Bleach Family Ties
Chapter Two
By Cindra
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and this story is just for fun.
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Urahara yawned sleepily in the doorway. "I didn't know that I was that tired."
"Boss." Tessai frowned. "Ichigo and Isshin are gone and I sense that Hakufuku has been cast in here."
"Yeah, it was their spiritual pressure that woke me up. Isshin must have wanted some privacy for their heart-to-heart talk." Urahara surveyed the sleeping individuals and sighed. "I really don't think that the shielding in the sparing grounds is strong enough to withstand the two of them, if they both go all out at the same time."
"Boss. Isshin wouldn't want to hurt him, not with him still in a weakened state."
"Ichigo is rarely in a weakened state, even after facing deaths door, and Isshin wouldn't release his shikai unless Ichigo acted like a smart ass around him. Tenmou is his favored weapon and even that is able to easily handle virtually any Espada." Urahara mused.
The floor underneath them shook under their feet.
"What the hell was that?!" Renji sat up instantly awake.
"Ichigo?" Rukia sat up to look over at him then scowled. "That idiot! He's still wounded in either state!"
"Rukia, that wasn't Ichigo's spiritual pressure…" Renji frowned, as he focused on the energy, trying to think of where he'd felt this same spiritual pressure before. "This is what I felt during the war with Aizen and I never did find out who it was."
"Hmmm…was that an Earthquake?" Yuzu sleepily blinked open her eyes.
Karin was sitting up wide-eyed and alert. "No Yuzu, that's Daddy and Ichigo."
"Daddy's a Soul Reaper like big brother?" Yuzu yawned.
"Yeah, that's why Ichigo was so steamed with him." Karin nodded. "Dad hid it from him all this time, but Ichigo isn't really that mad at him anymore. No, more like frustrated because Dad's holding back something from him." She focused on her brother and father and grinned. "Dad doesn't wanna hurt him and Ichigo wants him to take their match seriously."
"I don't understand. Big brother's right there still asleep…" Yuzu was confused.
"Yuzu, it's like I said. Ichigo leaves his body and goes off to fight in his spirit form." Karin took both of her hands in her own and knelt down next to her twin. "If you would just push past your fear all the time you would be able to see them too. I know that seeing spirits can be really scary, but the majority of them are harmless."
"I'm not like you and Ichigo…" Yuzu whimpered.
"That's not true, you're just afraid that you're gonna see some scary monster." Karin reached up to brush away the tears in her twin's eyes.
Rukia smiled at her. "See how Renji and I are right now?"
"Uh-huh." Yuzu nodded.
"Well, we look exactly the same in our Shinigami forms, and we're not scary to you are we?"
"No not really."
"You two are friends with Jinta and Ururu right?" Urahara smiled down at her.
"Yes, are they spiritual beings too?" Yuzu stared wide-eyed at him.
"Yep, in fact those two are older than I am and that's saying quite a lot. Jinta and Ururu are two of a kind, very powerful in their own rights, and can more than handle themselves in battle or in any situation that they come across." Urahara nodded.
"Rukia!!" Kon raced into the room. "My beloved Rukia is back!!" He made a beeline for Rukia's chest only to end up grabbed and thrown across the room.
"Bostov?" Yuzu's eyes were as big as saucers. "How is one of my stuffed animals talking?"
"Uh…oops…my bad. You're dreaming, kid, so go back to sleep." Kon jumped back to his feet and walked over to order his former tormenter.
"That's Kon. He's what's known as a modsoul and for the most part takes Ichigo's place when he's off fighting Hollows in his Shinigami form. He's a little pervert, but he's harmless." Rukia glowered at Kon.
"Yuzu, he's Karakura King." Karin smirked.
"Really? Are you Karakura King, Bostov?" She blinked down at him.
"The names Kon, kid. Yeah, that's me." Kon planted his paws on his hips glaring defiantly up at her.
"You help my big brother too?"
"Yeah, usually when he needs me to fill in for him down here on Earth." Kon nodded.
Yuzu scooped him up into her arms and hugged the breath out of him. "Thank you, so much for helping him!"
"Okay kid…uruh…can't breath…" Kon gasped for air.
"Oh…sorry. Did I hurt you?" Yuzu held him away from her.
"Knock it off, Kon. It's not like you breathe air, unless you're in Ichigo." Renji rolled his eyes at him.
"Put me down, will ya. I'm not one of your stuffed toys!"
"Sorry…" Yuzu set him back down. "It's just that you look like one."
