No More Secrets

The awakening sun slowly moves to the top of the sky, waking up the residents of Karakura Town. Even though it is early in the morning, the residents of this town are already wide awake and ready to go to work. Like bees, the citizens hurry out of their houses and enter their vehicles. The only thing that is heard is the slams of car doors. One of these slams wakes up a young boy from his deep slumber. He looks around his room and sees that the noise didn't come from inside of his room. He wipes his tired eyes and sighs.

"Why do the Gikushaku's always slam their car doors? It's really annoying," said the boy.

The boy looks at the window and sees the early morning shine. He puts his hand in front of his eyes to block the irritating sunlight.

"It's morning time already. I just need five more minutes," said the boy.

The boy lays his head back on his pillow and tries to go back to sleep. His attempt to go back to sleep is interrupted when his door is nearly kicked off of its hinges by his father.

"Good morning, Kuroi!" exclaimed Kuroi's father.

Kuroi practically jolts awake once he hears his father's voice.

"What's going on?" asked Kuroi surprisingly.

"It's morning time, so get up! It's always good to get a good start to your morning," said Kuroi's father.

"It's Saturday," groaned Kuroi.

"It may be the start of the weekend, but it's not an excuse to laze about. Breakfast's ready, so get up and meet me in the dining room," said Kuroi's father.

Kuroi's father closes the door and walks away from his room. Kuroi slowly gets out of bed and slowly walks towards the door.

"What's wrong with that guy? I can't get any sleep in this place," thought Kuroi.

Kuroi opens the door and walks into the hallway. He skips going into the bathroom and walks right into the kitchen. He takes a seat on a chair at the table. In front of him sits steamed rice, fried egg, and grilled fish. Before he can chow down, his father starts to look at him.

"You know that you can't just chow down without praying," said Kuroi's father.

"Sorry, dad," said Kuroi.

Kuroi puts his hands together.

"Itadakimasu," said Kuroi.

Kuroi nods and starts to eat. The only sound heard throughout the house is the smacking from Kuroi's mouth. Before he can finish eating the first dish, he hears the doorbell ring.

"Someone's at the door. Can you go and see who's ringing it?" said Kuroi's father.

"But, I was enjoying breakfast," said Kuroi.

Kuroi's father starts to glare at him and he instantly starts to walk towards the door. He reaches the door and opens it. Outside of the door is a big man with a helmet on his head. He wears a Shihakusho and holds a file in his hands.

"Good morning, Kuroi. Is Captain Aoi here?" said the big man.

"Yeah. He's in the dining room," said Kuroi.

"Can you give him this? This is the daily report from yesterday," said the big man.

The big man hands Kuroi the file.

Sure," said Kuroi.

"Thanks, kid," said the big man.

"Have a good day, Lieutenant," said Kuroi.

"You too," said the lieutenant.

Kuroi closes the door and walks towards the dining room. He walks up to his father and hands him the file.

"Sajin came here already? He usually comes here later," said Aoi.

"Why does he come here every day?" asked Kuroi.

"I work from home most of the time because I'm too busy taking care of you. He just brings whatever I missed," said Aoi.

"Why does he wear a helmet?" asked Kuroi.

"He has self-confidence issues. I try to tell him that he looks fine, but he doesn't believe me," said Aoi.

"Why is he so big?" asked Kuroi.

"His dad was really tall. He played basketball for the national Japanese team," said Aoi.

"Why does he like to be called Lieutenant?" asked Kuroi.

"His grandfather fought during World War II. Once Sajin found this out, he's been obsessed with the military ever since. You've been asking a lot of questions. Is there anything wrong?" said Aoi.

"I just wanted to know. It's just odd for someone to act this way," said Kuroi.

"Sajin was always kind of weird. He may act abnormal at times, but he's pretty cool," said Aoi.

"None of my friends act this way," said Kuroi.

"I'm way older than you, so I hang out with older people. Older people may seem weird to kids like you, but they are really cool people to hang around," said Aoi.

"I guess that I'll just take your word for it," said Kuroi.

"Cool. Now, hurry up and eat your breakfast. I have to get you to the park to play with Ichigo by ten," said Aoi.

"Ok," said Kuroi.

Kuroi walks back to the table and continues to enjoy his breakfast. Aoi grabs a newspaper and pretends to read it.

