[Bleach] Setting Sun, Rising Moon (3/12)

[jaina]

Title: Setting Sun, Rising Moon (part 3 of 12)
Rating: PG for this chapter
Word Count: 4,458
Summary: Half a century ago, Ichigo became a substitute shinigami while he was still alive. At the end of that life, it's time to become the real thing, but with death comes unexpected challenges-not the least of which is that presented by seeing Rukia again for the first time in years.

Chapter three: On going out with the boys, relationship confessions and the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Spoilers: Assumes knowledge of all characters and events leading up to the winter war, but as this takes place in the future, historical references are largely creative inventions.

To chapter one
To chapter two

Setting Sun, Rising Moon: Chapter 3

Ichigo was dead. In his much younger days, he’d thought that meant you went to a happy place, where you got to spend time with all your friends and with Mommy, and there had been a passing thought about endless candy. When he got older, he just wanted to see his mom again, though the idea of eternal rest with nobody hassling him about his hair had been a nice idea. Then he’d learned what really happened after death, and he’d had decades to get used to the idea that he wasn’t going to get any kind of rest. Still, the reality was turning out to be a bigger pain in the ass than he’d anticipated.

Take this school thing, he thought as he walked out from a lecture. He’d been okay with the idea to start with. Aside from the hands-on experience of fighting the odd hollow over the years, it had been a very long time since he’d done anything shinigami-related. It would be good to stretch those muscles. He’d expected something along the lines of a refresher course, maybe some private training. He hadn’t expected to be thrown into a class that could have been accurately titled “Kidou for Dummies.”

The teacher-Kagura-sensei, a lump on the back of his head reminded him-was strict, too. “I understand you’re to be captain, Kurosaki,” she’d said without even the hint of a smile. “And of course I will pay you the respect that is due when the time comes. But here and now, in my classroom, I can’t treat you differently from any other freshman. Sit down.”

Even more embarrassing, Keigo was in a more advanced class for this subject. Ichigo hadn’t even managed to do anything yet, beyond memorizing a bunch of crappy poetry-spells, whatever-and exploding his textbook. Twice. He’d looked at that as progress. At least something had happened, right? Kagura-sensei had not shared this view.

At least the swordplay class had been easier. Armsmaster Hiroshi, a man with one eye, eight fingers and more scars than Ichigo could count, had laughed and reassured him that bankai more than served to test him out of all associated courses. He just needed to observe, see how the upcoming shinigami were taught, and maybe pick out a likely candidate or two for his division.

But this being the advanced class, most of the students had taken one look at his unsealed zanpakutou and grinned. Ichigo found himself being dragged into the practice matches by the end of the first day.

First one, then two, then half the class was fighting him all at once. Advanced or not, they were still nothing compared to any average seated shinigami, and Ichigo hadn’t had trouble. He had worked up a sweat deflecting their blows, though, and he’d had fun doing it. Hiroshi had sent him away with a standing invitation to return whenever he liked, and Ichigo had a feeling he’d just been drafted as the class T.A.

So school was a mix of okay and annoying. What was more annoying was the fact that he couldn’t seem to pin down his original shinigami teacher to tell her about it. Rukia had seemed suspiciously busy since he’d settled in, like she was trying to blow him off. Maybe it was a vice-captain thing. Whenever he stopped in to talk to her, if she was at the office at all, she’d smile, listen to whatever he had to say about his day, say nothing about her own, then excuse herself to get work done. He didn’t even know where her private quarters were. It was really starting to bug him.

It wasn’t like he didn’t have plenty to keep himself busy, though. He still had ten of the thirteen divisions to visit. He really wasn’t looking forward to his day with the sixth.

“Oi, Ichigo!” He turned to see Ikkaku trotting towards him, a grin on his face.

“Yo.” He raised a hand in greeting. “What’s up?”

“Just came to see if you’re done for the day. HEY. What are you looking at?” Ikkaku glared at a passing freshman, who squeaked and ran. “Man. They get smaller every year, I swear. You got plans tonight?”

Ichigo shrugged. “Not really.”

“Well, you do now. You, me, Hisagi, Renji, Yumi-we’re going drinking.”

That sounded like better evening recreation than the absolutely nothing he had planned. “Sounds good.” Ichigo grinned. “You sure you should be taking an impressionable student, though?”

“Don’t be a pussy.” Ikkaku punched him in the shoulder. “Be ready in an hour or we’re starting without you.” He looked back over his shoulder and grinned as he took off.

By the time they met up, Ichigo was even readier for a drink. "You're sure it's okay I come?" Keigo asked nervously. "I'm just a student still..."

