just an instant later within an infirmary which he knew several lieutenants were still recovering in from the battle against Aizen and his followers. Unsurprisingly, they had been wounded far more seriously than their captains and the only lieutenants still walking around that Arashi could think of were Yachiro of the Eleventh Squad, Nemu Kurotsuchi of the Twelfth Squad, and Isane Kotetsu of the Fourth Squad.

Arashi looked around slowly, stepping to the side as he watched several members of the Fourth Squad rushed by him. With so many injured, the Fourth Squad had been running themselves half to death. He went onward, quickly finding his way to the room he was headed to. He looked down at the bed that belonged to a rather small young woman sleeping on her side with her dark hair covering most of her face. The scene looked the same as it did yesterday only…there was something different about it today. In addition to Lieutenant Hinamori’s presence in the room, a much taller silver haired woman was sitting in a chair nearby with her head leaned against the wall and her eyes closed. Arashi stared at her for a moment, noticing the badge she wore on her left arm signaling to him that she was the lieutenant of the Fourth Squad. “Uhm…” He wondered whether or not he should wake her to keep her from getting in trouble with her own captain. He reached a hand out slowly to nudge her shoulder when she jolted upright suddenly with a small yelp.

“I’m sorry Captain!” She blurted out when she saw Arashi standing in front of her. Isane Kotetsu looked down at Momo then back at the Captain, her cheeks now tinted red. “I d-didn’t mean to fall asleep. I was just busy and…”

“Relax. You’re squad has been busy. I won’t tell anyone as long as you keep your voice down.” Arashi motioned towards his sleeping Lieutenant to which Isane nodded quickly in response.

“I’ve seen you around here a lot lately.” She whispered, lowering her head.

Arashi looked off to the side and took in a deep breath. “So…?” He muttered.

“When you’ve been around here as long as I have, you start to know when people feel guilty about someone else’s condition.” She paused. “…It’s not your fault that Aizen betrayed us all and it’s not your fault that Momo is still recovering.”

He looked back towards Isane and shrugged. “You’re half right. I couldn’t have stopped Aizen from going rogue.” Arashi folded his arms and sighed. “I just wish I could have helped during the fight. I could’ve stopped them from-”

“Now you’re blaming yourself for everyone’s wounds?” Isane interrupted, now looking hard at Arashi.

“I’ve had the strength of a captain for awhile now. I was to busy with my own…things to think about helping the others.” He turned towards the door and closed his eyes for a moment, going silent.

“Captain…?” The voice was so quiet that Arashi almost didn’t hear it but he still recognized it as belonging to Momo. “Please don’t worry about me and the others. We’ll be fine.” Arashi glanced over his should to see Lieutenant Hinamori attempting to sit up only to be forced to lay back down by Isane.

“You need your rest.” Isane firmly stated.

Momo paid no attention and continued to keep her eyes fixed on her captain. “Please don’t let this get in the way of your duties. Think of the rest of the squad.”

Arashi faced the door once more and laughed slightly. “You both should get some rest. …I guess I’ve neglected my squad long enough.” With that, he vanished from sight.

.::.::.Chapter 2.::.::.

“Do you think that guy even cares about us?”

“We probably have the worst reputation of all the squads because of Aizen!”

“I’ve barely even seen him around. Captain Zanshou doesn’t seem to be taking his job seriously.”

“I heard that he’s been hanging around every day near the Fourth Squad’s territory.”

“Think he’s sick?”

“Nah. And if he was, who cares?”

”Sorry to keep you all waiting.” Arashi’s voice caused most of the Fifth Squad to go silent instantly and turn towards his direction.

“Did anyone see him or sense him even get here?” Someone asked towards a fellow comrade just barely loud enough for Arashi to hear.

“Follow me.” He began to walk away from the others, listening to their hushed conversations as he lead the group to the Senkaimon and they were soon joined by a Hell Butterfly. Arashi ignored the rest of his squad as they continued to speak, watching as the gate was opened to the World of the Living. “Get to the other side.” He ordered, pointing towards the gate.

When the members of his squad that he brought along passed through to the other side, Arashi smiled slightly as he took a small white object out of his sleeve that looked like a pill. This’ll be fun. He crossed over soon after and let the gate close behind him.

“Captain, what are we doing here?” Someone asked him.

“You’ll see.” Arashi simply stated in reply, holding up the small object above his head for everyone to see. Several of them gasped and said, “Bait!” Arashi then broke the small capsule releasing a white powder before lowering his hand. “Get ready!” He shouted to his squad, now gazing up at the sky as he felt the spiritual pressure in the area intensify. Everyone except Arashi drew their zanpakuto as several holes were torn into the World of the Living. Several of the Soul Reapers looked at Arashi for guidance but he kept his mouth shut and smiled as the hollows began to appear.

“This guy’s a real pain!” One of them shouted as he took off towards the nearest hollow, soon followed by others who began defending the town against the hollows. Arashi raised an eyebrow, watching his squad successfully kill its first hollow. Guess I better start. He turned his head to see two Soul Reapers raise their swords to strike a large reptilian-like hollow only to be stopped a moment later by another katana.

“Captain!?” Both Soul Reapers cried out as they moved back in surprise. Arashi had flash stepped in front of them and blocked both blows with one of his two katana. He lowered his blade and stared at the two for a long moment before they moved around him and killed the hollow. Arashi glanced behind him to make sure that the two did not linger before pulling the same stunt on another nearby Soul Reaper, once again preventing a hollow from having its mask damaged. The battle continued on like this for another three hours, Arashi would stop an attack from his own squad, they would be surprised, then after a moment they would then proceed to kill the hollow with no further interruption from Arashi.

When it was all over, the squad members gathered around their captain who was busy whistling to himself. He stopped when the grew close to him and grinned. “What is it?”

“What do you think? You stopped us several times and made our job a lot harder out there! You could have gotten any one of us killed!” Someone from the back of the group spoke.

Arashi laughed a little and waved his hand to quiet his squad. “Is it my fault that none of you react fast enough?” Arashi’s voice darkened as he continued. “None of you passed my test. You should all be more than able to handle these hollow without much effort. I simply wanted to see how fast you all could act in the face of a surprise.” He drew his zanpakuto out and pointed it at his squad. “If they had been anything more than weaklings all of you would be dead.” A cold silence followed his words as many Soul Reapers lowered their heads in either embarrassment or shame. Arashi sheathed his zanpakuto and smiled once more. “Since Captain Ukitake is still recovering from his injuries, his squad is a bit unattended at the moment and are mainly being directed by his two third seats.” He paused and turned his head towards the gate that was opening nearby. “I want all of you to help the Thirteenth Squad in their duties while I speak with their captain.” Arashi heard someone say something about him using it as an excuse to head back to the Fourth Squad’s territory but ignored the comment. “Now get a move on it.” I think I’ve got an idea. He headed through the gate with the rest of his squad, disappearing as soon as they reached the Soul Society.

“You’re back early.” A calm voice spoke as soon as Arashi arrived not too far away from Captain Ukitake’s room.

“Been keeping track of me, Retsu?” Arashi’s eyes trailed off to the side as he fixed his sight on the door.

“Don’t you mean Captain Unohana?” She stepped in front of the door to break Arashi’s stare. “I would appreciate it if you avoided flash stepping in here whenever you please.”

“I would appreciate it if you would stop checking me out every time I came her, but that’s not going to happen, is it?” Arashi tilted his head slightly and smiled politely at Captain Unohana. “I need to speak with Captain Ukitake so…” He stepped forward and looked down at the one who was still blocking his path.

“He needs his rest.”

Arashi rolled his eyes and shook his head slowly, sighing loudly. “Retsu, Retsu, Retsu…sorry about this.” He grabbed the woman by her hips, lifted her up slightly, the placed her to the side. Arashi then reached for the door before having his hand nearly sliced off by a zanpakuto belonging to the captain he had just annoyed. “That could have been painful.” He stated with a tone of amusement as he looked at his own hand.

“Next time it will be.” Retsu already had her zanpakuto sheathed once more and was glaring right at Arashi.

“There’ll be a next time?” He retorted in a childish voice, holding back a smile.

“Just be quick about it and don’t annoy Captain Ukitake.” Retsu responded, beginning to show signs of frustration.

Arashi winked before heading inside the room, his smile quickly vanished as he saw the captain laying in his bed. He closed the door behind him and moved closer, waving when Jushiro opened his eyes.

“It’s nice to have a visitor.” Jushiro said.

“Glad to see you’re not looking so bad.” Arashi sat down in a chair beside the bed and scratched his cheek. “You’d be looking a lot better if you had some company and didn’t have to worry so much about your squad.”

“You would think that running things from a bed would be easier now that I’ve had so much experience, wouldn’t it?” Jushiro smiled weakly before looking out towards the window.

“That’s close to what I’m here about.” Arashi muttered, seeing Jushiro turn back to face him.

“What is it?”

Arashi leaned back in his chair and slid his hand from his cheek down to his lap. “It would be better for you if I temporarily ran your squad while your two third seats came her to help look after you.”

Jushiro’s smile vanished as he raised an eyebrow. “Being in command of two squads would be a difficult job even for a fully able captain.”

“I know it’s not the best idea ever but…the Thirteen Court Guard really needs you back to full health.” Arashi lowered his head and bit his lower lip, trying to think of a more convincing argument.

“Alright.” Jushiro said after a long moment of silence.

“Really?” Arashi looked up, surprised by the fact that Jushiro would so easily allow him to handle his squad for the remainder of his recovery.

“Yes. Just take don’t overstrain yourself. I’m not the only captain who’s needed.” Arashi smiled and nodded in response to Jushiro before standing up and going towards the door.

“I promise that I’ll take care of your squad. Now get some rest Captain Ukitake.” Arashi waved again at Jushiro before leaving the room, only to find himself knocking over Isane Kotetsu who had been directly outside the door.

