Ichigo’s palm tightened around the grip of his sword. There was almost no way the person standing in front of him, wasn’t the Magic Emperor. Yet, his instincts screamed the moment his muscles tried to relax his sword hand.

Before he could reach a conclusion, a blinding white flash erupted again. This time the screen came alive a little away from the two.

A teal haired man, with a short stature and a round face stared at the standoff between Ichigo and the self-proclaimed Magic Emperor. His face twisted from anger to confusion before settling on anger again. Yet the anger wasn’t directed towards Ichigo but the other man.

“Wizard King, what is going on?” The man narrowed his eyes at Julius who began sweating under the heavy gaze. Nonetheless, his magnanimous smile never wavered.

“As you can see, Ichigo and I are just having a talk, Marx-kun.” He gestured placatingly towards the man.

Marx deadpanned at the statement. “Ichigo is pointing his sword at you.” He remarked pointedly before turning to face Ichigo.

“Ichigo, please lower your sword. This man in front of you is indeed the Magic Emperor.” The steel in his voice made it no less authoritative than an order.

Ichigo scowled before shaking his head in annoyance, then outright snorting. He slowly lowered the sword, ignoring his screaming instincts.

Sheathing Zangetsu, he picked up his hand and pointed at Julius.

“You are an idiot. I don’t know much, but someone titled the ‘Magic Emperor’ shouldn’t be roaming about this late at night.” He chided the man, who began crying fake tears.

Ichigo then turned to face Marx with an equally annoyed yet amused face. “And you are an even bigger idiot. If I don’t know the Magic Emperor, how in the world do you expect me to know who you are!” He almost yelled.

Marx’s eyes widened in embarrassment before he quickly squinted at Ichigo angrily.

“I understand my mistake. However, please refrain from taking that kind of tone with your seniors in the future. Many won’t tolerate it.” His face seemed impassive but the bulging vein on his temple gave his anger away.

His jade eyes then turned towards Julius who was listening intently to the bickering between his two knights. He turned straight as the jade irises rounded up on him.

“I expect you in the castle within the hour, sire.” He said strongly, leaving no room for discussion.

Julius simply nodded with a jaded smile. Marx nodded to the two before the white screen vanished back into thin air.

Both Ichigo and Julius sighed at the same time. The Magic Emperor glanced at his company once, before sitting down on the round top of the huge skull they currently stood on.

Ichigo turned to look at the dark forest that surrounded them. Clouds obstructed the moonlight, dousing the forest in almost pitch blackness. Ichigo moved to sit beside Julius, legs dangling off the skull.

The question he had waited so many days to ask, rested on the tip of his tongue yet he couldn’t speak it out loud.

“So, Ichigo. What kind of magic do you use?” Julius broke the silence, turning to face him, with his eyes locked on to Zangetsu.

“I don’t know the exact term for it. But I know it’s some form of sword magic.” Ichigo replied earnestly. He hoped the Magic King wasn’t planning on copping a feel of Zangetsu’s blade, lest he find himself with charred hands.

Julius maintained a respectable distance from the swords, yet Ichigo could see the desire and excitement in his eyes.

“From what I have seen, it is very strong. The swords are beautiful by the way, Ichigo.” Julius complimented, averting his eyes to look at the dark forest.

Silence ensued once more, and Ichigo felt restless. He did not feel comfortable with Julius, try as he might.

He was about to ask him another mundane question when White’s irritated voice rang through his mind.

“Are you trying to flirt with the Magic Emperor? Get some one-on-one action since the princess isn’t around? Get to the point already for God’s sake!” He admonished Ichigo.

‘Yeah? You think it’s easy just springing the question of interdimensional travel onto somebody?’ Ichigo retorted back, silencing White.

Julius stared blankly at Ichigo who was lost in his own thoughts.

“Ichigo?” He called out softly, breaking him out of his reverie.

“Huh?” He turned confusedly. Upon looking at the face of Julius, he hastily launched into an excuse.

“I was just thinking about something. Nevermind.” He blurted out.

“It’s all fine, Ichigo. I guess I should--“. Before he could complete however, Ichigo cut him off.

“Uh, do you mind if I ask you a question?” He asked, his face becoming serious.

Julius sobered up, before nodding lightly at Ichigo.

“Have you ever travelled out of this dimension?” Ichigo muttered slightly above the normal tone.

Julius’s eyes slightly widened at the mention. Nevertheless, he quickly caught himself before turning to stare at Ichigo with a wondering look.

“Hmm...” His eyes glazed to the dark forest. “Not really, Ichigo. There have been many adventures I had to undertake as the Magic Emperor, a captain, and a Magic knight, but I have never, ever, come across someone who has travelled to or from another dimension.

