Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo and those people/companies that publish Bleach. I own nothing except my meagre attempts at playing in his sandbox.
Warnings: Pretty much everybody's mouth, described violence (it IS Bleach, after all), unbetaed
(Everything's green) - Subconscious flow of thoughts
(*Why is everything green?*) - Uryuu actively thinking
(*Because it is.*) - Ichigo actively thinking
(*Who th'hell cares?!*) - Shiro actively thinking
(*Peace, hollow.*) - Old Man Zangetsu actively thinking
Kaito blocked Urahara's strike, his arm trembling at the force the man was exerting. He'd lost track of time quite a while back; his world had shrunk down to dodge-block-strike, coated in a haze of agony and edged with the sharp sting of wounds that slipped through. His legs ached from his morning training with Yoruichi — the crazy feline had decided she was going too 'easy' on him, like she'd threatened — and now his upper body was aching from the torture Urahara was putting him through.
Fighting with two large blades was much more difficult than he had expected, even if he'd found that he could reduce their length a bit. And Urahara. Had. No. Mercy!
Urahara smirked at him, pulling back and flashing away to strike at Kaito's back.
Kaito twisted, lashed out with a blade. Used the second to shield against Urahara's real strike. He stumbled back, rocked by the force of the blow, then set his stance. He had no hope of beating Urahara. Had cured himself of that delusion the first day they'd sparred and he'd gotten tossed on his ass within a few minutes. His weapons were still too new in his hands, still strange and a touch too heavy and a touch too awkward.
Two blades was just too different from his original training. But even so, he could see the advances he was making.
"Good!" Urahara redirected Kaito's first strike, opening a hole that he used to strike at Kaito's chest. A pleased look crossed his expression when Kaito brought his second blade around to defend and recovered from the disruption. "You're improving."
Before Kaito could register the man's movements, Urahara had swiped his legs out from under him and he was staring up at the bright blue ceiling, a cloud of dust rising around him.
"Another few days and you might be a challenge for an academy student!"
"Thanks," Kaito replied dryly, as he pushed himself up and swiped a strand of limp hair out of his face. "You fill me with such confidence."
"Don't mention it!" Urahara chirped, his fan out and covering the lower half of his face. He sat down on a boulder and set Benihime down at his side, clearly indicating the training was done for the afternoon. "I'm surprised you're not using your bankai to fight me, though."
Kaito shook his head and leveled Shiro's blade at Urahara. "Bankai is manageable. Have you seen these two meat-cleavers I'm stuck with normally? This is what I need practice with."
(*Hey! That's not my fault!*)
(*Really? It isn't? These things aren't just you and your doppelganger trying to be the biggest, silliest things out there?*)
Shiro cackled. (*Uh-oh! Looks like Koneko's onta us!*)
"Well, you don't have to use both all the time," Urahara suggested, amusement glittering in his shadowed eyes.
Kaito fixed Urahara with a look, and said, "You've never met Shiro or Ichigo, have you."
(*Why are you lumping me in with him?!*)
"Maa, maa, Kaito-kun, I can't really see inside your head, now can I?" Urahara responded.
"I am not going to be accused of playing favourites," Kaito growled, both to Urahara and Ichigo. "And that's what will happen. If I only use Ichigo's blade, Shiro will start whining — shut up, Shiro, yes you will — and if I only use Shiro's, he'll start gloating and picking a fight with Ichigo. And if I try to trade off equally, I'll have to suffer through whining and cat-fights. No. I'm going to learn to use both, no matter how goddamn ridiculous it makes me look and I'll just have to be sure to stab anyone that thinks about laughing."
"Oooh, so bloodthirsty!" Urahara fanned himself, a grin spreading across his face, "Benihime will be so proud to know you take after her!"
Kaito paused to process that, then decided that the best answer was just to accept it and move on. What little he knew about Urahara's Zanpakutou didn't paint the most pleasant picture of her, and given that true Zanpakutou were born of a Shinigami's soul…
Instead, he decided to redirect the conversation. "Urahara-san… at the end… Zangetsu implied that Ichigo was part Quincy. And… you said something similar when we first met, didn't you? About Ichigo being my cousin."
"I was wondering if you'd notice that," Urahara answered with a chuckle, content to allow the subject change. "I'd almost been sure you both already knew, from the lack of questions."
Kaito shook his head at that and frowned down at the ground, trying to put his thoughts into order. "We… only just learned that Kurosaki-sensei was a Shinigami, before everything went wrong. He never said anything about Ichigo's mother, or us being related."
Urahara sighed, tipping his bucket had down to shade his eyes, and allowed silence to stretch between them. Kaito almost thought the man would say nothing, but finally Urahara lookedback up and folded his hands in his lap.
"I promised to never tell this to Kurosaki-kun, that it was his father's story to tell when and if the man ever decided to, but I suppose that doesn't really apply to you. Just promise me you'll keep this to yourself."
"I promise."
"Ichigo's mother was originally promised to your father," Urahara informed him bluntly. "She was a pure Quincy, and Ryuuken's first cousin. Except things went wrong — she killed a strange Hollow while saving Isshin, and started to Hollowfy as a result. Isshin sacrificed his Shinigami powers to stabilize her soul, and they eventually got married."
Kaito blinked at the terse, matter-of-fact recitation. There was so much more to the story, he could tell, but… with just those few sentences, Urahara had laid out the core of the matter. He had never heard of a Hollow that resulted in a living person being Hollowfied — and, really, wasn't everything Hollow anathema to Quincy? That was what he'd always been taught, that they couldn't Hollowfy at all, because they would just be unmade.
