A Boy and His Dog

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite, plot bunny to Love Psycho, story and shenanigans to me.

-ooo-

Introduction: Prompt inspired by Love Psycho's Bleach Challenge #1 from her profile page. The gist of it: someone else comes to Karakura Town and gives Ichigo his shinigami powers. I picked Komamura 'cause he's fluffy.

This is more of an extended one-shot that skims through all the relevant plot points, since I'd take forever with an actual story. It's drama, adventure, and angst all flavored with a dash of crack, so…read with a grain of salt.

For other examples, there's Ch. 22 of And Now For Something Completely Different,by Kyrial Halcoryn, which features Mayuri Kurotsuchi, or Bleach Reloaded,by Darth Stitch, which uses Byakuya (it's rated slash, though!). Or even better, join the party and write one yourself. You know you want to. :)

-ooo-

WARNING: There be scene breaks. Lots and lots of scene breaks. And spoilers for the recent Bleach manga chapters, but that's a given.

Sajin Komamura felt his shoulders relax as the Senkaimon closed behind him. He'd successfully set foot in the Living World for the first time since his promotion to captain in the Gotei 13.

It had been a good idea, offering to take over for that 13th division officer—what was her name? Rika or Ruri, something like that. She was the adopted sister of Captain Kuchiki, that much he remembered. Ukitake had suddenly fallen ill to one of his attacks, and the Kuchiki girl had a better head on her shoulders than those two chatty Third Seats—it'd be better if she stayed back to oversee things with them.

Of course, his lieutenant had suggested other officers, and even offered to go in his place—it was too menial for a captain to just do customary Hollow patrols, after all—but Komamura had declined. Things had been too quiet lately in Soul Society—which meant most of the shinigami had more free time to focus on less important matters—like him.

One of Soul Society's greatest secrets was Captain Komamura's appearance beneath his mask. During the past few weeks, he'd had to dodge increasingly creative pranks aimed at his helmet. That wasn't unusual—countless shinigami had tried to unmask him during his tenure in the Gotei 13, without luck—but the sheer quantity was starting to wear on him.

He wasn't petty enough to report them, seeing it as harmless fun—and logically speaking, trying to sneak up on a captain was good training for the rookies. The more stubborn ones backed off as soon as he spiked his reiatsu, or got rebuffed by shinigami in his own division—but Komamura's patience was wearing thin. Just yesterday he'd overheard some drunk officers in the Eleventh making bets on who would be first to challenge him in battle and knock off his helmet.

So when Komamura saw Rukia Kuchiki frantically running off to fetch Captain Unohana, hours before she was scheduled to enter the Senkaimon, it was only natural that he'd offer to pick up her slack. Of course the girl had refused, but Komamura's mixture of polite stubbornness and sheer force of will finally cemented matters in his favor. He'd even manage to work in an official clearance.

Breathing in the scent of dew-covered grass and sleeping flowers, Komamura took his first steps in a park in Karakura Town at 2:00AM.

xxx

Ichigo's day had started out pretty normal—avoid Isshin's flying kick, go to school, greet the ghost girl haunting the street corner, beat up the thugs that kicked over her flowers, etc.—but now things were downright weird. He was just sitting on his bed when a giant dressed in flowing robes and freakin' metal armor phased through his wall and started clanking around his room.

Had the intruder been smaller, Ichigo would have kicked them and demanded an explanation, but seeing as how the guy's head was still scraping the ceiling when he was bending over…

"Uh…can I help you with something?"

The helmet dude ignored him. Ichigo ran an exasperated hand through his hair, stood on his bed, and reached up to tap the guy on the shoulder.

"Hey."

One second later, he was on his back with a very real-looking sword pressing against his throat.

"Whoa there! I just wanted to talk!"

Peering up, Ichigo thought he could make out a glint of amber irises in the slit of the helmet and grimaced. 'What the heck's up with this guy? He's definitely not human…'

"…just a boy," the intruder muttered in a low growl. "But still…you can see me?"

Ichigo scowled. "Yeah. What of it?"

"Most unusual…what is your name?"

His scowl deepened. "Mind getting your sword off me first?"

