Thank You
Chapter 1; 2nd Part - Quincy
They chose to walk the six blocks to the hospital run by Ryuken Ishida, Urahara nodding along to the elevator music as they ascended to Ryuken's office. They stepped out of the elevator and immediately Ryuken's secretary greeted them; the three shared a look of disconcertment for it seemed as if they were expected. The silvery gleam of the Quincy cross hanging from her left earlobe instantly drew their attention.
"This way please gentleman" she gestured walking ahead, she did not bother to turn back, she was already certain they would follow. Ryuken stood from his desk upon their entrance, moving away from his seat to stand at the side of his large oak desk, he gestured them to seat themselves upon the leather couches before them. His secretary scurried around to prepare their tea. She sat down the tea set upon the low marble table, pouring them each a cup of jasmine tea into beautifully crafted porcelain chinaware.
Ryuken seated himself languidly into the large leather couch, gesturing them again to take the couch opposite him, as he nodded to his secretary in dismissal. She bowed to them and then left the room, closing the large double oak doors.
"You have been expecting us," spoke Byakuya solemnly as he seated himself also, and studied the magnificently crafted cup within his hand, the heady scent of the jasmine tea consuming his senses.
"Since your sister made that Kurosaki boy a shinigami," he replied idly, shooting down the scolding tea as if it were a shot of alcohol. "Beautiful, is it not?" he said studying the now empty cup in his hand, "A family heirloom you could say, one of many gifts presented to my family from our Noble Clans. That is why you are here, correct…the Matsuyukisou!" His light gaze shifted from the porcelain cup to rest intensely upon Byakuya Kuchiki.
"We have come to believe that there are Matsuyukisou agents within Karakura Town" spoke Urahara, intently studying the Quincy man seated before him. He had not taken a single sip of the tea, none of them except for Ryuken had. It remained in the porcelain cup held in his hands, the heat overwhelming the cold stiffness in his fingers.
"The Living World is their domain; Soul Society failed to end Aizen's…exploits! It is the duty of the Matsuyukisou to address the situation."
"The Matsuyukisou are Assassins, they are not like the Quincy's of the Kokhabi. They are not guardians they are killers!" retorted Kensei
"Yes indeed, and would you not concede that with the unveiling of Aizen's real intentions, it is killers that are required to rectify this situation and not guardians!" Ryuken retorted back at him, he filled his porcelain cup again with the scolding tea, and again he gulped it down in a single shot. He exhaled sharply, licking the last remnants of its sweet bitterness from his lips, he reached for the pot again but Byakuya had quickly moved it from his reach.
Their eyes locked, "Tell me about Isshin Kurosaki!" spoke Byakuya in cold clarity
Ryuken close his eyes tightly and exhaled sharply again, leaning back into the sofa he asked in annoyance, "What about Isshin?!"
"You are aware that he is a former shinigami, a former captain of the Gotei-13?!"
"Yes, I have always known. The white haori was a dead give away as to his status!"
"You have been a resident within Karakura for some time, since you were a young boy, correct?!"
"Yes and no, I studied elsewhere since I was 15, I did not return to Karakura Town until after my internship years."
"You met Isshin Kurosaki here in Karakura Town, correct?"