“Ow!” The silver haired woman looked up to see who had knocked her over only to see Arashi. “Captain Zanshou? What are you-?” She yelped as he grabbed her arm and pulled her quickly to her feet. “Uhm…” She was a little more than shocked because she had to raise her eyes, albeit just a little, to look into Arashi’s since she was taller than most Soul Reapers.

“Can’t explain. I’ll be back…eventually!” And once again, Arashi vanished without waiting for a reply.

.::.::.Chapter 3.::.::.

Things have finally calmed down. I suppose that would be a good thing but now I’m stuck here at school. The raven haired boy stared outside the window of a nearly empty classroom, having only two other people inside. The boy’s friend nicknamed “Chad” and the teacher who had forced the two to stay late in order to catch up with their homework because of all the recent absences.

“Are you doing your work, Uryu?” The teacher asked, having noticed that he was staring off into space.

“Y-yes.” He diverted his gaze from the window down to the textbook he was supposed to be reading. Uryu pushed his glasses up with his index finger and sighed quietly. Ichigo and Orihime got off easy. They were able to trick the teacher into letting them do a project to replace all the missed work. I wonder if they’re doing it on the trip Ichigo and his family took them on…

“You know, you should really be paying attention to the work.” A deep voice came from beside him.

Uryu smiled a little bit and glanced at his friend, Chad. “Well we have a lot of time. I suppose if we finish early, we cou-” Uryu was cut off by the teacher who had smacked the back of both his and Chad’s heads with a book.

“Stop talking and start working boys!” She glared at the two menacingly.

“Yes ma’am.” Both Uryu and Chad said at the same time, lowering their heads and going back to reading.

Is it me or does it feel like something’s coming? Just a few hours ago I felt so many different spiritual energies…but it was pretty far away… Uryu looked at Chad out of the corner of his vision and wondered if he had felt it too.

~~~~~~~​

“What!? Since when!?” Kiyone Kotetsu shouted.

“I told you when. Now go give your captain some company and keep it down while you both are over there.”

“B-but…” Sentarō Kotsubaki protested.

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“Fine.” With that, the two third seats of the Thirteenth Squad left Arashi to go to their captain.

Arashi sighed out and ran a hand through his hair, looking up at the sky as he listened to his squad and the Thirteenth Squad get into an argument over the temporary change in leadership. He paced back and forth, wanting to let them settle things out for themselves. He was not about to lower himself to deal with such a pointless fight. Arashi kept silent until the voices died down and both squads left to do their respective duties. “Finally.” He said under his breath.

Arashi sat down on a bench and laid back against the wall behind him, closing his eyes. I haven’t slept since I became a captain…I think I’ll take a nap…

~~~~~~~​

That took longer than I expected. Uryu thought to himself as he rose from his desk and shut his textbook shut. He carefully placed his belongings in his bag and slung it over his shoulder, once more using his index finger to push his glasses up. “I’ll see you later, Chad.” He looked down at his large friend, seeing his nose practically pressed against the book. Hearing no response from Chad, Uryu said his farewell to the teacher before leaving the classroom. He walked down the hallway, which was completely empty since the only students present at this time were there to catch up on their homework. The spiritual pressure faded again…

“Uryu wait up.” A deep voice called out to him.

Uryu turned around to see Chad run up to him. “So you finished?” He did not need an answer since the only way Chad would have been able to leave the classroom is if he had finished his work for the day.

Chad nodded slowly and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, probably from the stress of having so much work to do and not being able to simply punch his way out of the problem like he would if it had been a hollow. “Did you feel that presence earlier, Uryu?”

So he had sensed it too. “Yes. A few hours ago I’m positive there were hollows in the area…as well as something else. I believe it must have been the Thirteen Court Guard that intervened since Ichigo isn’t around acting as a Substitute Soul Reaper.” Uryu paused and placed his hand under his chin. “But I felt something else recently. It’s been on and off…”

“I feel it too.” The two went quiet as they looked off to the side, both thinking that something must have been going on and that whatever was coming, was not just a regular hollow.

Uryu shook his head slowly and looked back at Chad. “Whatever it is, we can’t do anything for now until it shows itself again.”

“Yeah…well, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Chad waved slightly before walking off in the opposite direction, leaving Uryu alone.

~~~~~~~​

”Come on brother. Show it to me again!”

“Why? If anyone saw, I’d be dragged into the Thirteen Court Guard!”

“It doesn’t matter! You shouldn’t be ashamed of it anyways. You said you mastered it anyways.”

“Bankai isn’t something I should be showing off either.”

“Arashi, use it. If they haven’t sensed you activating Bankai by now, then it proves my point that you’ve been able to-”

“Shut it! We don’t need any trouble. We died at seven, remember? We haven’t even gotten a chance to enjoy being kids yet!”

“But if you have this power, then you should use it to help people! How long do you think you can hide it?”

“Kept my spiritual pressure hidden for seven years. I think another seven would be enough to keep me satisfied.”

“Arashi…well, I’m gonna become a Soul Reaper. I want you to get in the academy the same time I do. Promise me, in seven years we’ll join.”

“…Alright. But I won’t like it. Don‘t push me into becoming a captain, alright?”

~~~~~~~​

The school was now empty as Uryu and Chad had both left to go home and now the only person inside was the teacher. She packed her things and locked the classroom door. She noticed a shadow out of the corner of her eye and groaned in frustration. “Listen. Unless you plan on spending your school life in detention, you better go home.” She turned towards where she had seen the shadow and saw nothing. The school was quiet…until a woman’s frightened scream broke the silence.

The Kon Captain Segment!​

“Hey. It’s me, Captain Arashi Zanshou. Seeing as how there’s nobody free to do this segment, I got stuck with it. The now deceased Gin had done several pieces explaining things about Arrancar so I guess I should do something similar to that.”

“What about me!? I’m free!”

“Quiet Kon. Nobody likes you.”

“Hey!”

“Quiet, Kon.”

“Where do you get off without even naming the chapters!? Don’t you know it makes things more interesting to name stuff?”

“Fine. I’ll ask the creator about it now shut it.”

“Don’t tell me what to do! Just because you’re taller doesn’t mea-”

“So today I’m going to be talking about my zanpakuto, Zasetsu.”

“Don’t ignore me, pretty boy! Do you know who I am!?”

“Zasetsu has several meanings. Although it normally means ‘frustration‘, in my case it means ‘breakdown’. The context it is supposed to be used in would be something like having an emotional breakdown but let’s face it. That’s not what I mean by-”

“STOP IGNORING ME!”

“Excuse me for one moment.”

“H-hey! What are you doing? Stop! My arm isn’t supposed to come off!”​

Shinigami Cup!​

Renji: Captain? Can I ask you a question?

Byakuya: Yes?

Renji: Why is it that whenever you use bankai, you never yell it out?

Byakuya: What do you mean?

Renji: Like this, BANKAI!

Byakuya: I prefer to keep calm rather than shout out that I am about to use bankai.

Renji: But it sounds cooler if you do it! Even Ichigo does it!

Byakuya: All the more reason not to shout it out.

Renji: Please? I want to hear you do it just once, Captain Kuchiki.

Byakuya: No.

Renji: I’ll get the Women’s Association to stop bothering you.

Byakuya: …BANKAI!

.::.::.Chapter 4 ~ A Mistake.::.::.

“Captain Zanshou wake up!”

“We need to move, hurry!”

Ugh…was I out for that long? Arashi opened his eyes to see his squad shouting at him as well as a somewhat familiar face amongst them. The figure stood out of the crowd due to his massive amount of make up and haori. “Mayuri…?”

“Captain Kurotsuchi to you.” He hissed angrily, suddenly grabbing Arashi by his collar and bringing him up to his feet. “Don’t think that I didn’t notice the disappearance of the hollow bait you stole from my lab.” Arashi’s squad went silent.

“I overheard that you needed to test it out so I used it on my squad.” Arashi swatted Mayuri’s hands away and grinned. “It worked marvelously.”

“Why thank you…”

Arashi turned away from Mayuri, wanting to avoid further conversation. He barely took a step when Mayuri spoke again.

“Do you think that I’m only here to berate you about my stolen property?” Mayuri laughed coldly before he continued. “You missed one.”

The words sent a cold shiver down Arashi’s spine and even though he knew what Mayuri was talking about, he had to make sure. “What does that mean?” Arashi asked, hoping for an answer other than the one he feared.

“A hollow has been terrorizing the World of the Living because of you.” Arashi took in a deep breath as he lowered his head and clenched his fists tightly. “Ooohhh…you better act quick before Captain Yamamoto decides that you should be executed for purposely releasing hollow into the World of the Living.”

“That’s what we were trying to tell you Captain! Our squad’s been ordered to eliminate the hollow!”

“We need you to lead us, Captain!”

Arashi listened to his squad shout at him to hurry and order them to cross over to the other side but felt that it was the wrong decision to send all of them out to clean a mess he made. Every captain had his or her pride and Arashi was no exception.

“No.” Arashi spoke for everyone to hear. “I’ll deal with this myself.”

“But Captai-”

“I said no. Continue to help the Thirteenth Squad while I settle matters in the World of the Living. Understood?” After hearing a loud, “Yes Captain!” as a response, Arashi began to head towards the Senkaimon.

“You better hurry before too many humans die.” Mayuri said to him in an undertone before careless adding, “Not that I’d care what happens to you or any human.”

~~~~~~~​

Uryu ran as fast as he could back towards the school where he felt the strong presence of a hollow. He decided against changing into his Quincy clothes to avoid looking too suspicious…although fighting something that appeared to be invisible to just about everyone else was not considered normal either. I hope Chad will be there. This hollow feels so powerful. Uryu arrived at the school and looked up at the sky, making sure that the hollow could not be seen from where he was at. It must be smaller than the average hollow otherwise it wouldn’t fit inside the school…could it be…no…it can’t…

Uryu summoned his bow and headed inside, finding that the air inside was thicker than outside. It was heavy due to the high spiritual pressure but even with such a large amount in the area, Uryu still had a hard time pinpointing the exact location of the hollow. As he ran through the hallway, he heard footsteps just around the corner which was coming his way. Uryu skidded to a stop and aimed the bow at…

“Uryu?” Chad spoke, both of his arms having been transformed.

“Sorry. I couldn’t sense you with all this…” Uryu looked up at the ceiling. “Interference.” He looked back at Chad and slightly lowered his bow. Hollow consume souls to survive but the school should be empty by now. …Who would have been the last person to leave…? Uryu snapped his fingers as he figured out where the hollow was. “Chad! Let’s head towards our class before it’s too late!”