"So?" Ichigo said. "You're a grown man, too. Besides, I say it's okay. That's like permission from a captain."

"I'm still not sure it's fair you get to go through the Academy so fast," Keigo said. "Homework isn't any more fun now than when we were kids."

"Tell you what. In your next life, you get stabbed through the heart and fight a war before you're seventeen, and the job is yours." He nodded as Ikkaku and Yumichika walked up. "Yo."

"Hey!" Keigo burst out, staring at Ikkaku. "It's you!"

"It's me what?" he said.

"You're the one who stayed with us all those years ago! You invaded my house! You took my bed! Before the war!"

"No idea what you're talking about, kid. That was a long time ago. Come on, let's get to the bar." Ikkaku slung an arm around Keigo's shoulders and dragged him on. "How's your sister?"

The Rukongai bar where they ended up reminded Ichigo, strangely enough, of one of his favorites from med school. Lively, with plenty of food and drink and barrels of laughter from other tables, but not so loud or crazy you couldn’t have a conversation.

“Bartender!” Ikkaku barked when they found a place in the corner. “Bring us some beers.”

“And sake,” Yumichika added.

“-and sake, and keep `em coming!” He settled back and grinned at Ichigo. “This is the only time I’m ever treating for a night, so you better appreciate it.”

“Don’t mind him,” Yumichika said. “He’s just feeling magnanimous because he won at cards the other night.”

“I kicked ass is what I did.”

“Remind me never to go up against you,” Ichigo said, nodding at the barmaid as she brought their drinks. He took a swig. “Damn, that’s good. Haven’t had one of these in a while.”

“You should be grateful we snuck you off campus, young students.” Yumichika smiled.

Keigo grinned back and gulped his beer. "Thanks," he said earnestly. "They've got too many rules at the Academy. We're not supposed to drink a lot-the teachers say it dulls our performance."

Ikkaku snorted. "That's bullshit. I do better when I'm hung over. Gives you more fuel to give a beatdown and take it out on someone else."

"I'll remember." Keigo looked skeptical.

"You do that, kid. But Ichigo! When the hell are you gonna stop pussyfooting around there and join the ranks?"

“Spare me." He rolled his eyes. "I’m just brushing up on shit and you know it.”

“In any case, it’s the fastest acceleration to captain in history,” Yumichika said. “It even beats Hitsugaya’s record.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m the only academy student with bankai, that’s for damn sure,” he said. “I’m just glad they didn’t want to try and make me do the full course load. I’d go nuts.”

“Just be glad you finally kicked it,” Ikkaku said. “I dunno how you could stand to get that old, dude.”

Ichigo shrugged. “Passed the time. Hey, where’s Renji and everyone?”

“Here.” His voice boomed over Ichigo’s shoulder, and he turned to see Renji, Iba and Hisagi. “Yo. Nice to see you waited, Ikkaku.”

“Beer waits for no man.”

"Yeah, whatever." He squinted at Keigo for a moment, as if wondering what a student was doing there, but just shrugged. "Shove over, kid."

“You didn’t miss anything,” Yumichika said. “Ikkaku was simply interrogating the new captain-to-be on his days at the academy.”

“Yeah, how is that going?” Iba grinned. “Shit, I don’t know if I could go back to the academy.”

“I’ve never gone before, it’s not like I’m being held back,” Ichigo grumbled. “And I’m not there every day. I’ve been spending time out with the divisions, too.”

“That’s right, your trip around the Gotei 13.” Ikkaku smirked. “Probably hoping people’ll rub off on you enough to make you a more conventional captain.”

"We have those?" Iba asked.

“My point is Ichigo’s always going to be a freak since he couldn’t do anything in the right order,” Ikkaku said.

“Gee, thanks.”

“Be proud, man. I say fuck `em," declared Ikkaku. "Tell old man Yamamoto to stuff his goodwill tour down his throat and take up your spot right now. Do things your way.”

“You in that much in a hurry to get rid of me?” Hisagi asked.

“You’re not going that far. You can still kick Ichigo’s ass if he fucks up your division.”

“Damn right.” Hisagi nodded. “But I think you’re being too tough on General Yamamoto. He’s just trying to give Ichigo some help. It’s better than starting up in post-war chaos like we did, right Renji?”

He shrugged. “I guess.”

“He’s changed some,” he continued. “Things aren’t like they were in the old days.”

“He did reach out to the vaizards after the war,” Yumichika pointed out, and turned to Ichigo. “Whatever happened to them? Did you keep in touch?”