Ichigo, however, was stuck on something else that had been bothering him since Zangetsu's hint at the ending of training. (*So, wait. If the Old Man is the representation of our Quincy powers, then…*)
Shiro's loud cackling echoed through Kaito's mind, the sound gleeful. (*Tha's right, Aibo! I'm yer goddamn Zanpakutou, not that straight laced priss!*)
Kaito felt the corners of his lips twitching, trying to form a smile despite the way Shiro's laughter was threatening to give him a headache. (*Only you, Ichigo, would nickname your Zanpakutou 'white'!*)
(*But… but… why?!*) Ichigo sputtered. (*Why did you pretend?*)
(*Because I never wanted you to become a Shinigami,*) the Old Man reluctantly answered. (*Because down that path was only pain, both physical and mental. Because becoming a Shinigami meant risking your life and limb for people that would neither appreciate you nor what you were. Because if you went far enough, I was certain I would have to kill you with my own hands.*)
(*Why?*) Kaito asked, as he stared down at his hands. Was that to have been his fate from the very beginning? To kill his friend over… what? (*Why would you have to kill him? I know Quincy and Shinigami don't get along, but…*)
(*That, I cannot yet answer. But know, that as you advanced, as you chose to walk that path despite the hardships, my heart gave way. I came to believe in you, to believe in the future you held dear, and began to assist. The only thing I lied to you about was my name.*)
Thoughtful silence settled in his mind, as Ichigo clearly took a moment to consider that, before he stated firmly, (*It doesn't matter. You're a part of us. You've helped us through this, and guided us as best you could.*)
Kaito nodded firmly, thinking back on the times the Old Man had been there for him, shoring up his confidence and grounding him with good advice. Even in that battle with Aizen, they would have been unable to fight so well without Old Man Zangetsu there to assist. (*Yes. We couldn't have made it this far without your help. Thank you.*)
The Old Man wavered for a moment, before seeming to accept their words and retreating silently from the forefront of the mindscape. Questions still lingered in Kaito's mind, but for now he was willing to let it go, to let the manifestation be. Admitting such a lie couldn't have been easy, and clearly the spirit had expected a much different response than the one he received.
(*I'm still going to call you Shiro,*) Ichigo told the Hollow firmly. (*Two Zangetsu's is confusing, and you've answered to Shiro just fine so far.*)
Shiro's sputtering brought a smirk to Kaito's face. The damn spirit deserved such a silly nickname, with the way he acted all the time.
Kaito made his way back to the shoten, bags of supplies heavy on his arms. Urahara had given him the afternoon off, telling him to get out and do something other than training for once.
He'd been at a loss at first; what was he supposed to do, meet up with non-existent friends? But then his feet had taken him into one of the craft stores, and suddenly all that 'allowance money' that Urahara kept foisting off on him was burning a hole in his pocket. It had been months since he'd been able to do any sewing, and he now had both the time and the money to spend on it, so…
It had been easy to ignore Shiro's sniggers, and Ichigo's resigned amusement didn't even register on his radar of annoyance levels. Though perhaps he had gone a bit overboard, since he needed to reinforce his arms in order to carry everything in one go, but… he couldn't help it! He needed to replace everything — his thread, his tools, his collection of fabric, even his patterns! Already he was planning his first project, mentally altering designs in order to come up with something that wasn't horribly out of date but still looked like something a person from Soul Society would be comfortable in.
Eventually, he could start branching back into more modern clothing, Kaito decided, but for now he was supposed to be newly arrived from Soul Society. Clothing would be one method of comfort for such a person, a taste of the familiar in a truly unfamiliar world.
"Tadaima!" Kaito called, as he stepped into the shoten and started making his way towards the back.
"Ah, Kaito-kun! Just the person I wanted to see!" Urahara chirped happily. He shot up from his seat at the back of the shop and grabbed hold of Kaito's shoulder, directing him to where Urahara had been sitting moments before and pushing Kaito down into his spot. "Keep an eye on the shop for me, will you? Ta!"
Kaito stared after Urahara in dumbfounded shock, as the man darted away and left him, alone, in the shop.
(*Did… did we just get strong-armed into manning the shop?*) Ichigo asked in confusion.
(*It looks like it?*) Kaito replied, trying to make sense of the last few moments. He glanced down at his collection of bags, wondering what to do with all of them — it looked rather unprofessional, and it was bad manners to leave the shop unattended since he had no idea when the next customer would arrive.
"I… I can take those to your room? I-if you'd like, Kaito-san," Ururu's shy voice interrupted his thoughts, before he could decide on a course of action.
Kaito nodded at her and shifted his arms free of the handles. "Thank you, Ururu-chan. Just leave them inside the door, if you would?"
She blushed and ducked her head, before scooping all of the bags up in a single go — and it looked even sillier when she did it, Kaito decided, like something out of an anime — and moving into the back. He'd expected her to need a few trips to carry everything, but… apparently he was still underestimating the shy girl.
That left him, once more, alone in the shop. He could hear Jinta goofing around outside, and Tessai bustling about in the storeroom of the shop, so whatever it was that Urahara had wanted to do didn't seem to have anything to do with either of them.
(*How much business does this store get, anyway?*) Kaito absently asked Ichigo as he scanned the shop and the candy displays to either side. He knew Urahara did some business, but how much he'd never been sure of. Even living with the man, he'd spent more time training than paying attention to the shop itself.
(*I don't really know,*) Ichigo admitted. (*I know Yuzu comes here some days, but other than that…*)
The sound of a footstep pulled Kaito's attention away from the displays and towards the door, where Kurosaki and Kuchiki were standing awkwardly. The breath caught in his throat momentarily, but he swallowed past the lump in his throat and forged on, not willing to allow his grief to rule his life.