"It won't be long until he finds out. He's even smarter than I thought," thought Aoi.

Two hours pass. Kuroi and Aoi are now sitting in their car, driving down the empty street. The car turns into the park's parking lot and stops in a space. The father and son exit the car. They walk into the park and see an orange-haired boy and a black-haired man sitting on a bench. They walk up to them.

"Oh, it looks like they're here. Go and play, son. I'll go and talk to Uncle Aoi," said the black-haired man.

"Ok," said Ichigo.

Ichigo hops off the bench and walks towards Kuroi. Aoi takes a seat next to his friend.

"Hey," said the black-haired man.

"Hey," said Aoi.

"How's your summer been?" asked the black-haired man.

"It was going really well until this morning," said Aoi.

"What happened?" asked the black-haired man.

"Isshin, he's going to find out soon," said Aoi.

"He's going to find out? I thought you were good at keeping secrets," said Isshin.

"I am. He's just started noticing stuff after Yumi died. It was just a matter of time anyways. I couldn't just stay in the Soul Society 24/7 and raise him at the same time," said Aoi.

"You could have raised him in the Soul Society," said Isshin.

"If I did, he would most likely become a soul reaper. There are no good jobs other than that. Being a soul reaper is very dangerous and I don't want him to become one unless he chooses to be," said Aoi.

"I understand. Not everyone can do what you do," said Isshin.

"Once he finds out, he will most likely want to become a soul reaper. He can already see spirits," said Aoi.

"Ichigo can too. I believe that I can keep my secret hidden for longer than yours," said Isshin.

"You probably can. A ten-foot man who wears a helmet doesn't visit your house every day," said Aoi.

"You're right about that," said Isshin.

Aoi looks at his son and nephew chasing a ghost girl around the park. The two boys continue to chase her until they run into a man enjoying a slow walk through the park.

"Watch where you're going, dumb kids," said the man.

"Sorry, sir," said Kuroi.

"Whatever," said the man.

The man walks away. The spirit girl sticks out her tongue and gloats before starting to run again.

"I won't let her win," said Ichigo.

"Let's get her," said Kuroi.

Kuroi and Ichigo continue to chase after the spirit girl. The spirit girl runs out of the park and the boys follow.

"Don't go out of the-," said Aoi.

"Don't bother them. They'll probably return in a couple minutes," said Isshin.

"You allow Ichigo to do whatever he wants. He will most likely become annoyed by your leniency," said Aoi.

"I'll deal with that when the time comes. We still have things to talk about," said Isshin.

"Fine," said Aoi.

Aoi sits back down while the kids continue to chase the spirit. They run across the street and barely not get hit by a car. They continue to run until Kuroi hears a girl scream. Kuroi stops running and looks down the side street. He sees an orange-haired girl getting harassed by two boys. Ichigo notices his friend not running with him and turns around.

"What's wrong?" asked Ichigo.

"You can continue playing. I need to see what's going on down here," said Kuroi.

Kuroi runs down the street and approaches the two boys.

"What are you doing to her! Stop it!" exclaimed Kuroi.

"It looks like your knight in shining armor has arrived. Let's teach him a lesson, Ijmeru," said the bully.

"Yeah. Let's get him," said Ijmeru.

Kuroi stops running and gets in a fighting stance. Ijmeru charges at Kuroi and Kuroi kicks him in the face. The other bully charges at Kuroi and he's punched in the face. The two boys now lie on the ground.

"What's your problem, man? Why can't you just mind your own business? We weren't bothering you," said the bully.

"If you harass an innocent girl, you're bothering me. Now, leave her alone or you will face my wrath once again," said Kuroi.

"Let's get out of here. We don't have time for this," said the bully.

"Alright," said Ijmeru.

Ijmeru and the other bully stand up and run away. Kuroi walks up to the girl sitting on the sidewalk. He puts his hand out.

"Are you ok?" asked Kuroi.

The girl grabs his hand.

"I'm fine," said the girl.

Kuroi picks up the girl.

"Why were they harassing you?" asked Kuroi.

"My brother died in a car accident a few weeks ago and they've been messing with me for that reason, but I don't mind," said the girl.

"They were bullying you for that? They seem like giant jerks," said Kuroi.

"I don't think that they are," said the girl.

