"Arghh!" Ichigo screamed loudly.
The school bell rang out signifying the end of class. Many students left their seats heading home immediately afterwards or staying behind inside their classroom chatting idly amongst themselves discussing various topics ranging from gossip about teachers and celebrities alike.
For a certain orange haired boy though, he felt exhausted already despite only having attended classes today.
The reason being...
"A sadist... Hat and Clogs is so sadistic... He kept making me run around carrying sandbags..."
"What? Sand bags?"
Chad tilted his head quizzically as he turned his gaze toward his friend sitting beside him. "Sounds tough. What is that training for?"
Ichigo groaned weakly at the tall teen's inquiry; "Yeah, it was hellish, Chad. There are lots of weird traps in that underground space."
"Underground space?" This time, Inoue joined their conversation excitedly. "Woah, that sounds cool! Is it a secret base or something?"
"He's talking about a game." Shirou interjected with a smile, "He's playing a game with Kuchiki-san at my part-time job yesterday."
"Eeh~! So that's it. You should tell us clearly, Ichigo-kun! Don't make us misunderstand!" Inoue giggled energetically while slapping her hands playfully at Ichigo's broad shoulders repeatedly without realizing it.
"Y-Yeah, sorry..." He winced in pain and muttered apologetically under his breath.
The group of friends had long since welcomed Rukia as part of them.
A few days had passed since her arrival, and Ichigo had been so busy training and killing Hollows in the surrounding area as substitute Shinigami, so he didn't really talk much.
Somehow, his usual group of friends had included Rukia when gathering together like this.
Even Keigo Asano and Mizuiro welcomed the mysterious girl warmly, treating her like their own.
In the back of the classroom, however, a boy observed them sharply under his glasses. His gaze never left Ichigo's figure even when he exited the class.
Shirou noticed him and decided to follow suit.
"Where are you going?" Rukia asked as Shirou left the classroom.
"Hahaha, I need to go to the toilet!" The boy laughed awkwardly while scratching the back of his head. "You can go ahead to Urahara Shoten with Ichigo. I will catch you guys later."
Saying so, he ran off to his destination.
***
Shirou arrived at the roof after following Ishida from a good distance.
Ishida was alone in that place, looking down to the ground from the fence barrier, gazing at everyone leaving the campus with melancholic eyes. He stayed unmoving for quite some time, seemingly deep in thought.
His gaze only moved when he detected Shirou from the corner of his eye.
"What do you want?" The Quincy asked coldly, staring warily at Shirou who stood near the entrance.
"Just want to know what's going on with you." Shirou answered flatly, tilting his head somewhat curiously as he stepped closer to the bespectacled boy. "I wondered why you glared at my brother intensely before leaving class earlier."
"How shameless." Ishida clicked his tongue harshly as his eyebrows furrowed even deeper upon hearing Shirou's question, "I am not going to tell someone like you anything. Please leave me alone."
Shirou looked at him unamused. "Is it because of Shinigami stuff?"
He didn't miss the jolt on Ishida's shoulder, though subtle. It told Shirou the fact that he struck bullseyes.
'Knew it.' Shirou mentally affirmed his suspicions.
It was still a mystery why Ishida hated Shinigami, or at least disliked it.
His mother had never mentioned any discord between Quincy and Shinigami. However, Shirou suspected that there existed some animosity between their races considering how hostile Ishida acted whenever Rukia got involved into Ichigo's matters nowadays.
Shirou noticed his aversion early on, though he refrained from bringing up this topic given that Ichigo didn't seem aware of said problem yet.
Shirou closed his eyes briefly before opening them once more.
"Can you tell me why you are so hostile towards Shinigami?"
He probed again carefully, observing Ishida closely without giving away anything noticeable about himself other than mild curiosity.
"I mean... Shinigami is a force for good, right? They fought Hollows and protected people."
"The Shinigami aren't heroes like what everyone thinks." Ishida denied, "They betrayed Quincy."
He added solemnly afterward, clenching his fists tightly as anger boiled within his veins.