The giant complied, and Ichigo sat up, cricking his neck. "Thanks."

"Your name?"

"Ichigo Kurosaki. And you?"

"Seventh Division Captain Sajin Komamura."

"What the heck's that supposed to mean?"

"You can see me, yet you do not know of Soul Society?"

"That some new cosplay club or something?"

"No. We are…" Komamura paused to find the right words, "…an organization. Created by shinigami, dedicated to upholding the balance between the dead and living worlds."

"What."

"I said, Soul Society is—"

"I heard you the first time," Ichigo cut in. "But I don't believe it. It sounds like some kid's story."

Komamura bristled. "You say this even though you can see me?"

Ichigo shifted uncomfortably. "It's not like it's anything special. I mean, you're probably a ghost or something, right?" 'Not that I've ever seen one nine feet tall, but still…'

"I am a shinigami, young Kurosaki," Komamura intoned. "And that—"

He stopped as the door to Ichigo's room banged open, revealing an all-too-cheerful Isshin.

"What's that, son? You called for me?"

Ichigo grimaced, remembering how they'd fought at dinner because he came home after curfew. "Old man, can't you see I'm talking to someone else?"

"Hmm?" Isshin took one look around Ichigo's room, completely missing the giant figure that had frozen in shock, before turning back to his son. "What do you mean? There's no one here."

"He's right next to me!" Ichigo insisted, pointing at Komamura.

Isshin just put on a goofy grin. "Right, son. I believe you." And then proceeded to bellow to the entire house. "MASAKI! OUR BELOVED SON IS IGNORING ME IN FAVOR OF HIS IMAGINARY FRIENDS! BUT IT'S ALL RIGHT! AS HIS FATHER, I WILL SUPPORT—oof!"

The door slammed in his face and Isshin hobbled tearfully down the hall, crying for Yuzu to help her precious daddy fix his nose. Ichigo sighed and turned to Komamura. "Yeah, my dad can't see you, so you're pretty much a confirmed ghost."

Komamura, on the other hand, was distracted by a prickling sense of recognition. "Who is your father?"

"Isshin Kurosaki. He's a doctor. Why?"

"He seems familiar." Behind his helmet, Komamura frowned. 'The surname is wrong, but Isshin…yes, the Gotei 13 had a captain by that name, twenty years ago. But that's impossible, isn't it? This man is alive, and he can't even see spirits…it must be a coincidence.'

And then there was a crash, and Komamura finally sensed the Hollow he'd been tracking for half the day outside Ichigo's window.

xxx

Ichigo cursed as he worked his way from under the rubble. The monstrous whatever-it-was had taken a chunk of the building with him to fight back against his armored captain buddy, catching Ichigo in the chaos.

'At least Yuzu's outta his grip,' he thought distractedly, glancing back at the bodies of his sisters and father sprawled unconscious on the ground. 'Dang it…'

There was a sickening crunch as the monster slammed Komamura against a wall, shattering his helmet. Ichigo blinked as Komamura snarled and bit down on the creature with his fangs—

'Holy crap, he's…furry?!'

xxx

"Wait." Ichigo held up a hand.

"We don't have all day!" Komamura growled, a bloody paw gripping the hilt of his zanpakuto.

"I just want to make sure—I'm not gonna grow a tail or anything, right?"

"Boy, that's the least of your worries now!"

"All right, then. As long as we're—urrgk!"

xxx

In the aftermath of the Hollow attack, a weakened Komamura in wolf form surveyed the rubble as he checked on his charge.

'You did well, young Kurosaki,' he thought. 'But to have taken all of my powers…'

What was he supposed to do now?

Then, footsteps. Komamura tensed as a figure emerged from the shadows, dressed in a striped robe and hat and holding a cane in one hand.

"Captain Komamura now, is it? Pleased to make your acquaintance. I don't believe we've ever talked face-to-face!"

"You are…?"

"Just a humble shopkeeper! But I may have something of use for you!"

And he held up a dog biscuit. Komamura snarled and charged, only to have a black cat beat him to the punch and riddle the man's faces with scratches.

"Idiot! Now's not the time for jokes!"

"I wasn't joking! If he's going to use that gigai, the humans will probably treat him like—"

"You can give me a gigai?" Komamura piped up.