"It looks like she's a little naive, but she's still young," thought Kuroi.

"Where did you learn those moves from?" asked the girl.

"I go to a dojo with my friend Tatsuki. She's really good at martial arts," said Kuroi.

"Tatsuki?" asked the girl.

"Do you know her?" asked Kuroi.

"She's my friend, too," said the girl.

"I guess that this world is truly small," said Kuroi.

"Yeah. it is," said the girl.

"My name's Kuroi Hono. What's yours?" said Kuroi.

"Orihime Inoue," said Orihime.

"Hello, Orihime. It's nice to meet you. I have to go now. I have a game to win," said Kuroi.

"See you later," said Orihime.

Kuroi runs off. He turns the corner and follows the scent of his friend. He runs into an alley and sees Ichigo and the spirit girl resting on a wall. He runs up to them.

"I win," said Ichigo.

"I would've won, but I went easy on you," said the spirit.

"All I hear are excuses," said Ichigo.

"We all know that if I wasn't busy saving a girl, I would have won," said Kuroi.

"But, you didn't," said Ichigo.

"Next time, I will," said Kuroi.

"Maybe, there won't be a next time," said Aoi.

Kuroi hears his father's voice and slowly turns around.

"Dad, I thought that you were talking to Uncle Isshin," said Kuroi.

"I was, then you ran off. What did I tell you about running off without my permission?" said Aoi.

"I'm sorry," said Kuroi.

"I accept your apology, but we have to get going. I have some work that I have to go do," said Aoi.

"Fine. See you later Ichi," said Joshua.

"See you later," said Ichigo.

Twenty minutes pass. Aoi and Kuroi are now driving down a busy street on their way back home.

"I saved a girl today," said Kuroi.

"That's cool," said Aoi.

"I thought that I would get something more than just cool," said Kuroi.

"If you want to play hero, you have to want to save people without expecting any awards," said Aoi.

"Whatever," said Kuroi.

"When we get home, I want to talk to you about something important," said Aoi.

"Are you going to complain to me about random stuff again?" asked Kuroi.

"No. This is important," said Aoi.

Thirty minutes pass. The father and son pair return home, but don't enter through the front door. Aoi opens a door and reveals a mini dojo in their backyard.

"This place hasn't changed a bit. I haven't been here for years," said Kuroi.

"I've been renovating this place since Yumi died. She would've liked this," said Aoi.

"Why?" asked Kuroi.

"I knew that the day that I would have to reveal my secrets would come," said Aoi.

"Secrets? Are you a superhero or something?" asked Kuroi.

"No. I'm something better. Sit down on the mat," said Aoi.

Kuroi sits down on the mat. Aoi sits a few feet in front of him.

"My secret is I'm a soul reaper," said Aoi.

"Soul reaper? That's impossible. I know that spirits exist, but I don't believe that grim reapers exist," said Kuroi.

"I wished that this would be easy, but you leave me no choice," said Aoi.

Aoi pulls a red glove with a white skull engulfed with blue flame. He taps Kuroi's body and pulls his soul out of his body. Kuroi starts to panic.

"What's going on? Why am I out of my body? How do I actually have a soul? What is that glove?" asked Kuroi.

"This glove is the Gokon Tekkō. It's a tool that's used to pull the soul out of someone's body," said Aoi.

"Where did you get that from?" asked Kuroi.

"I got it from the Department of Research and Development. It's a pretty useful tool," said Aoi.

"Please, tell me everything," said Kuroi.

"Fine. I'll explain everything. I am way older than I look. I actually died around a thousand years ago," said Aoi.

"A thousand?" asked Kuroi.

"That's right. I'm not from this time period. I died a pretty normal death. I drowned in the river. I guess that I should have learned how to swim," said Aoi.

"Did you have a family before that happened?" asked Kuroi.

"I was still young. I was around your age back then. My father had died a few years before fighting off bandits. It was just my mother and my baby brother. We lived in a small house by the river. The night I died, it was rainy. I was looking for my baby brother who got lost in the forest. I found him and started to bring him home. I slipped on a random stone and fell into the river. My brother tried to pull me up but I let go, so he wouldn't be taken with me. I drowned a few minutes later," said Aoi.

"That just sounds sad," said Kuroi.