Ichigo shrugged uncomfortably. “Not really,” he said. “They went off to do their own thing and I stayed behind. Didn’t have much of a reason to get together once all the fighting was done.” That was a memory he was never sure how he felt about. The appearance of the motley crew had heralded only trouble in his life, but they had helped him when he'd needed them, and Hirako had looked genuinely regretful behind his cocky grin as he’d waved goodbye for the last time. At the time, Ichigo had hoped they’d accept Yamamoto’s offer of amnesty, even as he had the sneaking suspicion the old man had made it only because he knew they wouldn’t. “Guess I didn’t fit into their club once I solved my problem.”

“What can you do? Keeping a hollow in you, that’s bullshit,” Ikkaku said. “I never understood them.”

“Who did?” Yumichika finished his dish of sake and poured another. “So, Ichigo. How is your little learning experience going? Did Captain Soi Fong have much wisdom to impart?”

Ichigo rolled his eyes. “Gimme another drink before I start on that,” he said.

The beer flowed along with the conversation as they caught up. Truth be told, Ichigo hadn’t really minded going along with Yamamoto’s plans so far. As much as he’d learned about Soul Society from storming it as a teenager, the others seemed to forget that he still lacked the daily life experience of living there. Some things that they took for granted, he had no clue about.

Like taking up a captaincy. After spending a day with Yamamoto-and that had still been a little awkward, even after decades to calm the anger he’d once felt towards the man-he’d come away with the feeling that being a captain involved lots of posturing about honor and leadership and piles and piles of paperwork. For a man who’d survived over two thousand years at the highest rank in a group of deadly fighters, Yamamoto spent a lot of time signing things.

His day with the second division hadn’t been much better. Soi Fong had looked distinctly irritated at having him shadow her all day. She’d answered his questions, but always with short, clipped answers. It especially didn't help that half the things he asked about were, according to her, "classified information." Her vice-captain, some woman Ichigo didn't remember seeing before, was less prickly but busy with her own work. He hadn't come away feeling like he'd learned much.

Then there had been meeting with Hisagi himself to go over how he ran things in the fifth and getting ready for the transfer in leadership, but that would take far more than just one day. Hisagi had been patient enough to make Ichigo feel a little steadier, but he was still glad he had some time before he had to take over and potentially fall on his face. It was nice to relax with these guys.

There was one thing that was bugging him, though. As the evening went on, even Keigo seemed more at ease hanging out with a bunch of officers who severely outranked him, but Renji, who had never been anything but loud in the time Ichigo had known him, was keeping fairly quiet. He wasn’t a wall of silence, but he was mostly listening to other people’s stories and snickering at Ikkaku’s, and not offering up much himself.

“Hey.” He elbowed Ikkaku later, when Hisagi, Renji and Yumichika had succumbed to the trials of too much liquid and gone to take a piss; a very drunk Iba had proclaimed himself Keigo's new mentor and dragged him off to hit on barmaids. “Something bugging Renji?”

For an instant, Ikkaku looked uncertain before composing himself and giving a non-committal shrug. “Dunno. Why you ask?”

“He just seems quiet," he said. "I know I’ve been gone a while, but him shutting up is new to me.”

“Eh, you’re just imagining things.” Ikkaku grinned. “Captains gotta have manners, you know.”

“And that’s why you never wanted the job?”

“Got it in one.” He took another swig of beer. “So, you’ve been back for a bit. Seen Kuchiki much?”

“Rukia?” He frowned. “A little. She’s been pretty busy lately, though. But she is a vice-captain now.”

“You guys were pretty tight back in the day, right?”

“Yeah,” he answered quietly. “Once.”

“Not now?”

"No. Not now." He set his half-empty glass down. “I think I’m gonna get going.”

“I hit a nerve or something?" Ikkaku asked. "Sorry, man. But you don't have to go. Everyone's getting stupid drunk enough that a fight'll break out sooner or later. That's the fun part.”

“Nah.” Ichigo waved a hand. “It’s all right. Doesn’t bug me. But I’ve got an early day tomorrow, and I don’t want to be hungover. Say goodnight to everyone for me.”

“If you say so. Later.”

The streets of Seireitei were quiet as he walked back to his quarters-slowly, because he still only sort of knew his way around. He got his bearings as he approached the fifth division headquarters. That was a good sign; if they were soon to be his, it'd be helpful to know where the heck they were. He squinted at a light in the window of the main office and headed that way.

Hinamori sat at her desk, scribbling away at some report. He hesitated in the doorway, but she looked up at the sound of his footsteps. “Hey,” he said. “Uh, sorry if I interrupted you.”

“It’s no problem.” She smiled politely. “I’m here late a lot these days. Now’s as good a time as any to take a break.” She stretched her arms out, turning her neck from side to side to work out the kinks.