"Welcome and come in," Kaito called, proud when his voice neither wavered nor sounded choked. He doubted the two were there for candy, and just hoped they could wait until Urahara deigned to show himself again, because Kaito had no idea what sort of Shinigami goods the man sold.
"Eh! You work here?!" Kurosaki walked into the store behind Kuchiki, his attention fixed on Kaito and a puzzled tilt to his scowl.
Kaito shot the past version of his friend a deadpan look, and said, "He is my father."
And calling Urahara his father still felt weird. He hadn't used that term to refer to anyone in years, but the more differences there were between himself and Ishida, the better.
(*I didn't come here this early, before,*) Ichigo mused thoughtfully. (*I wonder if it's because of us?*)
(*I doubt anything else has truly changed yet.*)
"So he really is your father?!" Kuchiki practically yelped, before she managed to regain her composure. "Er, I mean, he said something to that regard at the show, and you did look similar, which is why I brought Ichigo here, and—"
Kaito raised a hand, thankfully stopping the babbling, then gave both of them a searching look. He was starting to have a sinking suspicion as to why Urahara had left him manning the store so abruptly. "So you came looking for me in particular? Is that the only reason?"
"Yeah, who are you?" Kurosaki asked bluntly, his arms crossed over his chest and his chin set in a stubborn tilt. Come hell or high water, Kurosaki wasn't going to leave him be until he got his answers.
Kaito narrowed his eyes, then smirked, trying his best to mimic Urahara's teasing tone as he said, "Oooh? How rude! Demanding my name without introducing yourself."
Ichigo's sputtered words about 'being corrupted' and 'great, now there's two of them!' almost made Kaito's smirk turn into a full grin. And Kurosaki's frustrated look, complete with faint tick forming at the corner of the teen's right eye, only made Kaito struggle harder against breaking into a fit of laughter right then and there.
"Forgive me," Kuchiki bit out, in her most formal tone, as she gave him a bow just barely deep enough to be considered polite. "I am Kuchiki Rukia, and this is Kurosaki Ichigo. May we know your name?"
Perhaps pretending to be Urahara's son had its highlights after all, if this was the sort of reaction he could get just by passing his frustration at the man on to others. Gleefully, Kaito inclined his head ever so slightly, just enough to be polite, but only barely, in order to return Kuchiki's silent slight. "I am Urahara Kaito. Are you looking for my father? Because he scampered off somewhere not too long ago, and I'm unsure where."
"No," Kuchiki replied, as she stepped a bit closer, Kurosaki trailing along like a lost puppy. "Ichigo wanted to meet you, so I brought him here because you were with Urahara-san that night."
"Oooh? You wanted to meet with me?" Kaito arched an eyebrow and carefully folded his hands away in his sleeves, not wanting either of them to notice the trembling he could feel starting in his fingers. He was desperately resisting the urge to grab Kurosaki by the shoulders and just shake him until some goddamn common sense got rattled in that thick skull of his and he promised to stop being such a reckless idiot.
He was almost afraid of how he would react to meeting his own past self face to face. In retrospect, he'd been even worse than Kurosaki.
"Yeah!" Kurosaki replied sharply, moving until he was almost pushing into Kaito's personal space. "Who the hell are you and why were you there that night?"
Kaito smiled in Kurosaki's face, refusing to lean away from the other teen, and replied with as much cheer as he could, "Well, you see, Ururu-chan and Jinta-kun wanted to see the show, and since I have only recently come to live in Karakura, father decided he would make it an outing for the entire Shoten."
Ichigo's growing amusement at his past-self's predicament helped Kaito maintain his cheerful tone, even in the face of the darkening scowl on Kurosaki's face.
"No! I mean, why where you there, as a Shinigami?" Kurosaki growled. "I could have handled that Hollow just fine!"
"A Shinigami? I think you have me mistaken, Kurosaki-san," Kaito replied with a smile, enjoying the way his words wound Kurosaki up further. "I will admit that I was in my spirit form, thanks to father's rather… unexpected help, but that hardly makes me a Shinigami."
"But you had a Zanpakutou!" Kuchiki exclaimed, as she broke into the conversation. "And you killed that Hollow with it, and it was purified!"
"Hmm, did I?" Kaito asked, as he tilted his head upwards to stare at the ceiling. His laughter was only kept at bay by sheer force of will at this point — was this how Urahara always felt? If so, he could certainly see the appeal. "Well, I suppose I must have, if you say it's so, Kuchiki-san."
"But you did!" she practically wailed.
Kaito shook his head and turned his attention back to her, asking as innocently as he could, "But I never went to the Academy, so how could I be a Shinigami?"
Kuchiki's gob-smacked expression was everything he had hoped for, and Kaito turned his attention to Kurosaki with the knowledge that she'd be out of the conversation for a while as her brain restarted. The teen was examining him was a thoughtful look in his eyes, an expression that made Kaito wary, and he couldn't help but narrow his eyes at the past version of his friend. What exactly had he said or done that had brought that look into the other's gaze?
"Hat'n'Clogs' son, huh?" Kurosaki mused, and Kaito narrowed his eyes further as he caught sight of the tiny tilt of the other's lips that signified amusement. "So he was testing you too, then?"
Kaito saw no point in denying it, so he inclined his head in silent agreement.
Kurosaki's gaze flickered to the closed shogi doors that led into the private section of the building, then back to Kaito, "And he just so happened to 'scamper off' and leave you in charge of the store before we came to see you."
He sighed and nodded. "Yes. I had… begun to suspect the same, when you came in the door."
