Author's Notes:
So, uhh. . . already three months since the last update again? Well. . . okay, there's no real excuse this time. It just sort of happened. We'll at the very least try to get the next chapter out in roughly a month, at least. . .
If there is one thing that both people and cats equally dislike, it is being rudely awakened from a deep slumber- which, for Yoruichi, meant that being woken up as a cat was twice as irritating as being woken up as a human, this particular instance being no exception. Being a cat did, however, bring one particular advantage with it: The ability to slash the person responsible for the awakening across the face with claws, providing at least some minor compensation.
Retracting her claws, Yoruichi yawned, stretched her body, and transformed back into her human form. As she readjusted to her different senses as human, she took a look around her. Since she had slept in the shop, it was easy to tell what time of the day it was- the middle of the night. Meanwhile, the person who woke her up turned out to be Urahara, who currently was busy rubbing the cut on his nose that Yoruichi had given him.
"Rude." He mumbled, managing to sound genuinely offended.
"You really should have seen that coming when you decided to wake me up, Kisuke..." Yoruichi retorted, suppressing another yawn. "So what is so important that you just can't wait until tomorrow?"
Averting his attention from the cut, Urahara looked at Yoruichi. For a short moment, he seemed slightly confused, before his expression then lit up. "Oh yes, that! I almost forgot. It's about time we leave, so you should get ready."
Yoruichi stared at him, flabbergasted. "We... what? What are you talking about? Where are we leaving for?"
"Well, for Soul Society! It would just be impolite to promise the old man to drop by for a merry little afternoon tea, and then wait for weeks before we actually do that, wouldn't it?" Urahara said, grinning like a sleep-deprived maniac- which, given the circumstances, might have been a rather accurate description.
"But- I only just yesterday reported that we might be paying a visit! And more importantly, why didn't you tell me anything about this earlier?" Yoruichi asked, now quite awake.
Urahara scratched his head. "Hmm... could've sworn I already told you that... guess I must've forgotten it, after all. But, no matter. I just prefer to seem unpredictable to good ol' Yamamoto, and dropping by unannounced fits in with that just perfectly. Besides, after some careful in-depth consideration, I have come to the conclusion that I currently have nothing more important to do that can't wait until we've paid our visit to the Gotei. I hope this is not a problem for you?"
Yoruichi sighed. "No, no, I don't mind it... just give me some time to get ready, and then we can leave."
"Good! I'll make the necessary preparations to open up the portal, then." Urahara said, grinning from ear to ear, as he ran off.
Looking after him, Yoruichi yawned again. Sometimes he really was a pain to deal with...
oOo
Zangetsu and Raitora were rested against a concrete wall, on top of a tall building right in the middle of Karakura town, as their two owners were busy punching each other as best they could. They were both of them warm, their faces glistening with sweat, and they didn't keep still for even a moment. They were bruised, having kicked and punched at each other for almost two hours now. Ichigo had blood dripping down his forehead, and Tatsuki had an eye that was sure to turn a fascinating shade of blue, yellow and whatever other colour healing skin could produce, to say nothing for the numerous bruises the both of them had under their clothes.
It was one of the privileges of their new life, of having so much power- aside from the ability to more or less fly, use magic, and live for what was effectively forever- that they could train this seriously without fear of genuinely hurting each other. These shinigami bodies were absurdly sturdy, and healed fast- so why bother training your karate with any form of protection or restraint, when your partner could take anything you could dish out and more?
Even so, it wasn't as if either one especially enjoyed pain, and they still had lives with responsibilities- soon, Ichigo would have to head home to his family, and Tatsuki to hers, or they would have to face the dreaded questions of where have you been out all night, young man/lady?
And so it was that, after having thrown Tatsuki onto the concrete floor of this roof, receiving a furious kick to his head for his trouble, Ichigo stood huffing, panting, wiping sweat- and blood- from his brow.
"Wanna, uh," he panted again, "call it a day?"
"I could, huh," Tatsuki insisted, getting to her feet, "keep going for hours, sissy boy."
"I would, but... well, look at the time." Ichigo gestured at the sky, which had a very distinctly evening-like colour.
"Ah, crap," Tatsuki murmured. "My mom is gonna kill me if I get home late. I've been out a lot lately, and, well... you know mothers- she probably thinks I'm getting high while doing five different boys, or something."
Ichigo sat himself down, and let out a short laugh. "If only she knew your real high is much more dangerous than that."
Tatsuki sat herself down beside him, resting her back against the edge of the building, just a foot away from a very long fall.
"Yeah, if only she knew..." She mumbled. "Good spar, though. You're catching up really fast- before long, you'll have left me in the dust."
Ichigo shook his head. "No way. Your form is much cleaner- always was. Doesn't matter if I have more power if I can't use it right. We're still about even, I think."
Tatsuki gave him a look, and smiled lightly. "Thanks. Still, I think, with time... I mean, I was just the first test, after all."
Ichigo looked back, frowning. "Don't talk like that. Maybe I'll be stronger some day- maybe I won't. Either way, it doesn't matter, so long as we both do something with... this." He held up his hand, looked at it, and slowly made a fist.
"Look at you, hero." Tatsuki giggled.
"Whatever," Ichigo mumbled awkwardly. "I'm... this was a good spar, wasn't it?"
"As I've already said. Yeah," Tatsuki said, nodding.
"It was good," he nodded, back, "and I hope we can do it again. Soon."
"Sure."
"I..." he sighed, "I'm glad you're here. I needed this."
"Are you hitting on me?"
