Disclaimer: Bleach and all characters in it are the property of Tite Kubo and Shonen Jump Magazine. This story is being written not for profit, but for the hopeful enjoyment of myself and the people who read this.
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And with that out of the way, here comes the next chapter...
Feng Shaolin couldn't help but feel a little melancholy sometimes when she came to the shrine in the center of Karakura.
A single piece of stone, with a set of characters carved into it; it seemed alone, even among the buildings which had grown up around the site and the people who passed by it on the surrounding streets.
Death among life.
Something spiritual among the mundane.
Abandoned by the people who'd made it.
It was, she supposed, a fitting monument to one like herself.
At least it was well-maintained, the stone kept clean and the grass neat, though no one came here anymore to make offerings. Most people probably thought it a curiosity and passed it by.
Which was just as well to the assassin and ex-shinigami; she had no intention of making prayers and offerings to this place either.
After all, it would be the height of arrogance to make prayers to one's self.
And she wasn't welcome among the people who'd built it those decades before. She didn't blame the Ishida; Sokken had had good reason for his suspicions then and Ryuuken good reason now. But it still hurt...
Shaolin shook her head and checked her watch. It was almost lunchtime, a good time for a meeting, and this was as good a place as any for such a thing. She just hoped she could pry those two out of their...
Then she saw Isshin walking towards her from the west, appearing in the crowd almost as if by magic. He was dressed semi-casually – brown jacket and pants that weren't quite a suit but headed in that direction. Apparently being a lord of the Soul Society, however briefly, hadn't been something he was unaffected by no matter what he might say.
He was still some distance away, but Shaolin could help but wonder at how Isshin...fit in with the humans here. One of the few upsides of the sacrifice he'd made all those years ago, she supposed: he was...one of them, far more so than she or the Vizards or any of the others they knew could be.
Even when she'd tried her hand at it, decades ago or now, she'd never quite been able to be one of the crowd. Sometimes she wondered what it was like and felt just a little jealousy for Isshin and Masaki...
Shaolin shook the idle thought from her head and went back to the here and now; the meeting was too important for her to fade out now.
That feeling was reinforced as she took a closer look at Isshin. She could see even from here that the man was affecting a distracted smile, as though he were just on a casual stroll for lunch. But she'd known the man long enough to see the tension in his movements, and the way his path was making straight for the meeting.
Shaolin felt sorry about that; she knew he had a busy schedule as a doctor, and she was pulling him away from people who might need him.
But seeing as how this concerned his son's life...
She turned to the opposite direct, towards the east, and looked through the mill of people to see where the prospective third member of the group was. OR if he'd even bothered to show up...
And then she saw the green-and-white striped hat bobbing through the throngs and looked below it.
As he emerged into view, Shaolin couldn't help but shake her head at the fact that Kisuke was still in the outfit he wore at his shop. And he still had that same mischievous smile on his face; in contrast to Isshin, the blond ex-taichou seemed to be in no particular hurry, and truly was just enjoying the chance to stroll through town.
As much as Isshin had seemed to become a part of Karakura, Kisuke was a foreigner in this land; the scientist only lived here, rather than fully belonged to it. He was still very much a creature of Soul Society, however much he might deny it.
The fact that they were coming together again for the first time in...had it really been six years?...made her a little nervous. But she felt she didn't have much choice. The situation had gotten way outside Shaolin's level of expertise, but perhaps not Kisuke's, and Isshin would have to know about this sooner or later; better the bad news come from a friend.
And better to get it all over with in one meeting.
And there was one other thing she needed to find out; she hoped she was wrong, but...
She waited until the two men came up to to where she was, their steps slowing a little as they noticed each other. As she expected, Kisuke's expression didn't change; whether it was just a mask or the blond man didn't really care didn't matter to her. She did suspect the latter, though; it usually took a lot to get Urahara Kisuke visibly upset.
Isshin was a different story. The look on his face soured slightly as he took in his...former equal, maybe? Whatever the case, it was obvious that he still hadn't gotten over...whatever had come between the two of them.
She suspected it was Masaki's death; everything bad around here seemed to have that event somewhere in its matrix.
It was most emphatically why Ryuuken wasn't here.
Isshin nodded his head, and kept a cool look on the scientist.
"Urahara-san."
Kisuke's smile widened a little and he nodded his head in return.
"Kurosaki-san. It's been a while, hasn't it? But I take it not long enough, huh?"
Isshin paused at that, seeming to think about whether it was worth getting into an argument here. And then he sighed and relaxed a little.
He turned his attention to Shaolin.
"What did you want to talk to us about, Shaolin-san?"
Kisuke joined the other man in looking at her.
"You weren't very specific, but I take it this is important? I mean, you almost threatened to haul me out of my shop with a tow truck..."
Even as a small smirk crossed Isshin's face at the image, Shaolin sighed, looked down at the ground and then nodded.
"Look, I'm glad you're both here, and I apologize for the short notice, but..."
She looked back up into the doctor's eyes.
"Isshin-san, you're son...he's...sort of gone into the family business..."
The older man just stopped and arched an eyebrow.
"He's taking up medicine...?"
Shaolin would have hurt him for that quip, except that even as he said it she could hear the note of worry in his voice, and see that same emotion in his eyes.
She could also see the desire for her to tell him that what he was thinking wasn't true.
The assassin shook her head.
"No, Ichigo's become a shinigami."
Silence descended on the shrine.
Shaolin could see Kisuke had his head bowed in thought; his mind was almost certainly readying itself for the battery of questions Shaolin was sure to ask him. Isshin, on the other hand, looked more like he was simply trying to absorb this change in his family's life.
He looked back up to her.
"Are you sure?"
The assassin sighed and nodded her head.
"I'm sorry, Isshin-san, but I've seen him in the shihakushou; there's no doubt what he's become."
The man looked as much confused as worried.
"I know he's been keeping odd hours...did it happen-?"
"About a week ago? Yes, it did."
She spent the next few minutes telling them what she had managed to learn from Rukia and Ichigo the night before. Over the course of the story, she could see Kisuke looking at her with keen interest, his head bobbing from time to time during her telling.
As soon as she had finished mentioning the attack on his home, a wave of shame rolled through Shaolin. She stopped her narrative and offered a deep bow to Isshin, tears beginning to well in her eyes as she did so.
"Shaolin...?"
"I know I don't deserve it, Isshin-san, but please forgive me."
She could almost feel the man's confusion.
"For what...?"
Shaolin swallowed; it was all she could do to stand there. She wanted to run, or to simply act like a normal person apologizing to a friend.
But there was that old instruction, something she would never get rid of.
And it said this was the least she could do when one of her station was facing a lord of a great Clan, even if he had officially given up the title.