"But why would he do that?" Kuchiki asked, her voice thick with confusion.
"Why wouldn't he do that?" Kaito responded, a bit confused himself. Hadn't she learned yet how annoying and frustrating Urahara actually was? This sort of setup was exactly like the man, and Kaito wasn't even going to attempt to tease out all the myriad reasons and plots Urahara had spun from this meeting.
Kurosaki scowled at him in frustration, then huffed and dropped the subject. "How good are you with your sword?"
"Eh?" was all Kaito could muster for a moment, his brain scrambling to catch up with the topic shift. "Passable, I suppose. Why?"
"Fight me," Kurosaki replied. "You took that Hollow down in two strikes, before I had a chance to do anything."
(*Ichigo?*) Kaito asked, as he tilted his head back to stare up at the ceiling again.
Ichigo's response was slow in coming, his words thoughtful. (*I never had anyone to practice swordsmanship against. I practiced a bit with Hat'n'Clogs, but, well…*)
But Kaito now knew first hand exactly how terrifying it was to face Urahara, even when the man wasn't really trying. There was always something sinister about his movements, like he was restraining his true instincts at every moment. He had no doubt that in a fair fight he could probably stand toe-to-toe with Urahara, though perhaps not win quite yet, but the idea that Urahara would allow a fair fight felt laughable.
"Well, I suppose there's no harm in it," Kaito finally said, tone carefully amused. "After that showing of yours, I won't even need to ask Tsukabishi-san to heal me afterwards. You, on the other hand…"
Kaito shoved himself backwards, away from Kurosaki's reaching hand, and scramble to his feet out of the other's reach unless the teen followed him onto the raised platform. He waved a hand through the air like he was swatting away a fly, and pulled at everything he knew about Urahara to say, "Maa, maa, so volatile, Kurosaki-san!"
"Get back here, you," Kurosaki growled, before he snapped at Kuchiki, "Knock me free, already!"
"Maa, maa," Urahara's voice cut through the rising tension in the shop. He walked in through the public entrance, lower face covered by his fan and laughing eyes shaded by his hat. "What have we here? Fighting in my shop?"
"Father," Kaito greeted the other, the word tasting awkward on his tongue, and he had to remind himself that it was for the best that he acknowledged the fictional relationship between them.
"Ah, Kaito-kun!" Urahara stepped out of his geta and moved to Kaito's side, then asked, "Are these two pestering you?"
Kaito slanted a look at Kurosaki and Kuchiki, tempted to throw the two at Urahara's twisted sense of humor, before looking back at Urahara and schooling his expression into as close to an innocent expression as he could. "They seemed under the impression that I was a Shinigami, and Kurosaki-san wants to fight."
"Oooh?" Urahara smirked at Kaito, then snapped his fan closed and tapped it against the side of his mouth. "I can assure you, Kuchiki-chan, Kurosaki-kun, that my son is no Shinigami. As for fighting… weeeeeell…"
"I had already agreed to it," Kaito said, because he was unaware of how long Urahara had been lurking there and listening in. Common sense said 'from the beginning', but he doubted Urahara would admit to anything. "Kurosaki-san merely took offense at the idea that he'd be the only one needing healing."
"Well then! I suppose there's nothing for it!" Urahara exclaimed happily while he toed aside a tatami mat and knelt to haul open the reveal trapdoor. "In you two go!"
Kaito's eyes widened, and he pushed himself into a flash step before Urahara could 'encourage' him to enter the training room. His arms burned as he grabbed hold of the ladder halfway down and steadied himself from his awkward lunge. Though he was getting better at doing things like shunpo and fighting in his gigai, there was still a lingering sense of wrongness every time, and he didn't quite trust himself to shunpo down the entire distance yet.
A few steps down the ladder, and Kurosaki's screaming form ripped past Kaito before cratering the ground below.
(*Ahahahaha… oh man…*) Ichigo laughed awkwardly, both of them peering down at the drifting dust cloud that obscured their view of Kurosaki. (*Hope Hat'n'Clogs knocked me free, first.*)
(*I won't have much of a sparring partner if he didn't,*) Kaito retorted while descending the rest of the way. He picked his way over to the fresh crater and peered down into it. (*He did.*)
Kurosaki was groaning, dressed in his Shinigami attire, and slowly picking himself up from the ground. He shouted up at the trapdoor so high above them, "Goddamnit, Hat'n'Clogs! Ya didn't have to push me!"
"Mou, Kurosaki-kun," Urahara pouted from his position at Kaito's side. "So mean. You weren't moving fast enough! Who knows when a customer could arrive, after all!"
Kaito pressed a hand to his chest and edged a step away from Urahara, trying to get his heart rate back under control. One of these days, he swore, he'd train his sensing high enough to actually sense Urahara before the man pulled a stunt like that.
"Well, if this is to be equal, I should probably leave Kaito-kun the way he is," Urahara mused, amusement glinting in his eyes. At Kurosaki's mulish expression, Urahara gave a very put upon sigh and twirled his cane before shoving it straight into Kaito's chest and knocking him free. "But if the customer wants a challenge, who am I to deny him one!"
"You know he just played you," Kaito informed Kurosaki, then shook his head at Kurosaki's almost arrogant scoff. Well, if the teen wanted to be shown the distance between them, Kaito would have no trouble proving it. With a thought he summoned both his blades and moved away from his gigai, not wanting to accidentally damage it during the coming combat.
"How do you do that? And I thought you only had one blade," Kurosaki asked, as he trailed after Kaito, staring around at the training ground in surprise. "And what the hell is this place?"
