Decided to update a bit earlier today. And here we are, starting with the aftermath to the very intense conversation Rukia and Ichigo had in the last chapter, it's time Ichigo finishes trusting the Nakama, and for them all to be on the same page. This was a long way coming. Also, hints about some things to come (because I love doing that), and the most important... Remember the premise of this fic? About a certain someone (something?) showing up early, attacking Ichigo and kick-starting this whole mess? Yeah, I'm sure we all do, and we all must also remember that that same certain someone coming back for another round... well, this is how I wish things had gone in canon (If you have no idea what the hell I' talking about, don't worry, you will before the end of the chapter).
Chapter 19. More than Revenge
Awareness came slowly and almost lazily to the chocolate-eyed orange-haired half-human half-shinigami. It was a good thing that it was Sunday, as far as he was concerned, he really would have hated to awaken to his spirits-forsaken alarm after such good sleep. He made a move to stretch himself, only to realize he couldn't actually move one of his arms, as it was being held 'captive' by a certain petite amethyst-eyed obsidian-haired shinigami who was in that moment on his bed, cuddling against his side, holding on one of his arms and head on his bare chest, her hair actually tickling him slightly.
"Beautiful…" He whispered in a half-daze as he moved his fingers through her hair.
The move seemed to be enough to bring her back to consciousness, though instead of pulling away she held even tighter onto him.
"Ichigo…" She mumbled.
"I'm here midget…" He actually smiled at him.
Her bright eyes opened finally and met his, briefly straying to where his hand was still caressing her dark hair.
"How long have you been awake?" She asked with a lazy smile.
"Just a handful of minutes, not even five." He assured her.
"Good." Rukia pointed out. "You were really creepy last week, watching me sleep like that."
The previous week…they had spent the night at their room in the Nagaken Estate, it was actually the first time they had shared a bed without feeling awkward. Ichigo had woken about an hour or so before Rukia and had found himself just laying there on the futon, watching her sleep, half on the futon, half on him…
"You just look so beautiful when you sleep…" Ichigo commented.
"Only when I sleep?" She asked with a slightly-hurt expression.
"Ah…well…I mean…" Ichigo didn't quite know how to correct that.
Rukia couldn't help it, she giggled.
"Midget…" Ichigo growled half-playfully.
"Don't call me midget, strawberry!" She snapped coyly, kissing him in the corner of his mouth and then jumping out of the bed.
"I'm not a strawberry!" Ichigo called as he straightened up, reached for her and missed.
Rukia's tinkling laugh echoed as she stepped out of the bedroom with a change of clothes and a towel in the direction of the bathroom.
"You better not use all the hot water midget!" Ichigo yelled at her.
Rukia's laugh just got louder.
On the hallway outside Karin rolled her eyes before turning to her twin, who was just about to announce breakfast would be ready soon.
"I really don't know what is worse, his funk of last week or this…this…mushiness." Karin actually said the last part as if it were a dirty word.
"You should be happy for Ichi-nii and Rukia-nee, Karin-nee!" Yuzu said half-chiding. "They deserve to be happy."
"I never said they didn't." Karin pointed out diplomatically. "But do they have to be this 'happy' in front of all of us?"
"My poor first daughter is so sad because she doesn't have her boyfriend here!" Isshin cried out in a very dramatic tone.
"Karin-chan has a boyfriend?" Yuzu asked, suddenly teary-eyed. "Why didn't I know?"
"What boyfriend?!" Ichigo snapped, instantly at his door.
"No boyfriend!" Karin yelled at Ichigo, before turning to kick her father on the head. "Stupid oyaji! Stop inventing things!"
Ichigo furrowed his brow, he wasn't blind, he'd seen the looks a certain white-haired kiddy-looking captain kept directing at his sister; Karin hadn't said anything about it yet, so he wasn't sure if it was one-sided or not. In any case, he wasn't sure how much right he had to talk, after all, wasn't he technically married? And even if the first weeks were a bit tense, when he wasn't yet sure what he felt for Rukia, or it was more like he wasn't yet ready to admit it to her, or even himself. Would it be so bad if there actually was something between his sister and the short captain? She was his little sister…though technically she was older than him, he supposed, if they counted both lives…Still, he decided, Karin was his little sister, and he would reserve the right to scare the crap out of anyone who tried to date her.