"Don't joke like that," he said irritably, "it's just that... this whole shinigami business came fast, way outta nowhere, and I'm glad you're here. Sharing this with somebody, having somebody to lean on, that's... really good. I mean, the others..." he sounded apologetic now, as if to shrug off an imaginary accusation, "Ishida, Inoue, don't get me wrong, they're great- even if Ishida is kind of a douchebag- but somebody like me, somebody who's got no clue like me, who's new like me, a shinigami like me, someone I can trust... that's different. I guess I'm glad, uh, you're with me in this." He ended on an awkward mumble.
"So I got no clue." Tatsuki said deviously.
"You know what? Forget it," Ichigo snapped irritably.
"No, seriously," Tatsuki said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "I appreciate it. You're right- we're fumbling in the dark, but we're at least not fumbling alone." She nodded, smiled, and then soberly added, "although, you're lucky I'm not one of your dude-bros from school, because if I were, I'd probably have said something like," she put on a fake, not terribly believable deeper voice, "dude, that was like, totally gay."
Despite himself, Ichigo chortled. "That was the worst impersonation ever. Is that really what men sound like to you?"
"Well, mostly you sound like some buffalo-ish alien species, but you get the picture," Tatsuki said, and laughed. "Still... yeah. These feelings, having a spirit inside you that you have to talk to, helping people... that's us now. And since it's an us, it means I have somebody whose face I can kick without remorse." She grinned.
"I think that went both ways, you know," Ichigo grunted, rubbing his forehead. "Didn't I get you pretty good?"
"Worth it." Tatsuki said dismissively. "You know-"
Their conversation was interrupted by a loud screech in the distance, and at once they both felt it; the malignant presence of a hollow, tainting the reiatsu flow like an odor in the air.
"And this is our life now, too," Ichigo grunted, getting up to his feet and retrieving Zangetsu.
"And we were having such a good time, too," Tatsuki sighed irritably. She shrugged, and went to grab Raitora. "Well, nothing for it- let's go."
"You got it."
Together, the two dashed away, off the skyscraper's edge and into the air, towards the hollow presence. No use in taking unnecessary risks; they were doing this together. A minute or two later, they closed in on the presence- they were both rusty with sensing, but this was strong enough that they had no real trouble. And if nothing else, there was always the mayhem hollows cause...
Heading down toward a side street, they could make out its bulky, ugly shape, and they both pulled their swords out. But just seconds before they landed, before they could even approach it, something else was there- in an instant, the hollow's head, mask and all, was crushed, and it dissolved before it could even scream. What in the world...?
Confused, the two of them landed, and stopping dead in their tracks to see what was going on. By now, there was absolutely no doubt that the Hollow had been killed, struck down by an enemy that it had not seen coming. Before long, the creature had dissolved almost entirely, revealing the figure that had been standing behind it.
Without hesitation, Ichigo and Tatsuki got into a fighting stance. Standing in front of them was a tall, lean man with shoulder-long, dark hair- who was resting a sword big enough to be compared to Zangetsu's shikai form on his shoulder, giving them a smug look.
"I really would have expected the two of you to be here sooner. Substitutes or not, you two are still shinigami. What if that Hollow had attacked someone while you were on your way here? That really makes a guy feel unsafe out in the streets, y'know?" The man said, speaking in a deep voice, and a tone that made it obvious enough by itself that he was hardly serious about his words.
Remaining silent, Ichigo and Tatsuki exchanged a quick look without dropping their guard. They both were able to sense the man's reiatsu by now, letting them judge his strength- and both of them had come to the conclusion that should it come to a fight, they would be able to take the man on. So what could he possibly want of them, and more importantly: Who was he?
The man meanwhile just grinned. "Giving me the silent treatment, are you? How impolite. Or are you perhaps just mute?"
Slowly, he started walking towards them, still keeping the sword over his shoulder.
"Stay where you are!" Tatsuki bellowed before the man had taken too many steps. "Whatever you have to say, you can say it from over there!"
"Oh? So you can talk after all. That's good to know." The man said, sounding bemused, but stopping regardless. "...Y'know, you can put your zanpakuto away. It's not like I'm much of a threat to two shinigami that have just obtained their bankai."
"You say that, and yet you're keeping your sword out..." Ichigo growled. The stranger was right, though- unless they had completely misjudged his strength, he wasn't likely to pose a major threat to Ichigo and Tatsuki. And yet... there was simply something about this entire situation that made them feel extremely uneasy.
"So you got common sense, too. Ain't that something?" The stranger replied, chuckling. He then held his sword out in front of him, and with a flash of light somehow retracted it to something he was holding in his hand.
"There. Better now?" He asked, putting the the object in his hand into a pocket.
"Oh yeah, now everything is absolutely fine." Tatsuki said, making no effort to hide the sarcasm in her tone. "Except for the parts where we don't know who you are, what the hell you want of us, and how the fuck you managed to kill that hollow."
The man's grin grew wider. "Aah, now you're asking the real questions. Unfortunately, for the time being, I'm not actually gonna answer most of them... right now, I can only tell you that I was curious about the Gotei's new pets, and wanted to find out just how much they like their new masters."
"Who're you calling pets?!" Ichigo shouted. From the corner of his eye, he could see Tatsuki giving him a quick glare for his outburst, but he ignored her- this guy was just starting to get on his nerves. "Dropping in like that, and acting all smug... what do you know about us, anyway?
"I know more than enough about you. Kurosaki Ichigo and Arisawa Tatsuki, the second and third substitute shinigami to ever be officially acknowledged by the Gotei, who managed to obtain their Bankai within months of receiving their powers, involved in a big incident over at Soul Society... and now, the Gotei's loyal servants."
