Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ BLEACHed Blitzkrieg ❯ Memories in the Rain ( Chapter 4 )

Title: BLEACHed Blitzkrieg
Author(s): SanadaSayuri & Deragonmaji
Disclaimer: No money is made off this work of fiction. Bleach is not mine. If it was, I would be rich and I wouldn’t be writing this, now would I?
Summary: In a world where Kurosaki Masaki survived and is a world renowned political power, can her firstborn, Kurosaki Ichigo step up to the plate? What if he were to put his mother's teachings to use? AU
Pairing:
Note: Just another case of plot bunnies gone wild. Sorta AUish and crackish. Collab with Deragonmaji.

Chapter 4

A dark haired figure stood at the landing, looking down toward the figures darting back and forth through the building. He made his way to an elevator and entered, pressing the button for the sixth level. When the doors opened again, he moved down the hall to the only set of doors at the end. He knocked lightly on the undecorated wooden door.

"It's me," he said quietly, his glasses reflecting the light, "I'm coming in."

He set his hand on the door knob and pushed the door open. The room was dark but for the light that spilled through the windows and the open door. A figure sat at a desk, with no recognizable features.

"So, how are you feeling, dead man?" Ishida Uryuu said, smirking at the shadowed figure.

"Don't joke about that," the figure replied, turning the chair so the sun reflected off golden orange spikes. "I'm lucky to be alive."

"Well," Ishida said as he entered the office, pulling the door closed behind him, "you've always had the devil's luck, even before you were a shinigami."

Ichigo gave the a flat stare. "The other delegates?"

"The conference hall completely burned up. There are no survivors. Of course, in the outside world, Kurosaki Ichigo, the son of the Japanese Foreign Minister, Kurosaki Masaki, is the most newsworthy of the victims of the blast."

Ichigo sighed. "We were late to begin with," the substitute shinigami said. "We had some car trouble, and then the other shinigami showed up, and since they came all the way to Shinjuku, it would have been rude to not acknowledge them in some way. That just delayed us further. I will have to thank them when all this is over. They may well have inadvertently saved my life; them and sheer dumb luck."

"Devil's luck as a human, devil's luck as a shinigami, it seems," Ishida said.

Ichigo gave him a weak smile. "How are the others coping with the news of my supposed “death”?"

Ishida’s face turned serious. “Not good. Kuchiki and Abarai are fairly upset, and Hitsugaya is trying to keep Ayasegawa, Madarame, and Matsumoto from panicking. I understand that they are somewhat apprehensive of the reaction that Kyouraku-san and Kurosaki-san will have after they break the news of your untimely “death”. Inoue is inconsolable; Arisawa, Mizuro, Asano and Sado are rather upset, but otherwise fine. In other news, your mother and sisters are coping best out of all of them. Father has already allowed Masaki-san and your sisters to know that you’re alive. He didn’t think that there was much reason to let them think you were dead. He’s promised them that you will speak with them at the first possible opportunity.”

Ichigo nodded. “I’m glad. I would rather have mom know that I’m alive and be at ease somewhat then to be sad because she thought I had died while standing in for her. Her grief would have interfered with her recovery and dad wouldn’t be happy. I’m glad Karin and Yuzu know too. This will make things much easier.” The teen paused and said quietly, “Have you spoken with Yoruichi-san and Urahara-san yet? They should send word to dad and Shunsui-ji-san that I’m still alive, otherwise, they might just break something.”

“I already delivered the message to Urahara to send to Kurosaki-san and Kyouraku-san,” Ishida pushed his glasses higher onto the bridge of his nose. “Of course, that also means that Urahara knows, which means Yoruichi and Tessai know as well.”

Ichigo shifted and said quietly, “That is the price we pay for being able to send word to dad and my uncle I suppose. Anything else?”

Ishida nodded. “Father is taking your mother and sisters underground for their own safety. With you apparently out of the way, he’s worried that whoever attacked you will go for them next.”

Ichigo sighed and propped his elbows on the desk, laced his fingers, and slouched forward so he was looking at the over his fingers. “I see. I will be leaving soon, also, Ishida. Several veterans of the previous war have found something as to who is behind the attacks and why. I will be going into hiding with them until the investigation is complete, and sufficient proof has been uncovered. With luck, my survival of the blast will be revealed to the public in no more than two weeks from today, along with the information as to the identity of the group who is doing this.”

“Is that wise?” Ishida’s face was expressionless, though his voice gave away his worry. “What if a war breaks out during that time because of this incident?”

Ichigo sighed again. “I have no answer to that. Kindly give my regards to my family, Ishida. It will be a while before I see them again.”