“Oh. This what I’ve got to look forward to, then?” He looked at the stacks of paper that surrounded her.

She shook her head. “It’s just the transition,” she said. “Captain Hisagi has a lot to deal with, moving up to the Central 46, and you have your own studies to think about. Don’t worry, I can handle it.”

“Okay,” he said, feeling a little stupid. Hinamori had been there when Hisagi had showed him around the division, but they hadn’t really talked much. Now he wasn’t at all sure what to say. It didn’t exactly bode well for them working together.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like Hinamori. Hell, he didn’t even know her, how could he dislike her? He’d been surprised to hear that she would be his vice-captain. He hadn’t kept up on all the details of what was going on in Seireitei after the war-months of recovery and then school had occupied him-but the girl he remembered from the final battle had seemed broken and confused, barely able to accept what a fucker Aizen really was long after everyone else had. He would never have expected her to take any kind of command again. But here she was.

She looked different from the Hinamori he recalled-calmer and quieter, no longer looking like she’d fall apart at the seams. The cute bun he remembered had been replaced with a neat braid down her back.

“What are you doing back here so late?” She asked. He could see the long, thin scar that ran down her cheek as she turned to face him.

“Just felt like taking a walk,” he said. “Still figuring my way around this place.”

“I’m surprised you’re not out with the others still,” she said, smiling. “I remember when Hisagi was made captain. They were hung over for days.”

“Uh huh.” He fidgeted. This wasn’t really a topic he wanted to go into-it brought up memories of the captain Hisagi had replaced, and how she'd felt about Aizen-but he wasn’t sure how to get out of it. “I’m surprised he’s leaving. Seems like he has a pretty good thing going here.”

Her face grew serious. “It was Captain Tousen,” she said. “He made Hisagi believe so strongly in the importance of justice, and then after what he did...I think he wants to find his own kind of justice. Joining the Central 46 is one way to do that.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

Her eyes were far away for a moment before she looked at him again. “Am I making you nervous, Kurosaki-san?”

“Well...not really, I mean...”

“It’s all right,” she said. “I did work with Captain Aizen.”

“And I killed him."

“You weren’t alone,” she said quietly.

“Yeah. I guess not,” he said. “But it’s really not you. Or not just you,” he admitted. “I’m still trying to figure out where I fit around here.”

“Soul Society isn’t what you expected it to be?”

He shook his head. “Nope,” he said. “Not sure what I expected it to be, but...no.”

“I know what it’s like to be an outsider,” she said. “After the war...it took a long time for everyone to recover. Me especially. I believed in Captain Aizen so much. As much as Hisagi believed in Captain Tousen. More. I kept believing in him even after the truth came out. That’s what you’re supposed to do for the ones you love, isn’t it?”

Ichigo could only nod.

“When I returned to my position, people were...strange,” she said. “I know not everyone trusted me. I wouldn’t have trusted me, either.”

“So how’d you deal?”

“Time,” she said. “That’s the only thing that could do it,” she said. “You’ll find your place. Just wait.”

“I guess I have plenty of it,” he said. “And I still have to get through some classes.”

She smiled, and he felt some of the tension drain from the room. “I can’t believe they asked you to do that. How are they going?”

“I blew up my textbook the other day,” he said. “Kidou ain’t my thing.”

She made a face. “Don’t say that,” she said. “You can learn. It just takes a lot of practice. I can help you.”

“Really?”

“Of course.” She nodded. “Especially if we’re going to be a team. Please, stop by anytime. We can work on your kidou, and I can introduce you to a captain’s paperwork. ” She stretched again. “But right now I think it’s time for me to put this away and get some sleep. Good night.”

He wasn’t sure how late it was when he left the Fifth division and again tried to point himself towards home, but he felt more awake-lighter, somehow. He still didn’t know quite what he was doing.

But it was a start.

A little under fifty years ago

The day after his graduation party, Ichigo swept through his apartment, cleaning up all the debris. He was going to have to move soon, and getting rid of the mess would make it easier to pack. When he was done, he opened his window for when Rukia arrived. It was a silly gesture, since she could just walk through the wall if she wanted, but it seemed rude not to do it.

He sat down with a book he wasn’t really reading and waited for her. Then waited some more. After a while, he threw the book down and went to make an omelette. Food was good, even if his stomach was jumping around like crazy. Food might settle it.

The sound of egg frying was enough to drown out Rukia’s light steps, so the first clue he had about her arrival was the prick of his senses in response to her approaching reiatsu, followed by the touch of her arm as she slid it around his waist. “Hi.”

He glanced back at her. “Little late, aren’t you?”

