Disclaimer: Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. He created this world, I'm just playing in it.
This is the second to last chapter. Thankfully writing this chapter was the exact opposite of the experience that the last two were. It all came free and easy and I already have most of the final chapter already written. to.
So, enjoy.
Lonely Exile
Chapter 4:
Their relationship was far different than any relationship she had been in before. For one thing the modern world of the living had far more things to entertain oneself with than the stuck in the ancient past world of the Soul Society did and it gave them more things to do together. Second was that even though Ichigo did have the blood of one of the afterlife's noble clans running through his veins, he acted nothing like a noble. While the Shiba were known to be rather boisterous and not a bunch of pretentious snobs, Ichigo was more sedate than his kin even with his own bouts of occasional manic behaviour. His father on the other hand was a different story. He was a crazy Shiba through and through.
She had actually gone without being in a relationship for quite a while before being exiled. It was after a particularly nasty break up with a man who had turned out to be a rather manipulative and unfaithful noble ass under the outward guise he tried to show everyone else. She was nobody's conquest or piece on the side and she made that painfully aware to him with a very public tongue lashing and beating. She had actually gone too far and was potentially facing the wrath of the idiot's clan...until her Captain stepped in. Being a noble himself and one of considerably higher standing, he made it very clear in his usual unassuming way that there were to be no further problems.
As laid back as Shunsui could be, he could also be very intimidating if he wanted to be and he didn't have to put a lot of effort into it. She had been grateful for his help and had apologized for needing it, but he dismissed her concerns with a smile and assured her that he would do anything for his lovely Lisa-chan. Which set off another round of the teasing banter that they always seemed to fall into.
It was the same way between her and Ichigo, although she usually got the better of him which she liked and he didn't seem to mind too much. Besides continuing to train they did other normal date-like things like going out for meals and to the movies. While most guys would never do so, he willingly talked her into going out shopping on occasion. She had begun to lament the lack of things she owned, clothing in particular. While she still liked her usual attire she did find herself at times wishing she had something else.
Money and desire had been the two biggest obstacles. She had more of a desire now to have some variety and money had become less of an issue. Kisuke had always helped provide for them and they had also taken small jobs around the shadier parts of town. They had even essentially claimed a certain amount of the nearby neighbourhoods as being 'Visored Turf' and any thug who tried to set up shop or intimidate the locals found themselves waking up in an alley far away or in a hospital with an empty wallet and no idea who had rolled them. Some would try again but were met with the same result. To this day neither the thugs or the locals knew who was responsible for it.
Recently though, thanks to both Kisuke and Shinji, the remaining Visored in Karakura had been put on the payroll so to speak. Part of it was due to the ongoing reparations and compensation Shinji had put to the Old Man for the wrongs that had been done to them. Back pay for their time in exile was being negotiated and since they had been stepping up efforts to keep Karakura clear of Hollows, they deserved to be paid for those efforts as any other Shinigami would be.
The resident Shinigami had been left in place however, largely as punishment for his ineptitude she thought. His usual form of punishment for being late to nearly every Hollow alert or not getting there at all was to be harangued and abused by Hiyori. She didn't like him much anyway and was still pissed off at him because he hadn't been doing his job and Ichigo had nearly been eaten by a Hollow.
Thus, she now had some money to spend if she wished and she wasn't the type to make Ichigo pay for everything and she found that she really didn't mind going shopping now and then. It was always fun to to try clothes on for him and see how much she could tease him in the process. Shopping for a bathing suit for a much desired and anticipated trip to the beach had been particularly fun.
He was a total mess by the time she finished and he was practically drooling at the sight of her in the turquoise bikini and wrap she had finally settled on. With him, she considered that to be progress. Much better than the usual somewhat shy stuttering and turning red. That was fun in its own right but there were days where she wanted to get something a little closer to animal lust out of him, even if just to make sure he was actually capable of it.
The relationship was good for both of them. They had already begun to grow pretty comfortable around one another, but after the initial nerves of the uptick from friends to something more wore off they fell right back into that comfort level and things began to get even better. They both began to relax a lot more. They understood and could relate to each other and they could easily talk about things which was taking a lot of stress off of them. They enjoyed each other's company and they both felt happier than they had in a long time.