"We're hardly loyal to the Gotei, though..." Tatsuki noted, trying not to sound too uncertain. This guy was already unsettling enough as it was- no need to make it obvious that what he said was actually getting to them. "All we're doing are the regular duties of shinigami in the world of the living. Hunting hollows. Letting souls move on. That's hardly enough to really consider us loyal to them."
The man chuckled. Again. "Haven't you seen for yourselves how the Gotei operates, and how it judges those under its command? Do you really believe that they would leave you much of a choice to be anything but loyal to them?"
Tatsuki and Ichigo said nothing in response. Both of them were thinking back to everything they had seen and experienced back at Soul Society, trying to think of anything that could make a good retort... but neither of them could think of anything.
"I see..." The man said, after they had remained silent for long enough to make it apparent that they would not respond. "Well, that is all I wanted to know."
With that, the man turned around, and walked off into the opposite direction.
"Hey, wait!" Ichigo exclaimed, caught off guard by the stranger's behaviour. "What was that all about?! Where are you going?"
Without turning around, the man stopped. "It's like I told you, I just wanted to see the two of you for myself, and listen to what you have to say. I did just that, so now it's time for me to leave. But if you two have any interest in what I have to say... come and search for me. I won't be hiding."
The man continued walking. Before long, he was out of their sight, leaving a confused and unsettled Ichigo and Tatsuki behind.
oOo
Life, doubled as it was with magic and monster hunting, still went on normally, and that included the tedium of school. The next day, in between one class and the next, Ichigo and Tatsuki made an effort to find Uryu and Orihime. It was not too difficult; the two of them had been spending a lot of time together recently, and Ichigo had his ideas about why- but that was none of his business. What was his business was the weirdo they had met the day before, and the two of them should know. Moving quickly, before any of his other friends- the ones whose worries extended to who liked who, or homework, or other normal things- could catch him, he and Tatsuki found Uryu and Orihime chatting in the hallway.
Orihime and Tatsuki shared quick hug, cheerfully greeting each other, while Uryu and Ichigo shot each other a mutual glare. Nothing like keeping up the gender stereotypes.
"How are you both doing, Kurosaki-kun, Tatsuki-chan?" Orihime asked cheerily. "Uryu-kun told me he sensed you hunting a hollow yesterday. Doesn't it feel cool, protecting the innocents from them? It's like you're Spider-man and Magneto, heroes of the night. And day!"
"...right, heroes." Ichigo mumbled. "Actually..."
"Actually, you didn't exterminate that hollow at all, did you?" Uryu asked sharply. "Something felt off, and I had a quick look earlier. There were traces of a third reiatsu there."
"...yeah." Tatsuki mumbled. "Some guy- he looked older, about this high," she made a vague gesture, "kinda sleazy-looking with longer hair and a really big sword showed up, killed the hollow before we got there. He didn't look like a shinigami at all, and he... mostly just grinned and chuckled all the time while he taunted us."
"Is it possible he was another Quincy?" Ichigo wondered.
Uryu shook his head. "With how few of us are left, that's rather unlikely. Besides, Quincies generally do not use swords. And even if there was some defector of the traditions... the reiatsu was way off. It didn't read like any I am used to seeing- it certainly wasn't Quincy, it didn't feel like any shinigami I encountered. If anything, it felt almost... hollow-like."
"Hollow-like?" Tatsuki asked, frowning. "What, a human with hollow powers?"
Uryu shook his head, and continued, sounding somewhat frustrated,
"No, nothing like that. The reiatsu of a Hollow feels... toxic, yes? Imagine that kind of reiatsu as an over-spiced dish of chili, and this... well, it would be more like sweet-and-sour chili noodles. That's a terrible analogy, by the way, but it's the best I could think of for the moment. Whatever that was, it's different from anything I know," He adjusted his glasses, and continued thoughtfully, "of course, there are quite a few things I don't know- perhaps we better ask that store owner."
"He pretty much just called us Gotei lapdogs." Ichigo said. "What if he's some sort of rebel against them, out to get us?"
"For now, there's not much we can do, is there?" Orihime piped up. "We just need to be careful when we're out by ourselves."
"I guess..." Ichigo mumbled. "Gotta say though, we sure do come across a lot of shady people recently..."
"'A lot?'" Tatsuki repeated, giving Ichigo a look. "Aside from this guy earlier, the only one I'd really call shady is that shopkeeper. That's hardly a lot."
Remaining silent, Ichigo turned towards Tatsuki, giving her an unreadable look. Then, with a quick side-glance to Uryu, he said "...I guess. But disregarding semantics, my point remains: That guy was just plain weird."
"Tell me something I don't know..." Tatsuki mumbled. "I guess we better be a bit more careful from now on."
"I agree." Uryu said, nodding. "Perhaps as a security measure, we should try and always move in groups of two, at least."
Ichigo saw something in the corner of his eye, and quickly said, loud enough for it to be heard from a bit away,
"Hey, thanks man- constitutional law is always a pain in the ass." He pointed with his thumb, in what he hoped was a discreet manner, towards behind him, where his other friends were walking- towards them. "So what was that you said about that uh, DL-6 case?"
"...I won't bother you with the details," Uryu said coolly, playing along with the charade, "but I do believe you will soon have class. Later, perhaps."
"My man, Ichigo!" Keigo exclaimed cheerily, putting an arm on his shoulder, "are you seriously hanging out with that nerd now? Is that how un-cool you think me and Mizuiro are? You wound me to the core of my soul!"
Oh yes, Keigo. The joys of normal life... and with him, Mizuiro, Chizuru, and a couple others Ichigo hadn't cared to really remember the names of – mostly friends of Tatsuki and Orihime.
"Get your hand off me or I'll show you un-cool," he grumbled, without putting much energy into his threat.