"He's fine, Yuzu." Rukia reassured the young girl.
"Kon, be nice to the little princess or her father might just behead you or something." Renji picked him up by the ear and held him up in front of him.
"Princess. Yeah, right, Renji and Ichigo's the heir to the Soul Society's throne." Kon glared at him.
"Actually, that's exactly what Ichigo is." Renji informed him. "Their dad is one of us…"
"Yeah, that I know…"
"He's also Yamamoto's oldest son and High King of the Soul Society."
Kon was now speechless.
"Dad? King? Oh my…" Yuzu couldn't believe her ears.
"Wait a second if our Dad is a king then what did he leave the Soul Society for. Not that I would want him to be the leader of anything, other than being a fairly good doctor, our Dad's a mess. Organized our dad is not. If he didn't have Yuzu and me to look after him he'd be lost. He has a hard enough time trying to act like he's a responsible adult, let alone the father of three." Karin stared at Renji in disbelief.
"That's all for show. Trust me. Your old man is not as he portrays himself to be." Kon grumbled as Renji set him down. "He only acts that way as a cover so that no one would even think that he's not one of them. It's true. I saw him take down Grand Fisher with one swipe of his sword, after he lectured him about why his Zanpakuto wasn't the size of a skyscraper. After that he and Urahara threatened to end my existence if I so much as tried to tell Ichigo the truth." He glared over at Urahara.
"Yeah, it's true that we did threaten Kon, but we had our reasons. Ichigo needed Shinji to train him to control his darker side. Him finding out that his father was a Shinigami, well, that would have made a mess out of what was already a dicey situation." Urahara sighed deeply. "All that you girls need to know is that your brother and father would take on the world, Heuco Mundo, or the entire Gotei 13 in order to insure yours and anyone else they love or see as friend or family's safety…"
"Did someone set off Ichigo again?" Uryū, having felt the immense spiritual pressure, left bed to investigate.
"Is Ichigo better?" Orihime leaned heavily against Chad.
"He doesn't seem angry to me." Chad, completely healed, easily held up his two friends.
"Uryū, Orihime, you should be in bed." Rukia frowned at them in concern.
"I'm fine, Rukia. Tell me who he's sparing with in the underground training area?" Uryū asked stubbornly.
"Yes, it feels as if he's fighting someone with his same signature spiritual pressure, but that's not possible is it?" Orihime asked weakly.
"It's very possible when the Shinigami that he's sparring with is his father. I assure you that he's in perfectly good hands. We'll even go down and watch if you wish, but at the moment we were trying to reassure Yuzu that her birthright isn't anything to be scared about and for the most part should be embraced." Urahara explained in his usual casual laid back tone. "Oh, and Uryū, in case your dad forgot to mention it, Isshin married your aunt making you and Ichigo cousins."
"Huh?!" Orihime and Chad gaped at him in total disbelief.
"It all makes perfect sense now. He's a hybrid. Astounding, to think that Ichigo of all people has Quincy blood running through his veins. No wonder we cancel each other out…" Uryū did his usual and brainstormed the facts that he had just been given instead of letting it floor him. "We're like the yin and yang symbol, complete opposites, yet of the same of the line."
"Exactly." Urahara nodded. "It's complicated, but Isshin and Ryūken were very close friends until the night of Masaki's murder, that tore their friendship apart. Isshin had been off gathering Intel on what Heuco Mundo was up to that night. Ryūken, having sensed that an attack was imminent, was keeping watch over Karakura Town. Ryūken has a sixth sense about these things." Urahara closed his eyes and sighed deeply, as if this was painful to talk about. "Anyway, the Hollow attack was widespread and he couldn't prevent the deaths of your mother or his twin sister. The Shinigami were taken by complete surprise and Isshin was late getting back. Ryūken never forgave him and then not long after that they took the life of his father. That was the last straw. Uryū was all he had left, so he vowed to focus on the living rather than the dead and was determined to undermine his son's attempts at becoming a Quincy. He took a different approach than Isshin did, but in the end the two of you took on your destinies and have been thriving ever since. Together the two of you make a formidable team."
"I'll say…" Renji smirked. "With your brains and his limitless power there isn't a situation that the two of you can't face and win. Now add Chad's strength and Inoue's special talents along with Rukia and me and you've got an unbeatable team."
"Do you three leave your bodies too?" Yuzu asked timidly. This was all so much to take in.