His friends began to notice the change in his mood but he wouldn't tell them what caused it. He wasn't trying to hurt them and he did feel a little guilty about it but he also felt that a little bit of payback was in order for them treating him like he was fragile glass rather than being supportive like they had always otherwise been. He didn't want to admit to it, but she knew he felt a bit betrayed and abandoned by them and especially so by his friends from the Soul Society. He didn't feel like they owed him anything for all that he had done but he was in the minority there. Even so, it still didn't mean that he wasn't hurt by their continued absence. Well, she would make damn sure he didn't feel alone again.
About a week after they had made things official, she gained the approval of his family after Yuzu had practically demanded that Ichigo bring her home for dinner. It had been amusing. While Isshin played the fool an ended up brawling with Ichigo, she had been confronted by the one's whose approval counted the most. As she sat in the living room of the Kurosaki home she found herself being stared down by Karin who had her arms crossed over her chest and a very Ichigo-like scowl on her face, and a stern looking Yuzu who sat next to her sister. Well, she supposed the look was intended to be stern but Yuzu couldn't quite pull it off like her twin could.
She almost snickered when asked what her intentions were towards their brother but she held it back because this was a very serious thing for them. They adored and thought the world of their brother. They had almost worried themselves sick when he was gone for long periods of time and they didn't know why. They had seen him banged up and injured and they had seen the toll that things had taken on his moods and his mental state. And what they had seen hadn't even been the worst of it.
They wanted him whole and happy and safe. They wanted the same adoring brother they always had known. In their own way and in whatever way they could, they wanted to protect him like he had always protected them. She respected that and agreed with it wholeheartedly. The afterlife and its problems had intruded upon his life and had relied upon him to fix what they couldn't or wouldn't. It damaged him and by extension them too along the way as they had to watch someone they loved so much be hurt and dragged down by they things he had witnessed and been a part of.
She was completely honest with them about her feelings for Ichigo. She admitted to her own role and that of Visored in how she felt they had failed him. She held nothing back. Well, maybe she did hold back on her physical desires where he was concerned but she suspected that Karin was picking that up just fine even if Yuzu wasn't. At least, if the little smirk on her face was was any indication. As it turned out the things that she said were not only what they needed to hear, but also things that she needed to hear herself say. A full admission from and to her own heart.
They were satisfied with what they heard from her although they did very seriously extract a promise from her that she would never hurt their big brother, that she would never break his heart. She found that to be a very easy promise to make. Later in the evening when Ichigo was helping his sisters do the dishes, Isshin took her aside and wanted the same promise. He also thanked her for rescuing his son from his slow downward spiral and for making him happier that he had seen him in a long time.
As for the physical aspect of their relationship, that was getting there. On the next usage of the pool she did get him to undress in front of her but she had to end up doing so at the same time. Apparently just watching alone made him a little too nervous. She did exact a little revenge by jumping onto his back in the pool. He freaked at the feel of her naked flesh against his but he was just going to have to get used to it. He was too jumpy around the opposite sex when anything more than the normal interaction of friends was involved and that needed to be fixed for both their sake but especially for his.
A week later when they went on their first real date he took the initiative to hold her hand. It was a bit of an awkward attempt but she made sure that her hand made its way into his. Within a week after that it was a kiss and by a week later the more heated make out sessions and exploration of roaming hands began. She was glad to see him becoming comfortable and relaxed enough to go there but damn it was driving her nuts to not go any farther yet. When she would get home Hiyori would start yelling because she was using up all the hot water in the shower and making too much noise...all with a red face due to the nature of said noises. If Hachi and Love noticed they didn't say anything but it was always easy to get under the skin and annoy the tiny terror. Potentially dangerous, but still fun.
So, it was inevitable that something would come along to put a bit of a kink in things. They'd had the occasional disagreement but it was nothing big and was easily talked out smoothed over. Neither of them wanted to have any kind of issues or problems getting between them. They were happy and wanted to stay that way. The problem, and it turned out to be a big one, came from out of nowhere and involved a third party.
Who was this unwanted intrusion that was threatening to completely wreck things for them? Some ass by the name of Ginjo Kugo and of course the brand of trouble he brought just had to be tied to the spiritual world...and ultimately another one of the Soul Society's seemingly endless string of loose ends. After Ichigo told her of his encounter with the guy at the Unigaya shop she kept her eyes peeled for the man while she was out patrolling for Hollows. He seemed to be suspiciously elusive but she did find him. Her instincts immediately told her the guy was trouble and the whole time she was observing him she felt like someone was observing her but she couldn't seem to spot them.