As Ichigo got a change of clothes, his towel, and waited for Rukia to finish her shower, Ichigo remembered the reception their friends had given them the previous week, after Rukia and he had returned from Soul Society.
A Senkaimon opened in the farthest, most secluded part of the Karakura main park and a couple of shinigami stepped out, easily flowing reiatsu, calm expressions, relaxed bodies and hands clasped tightly together.
"How long do you think it will take for the others to come meet us?" Rukia asked.
"Not long at all." Ichigo answered simply.
And it was true, not even two minutes had passed when Uryuu arrived from one side using hirenkyaku, closely followed by both Yuzu and Karin arriving from the opposite side. Orihime and Chad were next, each using their own high-speed techniques; and the last one to arrive was Tatsuki, who had to run since she hadn't learnt shunpo yet.
"Ichigo…Rukia…" All the Nakama acknowledged the presence of the couple.
"Ichi-nii!" Yuzu smiled brightly at him. "It's good that you're back."
Ichigo simply smiled slightly at his sister.
And it was that smile, however small, that convinced everyone, more than any words could ever have, that something had invariably changed Ichigo in the approximately 24 hours he and Rukia had been missing.
"Thank the spirits…" Karin grumbled with a dramatic sigh. "I was beginning to think I would have to suffer through migraines for the rest of my life!"
Ichigo shook his head, his sister had such a way of showing she cared…
"What happened Ichigo?" Uryuu asked.
That sobered up Ichigo instantly, he realized how unfair it was that he had kept things from everyone else for so long, not just what he was feeling with regards to the shinenju, but there was also the fact of Shiro…
Rukia's tightening of her hold on him reminded him of her presence. She had accepted him. She who had known him for the less amount of time, and who had the greater reason to hate hollows out of mere principle, had accepted him, had accepted Shiro; if she could do that, who was he to doubt the rest of his nakama…
"We need somewhere private to talk." Ichigo said seriously. "There is much to talk about. And I don't think the park is the right place to do it."
"Where then?" Uryuu asked. "Your house? Urahara's training ground?"
"No." Ichigo sighed and explained. "I don't fully trust Urahara, and sadly the same goes for oyaji. A part of what I must tell you I have a feeling they either already know or at least suspect, and they have said nothing to me…" he shook his head. "Can we go to your house? I would like for shishou to be there."
Uryuu nodded immediately, making a quick call to make sure his father would join them before they all got on their way.
Rukia for her part only watched in silence. She'd known beforehand that Ichigo was very close to Uryuu's dad, after all, the man had saved his life, had helped him move past the trauma of his mother's murder, and had even trained him to use his powers. Ichigo owed a lot to Ishida Ryuuken; but to actually choose him over his own father. It actually made Rukia a bit sad, she knew Isshin loved his children, in his own way, and yet he'd lied to them for so long, it was obvious those 'children' weren't so willing to forgive a lifetime of deceit so easily, she wondered if they ever would…
"Oh, and Ichigo." Tatsuki called suddenly, looking at him as she walked by his side. "It's good to have you back."
Ichigo just smiled. It was good to be back, and better than he'd been in many years…
If Ryuuken was surprised at having been called to a Nakama meeting when even Isshin hadn't, he didn't say a word. He simply guided the teenagers into his own secret training room, several feet underground of the hospital, and the building beside it where his penthouse was located. There they all took seats in a half-circle; all except Ichigo, who stood in front of them all, and Rukia, who chose to stand by his side.
"Well, what is this about?" Uryuu asked.
"Is it related to your funk?" Tatsuki asked in turn.
Ichigo shook his head with a sigh, trust Tatsuki to be so direct.
"In part." Ichigo nodded, while trying to find a place to start.
"Orihime," Rukia thought of something before he did. "Remember how you said you felt like something had happened and we all forgot."
"Yes." Orihime nodded, a strange sadness falling over her.