"Hello again, Kurosaki-kun." Mizuiro said solemnly. "Haven't seen much of you since you got back from your trip."
Ichigo felt a little guilty- he had been neglecting them recently; people-saving and studies took up a lot of time.
"Well, uh," he mumbled half-heartedly, "I've just been a bit busy-"
"It's all my fault!" Orihime said sweetly. "We all had such a good time at our break, we ended up hanging out a lot once we got back too. I should have thought about you too, Asano-san!"
"Oh sweet Orihime, you are too kind!" Keigo cried, taking her hands. "Curse you Ichigo, hogging two girls at once! You damn player, you!"
Tatsuki made a revolted face, but refrained from commenting, settling for a good old shoulder-punch.
"Ouch!" Keigo said, rubbing his shoulder. "But it's all right now, isn't it? Ichigo is back! Come on, tell us all about your secret vacation!"
"Forget about the vacation," Chizuru said irritably. "What I want to know is-"
"If anything you say comes across as sexual harassment, I will break your index finger." Tatsuki said coldly.
"Oh Tatsuki, you are such a tsundere," Chizuru said cheerily, "Just admit you love me! Of course, I really prefer femmes-"
"God damn otaku." Tatsuki growled. However, looking at Orihime, she stopped herself from getting worked up.
"I'll tell you all about our vacation!" Orihime said happily. "You see, it starts with the four of us having this big training in a huge basement, with an artificial sky, and a shady store owner teaching us how to fight samurai ghosts. But it's all so we could save Rukia, who is actually a princess of a noble clan, unjustly captured and sentenced to death..."
"That's my Orihime!" Chizuru said enthusiastically. "You're so adorable when you ramble."
Tatsuki sighed. Truth trumped fiction, it really did.
oOo
Several hours later, a tired Ichigo left school, to finally get back home. Having ultimately agreed with the others that moving in groups wasn't completely necessary (until they had found out more about the stranger, at least), Ichigo was all on his own, having excused himself from Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro. While this decision was met with severe protests from Keigo, Ichigo had ultimately managed to convince him to let him go with a half-hearted promise to spend some more time with him later.
For the time being, however, there were far different things on Ichigo's mind than how to keep Keigo happy. What instead occupied his mind, and made him feel even more upset than either Keigo or the stranger could hope to do, was Yuzu's Soul Burial.
By now, a good few days had already passed since Ichigo and the others had returned from Soul Society. Throughout this entire time, the necessity of letting Yuzu pass on had always on the corners of his mind, as something that he didn't actively think about all the time, but still never forgot. And for good reason, too: Time seemed to be running out. Yuzu's soul chain had already been noticeably shorter on their return, and it was getting shorter by the day. Her Soul Burial had to be done soon...
"Kurosaki, wait."
Disgruntled, but also slightly relieved over having a distraction, Ichigo turned around, to see Uryu stand behind him.
"Ishida." He grunted. "What's the matter?"
"I believe you should know what this is about." Uryu said, giving him a calculating look. "When we were talking about that stranger earlier, you mentioned something about coming across a lot of "shady people" recently... you were also referring to that man we met before the day of the execution back at Soul Society with that, didn't you?"
"...Yeah. That's what I was talking about." Ichigo acknowledged after a pause. "It's really kinda weird... with everything that happened since then, I almost forgot about him,"
Uryu nodded. "I would lie if I said that it wasn't the same for me... oddly enough. I mean, that shinigami- he was this Aizen person that we saw after our fight with Kuchiki-taichou, wasn't he?"
"I would be more surprised if it wasn't him..." Ichigo muttered. "Come to think of it, the things that that earlier guy said to us were pretty similar to what this Aizen told us. That the Gotei is horrible and untrustworthy, and all that."
"And yet, you didn't want to make the connection in front of Arisawa-san and Inoue-san." Uryu noted.
Ichigo made a face. "Funny that you mention that. I don't remember you being all too keen to correct me back then."
"I-" Uryu began, only to cut himself of. After a moment spent in silence, during which he looked slightly distressed, he then continued, "...you're right, I suppose. But, still- why shouldn't we mention this to Inoue-san and Arisawa-san as well? They're in this all just as much as we are."
"I don't know... it's just- I don't think it is really that important. I mean, this guy, Aizen, talked to us. Offered us to join him. So what? I mean, it is not like we're actually going to do that, right?"
Uryu nodded. "...Yeah, you are right. It really is not that important. There's no point in telling either of them about this."
A short pause later, during which they just silently stared at each other, Uryu turned around and left, leaving Ichigo on his own once more.
oOo
With several lower-ranking members of Squad Thirteen by her side, Rukia dashed through the streets of the seireitei. No one spoke a word, and everyone kept their hands close to their zanpakuto. The atmosphere among them was tense, and it only got worse as they approached their goal. All of them were anxious about what might happen next, and Rukia could not blame them for it- though she doubted that it was as hard for any of the others as it was for her.
As it was still too early to start the search for Yuzu, Shiba Kukaku had essentially dismissed Rukia from her services to her for the time being, meaning that she could return to her duties at Squad Thirteen. And as Ukitake had instructed her, these duties would be to assess the combat potential of the Squad's most recent recruits. Obviously, something that needed to be taken care of... but at the same time, something that she was very nervous about.
Even though she had been a member of Squad Thirteen for many years now, she had still been an unseated member all this time (which, in retrospect, might have been her brother's doing to some extent). And now, out of nowhere, she had been given a promotion to tenth seat- and her captain had hinted she could go much further. It was absurd, almost unheard of- and Rukia knew she was no special genius of any kind. Had she been qualified for this, all this time? Her captain believed it, it seemed. But, having the authority over fellow members of her Squad, no matter recently they joined, was something entirely new to her. Bossing around Ichigo when he was still her replacement as substitute shinigami had been one thing, but to officially outright command other shinigami? It was another thing entirely.
