A/N: Another fanfic from moi that had, at first, been a simple one-shot...thingy but quickly evolved into a mutated plot bunny after leaving it alone for several years. And I should really stop writing new fanfics when I should be updating my old ones (shifty eyes). Well I guess it can't be helped if it's me. I tend to jump a lot from one fandom to another.
Muse: Dumas-chan, you're just trying to justify your own laziness.
Dumas: Muse-chan, so mean! I'm not justifying it, I'm telling the truth!
Muse: Yes, yes I believe you completely (sarcasm).
Dumas: Muuuussseee-chan! Why can't you be more supportive of me? Dx
Muse: (rolls eyes) I am being supportive. (Holds out a bag of pocky and an aloe bottle) See? Eat and drink these while you do the disclaimers and warnings.
Dumas: Yay! (grabs the pocky and Aloe) Thank you Muse-chan! Now, here are the disclaimers and warnings.
Disclaimer: I have already said in all my other fanfics, the manga belongs to Kubo Tite-san as he is the one who can actually draw.
Warnings: Uh...in this chapter there's not much except for some character deaths considering it's the first chapter and all. Oh and this story is AU for all those who are even bothering to read this (though I'm not sure that even counts as a warning..)
And onto the story we go!
"You have a beautiful son, Masaki-san."
Kurosaki Masaki, a lovely woman even in her thirties' with dark orange—"Almost red like the setting sun", Isshin would fondly say—hair smiled back at the aging old man standing before her.
"Thank you Souken-san," she said back, joy and pride evident in her bright brown eyes.
She then turned her gaze back down to the tiny baby in her arms, her eyes softening with motherly care. Souken's eyes, when he saw Masaki's, softened as well.
"May I ask what his name is, Masaki-san?" Souken politely questioned, his gaze also on the baby.
"His name is Ichigo," she said. "The word 'ichi' means one and 'go' means protector. Isshin and I gave him that name because we believe he will grow up to be a strong protector and guardian for those around him."
Souken's eyes crinkled in a fond way as he listened to Masaki's voice filled with overwhelming happiness and pride. How glad he was that Masaki and her husband, Isshin, had been able to find peace here, in this small town of Karakura.
"It is the start of a new life for you Masaki-san," Souken said. "For you, your husband and your son."
"Yes," she simply said, her smile speaking volumes for her instead of words.
Souken felt his lips move upward too for Masaki's happiness and laughter was a contagious thing. "It is only a pity that I will not be able to live long enough to see little Ichigo grow up."
He reached out one old wizened hand to pet Ichigo's hair and Masaki let him, shifting Ichigo in her arms so that Souken could reach him easier.
"You make it sound as though you're already dying Souken-san," intruded the male voice of Kurosaki Isshin as he came up from behind Masaki.
"Ah, Isshin-kun," greeted Souken, retracting his hand. "I had thought you would be tending to the store right now instead of eavesdropping on Masaki and me."
Masaki giggled as Isshin flushed.
"I-I wasn't eavesdropping," he feebly protested. "There's just a lack of customers right now so the store's really quiet and the only people talking just happened to be you two!"
"Yes, yes, you're completely right," Souken said, deciding to humor Isshin. "Of course you wouldn't be eavesdropping on us, you were simply playing the role of the protective father and husband by watching over us." Souken made sure to slightly emphasize the 'watch.'
Masaki giggled even harder, having to cover her mouth for fear of laughing too loudly even as her shoulders shook with effort to keep quiet.
"S-Souken-san!" Isshin all but yelled, his face so red that he looked like he was drunk.
Souken chuckled at the sight but quickly stopped as he said his next words, "Or perhaps you were just worried about your newborn son being in the presence of an Ishida?"
The light-hearted atmosphere in the room immediately evaporated, the three adult occupants in the room all wearing solemn expressions.
"Souken-san," Masaki began. "You can't possibly think that we would accuse you of what has happened. You have been nothing but kind to us ever since we came to this town and for that, we can only be grateful to you."
Not once as Masaki had spoken, did she look away from Souken. Her brown eyes were bright, but also determined.
"Yet…" Souken also began, not daring to look away from Masaki even as his eyes misted over with sadness. "It was my family that forced you to leave the home that you two could have lived comfortably in instead of being chased by the Shinigami and branded as traitors. It was my family that has hunted and forced you to live here as humans, never to be able to go back. It is the family I belong to and therefore, I too take responsibility for what has happened to the two of you."
"No," Isshin firmly stated, his black eyes also locking with Souken's as well. "Souken-san, it was never your fault. None of it was. It was our own decision to run away from Soul Society and live here. We just happened to meet Ryuuken and some other members of the Ishida clan at the wrong time and wrong place while they were seeking revenge against the Shinigami."
"Revenge is still an inexcusable motive for what we did," Souken solemnly stated.
"Stop grouping yourself with the likes of them!" Isshin finally yelled out, causing Ichigo to awaken from his nap. The little baby immediately started crying, loud peals of screaming and fat droplets of tears forming underneath in his eyes.
Masaki silently scolded Isshin with her eyes, to which Isshin could only sheepishly look back at, before she started rocking Ichigo, whispering low, calming words in his ear.
It took a bit but Ichigo finally calmed down enough to fall asleep again, his soft breaths protruding through the silent air.