"I have failed your family, Isshin-san. While I know you are perfectly capable of defending your own home, I still should have been here for you. I shouldn't have gone...I..."
She stopped as she felt a hand on her shoulder.
She looked up and saw Isshin gently smiling at her.
"Shao-chan, you have nothing to be upset about. I don't blame you for what others did, so please don't blame yourself."
Then he flashed a lop-sided grin.
"Now will you get up. You're starting to make a scene..."
Shaolin started, straightened herself, and then took a look around. More than a few people had stopped briefly to look at the scene, and the thought made her face flush. Somehow she managed to resist the impulse to bow again in apology for bowing and...
A small giggle escaped her lips, and she found her mood considerably lightened; she saw that both men were smiling at her now.
"Thank you, Isshin."
The man nodded at her.
"Anytime. Now you were saying about my son and this newcomer...?"
Shaolin nodded and she continued her story, judiciously leaving out some of the worst parts of what had happened. They didn't need to know about Rin, for example...
Of course, Isshin reacted predictably when he figured out they were talking about a female shinigami...
"'She'? Am I to understand that my boy has been spending all this time with a member of the opposite sex?"
All of a sudden, he threw his hands upwards, and looked towards the heavens.
"Oh Masaki! The day we've feared for years has come to pass...owww!"
Some part of Shaolin's mind found it weird that she was slamming her heel into the foot of a man she was bowing to not long before. But she supposed that was a statement about their relationship.
"Be quiet, you idiot! Gods...and you were talking about me making a scene...!"
Isshin just threw a smile at her scowl as he tried to pretend he hadn't been hurt.
"Well, this is pretty important. And I take it they were doing something naughty since you wouldn't say anything about it?"
Shaolin all of a sudden felt very uncomfortable; not as much as with the details of the attack on the Kurosakis, but still...
Well, he'd probably find out sometime.
She made a show of being reluctant to say anything; not that it was much of a show. Kisuke looked on with interest and amusement at her discomfort.
"She's been spending the last week in his closet...so he claims..."
"And I suppose the little minx is getting in and out through the window?"
To her utter astonishment, Isshin actually looked bemused more than anything else; she felt like hitting him.
"Isshin-san, don't you understand what this means? The woman's been turning your son into a...juvenile delinquent, on top of the whole shinigami thing."
The man simply shook his head and continued with his wistful smile.
"Nah...I used to do stuff like that all the time when I was...well, sort of his age. Only I was the one sneaking in and out of the bedrooms."
"And the fact that a shinigami is right where she can bust your ass if she sees you?"
Isshin shrugged, a slight amount of sobriety leaking into his expression.
"What do you expect me to do about, Shaolin-san? I don't have my powers anymore; I couldn't see her if I wanted to, and if she's in a gigai, I won't be able to tell her apart from a normal human..."
For a moment, he looked like he wanted to laugh.
"I won't know what's going on until she literally knocks on my door, so why worry too much about it?"
Shaolin found she couldn't argue with that kind of logic, and so she didn't; she just continued with her story, making sure to try and keep her voice down. Most people didn't care what happened at this shrine, but she didn't want to take too many chances...
When she was done, Kisuke slowly shook his head.
"Sounds like those two did get themselves into a pickle, didn't they?"
Isshin, for his part, looked like he wasn't quite sure how to act. He did have a troubled brow, and he was shaking his head a little, but at the same time Shaolin could see some resignation and more than a little pride in his eyes.
"So...what's going on, exactly? Is he...dead or something?"
The ex-shinigami's heart sank as she heard the words.
"I'm...not entirely sure, Isshin-san... As far as I can tell, he's alive; his mortal body seems to be all right and functioning, though I haven't really given him a physical or anything."
Kisuke's smile turned a little evil.
"Aw really, Shaolin-san, I mean-"
"If you even start going in that direction, Urahara Kisuke, I will kick your ass all the way back to your shop. Do you hear me?"
The blond scientist took one look at the glare she was giving him, another at Isshin's own dark look, and then tipped his hat in acknowledgment.
"Right, no teasing. Totally serious now."
Shaolin held her glare at him for another moment, and then sighed.
"Anyway, Ichigo's body may be fine, but when he leaves it to do his shinigami thing, there's no Chain attaching the two. To put it bluntly, I can't answer whether your son is alive or dead...or..."
She shrugged for emphasis.
Isshin nodded in understanding and turned his attention to the other male in the group.
"Well, Urahara-san, what do you think?"
Kisuke put a hand to his chin and made a show of thinking about it.
"Well...to tell the truth, I have no absolute idea. I've never heard of anything like this; a human with the soul of a shinigami..."
They stood in silence, letting the man think; he could be annoying at times, but Urahara Kisuke was the smartest man Shaolin knew.
If he couldn't figure out...
"All right, try this one on: we know that to become a shinigami, you have to be dead first. And beyond that is the fact of the graduation ritual which makes you a shinigami as opposed to just some normal human with fancy duds."
Shaolin nodded at that.
"Yeah, and...? Ichigo's never gone through that."
Kisuke nodded.
"True, but having some shinigami energies plowing through him like that...maybe he's almost a shinigami."
The assassin arched an eyebrow.
"'Almost' a shinigami? Kisuke-san, the boy does have a zanpaktou...the biggest one I've seen in a long time."
Isshin puffed out his chest and held the lapels of his jacket.
"He gets that from his old man..."
It took effort for Shaolin to reach her hand up that high, but she managed to slap the Kurosaki patriarch across the face hard enough for him to stumble a little. As he was getting his bearing again and rubbing the side of his face, Shaolin just stood and shook her head.
"Good gods, Masaki-san's son has got one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel, and you two..."
Kisuke held up his hands in surrender.
"Easy, easy Shaolin-san...tell me, what did his zanpaktou look like?"
Shaolin was still upset, but she thought about it for a moment.
"I don't know...big, not very well-formed, though it was capable of killing Hollows well enough..."
"But did it have his...'aura' about it?"
Shaolin thought some more, and then began nodding her head slowly.
"Yeah...in fact, I could feel some of what I assumed was her reiatsu coming from him and the blade."
Kisuke nodded in turn, his smile visibly brightening.
"I think what might be happening is our new friend's...shinigami-ness, for lack of a better term...got superimposed on Ichigo. Kind of like an outfit being put on a paper doll."
The assassin tried very hard not to think about the implications that metaphor suggested about her friend's private life. She could see that Isshin was trying to do the same.
"So...he's not really a shinigami, then?"
Kisuke shrugged.
"Maybe, maybe not; it's as good an explanation as I can come up with until I can actually take a look at them. How's the newbie, anyway?"
