7 Days since Aizen's defeat

(S/N): You sure you don't want to rest some more? School can wait, you know...

(Y/N): Trust me, I'm feeling fine. Besides, I've been missing from school for a while... I need to catch up.

(S/N): Want me to help you get to school?

(Y/N): Nah, I'll be fine.

(S/N): If you say so... Make sure to come straight home after school alright?

(Y/N): What are you, my mother?

(S/N): Is this the attitude I get for being a caring little sister!? Fine, injure yourself some more, for all I care!

(Y/N): Relax, I was only teasing you. I'll come straight home after school.

(S/N) looked at Calavera.

(S/N): I'm counting on you to keep him in line.

Calavera: Roger that.

(Y/N) simply deadpanned.

(Y/N): Now that I think about it... Where's Wiz?

(S/N): Hm? Oh, she said she was going to take a look around the area. She still isn't familiar with Karakura Town.

(Y/N): I hope she doesn't get herself in any trouble...

(S/N): What do you mean?

(Y/N): She knows absolutely nothing about the World of the Living. She may accidentally break a law by accident. We did not teach her a single thing about how buying items and how currency works in the World of the Living. There's no telling if she understands what street lights mean, let alone how to cross a street.

(S/N): Psh... You worry too much. What would Wiz need to buy anyway?

(Y/N): Wiz is visiting a world she's probably never been to before. I'm sure something will catch her attention.

(S/N): I-I guess... but Wiz wouldn't be afraid of a few cars... I'm sure those massive explosions you guys throw out don't compare to a car.

(Y/N): Wiz isn't the problem. If a car hits her, the car would probably be decimated. Also jay walking would cause plenty of accidents!

...

...

...

(S/N): We've made a massive mistake...

(Y/N): *sign* I'll call Mr. Urahara and tell him to be on the lookout for Wiz...

(Timeskip)

(Y/N) got to the front gates of the school. (Y/N) walked to school by himself. Ichigo was still unconscious and he didn't tell his friends that he would be coming to school today. Now that he thought about it, (Y/N) wasn't sure if anyone involved in the Hueco Mundo rescue mission was at school either.

???: Is that you, (Y/N)?

(Y/N) turned around and saw Mizuiro.

(Y/N): Oh, Hey Mizuiro. Yeah, it's me...

Mizuiro: Boy, am I glad to see you! Are you feeling okay?

(Y/N): Yeah. I'm a bit tired but I'm starting to feel good enough to go to school.

Mizuiro: That's good to hear. But man... Last week didn't feel real at all. What happened to that guy you and Ichigo were fighting?

(Y/N): I was actually thinking of gathering everyone at lunch to explain everything. Don't worry about him though, he's taken care of.

Mizuiro: I guess that makes sense. Let's head to class.

As (Y/N) and Mizuiro walked through the hallway he heard a familiar voice.

???: (Y/N)!!!

(Y/N) recognized the voice, belonging to Keigo. Keigo came flying at (Y/N), however, (Y/N) simply caught him and rested him down gently.



(Y/N): Nice to see you too, Keigo.

Keigo: Man... I didn't think I'd see you again, (Y/N)! After the whole situation with the evil guy in the white outfit hunting us-

Keigo was cut off mid sentence by Tatsuki, who punched him in the face.

Tatsuki: Quiet down, will you? The whole world doesn't need to know what happened.

Keigo: Sorry...

Tatsuki looked over to (Y/N).

Tatsuki: Hey, (Y/N)...

(Y/N): Hey Tatsuki... Any word from Orihime?

Tatsuki: I visited her after everything was over. She said she'll return to school soon.

(Y/N): That's good to hear. Maybe I should visit the others. I haven't checked up on them since the fight ended.

Tatsuki: Speaking of... Could you explain to us what happened?

(Y/N): Lunch time would be a better time than any... Say, do you think Michiru, Kunieda, or Natsui suspects anything?

Keigo: I doubt it. Ogawa was knocked out the entire time. And I doubt Natsui or Kunieda were in the area when we were being chased.

Mizuiro: Were you planning on excluding them from the explanation?

(Y/N): Honestly, I want to but I don't think it's fair to them. And besides, they'll most likely be on the rooftop listening in on our conversation.

Keigo: How are you going to explain it to them? Unlike us, they haven't learned how to see spirits. They'll probably think you're crazy.

