# Karasu River #
Chad stands alone, looking at the
river. His expression was a mix of concern and frustration; he recalled what
Hoshito had told him back in school.
Chad: "We can't overcome it…" he
muttered.
Chad remembered how terrifying
Tsukishima's ability was, and he remembers what happened at the mansion. He
remembered stopping Ichigo and fighting him. He remembered Ichigo crying, Rukia
restoring his power, and he began to doubt his memories.
He clenched his fists, his expression shifting
to regret for having fought his friend instead of helping him. His thoughts
were interrupted by footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw Ichigo.
Ichigo: "Yo, Chad."
Chad nodded to him.
Ichigo: "I got your message... what's
wrong?"
Chad: "It's about Yuru-San."
Ichigo: "Hoshito? What about him?"
Chad: "He... got stabbed by Tsukishima
when they first met." He whispered in a low voice.
Ichigo: "What did you say?!" his eyes
were wide.
***
# Urahara's shop-
Training ground #
After my Zanpakuto kicked me out of
the inner world, I started training my body by doing push-ups, sit-ups, and
trying to figure out how to swing the blade properly.
Hoshito: "That guy didn't give me a
serious way to get stronger!" I said in frustration to myself while swinging my
zanpakuto. "' Train your body by running the entire town and reach the will to
fight your friend.' He said, as if this is easy…" I muttered.
I swung my blade aggressively; each
swing was harsher than the last. Hoshito: 'There should be another way, a way
that I can grow fast, but what?'
I stopped swinging and sat down, my
legs gave up, and my hands shook from the training. My gaze fell to the ground.
My expression was unreadable, and my muscles ached, begging me to relax.
Hoshito: "I can't relax for long;
after a few minutes, I will resume my training." I muttered to myself.
"If you do that, your body will break,
and you will only be destroying yourself."
I turned around to see who was talking
to me, but saw only a black cat with green eyes. I looked at him with a
confused expression.
Hoshito: "Were you the one who said
that to me?" I asked. "Nope, there is no way a cat can—"
Yuruichi: "Yes, I was the one who said
it." She said in a deep voice.
My body flinched from seeing her in cat
form. I moved my head around to check if there was anyone else, but there was no
one else. Yuruichi's eyes fell on my blade, and she examined it.
Yuruichi: "Is that your zanpakuto?" She
said in a calm voice as she came closer to it.
Hoshito: "Uhhh, yes. This is my zanpakuto."
I rubbed the back of my head. "But he didn't tell me his name."
Yuruichi: "Very understandable. Zanpakuto usually
doesn't tell their names either because their partners are incompetent, or they
test them." Her gaze turned towards me. "And it seems your case is the second
one."
Hoshito: "Okay… and you are…?" I said,
trying to cover my knowledge of who she is.
Yuruichi: "I'm Yuruichi Shihoin. Kisuke informed
me of you."
Hoshito: "Let me guess, you are the one
Urahara-San said would train me?"
Yuruichi: "That's right, I will be the one training
you." She walked slowly towards me. "At first, I thought Kisuke was extravagant
about you, but seeing you training made what he said true."
Hoshito: "What did he say?" I whispered.
Yuruichi: "You don't have a single talent
in anything. The only thing you show some talent in is your fighting sense." I
froze at her blunt words. "Therefore, I will train in a hellish way to at least
reach Chad and Orihime's levels. Are we clear?"
Hoshito: "Yes, ma— sir!" I shouted out
awkwardly. 'Crap, I almost said ma'am.'
Yuruichi: 'He was about to say, ma'am,
wasn't he?'
***
# V's POV #
V's hands started bleeding while shooting
the arrows. He paid it no mind and continued training. His arrows were precise
and fast, but lacked the strength to hit deep into the rocks. His eyes narrowed,
and he started pulling the bow more strongly than before.
V: 'This isn't enough… I never thought this
much of my power went to sleep.' He stopped shooting. He raised his hands. He lowered
his head and looked at them. 'Is this what others call inferiority? No, there
is another word, what was it again? frustration? His hands clenched hard. The
blood spread across his hand. "Sigh… This gives me a headache. I will head out
to clear my mind."
Quincy used his shadow to phase through the
training grounds to the surface. Looking around the streets, he decided to take
a walk to clear his mind.
V: 'I should cover myself with reichi so normal
humans can't see me,' he concentrated on his reiatsu, fusing it with his long cloak
to make a small layer on himself. It still works as magic. Still, I need to keep
my concentration, or else it will dispel itself.'
The Quincy started walking around the
streets. His gaze was on the building and the people, seeing them chatting,
playing around, and helping each other, amazed him.
V: 'So, this is what people usually do
together… It's a lot different than the place I used to live in….' He was deep
in thought, and he didn't notice the cross. He bumped into someone, but he
didn't pay it any mind. 'I wonder what happened to my future, and how it
disappeared?'
"Ichigo, are you alright?"
The Quincy stopped for a second when he
heard the name.
Ichigo: "Yeah, I bumped into someone, and
they didn't seem to notice." He turned to the person.
The Quincy turned his head to the orange-haired
boy. When their eyes met, Ichigo was shocked to see identical similarities between
this person and Tensa Zangetsu. He froze for a moment.
Chad appeared then and put his hand on
Ichigo's shoulder. His face showed concern.
V: 'This isn't what I want to happen. I
need to do something.' He approached the orange-haired boy and reached out his
hand. "Sorry, I didn't see you. Are you alright?" He said in a calm voice.
Ichigo: "Ah, yes. I'm fine." He took
Quincy's hand and got up.
V: "I see… You should be more careful next
time." turned around. 'Good. I think I acted normally. Why do I feel a déjà vu
about this?' he resumed his walking.
Ichigo stood for a moment, feeling uneasy
towards the Quincy. Then he ran in the same direction that Quincy came from.
# meanwhile #
My heart stopped for a second when my eyes caught
the person, Yuruichi, who called them out. It was a young girl with black hair and
a single strand hanging between her eyes. Her eyes were purple, and she wore a school
uniform and sports shoes. There was a faint blush on her cheeks.
Hoshito: "Umm… Yuruichi-San… why did you call
this girl?" I pointed at the girl awkwardly, my voice shaking.
Yuruichi: "Because your first training is to
catch her hands while dodging her attacks." She smirked. "What? Are you worried
about hurting this girl?" she said in a teasing voice.
I nodded my head, but that wasn't the
reason why I was worried.
Yuruichi: "What a narrow-minded guy you
are. Unlike how she looks, she is very strong. Strong enough to knock you down
with one punch."
Hoshito: 'I know that!! Ururu is one of the
few people you can't underestimate! I don't think I can hold up against her! My
whole body was shaking.
"Oi!! Hoshito!!"
Yuruichi, Ururu, and I turned towards the
direction of the sudden voice. And we recognized that voice. It was Ichigo
coming down from the stairs with a furious expression on his face. Beside him
was Chad, who looked sorry for a reason.
Ichigo: "We need to talk. Right. Now!" he
shouted out.
Hoshito: 'Shit. Chad told him.' I looked at
Ichigo uninterested.