“Unexpected hollow attack. It couldn’t be helped,” she said.

“This ain’t your district.”

“I know, but I was in the right place at the right time. There is no point in waiting for the local shinigami if I can be more efficient.” She smirked. “And you’re done with school now. What do you have to do that a few minutes' lateness would affect?”

“Nothing, I guess.” He poked at the omelette with his spatula. “Nothing until med school starts. Pops keep saying to enjoy the time off before the, quote, true test of manly endurance, unquote, begins.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for your graduation ceremony,” she said, sounding more serious. “Our division has been quite busy lately, and Captain Ukitake has been ill again.”

“Not your fault.” He shrugged. “You’re a seated officer now. You've got important things to do. That’s a good thing.”

“I think so,” she said. Through peripheral vision, he saw her looking at him curiously. “Ichigo, what is wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m just hungry.”

“Liar.” She jabbed him in the ribs, prompting a yelp. “You think I can’t tell by now? Tell me.”

“Okay, okay.” He switched off the skillet to make sure the food wouldn’t burn. “Sit down.”

She frowned, but allowed him to take her hand and lead her out of the kitchenette to his couch. He sat there, silent for a long moment before she attempted to jab him again but was intercepted by his hand. “Stop that!”

“Then talk!”

“I will! Just give me a minute!”

She folded her arms over her chest. “Take your minute.”

“Yeah.” He leaned on his knees. “Rukia, I need to tell you something.”

“Go ahead.”

“There was this thing a couple weeks ago," he said. "Mizuiro’s girlfriend came to visit for graduation, and you know how his girls always travel in herds. And they wanted to go out and do some celebrating, but this one friend of hers didn’t know anyone, so they came to drag me along and,” he took a breath, “I kinda went on a date with her.”

Silence.

“Nothing happened.” He rushed to fill it. “I mean, she was cute and everything, but we've got our thing-whatever it is-and I wouldn’t do that to you. I didn’t even want to go on the stupid thing, but-are you listening?”

She was looking down, her hair falling in her face so he couldn’t read her expression. When she looked up, she was biting her lip, and his stomach twisted painfully. “Rukia, I’m sor-“

She started to laugh. “Is that all?”

“All?” He repeated incredulously. Like it hadn't tied his stomach up in knots just to say it-

“Ichigo, you idiot.” She shook her head and surprised him by jumping into his lap. “I told you this would happen,” she said gently. “You made a choice-a good one-to live your human life. I cannot be around as much as you deserve. There is no reason you should not go out with your friends-and girls-just because I am not here.”

“And I told you that didn’t matter to me,” he pointed out. “And it wasn’t much of a date anyway. I just thought, you know, you should be aware. Because I'm not trying to hide anything from you.”

She wiggled against his lap to make herself more comfortable and pressed her lips to his chin and he felt his ability to speak coherently drain away. “Did she try to kiss you?”

“Uh...” He tried to think past the speech-block that was warm Rukia mouth. “I think...she wanted to. But I just said goodnight.”

“Mmhm.”

She moved her mouth to his neck before he shoved her away to look her in the eyes. “This doesn’t bother you at all?”

“You said it wasn’t much of a date.”

“You know what I mean, Rukia.”

She sighed. “You mean, do I want to think of you with other women? No, not particularly.” She leaned in close. “But we’ve had this discussion. We are from different worlds, and I’m not about to ask more from you than you can give.”

“And I still say you’re a moron,” he said, stroking her hair.

“Be honest, Ichigo. You’d be happier with a girlfriend who could be around for the important occasions-graduations, weddings. Weekday dinners even.”

“I’m happy with you.”

She said nothing, just smiled and kissed him. He kissed back and was just starting to get into it when she pulled away just far enough to speak. “Ichigo, I want you to promise me something.”

“What?”

“If you do meet someone,” she started, and pressed her hand over his mouth when he started to protest, “If you meet someone you truly care for, I want you to promise not to hold back. Just...be honest.”

He stared at her. “Rukia...”

“Promise me.”

“Okay, I promise,” he said. “Even if I don’t expect it to happen.” His stomach still felt jumpy. Even after a few years, she still didn’t seem to get that he couldn’t just flip his feelings on and off like a switch. He couldn’t just be normal, whatever that was.

There were words on the edge of his tongue, ones he couldn’t quite identify but felt, all the same, that he needed to say-but the unsettled feeling was too strong. Instead he pulled her close again and neither of them spoke for a long time.

--

NEXT CHAPTER: "Why do I know so many stupid people who insist on being stoic all the time? There are simpler options, you know. You could just tell him you still have feelings for him.”