As things began to progress and she found out that Kugo had told Ichigo that he could restore his powers, she should have known she would end up fighting an uphill battle with him. She told him that she didn't trust Kugo. Why would someone he didn't know and had never met just come along out of the blue and tell him he could return his powers to him? Ichigo claimed to not trust him either but she knew that wasn't going to stop him from going and meeting with this self proclaimed head of a group calling itself Xcution.
They got into an argument about it with him thinking that she didn't trust him. Now that the thought of getting his powers back was in his head as a seemingly real possibility it was causing him to lose his sense of perspective and caution. She tried to convince him to at least let her watch his back but he refused. Kugo said they wouldn't meet him if he brought anyone, not even his girlfriend, and as it was he shouldn't have even told her as much as he had.
The fact that they mentioned her specifically told her that they knew who or at least what she was. In the end he stormed out angrily, telling her to stay the hell out of it. It felt like a punch in the gut and it hurt but she wasn't about to let the stubborn and aggravating berry off the hook. She followed him to his meeting, staying far enough back that she could keep track of him and hopefully staying out of sight of anyone who may be watching. The gigai she inhabited kept her reiatsu virtually undetectable and she was more than skilled enough to remain unnoticed.
Even if she was spotted she had a hunch that she might be okay so long as she didn't get too close. She didn't even need to know the exact location he was going to, the general vicinity would do for now. She figured this Xcution must want something from Ichigo because the idea that they somehow just wanted to see him get his powers back was not believable to her. Maybe it was the effect of too may years spent looking over her shoulder but she didn't take anything at face value until it was proven to be as advertised and he was too important to her to let this slide.
Later that night as Ichigo was headed back home her suspicions got a large boost. She had only seen a glimpse before they disappeared, but in a side alley she saw all the proof she needed to know that something was definitely up. Kisuke and Isshin, and they had made sure that Ichigo hadn't seen them as he walked by. If they were here then they knew exactly what was going on. Her blood was boiling and she waned to confront them but she knew she wasn't in the right frame of mind to do so and it might be to her advantage to try and dig up more on her own before she did so. Anything Kisuke was involved in wasn't easily unravelled unless he wanted you to know about it and the chances of her getting answers at that moment were as good as nonexistent.
She enlisted the help of the remaining Visored but they weren't able to gather a whole lot of information. They were able to identify seven different reiatsu signatures that were above the level of the average citizen and had a slight hollow feel within them. They were able to put faces to three of them. Ginjo himself, some pink haired girl, and a tall man in a white shirt who was always carrying a book and who seemed to be nearly as elusive as Ginjo was. This one sent alarm bells going off in her head because she had detected trace amounts of his reiatsu around Orihime and Chad and a few of Ichigo's other friends and even his sisters. Ishida had also been attacked and badly wounded and she detected traces of both Ginjo and this other man near where the Quincy had been found lying in pool of blood. Things is, it was looking like the man in the white shirt was supposed to be Ginjo's enemy, but something in her gut was nagging her about that.
In the area where Xcution seemed to have their base, there was a blank spot in one of the buildings where they couldn't sense any spirit energy, not even the small amount that a non-empowered human would have. It was also in the proximity of that particular place where Ichigo's signature would disappear from her senses. She thought about simply busting in and accepting whatever would happen in the aftermath between them but the fact that his father and Kisuke seemed to be aware of what was going on kept her from doing so.
It pissed her off mightily. Not hearing a thing from Ichigo the whole time as he just blindly dove headfirst into whatever was going on only added fuel to the fire and it hurt. She tried to go see Isshin but he was conveniently absent every time she tried to find him and she knew it wouldn't be any better with Kisuke. Finally things reached a breaking point and one night when she knew that both Kisuke and Isshin were holed up at the Urahara Shoten, she and Hiyori paid them a visit.