"Yes, before I left and again upon my return"
"Did you also meet your wife here in Karakura Town?" queried Byakuya again, though softly almost tenderly. Ryuken stiffened instantly, his features darkening, he shut his eyes tightly, his breathing ragged as he inhaled deeply trying desperately to calm his nerves and temper. Urahara and Kensei, who had sat quietly and patiently throughout the exchange between the two, became suddenly aware of Byakuya's objective. "It is treasonous by both Soul Society and Matsuyukisou laws for any form of relationship between a human and non-living being. Isshin escaped Soul Society's radar, but I do not think it possible for him to have escaped the radar of the Matsuyukisou with a Quincy residing in the same town, a Quincy that is well aware of his presence, and more importantly an Ishida. The Matsuyukisou and the Ishida Clan are close; this porcelain set is proof enough"
Ryuken burst out in bitter laughter, hunched over himself one hand slapping his knee, "Come out with it Kuchiki!" he said finally, his eyes alight in bitter humour
"Isshin Kurosaki was married to a human; he has three children that should not and would not exist if Soul Society or the Matsuyukisou had been aware first hand"
"Indeed, Isshin would have been a dead dead-man or perhaps a very lonely more-crazy man, prisoner within the Maggots Nest. Masaki would either have been killed or her memory wiped, and our favourite substitute shinigami," his voice cooed thick with sarcasm, "Ichigo Kurosaki as well as his young sisters would never have come to exist. Your young sister," he exclaimed wildly, grabbing the pot and pouring himself a cup, "would never have met him, would never have given her powers away, this whole fiasco! would not be. However," he said in abrupt seriousness, pausing effectively he sipped lightly at the tea slowly inhaling its chilling scent, "more likely this whole fiasco would not be yet; Aizen in all probability would still be a respectable captain abiding his dubious time in Soul Society company" wiggling his eyebrows at them before gulping the last of his tea.
Urahara and Kensei shared a look, both questioning the sanity of the Quincy doctor. "Your wife died on July 15th," spoke Byakuya with indifferent serenity,
Ryuken managed a weak smile of acknowledgement, he reached for the pot but Byakuya grasped it first. He did not lift his head as Byakuya poured the cooling tea into the cup in his outstretched arm. He held it close to his face, inhaling the rich aroma, lost in the shallow depths of the liquid, "You know much…Kuchiki," he intoned sharply.
"She died 15years ago on the very day Ichigo Kurosaki was born," continued Byakuya
Ryuken smiled bitterly, "Obviously not that much! My wife died 6-years ago, on the day of Ichigo Kurosaki's 9th birthday."
"The same year Ichigo Kurosaki's mother died whispered Byakuya to himself incredulously
"Yes, the very same year. Do you know then how my wife died? That she died on her way to the Kurosaki household, I was making my way their separately with Uryuu, she was driving in from just outside Karakura. She was a nurse you see, and had attended to a patient's private home that morning for a check-up."
"A hollow had forced her car off the road; she had survived the sudden crash unscathed. All she could do was run…run from a monster she could not see." He got up from the leather couch, the porcelain cup discarded upon the table still full with the tea, and walked to the large window. The small hospital gardens hidden in the darkness far below, the glittering town lights in the distance could not compete against the lights in the room they were lost for the glass reflected only the scene within.
They watched him through his reflection, his posture tired, his features aggrieved, his gaze lost in the dark reflection of his eyes. "It forced her spirit out of her body, broke the chain of fate that connected her to life" croaked his voice hoarsely, "It did not consume her, no! It spared her that fate!" the bitter laughter escaped him again without the wildness though and instead deep with biting melancholy. He turned back around to face them his eyes deadened, and then suddenly slumping against the window glass, his head shaking softly as his closed eyes struggled to hold in the dark tears.
They darted from their seat, Byakuya moved towards him but he sensed his presence, his head shook in indignation, "It ripped her soul apart!" he cried out, eyes brimming with tears and alight with a freezing fieriness, "It ripped her apart, her...pieces…tossed aside!"
The unshed tears finally cascaded and he, himself, slumped down against the glass onto the floor, "All at the same time that Uryuu and I had arrived at the Kurosaki household!" The bitter laughter returned. Byakuya seated himself next to Ryuken, Urahara and Kensei grabbing the pot and cups folded themselves facing them, and forced the cup of warm tea in his hands. He gulped it down at once, gestured for another and gulped that down too in one shot.
They drank from their own cups finally, and waited patiently for him to unburden himself with the melancholic load that weighed down heavily upon him.