~~~~~~~​

What the hell? How come I couldn’t sense it before? That hollow must have shown up after we left… Arashi stared down at the town below, trying to locate the hollow’s position. He didn’t want to waste time simply searching the whole area to hope that he would catch a glimpse of it, even if the area where the spiritual pressure was the highest was only the size of a school. As Arashi looked down at the scene bellow, he noticed two children run into the school nearly at the same time through different sides. One of them wielded some sort of bow while the other’s arms…and his spiritual energy resembled that of something found in hollows. “Did I just see a Quincy…? Maybe that’s the one that I’ve heard about.” Arashi wasn’t sure how powerful the Quincy was or who was the other boy but he knew neither caused the disturbance he felt and that they were probably after the same hollow.

Arashi sighed out quietly and flash stepped inside the school in hopes of simply running into the hollow before the kids did. He looked around once he was in the building and found that the spiritual pressure was more than just above average, it was actually acting as some kind of static to mess with his ability to sense the presence of the hollow. Great. I have to do this the old fashioned way. He turned around and saw the two boys turn a corner and step into the same hallways Arashi was in. The Quincy aimed his bow at Arashi and fixed his glasses before drawing an arrow.

“Those white clothes…the zanpakuto…are you some kind of Espada?” The Quincy asked.

The other boy who was with him got into some fighting position which looked a little silly to Arashi seeing as how he had no weapon other than his fists. “I thought all the Espada were dead.”

Espada? Why do they compare me to those pests? Then again…they were practically Soul Reapers who wore white… Arashi looked down at his custom uniform and back up at the two. He slowly turned to show the two his haori but before he got the chance, the Quincy shot an arrow prompting Arashi to flash step behind the two.

“Did he just vanish!?” The Quincy turned around to look behind himself and his friend but by then Arashi had already taken off in another direction.

I really don’t have time for this. Arashi drew his two katana, preferring to avoid the use of his zanpakuto at the moment. He stopped once he rounded another corner and saw what had been causing the trouble. “You’re no Vizard.” Arashi stated when he saw a lone male standing over the fallen body of a woman and noticed her spirit nearly ten feet away from the body. The male wore a torn brown trench coat and would have looked normal if his jaw had looked like it belonged to a human. Instead, his jaw had two pincers which faintly reminded Arashi of an insect.

“Quiet you.” The hollow spoke coldly, staring down at the woman’s spirit. “I couldn’t rip her body to shreds because my spiritual pressure killed her soon after she saw me…so I intend to crush this spirit the same way.”

Arashi glanced down at the unconscious spirit and figured that she wouldn’t live much longer if the hollow continued to just stand there. He cut at the hollow’s chest, sending him flying out of the building. As the hollow forced itself to come to a stop in midair, Arashi appeared behind it and landed another blow on its back.

“Shallow cuts won’t kill me, Soul Reaper!” The hollow turned around and swung at Arashi, who noticed that instead of an arm the hollow had some sort of blade. Arashi ducked under the attack and used both swords to continuously strike at the hollow who defended himself skillfully, managing to block most of Arashi’s attacks. Both of that thing’s arms…is this thing a praying mantis or what? Arashi moved back, wanting some space before he fought again but the hollow charged at him with both of its bladed arms aimed towards his chest. Arashi moved to the side noting that the hollow incredibly fast.

“What are you?” Arashi asked curiously.

The hollow turned towards Arashi and laughed, pointing one of its arms at him. “I am a Vasto Lordes. Now…make this easy on yourself and stay still. I might decide to let you die painlessly you pathetic Soul Reaper!” It raised its arm and brought it down, sending a blast of concentrated spirit energy at Arashi. He knew it was a cero and could not just move out of the way and let the cero hit the town.

Arashi sheathed one of his katana and aimed his palm at the cero before using a Kido spell to completely negate the blast…except for the fact that there was a resulting explosion from the collision of the two opposing spiritual energies.

The hollow laughed maniacally and leaned his back to shout into the sky. “I can’t believe a Soul Reaper actually thought not to move out of the way of my cero! A noble attempt…but it was all futile.”

“Down here.” Arashi calmly spoke as the smoke cleared. He patted his shoulder and smiled slightly, apparently proud of himself. “I’m glad that didn’t get my clothes dirty. Do you know how easily white stains?” He looked up at the hollow before his smile vanished. “Let me show you what I’m capable of now.” The hollow raised its arm once more in an attempt to fire another cero. The only thing that came out of him was blood as his arm soon fell to the ground below. The hollow furiously glared at Arashi who was looked as if he had stayed in the same place and the only difference in him now was that his katana was stained red.

“I’m going to kill you for that!” The hollow shouted. Arashi vanished once more leaving him dumbfounded. The hollow blinked as his eyes shifted from side to side as they searched for his opponent.

“Just because you’re a Vasto Lordes…” The hollow looked down, finding that Arashi’s blade had been run right through him. “Doesn’t mean that’d you would last more than a minute against me.”

~~~~~~~​

Uryu lead Chad to where they heard the commotion and saw their teacher lying on the ground. The two then noticed her spirit unconscious outside of her body without any trace of her spirit chain. She was dead. Uryu wondered why the Espada would just leave her spirit there and looked up from the bodies to see two people fighting outside.

“Will she…?” Chad started, concerned for their departed teacher.

“Her spirit will be fine but can you see what’s going on outside?” Uryu moved closer towards the window(which hadn’t been shattered due to the fact that the two fighting were still spirits and could pass through objects in the World of the Living at will). He saw that the one he thought was an Espada wore a haori. More specifically, one belonging to the Fifth Squad.

“Is that a captain?” Chad asked, leaning closer towards the window.

“Yes, but whatever he’s fighting isn’t an Arrancar…” Uryu’s eyes widened as he recalled what he remembered about Menos Grande and the variations they came in. The most powerful, the Vasto Lorde, resembled humans and were said to have powers surpassing even captains. “Chad we have to help! It‘s a Vasto Lorde!” Uryu shouted as he looked at Chad.

“Look again Uryu…I think he’ll be okay.” At Chad’s words, Uryu looked back towards the battle to see the captain impale the hollow then proceed to cut its head off. Uryu’s bow vanished as he watched in awe, having seen a Vasto Lorde for the first time only to witness it easily be dispatched by a captain he had never seen before.

Just who is this guy…?

The Kon Captain Segment!​

“Hey. It’s me again. Your favorite captain.”

“As if! You’re the new guy, Arashi! So get off my set!”

“Sorry about him. Kon’s just a little moody because I punished him.”

“You ripped my arm off!”

“So today we’ll be talking about that nameless Vasto Lorde I ran into. You see, he resembles a praying mantis and-”

“You’re lucky Uryu sowed it back on or else I’d make you do it! Now let me talk!”

“Vasto Lorde are just as strong, if not, stronger than most Arrancar. I’m sure the top Espada were probably Vasto Lorde and I wonder why the one I fought didn’t-”

“PAY ATTENTION TO ME!!!”

“*Sigh* I’ll be back.”

“Wait! Don’t! NOT AGAIN!!! I was only k-kidding, Captain Zanshou! NOOOOO!!!!”

*Rip*

Shinigami Cup!​

Jushiro Ukitake: Shunsui, have you seen the latest paper from the Seireitei Newspaper?

Shunsui Kyoraku: No, why?

Jushiro: Well they had an interview with Captain Zanshou in it and he made some comments about all the captains. *Holding up the newspaper*

Shunsui: Really? Anything interesting about us?

Jushiro: He mentioned that he likes my hair and that you can hold your alcohol.

Shunsui: I like this guy already. What else did he say? *Takes the newspaper*

Retsu Unohana: *Takes the paper from Shunsui and tears it to shreds*

Jushiro: Captain Unohana!?

Shunsui: Heyyy…I was just trying to read.

Jushiro: Is this about Captain Zanshou’s comment about you? *Grins*

Retsu: I’d rather that you refrain from speaking of that to anyone.

Shunsui: He must’ve hit a nerve for you to react like that. What’d Arashi say?

Jushiro: Well the newspaper said that he only whistled when he mentioned Rets-*Gets smacked on the back of the head*

Retsu: Visiting hours are over.

Shunsui: I-I think I’ll be leaving now!​

.::.::.Chapter 5 ~ Punishment.::.::.

“Out of the way.” Arashi muttered as he made it back inside the school, heading towards the unconscious teacher. As he drew closer towards her, he drew his zanpakuto out.

“What are you doing!?” Chad drew his fist back, ready to attack Arashi who seemingly paid no attention to him.

Arashi knelt beside the woman and propped her up against the wall. “Come on…wake up.” He snapped his fingers and got no response from the woman. He glanced over at Chad and Uryu and raised an eyebrow upon seeing Chad’s stance. “If you don’t want to lose that arm I suggest you calm down. Just doing my job here.” As he lifted his zanpakuto the woman’s eyes opened and focused on Arashi’s face.

“Am I dead…?” She paused and looked him over curiously. “You’re a handsome angel…”

Arashi rolled his eyes and thought against making a joke at the moment since the woman was dead. “You’re dead. Sit still so I can send you to the other side.” As he attempted to perform the Soul Burial on the woman, she grabbed his arm before his zanpakuto made contact with her.

“Where am I going?” She asked, hesitantly looking at Arashi’s zanpakuto. “What was that thing that I saw?”

Why do I have to do all the explaining? Arashi pulled his hand away and sheathed his zanpakuto, not wanting to make a scene and by forcing the woman over to the Soul Society. “Long story short, I saved you from something called a Hollow. Although I didn’t get here in time to prevent your death.”

“And who exactly are you?” Uryu asked, stepping closer towards Arashi as he looked at the haori he was wearing. “I know you’re a captain but you’re not wearing a black shihakushō like any other Soul Reaper.”

Arashi rose to his feet and slowly turned towards Uryu, helping the woman up as well. “I’m Captain Arashi Zanshou of the Fifth Squad. As for the color…I prefer white over black. A Quincy like yourself should understand the personal favor of white clothing.” Arashi looked back at the teacher who was now staring at both Chad and Uryu in shock.

“What the…” The woman started off, unable to find any words to express her surprise in what she had seen from the two.

“I guess this explains why we’ve always disappeared.” Chad mumbled as his arms reverted to their human form. Uryu nodded and let his bow disappear before stepping back and motioning for Chad to follow him.

“There’s nothing we can do here.” Uryu glanced at his teacher and lowered his gaze slightly, knowing it would be the last time he would see her. “It was nice knowing you. The Soul Society will welcome you when you cross over.”

“Goodbye.” Chad said, following after Uryu as the two left, both wondered who would replace their teacher the next day.

“Now that those two are gone, we should continue. Any last words?” Arashi impatiently asked, unsheathing his zanpakuto again. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to cut you.” He added, knowing it would not be very comforting having a blade close to one’s head.