"No. Ichigo is the only one of us that can completely leave his body. The three of us with the help of Urahara, Rukia, and Renji navigate the various gates by our spiritual pressure levels alone." Uryū patiently explained, seeing as Chad and Inoue were shocked speechless.
"Yuzu, it's way over our heads, all you have to know is that they're the good guys, and that it's okay if you see spirits…" Karin was overwhelmed herself.
"Look, all you have to understand is that you have a formidable team keeping all of you safe and if you come across a spirit just tell your brother or one of us and we'll help them cross over to the Soul Society." Renji was eager to go see what was going on in the underground sparing grounds, that and he was starving.
"Ok…" Yuzu managed a weak smile.
"Good, now that this is all taken care of Breakfast is ready." Tessai informed them.
"Thank you, Tessai. Are Jinta and Ururu spying on Isshin and Ichigo?" Urahara was glad that this conversation was over.
"I sent them down there in case one of them needed any immediate first-aid." Tessai nodded.
"Good thinking, my friend. Let's all of us go get something to eat, it'll be good for the three of you to be up and around for a while." Urahara smiled.
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Meanwhile down in Urahara's underground training grounds…
After nearly two straight hours sparring with his dad, Ichigo was beginning to sweat, while Isshin wasn't even sweating yet, nor had he called upon his sword. Ichigo on the other hand was already at Bankai.
"Stop messing around, Dad. Call upon your sword already, will ya!" Ichigo glared impatiently at him.
"Why?" Isshin rolled his shoulders, on each of his shoulders was a skull trophy of an Arrancar and Vastorōde that he had slain. They acted as the fasteners that kept his haori fastened to his kimono. His haori bore the symbol of his rank as High King, the same symbol that was on Ichigo's substitute shinigami charm.
"I rarely if ever use my zanpakuto. I surpassed that over a millennia ago, when like Yoruichi, I mastered the flash cry fighting style. The time I spent in Hueco Mundo gave me plenty of time to master Tenmou instead." He sheathed his sword and then pulled a large bejeweled glaive, with five razor sharp points, from his robes.
"So what's the big deal about that or is it like Amagai's tuning fork weapon?" Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the weapon in his father's hands.
"The Kasumioji family created Tenmou for me as a gift centuries ago for surpassing all three shinigami skills. It has the power of five Captain level zanpakuto. Each jewel in front of the blades represents an elemental form of some kind. Amatsu Ryuujin is a force unto itself." He patted the zanpakuto at his side before returning his focus to his glaive. "But Tenmou takes fighting to a whole other level."
"Dad, haven't those weapons done enough damage?" He scowled.
"No. This is nothing like a bakkoto weapon. It just takes being in tune to your weapon up another notch. I'm in complete control when I wield it. Watch and I'll prove it to you." Isshin explained.
Ichigo shot him a skeptical look.
"Awaken Tenmou." He growled softly, the weapon in his hand grew five times its normal size, and the spiritual pressure coming from it was off the scales. The area around them quaked, fire blazed all around them, and he could clearly see and hear the images of a phoenix and dragon roaring for him to release them.
It was beyond anything he'd felt, it matched Gramp's spiritual pressure and any Espada he'd come across. Kenpachi had nothing on his dad. Hell, no wonder he leaked spiritual pressure like a sieve. Yet his father was able to easily keep all of his power in check. He now knew the identity of the mysterious shinigami who had easily handled the battle down on Earth during the Aizen/Arrancar war.
Ichigo's eyes widened and his mouth gaped open in awe. "You…you…had…this…much power…and…and…Mom…"
"Yeah, kid. All of the power in the heavens and I couldn't save her. Hollows were constantly targeting you and I had to put an end to that once and for all. After meeting with my ally in Hueco Mundo I returned from to find the town under Hollow attack, but I was too late…Grand Fisher had already made his move…" Isshin answered bitterly.
"Allie?"
"Neliel Tu Oderschvank, the third rank Espada."
"Nel…" Ichigo's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "My Nel…"
Isshin smirked, eyes dancing with amusement. "Your Nel, huh. Well, son, that's quite the harem you've got going."
Ichigo's face flushed crimson, his eyes blazing with temper. "I don't treat my friends, female or otherwise, like trophies!!"
"Son, it's inevitable. One of these days you will have to choose and someone is gonna get hurt. That's unless Dad decrees that you marry a noble then, at least in that case, you're in love with Rukia, and have already soul bonded. That'll make it easier on the two of you."