"I received a call from an officer, her car was discovered pinned into a tree, she was nowhere around. Isshin and I…we left his house together, we did not even bother with a car we just shunpo'd there. The young officers could not find her in the darkness, but we sensed the reiatsu remains of a hollow. Her body was just 500m away from the car. Police investigators and the coroner could not explain her sudden death, could not explain why she had run into the brush instead of towards nearby shop buildings. Of Course Not! They could not sense the remains of her spiritual pressure scattered about the scene!"
"Where were the Matsuyukisou?" questioned Kensei
"Tsch…where were the Shinigami!" Ryuken hit back
"Did the Matsuyukisou know about Isshin?" asked Byakuya in feigned indifference
That bitter smile returned upon is face; he tossed his white-ash hair to the side, and locked their gaze with his now dry eyes "There are eight Matsuyukisou Elders," his voice reverberated with a sort of medical seriousness, "each representing the Eight Noble Clans. The Fubuki Clan, 2nd most in line, followed by the Sagiri Clan, the Kangetsu Clan, the Hatsuyuki Clan, the Bosetsu Clan, the Jimo Clan, and the Uzume Clan. Mostly, the Matsuyukisou Assassins consist of members direct from these clans."
"That is only seven! The eight is the Kisshoten clan?!" corrected Kensei
"Yes, commonly the eighth Elder post is held by the previous Kisshoten head, there is none so instead this position is held by a Ryoka"
"A Ryoka?!" the three repeated
"Yes, for decades now the post has been held by a Kokhabi Quincy. Held by the former Leader of the noblest clan from the Kokhabi Raiden's, currently that is Elder Yue."
"So none of the Matsuyukisou Elders or the Assassins are aware of Isshin Kurosaki?!" clarified Urahara
"The Matsuyukisou are always aware of everything at all times. They have always been aware of Isshin Kurosaki, former Gotei-13 Shinigami Captain," answered Ryuken, pouring himself another cup of tea but now intent upon sipping it slowly
"Then why,"
"Why was Isshin not assassinated, and Masaki not memory wiped," spoke Ryuken interrupting Byakuya, "why were they allowed to marry, why was she allowed to become pregnant not just once but twice?! Because Masaki Kurosaki was born Lady Masaki Kangetsu, daughter of the Kangetsu Clan" he answered them all.
They returned his steady gaze with disbelief and interest, "Masaki possessed no Quincy ability so her mother, Karin, left the Matsuyukisou with her shortly after her birth never to return. Kangetsu-sama was married off again soon after Masaki and her mother had left. Karin then died when Masaki was nine. My parents took her into our home, and then my mother, Yuzu, died not long after, so we left and resettled in Karakura Town. Masaki's father, subsequently Ichigo's grandfather, is the current clan head known as Elder Kangetsu of the Matsuyukisou Council Elders"
"Masaki was a Quincy!" intoned Urahara, at the same time Kensei exclaimed, "Ichigo's a Quincy!"
"No, they are of Quincy decent, neither have Quincy powers therefore they are not Quincy's. Masaki's mother could not return, once Karin left the barrier she could not re-enter because she too did not possess Quincy abilities, she was unable to see or even sense plus souls. However, Masaki could sense them, and see them but not clearly only their outlines. Karin had made my parents promise that Masaki was to never be told of her Quincy heritage, a promise that my father and I both kept."
"She never knew she was of Quincy blood? How was it explained that she came to be raised by your family, a family descended from a long line of Quincy's?" Urahara queried
"It just so happened that my mother and hers were childhood best-friends during their days in the Matsuyukisou lands, they descended from servant and lesser-noble clans living within the Matsuyukisou barrier. My mother Yuzu had left when she was fifteen, and assisted Karin when she left the Matsuyukisou a few months after she had given birth to Masaki. The story given was that they were childhood best friends growing up in Karakura Town, the Quincy part left out of that. Karin chose Karakura thoughtlessly when they concocted their story, because it was far from the Matsuyukisou land. When my mother died, my father was intent upon moving towns, Masaki suggested Karakura because of the tales my mother and hers told."
"Had they ever been to Karakura before?" asked Kensei
"Not once after either of them had left the Matsuyukisou."