~~~~~~~​

“Captain!” Several members of the Fifth Squad shouted in surprise upon seeing their captain walk passed them.

Arashi raised an eyebrow as he saw the others standing at attention as if he was about to give an order out. He waved a hand dismissively at the group, causing them to go back to their own business. I need a drink… After he had sent the woman to the Soul Society, Arashi had immediately returned with his former mood ruined. He stopped walking when he spotted a small girl standing in front of him. Her shihakushō looked just a tad too big for her and would have made him laugh if he was not feeling so guilty at the moment. The dark haired girl stared up at him and judging from her expression, she looked angry. “Can I help you?”

“It’s about the assignment I’ve been given. There must be some sort of mistake, Captain Zanshou.” The short girl replied quickly. “I’m supposed to clean your office but I’m easily qualified for something…” She paused, trying to find appropriate words to describe what she was thinking.

“Think you’re suited for something more dangerous?” Arashi sighed and ran a hand through his smooth hair, grinning a little. “It’s not a mistake that you’re there. You’re doing something suited towards your skills-”

“With all respect, I think I can handle more than menial chores!” The girl stubbornly retorted, looking as if she was standing on her toes to make herself taller which did nothing to help her cause.

Arashi stepped to the side and moved passed the girl, patting her shoulder gently as he did so. “You’re a girl, right? Chores should be what you’re good at.” He continued on his path, figuring he should say something to keep her from snapping at him. “Besides…your brother doesn’t want you getting hurt again anytime soon. I’m giving you a direct order to do as your told, Rukia.” He went forward without a look back, leaving Rukia to simmer.

“Captain Zanshou!” Arashi stopped dead in his tracks and looked downwards at a messenger from the Second Squad who was kneeling before him.

Will anyone just give me five seconds around here? I wanted some alone time…

“The Head Captain wants to see you immediately. It’s urgent that you speak with him.”

It’s obvious that it’s urgent. If he’s asking to see me, I can’t refuse. Arashi nodded and watched the messenger flash step out of sight, wishing it could have been some other captain that had been forced to meet with the Head Captain. He impatiently flash stepped right outside the Head Captain’s door, surprising his lieutenant who was waiting outside.

“Captain Zanshou. You’re not supposed to be traveling around like that!” He said in a hushed voice so that his captain would not hear from the other side.

Arashi shrugged, finding no reason why he should walk at a normal pace when he could easily flash step his way around the Soul Society with ease. “Can I just go in?” He asked, placing his left hand on the door without a response.

“Huh? Oh! Yes you can.” Before Chojiro could open the door, Arashi went through wanting to get through the meeting as quickly as possible.

“What is it that you wish to speak with me about?” Arashi asked as soon as he was in front of Yamamoto’s large wooden desk. The old man slowly looked up from his papers to squint at Arashi as if he was making sure he had not just heard the wind.

There was a long moment of silence in which Arashi shifted around impatiently as he waited for his answer. Just when he was about to ask his question again, Captain Yamamoto finally spoke.

“I’ve heard of your recent recklessness.” He grimly stated, staying completely still as he spoke. Oddly enough, Arashi was reminded of a statue and wondered if he was speaking to an immobile object instead of a person. “A hollow killed a teacher in the World of the Living after you used bait for your squad’s training session.”

Arashi lowered his head and said nothing, having no excuse that could make up for what he had done. “There must be punishment for your actions as you must be aware that you put many in danger.” His eyes opened slightly as his tone soften…although just by a little. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

“I just never expected a Vasto Lordes to take the bait.” Arashi said lowly, avoiding eye contact with the Head Captain out of shame.

“A Vasto Lordes?”

Arashi nodded slowly, taking in a deep breath. “The woman died simply by being to close. I really don’t know why it would even take the bait. That really shouldn’t have happened…”

The Captain Yamamoto’s eyes went back to their usual squint as he too lowered his head. “This changes things.” The old man thoughtfully commented. “If a Vasto Lordes arrived in that town then something is out of place. In place of my original decision, you will now take the place of that teacher and take note of anything suspicious.”

“Sir! I’m already trying to manage two squads! I can’t do that as well! Why can’t you send someone else? I’m a captain, shouldn’t I do something else?” Arashi quickly protested, knowing that he would be stuck in a gigai if he went to the World of the Living.

“You will find a way to manage it. A Vasto Lorde had made an appearance and only a captain-level Soul Reaper would be able to handle himself against another. A man by the name of Kisuke Urahara will be able to assist you when you arrive. You are dismissed now.” Arashi opened his mouth to argue but no words came, he found nothing that could convince the Head Captain to send someone else. He clenched his hands into fists and left the room, deciding on making his preparations before leaving to the other side.

~~~~~~~​

“What are you doing here, Captain? Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready to leave?”

“Word travels fast….”

“Not always. I just have my sources.”

Arashi’s eyes were fixed on his lieutenant who was peacefully sleeping in the bed in front of him. Isane Kotetsu had walked into the room to check up on Momo when she found Arashi already sitting beside her. After a moment, he looked over at Isane who went silent when he had said nothing more. Normally he wanted to avoid conversations with anyone because he found talking to be a waste of time when he could actually be doing something in the time it took for him to speak. This time however, he felt the urge to say something. “What does Retsu think of me?”

Isane raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Huh? Why…?”

“I’m sure every captain has some sort of an opinion of me. What’s her own?”

Isane crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly as she thought about the question for a second. “After that interview you gave and what you did the last time you were here…I haven’t seen her get that bothered by anyone in a long time. She thinks you‘re immature.”

Arashi willed himself to keep from laughing, finding it amusing that he was thought of as being immature when his own age rivaled that of even Yamamoto’s. “I guess I can’t blame her…”

“I told her that you were just trying to keep things positive…” Isane mumbled softly, causing Arashi to turn her way.

“No need to defend me.” He glanced back at Momo and sighed deeply.

“You just seem like a person who wants to keep everyone from getting hurt…” She added, also turning her attention to the sleeping girl.

“First time I’ve heard that.” Arashi plainly replied, leaning back against the chair and closing his eyes.

Isane lowered her voice, “Why did you want to become a captain in the first place? Did you ever aspire to become one? Learning Bankai must have taken you a long time.”

Arashi shook his head and bit his lower lip, a faint image of his brother passed through his mind. “I learnt and mastered Bankai ages ago. I never wanted to become a captain. …I didn’t even want to be a Soul Reaper.” He paused. “I died when I was seven years old. My spiritual pressure was always abnormally high but I kept it hidden to keep from being noticed. I heard about Bankai six years after having been in the Soul Society…by that time I already had my own zanpakuto which would easily have been enough for me to get into the Academy…anyways, out of curiosity I learnt Bankai and within a year I mastered it.” He tapped his fingers against the chair, watching the gentle breathing of his lieutenant. “My brother forced me to join the Thirteen Court Guard…over the years I’ve been transferred to every single squad…and even then I had no interest of becoming a captain. It was only until after what Aizen had done when I realized that I could have done something to help the others during the battle…If I was a captain, I could’ve prevented them from getting hurt…”

“You believe that only a captain can protect his friends?”

“I don’t think I’d call anyone a friend. I’ve been masking my spiritual pressure ever since I can remember just to avoid attention. I’d say I have more control over it than the rest of the captains.” He smiled to himself. “Although that isn’t much to be proud over…”

Isane moved in front of Arashi and shook her head slowly. “It’s disrespectful to correct a captain…but you can call me a friend.” She smiled down at Arashi who turned his attention towards her and weakly smiled in return.

“I guess I better get going. Thanks for listening, Isane.”

The Kon Captain Segment!​

“Hello again. I’m sure many of you may be wondering something I had said earlier. The fact that I had a zanpakuto at such a young age and was never recruited into the Academy until I was forced to do so by a personal choice. To answer that-”

“How do you go around hiding a zanpakuto!? Wouldn’t anyone have noticed!?”

“I’m going to hurt you, Kon. Next time Uryu won’t be around to sew your body parts together again.”

“I’ll be good, Arashi! I promise!”

“…Okay, as I was saying…It’s not all that hard to say a zanpakuto is just a regular katana and have people believe you. Unless someone gets a good look at the symbol used for the Soul Barrier or sees you in a Soul Reaper’s shihakushō, it’ll be really hard to spot a Soul Reaper on site without using a special trick involving sensing one’s spiritual pressure.”

“That ribbon trick!?”

“Yes Kon…the ribbon trick.”

“So when can we see your Bankai?”

“If I show it to you, I’ll have to kill you. …Besides, I have yet to reveal my Shikai so don’t get so impatient.”

“Me!? IMPATIENT!? YOU’RE THE ONE FLASH STEPPING ALL OVER THE PLACE!”

“I’ll give you to the count of three to shut up, Kon. …One…”

“And what’s the deal with having no guests!? At least Gin had Arrancar show up when he was in charge of this segment!”
“Two…”

“You lazy captain! I should take over this--Hey! YOU DIDN”T REACH THREE!! MY MOUTH ISN’T SUPPOSED TO COME OFF!!”

*Rip*

Shinigami Cup!​

Arashi: Byakuya?

Byakuya: You should address me as Captain instead of by my first name.

Arashi: Whatever suits you, rich-boy. So I saw your sister today…

Byakuya: And what of it?

Arashi: Well…promise you won’t get mad?

Byakuya: …

Arashi: I think I got Rukia pregnant.

Byakuya: …BANKAI!

Arashi: Renji! I got him to shout it again!…Damn he’s mad!

*Elsewhere after Arashi escapes Byakuya‘s wrath*

Rukia: YOU TOLD HIM WHAT!?

Arashi: It was worth it.

Renji: It was his idea! Not mine!​

.::.::.Chapter 6 ~ The Two Substitutes!.::.::.

Uryu and Chad headed to their class, both wondering who would be their new teacher. The two looked at each other, unsure of what to say. I’m going to miss my old teacher… Uryu thought to himself, wishing he and Chad could have saved her from her untimely death.

The boys took in a deep breath as they reached the classroom door, not at all eager to see who was waiting inside. “Why don’t you go in first…Uryu?” Chad stared at the door, hoping Uryu would be the one to open the door first. Uryu nodded slightly and opened the door slowly.

“Wha-!?” Uryu took a step back in surprise, seeing who was standing at the front of the classroom. It was the same captain from earlier. Arashi was dressed a little too casually for being a regular teacher and obviously cared very little about fitting in. He wore loose fitting jeans, black boots, a white shirt, and a large black jacket that looked to be a size or two too large for him.

“Take your seats. Both of you.” Arashi gave the two a small smile as he pointed towards their empty seats.

What is he doing here? Uryu thought as he sat down, watching Arashi write his name on the front board.

“As you can see, my name is Arashi Zanshou and…”


Uryu didn’t catch what Arashi said next as two girls began speaking to each other directly behind from where he was sitting.

“I heard our teacher was in a car accident.” One girl said.

“That’s horrible!” The other responded in a hushed voice.

A car accident? I’m guessing there must have been some memory modification to cover up the hollow attack. Uryu pushed his glasses up with his index finger and looked back to the front of the class to see Arashi simply staring at the board. He must have no idea what to do. He must have been sent here because of the Vasto Lorde…but is it just him? Why aren’t there more Soul Reapers around? Uryu placed his hand under his chin, remembering how quickly Arashi disposed of the last hollow without even releasing his zanpakuto. Then again, I’m sure he’s more than enough to fight any Menos that show up.

“He does give us something to look at, doesn’t he?” A girl from the back said quiet loudly, breaking Uryu’s train of thought. Arashi overheard this and turned towards the girl who had spoken. He raised an eyebrow yet did not even look the least bit amused.