But there was no helping it: Her captain relied on her, so Rukia followed her orders without any objection, even if she was nervous about it. She had, in fact, been in the middle of one such training unit, when a hell butterfly from Squad Twelve had arrived, addressed at Squad Thirteen in general. Its message was as simple as it was unsettling: Someone, or something, was passing through the dangai, and would be arriving at the plaza near the Squad Thirteen barracks soon. With the commotion of the recent weeks, as well as Aizen's defection and declaration of war still on everyone's minds, it had to be assumed that it was a hostile act- military forces loyal to Aizen, renegades, traitors seeking to exploit the chaos...
Acting quickly, Rukia had relayed the hell butterfly to captain Ukitake, before taking the her fellow Squad members to head to the plaza, so that they could take care of whatever or whoever it was that was coming. If they really were dealing with an attack from Aizen's forces, their hopes of actually repelling it were most likely slim- the best they could hope for was to slow them down, and buy Ukitake-taichou time to properly prepare him and the rest of the Squad.
Of course, everyone knew that technically, it was impossible for Aizen's forces, or anyone else, for that matter, to just enter Soul Society like this. The Gotei had methods and measures to ensure that no big forces could use the dangai without authorization, and those measures obviously had already been taken.
But they also knew that they were anxious, and anxiety has little to do with reason.
Accordingly, none of them were particularly eager to reach their goal, to see what awaited them there. Despite moving as fast as they could in a group, they all quietly hoped that it would take very long for them to get to the plaza- but as things that nobody wants to happen tend to do, they found themselves at their destination before long.
"Surround the gate!" Rukia shouted, trying to sound confident despite her unease. In a series of hurried movements, her fellow Squad Thirteen members followed her command, drawing their zanpakuto.
What followed were several silent minutes of waiting, in which they all stared at the gate while blinking as little as possible- or at least Rukia assumed that the others did so as well. She was far too occupied by waiting for any sort of movement to come from the gate to look around to see if her fellow Squad members did the same. The anxiety of possibly having to fight any moment, as well as having to command others in battle was too great.
But as time went on, and nothing happened, Rukia's concentration began to waver, and she started to wonder. How could it be that Aizen had already managed to bypass the seireitei's defences to such an extent, when even Urahara had only managed to send Ichigo and the others far out into the rukongai? Of course, Aizen would have had the advantage of being in the seireitei to gather information from within, but-
Rukia tensed. The gate in front of them began to open up, and she could sense two reiatsus on the other side... and they were strong. Before she could however see who or what had arrived, a voice could be heard from the other side of the gate could be heard... a voice that seemed awfully familiar.
"Honestly Kisuke, was it really necessary to wait for the Cleaner to catch up with us, just so you could throw this thing at it?"
Rukia blinked. This couldn't be who she thought it was, could it...?
"Oh, let me have my fun, Yoruichi! It has been over one hundred years since I last passed through here! And besides, it's for science, anyway!" Another voice responded, which was more than just familiar.
"...Sheathe your zanpakuto." Rukia reluctantly told the fellow members of her squad. "These are not our enemies." I think...
Giving her several uncertain glances, they did as they were told. Meanwhile, the gate had opened completely, erasing even the last of Rukia's doubts: Their sudden "attack" consisted in fact Urahara Kisuke and Shihoin Yoruichi- two faces that Rukia definitely would not have expected to see again this soon.
Urahara meanwhile had taken notice of Rukia and her squadmates, and stepped out of the gate, giving them a huge, goofy grin. "Look, Yoruichi! We got a welcoming committee!"
"Urahara-san." Rukia said politely, stepping towards the man- all while trying to suppress the urge to frown. "What... what brings you here?"
The shopkeeper gave her a surprised look, as if he had only noticed her now, which did little against Rukia's growing confused annoyance. "Rukia-san! I definitely wouldn't have thought that they would chose you to welcome us- is this the soutaichou's way of thanking me for stopping your execution? He shouldn't have..."
"Kisuke, stop it already..." Yoruichi interjected in a disgruntled tone. "You had your "fun" by just coming here without making it known beforehand. There's no need for you to turn this into one big joke now."
Urahara chuckled. "Oh, I s'pose you're right. We're here for business, after all! Well then, Rukia-san: We come in peace! Take us to your leader!"
Rukia just stared blankly at the two. Even back when she was stranded in the world of the living, she had not exactly been too happy to have to rely on Urahara to get around, and barely trusted him. Seeing him like this, here and now, only reminded her why.
Out loud, however, she settled for something more neutral, professional. "...All right. I will take you to Ukitake-taichou. Please follow us."
As she turned to head off, Rukia once again did not bother to look around at her squad-mates to see what the were thinking: It wasn't a stretch to assume that they, just like her, had no idea on what to make of any of this.
She only hoped that she was not the only one who had seen the unsettling glee in his expression as he looked around him.
oOo
The next day, after school, the four of them rendez-vouzed outside Urahara's shop, after each one had found an excuse to ditch their friends- it made Ichigo once again feel a little guilty, but this was important. Well, potentially.
A quick inspection however showed that only Urahara's assistants were there- the huge, bespectacled man who worked there would only inform them that he was "out of town", whatever that meant. Uryu had tried sensing, just to be sure, and confirmed that either he was very well hidden, or gone.
"Well, that was pointless." Ichigo grunted, as the four of them began walking away, in no particular direction except away from the store, "What're we supposed to do now? He's the smart guy, the man with a plan and all."
