Affiliation: Human Realm | Rank: Substitute Soul Reaper | Zanpakuto Name: Zangetsu

Through the Grapevine

Ichigo Kurosaki laid sprawled out on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Things had been calm for over two months since he last had heard about any ongoing complications involving Aizen. Last he had heard was about Kita killing Toshiro. He grit his teeth and scrunched his face in anger at the thought of that. The thought of Kita betraying Toshiro's trust in her enraged him. Toshiro had given her his trust and protection and she payed him back with a dagger through the heart.

"Hey! Ichigo!" That came from possibly the most annoying voice in the world. The orange and cream colored stuffed lion that was Kon came sailing through the air and landed on his face.

Ichigo growled and scrunched up Kon's fluffy body in his fist, sitting up and throwing him to the ground in annoyance. "What the hell do you want Kon?"

Kon hit the floor with a muffled "urmph" an popped back up, his plush face red in anger. "Hey! No need to toss me to the floor!" He crossed his stuffed arms and turned away from him. "I was about to point out that some very interesting spiritual pressures were popping up around town, but now--Hey! Are you listening to me!?"

Ichigo wasn't. As soon as Kon said spiritual pressures, he had turned to look out his window and up at the dusty pinkish-orange sky, honing in on said reiatsus. He recognized several of them immediately.

"Kisuke! And Ukitake too!" Then his eyes widened in horror at the others. "Aizen?! Gin?! AND Nnoitora?! What the hell is going on?!" There was also another familiar reiatsu, but it was strange somehow. It felt familiar yet... different.

He hurriedly grabbed his Shinigami badge and held it to his chest. In a flash of light and a soft bam he was out of his physical body and in his soul form, clad in black with Zangetsu strapped to his back.

"Kon! Stay here till I get back!"

Then he was out the window. As he started bounding over rooftops, he felt another reiatsu. He turned to the right and saw her immediately. Yoruichi Shihoin. He flashed over to her.

"Yoruichi!"

Does it Float

Up in his room he opened the piece of paper and read.

Weight in my belly,
Trees on my back,
Nails in my ribs,
Feet I do lack.

“What the hell is it with my riddles having no feet? Are they trying to tell me something?” Ichigo sighed and looked at the riddle again.

“Nails in my ribs? Trees on my back. Weight in my belly? Feet do I lack? It has ribs. What has ribs and needs nails? A hull… A HULL! It’s a boat. The trees are the masses. The weight in the belly is the cargo!” Ichigo dashed out of his room down the stairs and headed to the bay. There he would find more boats then he knew what to do with. The sad part was which boat would it be?

He thought as he ran toward the bay. “It has to be a cargo boat. The riddle said it had weight in its belly.”

Once he there he scoped the harbor for any cargo boats. Two was all he found. “Well I guess I had better get to looking.”

He headed for the first boat that was closest to him. He combed the boat well not finding his sword. So he proceeded to the next boat. The second he stepped foot on the boat he could feel Zangetsu’s reiatsu. Quickly he headed that way.

After a few minutes, Ichigo found himself deep in the belly of the boat. Slowly he walked toward his swords reiatsu. The closer he came the stronger it became. Finally he stopped standing in front of a massive motor. From behind it was where Zangetsu was being hid.

Ichigo went to work looking for a way to reach Zangetsu. After about thirty minutes Ichigo could see a long narrow opening and within that opening he could see his sword.

He shoved his arm in the opening, “Hang on Zangetsu. I almost have you.”

His arm was fully sunk deep in the opening, his fingertips just centimeters for reaching. He stretched and groaned and stretched some more. Finally, annoyed at his failed attempts, Ichigo narrowed his and concentrated on Zangetsu.

“Come on Zangetsu. Help me out a little here. I almost have you. I just need a fraction of an inch and you and I are back together.” He thought to himself. He stretched his arm out farther fingers extended to their full length. Ichigo growled his eyes narrowing more as he called out aloud, “ZANGETSU.”

His sword then lends his direction as he grabbed the hilt and pulled Zangetsu out. He sighed in relief with a big smile across his face. He has his zanpakuto once more. Ichigo turned to leave the boat when his foot bumped his badge. He looked down as a wider smile spread across his face. Ichigo kneeled down picking it up.

"Come on, lets go home." Ichigo stood walking from the boat.

Mail Time

Ichigo paced around in his room he was irritated that his zanpakuto was stolen and now to get it back he had to solve this stupid riddle and it was not just one it was two of them he had to solve.

“The thief had better never show his face around me or I will...” Ichigo growled as he read the riddle once more.

“He has no feet, yet travels far; literate, but no scholar he; no mouth, yet he clearly speaks. If you know him, you are wise.” He read aloud in his room. “Agggg this is so annoying!” Ichigo sat to the bed and thought.

“It has no feet, but it travels far. It is no scholar, but literate. It speaks, but has no mouth, and if I know it I am wise.”

Just then, he heard his sister call out to him, “Ichigo! Will you go get the mail?”

Ichigo drug himself from the bed and walked downstairs and out the front door to get the mail. He was looking through it when it dawned on him. “It has no feet but travels far. Mail has no feet but travels far, but what about, ‘No scholar but literate and speaks but no mouth’?” Ichigo paused at the door just before he opened it. “A letter has words making it literate and speaks with no mouth. It’s a letter! It has to be a letter!”

Ichigo through open the door and marched in proud that he solved the riddle. He set the mail to the counter and turned. His sister walked over picking it up.

“Ichigo? Is this yours?”

In her hand she held a small folded piece of paper. Ichigo turned and snatched the paper out of her hand, “My second riddle!”

He dashed up the stairs to his room once more leaving his sister in the living room with a bewildered look on her face.

My Badge?!

*stomps around room looking around as I go*

"Where the hell did it go!?"

*grabs school bag and starts pulling things out*

"I had it just yesterday. This is CRAZY!"

*gets up and starts digging through drawers, looking through my desk, digging through the closet, looks under bed*

"WHERE THE HELL IS MY SUBSTITUTE SHINIGAMI BADGE?!"

My return

*walks in room exhausted, falls face fist onto bed*

It seems that bastard Aizen has Oirihime again, which means another trip to Los Noches for me. *rolls over looking at ceiling* I am sure the soul society will stay out of this one as well, but I know I can count on Renji and Rukia like I always have.

*pushes self off bed* I need food. *leaves room*