Shaolin shrugged herself, though hers was non-committal.
"Fine, I guess, considering she's been effectively crippled. And believe me, she's not faking anything; I saw her in spirit form. All she's got is her modesty."
The blond scientist arched an eyebrow.
"You took her out of her gigai?"
"Only for about a minute yesterday. I kind of lost patience with her and..."
She shook her head in frustration and looked at him squarely.
"Kisuke, I need to ask you something. What did she threaten you with that you'd hand something like that over to her?"
Kisuke looked a little uncomfortable.
"Well...actually, she didn't threaten me..."
Shaolin stared at him, and she could see Isshin inwardly groaning.
"You gave it to her sight unseen, didn't you?"
"Well...yeah, she looked like she needed something like that, and far be it for me to not help a woman down on her luck..."
The assassin sighed and started massaging her brow.
"And the fact that you'd be getting a favor to turn in later had nothing to do with it...?"
Kisuke nodded his head from side to side.
"Well, there is that, yes..."
Now Isshin was shaking his head.
"And let me guess: you didn't let anyone know about this because you were afraid you'd get the blame."
"And people say I'm the smartest man in the room."
Shaolin just shook her head at that.
"Well, whatever...she's a mess with or without the gigai..."
Isshin looked suspiciously thoughtful at this point.
"You know, with all this talk, you still haven't told me this mystery girl's name..."
Shaolin gave Isshin an unsure look.
"That's kind of why I brought you here; I figured you might be able to tell me something of her. Her name's Kuchiki Rukia..."
Apparently Isshin knew the name; the fact that he looked like someone had hit him in the gut with a sledgehammer indicated such. And even though Shaolin knew the man could outwardly over-react, she knew he wasn't faking this.
She waited until the man's face gained a little color again and then pinned her friend with her gaze; she ignored Kisuke's now disturbed look.
"So you know who I'm dealing with?"
Isshin absently nodded his head, a shocked look still on his face.
"Gods...that's Byakuya's girl..."
Some part of Shaolin sank as she heard the words. Being a personal attendant of the head of a Great Clan meant she'd actually met a number of the important people in Soul Society; she'd actually gotten to know Shiba Kukaku fairly well.
Byakuya...she didn't need to have personal acquaintance to remember vital statistics...though she could hear a distant bell being rung...
"You mean to tell me that we're dealing with his little sister? Please tell me he has children..."
Isshin just shook his head, and now the assassin started to feel frustrated as she realized what was going on.
"So you mean to tell me we're dealing with the gods-damned heir apparent of the Kuchiki?"
The look on both mens' faces said as much.
Shaolin wasn't sure whether she wanted to scream in frustration or shoot herself.
"One more thing her highness has dropped in my lap..."
Kisuke gently cleared his throat.
"This walking disaster area, she's where...?"
Shaolin smiled a little at the designation used for the Kuchiki princess; it was an apt enough term.
"She's staying with me for now, at least until we can get this whole mess sorted out."
Kisuke arched an eyebrow.
"Wait a minute... This Kuchiki girl nearly gets the Kurosakis killed – at least by your account – drags Ichigo into 'illegal' Hollow-hunting... You know, independent killing of Hollows isn't against the law."
Shaolin gave the man a dark look.
"I'm sure the Ishidas will be very happy to hear that."
Kisuke almost flinched.
"Sorry. Anyway, she's caused you no end of pain, and you seem to be close to hating her...so your solution is to invite her into your home?"
The assassin sighed and shook her head.
"Believe me, I don't want to. But what else am I going to do? The girl's a born troublemaker, and she's...spunky."
Kisuke's smile turned impish.
"Kind of like you used to be, huh?"
"Yeah...I guess. Which means she's not going to stay away from Ichigo. And I can't very well lock her up thanks to the gigai you gave her; people have seen her and know her, and they'll expect a woman 'her age' to come to school."
Isshin shrugged, looking like he'd gotten over most of his shock.
"She could just be a truant; Ichigo's done it often enough."
Shaolin shook her head.
"Not this girl. She looks like she has something to prove, and there's no way I'm going to be able to keep her away from Ichigo and Hollow-hunting unless I lock her in my own closet or something."
She shrugged.
"So until this mess is cleared up, it's the best I figure I can do."
She didn't even begin to mention Tatsuki's probable feelings on the matter. But she could see from Isshin's still-pale face that he had some of her concerns.
"Were they...doing anything...?"
Shaolin shook her head, and was rewarded with Isshin relaxing visibly.
"I took a look at her last night, not that she was very happy about it. Didn't really care, though; better me than the Kuchiki."
She shook her head bemusedly.
"I'm happy to report, Isshin-san that your son and that girl are two of the most clueless young people I've ever seen. Two attractive people in close proximity to each other for a week, and the obvious didn't occur to them until I mentioned it last night..."
Isshin took a moment to absorb that, and then sighed.
"Thank you. To think that was happening in my own house..."
Shaolin gave a strained smile.
"You gave me the impression that was no big deal... Oh, wait a minute, does it have to do with the fact that Lord Byakuya would want to have some words with your son...?"
Isshin nodded his head absently, and it made Shaolin sigh again.
"Do you know anything about the girl?"
The man paused, his face in an expression of thought.
"I never met her personally, though you know I heard the name mentioned."
Shaolin smiled.
"I gathered as much..."
Isshin nodded his head a little.
"I don't know all that much about her, either. She was adopted about...fifty years ago, straight out of the Academy; there's a tale or two that he even attended her graduating class personally."
That made Shaolin arch an eyebrow.
"What was so special about her?"
Isshin shrugged.
"Don't know; I never really cared to know the Kuchiki well. They were a bunch of self-righteous snobs as far as our...as far as I was concerned. Though I did hear a rumor or two that she wasn't from the Seireitei..."
Now Shaolin started staring at him.
"Are you sure?"
The tall man shrugged again.
"Like I said, it was just rumors, stuff you hear people saying as you pass down the street on your way to more important things. But I do know Byakuya was very protective of the girl for some reason."
Shaolin nodded at that and filed it away; she'd figured as much, considering how her luck was running.
"Who does she serve under? What Bantai?"
Isshin's face brightened noticeably.
"Thirteenth, if I remember correctly – Ukitake-taichou's command."
Shaolin started smiling a little as well; she hadn't really known the man, but she knew that Ukitake Juushiro was a highly respected taichou and overall a good man. The only flaw had been his constant ill health, which meant someone else usually had to run things for him.
To think he'd gotten stuck with a twit like Rukia...
"Let me guess: Kuchiki-taichou sent his little sister there to be well-taken care of?"
"Pretty much, as far as I know; she didn't even have to pass the entrance exams. 'Nii-sama' took care of everything."