They were a pathetic looking sight. Two former Captains of the Gotei 13 crumpled up against the wall of the Shoten's sitting room, cut, bruised, bloodied...and sporting numerous welts that bore the imprint of a flip flop sandal. Lisa and Hiyori sat across the table from them, a cup of tea placed before each of them courtesy of Tessai who was sitting off to the side. While the tiny terror kept the two groaning men pinned in place with her stare, Lisa, looking somewhat calm...ish despite the fact that her hands were tightly clenched into fists, turned to the large former Captain of the Kido Corp and bowed her head.
"I apologize for the mess Tessai-san."
The large man nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "I suppose it was inevitable," he sighed. "I warned them that skulking about would not be a good idea."
"Et tu Tessai?" Kisuke croaked as he struggled to a sitting position.
"This is not a good time for your attempts to deflect things with your bad humour Urahara," she all but growled.
"I think my nose is broken," he whined.
"That's too bad," Hiyori said in a tone of voice that only promised more pain. Her left eye was twitching and she was slowly raising one of her sandals. "Because I was trying to break your whole face!"
"Gyaah!" Kisuke yelped as he flinched back.
"Kisuke," Isshin stopped him as he sat up, turning his head back and forth an getting a couple of satisfying pops out of his neck. "That's enough. We're caught so lets just face the music."
"There shouldn't be any music to face," Lisa spat. "After all of the times where he's been in the dark because of things none of us told him, the two of you decide to do it yet again?"
"Do you think he wouldn't have went to them anyway even if we did tell him what we know?" Kisuke asked.
"Of course he would have!" she countered. "But at least if he knew he may not have gone in to it totally blind!"
"I'm afraid my son has a nasty habit of being wilfully blind when something is important to him," Isshin said. "Damn the consequences and full speed ahead. His power is for the benefit of those he cares about. He's not going to pass up an opportunity to get it back."
"I know that," she said. "But this whole thing just screams set up to me. There is no way this is legitimate."
"Unfortunately you're not wrong," Kisuke admitted with a sigh. He turned to his assistant. "Tessai, would you bring me the file folder please? And the other item as well."
"Patience," another voice cut in before she could say anything more. A small black cat jumped up onto the table and sat between Hiyori and Kisuke. "We will tell you what is going on."
"Yoruichi," Lisa said, scowling. "You're in on this too?"
"Unfortunately yes," the cat answered, looking as remorseful as it could in such a form. "I could provide more up close intelligence on the situation than what Kisuke's surveillance systems could alone and it allows me to keep a closer eye on Ichigo."
"You can sound as reluctant as ya want," Hiyori growled. "But ya still let the berry head get thrown to the fucking wolves again."
"I would have thought you would have been the more reasonable of the three Yoruichi," Lisa accused.
The formed Captain bristled at her words. She didn't like being spoken to in such a way but she supposed she could let it slide. "Believe me when I say that I am not entirely happy with my own involvement in this," she said evenly. "However this situation requires that a close eye be kept upon it and I can do that even if I do not like the situation. We will tell you what is happening and I can guarantee that you are not going to like it. Still, it must be allowed to play out as it has been."
"I already don't like it," Lisa affirmed. "And whatever is going on is going to have to be pretty damn compelling for me to leave it alone."
Tessai returned with a thick file folder and a long box shaped item covered with a dark cloth. He set the box behind and between Kisuke and Isshin and lay the folder down in front of the Shoten owner. Kisuke opened the file and took out a series of photos and laid them on the table.
"Xcution consists of seven members," he began. The last two pictures he laid out were set off to one side. It was Ginjo and the tall man in the white shirt. "But these two are the ones we should worry about the most. You are already aware of Ginjo, but the other man goes by the name Shukuro Tsukishima. They and their comrades are known as Fullbringers."
"What the hell is a Fullbringer," Hiyori asked. "Never heard of it."
"Neither had we," Kisuke continued. "Nearly everything in the world has its own rudimentary form of a soul and apparently Fullbring is the ability to call upon and utilize that soul. Each Fullbringer has a specific item that they utilize for their unique individual power."
"Fullbringer's gain their ability from being exposed to the spirit energy of a Hollow while in their mother's womb," Yoruichi added.
"Further to that," Kisuke said. "Ginjo Kugo also happens to be the first Substitute Shinigami. He went rogue and disappeared, feeling that the Soul Society had betrayed him. This is the first that he's been seen since."
