Sunset in Heaven

Chapter 7

"I'll be frank. I don't trust any of the captains aside from chichi, Shunsui-san and Kenpachi, and maybe you, soutaichou." Ichigo answered straightly.

The soutaichou, Genryuusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, nodded. He just asked Ichigo if the latter wanted to join any Squad or at least train in the Academy, but the latter quickly dismissed it, saying those words. "Can I at least know why?"

Ichigo broke their eye contact and chose to stay silent.

Yamamoto was a calculative man, weighing down everything up to the last milligram. As he observed, the boy wasn't really afraid of him who was obviously more dangerous and more powerful than Aizen. And he made the decision to ask. "Does it have anything to do with Aizen-taichou, the man you fear?"

Ichigo's head snapped up and their gaze locked once more before the younger male quickly averted his eyes. "There's no need to answer that. I just don't trust the Taichous, that's all." He muttered.

"Ichigo Ukitake," Ichigo was about to voice the correction about the surname but stopped himself because of the look that Yamamoto gave him. "The reason I want you to train in the Shinigami Academy is because I fear that many of us don't trust you either. You live here, in the place full of Shinigamis, despite the fact that you seem to hate being a Shinigami."

Ichigo didn't like the soutaichou's tone so he immediately interrupted. "The only reason I live here is because chichi wanted me to. If you want me out, then I'll gladly do so."

"There's also the fact that Hollows seem to be attracted to your reiatsu." Yamamoto continued, not minding the insolence at all. He was far too old to listen to infants' attempts of being in control. "I believe that training in the Academy is by far the best choice you have to not endanger those around you."

"I don't want to go to the Academy though." Ichigo answered truthfully. He hated the thought of ever studying together with other people. He hated being stared at just because he had a strange color of hair.

"I will not force you of course." Yamamoto could see the teen's discomfort at the fact that he was being forced to do something he didn't want. "I'm just curious as to how you can make use of your potential." The fukutaichou, who was up until now listening silently to the conversation, immediately looked at his captain. For the soutaichou to give such a compliment to someone, it was either that person was extremely powerful or extremely intelligent.

"I'll think about it, though I cannot promise you anything." Ichigo answered before he bowed and turned around, heading for the door, when he stopped and turned around again. Yamamoto saw the indecision in the child's eyes, the quiet embarrassment, and then the resolve. "Uh, can I call you Yama-jii too? Chichi always calls you that every time he talks of you informally."

The soutaichou felt his right eye twitch. And he thought the boy would ask something really important. "You can call me that if you become a Shinigami, akambo."

Ichigo scowled, almost pouted, at the nickname. "I'm not a baby." Yamamoto had to hold back the urge to chuckle. It seemed the boy was completely at ease in his presence, though of course the old man was constantly hiding his immense reiatsu from everyone because it would kill all those who were nearby.

In the hall, many Captains had left and only a few remained, such as Shunsui, Juushirou, the youngest captain and also the prodigy Toshirou Hitsugaya, the Captain of the 4th Squad Retsu Unohana, and Kenpachi.

"Your son's a let-down, you know." Kenpachi started. "I can't believe he's scared of Aizen of all people." Juushirou was about to defend his son's pride when Toshirou beat him into it.

"I believe we shouldn't just treat it as mere cowardice." Toshirou said in his low, cool voice. "He's not afraid of Ichimaru-taichou, or even you, Zaraki-taichou. It means that there's something more to it than mere cowardice in the face of strong reiatsu."