Chapter eight up! I apologize for the wait and hope you all enjoy this!
~Chapter Eight~
"Oh my! What a magnificent sight!" If it were possible Ichigo's jaw dropped even further as the man circled on the spot to take in the large room before turning to look up at where Aizen sat on his throne.
"Compensating for something are we Sou-kun?" Now while Ichigo was still in shock he couldn't help but find that comment amusing, Gin sure did his grin widening and a snicker leaving his lips.
"Hardly." Aizen replied as calm as ever, enigmatic smile on his face. "To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit Kisuke?" Yes after you do a double take it is indeed the damnable shopkeeper in his striped hat and clogs and annoying fan out and ready to strike.
Kisuke Urahara only grinned up at the brunette man, about to reply before he apparently only just noticed Ichigo standing beside the ever grinning Gin Ichimaru and before anything was said the man pounced on his student with a happy cry.
"Ichigo!"
"Gah!" Ichigo felt the wind knocked out of him when Kisuke collided with him all of a sudden, green clad arms not helping matters with their tight as iron grip that got tighter by the second.
"It's so wonderful to see you!" Kisuke enthused as he basically strangled the other, keenly noticing the slight shift in Gin's smile and how the man took a couple of steps back to distance himself from them. Hmm interesting Kisuke thought to himself but before he could expand on the thought he was rudely interrupted by what appeared to be Ichigo's sneaky fist in his face.
"Damnit Kisuke!" Ichigo growled as the other man crouched on the floor clutching at his nose and sobbing incoherent things into his hands. "Don't ever do that again or I will kill you!"
Ichigo's demonic look didn't shift even when Kisuke looked up mournfully between his hands, mock tears and maybe a real one or two drying on his cheeks.
"Ichigo you're so mean!" Kisuke whined in a pathetic manner that really didn't suit a man of his intelligence than again Kisuke seemed to lack common sense so…let's just leave that thought there.
"Shut up dumbass!" Ichigo hissed a foot wanting to connect with the shopkeepers face but it was stopped by a lightening fast arm.
"I see you're just as lively as ever Ichigo," Kisuke said in all seriousness as he stood and release the hold he had on Ichigo's ankle, "I'm glad Sou-kun here hasn't managed to convert you these past weeks."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ichigo demanded with a frown but decided to keep his distance from Kisuke lest the man try to strangle him again so he moved closer to Gin and stood beside him and glowered at his teacher.
"Don't be foolish Kisuke," Aizen's voice cut across what Kisuke was going to say, "Ichigo-kun is perfectly fine the way he is." Well if that statement didn't confuse Ichigo he didn't know what would.
"Oh? And here I thought you had a thing for scarring your subordinates into submission." Kisuke teased, a suggestive look in his grey green eyes earning – to Ichigo's shock – an eye roll from the Lord of Las Noches.
"Kisuke refrain from letting your mind wander without its leash, it is far too small and fragile to be on its own." Ichigo snorted at that before snickering along with Gin at the indignant look on Kisuke's face.
Kisuke spluttered for several moments before fixing a glare on the smirking man above him.
"That's not very nice Sou-kun!" Kisuke sulked with his arms crossed.
"And just waltzing into my home is the epitome of politeness." Aizen replied dryly before becoming serious. "Why are you here Kisuke?" Kisuke blinked at Aizen before he frowned, all traced of playfulness and indignation gone to be replaced with confusion.
"What do you mean? I receive a letter to come here, the one you sent." Kisuke held up said piece of paper which held the accused 'note'. Aizen frowned, he had sent no such letter to Kisuke.
Before Kisuke could say anything else Aizen had disappeared from his position upon his throne and was now standing before the blonde shopkeeper. Kisuke couldn't help but let his eyes wander, he hadn't seen Sosuke in a while and he like the new attire change. It suited him well.
"May I see that?" Aizen asked, a faint smirk on his face as he noticed the man's wandering eyes. With a shrug and a conscious effort to stop undressing the man with his eyes Kisuke handed the letter over.
Unfolding the paper Aizen was greeted with his own handwriting. Frowning Aizen read through the simply cryptic message that was remarkably like something Aizen would have written when the time came for him to summon Kisuke but…it was a bit more…teasing in a sense.
Confused Aizen continued frowning at the letter. He did not write this but then who would have the skill to duplicate his handwriting almost exactly to his own. Yes he had spied a few differences in the slanting of the letters.
"Kisuke I did not write this." Kisuke's eyes widened before they narrowed in question but before Aizen could respond to it a voice cut him off.
"I did." The four men in the room seemed to stiffen at the same instant and their sharp eyes searched around the room to locate the person belonging to the voice but they saw only white.
"Up here." The voice spoke again, turning the men's gaze up to Aizen's empty throne, three of the four sets of eyes were widening in recognition just as the woman stepped out from behind the large throne to casually lean against it, a devilish smirk on her face, happily observing the shocked look on their faces.
"I…Izumi!" Ichigo stuttered aforementioned girl's brown eyes swept across those gathered before meeting Ichigo's wide honey brown.
"See didn't I tell you an allegiance was in your best interests?" Ichigo was gob smacked. In all the times he had spoken with Izumi he had never, not once seen her look so…devilish and wicked as she did now.
Smiling at Ichigo's dumbfounded look, Izumi flicked her gaze to the silver haired man beside Ichigo who while having never met her seemed to recognized her when her brown eyes met his slitted eyes. Gin Ichimaru, Izumi had always wanted to meet this man.
"Izumi." Izumi almost winced at the tone in Aizen's voice but managed to refrain as she turned towards him. "What are you doing here?" Izumi rolled her eyes before giving a sarcastic reply.
"You haven't seen me in over a century and that's all you greet me with, whatever happened to 'long time no see how are you doing?' Seriously Aizen you could at least pretend to be happy to see me."
"That is not the point here and you know it." Ichigo was shocked at the tone of Kisuke's voice as he replied for the brunette, eyes narrowed.
"Nice to see you to Kisuke I've had a wonderful time in the human world, living alone moving from place to place, leaving friends behind you know all that wonderful stuff someone with a vastly longer lifespan that your average human does." Kisuke couldn't keep the wince at bay.
"Again that is not the issue here Izumi," Aizen entered the conversation once again a steely look in his eyes, "Now explain what you are doing here."
Izumi sighed heavily, "Is it really that bad for me to want to see you again after a hundred years?"
That hurt she saw it hit home and while she regretted the hurt that statement caused she did not apologise or retract it.
"But yes I have come here for a reason," Izumi added before anyone could speak. Gin and Ichigo watching on, Ichigo utterly confused and Gin putting the last of the pieces together, "I'm here to fight with you."
So who do you think Izumi is? And what connection does she have to Aizen and Kisuke? Well keep reading if you want to find out.
Reviews always welcome XD
Silverfox