The assassin sighed and shook her head in disgust.
"So she is the favored child. I would have thought better of the Kuchiki."
Isshin just shrugged at the suggestion.
"You'll get no complaints from me. But we need to worry more about what's happening here. About how long do we have until the end of her tour?"
She told him and he started looking sour again.
"Damn it, why did Kaien have to go and get himself killed...?"
Shaolin arched an eyebrow.
"On the job?"
The man nodded.
"A Hollow attacked the barracks, or so I heard through Urahara-san here."
The blond man gave a tip of the hat to his counterpart.
"I was happy to oblige, though I still wish you could have gone to the funeral; I probably could have gotten you there..."
Isshin huffed.
"Yeah, and I would have been in hock to you for the rest of my existence."
Kisuke made a show of thinking on that and then shook his head.
"Not so, my friend...probably only half your existence...but it would have been-"
"Guys, focus."
Shaolin didn't need this turning into sniping contest; she needed information, and the stern look she gave the two men caused them to settle down. Isshin looked at her a little sheepishly.
"Sorry about that. Anyway, I'm not worried about Ukitake-taichou coming after us; he's a pretty decent sort, even-tempered. He'd probably try to find some way to get this mess cleared up without it becoming public knowledge."
Shaolin nodded her head.
"That's a good idea... Kisuke-san, can you-?"
The blond scientist quickly held up his hands to ward off her question.
"Uh...that's probably not going to work out, Shaolin-chan. I'll see what I can do, but sneaking someone into Soul Society is one thing; carrying on correspondence with a taichou, especially one who isn't exactly made for 'secret rendezvous' type stuff...well, you get the point..."
Isshin held up a hand to stop Kisuke.
"There's also the fact that I'm pretty sure who's running things in 13-Bantai right now: a pair of knuckleheads who would do anything to keep their taichou's good name clean."
Shaolin arched an eyebrow in interest.
"So I might have to deal with them?"
Isshin put a hand to his chin.
"Maybe... It's not that they're incompetent; they're just really over-enthusiastic. And like I said, losing the sister to Kuchiki Byakuya..."
"The heir apparent to one of the Great Clans..."
Isshin shook his head and then nodded it.
"Yeah...well they might be crazy enough to do something. And without their taichou's knowledge or permission, I might add."
Shaolin could feel her shoulders slump and a sigh escape her lips.
"Great. I know I should have expected something like that, but still..."
"One more thing for you to worry about, huh?"
The assassin nodded at Kisuke's words, and then turned her attention to him.
"Kisuke-san, I'm not joking here. I need your help, as much as you can give me."
The scientist stopped cold at Shaolin's words and their tone, and took a moment to study her.
"You're dead serious, aren't you?"
Kisuke tapped his cane on the ground a couple of times, and she could see the wheels turning in his head.
"I'll do what I can...it's still going to cost you, though..."
Shaolin just closed her eyes at that.
"Kisuke-san, you know money's no object here, and you know I can pay. And I can pull favors if I have to-"
"Okay, okay, I get the point."
His words may have been blunt, but their gentle tone and the smile Kisuke gave with them helped calm Shaolin. He took a moment to think.
"I'll see what I can do. I'll have to run a few tests on Kurosaki-san and Kuchiki-hime, examine them...it'll probably take a couple of days for me to get set up. And I'll probably not be available while I'm doing it."
His smile got a little sheepish.
"You know how I am when I get involved in a project, don't you Shaolin-chan?"
The ex-shinigami smiled in gratitude and bowed to him.
"Thank you, Kisuke-san. It means a lot to me...and I'm sure it will mean a lot to Masaki-san."
As she looked up, she could see the mention of the woman's name had disturbed the men a little. She wasn't surprised at that, and maybe they were only reacting to Shaolin's attitude.
Whatever it was, they quickly recovered; in fact, Isshin's face started showing some curiosity.
"Do you mind if I ask a question, Shaolin-san, before we all depart?"
She shook her head.
"How's my son been doing...as a shinigami, I mean?"
Shaolin started at the question, and then sighed as she tried to think of what to tell him.
"Honestly, he's not very good."
Isshin shrugged lightly.
"Well, I'm sure he'd be green; I mean he wasn't trained to do stuff like that."
The assassin shook her head vigorously.
"Isshin, the kid may have power and martial arts skill, but that's all he has. He has no training of any kind in swordplay, and even his mentality in that department sucks; he reminds me of the last Zaraki-taichou, in fact."
Both men grimaced, and Kisuke slowly shook his head.
"That bad, huh?"
Shaolin made a face of her own as she realized the insult she leveled against her friend's son, but she had to be truthful to him about this.
"He's not meant to be a shinigami, guys. Even though he has raw potential, it'd take decades to get him to the point where he could take on the kind of things Soul Society would send after him. And trust me, they would send something after him."
Kisuke gave her an appraising look.
"So you're not going to train him, are you?"
Shaolin stared at him.
"What could I teach him in two or three weeks that would do any good? The Gotei 13 would just keep sending people until he was dead. The only sane option is getting him back to normal as quickly as possible."
Both men nodded sagely at that, and then a feeling came over Shaolin that the meeting was just about over. Isshin was looking at his watch and Kisuke had the feel about him of someone who was going to fade into the background he came from.
She took the hint and bowed to the two men.
"Guys, thank you very much for having come here. I hope I haven't taken up too much of your time."
Kisuke's smile broadened a little.
"Never, Shaolin-chan. And before I leave, I take it you're going to be needing that new gigai soon...?"
He pointed to the slight 'burn scars' on the back of her hands, showing through the long-sleeved shirt she was wearing. Isshin now noticed them and looked at her with concern, but she waved it off.
"I just got too aggressive in exterminating some Hollows yesterday, that's all..."
Kisuke nodded at that.
"Nevertheless, that's not reparable damage. You'll need a new one..."
Shaolin arched an eyebrow.
"Which you'll provide when I come in with Ichigo and Kuchiki-hime? I'll make sure I have the payment for that as well."
Kisuke gave his merchant's smile, and looked like he was trying to keep from rubbing his hands together.
"Good, good. I'll see you in a couple or three days, then. Good seeing you, Isshin-san."
He tipped his hat in the doctor's direction, and then started walking off back in the direction of his shop. Despite the fact that his outfit still stuck out, the man managed to vanish into the crowd.
"Glad I don't have to deal with him."
Shaolin turned her attention back to Isshin, who managed to regain some of his earlier distaste. Then he noticed she was watching and he sighed.
"I need to get going, too; who what'll happen while I'm away from the office."
The assassin nodded in understanding, and then paused as she saw him still looking at her.
