Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo. I just got volume 24 with Grimm on the cover. Whee!
Tenth Glimpse: Vice Versa
(Uriya – Age twelve)
Filling the ladle with soup from the boiling pot, he transferred the hot liquid to the bowl, careful not to spill. When the bowl was filled, he set the ladle aside, turned off the stove, and hopped off the stepping stool. Uriya didn't really mind cooking, but he'd be grateful when he would finally be tall enough to no longer require the stool in order to do so.
He placed the bowl on a tray and carried it upstairs. Upon opening the bedroom door, the boy stood silently in the doorway, a slight frown appearing on his features as he looked at the man in the bed with his head under the covers. A continuous faint clicking sound could be heard coming from the bed.
"Put the phone down," the boy finally said. Though his voice was quiet, it was also demanding.
The man froze briefly then slumped visibly with a heavy sigh, making it look as though the bed sheets had deflated as his form sank limply into the bed. Moments later, his hand emerged from under the covers, holding up his cell phone…his white flag.
Uriya placed the tray on the bedside table, took the phone from his father's hand, and sat down in the chair by the bed. "I told you to sleep."
Uryuu pulled the covers away, revealing a slightly agitated tired face. "I just have one…two…no, three messages I have to send. Then I'll be a happy sick person," he said, his voice nearly hoarse beyond recognition.
"No," the boy said flatly. "You can be miserable like every other sick person." His father was a workaholic. After those three messages, he would have a phone call to make, and then another, and another. If he let him, this could go on all day. "Surely, your people can handle one day without you. It's just fabrics, colors, and drawings after all. Nothing that will decide the fate of the world."
Uryuu placed an arm over his eyes and made a whimpering sound. Although he had always taught the boy that honesty was the best, Uriya's particular brand of honesty can really hurt sometimes. "Just fabrics, colors, and drawings…I can't believe my own son would say that. Isn't it bad enough that you won't even model for me?"
Uriya looked away, silently quelling his deep-rooted irritation. "Standing in the middle of the living room while you play dress up is hardly considered modeling. You already have more than enough mannequins to use. It's a pointless activity." Not to mention, half of the clothes his father wanted him to 'model' were meant for members of the opposite sex, and most pieces tended to have frills on them. His pride as a living being simply wouldn't allow him to go through with that kind of nonsense.
"Mannequins aren't the same," Uryuu sulked. "They can't move to let me see how the materials flow with motion. And they can't tell me whether or not it's comfortable."
"Then hire someone to do it."
"But you'd look good in them," the man finally admitted. Truth was, there were already models at his design studio that did this sort of thing. Uryuu just really wanted to see his boy wear the more stylish things he designed. Was that so much to ask for? As a designer, he thought that was a pretty reasonable request.
Uriya took a moment to just stare expressionlessly at his father. "…Please don't make me hurt you." Everything he wore was already an Ishida Uryuu personally handmade product. Honestly…what more did the man want from him?
Uryuu sighed dejectedly. "Don't you want my business?"
"No."
Uryuu didn't really expect him to say yes. Nonetheless, that immediate and unwavering negative reply still felt like a straight arrow, aiming for his heart. Perhaps he could at least take some comfort in knowing that the boy was truly a Quincy through and through. Straight arrow…perfect aim…
"Since you're not sleeping anyway, you should eat something," Uriya said.
Uryuu looked over to the bedside table, only now noticing the bowl of soup. Slowly, he sat himself up in his bed as the boy placed the tray on his lap for him.
"After you eat, you should take your medicine and go back to sleep," the child instructed.
"Right, right," the man replied. Then he said, almost under his breath, "Am I the father here, or are you?"
"That's irrelevant," the boy said, a small smirk of amusement playing across his lips. "At the moment, I am the stronger one, and you are the sick and weak."
"I see…so that's how the hierarchy works," Uryuu commented as he brought the spoon to his lips, feeling rather pathetic that the boy had to do all this for him. With the amount of income he made, he could easily hire a house full of servants. He just wasn't comfortable with the idea of having strangers running around in his home and could never understand how anybody else could stand it either. He was a rather private person after all. But, at times like this when his and Uriya's roles reversed, he often wondered if his decisions may have inadvertently placed an extra burden on the boy's shoulders.
