My Deepest Desire (2)

10 advanced chapters on my Patreon: Fiction Haven

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Ichigo's training took place in the West Rukongai, District 69. Like many other districts beyond the fifties, it was underdeveloped. The place would remind you of Hiroshima right after the bombing. No one was wearing sandals because of how poor they were. They walked barefoot and wore rags as clothes. Even sadder, a lot of them were children.

Ichigo couldn't help but scowl when he arrived at the District. He had been in two different worlds and the religions taught him the same thing: children would go to heaven after they died. Everyone would go to heaven if they did well enough while alive. However, the reality showed that everyone would suffer equally.

It makes you wonder why you have to do good if you would end up in a place like that in the end. Will people try to do good if they know the bleak future that awaits them?

Ichigo wouldn't consider himself benevolent, but he wasn't opposed to the idea of helping. He knew how hard life could be for some people. He was familiar with hardships thanks to what he had to go through in his past life. Therefore, he quickly warmed up to the children who lived in District 69. He played with them whenever he was not training.

The souls who lived in District 69 were generally weak. Unlike most souls, they couldn't absorb the Reishi in the air and turned it into their Reiryoku. They needed it to digest it directly which required them to eat. Therefore, they hunted wild animals and gathered fruits to eat. They weren't fulfilling, but they allowed them to see tomorrow's light.

Given his Quincy heritage, Ichigo had an innate talent to manipulate Reishi. He used his gift to create food out of Reishi and then fed it to the children. The smile he put on their face was enough to make his day. Yoruichi and Retsu always looked at the scene fondly.

Despite his kindness, some people still disliked him. The cynical adults who hated Shinigami to their core believed that Ichigo was just trying to compensate them for destroying their land by feeding the children. It was a delusional take, of course. Ichigo trained in an uncivilized place. No one lived there and it didn't produce anything that benefited the people.

Frankly speaking, the land belonged to no one. Only those who had power could claim land. Being in the top 1% of Soul Society gave Ichigo the right to claim the training place. Technically, the residents had no right to complain. They realized it was the case deep down. However, they still decided to antagonize Ichigo because they were hoping that he would also help them.

"He is messing with the souls' living dynamic. As a Shinigami, he should have known not to interfere with the lives in Rukongai."

"Indeed. On top of that, he is also tarnishing the image of Shinigami."

"I concur. We govern over souls and not charity workers."

The pretentious nobles also didn't like what Ichigo did in District 69. Most of them viewed the souls who lived in Rukongai as low lives, ignoring the fact that more than half of the registered Shinigami were from Rukongai. They viewed helping the helpless souls as below them. They couldn't stand Ichigo treating the children in District 69 properly.

For that reason, they demanded a meeting with the highest-ranked person in Gotei 13, General Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni. The old general wasn't so thrilled to meet with them, but he had to since one of the more prominent Noble Houses, the Ōmaeda, even attended the meeting.

"Where did you get that information?" Yamamoto asked harshly to the gathered people.

"We assigned some of our servants to observe Kurosaki Ichigo," one of the nobles answered proudly.

"Fool!"

Bang!

Yamamoto slammed his staff on the ground.

"Do you even know what you just did?" Yamamoto harrumphed. "I have promised young Ichigo not to spy on him while he is training. I even officially forbade Captain Kurotsuchi of the Twelfth Division from gathering his Reiatsu. Why do you think that you have any right to act that stupidly!? Did Marenoshin order the Ōmaeda to do this too? I thought he knew better."

"No! Patriarch Marenoshin has nothing to do with this."

Yamamoto's harsh tone made everyone flinch. The bolder nobles immediately turned meek and those who just came to watch were on the brink of crying. Shinigami might listen to the nobles to an extent because Central 46 members came from them, but Shinigami were not their servants. Yamamoto, especially, had enough power to eliminate the Noble Families by himself. The old general's harsh glare reminded them of their place.

"Don't interfere with Shinigami's affair. Young Ichigo is a powerful ally. Should your action drive him to the other side, you would no longer have Soul Society."

Bang!

"Dismiss!"