"I'm only sixteen, still in school, and nowhere near ready for any of that yet." Ichigo gritted his teeth his face now beet red.
"To get married, yeah, but betrothed no…"
"MY CHOICE TO MAKE WHEN I WANNA MAKE IT AND NOT BEFORE!" His Hollow mask now covered half his face.
"Son, the only reason that I got out of it was because my intended was my best friend. We loved each other, yes, but not enough to marry like our fathers wished us too. Now in your case it's a different matter altogether. You love and have soul bonded with your best friend and that Kiddo is something that happens once in a lifetime." Isshin calmly continued to explain, all the while observing his son's struggle to except what he was saying. The mask was now nearly complete.
"Dad! It's complicated alright! Renji has feelings for Rukia, so does Uryū! I won't deny that I have feelings for her, that those feelings are so strong that they terrify me at times, but it's beyond complicated!!" Ichigo's frustrated snarl blended with that of a very amused Hichigo, seeing as the mask was now complete.
"Son, you should know by now that life is complicated, but then that's what makes life so interesting. Yours more often than most because of who you are and your beliefs about how everyone should be treated." Isshin was beyond impressed at how much control his son had over his darker side.
"Ichigo, you wouldn't know how to handle a Babe if they handed you step by step instructions!" Hichigo hooted with laughter.
Ichigo was mortified that his control had slipped like this and reached up to tear the mask off in sheer disgust. "Stay out of it! Who asked you for your opinion anyway?!"
"You're getting all broody again…!"
"Yeah, well, tough shit! I'm having a serious conversation for the first time ever with my dad!"
"Zangetsu hates even a drizzle and it's cloudy here…!"
"Zangetsu ordered me to talk with my dad, so he'll have to deal until I get my feelings back under control again! Now shut the hell up and let me handle this on my own!"
"Yeah, right, like that's even possible! You're acting like a complete wuss about actually having to choose, let alone kiss one of the Babes! You would go for Rukia, even though Inoue clearly has the better set of…"
"Enough! God! It must be you that Kon channels when he takes my place! There is more to a female besides their breasts and killer body!" Under Hichigo's extreme protest Ichigo ripped off the mask.
"BUT IT'S THE BEST PART! WHO CARES IF THEY'RE BRAINY OR DITZY WHEN THEY'VE GOT OUT OF THIS WORLD…!"
"THIS CHAT IS OVER!!" Ichigo roared in frustration as the pieces of bone crumbled away.
"So, not only is he your more hell raiser side, but also a womanizer as well?" Isshin was targeting rock formations with his glaive, but easily eavesdropping on his son's inner battle with his Hollow side. "Does he do this often or only when your defenses are down?" He arched a curious brow at his flustered first born.
"Not nearly as much as…" Ichigo watched pensively as his father made short work slicing, freezing, flaming, electrifying, and exploding the various rock formations nearby. His temper rose as Isshin's words set in and hurting his father came to mind. "You eavesdropped in my head!?"
"Now, son, it's hard not to when you're projecting so loudly and…"
"STAY THE HELL OUT OF MY MIND, DAD!" He advanced on his father with murder blazing in his eyes.
"You can't blame me for getting curious with your voice changing and then you snarling at yourself!" Isshin called back his glaive, instead of drawing his sword.
"YOU WERE SPYING ON ME AGAIN!!" Ichigo let loose on him.
"Spying?! No…no…uh, think of it as making sure that you didn't get dead. I didn't ask Kisuke for another gigai until Shinji showed up." Isshin drew his sword, even though Tenmou easily protected him from most of his son's attacks. "I couldn't stand by and watch, not with Aizen finally playing out his hand. Dad needed all hands on deck. His army was beyond challenged, even you and your soldiers-at arms were in over your heads. Not that it slowed you down any. No one ever messes with those you see as under your protection and lives to tell about it. No matter what the cost it does on your own body!" He easily parried all of his son's attacks, but the kid was a force unto himself.
Tenmou hovered above him at the ready and his sword was roaring for him to release it.
"I'd wake up patched up in bed either at home or at Kisuke's. So that was you and not just Tessai?" Ichigo could feel the leashed power every time their blades clashed. He was dying to see its release, well, that and it floored him that his father had cared that much about him. "So Karin is more Quincy and Yuzu is just in extreme denial?"
"Karin and Yuzu aren't a part of any of this!" Isshin was the one with the short fuse now and his eyes showed it. "And yeah, son, that was me."
