It was a cold, windy day in the world of the living as a girl, hair as white as snow, walked out of Karakura High School. Her rare shade of teal eyes flickered to the side as a yell came from behind her. She turned to see her brother running towards her, a vexed look on his features,
"Kukiko, where are you going? Father wants you to return home immediately." Uryū stopped in front of his adopted sister, breathing heavily from his exertions. Kukiko raised her brow for a moment before she sighed, running a hand over her luminous locks,
"What's so important that I have to miss work? Urahara-san said he needed to speak with me about something important." Uryū cursed her stubbornness under his breath.
"Now, Kukiko, it would be wise to listen; father said your swords are in the balance." The teenage girl gave a sharp, fervent glare at the other for mentioning her weaponry, but her scowl diminished into a simple frown as she noticed the lack of affect it had on the boy. She turned and began to walk in the direction of Urahara's shop, Uryū let out a slight groan as he followed her.
As the small shop came into sight they were able to see Ururu sweeping the front porch,
"Yo, where's Jinta? Isn't he supposed to be sweeping out front today?" Kukiko gave a nonchalant wave to the small girl in which she received a bow in return.
"Good evening, Kukiko-san. Jinta is working inside." The small voice spoke politely as she continued to sweep the dirt around. Kukiko looked down to her skeptically as she folded her arms,
"Yah, I'm sure he's working really hard, that lazy bastard." She clicked her tongue as she hurried to the door, pushing it open so roughly that an audible crack sounded.
"Jinta! How many times have I told you to do your chores properly and not shove it onto Ururu?" The accused boy choked on the candy he was sucking on as he rose from where he lay comfortably.
"Y-You were late, so I thought you weren't going to come in today." Jinta began to side-step away from the approaching, furious girl.
"Do you always skip out when I'm not here? Come here you little shit." She lunged towards him, but he managed to slip under her arms and run out the open door. Kukiko chased him, a mixture of curses following them as they ran around the front of the shop.
Uryū pushed his glasses further up his face as he sighed and walked into the shop himself, reaching the table in the back he saw two cups of tea set out. He stood there for only a moment before Urahara Kisuke entered the room,
"Oh, young Quincy, how may I help you today? I was expecting your sister." The man fanned himself as he gestured for Uryū to take a seat. He sat gracefully,
"You know very well why I'm here. Father is very displeased at the news of a particular soul reaper captain coming into town. Have you forgotten the deal between my father, Isshin, and you? My sister is not to know where she came from." Kisuke gave the serious boy a mischievous look from behind his fan; Uryū narrowed his eyes at the expression. The Quincy was about to say more when the door to the room slid open and a group of people walked in. Kisuke looked up from where he sat and smiled at the newcomers; Toshiro, Rangiku, Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Renji. Uryū gave a silent glare before rising from the table and leaving quickly. Rukia and Ichigo were the last to come in, barely seeing Uryū as he exited the door, a flash of white following behind him,
"Yo, Hat-and-Clogs, was that Uryū? What was he doing here?" He received no answer as Toshiro began to speak,
"Sorry, but this job is to be done quickly. The Arrancars are causing a lot of trouble and the Head Captain wants it dealt with." The squad ten captain looked to Kisuke and nodded to him,
"I apologize for the interruption, but we'll be in your care while we're here. At the moment, however, we have work to do." The team he brought began to file out of the room, Ichigo giving Toshiro a weary glance as Kisuke called the small boy's name.
"Toshiro, I have a few questions for you. Do you mind waiting for a moment?" His teal eyes focused on the older man's face for a moment, before turning to Rangiku,
"Go on ahead of me and work on the mission; I'll met up with you later." Her lips formed a small pout,
"But Captain..." Her voice held a whine, but she was cut off by his sharp, obdurate eyes. The vice captain nodded to her superior and shut the door behind her; leaving Toshiro and Kisuke alone to speak.
"If you wouldn't mind taking a seat, it might be a while." Toshiro looked at the man but said nothing as Ururu came into the room, holding a tray of tea. The timid girl knelt as she placed three cups of Green Tea on the small table. The guest looked at the odd number of tea cups in confusion, but tried not to let it show on his face. Despite his efforts of looking nonchalant Kisuke read his thoughts,
"We'll be having a late visitor today." Toshiro simply took up his tea carefully and sipped it, not wanting to respond. A moment of silence engulfed the room and Toshiro began to get irritated,
"If you're wasting my time then I'l-", his comment was cut off by Kisuke's unusually somber voice,
"Captain, how much do you remember about your past?" Toshiro was startled by the question, but he willed his face to stay stoic. Some of his memories were blurred and fragmented, but he hadn't told anyone of this, so why does this man know about it?