"Ah, yes." The man instantly composed himself as the cat scurried to wrap around his shoulders. "Would you be interested in accompanying me to my shop, captain?"

-ooo-

The next day, Ichigo woke up and went downstairs as usual, wondering if everything last night had been a nightmare. Then he saw the missing chunks of wall in their kitchen and the construction crews outside the front door and started to reconsider.

His father, cheerful as always despite being swathed in bandages, announced that a truck had crashed into their house last night. Not seeing any proof otherwise, Ichigo accepted the explanation and went to school. Classes were uneventful, and Ichigo had accepted his nightmare theory until he stepped outside the school gates.

There was a commotion with a group of students surrounding something by the door. Ichigo was about to walk by, when they all gave a cry and walked towards him. Or, more specifically, they all followed the creature that made its way to Ichigo's side and tugged on his pants with a set of nice sharp teeth. Slowly, Ichigo looked down to see a large brown dog staring at him with bright yellow eyes.

"Uh…"

"Kurosaki-kun, your dog's so cute! He came to pick you up!" a girl squealed.

"I don't have a dog," Ichigo replied.

"Huh? But the name tag…"

'Name tag?' Frowning, Ichigo looked closer, and noticed a sign hanging around the dog's neck:

Ichigo Kurosaki:

We Need To Talk.

-Komamura

His expression instantly darkened. 'No. Freaking. Way.'

xxx

"…why are you a dog?"

"Would you rather have a nine-foot-tall giant following you around?"

"Crap, so last night wasn't a dream…"

"…."

"No way am I taking your job."

"You took my powers. With that comes great responsibility."

"The heck—"

"Also, that little boy just got eaten because of you."

"WHAT?!"

"Now go purify the Hollow so his soul can rest in peace."

"How do I even fight like this?!"

"Give me your hand."

"Eh?"

CHOMP.

The next second, Ichigo was standing in shinigami uniform, gaping at his lifeless body.

"Good boy. Go hunt that monster down."

xxx

"Ichi-nii! You're ba—what the—is that a dog?" Karin's voice rose as Ichigo stepped across the threshold.

"Yeah—wait, what?" Ichigo spun around to see Komamura calmly sitting on the entrance mat. 'What the—I swear I lost him two blocks ago!'

"Nii-san brought a doggy?" Yuzu's voice called out from the kitchen, before she appeared before the trio.

"It's not what you think," Ichigo explained hastily. "He just followed me home—"

"So cute!" Yuzu squealed, handing Ichigo her spatula and running to Komamura's side. "Does he have a name?"

"Let's make one up!" Karin suggested, joining her sister.

"Hey wait, don't go just petting strange animals—"

"What about 'Sergei'? It has a noble ring to it."

"What? No, that's not tough enough! You should call him something cooler, like 'Fangs' or 'Reaper'!"

"That's terrible! I don't want our dog to be a violent killer!"

"Who says we're keeping him?!" Ichigo burst out, earning the ire of both his sisters.

"But…he followed you home." Yuzu said, as if this explained everything, while Karin snorted and told Ichigo he was supposed to "take responsibility" for these kind of things. And then Isshin arrived, and the sisters turned their pleading eyes on him.

"Can we keep him, daddy?"

"I promise I'll walk him everyday!"

"And I'll feed him! And brush his hair, and give him baths!"

Isshin took one look at his daughters' faces and beamed. "OH! MY BELOVED MASAKI! OUR CHILDREN HAVE FOUND THE SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY IN RESCUING A SCRUFFY STREET DOG! AS A DOTING AND LOVING FATHER, OF COURSE I WILL LET THE POOR MONGREL STAY!"

"Sweet!"

"Yay! I love you, daddy!"

xxx

"Why does he have to sleep in my room?"

"My son, being the eldest means responsibilities! You must look after those younger than you, including this dog!"

'Komamura's got to be 10 times older than I am!' Ichigo fumed."Look, why can't we just keep him in the kitchen?"

His father fixed him with a flat stare. "Because the new walls won't come in until tomorrow. Now suck it up and take it like a man!"

xxx

"So…are all shinigami like you?"