~~~~~~~​

“You shouldn’t be up Momo!” Isane rushed over towards the small brunette who was attempting to get out of her bed. She placed her hands on Momo’s shoulders and shook her head quickly, gently pushing her back down. “What are you doing?”

“I had a dream. Captain Zanshou had to leave and he didn’t say goodbye…” Momo stared up at Isane for a moment before reluctantly laying back on her bed.

“I guess you overheard us then.” Isane sat down in the chair beside Momo and placed her hands on her lap, looking away from Momo. “I heard that something went wrong during the Fifth Squad’s training session and Arashi fought a Vasto Lorde.”

“Is he alright!?” Momo sat up immediately and leaned closer towards Isane.

“Yes but he’s been assigned to stay in the World of the Living for the time being. I‘m not sure how long he‘ll be there fo-”

“Why didn’t he tell me anything!?” Momo shouted at Isane, clutching her sheets tightly as she sat up on her knees. “He didn’t say goodbye!” She continued, tears now rolling down from her cheeks. “He just left!”

“Calm down.” Isane moved closer and put her hand on her shoulder. “Captain Zanshou didn’t have time to tell you. I’m sure if given the chance he would have told you. …I didn’t know this would have such an effect on you. Is there anything else bothering you?”

Momo lowered her eyes and took in several staggered breaths as she tried to calm down. She nodded very slowly and bowed her head, her bangs falling over her face. “I don’t want another captain to abandon me.”

“It won’t happen. Have you seen how many times he’s come to visit you?” Isane smiled slightly, hoping to cheer up Momo who instead kept silent. Isane raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment, wondering what would work. “How about we go to the World of the Living tomorrow so you can at least talk to him?”

Momo looked up at Isane with hopeful eyes, showing the hint of a smile. “You mean that?”

Isane nodded and stood up. “It’ll only be for a short while. You haven’t made a full recovery just yet. Just lay down. Okay?” She moved back towards the door and waved slightly at Momo as she left the room.

Momo watched as Isane left before getting back under the covers, wondering what her captain was doing at that moment. The fear of being betrayed again was still there but it was only a small itch in the back of her mind now.

~~~~~~~​

Uryu was beginning to think that Arashi would remain quiet throughout the entire class. He had absolutely no plans to get himself through the day and it was obvious that he was sent at the last minute. Some of the students had even begun talking about whether or not Arashi was even qualified to be there.

“Uryu, don’t you think it’s strange that he beat a Vasto Lorde so quickly?” Chad spoke from beside him. Uryu looked at his friend unsure of what he meant. “Don’t captains have that power limiter placed on them when they arrive to our world?”

Uryu finally saw where Chad was going with this. It was true that powerful Soul Reapers had a limit placed on them when they arrived to the World of the Living and their spiritual power was cut by as much as eighty percent. Vasto Lordes are supposed to be stronger than the average captain which made Uryu wonder how Arashi could have killed one so easily. “I don’t think any captain could have done that without having that restriction removed and I’m sure I never saw him release the power limiter.” Uryu looked at Arashi, narrowing his eyes at him. Why is it that I can’t feel any spiritual pressure radiating from him? He kept silent for several moments before feeling a sudden heavy presence in the area. Hollow.

Arashi turned his head to look out the window, noticing it as well. “I have to go out for an important meeting. Just…er…read your textbooks while I’m away.” He announced the class, quickly heading for the door.

“Is he just leaving like that?”

“What kind of teacher is he?”

The students began talking amongst themselves about Arashi’s strange behavior. Chad and Uryu looked at each other, both were not about to just let some mysterious captain go out to fight a large number of hollow on his own. They knew it would be an opportunity to get their questions answered.

“I have a family emergency I need to take care of.” Uryu said aloud as he rose quickly from his seat and ran out the door soon after Arashi left.

“So do I.” Chad spoke as he too rose from his seat and ran behind Uryu. When the two left the school, they found no signs of Arashi and figured he must have been busy separating himself from his gigai. The two took off towards where they sensed the hollows.

Uryu summoned his bow and fired off several hundred shots as soon as several flying hollow came into view. Meanwhile, Chad shot a large burst to stop a large hollow attempting to destroy a building. The blast was not powerful enough to kill the hollow and only served to make it angry. The hollow turned its attention towards the two. The hollow resembled that of an oversized rhinoceros. It pointed its horn at the two as a red ball of spiritual energy began to form at the tip.

“A cero!” Chad moved in front of Uryu and raised his right arm as a shield formed around it. Chad braced himself as the cero came at him at full force. When it hit, the cero caused a large explosion and covered the area in smoke. As it cleared, Chad was standing still completely unharmed from the attack. Uryu jumped out from behind Chad and shot a single arrow at the hollow, hitting its mask and destroying it instantly.

“Thanks for that.” Uryu looked over at Chad, smiling slightly at his friend who simply nodded in response. The two were now surrounded by dozens of hollows and as Uryu could tell, each of them carried a spiritual pressure equal to that of an Adjuchas-class Menos. This looks like it’ll be tougher than I thought. He raised his bow and moved closer in to Chad, knowing that if they were fighting the hollow one by one, there would be no problem in destroying them but now that they were outnumbered, it would be a struggle to make it out in one piece. Damn it Ichigo. Why did you have to go?

~~~~~~~​

“Stupid gigai! Get up!” Arashi shouted as he kicked the body resting on the ground before him.

“Ow! It’s not my fault you’re ruining this body!” The artificial soul complained, staying completely still. “The amount of spiritual pressure you keep inside is just ridiculous!”

“Oh shut up. If you’re going to lay around, just stay out of sight.” Arashi turned away, feeling the clash of opposing forces where he knew the hollow were. Those two boys must be holding them off. Arashi gripped the white hilt of his zanpakuto and drew it out before he used flash step to arrive at the scene of the battle. He raised an eyebrow seeing that both Uryu and Chad had already sustained several injuries and seemed to be worn out.

“They just keep coming.” Arashi heard Uryu say.

Odd. Adjuchas-class Menos shouldn’t just appear in large numbers…especially in this world. Arashi sighed and watching as the hollow began to close in on Chad and Uryu. He looked down at Zasetsu, his zanpakuto, and held it out in front of him gripping the blade with his other hand. I guess I’ll release it. “Break.” A white light enveloped the zanpakuto as the length of the weapon began to grow and change its shape. Soon the zanpakuto took the form of a long black pole with a crescent-shaped blade on each side and two hand guards that were similar to the blades. Arashi leapt forward and brought it down on a nearby hollow, cutting it in two. He spun his Shikai and thrust it into the mask of another hollow before ripping Zasetsu out and raising the weapon to block the attack of a hollow.

“You two seem to be having trouble.” Arashi muttered, the hand guards of Zasetsu began to glow intensely before two thin blades of light came from them and decapitated the hollow in front of him.

“It’s just that there’s so many-” Uryu started off.