Uryuu was so absorbed in his thoughts that it wasn't until the bowl was half empty that he noticed the light and sweet flavor of the soup. It probably didn't help that his sense of taste was already dulled with sickness to begin with. "What is this?" he asked curiously.
"Soup."
"I can see that," Uryuu said, almost rolling his eyes. "I mean what kind of soup? I don't think I've ever had this before."
"Ah," the boy said, now comprehending the question. "It's just a simple vegetable soup. There are fruits in it, though. It's good for colds, flu, and the like. I used to make it."
"Oh," Uryuu said as he put another spoonful of the unfamiliar, yet delicious, soup into his mouth. So, it was the fruits that made it sweet. Then he frowned as the boy's words sank in. "You used to make it? You mean…in Las Noches?" That seemed rather strange.
"No. In my previous life."
As he blinked at the boy, Uryuu thought that his ears must have been plugging up. "…what?"
"The last time I was human," Uriya reworded.
"You remember things from your past life?!" Uryuu asked with the look of disbelief on his face.
"You weren't surprised when you realized I had regained my memories as a hollow," the boy calmly pointed out. "Why are you surprised to know that I have memories from before then?"
"Well…that's true, I suppose…" the Quincy said, uncertainty in his voice as he pondered on the thought. Since the boy was already defying the laws of existence in one way, what made him think that he wouldn't be defying it in some other way as well? "Still…I thought all hollows forget their identities when they lose their hearts."
"They do," the boy affirmed. "I was only fortunate enough to get mine back"…fortunate to have gotten it back before it was too late. If he hadn't, things would have turned out quite differently. Not just for the world and his relationship with Grimmjow and Orihime, but his relationship with the man sitting before him now would have been drastically different as well.
His father had once told him about the role he played in the Las Noches invasion. He had said that before he teamed up with Abarai Renji against Szayel Aporro Granz, he had first passed through an empty room. From the descriptions of the room, Uriya knew that that had been his domain. Had he not regained his memories and disobeyed Aizen's orders, he would have fought Ishida Uryuu that night and, without a doubt, killed him with his bare hands. After all, if the Quincy barely made it out alive fighting two against one with the eighth Espada…there was no way he would have survived fighting one on one with the fourth. It was frightening to think how one decision could alter their fates so much.
To Uryuu, this was probably the once-in-a-lifetime perfect opportunity that he had been waiting for to find out more about Uriya's past. Unfortunately for him, his cell phone started to ring before he could even utter a word. Suddenly switching gears, he quickly reached for the device, but the boy beat him to it.
"Hello," Uriya said, tonelessly. He paused briefly as the other party spoke. "No. This is Ishida Uriya. … My apologies, but he has fallen ill and will not be coming to work today."
Uryuu was already beginning to feel the knot developing in his stomach. Though the boy offered an apology, he certainly didn't sound very apologetic.
"… Then I suggest you either reschedule the meeting or find someone else to take his place," the boy continued, his apathetic tone carrying an intimidating undertone despite his youthful voice.
Uryuu held his breath and watched as his son listened patiently. The boy's features darkened ever so slightly as the person on the other end of the line continued to speak…most likely listing out the various issues that required attention, hoping that would persuade the child to put him on the phone. All Uryuu could think of was…this person should have known better.
"… Mr. Nadel," Uriya said when the other person finally stopped talking. "You are the company's head of management, are you not? … Then please do your job. If you are incapable of managing anything for just one day without him, I fail to see why you have been hired." By now, his inner Ulquiorra was definitely coming to the surface and working at full force. "… Yes. Please do. He should be back in the morning, and he expects everything to be handled perfectly." With that said, he hung up and slipped the phone into his pocket.
Ouch… Uryuu winced, feeling for Nadel. It couldn't have been fun, being told off by a twelve-year-old. Not to mention, this wasn't the first time either. Uriya generally didn't care much about his work. However, whenever Uryuu got sick, the boy would temporarily set aside his usual reserved nature and take over like a possessed commander. Uryuu sometimes wondered how the adults could get so overwhelmed by the words of a child. Then again, Uriya's speech pattern was so mature for his age that sometimes that alone was enough to stupefy whomever he was speaking to into speechlessness. Uryuu actually thought it was kind of cute, but he was sure that his employees who had been unlucky enough to try to call him when he was sick would beg to differ.
