Day 1 of UraIchi Week- Time travel/Dimension Travel
Kurosaki Masaki would always remember the most terrifying moment of her life as a blurry nightmare, interspersed with crystal clear snapshots.
Ichigo in his little yellow raincoat, so cheerful, running towards the dark energy at the river, even as she shouted after him.
The Hollow in the form of a ghost, turning towards them, a malevolent gleam in its eyes as they settled on Ichigo.
The blur of grass as she threw her body over Ichigo, the Hollow's scream echoing in her ears.
The rush of the wind and a bitten off cry of pain- not her own. From behind them- a man's?
"Back off!" The same voice yelled.
Masaki raised her head and looked over her shoulder to see what was going on, even as she drew Ichigo closer to her with one arm. There was a man behind her, wielding a sword- possibly a Shinigami, but if so he was one in a gigai. She'd never seen a Shinigami wearing a raincoat before, even a black one, and she'd definitely never seen one wearing modern footwear. He held his sword in one hand, the other arm clearly injured somehow- his coat was ripped.
The Hollow ignored his demand, trying to swoop around him- but he barked out a command, the words lost in the wind, and his sword cut through the air. The resulting attack cut the hollow straight in half, too swift for the beast to dodge, and it dissolved with a furious shriek.
"Mom?" Ichigo asked, his voice shaking. "What happened?"
Masaki looked back at her son, now blinking slowly. She didn't know what to say. Thankfully, she didn't really have to- someone else spoke first.
The man had wandered over from where he stood, the sword gone, the hand that had held it now clutching his shoulder. "You two alright?" He asked gruffly.
Manners prevailed and Masaki found her voice. "We're fine sir." She said, trying to get to her feet. She pretended that the difficulty she had doing so was because of the mud, and not because her knees were shaking.
The man- not as tall as her husband but still taller than most men- nodded and leaned down to help her. "Good."
Ichigo- now held tightly in her arms despite the fact that at nine, nearly ten, he was far too heavy for it- frowned at the man. "You're hurt." He said, eyes wide at the blood that could clearly be see through the ripped coat.
The man looked at his wounds briefly, as if double checking what Ichigo had seen. "Yeah." He chuckled wryly. "That monster got a swipe in when I got in its way."
"Its way?" Ichigo repeated, voice small.
"It was after you." The man said bluntly. Masaki tightened her arms around her son and frowned, but before she could say anything he continued. "Those things attack humans, but some of them prefer humans who can see them. That one was pretending to be a ghost, because if you can see a ghost you might be able to see them. You must have pretty strong Sight, to be able to see it."
Ichigo shrank further into her arms. "I thought she was in trouble…" He admitted, horror in his voice. "I didn't realise she was a ghost."
The man shrugged, despite his injury. "That was what it wanted you to think. It probably wanted people who see ghosts to think it was a person, so they'd react like you did. It's no one's fault but that monster's. And you'll be more careful from now on, right?"
Ichigo nodded firmly, his eyes flicking from the blood to their saviour's face. "Right." He said, resolute. The man smiled at him, and Ichigo smiled back, a mirror image.
It wasn't until they'd gotten home that Masaki realised she didn't even know what the man looked like under his hood, let alone his name.
XXX
"Was this really necessary? Grand Fisher really wasn't that powerful. You could have taken him out without anyone noticing."
"Grand Fisher wasn't the point- it was the kid. He needed an object lesson- Grand Fisher was just the teaching tool."
A sigh. "An object lesson?"
"To be careful about what he sees. He needed it- but at least it'll mess him up less than the lesson I learned."
"And slicing your shoulder open with the hollow's claws?"
"I needed to make an impression."
"….Sometimes I worry about you. And myself to be honest- that nearly made sense."
"And sometimes I think you're allergic to compliments, getaboushi. Can't you just admit it worked?"
"It was reckless and foolish- I would never endorse such a plan."
"…So you'll never admit it was effective out loud. Got it."
XXX
"Grandfather!" Uryuu called out as he entered the home. Carefully, he placed his bag on the hook and changed his shoes for slippers.
"I'm in the kitchen!" His grandfather called back. "We have a guest!"