"In order of your questions: I call my swords to my hands; I'm currently better with one blade than two so in real combat I still prefer to only use one; and this is an underground training room that father built." He didn't bother to explain that he was actually creating his blade anew every time he did that. Even knowing that Kurosaki shared some Quincy traits with him, he had never seen the other do anything resembling his materialization trick.
"Huh. So you're that confident in your skills?" Kurosaki stopped moving and watched Kaito a bit warily.
Kaito gave Kurosaki a sharp grin, raised his blades into a combat stance, and bolted forward. He claimed the offensive, driving the other teen back with a flurry of blows and feints.
"Whoa!" Kurosaki yelped, stumbling back in the face of Kaito's strength. But the shock soon passed, and Kaito was pleased to see Kurosaki's eyes narrow in concentration.
(*I didn't realize we had become this good,*) Ichigo mused while Kaito continued to drive Kurosaki back. (*Or this fast!*)
Kaito knew what Ichigo meant. Already he was having to cut back his speed a second time, then a third, just so that Kurosaki could keep up with him. After all, he wanted this past version of his friend to learn something, not just get hopelessly beaten by a foe he couldn't keep track of.
Bright crimson blood scattered from the edge of Shiro's blade. Kurosaki grit his teeth, gaze furious and shihakushou slowly gaining a wet gleam in places. He was outmatched and he suddenly understood that in a way he hadn't before, but like Kaito expected, that only drove Kurosaki on to greater heights.
"Is this all you've got?" Kaito mocked, a wicked smirk twisting at his lips. He knocked aside a clumsy blow, twisted, pointedly elbowed Kurosaki in the sternum. Look at you, he was saying silently, I don't even need to use my second blade to wound you. Catch up.
"Bastard!" Kurosaki tried to kick out Kaito's knee, missed, stumbled forward.
Kaito scored another bleeding line into Kurosaki's side, long and shallow. He wasn't aiming to kill, just wound. Just deal enough damage to get his point across.
"Do you even know how to wield that butcher's knife of yours?" Kaito dryly asked while parrying another blow. Kurosaki's blade slid down and away to the side, once more unbalancing the teen and leaving an opening that Kaito exploited to draw more blood. "It's like you've never fought another swordsman before."
Kurosaki growled and readjusted his grip, his eyes narrowed in concentration. "I haven't."
Kaito blinking slightly in surprise at the teen's honesty, then shrugged and shifted away from another wild blow. "Well, that explains many things."
(*Hopefully this doesn't come back to bite us,*) Kaito thought with worry, not even paying conscious attention to the way he was driving Kurosaki back.
(*How could it?*) Ichigo asked, curious as to his friend's reasons for worry. (*Being better at fighting can't be a bad thing, right?*)
(*What if this practice means the Captains take your past self more seriously, and kill him?*)
(*I… don't think they will,*) Ichigo replied thoughtfully, considering all the Captains he had fought. (*They don't really see a child as a danger, and most of them aren't that interested in killing kids. Also, I think the orders were for our capture, not our death, so as long as we don't kill anyone…*)
(*And neither of us like killing,*) Kaito answered with relief. That was true. Even after what he had done to the twelfth Captain, he had still been captured and partially healed, not immediately put to death.
"Are you even paying attention?" Kurosaki raged as he unleashed a flurry of blows that forced Kaito suddenly back into the fight.
"Do I need to?" Kaito blocked and parried most of the strikes, using his dual blades to full advantage. Those he couldn't defend against, he dodged, leaving Kurosaki with nothing to show for his efforts.
That answer enraged Kurosaki further, driving him to heights that actually forced Kaito to pay attention. Kaito settled into the familiar give and take of a fight, the elation of a decent spar starting to take hold in his heart. True, Kurosaki wasn't yet at Kaito's level, but he was advancing, and Kaito loosened his hold over his skills slightly in response.
He drove Kurosaki back again, forcing the teen to struggle to catch back up with this new level of fighting. Determination and stubborn pride flared in the teen's eyes, a refusal to give up, to back down.
"I thought… you said… you were only… passable," Kurosaki panted out as he struggled to keep up with Kaito. Blood trailed down his arms, ragged cuts decorating his body, and his spiky hair was laying flat from sweat.
"I am." Kaito ducked under a sweep of Kurosaki's blade, scored another shallow wound across the teens chest, and moved back. "Father could win in a heartbeat against me, if he actively tried."
"Hat'n'Clogs?" Kurosaki regained his balance and resumed his attack. "He doesn't seem like much!"
Kaito couldn't help it, he roared with laughter. The very idea that Urahara was anything but terrifying… well, he supposed this version of his friend hadn't yet crossed blades with the man, or even learned of his past. Frankly, Kaito thought that Urahara's ability to move around stealthily was telling enough. Yoruichi had the same skill, and he already knew that she was a previous leader of the Stealth Forces.
Kurosaki was taken aback at Kaito's reaction, and barely dodged another of Kaito's strikes, before gathering himself and attacking to take advantage of Kaito's apparently distraction.
It didn't really work. Kurosaki was getting better, Kaito could admit, but he wasn't yet on par with even some of the low-ranking arrancar. It remained child's play to weave in and out of Kurosaki's attacks, parrying and counter-attacking as he went.
"You really think he's harmless?" Kaito kicked a stone up towards Kurosaki, making the teen skip backwards and drop his guard. He took advantage of the opening to drive his sword through the muscle in Kurosaki's side, just deep enough to leave a bleeding wound, before moving back. "You really think a man who has a huge training basement, who can kick you out of your body without warning, and who deals in Shinigami goods, is harmless?"