"So to keep up the tale, Sōken moved you and Masaki here to Karakura Town."
"Yes. Her father, Kangetsu-sama had two sons from his second marriage but both his sons also had no Quincy abilities and left the Matsuyukisou when they had come of age at 17. It was nearly 20years ago, that Isshin established himself as a human, a young doctor by the name of Kurosaki. At that time, Kangetsu-sama was an active Quincy of the Matsuyukisou Assassins, his eldest son's status he had no knowledge of and he had already lost his wife and youngest son. As it stood, with no knowledge of his eldest son, Masaki was the only heir to the Kangetsu clan. He had no idea how to find her until my father came before him to inform him of the situation between a defected soul society captain and Masaki."
"And so Kangetsu-sama gained clemency for Masaki and Isshin's union!" stated Urahara
"No. It is treasonous whether you are of noble blood or not. So to protect his daughter from Quincy attacks that he knew would be eminent once the Matsuyukisou discovered and sent the other assassins, Kangetsu-sama with the help of my father performed an Izanami shield spell. It would forever protect her from being hurt in any way by a Quincy and could not be undone. Therefore it would make her immune to the Matsuyukisou Assassins."
"This Izanami spell is what exactly?" asked Urahara
"A Death and creation spell. There are two forms of the spell, one is a protective spell the other a destruction spell, created by the Kisshoten clan. Unknown to my father and Kangetsu-sama at the time was that only a Kisshoten could perform an Izanami spell. In the absence of a Kisshoten, the kido spell would become distorted."
"Distorted?!" the three repeated
"Equivalent exchange," Ryuken answered, earning quizzical brows in answer. "A daughter protected, a daughter lost. Masaki would be protected from the Matsuyukisou, and in equivalence my wife would lose her life, torn apart by a Hollow."
"That is the equivalence? Who summoned the hollow that killed your wife? The Matsuyukisou?!" questioned Byakuya
"No, it was the spell itself! Masaki was immune to the Quincy Assassins, in equivalence, a former Matsuyukisou that had become a hollow, would kill my wife."
"The hollow was a former Matsuyukisou? You are certain of that!"
"Yes, I saw its true identity before I killed it. It was the previous Kisshoten-sama who, seven years before was overpowered, killed and dragged into Hueco Mundo to become a hollow himself. I wiped Uryuu's mind of his 'Aunt' Masaki and the rest of the Kurosaki family; I blamed her for my wife's death and threatened my father to stop all contact with her or I would prevent him from ever seeing Uryuu again, to which my father complied. The Kurosaki children were like-wise wipe of their memory of us." He ran his hand through his messy hair, adjusting his glasses, "But the Matsuyukisou always knows! No crime goes unpunished!"
"They knew about Grand Fishers presence in Karakura, a hollow that had eluded Soul Society for over fifty years" spoke Urahara, dawning with understanding.
"Yes, they knew Grand Fisher was casing areas near the Kurosaki household and near where Masaki walked with Ichigo. They kept the information from Kangetsu-sama, and did not send the other Matsuyukisou Assassins to easily deal with Grand Fisher. They knew he was after Ichigo, and they anticipated that Masaki would do anything to protect her child even at the cost of her life. Masaki's death was foreseen and not prevented, as punishment to Kangetsu-sama."
"And Sōken's punishment, was to be overpowered by hollows, left to his own fate!" continued Urahara,
"No, my father's punishment was to lose all protection and assistance to the Ishida Clan by the Matsuyukisou. I left Karakura at 15 because the Matsuyukisou paid for my schooling; tuition and boarding all paid for throughout my years of study including my years as an Intern. Ishida's have been under the protection of the Matsuyukisou since the end of the War, every Ishida upon the age of 15 were sent to the most sophisticated school overseas, and were educated and trained alongside the children of the Matsuyukisou clans. His punishment was for our clan, our family, to be left to our fate, no special protection unless requested and granted."