Kisuke watched the boy's face intently and had to hold back a frown when he didn't get a reaction. Aizen did a good job at sealing people's memories, that's for sure. Toshiro and Kisuke continued to keep eye contact as the door slide open, clacking against the wood frame as it slid. Yoruichi walked in and took the seat next to Kisuke, were the other cup of tea sat; waiting for her. Toshiro narrowed his eyes as he lifted his head higher, speaking morosely,
"We've only spoken once before, so what makes you think you know anything about me?" He was perplexed at the hurt and sadness he saw in both of their eyes. Yoruichi glanced at Kisuke for a moment before he nodded to her. She rose, startling him for a moment as she grabbed his wrist.
"Come with me." He had no time to argue as he was dragged to the underground training room. When the duo arrived Yoruichi released her grip on his wrist and whirled around to face him,
"We have to make sure no one hears us from here on out and this place will make sure that happens. Now, I'll repeat Kisuke's question and you must answer me honestly. Do you remember your past?" Toshiro closed his eyes for a moment, racking through his memories, but when he got to some of his earliest memories a sharp pain engulfed him. His face was scrunched together as he shook his head,
"I know my whole past, but there are bits and pieces I'm missing. There's also…" He paused for a moment as the blurred memory flashed into the front of his mind, "There's a girl, but I don't know who she is." He opened his eyes and looked to the older woman and was shocked to see anger on Yoruichi's face. It was only for a moment but the rage had definitely been there.
"Toshiro, I have many things to say to you, but that can wait for a few days. First, there's someone I want you to meet." With that said she flash stepped out, leaving a confused Toshiro behind.
Kukiko sat in the middle of the back row, tuning out the buzz of the classroom around her. She propped her head on her left hand as she scribbled on her finished worksheet; she was always finished before everyone in class, including Uryū. She was snapped out of her musings when she noticed the class was eerily quiet for once. She straightened and looked at the teacher, whom was speaking,
"This new student is transferring from home school and we're told he's very intellectual. Please treat him kindly." She gave the class a smile as she turned towards the door and beckoned the student in. Her heart pounded relentlessly as a flash of pure white entered her vision. The young boy with strikingly white hair walked to the front of the room, his face shadowed. Kukiko couldn't help but lean in her seat, clutching the cloth around her heart as the short boy made it to the middle of the room.
He raised his head to show fulgent, cyan eyes that pierced through Kukiko's mind. Her head began to pound relentlessly; she physically cringed at the rhythmic beat inside her cranium. All eyes were on her, including the cause of her distress; the transfer student. Her hands immediately shot to her head as the pain increased and an un-muffled groan escaped her lips. Uryū rose from his seat as Kukiko lowered her clasped head onto the desk in agony,
"Sensei, I'll take her to the nurse." He didn't wait for permission as he hauled his sister out of the chair, her glassy eyes landing on him for only a second before it came across the white haired boy once again. A shudder racked through her body as she turned away from him and buried her head into Uryū's chest. He walked her out of the classroom with care as the occupants of the classroom began to whisper in shock.
Kukiko was lead in the direction of the nurse's office, but the siblings turned up the stairs and to the roof. As they hit the serenity of the roof Kukiko sank to the floor in pain; those bright teal eyes still vivid in her mind. Uryū was at her side, rubbing soothing circles into her back. They might not be siblings by blood, but he had lived with Kukiko since he was five and truly loved her. She became limp in his arms; panic ran through him as he laid her on her back and peered into her pale face. He placed two fingers on the inside of her neck; her pulse was steady. Uryū rummaged through his pocket and flipped open his phone, dialing their father's number.
"Karakura General Hospital, Ryūken Ishida's office. How may I help you?" His father's personal office aid answered with a cheerful voice. The woman's cheerfulness clashed with the situation and Uryū couldn't help but feel aggravated,
"This is his son and I need to speak with him. Now." The line went silent for a moment before the woman's voice filled it once again,
"Mr. Ishida would like to know the reason for your call." His patience broke quickly as he pulled the phone away from his ear and yelled straight into it,
"Tell him his daughter just collapsed and she needs his help or would he prefer I call a certain shop keeper?" The secretary let out a small squeak of surprise at his outburst, but he didn't wait for her to reply,
"We're on the roof of Karakura High." Once his statement was done he promptly hung up. Uryū cradled Kukiko's head in his lap, gently brushing back her hair as he waited for their father.