"Er, well…" Kurosaki muttered, trying and failing to find the words to defend his snap judgment. Finally, he just shrugged and fell back into the fight, determination in every line of his body.
Kaito bared his teeth in a vicious smile, daring the other teen to do his worst. He'd run Kuroskai ragged, just see if he didn't.
"I appear to have been right," Kaito teased Kurosaki when he finally allowed the other to stop. He slung his blades across his back, instead of letting them just dissolve away, and took in the mess he had made of the past version of his friend.
Kurosaki was nearly bent in half, hands on his knees, panting in a desperate attempt to catch his breath. Blood ran down the teen's body, his shihakushou torn and ragged from all the blows Kaito had landed. In contrast, Kaito felt fine, if mildly winded from the length of time they'd been fighting. His jinbei had a few tears in it, from strikes that Kurosaki had almost managed to land, but other than that…
"Sh-shut up," Kurosaki panted, then straightened up and pointed at Kaito. "I almost got you at the end!"
"But you didn't." Kaito tucked his hands away in his sleeves and turned back towards the ladder and his gigai. "And I still wasn't moving as quickly as I could."
"What?" Kurosaki yelped and hurried to catch up with Kaito. "The hell do you mean by that?"
Kaito turned his head slightly to smirk at the teen. "Are you deaf? I said you never managed to push me to my limit, Kurosaki-san."
Kurosaki's glower was an amusing sight to see, edged in frustration and that driving urge to get stronger that Kaito had always admired about Ichigo. Still, the teen didn't say anything as Kaito slipped back into his gigai and the two of them started to climb up the great ladder back to the shop.
"So how did it go?" Urahara asked in curiosity when he let them back up. He eyed both of them, taking in the wounds on Kurosaki and Kaito's rather unruffled appearance.
"He could be better," Kaito replied with a shrug. He turned to the shogi door that separated the public shop from the private residence. "Come along, Kurosaki-san, I'm sure Tsukabishi-san will heal the damage I did to your body, though he can't do anything about that pride of yours."
Kurosaki's sputtered denials followed him through the doorway and down the hall to the kitchen, where he paused at the doorway and knocked gently on the frame beside him, catching Tsukabishi's attention.
"Ah, Kaito-kun," Tsukabishi said, as he dusted off his hands and turned around. "The boss warned me what you were up to. Do either of you require healing?"
"Yes, please," Kaito answered with a gesture behind him to where Kurosaki was lurking uncomfortably, clearly trying not to bleed all over the floor. "I'm afraid I did a bit of a number on him."
Tsukabishi tisked as he moved past Kaito and started to look Kurosaki over, herding the teen into an empty room where he could concentrate on healing the other without worry.
Kaito took a moment to enter the kitchen and rifle through the fridge, collecting a few snacks that he could share with Kurosaki. He knew that he had worked up an appetite, even if he hadn't been going all out, so Kurosaki was surely hungry as well.
Satisfied with his haul, Kaito turned and entered the room Tsukabishi had herded the other into.
"Here." Kaito thrust an anpan towards Kurosaki, who was sitting up and healed thanks to Tsukabishi's kido.
Kurosaki accepted the treat with a muttered thanks and bit into it.
"Do try not to spoil your appetite," Tsukabishi reminded Kaito gently as he walked out the door. "Dinner is in an hour."
The two of them ate their treats in comfortable silence. Kaito was content in the presence of the past version of his friend, even if he'd not have the same relationship with the other this time around. This tentative friendship was more than he had hoped for this early; he could accept being a sparring partner, instead of a somewhat friendly rival.
"Hey, thanks," Kurosaki repeated, breaking the silence between them. At Kaito's questioning look, he grimaced and looked away. "For sparring with me, I mean. For helping me get stronger."
Kaito studied Kurosaki for a long moment in silence, then nodded his acceptance. "If I'm not here, father usually knows where I can be found."
Kurosaki shot him a confused look for a brief moment, before it cleared and understanding flooded in. A tiny shift in the teen's expression let Kaito know that the offer was understood and appreciated.
(*Y'know, I think it's a bit creepy how close you watch me,*) Ichigo offered with amusement.
(*You realize most of your friends can read you exactly the same,*) Kaito retorted, refusing to be embarrassed by it at all. (*It's rather necessary considering how you normally act.*)
"Why don't you help out?" Kurosaki's voice was curious but not accusatory, and nothing about his expression hinted at annoyance.
Kaito shrugged, dusted his hands off, and folded them back into his sleeves. "I'm not a Shinigami, and I don't want to attract attention to myself or anyone here by doing the tasks of one."
"So you're not the one who keeps getting rid of the Hollows before Rukia and I get there?"
Kaito blinked then shook his head. "No. Even when I'm out exploring the town, I don't get involved."
(*Guess my past self is already trying to show your past self up,*) Kaito mused to Ichigo. He turned to look out the window, wondering where the prideful teen currently was, but not curious enough to sense the other out.
"But you know who's doing it!" Kurosaki scrambled to his feet and attempted to loom over Kaito. "What's going on?"
Kaito arched an eyebrow and shoved Kurosaki out of his personal space. "Kindly refrain from your alpha posturing when I can still kick your ass across the training ground. Even if I knew for certain what was going on, why would I tell you? It's none of my business what you get into so long as the rest of the town isn't endangered."
Kaito ignored the stubborn set in Kurosaki's jaw and left the room, though he was privately amused when Kurosaki trailed after him like a stubborn puppy.
"Ah, Kaito, could you help Jinta and Ururu finish tidying the shop?" Urahara asked when Kaito stepped through the door back into the shop, still followed by Kurosaki.