“That’s a laughable excuse.” Arashi raised Zasetsu above his head, spinning it so rapidly that it looked like a blur. “I overestimated these hollow. I shouldn’t have released my Shikai…Too late now I guess.” The hollow grew closer and were just about to attack when several shafts of light came from the sky and struck them all simultaneously and cleared out the area. Uryu and Chad looked at Arashi, surprised by the sudden turn of events.

“How…? How could you do all of that if you have a power limiter?” Uryu asked as his bow dissipated.

Arashi lowered Zasetsu as it returned to its sealed stated. “I don’t. I’m the only Captain that is allowed to use my abilities completely unrestricted in the World of the Living.” He said as he sheathed his zanpakuto. “Even if I were to use my Bankai, my spiritual pressure would not affect anything in the nearby area. …I prefer not to release any spiritual pressure. Therefore, my powers cause no effect to my surroundings unless I will them to.”

“Why is it that all the other Captains don’t do the same thing?” Chad asked, wiping sweat from his forehead with his already normal arm.

Arashi shrugged in return. “Too much hassle I guess. The more spiritual pressure you have, the harder it is to keep it contained. I’ve just gotten used to hiding mine so…when I was promoted, I became the first exception to that whole power limiting rule.” He crossed his arms and yawned loudly. “I think it’s getting late. Good night you two.” He turned away from Chad and Uryu before vanishing from sight with a flash step.

“There’s not even a sunset yet.” Uryu mumbled, glancing over at Chad. “I guess we should both get home and get some rest. There’s not telling how many hollow might show up tomorrow.”