"Dad, thanks to Don Kanonji, the two of them have already joined the fight. You had to have realized that it was them on his show or are you really that clueless after all. Karin is well aware of my being a Soul Reaper. Yuzu not so much, but Karin has her eyes wide open." Ichigo grinned, it was about time that circumstances were reversed.
"I'LL SUE HIS ASS FOR EXPLOITING MY KIDS WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!!"
"Sue!" Ichigo nearly collapsed on the ground with laughter. "That guy is as sneaky as they come, but it's clear that they wanted to be one of the Karakura Superheroes. Karin fought Jinta over being Karakura Red and Yuzu was perfectly fine with being Karakura Yellow. The only one there under extreme protest was Kon, seeing as they used him as their final attack."
"I ought ta send his ass to the spirit world for nearly getting all of my kids killed by involving you all in that farce that he calls a television show!" Isshin glowered down at his son.
"Yeah, right! You're like his biggest fan!"
"Karin and Yuzu like the show! I thought he was harmless, just smoke and mirrors. I was certain of it, until that night when you had to save his worthless ass. It was then that I realized just how much of an idiot he was playing a deadly game of Russian roulette, all the while creating more trouble than not." Isshin grumbled in his defense.
"Uh-huh, just keep telling yourself that, Dad. I was there. I was watched you make a fool of yourself just like all the others."
"Karakura Town is a magnet for spiritually gifted individuals…" Isshin gritted his teeth when Ichigo rolled his eyes at him.
"Save it, Dad. I'm not Yuzu, who believes that anything you tell her is the truth."
"It is the truth and why Hollows are attracted to it!"
"No! The truth is that you made a choice to leave the Soul Society and it had some major baggage that came along with it!"
"Ichigo, you are old enough and have been through enough in the past year to understand why I chose your mother and ditched the Soul Society and its arsine government. Central 46 had supreme authority over the government and by no means served the ruling class. They were judge, jury, and executioner. Anyone's rank or title was all just for show, while Central 46 ruled over everyone with an iron fist. I was Captain of the Royal Special Task Force, until they deemed that a visible High King was needed to calm everyone. By that time I'd had a taste of what freedom was truly like." Isshin paced in front of him.
"Aristocratic societies suck, I get that. I don't blame you for faking your death and getting the hell out there. Hell, I wouldn't be here right now and you deserved some happiness too…Mom gave you that and I guess the three of us as well." Ichigo nodded in understanding. "Gramps has major mental issues and needs to learn how to bend a little when it comes to the rules. He's such a bastard sometimes... Has he always been so…"
"Tight lipped, strict as hell?" Isshin sighed deeply. "Yeah, pretty much since Mom and my baby sisters were killed, along with half the main population of the Soul Society, during an all out attack that ended three thousand years of peace. We had grown complacent and had virtually no defense against the Hollows. I was around sixteen, Amagai was ten. During those times only direct decedents of the Royal line were taught how to fight in battle. I was a hell raiser always raring for a fight. I'd studied the ancient arts since I could walk. Getsu, my grandfather, was my teacher. He was so wise, knew all about spiritual pressure, Kidō, all of it." Isshin sheathed his sword so that he could lounge comfortably on a flat rock across from his son.
"Getsu?" Ichigo looked down at the sword in his hands then over at his father. Nah. It couldn't be.
"Zangetsu does sound close doesn't it, son." Isshin pulled an apple from his robe pocket, polished it against the material of his robes, and then took a healthy bite out of it. "Ya know it could be possible, seeing as you're my kid and all that." He chewed thoughtfully.
"Well, he does kinda look like a middle aged, skinnier version of you, but what are the odds." Ichigo shrugged.
"Your darker half mentioned Zangetsu hating the rain to you and it just so happens that Grandfather wasn't all that fond of it either. You see, rain in the Soul Society signals weeks of cold dreary nonstop rain."
"That's coincidence, dad. I mean, yeah, Zangetsu did want me to talk with you, but…"
"If he is my Gramps then you're the luckiest kid in world to have been given him as your zanpakutō's spirit. Yeah, he can be tough as nails at times, but he's as wise as they come. His healing ability was his greatest asset in a fight. It's where I got my skill for healing from. You should count yourself lucky that he chose you. Others have to climb mountains, explore live volcanoes, delve into oceans, or brave the frozen north to gain the name of their soul cutters sleeping spirit."
"I had to dive into water… I think it was water, you see he resides in this weird city like domain. It has skyscrapers and most of the time the whole place is on its side. I'm usually sitting on the side of a building while he's perched on a steel flagpole." Ichigo put his sword away to sit cross-legged in front of his father.