Kaito nodded in acceptance and moved down to Ururu's side to help the young girl in her tasks. She was quite a bit stronger than he had ever expected, but she was still a young girl and couldn't quite reach everything easily.
And, of course, the less said about Jinta's work ethic the better.
He registered Kurosaki leaving the shoten and heading off into the early evening, but didn't spare the teen much more than an absent nod as the other departed. He had work to do and Jinta to corral since Tsukabishi was busy elsewhere.
Kaito took to wandering the streets of Karakura in the early evenings, just after dinner. He didn't often remain out for long, his limbs ached too much most days for more than a short stroll, but he had to train himself out of his hesitance. Events were coming to a head, and he couldn't afford to remain hiding behind the Urahara Shoten's walls.
That resolve didn't help against seeing Inoue bounding out of a shop, clutching a shopping bag of food as she chattered happily to Arisawa. Kaito set his back against a wall, pressed a hand to his chest, and counted each breath. In and out, in and out, every breath a victory over the iron bands that had tightened at the sight of Inoue's cheerful expression. With effort, he tore his gaze away from her and stared up at the darkening sky.
He refused to allow that cheerful expression to fade once more into tears and why-please-tell-me-why and screams of denial. He would kill Aizen, long before the man ever got it into his head to abduct Inoue and hold her hostage. He would annihilate the man if he ever even looked at Inoue, he swore. Because Ichigo had died of the man's manipulations, but Inoue had been shattered and Kaito would never forgive him for either outcome.
"Oh, hello! Are you new here?"
Kaito startled and jerked away, slipping around the corner of the building he was leaning against and taking a stable stance feet away from where he had started. When his mind finally caught up with his instincts, Kaito stared blankly at the gobsmacked look on Inoue's face as she took in the distance he had moved when she startled him.
"Ah, sorry about that," Kaito tried to excuse himself awkwardly as he forced his hands to relax and folded them away in the sleeves of his kimono. "I'm afraid I wasn't really paying attention."
"That's alright!" Inoue crossed the distance between them and grinned up at him, giving a small wave with her free hand. "Hi! My name is Inoue Orihime, and this is Arisawa Tatsuki!"
"Urahara Kaito," Kaito introduced himself in return. "And yes, I recently arrived here."
"Huh, I haven't seen you in school," Arisawa said, suspicion heavy in her voice. She took a protective stance at Inoue's shoulder, clearly deeming Kaito a threat.
Kaito shook his head, glad of the fiction that had been built for him. He didn't think he could survive going to class, trying to pretend that everything was alright and that he didn't already know many of the people there. It would be even worse if he was stuck in class I-3 with the rest of the group, having to watch his past self stand aloof, and the horrible excuses given every time Kurosaki and Kuchiki ran out to deal with a Hollow.
"I'm home schooled," Kaito informed Arisawa with a touch of defensiveness. He didn't know how Arisawa viewed home schooling, but he'd already run into a few adults who took offense at the thought.
"Why's that?" Inoue asked, all cheer and innocent curiosity.
"My education has been spotty throughout my life," Kaito replied, the lie laying heavy on his tongue even as he spoke it. But he couldn't quite say 'because I come from months ahead of you and would be bored out of my mind, not to mention constantly on edge from being around everyone at once'. That just wasn't something any sane person would accept — which, he realized, neatly ruled Inoue out, she was just crazy enough to love the idea of it. He still remembered catching sight of her 'what I want to be in the future' drawing. "I'm ahead in some subjects and behind in others. So father decided that I would be home schooled for now."
Arisawa eyed him warily, as if sensing that he was lying, but to Kaito's relief she said nothing to that effect. Though she did gently tug Inoue out of his personal space, which helped relax him. He'd grown used to Inoue's habits before, but for now, with the memory of sand and tears and screams of denial loud in his head, Kaito was not feeling up to handling it.
"Oh, that's too bad!" Inoue chattered, apparently not noticing as Arisawa continued to hold her away from Kaito. "Would you like to come over? I can make us something, and Tatsuki can invite some people over, and you can meet at least some people from school! It must be lonely, not knowing anyone your age, and not going to school so you can't meet anyone!"
"Let the man think, Orihime," Arisawa lightly scolded her friend, with a sideways glance at Kaito who had tensed up at the idea of being in a small space with people Inoue knew, which meant people he knew. "We did just meet him, after all."
"O-oh! S-sorry!" Inoue replied with a blush while she bowed in apology to Kaito. "I didn't… I mean… Sorry!"
Kaito forced himself to relax. Inoue had been genuine with her offer, being her naturally kind self that saw her incapable of harming even her enemies. She had no idea how such an offer twisted up his insides with the start of a panic (he wasn't ready, he wasn't ready, he wasn't ready!). "It's alright, but I'm afraid I should be getting back to the shoten before too long."
"Oh," Inoue sighed, practically drooping with disappointment at her plans being foiled so easily.
Kaito twitched, trying to resist the urge to give in. He glanced at Arisawa, silently trying to convey a request for help. This Inoue wasn't his Inoue, but he still felt helpless to resist when she turned that sad gaze upon him.
"How about this weekend?" Arisawa spoke up, directing her words at Inoue through she kept her gaze steady on Kaito. "We can have a picnic in the park, and invite our friends from school."
"That would be wonderful!" Inoue cheered. She clasped her hands in front of her, eyes widening into a pleading expression that she directed fully at Kaito. "Please?"
Kaito wavered, torn between accepting and bowing out, but felt his resolving crumbling under Inoue's pleading expression. With a sigh, he nodded once. "Very well. What time?"
"How about three on Saturday?" Arisawa suggested before Inoue could say anything. "That will give us time to get everything ready after school."