"No. The rest of them are human."

"Oh. So then, uh…"

"I am a werewolf."

"Oh. I see—huh? Did you say werewolf?"

"Yes."

"Those things are real?!"

"I would rather you don't refer to me as a 'thing', young Kurosaki."

"Eh? Oh, right, sorry."

"…."

"…so are there any vampires in Soul Society?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

"That's a relief."

"Soul Society is for the dead. Vampires can't enter because they're immortal."

"Oh." Pause. "Wait, so you're saying that vampires exist?!"

-ooo-

After making sure that Orihime and Tatsuki were all right, Ichigo started walking towards his house, Komamura trotting at his heels. The boy was unusually subdued tonight.

"I thought Hollows were all just monsters."

"They are."

"But that one was Inoue's brother!"

"No, Kurosaki. Not until the end."

"What do you mean? We saw his face behind the mask!"

"When we give into our despair, hate, and anger, we give up our humanity. Can a creature ruled by mere instinct and desires be considered truly 'human', Kurosaki?"

"…."

"Do not worry. Sora Inoue's soul has been purified. He will find peace in the afterlife."

"That place…Soul Society, right?" Ichigo's eyes lowered. "What's it like over there, anyways?"

"It is…"

Komamura briefly closed his eyes, remembering the ravages of the Rukongai, his struggles for acceptance amongst the humans, enduring ridicule and prejudice from his peers. His long, painful journey to be a shinigami, before acceptance in the eyes of the Captain Commander.

"It is not perfect," Komamura said quietly. "Yet for many souls, it is enough. You are never hungry, or thirsty. But you must learn to survive nonetheless."

"Huh. I thought heaven was better than that."

"Soul Society is not heaven. It is more like a waiting room where souls gather before passing on to their next reincarnation."

"Che. Even the shinigami?"

"Yes. We may have lived for hundreds or thousands of years. We may have powers beyond that of humans. But in the end, we are not gods." Komamura said. "And one day, we too will die to join the cycle of rebirth."

Ichigo frowned. "You make it sound downright depressing."

"Shinigami are soldiers. Our lives are seldom easy." Komamura said, and thought of the Gotei 13's long and bloody history, its fights for dominance and its current captains. An eclectic mix of characters, each with personal shortcomings, some more pronounced than others. His eyes narrowed as his voice took on a growl.

"Remember this, Kurosaki Ichigo."

There were two things that stood out in Komamura's memories. One was the stench of blood on Kenpachi Zaraki's robes before he killed the previous captain of the 11th. The other was the maniacal glee in Mayrui Kurotsuchi's eyes when he approached Komamura to ask for "just a sample of blood, for some standard observations".

"There are shinigami and there are Hollows. Both can be monsters, with or without a mask."

-ooo-

"I brought a cockatiel," Chad said during lunch. Keigo sputtered, looking between the bird in the cage and the dog lying by Ichigo's side.

"When did our school roof turn into a zoo?" he muttered to Mizuiro.

"Oh, it's been that way for a while now," Mizuiro replied, tapping on his phone. "Ever since you tried to date Kunieda-san and she called you an unrefined monkey."

Amidst Keigo's sputters, the cockatiel spoke. "Hello, mister!" it chirruped, cocking a head in Ichigo's direction.

"It can talk?!" Keigo said.

"Yes," Chad replied. "It—"

"—that's hardly anything special."

Silence. Ichigo choked on his juice box as all eyes turned to the dog by his side. It was Keigo who spoke first.

"OH MY GOD! THE DOG TALKED! DID YOU HEAR THAT, GUYS? IT TALKED! IS IT POSSESSED OR—"

Flash!

Keigo blinked, rubbing his eyes. "Huh, what was I saying again? I thought—"

FLASHFLASHFLASH!

One round of blinding flashes later, all of Ichigo's friends were staring at each other in confusion, while the orange-haired boy was eyeing daggers at his companion. Komamura gave Ichigo an innocent look as he hid the memory modifier beneath his paws and went to sleep. Ichigo suppressed a growl and turned away.

"So Chad, what were you saying about that bird?"