Isshin arched a brow at him signaling him to continue.
"The first time I met him I couldn't fly or whatever so I ended up falling into water where all these boxes were all around me. The whole mirror world was dissolving around me and I had to find him by choosing the box that held my spirit ribbon. I was so freaked out that I completely blanked out him telling me his name. It wasn't until I almost died fighting Kenpachi that I earned his name."
"Go on, son, this is stuff I wanna know about you."
"I was sliced clean open and it was Zangetsu that was preventing me from bleeding to death. He asked me if I wanted to give up or continue the fight on in my quest to save Rukia. I was damned if I was gonna give up and so I ended up in the mirror world again. It's my first meeting with Hichigo…That's what Inoue calls him, since he's my Hollow side." He frowned in remembrance of the ass whooping that he'd received from his inner pain. "I nearly got my ass handed to me by him and received one hell of a lecture from Zangetsu until I got it into my head that I was the student and he was my master. Hichigo calls me king and he's the horse."
Isshin listened intently. This was more than he'd hoped he would get from him, at least during their first father son talk. It felt good knowing that Ichigo still trusted him enough to confide in him.
"I know that Hichigo is a part of me. Uryū calls him my id or something like that…"
"I see," Isshin thoughtfully scratched his chin taking all that his son was saying in, then asked. "Does 'the horse' ever gain control?"
"Dad…" Ichigo leaned forward narrowing his eyes. "I'm not a mental case, so stop trying to psycho analyze me."
"It's a simple question." Isshin arched a brow. "Does he or doesn't he."
"Once or maybe a handful of times during major battles…" Ichigo muttered under his breath.
"Son, it doesn't hurt to tell me about it. I know that you're in control now and talking about what you've gone through is good for you."
"Fine. He took control when I was fighting Rukia's tight ass big brother Byakuya. I didn't have anything left in me; my body was shutting down…"
"So he comes out as a kind of last line of defense."
"Yeah, but that doesn't happen anymore. I've got full control over him now."
"Son, you've never known when to surrender and have always thrived on the challenge of winning any battle that you wage. Amagai damn near flame broiled your ass, but you seem to feed off of everyone's energy in battle. Instead of weakening, you get stronger." Isshin explained.
"Gramps sure took his own sweet time watching, while Uncle Amagai toasted me like a marshmallow. Hell, I thought he was sleeping, seeing as he has his eyes closed all the time." Ichigo grumbled darkly.
"Dad's silent but deadly. Besides, your Hollowfication and knowledge of Bankai completely floored him." Isshin tossed the apple core over his shoulder.
"I haven't been hiding either skill from anyone. He's never there when I use it." He rolled his eyes. "Usually some big bad is attacking the Sereitei and he's busy elsewhere or he just sends everyone else to deal with the current mess and sits back to watch."
"Son, he's beyond proud of you and all that you've achieved in the one short year that you've been a shinigami. He wanted to skewer Kisuke for risking your life, but I explained the circumstances." Isshin grinned wickedly. "Now he's steamed at Byakuya for nearly ending you last year. Evidently, he failed to mention that in his report on the whole incident. Shinji and his crew are also off the hook for obvious reasons, though it'll take centuries before that rift between them is sealed."
"My choice. It was mine and no one else's. Though Byakuya getting reamed now that's a bonus. Shinji and the others have every right to hold a grudge and it'll take a hell of a lot more than a full pardon to make it right with them."
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"No, but then Aizen had them all under his trance." Isshin got up and stretched out the kinks in his shoulders. "Break times over, but it was a good talk. We'll have to make it a thing between us to talk things out more often."
Ichigo, sensing a change in his dad, also got up to his feet. "Yeah, it wasn't bad at all and it helped a lot."
"That's what I'm here for." Isshin drew his sword and growled softly. "Rise from the ashes Amatsu-Kasai Ryuujin."
The ground quaked beneath their feet, geysers of fire spewed from the ground forming a fiery curtain around them. The shadows of the two mystical beasts that he had seen before were now even clearer to his eyes and part of the fire around them. The spiritual pressure was so intense that Ichigo almost fell to his knees, and just when he thought he wasn't gonna be able to stand the zanpakuto split into two weapons. A gauntlet that looked as if it was made of dragon hide on one of his hands and a fiery chain whip in his other.