Uryuu blinked in surprise- it wasn't that his grandfather didn't have friends, it was just that those friends didn't usually come to Sōken's apartment. Especially not when Uryuu was there. Curious, he went to see who it was.
He'd been expecting- well, someone his grandfather's age perhaps, in traditional clothing. The man in the kitchen was wearing black hakama, but with a white t-shirt and trainers. His black hair spilled down his back, longer than any man he'd seen before. The most surprising part of his appearance was perhaps the furrowed scar on one arm, deep enough that it looked like it scraped bone.
The man caught him staring. "Hollow attack." He said. "I dodged most of it."
Uryuu blushed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare."
The man's lips twitched. "It's okay- most people stare a bit. I usually tell them it's from a mugging if they're annoying enough."
Uryuu nodded his understanding, then looked to his grandfather.
"Perhaps we should finish this up, Kuro-san." His grandfather said, calmly poring out a cup of tea and handing it to Uryuu.
Kuro-san shrugged. "We're about done anyway. Please remember to let me know when you're training outside the city, if I can't be there I'll at least keep an eye on the area." And with that, the man left the table.
Sōken blinked. "I didn't mean to finish it up that quickly." He muttered.
"Grandfather?" Uryuu asked.
Sōken smiled at him. "It's nothing too worrisome Uryuu." He said. "Just a warning about the Shinigami politics of the moment- apparently they're more isolationist than ever, and there's a few with an unhealthy interest in different types of souls. When you die, many many years from now, seek out the Shiba clan. They'll protect you, if only to irritate the less trustworthy Shinigami."
Uryuu didn't understand, but he shrugged it off to enjoy the afternoon with his grandfather.
XXX
"I have to admit, I never would have thought one of your plans would be as… peaceful as having tea with an old man."
"Sōken's technically younger than you Kisuke. Hopefully the plan worked- I'd rather not risk tipping our hand to Aizen, which means if Sōken and Uryuu run into trouble again…"
"You'll be right there, sword swinging. I'll get a jammer ready for Kurotsuchi's surveillance, it's better to disrupt their technology than to rely on you leaving an old man and a child to their own devices against a horde of hollows."
"You make it sound so simple. Like I wouldn't risk everything we've been working for, if it came to it."
"You wouldn't be you if you didn't Ichigo."
XXX
"Guardian Angel saves mother and Child from crazed butcher?" The journalist thought aloud. "Too long." He dismissed.
The man at the desk next to him perked up. "That sounds like a front page story. Talk to me Daisuke- I'm dying here."
Daisuke looked at him. "Didn't you have that human interest piece about the school teacher?"
"There's no interest." The other man replied. "So- Guardian Angel?"
Daisuke turned his chair to face him. "It's the Shibata story- the single mother and her son, who were attacked by a crazy guy who fell off their balcony? Mother's blood all over the apartment, but only a few serious stab wounds?"
"I love how you say, only a few. It makes the injuries sound insignificant."
Daisuke grinned. "Touma, compared to what she should have had, they were."
The other man frowned. "You've lost me."
"According to the boy, Yuuichi, the man who broke in stabbed his mother in a frenzied attack- and this version of events is supported by the blood spatter in their house. His mother tried to flee to the balcony, and the man followed her- and then The Angel appeared."
Touma tried to look uninterested, but failed. "The Angel?" He asked dryly. "I haven't heard this part of the story before."
"That's why it'll be front page news- once I make it sound believable." Daisuke replied. "Yuuichi says the man was just suddenly on the balcony, and he tossed the butcher over the railing. Then he knelt down next to the mother and started talking to her. He called her by name, he told her she was very brave to lead the serial killer away from her son- he told her to relax while he tended her injuries, then he looked up and told Yuuichi to call the police and an ambulance."
"Yuuichi says the man's hands glowed. Whatever the man did, there was no sign of medical treatment other than pressure put on the worst of the stab marks when medical personnel reached them- and between Yuuichi leaving to lead them in and them arriving, the man had vanished again. It's what he told Shibata-san that lead police to investigating the guy in more detail- they've linked his knife to six murders."
Touma frowned. "Sounds a bit out there- we're not a tabloid Daisuke."