-ooo-

"We need to find better places to hide my body." Ichigo said after sneaking out of an ambulance for the third time that month. "This is getting ridiculous. People keep thinking I'm dead because you can't drag me into alleyways fast enough."

"Actually, I have a better idea," Komamura replied.

xxx

"That was a terrible idea!" Ichigo shouted at the hapless lion plushie. "What were you thinking, trying to grope my friends?!"

"I wasn't hurting anyone!" Kon whined, flailing his arms. "And anyways—oomph!" He scrabbled madly under the weight of Komamura's paw. "Ow! Lemme go, you vile beast!"

"Please, young Kurosaki, allow me."

"What d'ya think you're doin—AHH! Not the face! Stop licking my face!" Kon squirmed wildly before Komamura promptly bit him on the head.

"Silence, mod soul. You will behave."

"That HURTS! You monster! I—rgghmerresash!"

Ichigo watched on with horrified fascination as Komamura calmly chewed Kon out. Literally.

"You may want to ask your sister to wash my new chew toy after this."

"Right…"

"Like heck I'm your toy! I—"

"Say any more, and I'll bite off your legs."

"…yes, Monster-sama…"

CHOMP.

"WAAHHHH! I meant Komamura-sama!"

-ooo-

As the girl—Ichigo's classmate, Tatsuki—walked away, Komamura padded to the boy's side and laid a furry head in his lap, gazing at the riverbank.

"You did well, young Kurosaki."

A few minutes passed before Ichigo spoke.

"…she was my mother."

"Then she would have been proud."

No reply. Moments later, something wet splashed against Komamura's nose and he frowned, wondering if it was raining—

—but then he felt the subtle shaking of the boy's shoulders and stayed still when a pair of arms wrapped around him in silence.

xxx

The same night, Komamura waited for Ichigo to fall asleep before trotting to Isshin Kurosaki's door. He pushed it open with his nose and walked in without fanfare, a serious glint in his eyes.

"Eh? Ah, Sergei-kun!" the eldest Kurosaki grinned and reached down to scratch his ears. "You're up late tonight! Hungry, boy?"

"You can drop the act, Isshin Shiba."

The fingers scratching his fur froze in surprise. Komamura leaped onto the doctor's desk so that they were see eye-to-eye, and poked his snout in the man's face.

"Twenty years ago, a Soul Society captain left for patrol in the human world and never came back. Nineteen years and three months ago, Isshin Kurosaki opened the doors to the Kurosaki Clinic for the first time."

Silence.

"My name is Sajin Komamura, captain of the 7th division."

"…does Ichigo know?"

"I have told him nothing. And I will keep my silence, if you give me a good enough reason."

xxx

"You're an honorable man, Captain Komamura."

"And you're a foolish one. Faking your death over a human girl?"

"We were in love!"

"You decided that in one night after meeting her?"

"Auuugh! Don't insult the woman who bore my children!"

xxx

"You're not going to report this to Soul Society?"

"Does anyone else know?"

Pause. "No. No one that shouldn't, at any rate."

"I see. Then I won't."

"Huh. Central 46 won't like that."

"I'm off-duty. You can tell your son to report you, since he's my temporary replacement."

"…Next time I get the chance, I'm treating you out for drinks."

xxx

"You know, with all this shinigami business going on, I should probably tell you more about that friend of mine."

"Which one?"

"Ryuken."

"The Quincy?"

"Yeah. See, he has a son…"

-ooo-

"I believe, young Kurosaki, it is time I teach you how to use your zanpakuto."

"Huh? But I thought we already went over that. Hack and slash, right?"

"Kurosaki, zanpakutos are more than just swords."

"I'm not following…"

"Tell me, have you ever heard voices speaking in your head?"

xxx

'Che, all right, let's try this.' Ichigo closed his eyes and concentrated hard.

'Heeeellloo? Anyone there?'

'…..'

'Yeah, I thought so. This is completely—'

'So you have finally begun to speak to me, Ichigo.'

'…'

'…holy crap.'

-ooo-

"This," Ishida smirked as he held up the round white biscuit. "Is Hollow bait. It's filled with compressed reiatsu collected from humans. If I crush it—"

CHOMP.