"What?"
Now it was Isshin's turn to bow, though it wasn't as deep as hers had been.
"Shaolin-san, would you please watch over my son. I know you want to do it already, but I would be very appreciative."
The gesture and words took The ex-shinigami by surprise, and then she recovered and smile at him, bowing in return. And this time she didn't care what it looked like to the people on the street.
"Of course, Isshin-san. I will do so for you and Masaki-san."
They both straightened, and then Isshin gave a lopsided smile.
"And now that that's over, I'd better leave you to...whatever you're doing right now."
He turned and then made his own way into the streets, disappearing into the crowd much as Kisuke had done.
The thought made her sigh in frustration.
"Urahara Kisuke..."
"He did not say anything about the nature of the gigai, did he?"
Shaolin closed her eyes and shook his head.
"No he didn't, Hana...no he didn't..."
The ex-shinigami had hoped Kisuke would enlighten her, even by accident, about what was going on, but...
"Are you recovered from last night?"
"Yes, I am, more or less..."
She hadn't told Kisuke or Isshin that she'd taken over Rukia's gigai for a moment the night before. It wasn't a comfortable practice; it was not unlike trying on someone else's clothes. But she figured it was the fastest and least humiliating way to prove that Ichigo and Rukia hadn't been up to any funny business.
Now she had a pretty good idea why Rukia hadn't gotten her powers back. And it meant that Rukia would have been stuck having Ichigo doing her dirty work for her.
"A gigai that drains your reiatsu instead of just cloaking it...what the hell is Kisuke-san thinking, doing that to a Kuchiki?"
"Is she going to be all right?"
Shaolin shrugged.
"Not if she's stuck in there long enough; I'm fine, but it was consuming reiatsu at a pretty high rate. If this keeps up, she'll be reduced to the power level of a human in no time."
"And the Kuchiki will want answers when, not if, they arrive to collect their wayward daughter..."
"As well as a certain ex-taichou's head on a platter."
There was another pause.
"Why not take her out of it permanently right now? Or is that...?"
"I don't want to tip my hand just yet, Hana. If I ask for another gigai for her, then Kisuke-san will know what I know."
The gikongan paused at the seriousness of Shaolin's words.
"Do you think jii-sama...?"
Shaolin shook her head, even as she looked again at the shrine's marker stone.
"Urahara Kisuke is the most apolitical man I know; all he cares about is his shop, his lab and an occasional trip to remind him what sunlight is. There's no way he's up to something, but there is one person I can think of who'd be able to get him to do something like that."
There was a pause.
"Shihouin Yoruichi."
Shaolin closed her eyes and sighed. A sour taste formed in the back of her mouth.
"Yeah, Hana...I've Rukia...Soul Society, maybe...some new Hollow that making my teeth chatter..."
She sighed and shook her head.
"And now Yoruichi-sama playing some kind of game."
It was all she could think of, and she hoped she was wrong at that. For now Shaolin would just sit back and let things play out; she had enough to worry about as it was.
She just hoped whatever was going on, Ichigo's friends would be all right...
"Hey, Arisawa-san, how's Ichigo doing?"
Oh gods, not again...
Tatsuki tried to screw her face into a confidence she didn't really feel, and turned to the other student.
"How would I know, I haven't talked to him this morning."
The girl just smirked evilly.
"Aww, you're not his favorite anymore...?"
The girl looked at Orihime and Rukia, who were sitting only a few feet away from Tatsuki.
"I wonder how he figures who's turn it-"
Tatsuki almost immediately set down her lunch, got up off the roof and and started cracking her knuckles. She made sure to also give the girl in front of her a glare sufficient to start someone's clothes on fire.
"Get the hell out of here...now! Before I decide to-"
"Tatsuki-chan, please let's not get violent."
The brunette stopped at her friend's voice and looked back. Orihime was sitting next to where Tatsuki had been, her pose calm and serene as was her expression. There was, however, a sternness in her eyes that said she'd try to enforce the peace if she wanted to.
The look startled Tatsuki. She hadn't seen something like that since...
The girl Tatsuki had been threatening took the hint and started leaving the area, though she did flash a mean smirk in their direction.
"Have fun, girls!"
For just a moment, Tatsuki wanted to take the bitch apart regardless of Orihime's feelings, but then she decided it wasn't worth it and sat back down. She took a moment to calm herself again, and then tore into her food so she could try and keep her mind on something other than her new 'status'.
She guessed she'd adapt to it or find a way to get past the title...eventually... Though it did irk her that she'd have the rumors and gossip without any tangible benefits.
Which made her think of another rumor that was being told around the quad.
Tatsuki looked to on side and found herself still blown away that she was actually sitting near Kuchiki Rukia. Orihime had noticed the smaller girl up on the roof, immediately gone and sat down beside her over Rukia's mild protest, and Tatsuki was left to go sit beside the two of them to keep an eye on her friend.
As she watched them, the brunette's mind turned to this morning, when she went to pick Orihime up from Furin Hall. It was seriously out of her way to school, but she didn't mind the extra exercise, and she definitely had wanted to make sure her friend was all right.
And there, to Tatsuki's utter astonishment, had been a well-rested and chipper Orihime, chatting it up with Rukia.
Or, trying to, at least.
Even now, as Tatsuki looked at the other two girls next to her, she could see that Orihime was the one doing most of the talking, all smiles and sunshine.
Rukia was just sitting there sullenly, picking at her lunch and doing her best not to be completely rude. It would have been insulting except that there was something in her demeanor that said she was lost in thought as much as she was in the middle of a sulk.
Whatever; it didn't matter to Tatsuki what was going on with the girl, as long as Orihime was all right.
Now she just had to make sure to chase away all the people ribbing the three of them about being 'Ichigo's Angels'...
And keep herself from staring at Rukia's features in the sunlight too much. She was short...like sensei...and if she looked at it right, Rukia did kind of look...
"So, Kuchiki-san, you never did say where you were from..."
Orihime's words broke through Tatsuki's line of thought, as did the fact that Rukia flinched when she heard them.
She doubted Rukia would answer the question, but if she did...
Tatsuki wanted to know why Feng-sensei had given Rukia food and lodging in her home, rather than take the transfer student and 'transfer' her out of Karakura.
Rukia seemed to come a little more alive at the question, though more from nervousness than anything else.
"Well...uhm...I've kind of been around and..."
Even as Rukia struggled to come up with a good answer, the rumor entered into Tatsuki's mind fully.
Something about Rukia being Feng-sensei's love-child...
Orihime smiled warmly, her eyes full of quiet understanding.
"Don't worry, Kuchiki-san, I wasn't meaning to pry too much. I know what it's like to live alone."