"It is. I returned to where I lived years later. There, I saw my mother's grave and I found my little brother dead in the house. He must have died of sickness. I never got a chance to say goodbye or have a conversation with them," said Aoi.

"That must be the reason that you don't talk about grandpa or grandma or uncle," said Kuroi.

"I would love to tell you more about them, but it's too emotional for me to talk about," said Aoi.

"I understand," said Kuroi.

"Back to the story. The next day, I woke up. I thought that I had somehow survived and ended up in a random place, so I started walking around, trying to find civilization. I wandered into the forest and enjoyed observing the wildlife. I wasn't paying attention and I nearly got eaten by a Hollow," said Aoi.

"What's a Hollow?" asked Kuroi.

"A Hollow is a monster who sucks the souls of people. It's usually a deceased soul that is overtaken by negative emotions, but sometimes it's a soul that is forced to hollowfy. This hollow was a normal weak one, but I was weaker. I cowered in fear and was preparing to die until I heard the voice of a man. I turned my head and saw the face of a middle-aged man in a shihakusho. He told me to move out of the way and I did. He pulled out his Zanpakuto and killed the hollow in one slash. I tried to thank him, but he told me to bug off," said Aoi.

"What's a Zanpakuto?" asked Kuroi.

"A Zanpakuto is a blade that soul reapers use to kill hollows. Some have names and some don't. Those that don't have names are called Asauchi. Zanpakuto aren't just blades. They are sentient beings stuck inside a blade. They can give the user special powers and abilities. I have a Zanpakuto and he is a pretty powerful one, but back to the story. I followed him back to the Seireitei to learn more about him," said Aoi.

"What's the Seireitei?" asked Kuroi.

"It's like the New York City of the Soul Society. I was unable to follow him into the Seireitei before he caught me following him. He scolded me and told me to stop following him. I just wanted to know what was going on. He informed me what the Soul Society was and I was distraught. He noticed this and allowed me to come with him. He kind of became my afterlife father and he trained me. The training was very intense, but I became very powerful. Over the years, I became very powerful. I made many friends and allies. I've slain thousands of hollows. I've also become the captain of the seventh division of the Gotei 13," said Aoi.

"What's the Gotei 13?" asked Kuroi.

"The Gotei 13 is practically the military of the Soul Society. It comprises 13 divisions led by 13 captains. The captain commander leads the entire Gotei 13. Each captain also has a lieutenant. Mine is Sajin Komamura. I'm the strongest captain, but the captain commander is stronger than me," said Aoi.

"Who's the captain commander?" asked Kuroi.

"The great Genryusai Yamamoto. He's the same guy who practically adopted me," said Aoi.

"He seems nice," said Kuroi.

"He's way more stubborn and cocky than you think," said Aoi.

Aoi stands up and puts his hand on his chest and pulls his soul out. His body falls to the ground. He grabs his Zanpakuto that has a blue cord wrap and a blue handle.

"This is Herufaia. He is my Zanpakuto and he allows me to use the blue flames to slay hollows," said Aoi.

"That's a cool-looking blade," said Kuroi.

"It is and you can have one, too," said Aoi.

"What do you mean?" asked Kuroi.

Aoi walks to a closet and opens it. He pulls out a Zanpakuto that has a red cord wrap and a black handle. He walks over to Kuroi and gives it to him.

"I took a Zanpakuto a year ago because I knew that you would learn about my past soon. I don't know its name and I don't know how powerful it is, but you can use it if you want to become a soul reaper. Do you?" said Aoi.

"Is that even a question? Of course, I do!" said Kuroi.

"If you want to become a soul reaper, I will have to train you. This job is very dangerous. You shouldn't become one to just get a cool sword," said Aoi.

"I don't want a cool sword. A cool sword would be cool to own, but I want to become a hero. I want to protect humanity from those soul-sucking Hollows," said Kuroi.

"You just learned about Hollows. Why do you want to protect humanity so suddenly?" said Aoi.

"You can say that I was inspired by my pops," said Kuroi.

Aoi smiles.

"I'm glad that I could inspire you. Now, let's get to training," said Aoi.

"Why now? I haven't even had lunch," said Kuroi.

"Hollows love to eat human's souls for lunch. Do you want to become a hero or not?" said Aoi.

"Yeah, I do," said Kuroi.