While a hapless Quincy tried to shake a large furry dog off his leg, Ichigo kicked his arm and Kon expertly caught the bait that dropped from his numb fingers with his paws.

"You—it—what do you think you're doing?" Ishida hissed with a glare.

"Idiot," Ichigo growled, as Kon crept carefully onto his back. "If you want to settle a score, don't drag in innocent people. We can play your stupid game outside Karakura Town."

Ishida sneered. "Afraid you won't be able to beat me, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo snorted. "Hardly. But let me tell you one thing—" His eyes narrowed. "I've got a dad and two sisters living in this town, and while my old man's an idiot—I won't forgive you if my sisters get hurt, pride of the Quincy be damned."

"Bravo!" Kon suddenly cried, bursting into applause. "Now that's what I call a speech!" Unfortunately, he was still holding the Hollow bait.

Crumble.

Its remnants settled as a fine white powder on Ichigo's shoulder before holes started ripping out of the skies around them. Kon looked suitably abashed.

"Uh…oops?"

Ichigo gave Kon a death glare before turning back to his classmate.

"My threat still stands, Ishida."

The Quincy just readied his bow. "If you're strong enough, they won't get hurt, Kurosaki." And then he let an arrow fly, shattering the mask of a Hollow behind his classmate, at the same time Komamura spat out a kido spell towards another targeting Ishida and Ichigo swallowed the pill to exit his human body.

xxx

"Sergei-kun?" Orihime blinked in wonder as the large brown dog stood up after she'd healed his wounds.

"What did you do?"

Orihime didn't even blink when he spoke. "I don't know. The words just came to me and…well, things started glowing!"

'Another human developed powers…' Komamura mused, before rushing to cushion the girl as she tottered and fell over in a dead faint.

-ooo-

"The one who took your sensei was most likely Mayuri Kurotsuchi, captain of the 12th."

Ishida opened and closed his mouth like a fish as he stared at Komamura.

"When I return to Soul Society, I will file an official report to look into the matter. At the very least, I can try to recover his body."

"What…you…why…"

"Not all shinigami are the same, idiot," Ichigo scoffed, bopping Ishida on the head. "It's stupid to lump them all in one category."

Ishida bristled. "But that's what they did when they killed all the Quincy!"

"So what, you're gonna be just like them now? I thought you were smart, but you're just a bookworm, huh?"

Ishida glared at Ichigo and stormed away, but not before Komamura caught the considering gaze thrown in his direction. He chalked it up as a win.

-ooo-

"Once you learn your zanpakuto's name, a bond will be formed between it and you."

"Isn't this your sword, though?"

"Yes, but you're channeling your spiritual power through it." Komamura rubbed his nose. "A very significant level too, may I add. Since it's your power, it comes from your soul—logically speaking, you should be more than capable of gaining your own zanpakuto spirit."

"That's great and all, but why do I need one? I'm only doing this temporarily, right? I won't use any of this once you get your powers back."

"Think of it as a guarantee. When I'm not around, you'll be able to protect yourself and those you care about."

"Che. Planning to leave already?"

"Not yet. Now, try the meditation exercise I taught you last week."

xxx

'So, uh…what's your name, zanpakuto spirit?'

'I've told you before.'

'Yeah, but I didn't hear anything!'

'Then perhaps you are not ready.'

'Well, how do I get ready? Komamura's not gonna stop bothering me 'til I get this down!'

'…that is not my concern.'

'A little help for the other half of your soul would be appreciated!'

'…'

'Uh…please?'

'...like quicksilver/the eternal blade that hangs in the heavens…'

'Poetry? Seriously?!'

'I who look upon all/who hides from all/unseeing and all-seeing/un-seen yet seen…'

'Aw, come on!'

'You said you wanted my help.'

-ooo-

"Komamura!" Ichigo shouted, catching up to the trio in the moonlight. "Wait! Where are you going?"

The brown dog paused in his steps, shooting a glance at his escorts. "A moment, if you please, Tousen?"

Tousen remained standing with his back turned, but indicated to Shuuhei to sheathe his zanpakuto before speaking. "I will give you that."

"Thank you, my friend." Komamura bowed his head.