Ichigo could only stare at him in awe, but managed to keep his mouth from gaping open. He knew the answer, but asked anyway. "Dad, uh, what's the whip and gauntlet for?"
"Bankai." Isshin was now engulfed in flames, his robes transforming into armor and chainmail. The ginormous mystical beasts were now in solid form and towered protectively on either side of him in all their fiery glory.
"Does the fledgling warrant a lesson?" The dragon's voice boomed, smoke flared from his massive snout, as he narrowed blazing emerald green eyes down at Ichigo.
"He must. Though, I would rather feast on Hollows." The phoenix stretched out its massive fiery wings.
"No. I just thought I'd let you both out for a while." Isshin reached out his gloved hand to stroke her wing.
"They eat Hollows?" Ichigo eyed the two warily.
"Yeah, they feast on a Hollows spiritual pressure. Ama's only trying to intimidate you, because she smells Hichigo inside you. I can ride Ryu if I need to and believe you me that comes quite in handy during a battle. The two are forces unto themselves in battle." He patted Ryu's neck.
"Where…I mean…how…" Ichigo was dumbfounded.
"I had to go on two spiritual quests to earn their names. Each was life altering, seeing as my quest led to two active volcanoes…"
"Volcanoes?"
"Yes, young one. Do pay attention."
"Now Ryu, he's had a shock…"
"Perhaps, but then it's not very difficult to comprehend for he also is holding a soul cutter. He too has unlimited potential, so seeing us should not overwhelm his young mind." Ryu's growled response seemed to echo around them for miles.
"Sentient spirits have to be awakened and permission must be earned." Ama explained soothingly.
"Huh…"
"Look boy. You act as if similar events didn't happen to earn your own soul cutter's name." Ryu lay down so that he could be at eye level with the young one.
"Zangetsu is…" Ichigo flinched from the heat steaming from Ryu's nostrils, but being this close to him wasn't scorching his skin.
"Enough!" Zangetsu appeared in front of his charge not at all amused.
"Lord Getsu!" The two creatures bowed before him.
"Ichigo is my wielder, my student, and also my great-grandson. He is an intelligent tactician in battle, and has a resolve that seems at times infinite. He's rash, yes, hotheaded the majority of the time, but his soul even after all that he has seen and been through remains untarnished. His love for those he sees as his is unending and he will stop at nothing to protect those he cares for. He rarely sees situations through rose colored glasses and will fight for the innocents no matter if they be spirit or living. His loyalty to his friends and family has no bound. Ichigo never gives up on anything he sets his mind to and that combined with his resolve makes him virtually impossible to defeat in battle. The key to all of it, however, is his natural ability to grow stronger during any battle by drawing on the energy of his opponent. It's all a key factor in how he's able to heal himself so quickly and catch his second wind. This young man is the savior of the Soul Society and without him all would be lost."
Ichigo had never heard his guardian speak so highly of him and he was humbled by his praise. "Uh, thanks grandfather."
"Isshin, you cannot hide from who and what you are." Zangetsu frowned at him.
Isshin flinched under his scrutinizing gaze. "Yeah, well, it seemed like the only solution and I wasn't about to give up my soul mate just to make my old man happy. Dad and I had very different views on things. Masaki was my life; everything else meant nothing to me. She breathed life back into me. After centuries of being a rebel, I finally had a purpose not just a hell on wheels attitude. The Soul Society was stifling and she was like breathing in the purest air. She wasn't afraid of anything and used her natural abilities to heal, rather than harm others. I'd buried that part of me long ago. It failed me one too many times, that and dad saw it as a weakness. Power and how to wield it in battle was far more important than healing the wounded, no that was for the weaker of our kind."
"Yeah, well, a lot gramps knows. Hanatarō has helped me through a lot. Yeah, he's not the bravest shinigami, but he's loyal, and a good friend." Ichigo was beginning to dislike his grandfather more and more. "He needs to get over his grudge against the whole universe. If I can accept that mom dying wasn't my fault, that she protected me out of love. Love so strong that there are times when I'm in it over my head she's there to snap me out of it and I know that I can win. Anger just eats you alive inside…nothing good can come from it."
"Well done, Ichigo. But don't rush to judge those who have lived through thousands of years of trials, tragedies, and triumphs. Shi has seen more than you could ever imagine in your short span of life. Experiences twist one inside until there's nothing left but bitterness and determination that the Soul Society will not fall ever again to…" Zangetsu lectured.