"It is unclear if he manifested soul reaper powers on his own or took them from someone else," Yoruichi said. "It is known however that since he went rogue he has on a number of occasions killed soul reapers and taken their power. He is a wanted criminal in the eyes of the Soul Society."
"Then why the hell didn't someone track him down and take him out?" Hiyori growled.
"He's very good at remaining hidden and he's powerful," Isshin chimed in. "It may have required sending a Captain to the world of the living and the Old Man doesn't like doing that unless he really has to."
"So like usual they let one of their problems run loose so it could have the chance to come back and bite them in the ass later," Lisa groused. "So how was he betrayed?" It was notable that she didn't phrase it as 'how does he think he was betrayed'.
"He discovered the true purpose for the Substitute Shinigami combat pass," Kisuke answered. "It's a surveillance device that allows the Soul Society to keep track of his whereabouts. It also analyzes and regulates his spiritual energy." He cocked his head to one side. "When in soul reaper form you've seen how Ichigo's spirit energy rages around him when agitated. Did you ever wonder why it didn't tear apart his human body when he wasn't? The pass absorbed and regulated his energy."
Lisa thought for a moment. "So did Ginjo come to Ichigo looking for an ally? Tell him about the true nature of the pass, give him back his power and...what? Attack the Soul Society?"
"You are partially right," Yoruichi said. "If he could turn Ichigo to his way of thinking I'm sure he would accept him as an ally. However that would only be a fringe benefit to his true goal."
"Which is?" Hiyori drawled angrily. "Will somebody just get to the fricken point?!"
"What Ginjo has told Ichigo is that Xcution wants to bring out his own Fullbringer powers so that they can then transfer their own unwanted powers to him and restore what he has lost," Yoruichi continued. "Their true intent is to bring out his powers and take them for themselves."
"Do you have any idea what that will do to Ichigo if they succeed?" Lisa ground out tightly. "Having his power back so that he can protect everyone again means everything to him. That's why the idiot dove headfirst into this without thinking it through. If they return any measure of power to him then take it away..."
"It will crush him," Isshin said gravely.
"And you went and let him do it anyway!?" Hiyori screamed, beating Lisa to the punch.
"If we intervened we would have been stopped!" Kisuke thundered. It was rare for him to raise his voice or use his spiritual pressure to silence things and regain control of the situation. "Now listen to the rest of what I have to say and don't interrupt. As Yoruichi said before, you aren't going to like it but it's the way things are and you'll just have to deal with it."
He gave them a moment to calm down. Hiyori was grumbling to herself and Lisa closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "Fine," she said in a deadly calm voice that would have caused lesser beings to flee in terror.
"After Ginjo went rogue," Kisuke resumed. "The Old Man held a Captain's meeting. They all agreed that if another Substitute Shinigami were to arise that Ginjo would be certain to seek them out. The plan was to let him do so and then both would be eliminated at the same time."
Both girl's reiatsu began to rise quickly, heavily tainted by their Hollow nature and they immediately found themselves surrounded by a barrier.
"Ladies," Tessai said calmly. "I already have enough damage to the shop to repair as it is. Please do not cause any more." Once they had calmed back down he released the barrier.
"If anyone other than Ichigo had become the next substitute, the plan would have gone ahead unaltered," Yoruichi continued. "But Ichigo kicked the Seireitei awake and made them start to change. His desire to have power and use it for the right reasons, to use it to save them when he had no real reason to had an impact on them."
"Therefore the plan changed," Kisuke said. "They would let the interaction go on and see what Ichigo decided to do in the end when Ginjo revealed the truth to him. If he did the unlikely and sided with Ginjo, they would eliminate them both. If he didn't, they would not and Ichigo would most likely have to fight Ginjo."
Isshin spoke next. "There was one problem however and that was how Ichigo was supposed to do that if he didn't have his power back...his full power, because he would need it to have any chance against Ginjo."
"That's where this comes in," Kisuke said as he scooted back and turned to the box. He pulled off the cloth that was covering it to reveal a glass box encased in Kido that held a glowing sword. "We would need a way to give Ichigo back his power that would do so immediately so I came up with this. I was working on it anyway before Ginjo ever showed up."