Chad nodded and looked off to the side. “He’s a bit…odd.” Chad muttered.

~~~~~~~​

Later on that night a car stopped in front of a house and a family of four stepped out. The father of the bunch went with his two daughters to open the front door while the eldest child stood outside looking off into the night sky. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and scowled, feeling that something in the town was not right. A plush lion popped its head out from the boy’s shirt and tugged on his ear for his attention.

“Pssst. Why are you looking off into the distance like that!?” The stuffed animal spoke as he continued to tug on the boy’s ear which soon caused him to be thrown to the ground and stepped on.

Feels like something powerful was just around here not too long ago. I wonder if Orihime’s feeling this as well. The boy scratched his head, ruffling his spiky orange hair in the process. “Whatever. I’ve gotta go unpack. I’ll ask Uryu and Chad about it tomorrow.”

“Ichigo I can’t breathe!” A muffled voice came from under his foot.

“You don’t need to breathe, stupid! Now quit fooling around and get in the house.”

The Kon Captain Segment​

“Hey this place looks nice. I could use it to put some advertising up for the shop.”

“What are you doing here Kisuke? This place isn’t for you!”

“You must be the new captain of the Fifth Squad. Zanshou isn’t it?”

“That’s me. This place isn’t going to be used for advertising. Okay? Got it? Good! …Now then! Some of you may wonder how people like me and Jushiro keep our long hair so silky smooth. Well there’s this conditioner called-”

“Come to my shop and that’s where you’ll find it!”

“…Wait, seriously? You have it in your shop!? How come you never told me, Kisuke!?”

“You never asked. It’s easier to get it at my shop but since you won’t allow me to advertise here…I’ll just jack up the price ten fold.”

“That’s no fair! COME HERE!” *Arashi runs at Urahara*

“Stop by sometime at Urahara‘s shop!”

Shinigami Cup!​

Rangiku: Toshiro!

Toshiro: That’s Captain Hitsugaya, Rangiku. Now what is it?

Rangiku: Fine. Captain Hitsugaya Rangiku. Happy?

Toshiro: You know what I meant! Stop messing with me!

Rangiku: Calm down. Did you ever read what Captain Zanshou said about you? It’s amazing how quickly you two became such good friends that he can call you that.

Toshiro: I haven’t had time to read the newspaper. I haven’t even spoken to the new captain.

Rangiku: Ohhhh. Well…on second case maybe it’s better that you don’t know.

Toshiro: Don’t just come here asking me if I read an interview only to not tell me what someone said about me! Tell me.

Rangiku: Well…he called you short for starters.

Toshiro: Excuse me.

*Five minutes later*

Toshiro: WHERE IS HE!?

Rangiku: Captain! Searching for him in the Soul Society won’t get you anywhere! He’s in the World of the Living!

Toshiro: I’ll kill him!​

.::.::.Chapter 7 ~ Black and White.::.::.

The light began to fill the streets of Karakura Town which had close to no living pedestrians up and about at the time. One being wandered about the streets, pausing constantly to stare into a window of every other store in the area out of curiosity. His long black hair fell partially into his face which was helpful with shielding his eyes from the light. The male moved about like a ghost, going unnoticed by those who began to enter into the sidewalks as time passed.

“I wonder how humans manage to sleep…” The male dressed in white spoke to himself, knowing nobody could hear him, after all, it was rare for humans to have the ability to see Soul Reapers. “At any moment a hollow could just pick them off.” He closed his eyes for a moment, wondering what time he should get back to Urahara’s shop to get his gigai and arrive at the school. I’ll do it when the streets get crowded. Arashi thought to himself, resting one hand on the zanpakuto strapped to his side and the other on one of the katana fastened to his right side. He felt more comfortable today since he was not wearing his haori…Urahara had actually managed to get it dirty while he was not looking when he took it off to eat at the shop. “He better get it spotless.” Arashi growled under his breath, remembering Urahara’s yesterday night.

”Oops! You shouldn’t leave things lying around like that! They tend to get dirty.”

“I think you spilt your tea on purpose! I can’t go back to the Soul Society with my haori stained!”

“Oh stop worrying Captain! I’ll have Jinta and Ururu clean it up for you by the end of the day.”

Arashi sighed and hunched over as he walked still upset about having gotten his haori dirty. He did not even like being a captain but getting his clothes dirty was something he disliked greatly. I wonder how long Karakura Town will still be a spiritual hotspot… Arashi’s mind wandered off as he continued to move, remembering the Menos from the other days. Vasto Lordes were exceedingly rare and the estimates of their power level were nothing but that, estimates. Arashi assumed that one of the only captains other than himself that had seen such high level Menos must have been none other than the Head Captain himself. Why would one come here? Maybe it was stupid…I don’t even think it was strong enough to be the kind of Vasto Lordes that frightens so many other Soul Reapers…it wasn’t that power- Arashi came to an abrupt halt as his mind quickly switched to a single thought.

Hollow. He felt the presence of yet another unusually strong hollow in the area. Arashi narrowed his eyes, trying to pinpoint where it was. As soon as he located it, he felt another presence suddenly appear with an unusual composition of spiritual pressure. It was far stronger and seemed to contain traces of both hollow and Soul Reaper spiritual energies. An Arrancar!? I thought they all were killed during that war! He could feel this new entity quickly closing in on the hollow. Arashi had no idea what the Arrancar’s intent was but he knew it would not matter since he would be the one to slay both. As fast as this Arrancar was, Arashi would beat it to its destination and slay the hollow. He flash stepped nearly half a mile away to where the hollow was and as predicted, he arrived before the Arrancar.

The hollow before Arashi was nothing more than a common Gillian, the lowest form of Menos. He looked up at the massive creature, watching as it slowly took a long step forward through the street and crush a parked car. The ground shook slightly with its footstep but did not seem to bother Arashi. After all, any captain would be able to dispose of a Gillian with ease. As the hollow began to take another step forward, not having noticed Arashi’s arrival, the captain smiled a bit to himself and shook his head slowly.

“I can’t have you stomping all over this place.” The Gillian’s foot almost touched the ground by the time Arashi finished his sentence. He drew his zanpakuto and with a single upwards swipe he sliced the entire hollow in half. The hollow dissipated before it even crashed into the ground leaving no trace of its existence behind other than the crushed car. Hopefully the Arrancar will at least live through one atta- Arashi spun around barely having time to lift his sword and block the incoming blow of a long katana. The only warning he had was the sound of a chain coming from behind him. As soon as their blades clashed, Arashi felt a rush of heavy spiritual pressure flood the area. What the hell!? He forced the newcomer back with a shove of his blade so he could get a good look. What he saw surprised him…but not too much. He had heard of this before.

The newcomer’s face was revealed as a hollow mask with four markings disappeared. It was a boy with stunning spiky orange hair wielding a black zanpakuto and a wearing a flowing black coat that seemed to be torn up and battle worn. Arashi had heard of this boy before. Ichigo Kurosaki. The boy’s spiritual pressure caused him to believe an Arrancar was nearby, he had never really spent time near the Vizard or fought Arrancar so it would be difficult to distinguish between the two without actually seeing them.

“I thought Aizen’s Arrancar were dead.” Ichigo stated plainly, his eyes fixed on Arashi who in response looked down at his clothes. Once again his white clothes and zanpakuto had caused someone to believe he was an Arrancar. He could not blame the boy since his own hair was covering most of his face so Ichigo would never know that he had no parts hollow mask on his face.

“I get that a lot.” Arashi sheathed his zanpakuto and lifted a hand to comb back his hair. “No hollow mask, see?”

“I can’t sense your spiritual pressure so I wouldn’t say you’re not an Arrancar.” Ichigo kept his stance, looking ready to strike him at any moment.

“You’re not very bright are you? I’m Captain Arashi Zanshou of the Fifth-” Arashi jumped backwards as Ichigo rushed at him and slashed at his chest. It was not enough for a crescent-shaped attack of compressed spiritual energy flew out of the black zanpakuto and forced Arashi to flash step to safety.

“You don’t have a haori! And since when do captains wear white!?” Ichigo followed in pursuit of Arashi at an astonishing speed which resulted in him having to draw his zanpakuto once more and parry a barrage of attacks from Ichigo.

“You’re dense aren’t you!?” Arashi shouted, stepping back with each consecutive blow he blocked from Ichigo. With his unreleased zanpakuto he was beginning to have trouble matching power with Ichigo’s own Bankai. Finally, Ichigo managed to land a blow on Arashi’s arm leaving a small gash. “Fine!” Arashi hissed as he dodged Ichigo’s next attack and flash stepped backwards to get some breathing room. I’ll make him regret this. Arashi held out his zanpakuto in front of himself, gripping the blade with his free hand. “Break.” As soon as he spoke the command, his zanpakuto was released into its Shikai form. Arashi figured it would be more than enough to fend off Ichigo.

“Is that a Shikai?” Ichigo asked in surprise, obviously taken aback by Arashi’s action.

Arashi did not answer, Ichigo had already made him angry and was going to pay for it. He spun the weapon in his hands before lunging forward and sweeping down at Ichigo’s legs. The Substitute Soul Reaper jumped over the attack with ease and was about to strike from above when Arashi’s stopped the blade mid-swipe and brought it backwards to cut at Ichigo with the blade at the other end of it. Ichigo barely managed to block the attack but was forced back several meters by which time Arashi spun around and released his own blast of concentrated spiritual energy in nearly the same shape as Getsuga Tensho.

“You’ll need to do better than that!” Ichigo shouted as he regained his balance and cut through the attack effortlessly. Arashi raised an eyebrow, surprised that Ichigo was able to negate it so easily but soon realized that the spiritual pressure around Ichigo was building even more. He ducked, sidestepped, and parried Ichigo’s blade with a flashy display of mastery of his own Shikai. Even so, Arashi soon began to feel overpowered once more by Ichigo’s tremendous raw power that made up for his own lack of skill.

How much has this kid grown!? If he was anyone else I would have been more than able to subdue him without releasing my zanpakuto! I’ve heard about his impressive strength shown when he fought…but he couldn’t have been this powerful. Arashi struck out at Ichigo full force, knocking the boy back some before following it with the first kido spell that came to mind, Shakkahō. A massive ball of red energy flew at Ichigo, the sheer force of it caused him to stumble backwards when he blocked it.

“I’ve never seen a Soul Reaper use kido like that before.” Ichigo commented, lowering his zanpakuto slightly. Arashi was relieved that Ichigo finally recognized him as a Soul Reaper but wondered why he continued fighting if he already figured it out. “It almost looked like a Cero.”

“It was a low level spell…it was just potent, that’s all.” Arashi paused. “Why are you fighting me if you now know that I’m a Soul Reaper?” He curiously questioned.

Ichigo grinned and pointed his blade at Arashi. “I guess I’ve missed having a good fight once in awhile. Besides, I still don’t believe you’re a captain. Even if you are this strong.”

Missed fighting? This kid really is stupid…Whatever, I’ll still beat him down…I just never thought I’d have to resort to this. Arashi took in a deep breath and held out his zanpakuto in front of himself in the same fashion he had done when he released it. “I guess you’ve earned the right to see this.” He smiled a little, looking at Ichigo as he recognized something very familiar about the boy’s bankai. It would have to wait though…he would not tell him just yet. Suddenly, Arashi brought the weapon down and broke it against his knee into two halves.

“What the hell!?” Ichigo’s eyes widened as he took a step back. “You broke your zanpakuto!”

Arashi shook his head and laughed quietly to himself. The two pieces of Zasetsu began to form into new weapons known as hook swords. One of them was a solid black color while the other was pure white. He twirled both blades in his hands as he kept his eyes set on Ichigo who had no idea what had just happened.

“Is…that…your Bankai?” Ichigo asked as he took his fighting stance once more.

“More or less.” Arashi simply stated, charging swiftly forwards toward Ichigo. He brought one blade down towards Ichigo’s head who instinctively raised his zanpakuto to block the attack, while he had Ichigo distracted Arashi brought the hook of his other sword behind Ichigo’s leg and yanked on it, tripping him. He then kicked Ichigo hard on the stomach which sent him crashing into the wall of a building.

“Answer me!” Ichigo shouted as he rose to his feet once more. “Is that your Bankai!?” He jumped at Arashi and swung at his side only to have his blade blocked by both of Arashi’s who repeated, “More or less,” when Ichigo had gotten close enough to hear him. Ichigo growled and pressed on Arashi’s swords in an attempt to overpower him. “Stop messing around!”

Arashi continued to smile as he pulled one blade away then swiped at Ichigo’s exposed side leaving a large wound in the process. “You have a hollow mask. I saw you use it…and I know you’ve more or less learnt how to control it. Now summon it or else I’m going to continue knocking you around!” He barked at him, swinging one sword after another, both of which sent out waves of compressed spiritual energy. They exploded when they made contact with Ichigo’s zanpakuto and for a moment, Arashi believed he had beaten Ichigo. Oops. Maybe I was a little too hard on him… Just then, an enormous amount of spiritual pressure was released from where Ichigo had been standing. What the…? It’s that dual spiritual pressure again…

Ichigo emerged from the smoke wearing his hollow mask. Arashi figured he would need more space if he would fight Ichigo without worrying about hurting everyone in the town. He jumped up into the air and was soon followed by Ichigo who quickly overtook him and clashed blades with Arashi high up in the sky. His strength was now far greater than before and Arashi feared he would have to do something he had done only once in two hundred years. Damn it… Arashi’s arms shook as he felt Ichigo pushing him back. He knew he could fend him off in his current state but at the rate things were going, he would never win. “Back off!” Arashi shouted as his blades began to glow. As a precaution, Ichigo backed off…which was exactly what Arashi had tricked him into doing. He needed space.

He slammed the two swords together by their sides before shouting something Ichigo would have never guessed he would say. “Bankai!” There was a bright flash of white light which caused Ichigo to cover his eyes in order to avoid being blinded.