Daisuke waved off his objection. "Obviously I'm leaving out the glowing hands and mismatch between the mother's injuries and her blood loss- but Mysterious Saviour is definitely a headline."
XXX
"I'm surprised you remembered this- it was a long time ago for you. And you weren't involved until years later."
"Karin cried for him- and Yuuichi was important to Chad. I did some research after that, in case Karin wanted details. Never thought anything would come of it, I was just curious. Then I got here and I figured, rather than wait to stop Shrieker from killing Yuuichi and sticking him in a cockatoo, why not get there before he kills Yuuichi's mother?"
"I take it Shrieker won't be a problem?"
"Sent the bastard straight to hell. A happy ending all around."
XXX
Sora Inoue sighed as he walked to the train station- still upset about his argument with Orihime. He had no idea why she'd cut her hair, the same day he'd given her hairclips as a gift. She'd seemed to like them, but maybe he wasn't as good at reading her as he thought he was. Work and school ate up both their time, and he was so tired, trying to provide for her….
A hand grabbed him by the shoulder, pulling him backwards and off his feet. Shocked, Sora had no time to find his feet and fell into the person who'd pulled him.
He hadn't even had time to draw in a breath when a car went flying through the road he'd been about to cross, in complete defiance of the lights and speed limits, before crashing into another car- which resulted in a terrifying clash of screeching metal as it hit the car in front at an angle, sending it into an oncoming car in the opposite lane.
It was carnage. Sora absently clutched at the solid form beside him, not realizing it was a person at first. The world seemed far away, as only one thought went through his head.
"I didn't say goodbye to Orihime this morning." He said out loud.
The person he was clinging to spoke. "You'll have the chance to make it up to her soon."
Sora blinked, and looked at the man- younger than him for certain, tall and wiry under his hands. Apologising, he moved so he was no longer clinging to the stranger.
The younger man smiled gently at him. "Orihime- will she hear about the accident? Maybe you should call her, let her know you're alright."
Sora considered it slowly- would Orihime hear about it? But before his addled mind could come to a decision one way or another, he head her calling.
"Ni-san!" She screamed.
He didn't spare his rescuer another glance, the fear in her voice called to instincts he'd honed as Orihime's brother and guardian and he shot to his feet to alleviate her distress. "Orihime!"
He regretted it a bit later, especially as he'd been too shocked to thank the stranger- but Orihime had been more important. She'd cried in his arms, admitted that she hadn't cut her hair but hadn't wanted to upset him about bullies at school, and begged him to forgive her.
Sora swore, there and then, that no matter what fight they'd had, he'd never leave the house without saying goodbye to her again.
XXX
"Well, that worked out better than I thought it would."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. I know he loved her, and that she loved him- but I wasn't expecting her to tell him about her trouble at school. I think it'll work out better for them this way- I left a pamphlet from Tatsuki's dojo for him, and a letter. I've already paid the tuition for Orihime, anonymously. Hopefully she and Tatsuki will hit it off again."
"Do you think he'll accept it? Some people get touchy about things like that."
"I explained in the letter- I'm a big brother too. I think Orihime might be a good friend for my young relative- but have paid anonymously so that if anything happens, it happens naturally, without gratitude or pressure. If nothing else, Orihime might enjoy it."
"You know Ichigo, when we first discussed time travel, I never expected this."
"This? Me looking out for my friends?"
"Not just your friends."
"For people I could save? I mean, what's the point of going so far back if not to make a better future for my friends and the people they cared about? And Yuuichi- he was someone I could save. It didn't matter that I didn't know him. The only reason that creep got as far as he did was that I didn't remember the time right and got there almost too late."
"I don't know- Mysterious Saviour suits you quite well."
"You have to let that go eventually."
"Even I've never been front page news, Ichigo. In any case, you'll likely be that again, once we deal with Aizen."
"We've dealt with your Hōgyoku. I don't know what else we can do unless he blatantly turns traitor- which, last time, he didn't do until he had the Hōgyoku."
"And that's why I'm the one with the big plans, while you take care of the little things."
"They're not so little to some people."
"That's probably why we work together so well- we come at things from different places, with the same general goal, but different methods. I would be lesser without you in my life Ichigo."
"….I love you too Kisuke."