Betrayed, that was a strong word. Especially if someone like Ishida who rarely shows emotion used that word.
Shirou listened attentively, silently urging Ishida to continue speaking.
"It happened 200 years ago," Ishida began narrating quietly, staring somberly into the distance as memories flashed through his mind.
"They exterminated us. They said our existence posed danger to the balance between the realms. Quincy hunts Hollow, that's correct. However, everytime we defeat Hollows, we destroy them instead of purifying their souls and send them to Soul Society, so they claimed we were hindrance, leading to the imbalance that will lead to catastrophe between realms."
His eyes darkened considerably, reflecting hatred he harbored towards Shinigami.
Was that truly the truth? Shirou didn't believe it fully, there had to be more details.
Still, he didn't say anything against it either. At least for now, until he gathered sufficient evidence.
"Say, Kurosaki-kun... You probably won't understand because you're normal. I don't know why Kurosaki Ichigo became a Shinigami. But you shouldn't get involved with their mess."
With those last words hanging in midair between them, Ishida walked out from the rooftop.
***
Sunday arrived and school was off.
Shirou walked down the street, sighing heavily.
People have always said that ignorance is bliss.
While there might hold some truth in those words, Shirou didn't feel any better knowing what he knew now compared to before learning such things.
In fact, his troubles increased tenfold ever since Ichigo became a Shinigami. For example, the increased amount of Hollow.
Shirou seldom met with one in the past 18 years, save for when he actively searched for them. But now, he met one even when he walked back from school.
"Kuaaaa!"
A distorted cry rang across empty streets accompanied as Shirou's twin swords cut the monster's mask in half cleanly, bisecting its body.
The monster evaporated, leaving nothing behind. He landed behind it and dismissed the swords into motes of light.
"There are more of them." Shirou observed quietly as he walked to the Urahara Shoten, "At least the ones that came today weren't stronger than the common type. Hopefully Ichigo will get stronger with each hollow he faces so far."
In the past week alone, Shirou had defeated several dozens of hollows. They appeared near his house so he had to act quickly lest innocent bystanders get hurt. His siblings were vulnerable too if these creatures attacked their neighborhood again like previously.
And not only that— Ichigo also had to contend with increasing numbers daily.
Fortunately, it seemed like he grew accustomed enough handling them thanks to continuous practice sessions. He handled each encounter swiftly without fail despite experiencing occasional setbacks here and there.
While thinking about that, Shirou finally arrived at the shop.
"Good morning."
"Welcome."
"Oh, Yoruichi-san. It's rare to see you here lately."
The one who greeted Shirou was Yoruichi, wearing an orange turtleneck and black long pants. She smiled playfully at him, showing her bright white teeth. "Kisuke was getting busy lately. Well, mostly because he missed Rukia-chan."
The girl purred and stretched her arms overhead while purring like a cat.
"Kuchiki-san?" Shirou arched an eyebrow curiously.
"Yeah. Because she broke the Gotei 13's rules by giving her power to a human, there will probably be a chaser to catch her soon. Kisuke is making a Gigai that can hide her as long as she resides in this city, so she can blend in easily among normal humans."
"Huh?" Hearing this news caught Shirou off guard completely, making Yoruichi realize something.
"Oh, you didn't hear about it from the girl?"
Shaking his head slowly, he replied honestly.
"Well, that's troubling. Don't tell anyone that you heard it from me." She put her index finger in front of her lips and winked charmingly.
"If she hasn't told us anything, I suppose there's a reason." Shirou mused aloud thoughtfully before shrugging nonchalantly afterward. "But a chaser? Then they will catch Kuchiki-san soon? Also, what's the punishment for her mistake if she were caught?"
"Most probably around a week. As for the punishment..." Yoruichi's expression hardened a bit, "Maybe execution."
***End***
What?! Execution?
Scary!
Anyway, I am happy I keep seeing stone thrown to this story, so here is a chapter.
And more stone? Then another chapter later!