Now Rukia really looked unnerved.
"W-what makes you think...?"
Orihime shrugged, and her expression went back to it's normal sunny self.
"I can see it in your eyes, Kuchiki-san; I've lived alone nii-san passed away, and...Kuchiki-san...?
Now Rukia was slightly pale; she covered her shock up pretty well, but Tatsuki was watching closely enough to catch it.
There was fear there, as though Rukia was scared of her 'companions' finding something out, but there was also...something else there, something Tatsuki couldn't quite place.
Tatsuki had overheard the night before that Rukia had a brother, presumably living or else Ichigo wouldn't have had a fit but...
"Hey, Rukia, got a minute?"
Tatsuki's thoughts disappeared as she saw Ichigo start coming up towards them, an unreadable scowl on his face.
She inwardly sighed at the sight; he was in one of his moods again.
Orihime, of course, completely ignored this fact and flashed one of her bright smiles at the young man.
"Hi, Kurosaki-kun!"
Ichigo only nodded his head at Orihime imperceptibly, but still kept his eyes fixed on Rukia, who in turn was keeping her eyes fixed on her lunch.
"Could it wait...?"
Ichigo just crossed his arms and continued to look down on Rukia.
"No, it can't."
For a moment, Rukia seemed to ignore Ichigo. And as Tatsuki looked, she began to realize that the girl was more lost in thought than actively ignoring the young man.
Finally, Rukia sighed and nodded, and then set her lunch down on the floor. Still not looking up at Ichigo, she stood up and started walking to him like a prisoner; she flashed a sullen glare at him, and his expression softened before he turned and started leading Rukia off towards the roof entrance.
"Hey, Ichigo, what'cha gonna do with the transfer student?"
Tatsuki almost inwardly groaned as heard the suggestive tone in Keigo's voice. The idiot was coming up in front and to one side of the pair...
"None of your business, Keigo."
And right in the path of one of Ichigo's clothesline maneuvers.
Keigo went to the ground on his back, crying something about Ichigo being mean, while Ichigo and Rukia continued on their way. Mizuiro, as always, watched the whole show from a safe distance, a quite smile on his face.
Orihime watched the display in silence, a slightly worried look on her face. Tatsuki knew she was probably honestly worried about Rukia and what might be going on with her.
The ginger-haired student turned to Tatsuki and set her lunch down.
"Tatsuki-chan, are you worried about Kurosaki-kun again?"
Tatsuki just froze at the words, as well as the tone; Orihime seemed to actually be a little bit annoyed now.
The brunette could feel a little shame seep into her and she set her own lunch down and sighed.
"Yeah, I am, and I'm worried about you, Orihime. I just don't want anything to happen to you two, that's all."
Not that I'm sure I'd be able to do anything about it...
Orihime thought for a moment, and then smiled brightly at her friend.
"Then go and see what they're doing. If you don't, you're just going to worry yourself to death."
Tatsuki stooped and thought for a moment.
"Orihime, what if-"
"I can take care of myself, Tatsuki-chan, don't worry. After all, you taught me how to do that."
But you had it in you from the beginning, I...
For another moment she felt like protesting, and then she nodded and stood up.
"If anything happens to you, 'Hime, I'm going to kick your butt at the next sparring practice."
"I'll be fine...now go."
Still feeling a boatload of reservations, Tatsuki headed to the roof entrance and then went into the building proper. A flight of stairs, and she could see Ichigo and Rukia headed off to somewhere; probably somewhere private.
Even as she followed, Tatsuki began to berate herself.
Gods, she felt like a snoop. There was no reason for this, and she wasn't usually the kind of person to go messing around in other peoples' lives.
But this was Ichigo, one of her oldest...she hoped they were still friends.
Sometimes it was hard to tell.
And she was leaving Orihime alone.
But there was just something...she just had to know...
She had to know Rukia wasn't someone who was going to tear their lives apart; she had to know what she was dealing with, to know if she could do anything.
Arisawa Tatsuki absolutely did not want to feel the kind of helplessness she felt six years ago.
She ignored the looks other people gave her as she tried to make her way through the hallways without her quarry seeing her. She just ignored most of them, giving the people who looked like they were going to say anything a furious glare that sent said people scurrying away.
Some part of her now actually appreciated what Feng-sensei had done the day before, calling her part of a 'harem'. Most people would just rib her about following Ichigo and Rukia around, and it would be annoying as hell.
But it also meant people would peg her as just a jealous rival to Rukia and leave the matter at that. If she was lucky, Rukia and Ichigo might think of it the same way.
"I wonder where they're going..."
Orihime's voice coming from behind her nearly made Tatsuki jump out of her skin. She turned and glared at her friend.
"What are you-?"
The ginger-haired student raised her hands defensively, a sheepish look on her face.
"Sorry. I'm just kind of curious about what he wants with her too."
By now the brunette had calmed down; she took a quick look to make sure Ichigo and Rukia hadn't doubled back and then started forward again.
"I don't think it's the obvious; he had a serious look on his face."
She could almost feel Orihime nod.
"Yeah, kind of like yesterday... Probably has something to do with that 'job' she was mentioning."
Tatsuki sighed as they went around another bend in the hallway; she wondered where the hell they were going. Wherever it was, Ichigo wanted it to be private, which only underscored how serious this was.
Then something occurred to her.
"Hey Orihime...how did you get away from everyone on the roof?"
Now she could almost feel the other girl's smile on her back.
"Oh, I just started following Ichigo and you, and I told everyone I didn't want to be followed myself."
The casual and chipper tone of the girl's voice made Tatsuki start. She stopped and turned to look at Orihime who had an expression to match her tone.
"How did you do that?"
Now Orihime's smile widened and she shrugged.
"I just said so. Of course, Honshou-san wanted me to stay there, but I told her I wanted to be with you."
"And for her not to follow..."
Tatsuki became even more confused when her friend nodded her head.
"And she just let you do that?"
Now Orihime put a hand behind her head and her smile was sheepish again.
"Not really; she kind of wanted to...well, do what she always does...so I had to kick her butt. I mean that's what sensei told us earlier: if you don't like it, say so."
She frowned just a little bit.
"Honshou-san did take it pretty hard, though; she was crying and everything... I'll have to make it up to her somehow..."
Tatsuki was too busy shaking her head and trying to keep the image forming in her head...
"I won't let you go with that horrible Arisawa woman, 'Hime, even if I have to force you to stay."
Orihime stood on the roof facing Chizuru. She bowed from the waist.
"My apologies then, Honshou-san, but I'm going to have to kick your butt now..."
Before her opponent could react, the ginger-haired student straightened and hurled the side of her arm in a sweeping motion at Chizuru's neck. The redhead managed to grasp it, giving an evil smile...