Isshin looked at Ichigo for a long time before finally turning back to Souken, his face set. He had finally come to a decision that he would never change his mind on or ever regret it.
"Souken-san," he said, addressing the elder Ishida again. His tone was impassive but it was not emotionless. "Masaki and I have already determined, from the very beginning, that you were never to be held responsible for what Ryuuken and other members of the Ishida clan did. We trust you Souken-san, which will never change. That is why we are going to ask you to become Ichigo's godfather and take care of him when we cannot."
Souken's eyes widened but he could not help but smile, an unknown emotion swelling in his chest and nodded.
"Yes," he replied. "I accept Isshin-kun, thank you."
'And perhaps, one day, I shall introduce him to Uryuu and finally stop the senseless animosity between our two clans,' he silently added. 'But that will be for another time and another day.'
Both Isshin and Masaki smiled broadly at Souken, glad for their family, glad for Souken accepting their request and glad they could live happily together.
"Thank you, Souken-san," Masaki gratefully said, her face having never looked so healthy before.
One week later, the Kurosaki couple were killed in a car accident.
Ichigo, their nearly two-year-old son, survived the crash, baffling the police and doctors as he had been in the backseat where the car had been most heavily damaged.
Two months after the crash….
He had been about eight when he first saw the other but for Ishida Uryuu, that had been the happiest moment in his short life. Even now, at the age of fifteen when he looked back on their first meeting, Uryuu still believed that.
The day had started off normally with Uryuu sneaking out of the house while his father had been busy with an ailing patient. He had run over to the waterfall in the forest on the outskirts of town where he would meet his grandfather, Ishida Souken. The old man would always be there to greet him with a warm twinkle in his olden aged eyes which Uryuu would return with enthusiasm only a child could muster.
But only after the greetings were done and Uryuu had seated himself on his favorite boulder, right across from his grandfather, did he realize that Souken's posture seemed a little more slouched than usual and that there was a small white bundle cradled gently in his arms.
"Sensei, what's that?" Uryuu asked, indicating to the bundle.
Souken smiled, a small wrinkled smile that made the corners of his lips crease even more than usual. "Come here Uryuu, and I'll show you."
Uryuu, being the curious little Quincy that he was, slid off the boulder and came closer to his grandfather. He watched as Souken pulled off a layer of white cloth from the bundle to reveal the face of the most beautiful baby Uryuu had ever seen.
Granted, Uryuu had never seen that many babies before even if his father was a doctor but he knew immediately that this baby was one-of-a-kind. In that single span of a moment, Uryuu-although unconsciously-realized that he loved the small, sleeping orange-haired baby nestled in the arms of his grandfather.
"What's his name sensei?" Uryuu managed to breathe out, already too immersed in gazing at the soft face in the bundle.
Souken let his smile widen, if only a little, at the knowledge that by taking in this baby, he had not made a wrong choice. "His name is Kurosaki Ichigo. His parents have just passed away and by the request of his father, I have taken him in. From this day on Uryuu, this baby will be your little brother."
Uryuu's eyes widened and his breath hitched slightly in his throat as a wide smile spread over his face. "Really sensei? Is that really true?"
"Of course Uryuu," Souken replied. "Do you want to hold him for a bit? You'll have to be careful though, he's barely two."
Little Uryuu reached out his arms to gently cradle Ichigo against his chest, lightly rocking him back-and-forth with an expression that showed he was completely immersed with what was in his arms.
The smile never left Souken's face in the same way the delighted light in Uryuu's eyes danced as he watched the fluttering of Ichigo's eyes as the baby awoke from his nap. The chocolate brown eyes that looked up to meet his blue ones were beautiful beyond words.
"It's nice to meet you Ichigo," Uryuu found himself saying to the little orange-haired infant. "My name's Ishida Uryuu and I'm going to be your big brother from now on. I'm going to be a really powerful Quincy when I grow up so I can protect everyone, especially you, Ichigo."
Whether from his words or just how vividly energetic Uryuu appeared, it seemed to give energy to Ichigo and made him coo with incoherent noises as a barely-seen smile appeared on his face. His small chubby hands appeared out of his bundle, reaching up towards Uryuu.
It was as though Ichigo was giving himself to Uryuu, trusting him with his little baby life and it made Uryuu's heart swell with wordless emotions that were beyond joy and happiness.
"Sensei!" Uryuu cried out, turning to look at his aging mentor with the same beaming smile on his face. "I'm going to protect him! I'm going to get stronger and stronger every day and protect Ichigo forever!"
"Is that so?" Souken murmured, the creases in his wrinkles seeming to increase tenfold as his smile seemed to stretch across every feature, every line of his face at Uryuu's declaration. "Well then, you better start training now Uryuu."
"Yes, of course sensei!"
I will protect him, this little orange-haired infant. That was the promise I made to myself, and the one of the only two I ever intended to keep.
A/N: Why the hell are my chapter endings always so frickin' corny? Agh, whatever. I'll stick with thise since it gives a bit of foreshadowing for what happens later on.
Muse: If you ever update this story, that is.
Dumas: Muse-chan, stop being so pessimistic on me! Don't you believe in me?
Muse: (very bluntly) No.
Dumas: Muse-chan...T.T
Muse: Don't forget to drop a review for this pitiful excuse of an author here so she doesn't die off. Although that would probably be for the best if she did.
Dumas: Waahhh! Muse-chan, you big meanie!