Provocation
Somewhere between leaving the company of the older vizard and arriving out of sight to the training grounds his grip had tightened around Ichigo's arm to the point of bruising. While the hollow had not complained did not mean he was pleased to see himself letting his state get the better of him in such small ways. It was a sign he was certainly bothered by what Ichigo had stumbled upon for it to snowball to this point. The added trouble was not something he had needed but it seemed his former student had not gotten over his knack for trouble yet, so he had walked in on what could have escalated into a fight.
Hiyori had not likely meant to bother him and truthfully the merchant knew that it should not have phased him as much as it did. Perhaps it was better for him to think that it would not have swayed his older self to be seated with such accusations. His older self would have merely laughed at something so simple and made a light denial to the claim, uncaring if was believed or not. While he had tried to play it off in a similar fashion it had not been believed and only pressed further upon him. Then his reaction had turned closer to openly violent than he normally permitted himself to unless among company clearly defined as enemy. The reaction had been strong enough to catch everyone as uncharacteristic. It should not have led him to violence and now he sorely regretted his choice, or lack of usual ability to conceal how phased he was.
What had bothered him most about the whole scenario was that it seemed to be rather true. The proof was beside him in the black and gold stained eyes. Kisuke hadn't wanted to think that his former subordinate could be right in claiming he was detrimental for Ichigo but perhaps it was worth considering that he was. He seemed to draw the hollow out and the teenager's control was still tentative as best in light of his recent training. Shinji agreed that Ichigo was turning out to be a pain to teach how to be consistent. Signs were there in one episode of confrontation then again when the boy himself had not taken care of a hollow, though stronger than the usual appearances in Karakura, that should have been within his range of abilities. Truth was supposed to be a difficult pill to swallow but he'd done plenty of that which made him rather unaccustomed to being bothered by it. After his exile those pills had become fairly routine.
"Aren't you tense."
Really that is an understatement in his opinion. The adrenaline in his system is not helping to matters either. His body is still primed for a fight with the vicious pint-sized blonde girl that had not come due to the appearance of the subject of their conversation. Kisuke was sure that had Ichigo been in control of himself even he would be able to pick up on the tension so it was no surprise that his hollow had.
"Whatever do you mean Hollow-san?" An attempt at levity in his tone that was half-cocked even in his own humble opinion.
"Sure you don't want me to crush that thick little head of hers? I could do it."
"No need for that but thank you for the concern." Not that he truly meant it. Someone offering to kill for him wasn't something that gave Kisuke a warm and fuzzy feeling. Had he perhaps been talking about someone else, like Aizen or a few choice persons of nobility it could have been different.
"Or you could do it." That was almost playful though closer to something like enticing.
Shaking his head Kisuke ignore the other trying to sway him to violence. Annoyed as he may be with both himself and Hiyori he wouldn't wish her harm. Though he had drawn Benihime earlier he hadn't any plan to use it, she had antagonized him and he had only done it in show that he would not be
"You should. Runt like that disrespecting you should be put in her place. It would be easy I bet. She's tiny. She ain't so tough either. King goes half-assed at her but you wouldn't. You'd go at her and win."
Much as he hates it it does appeal to a part of him. Not that he thought of himself as particularly malicious he knew he could be, some of the things he had thought over the past century had more than proved that. Holding a grudge did that to you but in that time he had also absolved others of blame though not all. Not only those that had deflected still had his contempt. The ones who could have done something he still had some hard feelings over even if it was only wasted energy. If anyone could spot his bloodlust it would be a hollow.
"That's enough Hollow-san."
"Strike a nerve there, Kisuke?" A taunting tone again.
The stress to his given name made the blond want to deny it but he had. The frayed feeling to his nerves was not lessening and his control was not coming back to him as much as he needed it to.
"Not the only one am I, Kisuke?"
Urahara didn't even need to look at the other to know he was pleased, the warped voice was more than enough to give that away. The best thing he could do was pretend to be unfazed by the other which was what he planned to do.
"I'm not sure I follow Hollow-san." He had not been thinking then to have actually looked away of the other while he no longer had a hold on him. It meant he had been very foolish in retrospect but it was not the first time someone would have been able to gain over his momentary lapse of judgment.
It seemed that Ichigo's hollow was not fond of being ignored.
"Pretty simple. If you can't follow maybe we ought to have to put down." Offering a snort of obvious disbelief to the act the exile was displaying he only rolled his eyes.
"How cruel of you." The verbal spar wasn't quite over yet.
Being ignored and not playing his game was not amusing to his young company which he could do little to nothing about since the elder had no intention of playing coddling mother to him.
Whether he wanted to play or not the hollow had plans to make the other go along with him. Since the man had ignored him and played him off he really brought the coming treatment upon himself. Truthfully he was slightly disappointed, but he was also looking forward to playing this particular card not that he had suspected it would be needed so soon to draw the shopkeeper into their conversation further.
"Despite what he says he blames you you know."
Stated so dryly it could more closely be compared to someone stating a mundane fact like that the grass was green or the sky blue, but Urahara felt himself tense to hear it. Gray eyes not returning to the sight of the familiar face of Ichigo he had to clench his jaw to avoid asking or responding. Kisuke truthfully wondered if it was simply bait or if the teen really did blame him, even if only when alone.
"Because he knows if he hadn't handed himself over to you he wouldn't have me to worry about."