"Let's not underestimate ourselves," Uryu replied coolly. "We're not that thick. We can figure this out."
"You're right, Uryu-kun!" Orihime said spiritedly. "We'll solve this mystery, and-"
"Can you feel that?" Tatsuki said, cutting her off.
"Feel what?" Ichigo asked. "I don't feel anything. What are you talking about?"
"Just concentrate!" She snapped.
"...she's right. I'm really feeling it." Uryu mumbled. "A mile or so northwest of here. One, two, three... six, maybe seven signatures. I'm surprised I didn't spot it myself."
"Maybe you got distracted," Ichigo jeered, nodding at Orihime.
Uryu ignored him completely, and said,
"Be cautious. I can't judge how strong they are at this distance."
"I say we go confront 'em." Tatsuki said, clacking her knuckles together. "We'll see what they want up close. Let's get some answers."
"This could easily be a trap, Arisawa-san," Uryu said sharply, sighing, "and we'd be outnumbered. We had better be cautious still."
"If Tatsuki could sense them at this distance just like that, don't you think they'd want to be found? We're going." Ichigo said stubbornly. "That first guy sounded like he wanted to talk- so let's talk. I promise, no violence until it's necessary."
"Did you not hear anything I just said?" Uryu said irritably. "It could be a trap-"
"We're going, Uryu-kun," Orihime said firmly. "And you don't have to come with us if you don't want to, but we need to do it."
Uryu gave her a frustrated look, and sighed in defeat. "I want to go on record and say that this is a bad idea." He grumbled.
"The best kind," Ichigo said cheerily, "now let's go!"
A short walk later, they came upon a half-ruined building, several stories tall, and the scene was oddly devoid of people anywhere close. Cautiously, they walked closer, going by their senses.
"Very close now..." Uryu mumbled.
Then, before they had taken a step further, they could hear the creaking of an open door, sitting on top of a half-ruined staircase, as that man from before stepped out, smiling a jolly smile that looked oddly out of place.
"Welcome, Kurosaki-san, Arisawa-san, Ishida-san, Inoue-san. We were expecting you." He gestured for them to come inside. "Please, do come in. We do not often have guests, but we will do our best to accommodate you."
"I'm warning you, if you try anything..." Ichigo growled.
"Please, Mister Shinigami, we have not called you here to fight. We have much better things in mind than conflict."
"Be on your guard." Uryu mumbled. But however hesitantly, the four of them walked inside.
The inside was a strange contrast. Though there were signs of ruin, cracks in the wall, or even holes, the room inside was finely furnished, with couches, a fine rug, a bar... and inside sat a total of six more people, all of them staring at the newcomers.
"Please, sit," The man said in a friendly tone, gesturing at a couch. Hesitantly, still on guard, they sat down- except Uryu.
"Is there a problem, Ishida-san?" The man asked.
"I prefer to stand, thank you," He said stiffly.
The man laughed. "How suspicious! But I suppose I cannot blame you. Please, let me introduce myself. I am Kugo Ginjo, and these are my comrades- Giriko, Riruka, Jackie, Yukio, Shukuro and Moe."
"Uh-huh. So what the hell is it you want?"
"Should I not even offer you a drink?" Ginjo said mockingly.
"We didn't come here for pleasantries." Tatsuki said matter-of-factly. "The other day, you destroyed a hollow, called us delusional lapdogs, and ran off. What do you want?"
Ginjo sighed. "I had hoped to approach it a little more subtly, but the essence of it... is that I want for you children to know what you're getting yourselves into."
"We know perfectly well what we have gotten ourselves into," Uryu said, and before Ginjo could interrupt, he added, "and we also know perfectly well how much we don't know. We know that the Gotei Thirteen is shady. We know that the guy who got us into this is shady. We know we've been played a good bit. We also know we're making our own way now."
Ginjo clapped his hands three times, mockingly. "And even knowing that much, you are naïve to think that you will ever be allowed to make your own way. You, Quincy, your entire race was brought to the brink of annihilation- by the same people who are still in charge today,"
"If you think to goad me with genocide, think again," Uryu said coldly. "I was never indoctrinated into the Quincy philosophy, nor can I deny it was done out of necessity. My ancestors were arrogant, and brought their death upon themselves."
"And under the knowledge of the Gotei leadership, their science division hunted the remainders down for experimentation. What that justified?"
Uryu said nothing, but clenched his fist.
"And you two, Arisawa-san, Kurosaki-san, do you think you are the first substitutes? You may have power- but the Gotei will not tolerate rogue elements in the long run. One day, they will make you choose- obedience, or death."
"And you would know about that, would you?" Ichigo shot back.
"I have had enough experiences in that regard." Ginjo said, and there was a look on his face, a shift in his tone...
"Why the hell should we believe any of this?" Tatsuki said. "You're not exactly looking like credible, upstanding people yourselves."
"The Gotei will show me to be right in time," Ginjo said, shrugging. "They gave you badges, no? Five-sided things, with a skull on?"
"What about it?" Ichigo said.
"They use them to measure your data, keep track of where you are. They are always watching, all the time. There is nowhere they can't find you. That is how much they trust you, little rogues."
"So what is it you want from us? Join your little crew?"
"I'd like for you to be free. Make your own way in life," Ginjo said, but something about him was less than convincing to them.
"If that's really what you want, then you're not exactly doing a good job at convincing us of it." Tatsuki noted, glaring at the people surrounding Ginjo. "What exactly are you guys, anyway?"
"Well, to give you the easy explanation..." The tall man right beside Ginjo – Shukuro? – said, speaking before Ginjo could. "We are like her." He pointed at Orihime.