The meeting ended without a single protest. While some people were still disgruntled, most of them had seen the logic behind Yamamoto's warning. They had heard how Aizen had singlehandedly eliminated Central 46 and how Yamamoto admitted he was strong. They were wary of Aizen and they should be wary of Ichigo too since Yamamoto believed Ichigo could defeat Aizen.

They couldn't imagine having two Aizen Sōsuke to face as enemies. It would be a nightmare. They decided to be on Ichigo's good side ever since. Of course, Ichigo was not aware of the entire ordeal. He wouldn't care even if he knew. He was not interested in Soul Society politics.

Boom!

Back to Ichigo, he was training his Zanjutsu with the first Kenpachi, Unohana Retsu.

"Your Cero has gotten stronger…" Retsu remarked as she glanced at the hole in the hill that Ichigo had made. "I can't think of a way to overpower you other than to use my Bankai. But if we come to that point, one of us has to die."

"We don't have to do that. You have helped me enough," Ichigo responded.

Slightly unsettled by the glint he had seen in Retsu's eyes, Ichigo ran a hand through his locks. Retsu took in every part of his exposed torso shamelessly with glee dancing in her eyes. Their fight had left Retsu dishevelled and Ichigo bare-chested. Retsu's braid was undone and Ichigo had some bleeding cuts on his torso which were quickly closing.

Both of them enjoyed their fight. They always gave into their instinct whenever they fought, only stopping when they were about to deal a critical blow to each other. In Retsu's case, she retreated when she almost activated her Bankai. Ichigo was a fast learner and a stamina monster. He was the perfect training partner for her, so she couldn't hold herself sometimes.

"Do you need me to heal you?"

"No. I need to train my healing power."

Ichigo gestured at his healing cuts as he sat down. Retsu glanced at them for a moment before walking to Ichigo and then sitting beside him. Retsu put her head on his shoulder, prompting him to pat it before leaning on the tree behind them. Being in this position had been their post-training routine for the last three days.

Ichigo briefly recalled the look that the Angelic Demon beside him had shown him during their spar. It wasn't his first time seeing it, but he was seeing it more often in their recent spars. While he wasn't afraid of having Retsu taking his life—he was confident in his skills—he didn't like that look. It reminded him of the tragic fate Retsu met in the universe whence he came.

His hold on Retsu instinctively tightened as a frown marred his face. Retsu opened her eyes and turned her gaze to his face curiously.

"Is something the matter, Ichigo-kun?"

Ichigo slowly turned his head to look at Retsu. He gazed at her silently for a few seconds, making her wonder if he was uncomfortable with their proximity.

"I like you."

"Huh…"

Retsu was a bit caught off guard. She was equally flustered and excited, so she couldn't find anything to say.

"So, I don't want you to die," Ichigo continued, ignoring her reaction. "If you encounter a situation that may risk your life, don't hesitate to call me. Even if the world demands your blood, I will be on your side, razing it to the ground for its ridiculous demand."

"Ichigo-kun…" Retsu cooed with red cheeks. "You are making this old lady's heart beat faster. Aren't you smooth with words?"

"I am being serious," Ichigo stated stoically.

"Is that so?" Taking her head off his shoulder, Retsu scooted to his front and stared at him solemnly. She had lost her smile and warm gaze. "Words are meaningless without actions to back them up, Ichigo-kun. While I don't doubt you can back up your words, I am afraid you haven't thought this through."

"I have."

"…is that so?"

"Let me help you carry your burden."

'After all, that is what friends are for,' was something that Ichigo didn't say out loud. Thinking about saying that to Retsu made him feel awkward, as strange as it sounded given how intimate they were.

Smooch!

Ichigo was expecting either a sincere thank you and a warm smile or a condescending remark for his insolence. Retsu had been sweet to him, but he couldn't figure her out yet. Therefore, when Retsu leaned forward and captured his lips, he didn't know what to think. He was quick to react, though; wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her closer.

His brain was telling him he was courting death, but his heart was telling him he had just saved an angel.

'It's a weird way to thank a friend, but I will take it.'

That day, he decided to try his luck with a Yandere.