Summary: Uryuu knows he is Gemischt. He also knows he should have died during Auswählen. But he didn't. Why? He figures the answer may lie in Souken's old papers.
"What are you doing, grandfather?" Uryuu asked.
"Translating." Souken replied. "Over the centuries, the Quincy grew and spread until they were established all over the world. Many wrote down their experiences and the things they learned. I'm trying to condense all Quincy knowledge into one collection."
His young protégée stared at the yellowed scrolls and dusty tomes surrounding Souken's desk. "You can read all these languages?"
Souken laughed. "Some of them yes. Some I need others to help me translate."
Uryuu grabbed a sheet at random. "What does this mean grandfather? What is 'Wandenreich'?"
Souken snatched the paper from Uryuu's hands. "It's nothing. Don't concern yourself with it."
"But it has something to do with the Quincy." Uryuu insisted. "I want to know everything."
Souken sighed. "I know you do Uryuu, I know. Don't worry. Someday I will tell you everything you want to know. Right now, you're just not ready."
Sensei never got the chance to tell him what he wanted to know, Uryuu mused. There was so much Souken never had a chance to teach him, so many questions unanswered. He'd done his best to teach himself from what Souken had passed on him, but he knew it was fragmentary, incomplete. He also knew where to find those answers, even though it rankled his conscience to think how he would get them.
Ryuuken hadn't changed the locks when he moved out. Uryuu wasn't sure if that was because his father hoped he would come to his senses and move back or what. Nonetheless, it was at least a gesture that his father had some trust in him. He hated to abuse that trust. On the other hand, if he thought Ryuuken would tell him what he wanted to know, then it wouldn't have to come to this.
It's not breaking and entering if you have a key, he thought as he entered the house. Ryuuken wasn't home. Uryuu made sure he would be at work before visiting. Ryuuken claimed to not care about being a Quincy, had renounced his heritage and scoffed at the thought of Uryuu becoming one. Still, when Souken died Ryuuken kept all his things. Uryuu had no idea he'd done that until the day Ryuuken "helped" him regain his powers. Since that day, Uryuu stopped by whenever he could to look though what he knew now was in his father's collection. Looking for answers. While he'd discovered many things, too much of the old knowledge in those scrolls and books was inaccessible. Uryuu spoke a few languages besides Japanese, but the books were in more languages than he spoke as well as ancient, almost forgotten tongues. His best bet was to find Ryuuken's manuscript. He knew his grandfather had made a lot of advances in translating the old works. He was determined he was not going to let another year go by without learning what he needed to know. There was one set of questions that burned brightest in his mind. What was theAuswählen? Why had it killed all the Gemischt Quincy? His mother? And how had he survived? After several covert expeditions in his father's house, he finally figured out where Souken's manuscript was located. Unfortunately, it was in the safe in Ryuuken's study. That was his target as he entered that room. Sitting on the floor in front of the modest sized safe, he spread his notes next to him and took a deep breath.
"Here goes nothing."
Hours later, mentally exhausted, he looked at all the crossed off combinations he'd tried. He used every significant number he could think of from Ryuuken's life. His birthday. When he'd graduated medical school. His parent's anniversary. Different variations using those numbers. One by one, every combination he'd tried had failed. There was only one remaining. His own birthday. He snorted as he considered it. He could hardly imagine Ryuuken using that. He'd only included it as a small joke to himself. Still, he had nothing left. Touching the dial once again, he gave it a spin.
"Six, eleven." He whispered to himself, "And the year."
As the last number moved into place, he heard a click. Was it possible? Grabbing the handle, he pulled down and out. He was rewarded with the door swinging open.
"I did it." He breathed. "I did it! After all this time, I can finally read your papers grandfather. I can finally get some answers."
Ryuuken headed for home as soon as the alarm went off. He knew it couldn't be burglars. There was nothing in the safe a normal person would want. There was only one person who would try to break in there. Bursting into the study he was not at all surprised by what he saw. He had surprised Uryuu with the papers gathered in his arms as he was heading towards the door.