Ishida nodded. “Very well. I wish you the best, Kurosaki.”

“Thanks Ishida. Coming from you, that means a lot.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY SON WAS INSIDE A BUILDING THAT WENT UP IN FLAMES AND THERE WERE NO SURVIVORS?!!!!” The voice of Kurosaki Isshin rang through the Fifth Division Headquarters with the force of an exploding bomb.

Inside the Captain’s office, Hitsugaya Toushirou could only just keep from flinching and withering under the Acting Captain’s glare.

“We… We met him just outside the building in Shinjuku, and we set a meeting for later in the day,” Hitsugaya said, sounding for the first time, like the child that he looked like. “We were three blocks away when we heard the explosion.”

“And no one thought to go in after it had been cleared to check?!”

Yes, Kurosaki Isshin was not pleased in the least, or so it seemed. What no one but Isshin himself knew was that inside the lining of his shihakushou, were three letters, one from Ishida Ryuuken, stating that he was taking the acting captain’s family into hiding for their safety, and two from Ishida Uryuu, one stating that his son was alive and well, and another stating that the Ichigo was going underground for a while with veterans from the previous war in an attempt to flush out the perpetrators of the attack, with a line or two written by Ichigo himself asking his father not to worry about him.

In other words, the apparent rage currently directed toward the diminutive Tenth Division Captain was all a farce.

Of course, Hitsugaya Toushirou had no way of knowing that.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ise Nanao stared at her captain worriedly. Kyouraku Shunsui was willingly, willingly working! Of course, the skin around his eyes was tense, and the muscles of his jaw were clenched and his brushstrokes were harder and more vicious than necessary, but that wasn’t what matter! What mattered was that Kyouraku Shunsui was voluntarily working, something that was unheard of! There was a quiet knock at the door, which slid open to reveal a worried looking Ukitake Jyuushirou.

“Shunsui?” the Thirteenth Division Captain said, “I just heard about Ichigo-kun. Are you alright?”

“Alright?” Shunsui tossed the brush down and turned to give his longtime friend an uncharacteristic glare. “My nephew just died in a conference hall, Jyuushirou! Died at the age of fifteen doing an adult’s work, and you’re asking me if I’m alright?!”

Nanao gasped, her hand darting up to cover her mouth. She remembered her captain’s pride after Unohana-taichou and Ichigo had informed him of their relationship as nephew and uncle. Remembered how the boy seemed to glow with pride every time he successfully completed even a low level kido under his uncle’s tutelage, remembered how the eighth division captain took pride in his nephew’s achievement. No wonder he was acting so different, she thought.

In the meantime, Shunsui felt somewhat guilty that he was yelling at his long time friend. He mentally made a note to apologize and to show the sickly captain the two letters in his shihakushou later in the day.

Ukitake should have felt hurt and angry that Shunsui was yelling at him for no apparent reason. Should have, but he didn’t. He understood. Kurosaki Ichigo was still young, very much so when one compared his age to the ages of the shinigami around them. He let Shunsui yell.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

To say Kuchiki Byakuya was startled to find his sister curled into a ball on his office floor sobbing was an understatement. A cursory look around told him that his Fuku-taicho wasn't much better off. Renji was leaned against the far wall staring up at the ceiling with dull wine-colored eyes. Renji merely glanced at his captain before walking out, leaving the two Kuchiki alone.

Rukia looked as she felt her brother's reiatsu. "N-nii-sama..." Byakuya felt something in his chest clench painfully as he looked into her red rimmed eyes and gaunt, tear-stained face.

The younger Kuchiki blinked as she was swept into her brother's arms and cradled against his chest. Her eyes filled again with tears as she threw her arms around his shoulders and wept anew into his shihakushou. Byakuya smoothed her hair in an effort to calm her down.

As the time went by, Rukia's sobs quieted as she fell into an uneasy sleep surrounded in the safety of her brother's arms.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In the Real World, those humans that composed Ichigo's circle of friends were not much better off.

