Disclaimer: Although I own a few gallons of bleach, I don't own Bleach by Tite Kubo. I'm neither bitter enough or intelligent enough to write like he does.
A/N: Original completion date: 6/7/10. An early fic, taking place near the beginning of the series. Kisuke is so cool! I just had to write a story around the training arc, as it's my favorite part in the manga. Reviews are requested and welcomed!
Rated K+ for wounds and sword fights.
The Lynx's Answer
Ichigo Kurosaki lay flat on his back, receiving medical attention from Tessai, Jinta, and Ururu, who were clustered around him. Jinta sanitized small wounds, seeming to take great satisfaction whenever Ichigo gave a shout at the stinging pain the iodine caused. Ururu went along after Jinta, sticking on small bandages. Tessai had the hardest job—and the one that was most painful for Ichigo—the healing of a giant slash that ran parallel to his sternum. Neither Benihime nor Urahara went easy on Ichigo, despite the fact that they were his teachers.
But at the moment, both sword and wielder were sheathed. Benihime was a harmless cane again, and Kisuke was fanning himself casually. Watching them, Ichigo was struck by curiosity at the paradox of something his trainer had mentioned earlier.
"Mr. Urahara?" he asked, gritting his teeth not to cry out as Tessai massaged his bloody chest.
"Hmm?" Kisuke responded, holding his fan up to his nose to give himself that odd girlie look.
"What you said before . . ." Ichigo squinted, remembering. "When Rukia was captured, you said you were sending me off to rescue her because she's one of your customers. But later, you told me that you let me fight Abarai so I would realize I wasn't strong enough." He tilted his head in thought as he reconciled the two opposing statements. "So you always knew I wouldn't win, and you were always planning to train me." Although he couldn't see Urahara's face behind the fan, he could tell that he had hit the nail on the head. He finished with a frown, "Why waste time training me? Why didn't you just go save her yourself? You're strong. You can fight." He stared hard at Kisuke, but his soberness was lost on the candy shop owner, who laughed as he came over to appraise Tessai's work.
"Why, Mr. Kurosaki, I would have thought it would be obvious," he remarked, tongue in cheek as usual. Then, suddenly dead serious, he stared at Ichigo from the shadow his hat cast. "Why would I send a lynx to do a lion's job?" Ichigo rolled the puzzling reply around in his head, lying still while Urahara poked annoyingly at his recently-healed wound.
"Wait . . . did you just give me a compliment?" he asked his trainer, amazed.
"Did I?" Urahara cheerily asked. He scratched his stubble self-consciously. "Ah, so I did. Well, that's easily remedied." Without warning, he yanked Ichigo to his feet and gave him such a powerful push that Ichigo went flying backwards and crashed into a distant cliff. Benihime came to life, and Kisuke came dashing forward almost faster than the eye could see.
Training had resumed.
]End[