"I knew you were poking about in the old rubbish when my back was turned. I was even able to overlook it for a time, but this is going too far! Now put those papers down!" He demanded.
"Why? They don't belong to you." Uryuu snarled.
"I inherited them when your grandfather died. I'd say that makes me the rightful owner." Ryuuken caustically replied.
"You turned your back on the Quincy." Uryuu countered. "This knowledge belongs with someone who will use it."
Ryuuken scoffed. "And you think that will be you? You have no talent."
"You don't know what you're talking about." Uryuu raged. "I can use this information. I demand this information! Souken is gone, you won't tell me anything, and I have a need to know!"
"You only need to know the Quincy are dead." Ryuuken shot back. "There is nothing in those papers you need to know. Nothing good anyway. Now are you going to put them down or am I going to have to contact the authorities."
"You would do that?" Uryuu asked incredulously. "You would call the police on your own son?"
"To keep him from making the biggest mistake in his life? Yes. Now do as I say and put those papers down."
Uryuu glared at his father, his eyes shining with fury. Angrily, he slammed the documents on Ryuuken's desk. Without hesitating, he strode his way out the door.
"Don't let me catch you trying this again." Ryuuken warned.
"Don't worry." His son fired back. "I'm never coming here again."
Ryuuken heard the front door slam shut as Uryuu left. He went behind the desk to sit with his head in his hands. Why did things have to be this way? Why couldn't he turn his son from his path? Uryuu didn't understand. He was the key. If Uryuu ever learned everything about his heritage, it could set off the prophecy, bring about the destruction of reality as they knew it. Maybe he should burn the papers like he'd planned he wondered. He still couldn't bring himself to do it. He had so few reminders of his father. The reams of paper in Souken's steady hand covered in notes and corrections made it feel like he hadn't really gone, not completely. He made a mental note to change the combination on the safe later and put the papers away. At least he had averted disaster this time. He managed to keep Uryuu in the dark just a little longer.
Once again, Uryuu thanked Urahara for giving him that cell phone. It never occurred to Ryuuken that his son might have taken a few pictures before trying to leave. It was probably a generational thing. He didn't have it all of course, but he had several interesting pages copied before being interrupted. And the things he had learned. A dimension in the shadows accessible though reishi manipulation. An entire society of Quincy living independently, free from shinigami oversight. Could it possibly be true? There was only one way to find out. Checking over his uniform one last time, he cleared his mind. Traveling though the shadows seemed so simple once you understood the concept. You simply read the flow of reishi in the environment around you, sought out the "keystone" of the reality you were in and then you…pushed.
"Intruder!" Someone shouted. "Halt, put your hands up!"
Uryuu found himself in a strange place. They sky was dark, but it wasn't night. The buildings were all white and shiny. And there were people. His people. Even though they were angrily shouting at him, his heart soared. The Quincy cross was everywhere. They were all wearing Quincy uniforms.
"My people." He whispered to himself. "We're not dead. I'm not the last one."
One of the Quincy warriors ignited his bow. "What are you deaf? If you don't listen to me right now, I'll…"
"Stop!" A voice commanded. "Can't you see he's one of us?"
The guard turned his head to address the speaker. "But Lord Haschwalt."
The man with the flowing white hair pushed the guard's arm down.
"But nothing. Look at is uniform. Feel his reiatsu. This is no shinigami spy." He walked up to Uryuu, a faint smile on his lips. "This is a prodigal son, finally found his way home. Welcome brother. What is your name?"
"Ishida Uryuu." He responded distractedly. "So it's true. You're here. You're alive."
Haschwalt chuckled. "Apparently so."
"I have so many questions." Uryuu said.
Haschwalt reached out, touching Uryuu on the shoulder.
"Ask away." He said. "We'll tell you everything."