"Is Isshin aware that his children are of Quincy decent? Does he know who Masaki really was?" asked Kensei
"After her death only; Kangetsu-sama attended her funeral service, he and my father explained to Isshin the connection between the death of my wife and of his, so to explain why Ichigo and the two girls remembered nothing of Uryuu or my wife and I. He refused Kangetsu-sama access to the children, to this day, he is still banned and I suppose respects the distance that Isshin imposes. Kangetsu-sama's eldest son died that year also, but he did not find out until the following year upon the anniversary by his grandson, his only grandchild besides the Kurosaki's."
"The Matsuyukisou are not above killing their own, then."
"Nor are the Shinigami; even more so, for the Matsuyukisou assassins have been tasked numerous times by your Central 46 and your Commander General to dispatch of Shinigami, when they could not do so themselves or chose not to so as to avoid being seen as the punishers."
"So are the Matsuyukisou Quincy's killers, first and foremost, or protectors first?!" taunted Kensei
"The Matsuyukisou are justice," said Ryuken, before correcting, "…as they see fit!"
"So is it justice that brings the Matsuyukisou back into Karakura, their Quincy Assassins following your every move, including that of your son, the Kurosaki's, the other human teenagers as well as my sister."
"Yes!" answered Ryuken simply, getting up and heading toward his desk. He was already seated in the tall leatherback chair by the time the other three men had dusted themselves off and risen.
"You will arrange an audience for me with Kisshoten-sama, and only him. No Elders are to be present," intoned Byakuya in unquestionably finality. The importance of the order requested registered in the eyes of Ryuken Ishida, he did not move, did not answer but stared intently at Byakuya. "I have met with four of your Matsuyukisou Assassins, mere children, but if the declaration of heart as announced by one of them is true to its depths then we have every reason to believe that the Matsuyukisou are here as a punishing justice. Therefore, I have every intention in persuading Kisshoten-sama to recall his assassins."
No reply came; instead, they all witnessed the bitterness return to every feature of the Quincy man, the corner of his mouth twitching up in a sneer "Kisshoten-sama is within Karakura Town!" They stared blankly at him, his words sinking slowly into their conscious. "No Kisshoten-sama has ever accompanied a mission with the entire Matsuyukisou Quincy's. Every Kisshoten has attended missions solo."
"Until now" finished Kensei
"Until now," repeated Ryuken,
"It should be easier for you then, to get me an audience with Kisshoten-sama! Your life and than of Uryuu's is also at stake!"
"The only 'life' at risk is that of your sister!"
"Rukia!" whispered Byakuya
"Rukia Kuchiki is the mission. The only mission, all others are protected. They are all here for her and only her. Fate has dealt her a cruel hand; the Matsuyukisou acknowledge Fate, they believe it to be their guide."
"And so it is Fate," hissed Byakuya, "that has guided them to aim their arrows at my sister, to hunt her down as their subject, their target!"
"Yes!" answered Ryuken simply
"It has been 3weeks though, why have they not attacked?!" questioned Urahara
"Where there is presence of body, there is appearance of life!"
"The gigai?!" exclaimed Kensei
"As long as she remains in her gigai, they will not harm her, they cannot harm her. Surprisingly though, they have not succeeded to lure her out of her gigai, Fate maybe?"
"You are intent upon sitting back and allowing such to happen?!"
"My son is protected, Masaki's children are protected, the other teenagers are protected, and even Isshin is protected. There is nothing more that requires my involvement, Fate has already decided for Miss Kuchiki; her fate lies with Fate, and Fate alone." In a fraction of a second, he found himself against the wall, his chair upon the ground, and the tip of Byakuya's zanpakuto pressed dangerously against the pulse in his neck. Byakuya's gigai lay 'dead' upon the carpet of his office, Urahara and Kensei standing next to it unfazed by the noble shinigami's actions.