Why this question lies on your mind, is now what I’m really curious about.” The Wizard King noted focusing back on Ichigo.

Ichigo, on the other hand, nodded glibly. His mind was overwhelmed yet he somehow retained a sense of semblance.

He released a puff of air, he wasn’t aware he was holding. “I understand. I was just curious about the topic. Since, I don’t remember how to go back home I’ve read up on a lot of different things.”

“You’d have to read far to get to the topic of interdimensional travel. Nevertheless, do you believe yourself to be from another dimension then?” The Wizard King gazed questioningly at Ichigo.

A cold sensation rang through his spine as his eyes met Julius. “No, not at all.” He blurted out on instinct.

‘What was that?’ He wondered. He was fully prepared to give Julius an open-ended answer, yet his subconscious did not let him.

Julius’s stare lasted for a moment longer upon Ichigo before he turned back towards the forest shrouded in twilight.

“I understand why you would have wanted to ask me that question, Ichigo. Though, I can assure you that there are other people in this world who have adventured more than I could ever hope to in my lifetime.

For incidence, Yami, your captain, is from another continent. A continent I have visited scarcely.” Julius smiled at his mention of Yami.

“I figured that. I had heard people calling him a foreigner with just the amount of disdain they called me one.” Ichigo replied. “I just didn’t think it an appropriate question given his temperament.”

Julius chuckled loudly. “Yeah, I guess you’re right, Ichigo.”

A wandering breeze chanced upon the two, billowing against their backs. With a sigh, Julius got up from his seat.

“It seems to be getting late, Ichigo. It was wonderful to talk to you.” Julius smiled.

Ichigo too, got up in response. He nodded back firmly.

“Then, I shall see you soon.” Julius then, vanished back into thin air. Ichigo could see the silhouette of the Wizard King moving at high speeds, but he chose not to follow him.

“It is getting late.” Ichigo muttered to himself before flash-stepping away.

Ichigo arrived back in Castle city within a few moments. His mind all through the way was centred on his conversation with the Wizard King. Neither the Old Man nor White had chosen to comment on it either.

With his imagination running wild, Ichigo had come to one glaring conclusion. He’d have to spend a significant amount of time in this world. Maybe even the rest of his nigh immortal life.

He involuntarily shivered at that, his feet lightly touching the stone path of the city.

He shook himself before looking around. He recognized the street as the way towards the alley that had visited in the morning. His brain soon remembered the fact that he was here to buy clothing.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

He rolled his eyes in annoyance. It was supposed to be a rest day, yet it was anything but.

He quickly walked around trying to find a clothes’ shop. Around the corner, he found a lavish one.

Not minding splurging a bit, he went in. The shop was studded with white marble and gold-plated pillars. Every bit of the structure was smudge free and clean.

Arrays of clothes surrounded him, many glittery ones on display. Ichigo quickly realized that he was currently in the lady’s section.

He hastily made his way to the men’s section. The area was much less glittery but still maintained the same ambience as the lady’s section.

Ichigo looked around the shop, before his eyes were finally caught by a few orange and blue t-shirts in the corner. To go with them, Ichigo found a pair of dark pants.

He took his clothes to the counter. A young woman smiled at him before she began folding the clothes into thin paper bags.

Ichigo stood awkwardly at the counter before the girl handed him his bags. “Thanks.” He muttered back, quickly paying the due and exiting the store. The jingle tone of the saleswoman, “Please come back again” rang at the back of his ear.

Taking a deep breath, he once more began looking around. He hadn’t seen Noelle, Asta and Vanessa for a while now. With his shopping endeavour complete, he walked around trying to find his teammates.

The shopping had taken him barely a good 30 minutes and yet, he found that the bustling streets of Castle City were now much freer. He finally spotted the trio huddled at an open food stall.

Asta and Noelle were munching on some skewers while Vanessa had a chunk of meat in her hand. Ichigo snorted as his mind immediately imagined a fat Vanessa.

He quickly made his way towards the stall. He saw three guys, hard at work inside it. One of them turned to look at him, expecting an order.

Ichigo gestured to the skewer in Asta’s hand, and the man nodded back.

Noelle was the first to spot Ichigo standing behind Asta. She stopped eating, looking at Ichigo for a moment, before turning around and facing the other way.

The other two stared at Noelle in wonder. Before they could turn, Ichigo cleared his throat, surprising the two.

“O Ifgo!” Asta mumbled with food in his mouth. Ichigo eyerolled. “Chew first, you idiot.” Ichigo glared at the blithering fool.

Asta simply gave him a big smile before furiously chewing.

Vanessa kept looking back and forth between his bags before she turned to look at Ichigo with an upset face.