“Tenzasetsu…” As the light faded, Ichigo noticed that Arashi’s clothes had changed in a similar way that his own had whenever he used his own Bankai. The resemblance though was haunting. Arashi wore a long white coat that resembled Ichigo’s own in almost everyway except for the fact that it just looked somewhat more elegant and was not worn out. Something else that shocked Ichigo was Arashi’s zanpakuto. It had a black handle with a long white blade that if it had been a different color, Ichigo would have mistaken it for a reflection of Tensa Zangetsu. Even the name he heard Arashi saw sounded like it.

“What…is that…?” Ichigo asked, too shocked to make another move.

“Those hook swords weren’t really my Bankai…or my Shikai…I guess you could say it’s something in between but…” Arashi’s eyes looked down at his blade. “This is Tenzasetsu. Your Bankai really does look like mine, huh?”

“What!? Yours’ looks like mine!” Ichigo retorted.

“Wrong. I mastered Bankai ages before you were ever born. Did you really think every zanpakuto was so unique? There are multiple fire type zanpakuto and ice types as well…but nobody ever questions that. Did you think there wouldn’t be one like yours?” Arashi lifted his zanpakuto up above his head with his left hand, swinging it slowly in a circle as he spoke. “There’s one more thing I’d like you to see…” He spun his blade faster as a vast swirl of white spiritual energy gathered above him. Arashi grinned and spoke one last phrase before he attacked Ichigo with the gathered power.

”Getsuga Tensho.”

The Kon Captain Segment​

“It’s Kon here! Uryu finally patched me up after that brute Arashi ravaged me! Took him long enough too! Anyways, since the Captain isn’t around to take care of this time slot I get to have it all to myself!”

“…”

“There’s nothing to do here! Arashi left me with nothing to do! I’m bored and I can’t even have Ichigo’s body to have fun with the ladies!”

END OF SEGMENT

“Hey! Just because I have nothing interesting to say doesn’t mean you can just cut my time on here so short!”

“Who’s in there? Kon? Are you taking over my segment!?”

“Oh no! Arashi’s back! I better hide!!! Don’t hurt meeeeeee!!! I‘m too beautiful to-” *Rip*

Shinigami Cup!​

Renji: *On a computer staring at the screen*

Rukia: Renji? I didn’t know you knew how to use a computer.

Renji: Huh? I had Uryu teach me how. Seeing as how we stay in the World of the Living so much, I thought it’d be worth it.

Rukia: What are you looking at? And shouldn’t you be doing something productive?

Renji: I found this site that has pictures of us and our friends! We’re quite popular! And…OH MY!

Rukia: What is it!? Let me see!

Renji: *Hides the screen* No! These people are crazy! They disgust me!

Rukia: *Tugging at Renji’s arm* Let me see!

Renji: Stop it! Ow! That hurts! Ahhh! *Falls off his chair*

Rukia: *Looks at screen* Oh…my…

Renji: Don’t you dare!

Rukia: There’s a picture of you in a dress!​

.::.::.Chapter 8 ~ A Bag of Tricks.::.::.

Blood dripped from Ichigo’s hands when the spiritual energy of the attack faded. Ichigo had just barely managed to block the attack due to the shock from hearing the name of it. “Getsuga Tensho is my technique!” He shouted angrily, looking up to where he had previously seen Arashi. His eyes widened, seeing nobody in his line of sight.

“Behind you.” Came Arashi’s voice from just inches behind Ichigo as he felt the tip of a sword press against his back. Ichigo spun around, using his zanpakuto to knock the blade away as he moved away to gain some distance. Arashi grinned in response, shaking his head slowly. “You’re pretty slow.” Arashi pointed Tenzasetsu at Ichigo who raised his own zanpakuto in caution. “The name of that technique is not Getsuga Tensho. What’s to stop me from saying the name of your own attack while performing my own? It makes for a nice surprise, doesn’t it?”

Ichigo narrowed his eyes, cursing himself for falling for such a trick. A small part of his mask had also broken off when he blocked Arashi’s technique. “Thanks for the hint. Now I’ll show you how I really fight!” Ichigo lifted a hand over his mask as black spiritual energy poured from it so he could fix the broken part of his mask. As he did so he felt himself being cut on his side, hearing his shihakushō tear from the strike. He flash stepped several meters higher into the air and placed his hand quickly back on his blade.

“Fixing your mask in the middle of a fight? That leaves you vulnerable.” Arashi stated calmly as he stared up at Ichigo who made another flash step to increase their distance. Flash step isn’t made for moving far away…This boy hasn’t even mastered it yet. Sighing quietly, Arashi deactivated his Bankai, reverting his clothes back into the regular white shihakushō he wore. “I’ve been holding back quite a bit…I think you’re ready for another surprise.”

“Are you stupid? You don’t stand a chance against me without your Bankai!” Ichigo growled, lifting his hand as he prepared to remove his mask, he did not want to fight an opponent who he believed was at an unfair disadvantage. Before his hand reached his face, he heard something just barely audible coming from Arashi.

“I told you not to mess with that mask.”

Ichigo’s eyes widened as he rushed to defend himself, trying to turn around in anticipation for the next strike. He was too slow, the technique Arashi had used put him at a closer distance than Ichigo thought possible for a flash step. His back had been cut and Arashi’s blade was stained with Ichigo’s blood. “How did you…?” Ichigo stood in a defensive position, his mind running over what had just happened. It couldn’t have been flash step….it felt too different. “What was that?”

Arashi flicked his hand, sending drops of blood flying off his zanpakuto. “Sonido.” He answered flatly, seeming to be fixed on the blood on his sword.

“You’re only a Soul Reaper! You can’t use Sonido!” Ichigo tensed up as he watched Arashi carefully, waiting for signs of another attempt to catch him off guard.

“Whoever said you need to be part Hollow to use their skills? If you understand how they manipulate spiritual energy to use Sonido, one should be able to do the same. Hollows have just been better adapted to it.” Arashi’s eyes never moved off his zanpakuto as he spoke, as if he didn’t consider Ichigo a threat. “A captain should be able to use any skills necessary to perform his or her duties. There shouldn’t be a line between Hollow techniques and a Soul Reaper’s. You do what you need to do to get the job done.” He sheathed his zanpakuto after a pausing briefly. “I wonder if you understand what I’m talking about.” Arashi’s eyes trailed over towards Ichigo who hadn’t moved during the time that he had spoken. “Maybe if the Soul Society wasn’t so close-minded there wouldn’t be so many problems. Maybe…” He trailed off and turned his head away.

Ichigo, realizing that Arashi wasn’t showing the will to fight anymore pulled off his mask and reverted Tensa Zangetsu back into its Shikai form. He wasn’t too sure what Arashi had meant but knew well enough that he wasn’t going to be a problem. The only thing on his mind at the moment was what kind of history Arashi must have had to make him think in such a way to learn a Hollow technique and more importantly…how he came across actually learning it.

“Hey…” Ichigo said aloud to gain Arashi’s attention.

“Hm?” Arashi raised an eyebrow as he looked back in Ichigo’s direction curiously.

“Thanks for the fight. I think I needed that.”

Arashi stared at Ichigo for several moments, wondering if he really meant that. He had left a few cuts on the boy and yet he was still thanking him. In a way it reminded him of Kenpachi yet the boy was obviously not as insane as that…idiot. “I haven’t really met many people who would thank me for cutting them up and knocking them out a bit.”

Ichigo grinned slightly and shrugged. “I’ve been through worse.” He simply stated.

“Odd. You really are one strange kid…” Arashi commented quietly. He seems to be more interesting than the captains.

“Watch who you’re calling strange!” Ichigo shook his fist at Arashi angrily.

Arashi rolled his eyes, hearing Ichigo shout at him again for doing so. Too bad he’s a bit hotheaded and has so little control. He crossed his arms, shaking his head slowly as he ignored Ichigo’s complaining. He was about to make his exit when he heard a familiar voice call out to him. It was a voice belonging to…

“M-Momo!” Arashi staggered backwards as his Lieutenant practically tackled him when she tightly embraced him. He wasn’t sure why she would make such a gesture when the two had rarely spoken.

“Captain Zanshou! Are you okay?” The small girl cried out loudly, clinging to her superior.

“Of course I am! What are you doing here!?” Arashi lightly pushed on Momo’s shoulder to get her to detach herself from him. He sighed out in relief when she pulled away, rubbing his sides as he wondered how such a tiny girl had that powerful of a grip. Out of the corner of his sight he noticed a silver-haired female standing some feet away, waving timidly at him. “Isane? Why isn’t Lieutenant Hinamori resting? I don’t think this is good for her health…”

As Momo stared up at her captain with somewhat teary eyes, Isane scratched the back of her head as she shyly answered. “Well…I thought that a trip to this world would have brought her spirits up…So I decided to take her here. Don’t worry Captain! If she shows signs of getting worse, I’ll take her back immediately!” Isane nodded quickly as she finished.

“You never told me you were going!” Momo tugged slightly at Arashi’s shihakushō, her eyes fixed on him. At first, he wondered why she would let his absence affect her so strongly then remembered something. Her last captain, Aizen, had betrayed her and revealed himself to be a cold-blooded murderer in such a short span of time it left his attached and somewhat clingy Lieutenant a shadow of her former self. Leaving without saying anything must have put her mind at unease.

Biting his lip, Arashi took in a deep breath before calmly answering Momo. “I didn’t mean to worry you. I was given this assignment on such short notice. …I’m sorry.” The girl calmed down, seemingly satisfied with the answer as she lowered her head.

“I thought…” She mumbled almost silently.

“Don’t worry. I’m not the type to betray my friends.” Even if I’m not a big fan of the Soul Society. Arashi smiled slightly as Momo lifted her head back to look at him. She looked to be recovered from her little emotional outburst. The use of the words friends bothered him though. His brothers were his only friends…both before and after…

“It’s starting to get a little late.” Ichigo said, turning his back on the group. “I’ve still got class to attend and-”

Arashi turned his attention from Momo and Isane at the mention of school. “I need to go too!” He suddenly shouted, causing Ichigo to turn towards him in surprise.

“What!?” Was all he could say.

“I guess you didn’t hear. Long story short, your teacher died during a Hollow attack and now I’m your substitute.” Arashi glanced at Momo and Isane, leaving Ichigo speechless from the news. “Are you two staying for long?”

The two looked at each other before nodding slightly. “We can find a place to stay. We’ll only be here for another day before going back so don’t worry about us.” Isane answered. “Come on Momo, I’ve heard from Rangiku that Orihime is someone we could stay with.” Momo waved slightly at Arashi before the two flash stepped out of sight without another word.

This day has been…rather odd. I better not think too much or else my head’ll start to hurt. Arashi looked behind him to see if Ichigo was still around. To his surprise, the boy was still there.

“So…you’re my teacher?”

“For now, it seems to be that way.” Arashi answered.

Ichigo scratched his head as he thought to himself for a moment, a smile appearing on his face. “I bet you that I’ll beat you to class.”

Having nothing better to do, Arashi nodded in response. “You’re on, boy.”

The Kon Captain Segment​

“I bet a lot of people are wondering…how was a Soul Reaper like myself able to use Sonido?”

“You broke the rules! Cheater!”

“Shut up or I’ll rip more than your mouth off this time, Kon.”

“I’ll be good!”

“That’s better. Well, I’m not an Arrancar, Hollow, or Vizard if that’s what anyone’s thinking. I don’t have any sort of device either! I had answered Ichigo with how I did it. I simply-”

“There is no way you could have done such a thing! You obviously cheated. You could have not analyzed Sonido so well to have learnt how to use it.”

“Mayuri? What the hell are you doing here! This segment belongs to me! You’re just jealous because I did what you couldn’t. Now shoo!”

“Maybe I should dissect you. You must be hiding something.”

“You’re creeping me out. Now go away!”

Shinigami Cup!​

Author: Yeah…This time I’m bringing myself into this segment!

Rukia: This makes no sense. You’re not even a Soul Reaper.

Author: Quiet or I’ll make Arashi be sexist towards you again.

Rukia: …Brother!

Byakuya: Why do you insist on bringing me into this?

Author: Don’t pay attention to her. Anyways…since the manga might be killing off characters that are alive in my story right now, it’s causing me to write chapters at a slower pace so I can plan on how to fix inconsistencies. I want my story to be as close to the manga as possible!

Byakuya: How would you plan on doing so?

Rukia: Brother? Aren’t you going to help me?

Author: Ohhhh. I’ll find a way.

Byakuya: I see. Rukia, do not pester me again about something so trivial. *Leaves*

Author: Now…how shall I mess with you in the story?

Rukia: Have mercy…​

 

Thanks. Unohana is a little hard to write for. ><

I did some new things with the chapter. Switching points of view a few times(Uyru will be the main point of view for the World of the Living) and I did two segments at the end of the chapter.

These two segments will appear at the end of each chapter and will be written slightly differently than the rest of the story.

The Captain Segment is this story's replacement of Gin's Arrancar Encyclopedia and the Shinigami Cup is basically the same as the anime's(which pokes fun at the characters we all know and love in the Soul Society).

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Glad you liked it. Really. ^^

Thanks for the comment. I might edit the story later. Glad you reviewed it!

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<< *doesn't answer* >> Arashi's like a mix of Urahara, Ichigo, random stuffs, and an immature person. XD

This chapter wasn't as long as I wanted and neither were the two segments...<<;

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Arashi is the substitute I guess...since he isn't a qualified teacher. But of course he'll be called a teacher anyways. XDD

The next chapter will be full of excitement! ...Or not. XDDD

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Long review next time? 8D Glad you both liked it. Took me awhile to post since I had massive writer's block. I wanted this chapter to happen for awhile now...I personally love the ending. The two segments today are...eh...Not as funny. Ah well.

UPDATED!

Edit: I just want to use these pictures for reference if you don't know what Arashi's weapons look like.

Shikai: http://www.kh-vids.net/picture.php?albumid=89&pictureid=18431

Hook swords: http://www.sparringworld.com/image_manager/attributes/image/image_3/7200139_2289951.jpg

Bankai: http://www.kh-vids.net/picture.php?albumid=89&pictureid=21126 Basically what it looks like.

 

XD Arashi really dislikes Kon. I explained my reasons for the delay in this chapter...within the chapter.

My writing isn't predictable? Yay~ Thanks for the criticism! Too bad you're not around to see this. ; ; *will get you to read this chapter*

UPDATED! I've had writer's block for so long.