Thank you for all your reviews :) I really appreciate them and hope that you all keep coming back for more!
Once again, a big thank you to EternalDream, who is not only the best beta ever, but a brilliant mind reader as well!
And as always, standard disclaimers apply.
The Ties that Binds
Chapter 7
"So, in short, you have no idea who we're dealing with?" Ichigo asked, and Urahara slid his fan shut and used it to point at the orange haired man.
"Correct!"
He was met with groans of dissatisfaction until he opened his fan again. "I might not know who we are dealing with, but I think I know someone who does." When he had everyone's attention, he looked straight into a dark haired boy's face whose scowl was just a little too familiar.
What Urahara didn't know was that it had been Isshin's idea to dye Kakei's hair black, since they'd decided that no one outside of the Kurosaki family should find out his true identity. His orange hair and his attachment to Orihime would make it obvious who he was. As much as he'd wanted to protest dying his hair and using his pseudonym, he knew that gleam in his grandfather's eyes too well, so he just agreed to be called Kakei for the time being. He also knew it was safer for everybody that way, even though it was bothersome to have to keep up a front when everybody who mattered to him the most already knew who he was.
"Kakei-san? I think you will be able to tell us more. Perhaps with your information, I can find out more about these mysterious guests that we have. In the written history of Soul Society, there have been more than ten clans that have been exiled, dating back millennia ago. The information you can provide would help us narrow the search."
Kakei looked at Isshin, who nodded his head, before he stood up. As he walked to the front, Rukia had to close her eyes for a second, her memory jarring her with images of her former beloved Vice Captain. The first time she saw Kakei, she thought she was looking at Kaien Shiba…just had she had done with Ichigo. There was just something else about the boy that was so familiar.
Everyone was silent, waiting for Kakei to narrate what happened.
"All the information Yamamoto gave us was that they were from the Taira clan. They were banished for crimes committed against the Royal Family. The current leader is called Seishiro. His two brothers are Jiro and Mamoru." He refused to look at his Aunt Yuzu and tried to wash away the image of her lifeless body in Mamoru's arms. "Twelve years from now, his clan tried to invade Soul Society. We all thought it was Aizen. We were evacuated to Soul Society to prevent Karakura from being attacked. A week after we arrived, Seritae itself was breached. There were hundreds of them, all in red, killing everyone who stood in their way. They tried to storm the Fourth Division headquarters, and I...I don't know how it happened, but I managed to fight them all back. From that day on, we've managed to hold them back."
"And Seishiro and his brothers? What can you tell us about them?" Urahara pressed on. "Apart from the symbol of exile that Isshin-san has mentioned, is there anything else that you can tell us about them?"
He couldn't pinpoint what was so familiar about Kakei because his reiatsu was so expertly hidden it was hard to get a reading on who this boy really was. He was usually the first to figure things like this out, so he wasn't too worried; he'd get it later.
"The uniform—it's like ours, but red." Renji muttered, and Kakei nodded in agreement. "We found something on the grounds of the Kurosaki house; I've sent it to Hinamori-fukotaichou to further examine it and see if she can recognize something."
An image appeared in Kakei's mind as he tried to fight Mamoru, who refused to relinquish his hold on his Aunt's lifeless body. A disc shaped object was hanging on the hilt of his Zanpakuto…
"It looks like a part of something," Renji continued, completely unaware of Sora's reverie, "but it was in pieces. It looked like a kidou spell."
At Kakei's expression, Urahara cleared his throat. "Anything you'd like to add, Kakei-san?"
"There was something..." His eyebrows knit together as he tried to focus on remembering. "It was hanging on the hilt of Mamoru's Zanpakuto, like a disc. There are words inscribed…but I can't make it out." He closed his eyes to concentrate harder on seeing what the object looked like, but all he could see was Mamoru, in a defensive position, with his Aunt Yuzu's pale skin against the red of his uniform. His Zanpaktuo was drawn, the steel of the blade flashed in his memory as he remembered a tiny detail etched on the disc.
"It looked red…like a red looking butterfly."
On the shop's rooftop, the older Urahara's eyes widened as he heard Kakei's words. He felt like a fool for not realizing sooner who the enemy was. All this time, he'd been making sure he would remain undetected to the various humans and Shinigami beneath himself, and he waited for a sign that his younger self had realized who they were dealing with. He watched his younger version freeze after a moment, recognizing the symbol for what it was. Confident now that with this new information, the people of the past would now be able to handle Seishiro, the older Urahara knew he needed to go back to his future and relay the information to the rest of Soul Society.
Meanwhile, down in the shop, Kakei watched Urahara walked out of the room without a word, returning after a moment with a scroll. He handed the scroll to the younger man and asked, "Is this what you saw?"
Kakei looked carefully at the symbol on the scroll before nodding his head. "Yeah, that's it. What is it?"
Hearing the boy confirming his suspicions, Urahara handed the scroll to Isshin who stood beside him.
"It is the symbol of a clan whose name has long been erased from the history of Soul Society. The symbol belonged to the clan who was the ruling family several millennia ago. The head of the clan wanted to destroy hollows, even those who were changed against their will. Rather than purify those who deserved to enter the gates of Soul Society, he wanted the complete eradication of these souls."