"Kisuke presented the idea to the Captains and Head Captain Yamamoto gave it his approval," Yoruichi said. "In recognition of everything that Ichigo had done and for forcing much needed change upon them, he broke with tradition and ordered all of the Captains and Lieutenants to pour their spiritual energy into the sword so that it could be used to return Ichigo's power to him."
"Everyone here has contributed as well with the exception of yourselves, Love, and Hachigen," Kisuke said. "Stabbing the sword into the centre of his being will inject the power into him and it will unite with the wellspring of power that resides dormant within the depths of his soul. His power was never truly gone, it's too vast for even something like the Final Getsuga Tensho to drain it completely. There was always a huge hidden reserve that would remain untapped until he would realize a true connection to his Zanpakuto spirits. Or more precisely, not until he had an actual true Zanpakuto."
"You mean that baldy berry will get even more power when he gets a real Zanpakuto?" Hiyori asked incredulously.
"Without a doubt," Kisuke answered. He chuckled. "I'm actually a little surprised that Nimaiya-san hasn't tried to sneak an Asauchi to Ichigo by now. Heck, with Ichigo's power and potential I imagine he'd want to forge the Zanpakuto for him personally."
"So we're just supposed to sit by and do nothing while Ichigo risks his life to fix another one of Soul Society's mistakes?" Lisa asked darkly, her fingers locked onto the edge of the table and the wood creaking ominously. She looked up and nodded to the pictures. "You said those two were the ones we should worry about the most. You've explained Ginjo so what about the other one."
"As Kisuke said earlier, his name is Tsukishima," Yoruichi answered. "Despite them trying to make it look like they are adversaries at the moment, we believe that he is Ginjo's right hand man."
"What makes him particularly dangerous is the ability of his Fullbring," Kisuke said. "He draws upon the soul of the bookmark in the book he always carries and forms it into a sword. Being cut by that sword with his ability active leaves no wound, but we believe that he can place himself into his the person's memories. He makes himself someone important in their lives and influences their behaviour as such."
Lisa's eyes burned with anger. "I've sensed his reiatsu around all of Ichigo's friends!" She turned on Isshin. "Around your daughters!"
"I know damn it!" he shot back. "I know! He's elusive and got them on the way to school. I couldn't get there soon enough."
"Couldn't or wouldn't...it wouldn't matter much either way would it?" she said darkly. "Since you've all decided to do exactly what the Old Man wants." She stood and began walking for the door. "I need some air before I throw up."
Silence reigned for a few moments after she left. "Well, I suppose that could have gone worse," Kisuke said.
"Kisuke..." Hiyori growled.
"Ahh...Hiyori-chan, don't be hasty..."
"Shaddap!"
THWACK!
She ended up sitting on the roof of the shop, leaning back on her hands and looking up at the moon. She had gotten used to doing this with Ichigo and it was usually very relaxing, however she was having trouble getting her anger to leave her. The Soul Society seemed to have an endless supply of problems that they were either too inept or too lazy to deal with. She didn't believe for a second that they couldn't have found Ginjo Kugo if they had tried. Apparently bringing him to justice for the things he had done after going rogue wasn't worth the effort and the lives of the Shinigami he had killed for their power were worth nothing. Had Central 46 gained so much control over the Old Man that he wouldn't even act, even if it was against their wishes, in order to exact justice for the honour of his own soldiers?
Whatever the reasons it was a pathetic state of affairs for an organization like the Gotei 13. The afterlife was a disgraceful mess. It was ruled by a collection of nobles interested only in their own power and prestige, appointed by an absentee monarch who seemingly paid it little attention and protected by a military force that was horribly weak beyond its Captains and Lieutenants, and those Captains rarely went into combat. Instead they relied on a teen aged boy who never should have known about or been involved with the afterlife until his mortal life had ended to fix their mistakes for them. Then as the icing on the cake they abandon him after he used up his power to save them and have nothing to do with him again until they have another crisis for him to take care of.
Of course, she wasn't too happy with Ichigo either since he decided to dive headfirst right back into that pool, even after everything he had said about not doing things like that again, about thinking things through first. She wasn't very happy with herself either for not being able to stop him from jumping into this blindly. She didn't know what else she could have done. Sure, she could have taken advantage of his lack of power and used hers to stop him, hold him back at least until he listened and actually got the point but that would have only served to alienate him and further remind him how powerless he was and make him all the more determined.