The ailing Quincy heaved an inward sigh. He'd have to remember to apologize to poor Nadel tomorrow. Perhaps even buy him a bottle of wine…and chocolates. "You know, the people who work for me are just average men and women. They're not soldiers. No need to be so strict and unforgiving."
"Incompetence should not be tolerated, no matter what profession you're in," the boy replied, matter of fact, as he took the tray away from his father and handed him a glass of water and two pills.
Uryuu took the medication and emptied the glass. "You do realize that the only reason they let you get away with that attitude is because you're my son, right?"
"Of course," Uriya said, a small smirk on his lips. "And I intend to make use of that privilege as the situation requires."
Uryuu slumped his shoulders. "So, basically…I better not get sick again."
"Nadel mentioned you have a business trip coming up next week," Uriya said, changing the subject. "Where are you going?"
"Ah," Uryuu said. "Somewhere you've never been to before." Heck, it was in a country even Uryuu had never been to. As his business continued to expand, more and more often, he found himself going to places he'd never even heard of or thought about visiting before. He looked at the boy, knowing full well what was on his mind. "Want to come?"
"Yes," the young Quincy replied simply.
"I'll book you a seat on the flight then," the man said without second thought.
Uryuu noticed that his son seemed to have developed an appetite for traveling in the past two years. Aside from going on their vacation trips, the boy would often accompany him on his business trips as well. He didn't mind it, since he would rather not leave the child at home alone anyway, and skipping a couple of days of school here and there didn't seem to have any effect on the boy's grades.
What had him perplexed was the fact that Uriya never seemed particularly interested in seeing any of the landmarks upon reaching their destinations. Instead, he would spend his time taking endless walks in quiet neighborhoods…definitely not your typical tourist activity. True, the kid was a super antisocial oddball. Nonetheless, he did this with such persistence that Uryuu couldn't help but think that he was trying to accomplish something. However, since the boy would always dodge his questions on the matter, Uryuu had yet to find out what that something was.
"We'll be leaving next Wednesday evening, returning on Saturday," Uryuu supplied. "And just so you know," he added with a small grin, "Nadel will be coming with us."
Uriya blinked at the man then gave another smirk. "Thanks for the warning, but I'm not the one who needs the mental preparation." He took the empty glass from his father's hand, placed it on the tray with the empty bowl, and picked up the whole thing as he stood to leave. "Perhaps you should tell him that I will be coming as well."
Uryuu chuckled as he lay back down to sleep. If I did that, I might have to start looking for a new manager.
Uriya left the room, closing the door behind him.
Half way down the hall, the boy came to a stop as a thought occurred to him. Setting the tray on the floor, he retraced his steps back to his father's room, reentering without making a sound. Standing beside the bed, watching the figure that was once again completely submerged under the covers, he heaved a silent sigh. "Give me your other phone."
After a drawn out moment, a sigh of resignation escaped from under the covers. Eventually, a hand emerged reluctantly, holding the cell phone.
Uriya snatched the phone, walked out, and closed the door once more.
A/N: It's been a while since I updated this quickly. I'm semi-proud of myself. LOL! And actually, Uriya's making a reappearance sooner than I had originally planned. I hope that makes some of you happy. Heh…
Nadel is a German last name that, according to this one website, means "needle". I thought that goes well with what Uryuu does for a living.
The soup is a figment of my imagination. I have no idea if there is a vegetable/fruit soup that's good for colds and such…though I wouldn't be surprised if there is. My friend told me she once had soup that was made with honeydew melons at some restaurant. I thought that was interesting. Would love to try it.
I guess normally parents wouldn't let their kids go wandering around on their own in random neighborhoods in foreign places. But then Uriya's not really an average kid, so it's not too much of a concern. Potential kidnappers might actually be at risk of being either talked down by the kid or beaten down by him. LOL!
Anyway, many thanks for reading! Reviews appreciated!