It only took ten minutes for Ryūken to burst through the door to the roof,
"Uryū, what happened?" The boy never broke his gaze from his sister as he spoke monotonously,
"She saw that soul reaper and froze. I don't know why he suddenly entered our school, but I have a good feeling on who's behind it." Ryūken said nothing as he habitually fixed his Quincy Cross printed tie. Kukiko shifted on Uryū's lap, a low groan leaving her lips as she slowly opened her eyes, her brows still furrowed from the pain.
"What happened?" She caressed her temple with her hand as she attempted to rise,
"Why are we on the roof?" Her voice was shaken with weariness and a emotion her brother didn't recognize. Ryūken walked up to his children, his face emotionless as he saw his daughter was alright,
"Kukiko, stand up. We're going home and I want you to stay away from that new student." His voice was sharp, making Kukiko flinch at his words.
Toshiro quickly left school, giving his orders to Rangiku before heading to Urahara's shop. He entered the shop; not listening to Ururu's greeting as he locked eyes with owner and made his way swiftly towards him.
"I didn't ask questions on why you sent me to school because I was curious about your knowledge of my past, but that girl…" He paused as his mind flashed to the stunned look the girl had produced,
"She knew me and I feel like I've seen her before too. She's the girl in my dreams. You know her, don't you? Who is she?" Toshiro's eyes were blazing with desperation and anger; anger at being the only one who didn't know what was going on. Urahara hid his smile behind his fan, a habit Toshiro had grown to despise quite quickly.
"The girl is Kukiko Ishida. She's the adopted sister of the Quincy that invaded the Soul Society." The name rang through Toshiro's mind like a bell, whether it was a warning bell or not he wasn't sure. It took a moment before he realized he hadn't said anything,
"I figured they were siblings, but what does this have to do with me? Answer me that." Urahara gave a soft laugh and waved his fan at the boy,
"Oh, no, you'll have to ask Yoruichi that. Actually, I think all your questions will be answered if you just wait for Yoruichi." Toshiro let out an exasperated sigh as he dropped to a sitting position. He couldn't understand why everything had to be done in such a roundabout way. Why couldn't they just tell him? He's been living with only half of his memories for so long and to think he would find them in the World of the Living. He's waited to long to just sit around and wait even more. While he rolled these thoughts around in his head he was unaware of the door opening. The slamming of the door, however, snapped him out of it right away. He snapped his head to the entrance and saw a blaze of white, he stiffened.
"Why is she here? I asked who she was, not for you to bring her here!" She wouldn't look at him and stuck close to Yoruichi's side, but her simple presence shook him down to his core. Kisuke snickered at the duo's reaction,
"This needs to happen. Yoruichi, bring them to the training room and I'll get the final piece we need." Yoruichi smiled to the girl whom still refused to look at either of them, her features not hinting at the turmoil she felt inside. Kukiko tried to ignore the looks she received from Toshiro as all three of them went down the stairs and into the spacious training area. The young girl was slightly startled to see Kisuke a few feet in front of them, considering they went down the stairs before him, but what disturbed her the most was what he held. It was the most beautiful katana she ever saw; the sheath was such a dark ebony it felt like it was an empty void, the guard was sculpted into a crescent moon with a wolf and snowflake adorning its sides, and a lavish red string wrapped around the hilt in such a way that it felt like blood was engulfing the void-less black sheath. The last thing she heard was a gasp from the boy behind her as all went dark.
Upon waking up, the first thing Kukiko was aware of was the cold enwrapping her. She felt so at home in the arms of the icy plain she laid upon it hurt. Her heart relaxed in the cold, yet warm, atmosphere to the point she closed her eyes once again as a smile reached her lips. A loud crash made her eyes snap open, spinning around, she saw a dark figure stand before her. The figure was the same dark ebony colour as the katana's sheath, but it felt different to her than a void; it felt like it was full of life. The darkness shifted as she realized the figure was that of a wolf and it was raising its head from a bowed position. As it stood straight a pair of wings unfolded from the wolf's back; wings of ice. She was amazed at the wonderment those ice-blue wings produced from her, but the feature that truly amazed her where the scarlet eyes that shone so brightly against the un-naturally black fur. The wolf stepped forward, the chain around its neck glistening in the moon light, reflecting its own crescent moon pendent right back to the real thing.
"Kori?" The words slipped from her lips before she could even comprehend the reason behind it. She stepped forward, her hand outstretched to it as multiple questions reached her tongue. Kukiko was inches away from touching it as a turret of snow and ice blew around them, separating them in a blanket of white.