She was suddenly aware of someone taking a seat next to her. It was Yoruichi, now in human form and dressed in her usual attire. She was also holding a large bottle of sake. The former Captain didn't say anything right away, she just quietly joined her in gazing at the moon, at least until the silence stretched longer than she wanted.
"The Strawberry is always a handful isn't he?" the former noble began. "Trouble always seems to find him."
"How much of that trouble was someone else's doing?" Lisa countered.
"Probably most of it," Yoruichi admitted. She opened the bottle and handed it to her. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I don't like the Head Captain's reasoning, this plan, or its execution but unfortunately we have to be along for the ride here and see what happens. I have tried to stay as close to him when he's around Xcution as I can in case things went sideways."
Lisa took a drink and handed the bottle back. "I appreciate that," she said. "But did this really have to happen this way, with Ichigo being blind to it? They have to know that he would never side with Ginjo."
The cat woman took a drink. "I think they do know but you know how the Old Man works, I think he needs to see it. He probably figures Ichigo needs to go through the process. Plus, he could also being doing this to placate Central. They probably have no trust in Ichigo because of his hybrid nature and the change that he has fostered...and he's outside of their control and we both know how they feel about things like that."
"True," she agreed, accepting the bottle back. "And we both know that they are not likely to change anytime soon and that worries me where Ichigo's future is concerned. If they get paranoid enough they could order the squads against him."
"Then they would have a full scale rebellion on their hands," Yoruichi said darkly. "I don't think they realize just how much support there is for him among the ranks and especially among the top officers. I don't think even the Old Man would support that order. He did break with his long held sense of tradition after all and okay giving Ichigo's powers back to him."
"That's something else that bothers me," Lisa said, scowling. "If they were so grateful why did they wait seventeen months to reward him with the return of his powers? It all sounds rather disingenuous for them to wait until they needed him before they agreed to make it happen. Any of them who got to know him at all had to know what being powerless would do to him and yet they left him to rot as he felt more and more helpless."
Yoruichi shrugged, taking the bottle as it was passed back. "When has the Soul Society ever done the right thing at the right time for the right reasons?"
"I just hope this doesn't all blow up in our faces," Lisa said, her tone worried. "Because if it does it's Ichigo who's going to suffer for it."
Yoruichi smirked. "You really do love him don't you?"
"Yes," she affirmed with a nod and without hesitation. She looked back up at the moon and let out a half held breath. "I didn't expect to end up feeling the way I do and what I'm feeling is something I haven't known for a long, long time. So long that I had nearly forgotten what it was like. I don't want to lose that."
"And you won't," Yoruichi assured her with absolute confidence. "Ichigo will get his power back, tell Ginjo to get bent, then beat him into the ground. It will be a typical berry-head operation."
"Well, he won't be alone," Lisa vowed. "Despite his stupidity and despite what the Old Man want's, he won't have to do this on his own. He can have Ginjo, but I have my own target. Soul Society can do whatever they want with the rest of them."
Yoruichi grinned. "You have a plan in that pretty little head of yours don't you?"
"I'm working on it." She took a long drink. "But I think I need to wring a little more information out of those two idiots down below."
"Should probably hurry then before Hiyori tenderizes them too much."
Lisa shrugged. "Let her enjoy herself for a while. They deserve to take their lumps."
AN: I know there will be people who probably won't like that I didn't write out full scenes for things like her visit to his home and her talk with his sisters, their dates, their shopping trips etc.
For those people, you'll just have to deal with it. As far as I'm concerned all it really would have been was filler to pad out a couple of extra chapters and make for a bigger word count. Considering what my focus for the story is it would essentially have been pointless. Besides, we've all seen similar stuff in other stories a hundred times.
There is also the fact that the last two chapters took very real toll on me and I did not want or need to write another four or five chapters, especially when I felt that it wasn't necessary.
Once I made the decision to get this done much sooner, it was as if all of the pressure and difficulty just disappeared. I hit the 'flow' and I began pounding this out quickly. I had about ten thousand words down and decided that I could split it and make two chapters. Hopefully I should have the fifth and final chapter done in about a week.
So, thanks for reading this chapter and I hope you will be so kind as to leave a review, and maybe check out my other stories while you're hanging around.