“I thought we were going shopping together.” Her tone was light, as if sad but Ichigo paid no mind to it.

“What are you even saying? I was left alone while you were out doing, I don’t know what. So, I went shopping on my own!” He deadpanned at her.

“Fine, fine. No need to get grumpy.” Vanessa placated him. “Here, have a skewer.” She snatched one in Asta’s hand and offered it to him.

“I don’t want it. I already ordered another.” He shook his head in annoyance at her antics.

Noelle soon turned back to face him, and Ichigo found that she had finished eating. She refused to look at him, before wiping her face clean.

“So, where were you anyway?” She asked finally. Ichigo gave her a questioning look. “Did you not hear what I just-”

“No, I heard you.” Noelle replied. “You couldn’t have been simply shopping for so long. I know men who are a snob for clothes, and they don’t shop for nearly as long as you claim to.” She squinted at Ichigo.

Ichigo on the other hand, was surprised. He did not think Noelle would have such a keen track of his activities.

“I was… roaming around for a bit.” He quickly made up. His eyes never landed on the stern face of Noelle.

‘He’s hiding something.’ Noelle quickly deduced at the sight of a shifty Ichigo.

Noelle decided to leave the topic for now. She nodded before turning to look away.

Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief. He did not want to tell the trio about his trip back to Hage Village. Nor about anything related to Sister Lily’s abduction to Asta. Though he figured, the priest would tell Asta sooner than later. Or maybe, Yuno would.

The group ate in relative silence with sprinklings of loud bickering from Asta. Ichigo quickly paid for his food, and the group left Castle city.

Ichigo sat on his bed. He was currently wearing his newly bought clothes after taking a much-needed shower. His hair was still slick from moisture, and slightly dripping down his neck.

He stared at his swords that lay across his hands.

‘It seems we aren’t going back home any time soon.’ He wondered solemnly. The two spirts hadn’t spoken on the matter since their conversation with the Wizard King.

The thought resounded around in Ichigo’s head for a brief moment before the Old Man finally replied.

‘That conclusion may be correct, Ichigo.’ He said in a sombre voice. A light growl from White registered as well.

‘What do we do now?’ Ichigo asked back.

‘We continue living.’ The Old Man replied sternly. ‘For to look back,’

‘Is to die.’ Ichigo finished the Old Man’s iconic saying. ‘I understand.’ Ichigo receded from his mind, laying the swords upright against his bed. He laid down on the soft mattress, his eyes meeting the beige ceiling of his room.

A sigh of relief escaped his lips involuntarily. He couldn’t help but admit that his shoulders no longer felt stiff. Stiff from all the weight and expectations of his world. The realization soon dawned on him, and a sense of guilt locked his throat.

With heavy breaths, he soon realized that even his subconscious had now accepted that he wasn’t going back any time soon. A sombre smile made its way on to his face.

‘It may be a thousand years in the future, but I’ll come back.’ A silent vow passed his lips in murmur. The steel in his eyes soon drowned out as the exhaustion of the day took over. He fell asleep moments later.

The next few days passed by quickly for Ichigo. He found himself entranced in the chores assigned to him by Captain Yami or Magna. He no longer thought twice about washing the squads clothes every other day or scrubbing the castle squeaky clean. If he was to live in the ruin of a house, he’d at least maintain a hygienic surrounding.

It was still early morning. The sun was yet to rise and the horizon a dusty shade of orange. Ichigo stared at the sky, a broom in his palm. An apron was tied around his waist and a handkerchief around his hair.

He could hear the birds chirp nearby. The trees swayed along the morning breeze. With a short smile, he began sweeping the manor’s surroundings.

He turned to pick up the dustpan but fell short as a loud slush resounded through the forest.

Ichigo whipped around and his eyes naturally gravitated towards the huge ball of water floating hundreds of feet above in the air. Trapped in its centre was Noelle, struggling to breathe.

The broom dropped from his palm. Waves of energy coursed from the spell of water, billowing against Ichigo. He quickly unwrapped the apron and handkerchief and was about to go help when he heard the shuffling noise of several footsteps.

He turned to see the ensemble of the entire Black Bulls Squad walking in with Asta staring wide eyed at the giant ball of water floating mid-air.

“What the!” Magna remarked in surprise. He was shocked by the amount of power radiating from Noelle.

Luck’s smile widened. “That girl’s pretty strong. Wish I could fight her.” He punched the air in excitement.

Vanessa chose not to comment, looking torn between helping her new teammate and taking a sip from the wine bottle in her hand.

The giant simply whiffed another air of smoke while Gordon’s whisper never reached Ichigo’s ear.