Orihime gave him a confused look. "Like me? How?"
"Shukuro's right." Ginjo admitted, nodding. "We all here have powers that operate on the same basic principles, as yours, missy. We're human with a high spiritual awareness, that over time have managed to manifest powers vaguely similar to that of a shinigami or Hollow- Fullbringers."
"Right. And what business do you people have, forming odd groups like this?" Uryu questioned.
"That's... a question for another time, I'm afraid." Ginjo said. "After all, it would make things rather boring to just reveal everything at once, would it? If we've got you interested, then you can come back any time. If not, then we will never see you again."
Ichigo and his friends looked at each other with confusion. "Say what?" He said.
Ginjo smiled- which was a minor, but nonetheless noteworthy difference from the grin that he had been doing thus far. "I am saying that if you so desire, we will stay entirely out of your way, and you out of ours. So far, you've been quite negative- and we will not be rude enough to insist on making ourselves part of your lives. You go hunt your hollows for the thankless curs who spy on you- we are not heroes, after all."
"That suits us perfectly." Uryu said coldly. "We have nothing to gain here- let's leave, shall we?"
"Yeah..." Tatsuki murmured. "Yeah, whatever. All we needed to know is that you're not up to any trouble- and if you are, then-"
"Then you'll stop us no matter what, and all that. I can almost hear the inspiring theme tune play behind you as you say it," Ginjo said, chuckling. "Please, my guests- the door is right there. Stay if you like, leave if you like- we wish you no harm."
"...we're leaving." Ichigo said, frowning especially hard. "But we're keeping an eye on you." He got up, and Tatsuki and Orihime with him.
"Yes sir, mister hero," Ginjo said, saluting him mockingly, "I'll make sure to be on my very best behaviour, sir."
"...whatever." Ichigo murmured. Together, the four of them walked out.
There was silence for a good minute after they left, until Ginjo gestured to Giriko. "A new drink, please."
"Do you think this was wise?" Said Shukuro. "The idea was to lure them in- not antagonise them."
"Patience, Shukuro," Ginjo said, shrugging as he downed his drink, "this is a subtle process that takes the time it takes. Let's just say that I planted a seed. A seed of doubt."
"With word against word, why would they believe you?" Yukio questioned.
"They doubt, and when they do, they will look closer. As they look closer, they will learn the truth. Once they know they are spied upon, not trusted- well, it's enough that they distrust the Gotei." He smirked. "That was a good drink, Giriko."
oOo
Twilight was upon them once more, and though he had seen thousands of sunsets, though it was such a commonplace event that few would even comment on it unless they happened to feel poetic, Ichigo looked at the sun as it fell, almost as if noticing it for the first time- almost as if this enormous celestial body had intentionally taken the time to send him a message. It was an arrogant, self-centered and very human way of thinking, that every little thing had significance. Not that Ichigo let philosophical pondering cloud his mind- it was already clouded aplenty.
Because, he knew, even though it was only his head giving it that significance, the sunset was a reminder of what he had to do. He had accepted, at long last, that Yuzu was dead. That she had passed on, and that there had been nothing he could do to save her- that sometimes, nothing was all you could do.
But of course, nothing would not do, not now, not in this bleak world of ghosts and spirits, in this grim tale of reapers. He had seen the chain on her chest, and how it had gotten shorter in the weeks he were away- not by much, but shorter it had gotten, and shorter it would continue to grow until Yuzu's regret, her regret that she could not stay with the family she loved after burdening them for so long, would eat her soul entirely and make her a monster. A simple tap to the forehead was all it was going to take, and on she would pass. And, he reminded himself, he was uniquely privileged among humanity- where all others would just have to live with the pain of a dead little sister, he would be able to see her again- and she would have a decent afterlife too, unlike so many poor souls.
It could be so, so much worse.
But it didn't really feel that way.
Trying to just focus, he walked back home, watching the sun set. In what felt like no time at all, he was at the door of his home, and as he closed the door behind him and took off his shoes, he realized that he couldn't really keep this just between himself and Yuzu. His mother deserved to say good bye as much as he did, as did Karin.
"I'm home!" He called out. He looked around, walked in further, and called, "Hello? Everyone, are you there?"
"You're so loud." Karin said irritably, from on top of the stairs. "Some of us are trying to do their homework, you slacker!"
"I need to talk to you. Is Yuzu there?"
"I dunno." Karin shrugged. "You go find her-"
"None of that." Ichigo said sharply. "None of that tone, none of that attitude. I have something serious I need to say, to all of you- so go find Yuzu, and I'll go find mom. Got it?"
Something about his voice took Karin aback, and she frowned... but ultimately decided not to raise a fuss. "All right, all right, I'll go have a look. This better be good, though."
"It is." Ichigo said through his teeth.
A little while later, Karin came down the stairs, Yuzu floating after her. Ichigo was waiting at the dinner table, Masaki sitting opposite to him.
"So what's it all about?" Karin said, taking a seat. Yuzu followed suit, although she did not really need to. "You seemed all serious- you were frowning harder than usual."
"It is." He mumbled, and pulled out the badge that Ukitake had given him. He pressed it against his chest, and back fell his body, leaned against the chair's back, and up stood Ichigo the shinigami, in his thick, black robes.
"Can you see me?" He asked, turning to Karin.
"Yeah..." She mumbled, looking spooked. "What- what is this? What happened to you?"
"Long story." Ichigo said dismissively. "The short of it is I gained the powers of a shinigami, and now I exterminate evil spirits and guide lost souls to the afterlife. I spent summer rescuing Rukia from other shinigami, fought her douchebag brother, and oh, dad is one of 'em too. He's still around."