Which melted away as Orihime leaped into the air, brought one leg up and twisted in the air. The impromptu roundhouse kick connected, sending Chizuru staggering backwards while Orihime landed on her feet, still with a sunny smile on her face.
"I'm so very sorry, Honshou-san. Are you all right?"
The other girl, having gotten her bearings again, threw herself at Orihime, arms stretched out, hands aiming to grab Orihime's bust. A look of unfettered lust was on the redhead's face.
Orihime simply turned around at the last second, and then grabbed one of Chizuru's arms. Using her body as a fulcrum, she hauled the redhead off the ground, over her head, and then onto the roof.
"Please forgive me."
Then, while Chizuru still lay stunned on the roof, Orihime jumped up and threw her body, shoulder-first, onto the other girl's body, driving the air from her lungs.
"Sorry."
Orihime picked herself up and watched her opponent for signs of a continued fight. But Chizuru was out of commission, still too stunned by both her defeat and the fact Orihime had inflicted it.
Satisfied that her opponent was done, the ginger-haired student relaxed, straightened her outfit, and then bowed from the waist again.
"Again, my sincere apologies Honshou-san. I'll try not to be so rough next time."
Then she turned to face the other students, who were looking at her with a mixture of awe and fear. All of them were taking care not to be too close to her, even as she continued to calmly smile at them.
"Anyone else...?"
The thought almost made Tatsuki want to laugh, and it certainly made her smile.
Orihime just looked at her with wide-eyed puzzlement.
"Tatsuki-chan, what is it?"
The brunette just shook her head a little, a mixture of pride and sadness filling her.
"Nothing, Orihime...it's just I'm beginning to wonder if you might not be needing me anymore..."
The girl just gave Tatsuki a disapproving stare.
"Don't be ridiculous; you're my best friend. I'll always need you, like...for slumber parties!"
Now Tatsuki almost did laugh, but she managed to contain it as her original mission came back to her.
"C'mon, lets see what's going on with Ichigo."
They made their way further through the building, to an area that wasn't occupied by students or faculty, and it frustrated Tatsuki that she didn't see any sign of Ichigo or Rukia. Where had they...?
Then she saw Orihime standing near a doorway, looking at it with certainty.
"What?"
The ginger-haired student waved Tatsuki over and pointed at the door.
"They're in there."
Even as she came up to Orihime, Tatsuki gave her friend a look that expressed her disbelief.
"You're sure? How?"
Orihime shrugged.
"I don't know; I just know Kurosaki-kun is in there, and Kuchiki-san is probably with him."
"You aren't using one of your widgets this time?"
Orihime shook her head, her attention still on the door.
"I didn't fell like doing that after last time; they're still in the closet in the room Feng-sensei let me have..."
Before Tatsuki could ask anything else, Orihime put her hand on the door and slid it open a crack.
"What are you doing?"
Orihime flashed the brunette a grin.
"I want to know what Kuchiki-san's secret is. If I can copy it, I can...well..."
"And if we get busted?"
The ginger-haired student shrugged.
"I don't really care. I've made up my mind about what I want to do."
Good to hear, Orihime...
Tatsuki came up to the edge of the door and turned her ear towards the crack, straining to make out the sounds of the two people inside. Even though the room and the hallway were empty, they were obviously being careful.
"This is about last night, isn't it?"
There was a pause, and they could almost feel Ichigo nod, and then Rukia sighed.
"What about it?"
"Who are you?"
Tatsuki's eyes went wide; she couldn't believe her luck on this. If she could just...
She heard Rukia laugh a little, though there was no mirth in it.
"So that's it, huh? … You already know who I am..."
Tatsuki opened the door a little further and shifted her angle. She could see Rukia and Ichigo in the far corner of the room, and right now he was shaking his head.
"Not really. You lied to me about what was going on, you didn't tell me you had a brother...what else haven't you been telling me?"
Rukia looked troubled for a moment, like she didn't want to say anything. For some reason, Tatsuki was inclined to believe that the girl wasn't very open as a matter of course as much as from being devious.
Then she sighed and crossed her arms.
"All right. Your obasan pretty much told you everything, except...I'm from a very important clan, Ichigo. I'm the closet thing to a princess you're ever going to run into..."
Even as she heard a small gasp escape Orihime's lips, Tatsuki's mind tried to fit that into her knowledge of Rukia. She would have completely discounted the matter, but from here she could almost see Rukia's face, and there was enough seriousness in it to convince Tatsuki that Rukia at least thought she was telling the truth.
Ichigo. For his part, took a moment to consider it.
"You don't look like a princess..."
Now Rukia looked highly annoyed.
"You don't exactly look like a prince yourself, you know..."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Rukia caught herself, and then turned a little away from him.
"It's nothing...it's..."
Rukia stopped again, seemed to gather herself, and then proceeded to bow to Ichigo, a move that seemed to startle the young man as much as it did Tatsuki.
"Ichigo...I'm sorry about the mess I've gotten you into...but I really need your help. I'm a dead woman if you decide not to help me out...I..."
Ichigo sighed, and then turned his head to one side in a gesture Tatsuki knew all to well.
"Don't worry about it."
Tatsuki suppressed the urge to sigh in defeat; she had been right about the look. For her part, Rukia was stunned enough to rise out of her bow and stare at him.
"What...?"
"I said don't worry about it. What's done is done, and besides, I have a job to do."
Rukia looked honestly unsure.
"But your obasan..."
"Is just going to have to live with it."
The diminutive student just stood there, disbelief plainly etched on her features. It took her a moment to get her mouth to work.
"I don't know what to say..."
Before Orihime could do anything, Tatsuki quietly closed the door and started heading back for the now-far away roof entrance. Her friend stayed at the door for a moment, and then hurried to her side.
"Tatsuki-chan, what...?"
"I know you don't care, but I'd rather not get caught by them or anyone else. Besides, this is getting a little too weird. Can you imagine her lying like that...?'
By now they had turned a corner and Tatsuki felt like they were in safer territory; they weren't as likely to get accused of spying if Ichigo or Rukia came by them.
Orihime apparently felt the same way, as she stopped and started thinking.
"What?"
There was a certain amount of worry in Tatsuki as she saw the look of concentration in her friend's expression.
"She's a princess...and yet she works...and she's got kind of a weird vibe..."
Tatsuki braced herself to see what Orihime came up with.
"Yeah?"
Then the light came on in Orihime's brain.
"Maybe she's a magic princess from a far-off land, like the ones in those anime shows we used to watch? And she's here to fight monsters, and...what?"
Tatsuki's had been trying to keep her stare from being to disbelieving but...