Yasutora Sado kept the sorrow at bay with rigorous training exercises. A few people attempted to get him to slow down and rest but they were ignored as Sado drove himself to exhaustion.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In the meantime, Arisawa Tatsuki, Asano Keigo, Mizuiro Kochima attended school as per usual, but it was not hard to see something amiss. The teens' movements were mechanical, and their minds were far away from the lessons being taught.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Matsumoto Rangiku sobbed as she downed another bottle of sake. Her usually immaculate hair was in disarray, and her beautiful face was blotchy from her constant weeping. Her slender hands tightened on her cup as she thought and berated herself endlessly on how she should have remained. How she could have prevented the death of one of her dear friends... As much as her thought spun around and around in the same circles, a part of her deep down said that, even if she had been there, could she really have stopped him from becoming as dead as she was? Matsumoto pulled her knees up to her chest as her fuzzy, alcohol and sorrow drenched brain shut itself down, sending her into the dark embrace of slumber.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika were in much the same state as Matsumoto. Yumichika, for once, was not complaining that the consumption of alcohol was not in the least beautiful. The two were slumped in defeat in a corner of the 11th division training grounds. They passed a large bottle of sake back and forth between them as they lamented the loss of not only a friend, but a worthy rival, sparring partner, and fellow fighter. Kenpachi Zaraki was not long in joining them. He accepted the bottle and took a large swig as he silently toasted the memory of a great fighter. It could be said that Kurosaki Ichigo was one of the few people that Kenpachi truly respected.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Of all of Ichigo’s friends, Inoue Orihime was by far the worst off. She sat in the corner of her apartment unmoving. Had the steady rise and fall of her chest not been present, she would have easily been mistaken for dead. She shed not a tear, said not a word. She had locked herself in her own mind, refusing to let go of the rapidly dying hope that Kurosaki Ichigo was alive. She remained in a state of suspended animation, just staring at the opposite wall. Staring....

A single, solitary tear made its way down her cheek.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hitsugaya Toushirou’s brush darted across the paper, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. The Tenth Division captain would occasionally pause, his eyes darkening before his hand tightened around the brush and continued his work. Hyourinmaru was a steady thrum in the back of his mind as he tried not to think about what he could or could not have done to keep Kurosaki from entering that building in the first place.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Two weeks had passed since the Shinjuku bombing. In a conference hall, several important politicians from all around the world sat along a table. The atmosphere in the hall was tense and angry.

“–and can you prove that no Middle Eastern faction is involved in the bombing that killed 13 delegates, including the Foreign Minister’s son?” A dark haired man demanded.

A dark skinned man shrank back. “Prove? No, but---“

“And can you prove that no Middle Eastern faction had a hand in the Foreign Minister’s disappearance?”

“No, but–“

“This reeks of a cover-up,” the man said.

“Cover-up? I beg your pardon?” the other man said, rising from his seat.

“I’ll clarify,” the dark haired man said. “is not naïve. It’s well known that the Eastopposes unification. “Minister Kurosaki was the Key to the unification process. Then an assassination attempt takes place, nearly killing her. And then, for the duration of her recovery, her son takes her place and not a week later, the conference hall he was in is bombed and at approximately the same time, the Minister disappears.”

“…!!!”

The hall filled with uneasy murmurs. The man smiles in triumph as the dark skinned man sank into his seat. A knock at the door cut through the atmosphere.

“Excuse me, everyone,” a calm female voice said.

“Minister!” the dark skinned man cried in surprise.

“I’m sorry to have caused you any worry,” Kurosaki Masaski said with a small smile as she entered the room, Ishida Ryuuken behind her. “As you can all see, I am fine.” Her face became serious. “Allow me to explain what has been happening before there is any more antagonism between your parties.”

“…!” The dark haired man fumed as he rose from his seat. He made to leave the table and started as a figure blocked his way.

“Century Discover’s C.E.O., leaving early?” a smooth male baritone said, “Don’t you want to hear this?”

“Kurosaki Ichigo!”

“You look surprised,” Ichigo’s face was impassive. “Did you think I was dead?”

Behind him, Ishida’s face was cool. The light reflecting off the ’s glasses hid the triumphant gleam in his eyes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ishida Uryuu, Ishida Ryuuken, and Kurosaki Masaki sat in a sitting room, cups of steaming tea sat on the table in front of them. A firm knock sounded at the door just before it opened, revealing the figure of Kurosaki Ichigo.

“How was it?” Masaki asked her son.

“Not too bad,” Ichigo answered as he made his way toward the couch his mother was sitting in, “They’re all still in chaos, but they understood.”

“I see,” Masaki said thoughtfully.

“A difficult job awaits us,” Ichigo said, “There’s still the matter of the Black Serpent’s forces… And there’s the unification of the United Nations. It has stumbled–we can’t let it fall…”

Masaki smiled proudly. “You’re coming along very well, Ichigo. I think a visit with my lawyer is in order. Although your sixteenth birthday won’t be for a little while yet, I think you’ve earned the right to a part of your inheritance…”

Ichigo’s eyes widened. Ishida Ryuuken and Ishida Uryuu smirked at the teen.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Byakuya looked up in surprise as he felt his sister burst into the office and make her way over to Renji, a sheet of paper in her hands.