"You will allow Miss Kuchiki to meet her death because she is a shinigami?" queried Urahara calmly; Byakuya was still too incensed to speak
"I will allow Miss Kuchiki to meet her Fate because it is my only guarantee that my son and the others remain protected. You could not defeat 3former captains; you have no chance against an army of captain-level Quincy's. And the Matsuyukisou Quincy's, they are captain-level Quincy's, all masters of their bankai and their hollow-self!"
"Bankai?!" "Hollow-self?! Shit…No-way!"
"Do you really think that after the birth of Shinigami-Quincy Kisshoten heir that the Matsuyukisou would not have adapted and adopted as well? The Matsuyukisou and Kokhabi have shikai and bankai forms to their bows, high ranking members all possess a hollow-self. They are the Quincy equivalent to the Visoreds! As for Kisshoten-sama, Soul Society stands no chance against him; not against a leader of the holy trinity, part Shinigami, part Quincy, part Hollow, but more importantly descended from all three. Anrui Kisshoten was the child of Byakuren Kisshoten and the shinigami Lieutenant Mika Kyouya. Anrui-sama first discovered that a Quincy bow also possesses two release forms, through that Quincy's are also able to perform konsou's, he also discovered a hollowfication technique. Every Kisshoten-sama since that descended from him has possessed both a Quincy bow, a shinigami zanpakuto and an inner-hollow. What choice do I have but to leave your sister to her fate! Soul Society has no chance against a Hollow-Shinigami-Quincy Leader with a bankai for both bow and zanpakuto. No chance at all, not when it cannot even defeat mere shinigami!"
"But Rukia…"
"…is a slave to her fate!" finished Ryuken for him, "Do what you must Kuchiki, but ultimately only Fate can save her; for the sake of my son and the other humans, my hands are tied"
"At least get an audience for me with Kisshoten-sama; that is not a disservice to the Matsuyukisou" requested Byakuya, sheathing his zanpakuto at last
"Give me until dusk tomorrow; I will inform you of the outcome then. With luck, or Fate, I will be able to present you before Kisshoten-sama," Promised Ryuken tiredly, adjusting the rim of his glasses. Byakuya nodded his thanks, and returning to his gigai, left with Urahara and Kensei.
AN: Tada! Yeah so a lot of back-story in this, every point is important as will be seen in future chaps. I wrote this chap in one day! I'm soo proud of myself, on terms of creativity in mind and not in terms of writing skill and eloquence. I had Ryuken refer to his wife as just his wife since she has no name that Master Tite Kubo has given, so I thought it better that way instead of making up my own. The story behind Masaki is all my own, as well as to the death of Ryuken's wife, and reasons behind Masaki Kurosaki's death and Sōken Ishida's death (that Uryuu's granddad rmmbr pplz)
Izanami is a god (Izanami-no-Mikoto), the god of creation and death.
You may have picked up on another Quincy group that I call the Kokhabi Raiden's, different from the Matsuyukisou in that they're not Quincy Assassins. They are one of the many points that is not only very important but will definitely come up in future chaps.
As for the 'holy trinity' if you wish to comment on that bit of absurd brilliancy, please feel free. I personally think its not only brilliant but also would be totally cool, in my context at least. And even Aizen thinks its brilliant, well he will in future chaps that is.
Oh and I know this chapter was boring since it was basically all convo. But it was necessary, if only to express the most important point there is. That Kisshoten-sama is a total bad-ass, I mean how can you not be when you're a holy-trinity of the three main spiritual powerful beings. Aizen's Espada were defeated people, and the new antagonists on court are the Quincy's, this time my version, that is new and improved.
Oh and This is in Fact an UlquiRuki fic...I realise they haven't made too much of an appearance (if any), but don't worry. The next chapter – Chapter 1; Shinigami will go back to Byakuya (and Rukia too) but then after that Ulquiorra will make his appearance(*swoon*), itll be all Quiki goodness hehehe
Nehu 'til next time
P.S; sori for the long authors note…I'm crazy talkative from having not slept yet…urgh! Oh and review are appreciated, comments and suggestions worshipped!