"If that's true, Orihime, then where's her wand or charm, or...whatever...?"
The ginger-haired student thought about that for a moment.
"Maybe she lost it. Or maybe it got broken and the magic got picked up by Kurosaki-kun and..."
Tatsuki held her hands up to stop her friend from going on.
"I get the picture...trust me."
A picture involving Rukia dressed up in a tutu, and Ichigo in a tuxedo and top hat...
"I wonder if they're recruiting..."
Tatsuki couldn't help but sigh at the thoughtful look on her friend's face. Now she was beginning to see Orihime in a tutu...and Chizuru...and herself...
She shook her head clear and started walking again.
"C'mon, Orihime, lets go back to lunch."
The ginger-haired student nodded her head.
"Okay."
Tatsuki was glad her friend had such a candy-coated imagination; she had some darker thoughts on the matter. Rukia was obviously not a foreigner, and if she really were something like a princess, that meant...
Tatsuki turned another corner and almost ran into a wall of gray uniform...
Which Orihime finished smashing her into.
The brunette had enough time to look up and see who it was, though considering she was pressed up against a school uniform she had a pretty good idea.
The bronzed face of Sado Yasutora looked down on her and smiled, even as the two girls managed to back up away from him.
"Sorry about that, Chad."
The almost-giant calmly shook his head.
"Don't worry about it."
He motioned an arm in the direction the two girls had just come in; Tatsuki couldn't help but notice the small birdcage in his hand.
"You checking up on Ichigo?"
Both girls nodded and it caused Chad to frown.
"They talking about anything?"
"You're worried about him, too?"
Chad just shrugged a little.
"Don't know. He seems all right, but I've never seen him that interested in a girl before."
Tatsuki looked back the way she'd come.
"Yeah, well...Rukia seems to be 'special'."
She could hear Orihime sigh a little.
"Well I think she's just fine, thank you; it's nothing I can't handle. And she seems to be pretty nice, I just have to get to know her..."
Tatsuki thought to respond, and then shook her head.
"Whatever...I'm going back to lunch before period runs out."
Chad nodded and then held up the birdcage, smiling as he did so.
"Before you do that, did you want to see my new friend?"
The girls looked inside the cage and saw a white parrot sitting there, looking back at them with curious interest. Orihime let out a gasp of delight.
"Oh, he's wonderful, Sado-san. What's his name?"
"My name's Yuuichi, what's yours...?"
Even as Orihime proceeded to make friends, a cold shiver ran through Tatsuki's spine.
There was something about the parrot, about the way it looked at her and Orihime with eyes that had a human intelligence... And there was something about the bird that...
Something in her was trying to...match it, repel it...something...
She knew it was crazy, but she didn't like the bird, didn't want it around her. It made her feel that maybe Ichigo wasn't the only one who was going to need watching...
Author's notes: I hope I don't start anything with some of this, but I wanted to share some observations that came to me during the writing of this story.
I've heard that the shinigamis' longevity is due to their spiritual power. Since Isshin had his power stripped from him, he likely aged as a human for the last 20 years; when he first arrived on Earth, he would have been a young man (about Byakuya's age or so). This would explain a lot in the series, such as the fact that the Shibas never commented on Ichigo looking like Kaien (they never did hear the boy was a human, and so wouldn't think to connect him to their 20-something brother).
Also, I know it's a bit of a stretch, but I think shinigami could use each others' gigai; there isn't anything physically preventing it in IMHO, though it would be...'interesting', to say the least.
And I hope I've given a reason (however clumsy) that something's not quite right concerning the story of why Rukia was placed in a power-draining gigai...
And with that in mind, I have a couple of questions to ask:
What's considered a good update rate (beyond ASAP)? I've been concerned for a while that I haven't been updating fast enough, but I'm in a little bit of a bubble on this, so I wanted to make sure.
I also wanted to ask if people thought this story as a whole was going along okay; I'll admit that plotting isn't my strongest suit, which is one reason why I'm writing this story, so any input on that would be helpful as well.
And now for the reviews:
Love Psycho: Thanks for the review. Don't worry, Shaolin will be doing the training...and she will eventually be training him. She just needs a little 'convincing'...
EVA-Saiyajin: I'm glad you liked the chapter; interestingly, some of the stuff in there (such as Rukia having gotten Ichigo's family into trouble in the first place) only came to me as I was writing it. I'm sorry if I confused you about Shaolin taking in Rukia; hopefully I've addressed that in this chapter. And as for Ichigo and Rukia's relationship in this timeline...you'll all just have to wait and see...
Ability King KK: I'm glad the chapter met with your approval. As for Byakuya and Renji...I have an interesting twist on that, due to events in this timeline (as long as my plot doesn't blow up in my face, that is...)
reality deviant: I'm always glad to see someone new review, so thank you for it and for taking the time to write it. I'm happy you like the way the story's done; it's something I worry about sometimes, because I'd hate to be wasting peoples' time on this (though I know reading these fanfics is entirely voluntary, I'd hate to disappoint at this part of the journey).
Your question about the lieutenant of 2nd Company makes me realize I really should have done a better job in Chapter 3 (I'll admit I suffer from 'mysterious stranger syndrome' in my writing). For the record, Mei Xing is only the 4th Seat, and the lieutenant...it's not Omaeda, but I'll show who it is later.
The hopefully soon-to-be-less-mysterious Karl will be shown later in this part of the arc (the next couple or three flashbacks with Shaolin will show who he is); he had a very large impact on the young Shaolin's life, and the direction it took.
The Bounts...it's going to be a while (even if I can increase my update rate), though I have a few ideas about that if and when I get to them (I always did think it was nuts that a literal handful of people tried to charge Soul Society...)
And I will attempt to increase my update rate (it isn't my writing speed that's a problem, it has more to do with life).
HopefulEchoe: Thanks for the praise. I'm glad that you're enjoying this, and as for Yoruichi being here...I plan on having her show up in a while, don't worry.
The Fifth Horseman: I'm happy to see your review, and I'm glad you like the chapter. I think both Shaolin and Ichigo have good reason to be relieved at their connection; after all, Ichigo's got a lot to think about and Shaolin wants to protect her friend's child. But that isn't going to mean their relationship will go completely smoothly.
And as you can see, I was indeed planning on having Ichigo meeting with Kisuke when Shaolin gets her new gigai (in fact, I have some other craziness planned for that point, though it won't happen for several more chapters). As for Yoruichi, like I said above, she'll be showing up in a while; she had her reasons for acting the way she did in the past (I think I figured out why she left Sui-Feng behind in the canon timeline), and she's well aware of how Shaolin probably feels. So she'll be more than a little careful about her first meeting with Ichigo and his friends.