“He’s alive, Renji!” Rukia shouted, her eyes tearing up. “The little fool was alive this entire time and Ishida knew!”

“What?!” Renji barked, half-rising from his seat.

“I just got the letter!” Rukia said, shoving it at her childhood friend.

Renji looked over the paper and a shit-eating grin spread over his face. “Heh, that Ichigo…”

Byakuya stifled a smile at his sister and vice-captain’s happiness. He was glad the orange haired teen was alive, but first, he was going to kill the teen for making Rukia cry in the first place.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Matsumoto Rangiku burst into the Tenth Division Headquarters waving a sheet of paper. “Taichou! Taichou! Ichigo’s alive!”

Hitsugaya Toushirou looked up, scowling. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Matsumoto, but that’s not funny.”

“I’m serious!” Matsumoto shoved the paper at the small captain. “Look!”

Hitsugaya sighed and took the paper and unfolded it, realizing a bit belatedly that it was a letter. Teal eyes brightened as they took in the words on the pristine paper. His lips curled into a smirk.

“That idiot…”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“I̵ 7;m going to kill the little bastard!!!!!”

Birds took flight at the Eleventh Division Captain’s roar.

Yumichika smiled as he tucked the letter into his shihakushou. Ikkaku grinned at his long time friend as Kenpachi roared again about how he was going to kill the orange haired teen in the most bloody and painful way imaginable.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Kurosaki-kun !” Inoue threw herself at the orange haired teen standing in the door of the room, still dressed in a navy suit.

Ichigo smiled sadly as he returned the redhead’s hug. “Hey there, Inoue.”

“Ichigo!” Tatsuki threw herself at her old sparring partner. “You’re alive!”

Ichigo smirked. “Just barely. I survived from sheer dumb luck.”

“Ichigo!!!!!” For once, Ichigo did not attack the overly exuberant bouncing monkey that was Asano Keigo, allowing him to latch on to him with the two girls. Considering what he had put them through, Ichigo thought that he could put up with it just this once.

“Ichigo.” nodded at the orange haired teen, who nodded back.

“I’m glad you’re alright, Ichigo,” Mizuro said.

Ichigo chuckled. “I’m back, everyone. I’m sorry I put you guys through all of this.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ichigo was in a meeting when he sensed the reiatsu of seven shinigami. He glanced off to the side, through the glass wall and gave an imperceptible nod to the figures in the hall. The seven nodded. Ichigo turned his attention back to the meeting.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“How’s your mother?” Matsumoto asked.

“Mother is fine,” Ichigo said, “She’s made a full recovery and is back to work. It’s like nothing ever happened.”

A young woman rolled a cart with two pots of tea and eight cups into the room. Ichigo nodded at the woman who left without another word.

“So everything is going well then?” Hitsugaya asked.

“Yeah,” Ichigo said as he poured the tea. “Things are going as well as they ever do.”

“I feel bad though,” Rukia said, “We’re layering responsibility on top of responsibility on you.”

Ichigo sighed as he passed around the cups and sat down. “Things were shaky for a while, but if we keep at it, the unification process will go through.” He lifted his cup to his lips, took a sip, and continued, “The Black Serpent’s remaining troops have been dispersed, and the munitions factories that were producing munitions during wartime have been closed down and stripped. We managed to stop a new war from breaking out. But there were victims, and we can’t ever forget about them.” Ichigo’s eyes darkened as he remembered his experiences and what he had learned when in hiding.

“Ichigo…” Renji looked worried.

Ichigo smiled sadly. “It’s alright though. In the end, the best thing we can do to honor them is to ensure that something like this doesn’t happen again. We are heading toward an era of peace, and we’ll ensure that it stays this way, so there will be no more senseless bloodshed!”

“It’s ironic though,” Ikkaku said, “Here you are, an advocate of peace in the living world, but among the shinigami, you’re easily the most powerful and fierce of fighters.”

Ichigo laughed. “Isn’t it?”

The room filled with laughter but for Ichigo and Hitsugaya. Teal eyes met chocolate brown and an understanding passed between them. The human world may be at peace, a fragile, easily broken peace, but peace nevertheless, but for the shinigami, they were at war. There was still Aizen, and if the shinigami’s war against Aizen and his ambitions spilled over into the human world, that fragile peace that was slowly being strengthened was sure to shatter and give way to war. The repercussions that would come of having two worlds at war simultaneously would be terrible, and it was something that absolutely could not be allowed to happen…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC….