Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Minutes to Midnight ❯ A Change of Attire ( Chapter 2 )

Title: A Change of Attire

Characters: Ichigo

Rating: K+

Warning: None

Words: 865

Description: Clothes don't make the man. Choices do.

 

 

When Ichigo returned to his room after dinner, with plenty of directions courtesy of Gin, it was waiting on his bed for him.

 

He didn't know who had made it in such a short time or if Aizen had ordered it be crafted long ago, somehow knowing that Ichigo would be coming to him. And the boy wondered who made it and how they knew his size. But he supposed neither explanation changed the fact that it was there, waiting for him. Ulquiorra probably had put it there. He was utterly devoted to Aizen, and he seemed the one most likely to obey.

 

Ichigo closed the door behind him and stared at the innocuously folded pile of fabric, all white and barely present black lines. It was the final step, he realized. The last bit that would separate him from Soul Society's substitute Shinigami to one of Aizen's allies. One of his minions, for lack of a better word.

 

He could use Aizen's word. Claim he was part of the “family.” But Ichigo wasn't sure if he was ready for that much right now. He was still reeling from the unexpected turn his existence had taken. But just as when he had become Shinigami, he was learning to adapt. To accept what he had been given and his own choices.

 

To this day, he still did not regret what he had done to save his family. Not for one single second.

 

The change of clothes still sat there, waiting patiently for him to put them on.

 

Curiosity compelled him, and Ichigo crossed the floor. He hovered before them, pulling the first item out of the stack. It was a dark blue obi, a pretty basic color. It didn't ally him towards anything in this place. Black was for the Espada. Deep scarlet was for Aizen. Pale blue for Gin. And orange for Tousen.

 

He set the obi to the side and withdrew the rest of the outfit, laying out the long robes and looking at them. They weren't too bad, he supposed. All slim lines and trim fit, exactly how he preferred to wear his clothes. In fact, it looked like his robes in bankai. Except for white and without the ragged edges. There was another layer though. Something that would fit under his shihakushou, like an under robe. And it, too, was white.

 

His fingers settled on the fabric. Soft and comfortable. Something he could move in. Easily mendable. Yet strong enough to provide some protection. Thick enough for warmth in the chill of Hueco Mundo. It was perfectly suitable for everything. Ichigo was willing to bet that Aizen had planned it that way.

 

The boy took a breath and calmly removed Zangetsu from his back, setting him down on the bed. With a quick motion, he had also removed the red strap, laying it next to his zanpakutou.

 

He looked at the stack of clothing, on second glance realizing that a new strap had even been provided for him. It was the same shade as the obi, a very dark blue. Aizen had planned for everything.

 

He wondered what would happen after he changed clothes. Would his bankai reflect his change of attire? Would Shirosaki suddenly show up in black clothes? Would his unconscious realizations affect how he looked?

 

He had never really considered that before. Whether or not his own thoughts changed his appearance. He supposed it had never really mattered to him earlier.

 

He stared at the clothes a few minutes longer. It really was the last step.

 

Ichigo thought of his choice and his decision. He thought of Soul Society's repeated mistakes and its attempts to bury each one in the past. Of the Bounto and the Quincy, the many innocent lives lost. Taken. Stolen.

 

He remembered Rukia's tears, her belief that death was what she deserved simply because a group of dodgy, old farts decided it. He thought of Orihime's innocence, how they planned to so callously steal her life just because she might turn out to be a threat. How Gin's story had rung of truth, of ostracism and distrust for no true reason at all. For something beyond his control.

 

He considered Urahara and Yoruichi and all the people from the shop. The geta-boushi was a pervert and a bit of an eccentric weirdo, but that didn't mean he deserved exile or death. And the kids, Ururu and Jinta, what would have happened to them? Soul Society would've probably eliminated them just to tie up loose ends.

 

He thought of his own fate, to be used and cast aside. How his family was going to be threatened at some point, of losing Yuzu and Karin because of Seireitei's irrational fear. And yes, he even thought of losing Isshin. Although the man was an insane idiot, he was still Ichigo's father, the only parent he had left.

 

Ichigo remembered all those things, all the reasons he had come to Hueco Mundo in the first place. And then, he reached for the outfit.

 

He had already taken this step before he even set foot in Las Noches. One change of clothing wasn't going to alter that at all.

 

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