22 Aftermath (1/2)

Itsuki could be seen lying down on the ground with sweat covering his body. Next to him were his zanpakuto's in a similar situation. The confrontation allowed Itsuki to better grasp their abilities as he felt closer and more connected with them.

Noticing his zanpakuto sitting up, he also sat up, only to see his zanpakutos sitting either side of him. Byakko started speaking with Ryurai following after,

”I will be your shield”

”While, I shall be your sword”

”You should have realised the abilities you used were just the tip of the iceberg”

Suddenly, Ryurai came quite close and hugged his arm,

”We have many things to show you” teased Ryurai.

Getting no response from Itsuki slightly disappointed her. Although they were part of Itsuki's soul, they were ultimately their own entity and were capable of having their own thoughts. Byakko seemed to have a similar personality to Itsuki, a cold, apathetic one while Ryurai had a teasing one. She tried teasing Itsuki in many ways but eventually failed garnering any response for him. Itsuki thought of them as partners and sisters, not as girls of the opposite gender while they thought of him as their master.

Getting up, Itsuki saw Ryurai's expression become apathetic once again as she and Byakko changed back to their animal forms and headed off to rest.

Itsuki just stayed there for a while and started meditating, reviewing all the moves and thinking if there were better ways to combat them than what he did. After this session, Itsuki left his inner space and drifted off to sleep.

- The next morning -

Itsuki woke up to realise Rangiku was gone and everyone else in the recovery room were having their breakfast. He also saw Gin in the bed next him digging in. A nurse who was nursing him noticed his now opened eyes and quickly ran out of the room. Presumably to bring someone.

Noticing the commotion, the nearby students turned over to see Itsuki awake and the ones that could stand started making their way over to his bed. Some of them were on crutches while some had a broken arm, but they all came around to give their gratitude. One student came out of the crowd and started speaking for everyone

”On behalf of everyone, thank you, Itsuki-san, thank you for saving all of us”

Everyone bowed their heads

”Thank you!!!”

Itsuki was surprised by this commotion and didn't know how to respond. Luckily, he came back to his senses and replied with a small smile,

”I did what I had to”

All the students were suddenly dazed by his smile as the boys previous negativity in their hearts vanished.

One boy in particular came forward and said

”I'm sorry for calling you a stuck up”

He was a big lad, with an honest expression masking his face. Itsuki could see he was a simple guy with a goofy smile and a face that screamed all brawn no brain.

Itsuki forgave him as he never really cared what his classmates called him. Returning to his usual expression, his classmates never left his side. Itsuki couldn't say anything because they were expressing their goodwill to him, but he never really liked attracting attention and started to get irritated by the crowd. It seemed his cold look was not enough to drive them away as Gin started to gloat on his misfortune. Fortunately, a voice interrupted his classmates,

”Ara, ara, everyone seems very energetic”

Abruptly everyone stopped speaking as a few students started sweating.

”Why have you guys left your beds, you've not fully healed have you”

Some injured classmates started shaking as they returned to their recovery beds, allowing Itsuki to get a clear view at the one who spoke. A youthful woman came into view as she walked towards Itsuki. She had black hair braided in the front of her and carried a gentle yet kind demeanour. She wore the standard Shinigami captain uniform, using an obi instead of a sash and having her zanpakuto tied over her shoulder with a string instead of the waist. Currently she had narrowed her eyes as she addressed her patients, slowly opening them revealing her blue eyes.

Arriving next to Itsuki she started asking him in a soft yet polite voice,

”How are you feeling?”

Itsuki looked at her as she looked back. He started feeling pressure when he looked at her, not because she was a captain or the first kenpachi, but simply because of the question. Itsuki finally realised why many captains feared her, it was somehow her gentle and kind manners that let the others know that she shouldn't be taken lightly. Itsuki replied,

”Energetic”

”That's good then”

Even though she said that, she still took some extra precautions and made further checks on him. In the middle of the checks, the door to the room was opened fiercely as a shadow darted him.

”Itsuki, huff... I…huff…heard you…huff…are…huff…finally awake”