Karakura

Just A Regular Trip to Kyoto

Chapter 2

Just A Regular Trip to Kyoto

As a Shinigami that utilized Flash Step a lot, moving via car was like a hare riding on a turtle. It was slow. He could probably just go from Karakura Village and go to Kyoto in a split second, or from Kyoto to the most Western borders of China in a second if he pushed it.

That was just using Flash Step.

If his theory was right he could also utilize Sonido, it was just a theory but if it could be used in conjunction with Flash Step, he could probably half the time he could distance using Flash Step alone.

But hey, it's just a theory, a super complicated theory.

Ichigo just sighed, by now he was just trying to waste time by just thinking about something besides the drive to Kyoto. Luckily his new teacher/host provided a distraction. "Some Yokai don't take kindly to humans, even Kannushi, so try to keep a low profile," Souichiro said.

"Alright," Ichigo replied, a bit bored. Now that he thought about it, Souichiro was a bit... Too emotionless as if he was a zombie that was disguised as a human.

"You know," Souichiro began, his eyes still on the road, "I assumed you were more polite than most people your age."

Ichigo got a tick mark and he was about to retort but instead, strange level-headedness seemed to calm him from acting on it. "Maturity comes with age and I'm still essentially 16," he retorted blinking a bit at his words. That sounded like something Zan- Juha would say.

"Wise words from you. If you don't mind me asking, how did your body mature before your soul did?" Souichiro inquired.

Ichigo went silent, trying to come up something. "I... I used a technique that consolidated my energy which increased just my physical attributes. The sudden growth spurt was just a side effect," he admitted. "Along with the recoloring and lengthening of my hair and the coloring of my eyes."

"Is your skin paling also a side effect?" Souichiro asked.

"Um..." Ichigo looked at his hands, which were paler than usual and nodded, "unfortunately."

The car slowly came to a halt. "We walk from here," Souichiro explained, turning off the car and opening the door. "The roads of the Yokai portion of the city aren't meant for cars."

"Right."

Karakura

Ichigo took in the sight of the bustling city, it wasn't a Tokyo-class city, but it was certainly bigger than Karakura. As they walked closer to their destination, he saw the big gray building slowly being replaced by the more traditional Shinto shrines, gardens, and other buildings. He took in the sights and compared it to the more militaristic Seretei.

While the city of Shinigami was more practical than display, he had to say it was close. While the Seretei always looked like it was brand new, he could see the aging of some of the buildings in Kyoto. I suppose that's the difference between making your buildings entirely out of never aging particles and making them using brick, stone, and wood. Ichigo mused. Overall, he had to give it to Kyoto.

Suddenly, he felt a feeling of deterrence but he continued to follow Soichiro.

"Remember, try to keep a low profile," Souichiro said sternly.