Having had enough, Ichigo once more prepared to use Hirenkyaku to get to Noelle. Hirenkyaku, because the Old Man had insisted to use Quincy moves for a change in preparation of his Vollstandig control exercise.

Before he could move though, Ichigo noticed the captain moving towards Asta.

He grabbed the kid by the scuff of his neck. “Go help your teammate.” He declared before throwing him in the general direction of the ball. Asta screamed as he was flung through the air.

However, mid-way through the air, his scream stopped. His eyes locked on to Noelle’s. A look he recognized all too well marred Noelle’s face. Fear. The fear of failure.

His gaze hardened. His hands swept around, grimoire flaring to life. He grabbed the sword and slashed straight up, cutting the ball of water in half, and stopping the spell for good.

Noelle’s scream registered from within the hailstorm of droplets remnant from her spell as they both began falling. A little late in registering his fall, Asta too joined in on the deafening scream for help.

Finral moved to teleport the two, but Ichigo intervened and grabbed the two mid-air and back to the ground before their teammates.

His glare squared on to Yami who swiftly smoked another puff of his cigarette non-chalantly. Rolling his eyes, he turned to look back at the two wheezing teenagers.

“Are you-” He started but was cut-off by Asta. “We’re fine!” Asta yelled with his usual enthusiasm. He stood up in a moment, dusting his pants off and wringing his shirt of the water.

Noelle, however, stayed laden on the ground. Her gaze still fixed downwards, she refused to move an inch. Her clothes were dripping wet, stuck to her body fiercely. Ichigo averted his gaze. He knew it was a sore topic for the girl and he did not want to interfere any more than he already had.

‘She has to gain the confidence on her own.’ Before he could move to give her a hand, he spotted Asta moving towards her. A small smile bloomed on his face.

Noelle looked up at the sound of footsteps and found herself face to face with the boy. Dread filled her being, her face contorting to absolute terror. Ichigo squinted at the reaction, confused. ‘Why? Asta can do her no harm.’

Her hands shakily moved to the ground, trying to propel her backwards. Away from Asta, away from their prying eyes.

Asta simply smiled at the terrified girl. “Strong as ever, Noelle.” He yelled with stars of delight in his eyes. He outstretched an arm for her to take.

Noelle’s eyes gravitated towards the others who looked equally as unabashed as Asta.

Magna moved a step in her direction. “A royal who can’t control her magic.” He chuckled. “No wonder you’re here. Welcome to Black Bulls, Noelle, the squad of misfits.” Magna smiled brightly at Noelle. At the declaration, the other squad members also began smiling.

‘Not all bad, huh’ Ichigo silently remarked. The terrified look on the 16-year-old’s face slowly receded and a wide smile took its face. She took the proffered hand of Asta and got up from her seat on the forest soil.

She moved to slowly stand beside Asta, hand still entwined with his. Ichigo snorted teasingly at the sight of the two holding hands. Noelle’s ears perked up at this, turning to look at Ichigo. She followed his line of sight and quickly realized that she was still holding Asta’s hand.

In a fit of embarrassment, she pushed Asta away fiercely, taking her hand back as if it was burnt. Asta tumbled a few feet away, yelping at the top of his lungs.

Ichigo shook his head, walking away from the scene. He gathered in the dining hall for a much-needed breakfast. The other squad members soon followed suit, filling the room with boisterous chats.

“Great job on the mission, newbie. Defeating several magicians on a one-on-one combat is commendable for a rookie.” Ichigo overheard Magna complimenting Asta.

“You too, Noelle.” Magna continued. “Of course, I’m a royal, insect.” She replied back haughtily.

Ichigo rolled his eyes as the senior Magic Knight yelled indignantly at the remark.

The breakfast was soon brought in by a bunch of sheep and Charmy. Plates upon plates of food and drinks were propped up on the table in the middle of the room.

Asta quickly dug in, not paying mind to rhyme or reason, stuffing his face with food. Noelle recoiled slightly in disgust as the boy ate mouthfuls.

“Eat slowly, Bakasta.” She tried to dissuade him, but it was to no avail. Asta was in entranced by the taste of the food and was too busy complimenting Charmy for it.

Ichigo looked down on his own plate. It was lined with meat and salads of a variety. He too dug in, not wanting the food to go cold.

Ichigo ate silently, enjoying the ruckus all around him. A nostalgia arose within him. The Kurosaki household would be equally as boisterous during mealtimes. He paused his spoon in favour of the memories of his sister. The next time he’d visit them, they may be all grown up. Maybe even married.

Ichigo slowly shook his head. It’d be a long time before Isshin let either one of them be in a relationship, let alone marry someone.

‘That works perfectly.’ Ichigo nodded to himself, before continuing to eat.