(Y/N): I'll think of something...

(Y/N) then saw Chizuru from down the hall.

(Y/N): Is that Chizuru? She doesn't seem to be her usual self.

Tatsuki: Chizuru seems to still be shaken up from the whole thing... I can't blame her though...

(Y/N): I'll try talking to her.

Mizuiro: You think you'll be able to get through to her?

(Y/N): Not sure, but I'll see what I can do.

Keigo: Good luck.

Tatsuki: You'll need it.

(Y/N) started to walk towards Chizuru. She seemed to be spacing out. (Y/N) tapped on Chizuru's shoulder to catch her attention. Chizuru was taken out of her thoughts.

(Y/N): Hey Chizuru. Is everything alright?

Chizuru turned around and came face to face with (Y/N). The moment Chizuru locked eyes with (Y/N), the events that transpired a week prior started to flood back in Chizuru's mind.

The explosions...

Running for her life...

That horrifying individual that looked like he came from another world...

Watching (Y/N) transform into such a terrifying being...

Those images were still fresh in Chizuru's mind. Chizuru started to panic and (Y/N) noticed immediately.

(Y/N): H-hey Chizuru...

Chizuru: I-I have to go...

Chizuru immediately ran off. (Y/N) wasn't sure if running after her would increase her anxiety and decided to opt against it. (Y/N) saw the look of Chizuru's face before she ran off.

(Y/N): Was she... afraid of me...

(Y/N) felt stupid for not thinking twice about how his appearance might've affected Chizuru. His friends gave him fair warning about Chizuru. Chizuru saw (Y/N)'s appearance change when he used Bankai against Aizen. And if his Bankai wasn't intimidating enough, she even saw him in his resurreccion form and it isn't a very welcoming look.

(Flashback)

Chizuru: W-W-What is that thing!

The "thing" in question looked towards Chizuru. Chizuru freaked out in response, throwing nearby small debris at it.

(Y/N): H-Hey stop throwing rocks at me, Chizuru.

(Flashback End)

And to put the icing on the cake, she watched him regrow an entire limb. And with how scary the situation with Aizen was, no wonder she took off the way she did.

(Y/N) thought if he just approached her like normal she would respond like normal. (Y/N) was stupid to think things would be normal. He just assumed that Keigo and Mizuiro's reaction was a signal that things were alright and of course he told Tatsuki found out prior to his journey to Hueco Mundo. But Chizuru didn't know anything. (Y/N) felt stupid and guilty for not taking Chizuru's feelings into account and now the poor girl was having a panic attack. The rest of (Y/N)'s friends saw what happened and knew what they had to do.

Keigo: We'll look for Chizuru.

Mizuiro: Just leave it to us.

(Y/N): Thanks guys...

Keigo and Mizuiro took off to find Chizuru. Tatsuki walked up to (Y/N).

Tatsuki: Don't beat yourself up over it. I'm sure Chizuru will understand soon that you didn't mean to scare her.

(Y/N): I... I hope so...

Tatsuki went on ahead to follow Keigo and Mizuiro.

(Meanwhile) Chizuru POV

Chizuru ran wherever her legs took her. She didn't know where she was going but she just wanted to get away.

Chizuru knew that (Y/N) wasn't a bad person but she couldn't help but think back on that day. It still felt like a dream but she knew it was real. She had trouble sleeping this past week. Everytime she closed her eyes, she remembered how scary those events were. And seeing her friend become some sort of... "creature" scared her.

Not only that, but she still hasn't seen Orihime since her disappearance. Were those situations linked? She felt like her entire world was being turned upside down.

She felt like a terrible friend.

"Chizuru!"

Chizuru didn't realize when she stopped running. She found herself in the courtyard of the school. When she turned around she found Keigo, Mizuiro and Tatsuki running to catch up to her.

Chizuru: Oh... What are you guys doing here?

Keigo: We... Uh... We saw what happened back there with (Y/N).

Chizuru was surprised.

Chizuru: Oh... Um...

Mizuiro: We understand why you feel the way you do...

Chizuru: You do?

Tatsuki: Yeah... Last week was... Let's just say last week is something we all wish we could forget.

Keigo: We don't blame you for being scared. We just wanted you to know (Y/N) was sorry for scaring you back there.

Chizuru: Huh? No it's not his fault or anything...

Mizuiro: I'm sure (Y/N) knows that. But you know how he is... He felt bad that he made you remember what happened.