Kaito nodded in acceptance, then slumped against the wall again in relief when Arisawa dragged Inoue away.
(*How do I get myself into these things?*) Kaito asked Ichigo plaintively as he slowly pushed himself away from the wall and moved to head back to the shop. He didn't feel like being outside anymore, not after that unexpected meeting. (*Do I just have this 'pay attention to me!' vibe around me this time?*)
(*Orihime is a force of nature,*) Ichigo reminded him. (*I couldn't say no to her, and I never saw anyone at the Shoten say no either, so…*)
Kaito mulled that thought over. It was true, he supposed. He had only refused her offer to train with her and Chad because he wanted no one to see his training with the Sanrei glove.
Absently, he returned Urahara's cheerful greeting with a wave, making his way through the private sections of the building and to his room. He spread his futon out on auto-pilot, mind buzzing with thoughts.
He had a picnic to go to on Saturday, and the only saving grace he could think of was that it would be outside. At least then he could slip away for a few moments to himself it it all became too much.
Kaito paused at the edge of the park, eyes scanning the area that he could see, trying to find the group that Inoue had likely bullied into attending. He was already a few minutes late, having had to bite back a small panic attack and convince himself that, no, skipping without warning was not acceptable. He reached out with his senses, searching for the signatures that he was aware of, and found them a bit deeper in the park.
It was only the knowledge that Inoue would hunt him down and pout at him that kept him from turning tail and retreating at the last minute. So he took a deep breath, reminded himself of the trouble she'd gone through just for a person she didn't know, and made his way through the park until he reached the group.
"There you are!" Inoue hurried over to his side the moment he came into view, grinning brightly. "I was worried you wouldn't make it!"
"My apologies," Kaito said a bit stiffly. "I was helping with the inventory and lost track of time."
"That's alright." Inoue beckoned for him to follow her back to the others. "Guys! This is the person I wanted you all to meet. This is Urahara Kaito — he's new to town and is home schooled, so I thought it would be nice if he knew some people his age!"
Kaito swept his gaze over the gathered group, and was thankful that Inoue hadn't managed to collect the entirety of her class. Though he hadn't interacted with many of them beyond the occasional word, that many familiar faces at once would have been a bit too much for him to handle.
"Eh? You're our age?!" Kurosaki exclaimed from his seat on the ground.
Kaito shot the teen a scowl, carefully not looking at Sado who was seated next to him. "Of course I am. How old do I look anyway?"
That, Kaito was well aware, was a trick question for poor Kurosaki, and he let a tiny smirk cross his expression.
(*That, was cruel,*) Ichigo told him with amusement. (*Are you aware how many times I got in trouble with Rukia over the age thing?*)
(*Not enough, from the way your past self is currently choking on his own spit.*)
Kuchiki had driven her elbow into Kurosaki's side the moment the teen went to open his mouth and reply, leaving him sputtering and trying to catch the breath that had been driven from his lungs.
"You two know each other?" Inoue asked as she came back over, offering up a plate of various finger foods and treats.
"We've met," Kaito replied with a nod. "He and Kuchiki have come to the Urahara Shoten a few times."
Kaito examined the offered treats, then plucked up a riceball that he was (mostly) certain showed no sign of Inoue's creative talents. A careful bite proved him right, the taste of umeboshi (pickled plums) filling his mouth instead of… whatever she was currently on about at this time.
"Oh, good!" Inoue chirped, before she started introducing the rest of the people that were sitting around the blanket. "Next to Kurosaki Ichigo is Sado Yasutora, then Asano Keigo and Kojima Mizuiro. You already know Arisawa Tatsuki, and next to her is Honshou Chizuru. I would have invited more, but Tatsuki said not to."
Kaito glanced at Arisawa, who was currently grinding her knuckles into Honshou's hair, and tried to convey his thanks with a small nod. He was unsure if she even saw it, because she didn't react visibly, but it wouldn't be the first time he had noticed Arisawa brushing aside thanks like that.
He drifted over to Kurosaki and Kuchiki, being the only two he was currently acquainted with in this time, and settled down a short distance from them. The others chattered and laughed around him, and Kaito listened with only half an ear, filing most of it away as the usual shenanigans and crazy that surrounded this group. Even without spiritual powers and the insanity that seemed par for the course with it, there was plenty of 'normal' insanity running through this group.
Slowly, a knot untied itself from around his chest. The way the group just dealt with him in their midst, talking over and around and occasionally tossing a crazy comment his way, just soothed away the last traces of his earlier panic. Even when he finally forced himself to look directly at Sado, nothing more than a brief pain stirred, despite his last memory of Sado being of a broken, bloody body that Inoue was piecing back together.
Here, now, everyone was cheerful and happy and Kaito would be damned before he let this slip through his hands again.
(*'Bout goddamn time, Koneko!*) Shiro growled, a pleased edge to his tone that trumped even the tone the spirit had used when Kaito won his sword. (*This's what'cha wanna protect, so protect it!*)
Kaito nodded sharply. Shiro was right, he'd been letting himself wallow even while he tried to advance. No more. There was no room for hesitance, not if he wanted to keep this small group safe and whole.
Another chapter done! And Uryuu/Kaito shows that Urahara is indeed contagious when living in close proximity to him for long periods of time, especially when pretending to be the man's son. At this point, we're pretty much done with pre-invasion stuff, minus the 'contest' between past-Uryuu and past-Ichigo.
On another note, I've recently posted an AU of this story, called "A Dragon Flaps Its Wings" that sends Uryuu back to Turn Back the Pendulum era instead. Give it a read if that sounds interesting!