"Hey! What's going—" Ichigo gasped as the dog barreled into him with a flying tackle, knocking him harshly to the ground. Komamura stood on his chest, fangs bared and amber eyes glowing in the dark.

"Why are you here, boy? I told you to stay behind!"

"You left without explaining anything!"

"I wrote a note!"

"It was in ancient Japanese! I couldn't read a word!"

Komamura paused at that, before growling. "You shouldn't have come."

"Just tell me what's going on!"

"You don't need to know."

"Like hell—"

"Are you the one that stole Captain Komamura's powers?" a new voice cut in.

Komamura swiveled to look behind him. "Tousen…"

"Time is pressing, Komamura. I cannot keep Soul Society waiting if justice is to be served." Tousen took a few steps forward, unseeing eyes focused in Ichigo's direction. "Well, human?"

"He lent them to me. Temporarily," Ichigo said suspiciously. "For an emergency."

"And he broke the law while he did it," Tousen continued. "For that, we must bring him back to stand trial for his crimes."

"He was trying to save lives!" Ichigo insisted, struggling to get up under Komamura's weight. "How's that a crime?!"

"If everyone had excuses to break the laws, then there would be no point to their existence," Tousen challenged. "Don't you agree, Komamura?"

"That's bull—"

"Captain Tousen is correct, Kurosaki," Komamura said slowly. "Shinigami are soldiers. We must uphold the law."

"What? No!" Ichigo shouted. "We all would have died—"

"Then you all should have died that night, human," Tousen said harshly. "Instead, Captain Komamura is taking your place. Be grateful you still have your worthless life."

"Taking my—what?" Ichigo's blood chilled as he strained to see his mentor. "What does he mean, Komamura?"

Reluctantly, the dog met his eyes. "Boy…no, Ichigo."A paw reached out and fondly patted Ichigo's head. "I am glad—and proud—that we had the chance to work together. You performed your duties as worthily as any seated officer."

"Komamura—" Ichigo tried to get up, but the paw pressed firmly against his forehead, forcing him back down.

"Live your life with honor and pride. You will grow up to be a fine young man."

"I don't understand—"

"Allow me to explain," Tousen interrupted. "While Captain Komamura will stand trial, his fate has already been decided by Central 46. He will face execution for his crimes."

"Remember what I told you, Ichigo," Komamura said smoothly. "All souls will enter the cycle of rebirth one day."

"Central 46 has decreed his execution be performed via the Sokyoku. It will completely destroy his soul, making reincarnation impossible."

"Tousen!..." Komamura said sharply, but the dark-skinned shinigami remained impassive.

"You are only coddling him if you hide the facts, Komamura," his friend replied. "He will learn the truth sooner or later."

"There was no need!"

"We have wasted enough time," Tousen said by means of an explanation. "Justice must be served."

Komamura was about to argue, but felt himself flung to the side and gave a startled cry. "Ichigo, no!"

But the boy was already charging at Tousen, sword drawn and face twisted in anger—

Clang.

Tousen stood impassively as Shuuhei blocked the blow.

"Let me handle him, captain," the lieutenant said quietly.

"Very well."

xxx

"Isn't he your friend?!" Ichigo shouted hoarsely as he bled out from the ground. "Why aren't you helping him?"

"That is none of your concern," Tousen replied, "Shuuhei, your injuries?"

"I'll be fine, captain," the lieutenant replied, breathing heavily as he flicked excess blood from his blades.

"Good. Open the Senkaimon, I'll finish this."

"Don't kill him, Tousen," Komamura spoke gruffly from the side. "He's just a boy."

"I always take the path of least bloodshed, Komamura."

Ichigo snarled and forced his shaking body onto his feet, but Tousen had already raised his sword.

"Cry, Suzumushi."

He was unconscious before he even hit the ground.

A/N: Just for kicks, the full title of this story should be A Brash Outspoken Youth and His Destructive Oversoul Giant.'Cause you know, Ichigo's a hotheaded teenager and Komamura fights with the ghost of a giant samurai. Anyone who's seen Shaman King should notice some similarities. This was supposed to be a one-shot, but it ended up being too long, so I divided it into chapters instead.

Hope you like it so far! It sure was fun to write.