His mother gave him a look, but Ichigo looked back. "They should know too. They need to, especially Yuzu."
"I always knew you were strong, big brother." Yuzu said sweetly. "But... what was that you said about... lost souls?"
"I send 'em on. I have to." Ichigo said bluntly. He should be doing this better, he should be wrapping it in, he should make it easier for her- but here and now, in this moment, he hadn't the first clue how to.
"You want to send me away, don't you?" Yuzu said, sounding scared. "You want me to leave- leave you and mom and Karin-"
"Yuzu, listen," Masaki said, and Ichigo couldn't have been more grateful, "first off, calm down. Will you do that for me?"
"I am calm." Yuzu said, sounding a little annoyed- which was a sign as sure as any that she was not.
"Please, Yuzu, listen." Masaki continued, sounding calm and confident, fully like a mother, "There is an afterlife."
"But you told us-"
"I was wrong." She hesitated. "I... wasn't honest with you. There is an afterlife, and your father is there, waiting for you. He left me once, and since, I never wanted to admit it was real... but it's there. You have to go, Yuzu. You... passed on." There were tears at the corners of Masaki's eyes now, and her voices was a little strained.
"But I don't want to go!" Yuzu protested. "I want to stay here, with you! You need me- I can't just leave you behind!"
"Yuzu, listen." Masaki said a third time, now a bit more sharply, her voice trembling slightly. "This is not about what we need... it is about what you need. You see that chain on your chest? It's grown shorter every day since you... you died, and when it gets consumed fully, you will stop being you. You will become a monster, consumed by hate and regret. You will become a faceless, masked monster without a name, a Hollow. And the first thing a newborn Hollow does is seek out its family. To kill them and eat them."
Yuzu reeled back in shock, through the chair she wasn't quite sitting in. There was a distraught look on her face, her eyes wide open.
"No," She whispered, "no, that can't be true. You can't-"
"It is." Ichigo said, hoping to whatever god would listen that he didn't sound gruff or harsh- but he probably did. "I've seen it a hundred times. It's a tragedy that happens all too often. For your own sake, we have to send you on." His voice nearly broke with those last few words, and he fought the urge to cry.
"I see." Yuzu whispered. "There is... no other way?"
"Your father lives in a great, big house, with servants, and he is very loving." Masaki said, keeping her emotion just barely in check, breathing slowly. "He will look after you."
"And I'll come visit." Ichigo said. "Shinigami can travel between worlds, and I promise you, I'll come see you. Whenever I have the time, I'll be there for you."
"...Do you swear?" Yuzu asked, her voice weak. "Do you really, really promise?"
"I do." Ichigo said, with as much finality to his words as sincerity could muster. "As often as I can. I- I'll help you settle in. I'll take messages from mom- hell, I bet we can even find a video camera. You'll keep in touch, I promise. We're... we're never going to stop being a family."
"A-all right then..." Yuzu said weakly, "If I have to... if it's for your safety..."
"For your safety." Ichigo reassured her.
"How does it happen?" Karin cut in, her voice hoarse, having sat quiet for most of the time. "I mean... what kind of process can you handle that sends somebody into the afterlife?"
"It manages itself." Ichigo said, and tapped at the hilt of his sword. "I just put this part to her forehead, and there we go."
"Will it hurt?" Yuzu asked.
"No, I don't think so." Ichigo said softly. "But there's no telling where you end up. So I want you to remember this: when you get there, ask for Shiba Isshin. He's your father, and there will be people looking for you- people who know your name and have your picture. Just try and find some settlement, and you should be fine. Okay?"
"Okay." Yuzu nodded. She turned to Masaki. "Well..." She said hesitantly.
Masaki walked forward, and wrapped her arms around Yuzu. Karin joined too, tears in her eyes.
"You'll do great." Masaki mumbled. "And your father will take great care of you, I promise. I love you, Yuzu... I love you." Tears flowed down her cheeks.
"I love you too!" Yuzu cried back.
Ichigo let them have a moment, but decided not to join the hug- he needed to not break down right now. He pulled out Zangetsu, and readied himself. After a short while, he cleared his throat.
"It's time." He said quietly. "No need to draw it out."
"Tactful as always, Ichigo," Karin mumbled.
"It's fine, Karin." Yuzu said, and floated over to Ichigo. "I'm... ready."
Ichigo raised the hilt of his sword, and felt a lump in his throat. Gently, he raised it to level with her forehead.
"You take care now, all right?" He said, his voice straining to keep level. "I'll see you real soon, you got that?"
"I trust you." Yuzu said softly, and put her hands on Ichigo's wrists. "I'll ask for Shiba Isshin, and if people come looking for me, I'll follow."
"That's right," Ichigo mumbled. "That's... exactly right." He took a deep breath. He couldn't hesitate now, he couldn't let himself be stopped-
"Please, just do it," Yuzu said quietly.
With the gentlest motion he could manage, Ichigo pushed the butt end of his hilt to Yuzu's forehead. For just a second, nothing seemed to happen, and in that split second, relief and panic both flooded into him. But before he could think on it, a bright light enveloped Yuzu, and in the span of just a few seconds, she seemed to dissolve- her spirit had moved on, leaving not a trace of her behind.
"She's gone." He mumbled disbelievingly. "I sent her- I sent her away."
"You did what you had to do." Masaki said. "And it wasn't some stranger doing it either, treating her like some run-of-the-mill spirit. You'll see her soon, remember?"
Ichigo nodded. "Yeah." He mumbled, not sure what else to say. Masaki walked up, and pulled him into a hug, and Ichigo just stood there, letting himself be hugged. And for how emotionally draining this had been, he still felt... relieved. It was over.