...

...

Chizuru: How can you guys bear it?

Tatsuki: Huh?

Chizuru: After everything that happened? How come you guys are able to cope with it so calmly?

...

...

...

Tatsuki: I guess it's because (Y/N) and Ichigo always proved that they could keep us safe...

Chizuru: Huh?

Tatsuki: Stuff like what happened last week seems like they happen quite often but we aren't aware of it most of the time... According to (Y/N) at least... The fact that (Y/N) and Ichigo deal with situations like that a lot and we didn't know about it until recently proves that they both have been protecting us with everything they've got. So when (Y/N) showed up that day and said that he and Ichigo would take care of things... I couldn't help but believe him.

Chizuru stood in place in silence.

Keigo: I was scared to no end when we were running from that evil guy... But when (Y/N) showed up and caused that massive explosion and came out of it with no fear... It got me believing, you know? Like, "Man, (Y/N) lost an arm and was still confident that he'd win. That's badass!"

Mizuiro: I can't add too much to what Tatsuki and Keigo said. They pretty much spoke my mind. But if you ask me, nobody faults you for not feeling the same way as us. We had a sneaking suspicion on (Y/N) and Ichigo's actions for a while. Unfortunately for you, that was your first experience with this kind of thing.

Chizuru: So what exactly happened that day? Why did that guy attack the town?

Tatsuki: (Y/N) was willing to tell all of us at lunch. That's actually why he went to talk to you.

Mizuiro: Yeah, we only know a small bit of something much bigger.

Keigo: if you're feeling up to it, we'll be on the rooftop to talk about it.

Chizuru thought about it for a while. She wanted to get rid of these nightmares. Maybe if she knew the full story, she would finally move past things.

Chizuru: ...Alright... I'll be there.

(Timeskip) LunchTime

(Y/N) got an earful from his homeroom teacher... again. He missed a whole month of school prior to his mission in Hueco Mundo, and then proceeded to miss a week of school right after.

(Y/N) can still remember the conversation.

"You're one of the brightest students in school, (Y/N)! Yet here you are throwing away your future! Did you get wrapped up with problematic people? Is Kurosaki being a bad influence on you?"

The only thing (Y/N) could do was stay quiet. He couldn't just say, "I skipped school to save the world". His teachers would think that either he wasn't taking them seriously or he was on drugs.

Currently (Y/N) was sitting on the rooftop, waiting for his friends to get there. As he waited, he heard the door to the rooftop entrance open up. (Y/N) turned his head and was surprised to see Chizuru was the first person there.

Chizuru: Hey...

(Y/N): Hey...

Chizuru walked in and sat down next to (Y/N).

...

...

...

Both: "I'm sorry!

Both: Huh?

Both: Don't apologize!

Chizuru: You first...

(Y/N): I'm sorry, I should've thought a bit more before I approached you this morning. It was stupid of me to think you'd have gotten over what happened already...

Chizuru: No, I overreacted. I made you feel like you were the problem.

(Y/N): Let's just agree that we both made a mistake and we can move past it.

Chizuru: Right.

(Y/N) felt a weight off of his shoulder. This entire situation was eye opener for (Y/N). Keeping his secret identity as a Shinigami for as long as he did led to this. But was given a chance to fix it.

Eventually everyone made it to the rooftop and (Y/N) gave them the entire story. Of course, outside of those who actually saw what happened during the Aizen incident, the others didn't believe him.

Thankfully he had Calavera there to be proof. Seeing a stuffed rabbit walk and talk was definitely the convincing they needed.

To be continued.

When I started this story, I never thought I'd see myself writing the school students as much as I did, but this story made me appreciate them a lot more and I have fun writing them.

When I read the few chapters of Aizen chasing Ichigo's friends in Karakura Town, I immediately noticed how much of a shift Chizuru's character was in that moment and felt like I could write a chapter about it and that's how this came about.

I also realize that most bleach stories don't have a lot of the school moments so I wanted to include that.

Also my fingers hurt. I've dropped like 40+ chapters in 22 days. I might take this break earlier than I wanted too. I already have 6 more chapters already written (and none of them are for the Fullbring arc lol).

I'm close to finishing up all the slice of life stuff I wanted to write before the Fullbring arc. there's maybe about 1 or 2 more ideas I wanna write before I start the fullbringer stuff.