Teeth clenched together so hard he felt his jaw and molars ache from the stress he put upon them he willed himself not to listen. The hollow was trying to provoke him, that was all. But there was this itching little worry that there was something to it. It was true. Had the redhead never come to his door and asked for help, a way to rescue Rukia Kuchiki, then he very well would not be in the current predicament he was in.
"He doesn't trust you either."
Many people didn't trust Kisuke as far as they could throw him, which if they were being honest wasn't an inch in most cases, so he could fault no one to doubting him. Sincerity was not something he displayed and the farce of a grinning fool was what he showed the world.
"Want to know something else?"
Lord knew he didn't but his jaw was clenched too tightly and he dared not to open his mouth for fear of what he may say. What would give him away was to express the way this touched on him. He wanted to be ignorant, he wanted to believe that when the boy had said he forgave him he had meant it. But why wouldn't he just lie? He had needed help and Urahara was the only one who could have pointed him in the right direction to Hirako and company. Even if he hadn't become involved it was rather unlike Shinji would have bothered, the vizard were a close and solitary lot that trusted no one but the ones they knew.
"When you're around it's easier to get into the King's head. So easy to drag him down and toss him into that retarded inner world of his and take this body. Going to stick him back in there for good soo-"
It had not been planned by any means. Before the blond knew it his arm swung and struck the teenager. In a gigai the force wouldn't be enough to seriously hurt him, not compared to what Ichigo was used to at least, but it was enough to send the beast playing marionette stumbling back a step or two before dropping back onto his rear.
His hand felt foreign to him and looking at it with slightly wide gray eyes he wondered how he could have done that. In his eyes Ichigo was a child and never had he struck a child before, ever. He'd learned to control his temper and had patience in spades compared to the average man. How many men could sit and bide their time, not that he'd had much choice in the matter, and plot for a century? Yet he had hit someone he meant no harm to simply because he was hearing possible truths that he was not trusted. Trust was not something he was used to possessing so it should have been no matter to him if he had not possessed it from someone as guarded as younger man.
Rising to his feet Ichigo's body is laughing in a way he would almost call manic. It is surreal and feels more like a bad dream than reality. After all most wouldn't laugh after being knocked off their feet.
"Do it again! Hit me!" A positively gleeful shout. Gold eyes wide in excitement and a wide grin that if held too long would no doubt make cheeks unused to such a gesture ache.
"No." Though the man means it entirely, his tone is not certain. He's done it once and once something has happened for history to repeat is all too easy. The wisest thing to do is take his space and he attempts just that.
Five steps is as far as the blond manages to get himself, counting almost as if the the rising increment may soothe some part of his nerves. With so little progress it soothed nothing and feeling as distracted as he was by his previous behavior Kisuke does not see that he is giving up ground in this fight. Ground he cannot afford to lose.
"Don't be such a woman about it and hit me. Did it once already and you hit like a bitch." He's having far too much fun watching the normally composed and condescending exile fall down bit by bit. Tipping him over and watching him shatter is what he wants and he's hardly given up on achieving that goal.
"No." Firmer this time and the elder has stopped giving his retreat for the moment to regard the hollow firmly.
Game having continued long enough the blond turns to go entirely to leave the creature to solitude to give Kurosaki a chance to regain himself. So frazzled Kisuke just starts to look back when something clamps down hard on his arm. The hollow has a grip in his arm that is probably like his former hold on the other when he first directed them down here. Taking in the other he notes a scowl too like the original owner of that body that the opposing fist across his jaw blindsides him.
"If you can't do it I will!" And the assault continues. Grip on the man's arm holding him to not recoil too far from his strikes that are not restricted to his face. A few open handed strikes to the torso here, a knee to the gut there, all just designed to inflict pain.
Kisuke has been beaten before, much more severely than this. Having been in the second division and having known Yoruichi for far too longer he knows very well what it's like to have someone hit you hard enough to go beyond just seeing stars and skip straight to a blackout. He doesn't even taste blood yet which is a sign that his gigai is made to endure the wrath of a human at least at this level. Yet a body made to be human, at least in most senses, can only be so durable in the image of something surprising as fragile as it can be enduring.
A kick to the chest sends him sprawling onto his back. He hasn't raised a hand to strike back, after earlier somehow he cannot drag up the will to be cruel to that body if nothing else. It hurts but he can bear it fine. Benihime as skidded away from his hold and is resting somewhere over to his right side. Where she has gone to his less important to his mind that the foot colliding with his skull enough it jars his head. He sees spots and can hear his bodies demands to protect itself but only closes them almost wearily at the impending rest of whatever this has transformed into. Hasn't he had enough pain already?
Another kick and he can see the darkness creeping up around the corners of his vision. Even he can only take so much abuse, without defense and in a flimsy physical body. His consciousness is finally fading. The hollow is shouting things he is not longer listening to, somehow it really does not seem like it would make any difference at this point.
All Kisuke can think as the artificial space around him begins to blend is that this is his fault so he must have had it coming in some way. He put the hollow there with his methods. He let himself provoked. He is letting himself be beaten.
He is only reaping what he himself has sown.
AN: This took longer than I wanted it to but like with some of the previous chapters there have been so many versions of what was next it was not even funny. It would have been longer had I kept what follows it didn't fit quite the way I wanted it to so it was separated into two parts. I already have a more definite idea for the next chapter hopefully it will be written all the sooner for anyone still reading this.
I would like to thank everyone reading this still for being so patient and for their feedback. I appreciate it more than it probably seems.