"They are their own disaster in the making and never own up to their own mistakes! No! Instead they lay the blame on others! Aizen! That nut Captain Mad scientist guy who wants to dissect Uryū! Kenpachi the psychopath… Do I go on, cuz I can! Gramps is the cause of his own problems! His iron fist rule over all that he surveys creates more trouble than it protects! His you break the rules you die attitude sucks! Hell, he would have gladly killed mom himself, but then Dad faked his own death. Boy that must have really steamed the old fart…!" Ichigo glared defiantly at all of them.
"Ichigo, that's enough…" Isshin warned.
"No! Dad! I won't change my mind about him! I've seen too much with my own eyes for anyone to convince me otherwise! Uncle Amagai went insane because of him, well, that and you deserted him…Innocents suffered because of it all! Rurichiyo and Rukia and countless others could have died, people suffered because of him! I put my ass on the line to clean up his mess! And the thing that really pisses me off is that he doesn't even know the word thank you!" Ichigo was seething mad.
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"Never gonna happen. He'd keel over dead before lowering himself down to that level." Renji snorted sarcastically.
"Renji!" Rukia hissed then glared at Ichigo. "Is the tantrum finished yet?"
"Lay off, Rukia." Ichigo growled.
"No! Captain-Commander Yamamoto is a great man! Yes, he's made his mistakes, but then all of us have!" Rukia stalked over to him and started poking him in the chest. "He's your grandfather and deserves your respect!"
"Rukia, I've got a right to be a little steamed at him…"
"Being angry with him because of what happened with Captain Amagai is one thing, but putting the blame on him for everything bad that happens is just wrong." Rukia turned her back on him sighing heavily. "You are better than that, Ichigo. Why can't you use that incredible ability that you have to see the good in people to see the good in him?"
"I don't know, Rukia." Ichigo felt lower than low.
"If he really was the tyrant that you think he is then you, your sisters, father, and friends would all be permanent residents of the Soul Society right now." She turned around to give him a solemn look.
"What do you mean by that, Rukia? Dad and I are in gigai's but the rest of them are all living." Ichigo's troubled golden eyes met serious blue eyes.
"Anyone with spiritual pressure and the ability to use it is usually recruited and taken back to the Soul Society whether they wish it or not. That you are still able to reside in this world is all the proof that I need that he still has goodness inside of him."
"I'll try and give him a chance, but I'm not gonna make any promises…" Ichigo sighed, resigned to his fate. "I'm just having a crappy week…so give me a break okay."
Rukia gave into the urge to comfort him and gave him hug. "Next time come find me and we'll work it out together…"
Ichigo awkwardly put his arms around her and hugged her back. "Sorry about that…I didn't mean to make you worry about me…"
"I care about you, you idiot!" Rukia who rarely cried or showed any emotions had tears shining in her eyes.
Ichigo found that he couldn't take seeing tears in her eyes and hearing her admit her feelings about him was making him feel emotions that were completely new and so strong towards her that he was dumbfounded. "Rukia…I…I…"
Rukia stared up into his eyes revealing her true feelings about him. What she saw in his own eyes was enough to see that he felt the same way about her. Sure, he was shocked to his core, but then that was a good thing. "You don't have to say anything just now. I know… Just hold me for a while…" She laid her head against his chest. "You scared the life out of me and I just need to hear your heart beating under my ear for a while."
"Yeah, okay I can do that." Ichigo held her close. It felt right having her in his arms and if this caused any rifts with the others, well, they would find a way to work it out.
Renji was shocked speechless by her actions. He loved her, but had accepted long ago that she only cared for him like a brother. He'd never seen her express her feelings like this for as long as he'd known her. Ichigo was like a kid brother to him and it was clear as day that he had feelings for her too. In the long run he was happy for the two of them, but it was surreal to see it happening before his very eyes.
Isshin was grinning from ear to ear and had both his girls in his arms.
Zangetsu was smirking.
Chad had seen the signs so this didn't surprise him.
Uryū was so awed by Isshin's guardians that he wasn't even noticing what was going on between the two of them.
Inoue bit down on her lower lip, as she watched the touching scene taking place before her eyes. He had never looked at her like that and although it hurt to watch, it was clear that the two of them were a match. They were two of her best friends and she would be happy for them.
Jinta was making gagging noises and Tessai boxed him in the ears.
Ururu was just happy that the fighting was over and that Rukia chose to hug him instead of deck him.
Yoruichi was amused and Kisuke seemed pleased with this turn of events.
Kon was bawling his eyes out.
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Next
Chapter three
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