Uryuu sat in silence, immediately noticing the resemblance with what had happened in the past with the Quincies. His hands clenched momentarily at the thought.
"The other clan families did not agree. One in particular voiced out against him, and unlike the other clans, he had the support of Yamamoto. The clan was eventually unseated as the rightful heir to the throne. In vengeance, the clan leader carried out an assassination attempt on the man who replaced him as the Spirit King, but he instead killed man's youngest daughter instead. Her soul was said to have been poisoned by a kidou known only to the Taira clan. Her soul was destroyed, and the other clans were furious for this transgression. Together they banished the entire clan from the gates of Soul Society. Records about this clan were destroyed, and any reference to them erased, as if they had never existed. The story was passed down by word of mouth from Yamamoto to each captain, in case this clan ever reappeared." With everyone in the room still sitting in silence, Urahara closed his eyes and dropped the ball. "There were rumors that the assassination of the princess was a set-up to unseat the Taira Clan from the throne."
"Are there basis for these rumors?" Isshin questioned, his voice serious and disquieted.
Urahara shook his head. "No. Everything was hearsay. But an entire clan is not exiled unless it is proven that the whole clan was involved in a crime against Soul Society or the Royal Family. This was the only exception. In this case, there was never any proof that the clan assisted their leader in his assassination attempt, even if it was successful."
Isshin read the scroll, and tried to look at it against the light, but as Urahara mentioned, the name of the clan was struck out with a spell throughout the scroll.
"Now, it seems as though his heirs are coming to claim what should've belonged to them."
Renji blinked as he processed the information. "How does that explain what they want with Orihime-san?"
"She is keeping them away from the gates of Soul Society. They cannot penetrate the shields of the Shun Shun Rikka," Kakei explained, though he was sure that bastard Seishiro had other plans for her.
"So how exactly do we defeat them?" Uryuu asked, glancing towards Kakei.
When he hesitated, Urahara asked his own question. "Kakei-san, do you know how they inflict this poison?"
"We don't know." Kakei replied. "This is the reason why we have not engaged them in battle—it's too risky when there is no known cure or form of protection. Without the soul being able to be reborn…"
The silence in the room ended when Urahara locked his hands together to stretch his arms upwards and crack his knuckles.
"Well, no need for all of us to be sitting here all gloomy. We might as well rest and see what we can come up with. Isshin-san? I'd like a word with you in private."
Isshin nodded as he followed Urahara to the back of the store.
"Mama?" Sora called out before he yawned and clutched her hair.
Orihime smiled as she kissed her son. "Are you sleepy, Sora-chan?"
Sora shook his head as he climbed down Orihime's lap to stare at Ichigo. Ever since he found out about his son, Ichigo was at loss on what to do. For the most part, Sora seemed to like staring at him. At least, compared to the older Sora, the look was more inquisitive than murderous, like he couldn't believe he was looking at Daddy and was trying to figure Ichigo out.
"Sora-chan! Look! It's chappy!" Rukia cried out to catch his attention. She pulled out a little white stuffed animal from her pocket and showed it to Sora, who giggled and made his way to her.
"Oi! Rukia! Don't get my son involved with your obsession with that freak!"
Rukia replied by throwing a book that was on the shelf, and soon, everyone was back to their old routine.
Renji and Ichigo went back to their usual round of bickering, while Rukia and Chad fawned over the young Sora. Orihime, Yuzu and Karin stayed with Kakei who was trying to hide from Urahara's peeking gaze as the man continued to speak with his grandfather in light whispers.
Mizuiro and Keigo looked at Ichigo and Renji, already taking bets on whose temper would snap first and who will take the first punch.
"Just like old times?"
Uryuu was shaken from his thoughts as Tatsuki sat beside him and snorted as Mizuiro pumped his fists in the air in victory when Renji threw the first punch. A sulking Keigo handed over the winner's money.
"So. How's it going living in New York?"
"I actually live in Los Angeles. I came to New York for a party."
"You didn't collapse in the middle of the party when the energy hit you, did you?" Tatsuki asked, concerned.
Uryuu shook his head. "No, luckily enough, my father wanted to speak to me. There were only two other people besides him who saw what happened. You?"
Tatsuki smirked. "I guess it was karma. All the ways I made it difficult for Ichigo to make a move on Orihime for so long… I was about to, as other people would say it, 'get lucky.'"
Uryuu nearly spat out his drink, and Tatsuki laughed at his expression. From his assessments of her, she'd never seemed to be interested in the opposite sex. But then again, back in their younger years, their days hadn't been filled with studies and parties. Back then they'd always been on high alert because some power hungry supernatural being decided he or she had a personal vendetta against someone in particular, or somebody else was just looking to be the most powerful. Naturally, that power had to be showcased by means of mass genocide.
"Well, I hope you 'get lucky' again," Uryuu said as he raised his bottle to salute her.
Tatsuki clicked his beer bottle with her own and took a swig. The pair continued to watch their friends, a sense of peace making both of them smile slightly.
It was good to be back.
End Chapter
I hope you all liked this chapter and didn't bore you with the details! Please let me know what you think!