Unnatural selection

Chapter 1

Unnatural Selection

It's a Tuesday when his life takes a new, unsuspected turn. This time is not a tiny woman who brings the change, which is good as he doesn't appreciate much her explanations or her temper. However, it's still someone familiar as Kisuke is the one who does it. The ex-captain's got a penchant to mess with mind-shattering stuff and then include Ichigo in his planes without a by your leave. He's used to it by now. Or so he thought.

Still. Does he have to launch that weird paintball to his wall just to leave a message, again?

He glowers at the blood red paint slowly dripping on his wall but doesn't react in any other way. He simply waits for it to expand and show the message, hoping his dad is the one who sees this murder-scene-like message.

'Meet me at the store, immediately'

'PS. Your humor still sucks'

His eyebrow twitches.

"Doesn't look like a murder scene, my ass," he mutters with a defiant glare but does change from his pajamas to a more comfortable set of clothes. It's night so while he doesn't need to leave a message to his sisters that he's going to leave, he still does because he doesn't know when he will return and this month is supposed to be one to spend it with his family, not with whatever Kisuke wants him to deal with.

With a deep breath, he concentrates on the feeling of his reiatsu and jumps. He's used to the feeling of his reiatsu intimately, but it's still a bit difficult to use it while still wearing his body. In his spiritual form, it's as easy as breathing, but without it, it's... weird. Unlike his shinigami form, he feels the way his muscles ache at not doing any stretching before trying large jumps. It's not painful, just a bit uncomfortable as it is something he doesn't do often. The first times he couldn't even do a simple shunpo without breaking the floor he was standing on, but it's been almost a year since he started practicing, ever since Kisuker commented how he could do the same while wearing his gigai and rubbing it to his face. He's better now, if only so he could make the man eat his words.

He can summon his sealed sword, too, which is good but his body can't work with bankai without it hurting like hell. The human body was not meant to support that amount of spiritual pressure.

Not that it worries him; if he needs it, he can just ditch his body.

'You just jinxed it, king,' Zangetsu says with that creepy laugh of his.

"I did not," he says aloud, already close to his destination. It takes him two more jumps to reach the store. As soon as his feet touch the floor, the front door slides open. Kisuke standing is behind with his fan nowhere in sight.

"Finally arrived, I see. You're getting slower, Ichigo-kun."

Ichigo grumbles as he approaches, something along the lines of 'damned hat-wearing bastards' and 'not at your beck and call' leaving his lips. "You didn't even warn me, what I was supposed to do?"

The fan appears as the man lets him in inside the store. Its presence relaxing him. "My, my, Ichigo-kun, aren't we grumpy today? And I preparing you a gift for starting college."

He raises an eyebrow, unimpressed. "I started six months ago."

"Yes, well, you know how we old men are, always forgetting the important things."