"You were right." Rukia informed her. "Something did happen. A Shinenju, a Memory Rosary was formed. It…she…"
"Excuse me." Yuzu interrupted softly. "What is a Shinenju?"
"Well." Rukia thought of the easiest way of explaining it. "Usually there is a flow of souls between the Living World and Soul Society as individuals die and are reincarnated; that's how things normally are. However, sometimes souls are…lost in the transition, so to speak. When a certain number of this souls join, they form a Memory Rosary, a shinenju, most of the times it's just a mass of memories, experiences, feelings of the spirits that were lost between world; but sometimes…sometimes they actually take shape, human shape…"
"Which happened here…" Uryuu deduced. "A shinenju was formed, a girl I guess for your previous use of the female pronoun…and knowing our luck…there was some huge mess involving her and we were involved too."
Orihime's continued silence made Rukia believe she may have been right in her suspicions.
"I have no idea." Rukia said honestly. "But your guess is pretty much the same as ours. Usually the formation of a shinenju, even one that gains human shape, is not a big deal, the only reason the 12th Division even went through the trouble of creating a machine capable of actually registering such events was for cases such as our own. Since shinenju aren't supposed to exist, when they eventually dissipate everyone that connected with them, forgets them. Is only natural, you cannot be expected to keep memories of what wasn't supposed to exist in the first place… and yet…"
"Someone broke that rule." Karin guessed this time. "Most likely Ichigo, considering his track record for doing what's supposed to be impossible."
"I don't remember her face, or even her name." Ichigo admitted. "I only know she existed, she had thoughts, and feelings, and memories she believed were her own…something happened, neither Rukia nor I know what exactly, but it was huge, and it was bad, and in the end…she gave up her life to save us all. Only…only she told me she was doing it for me. I don't know how I'm so sure of that, but I am and…"
"And it brought back memories…" Uryuu finished for him. "Of your mother, and of Rukia's near death, and even of Yailen-san…"
It was shocking, to see just how well Uryuu knew Ichigo. It was true they'd known each other for years, they were best friends, trusted comrades, and nakama…and yet, the level of understanding that was being displayed in that moment seemed to go even beyond all that.
"Yes." Ichigo nodded soberly. "It brought back all those memories, those feelings, of weakness, powerlessness, of being useless…and it only escalated from there…"
"You do know it's not your fault, right Ichi-nii?" Yuzu asked suddenly. "What happened to kaa-san, Yailen-nee-sama, or that girl? None of their deaths are your fault."
"I do now Yuzu…" Ichigo assured her with a soft smile, directing one quick look at Rukia.
It was obvious to everyone present just who it was that finally had convinced him of that.
"There's more." Uryuu said unexpectedly.
Ichigo sighed, it just had to be Uryuu to figure that out.
"How do you guess that?" Rukia asked, surprised.
"He wanted this meeting to be held privately." Uryuu pointed out. "He said we had much to talk about, and it was something he didn't want Urahara, or his father to know about. This cannot be it, Ichigo's misplaced guilt over the deaths of those women, as bad as it may be, isn't something he would really bother to hide from the others."
The others had to admit he was right. It wasn't like his family hadn't been aware already of how guilty he felt over his mother's death; and those who had known him back then, knew how he felt about Yailen's death as well. So obviously that wasn't it.
"I have lied to you." Ichigo declared directly. "For many years I have kept a closely guarded secret. And I will admit the reason was nothing but fear…fear of fear actually."
"Fear of fear?" Orihime couldn't help but ask, not understanding that.
"You feared that we would fear you." Chad clarified. "Why?"
"Shinigami as you know have two parts to their soul." Rukia spoke, trying to make it a bit easier for Ichigo. "Our core, us, and another part which is our power; it takes distinct form and character, it is the spirit of our zanpakutou…like my Sode no Shirayuki, Renji's Zabimaru, or Ichigo's Zangetsu."
"My soul has a third part." Ichigo continued for her.
That statement left them all both shocked and confused.
*Ossan…Shiro…* Ichigo called inside his soul.
*Are you sure this is a good idea, aibou?* Shiro asked suddenly.
It was so odd to hear Shiro so doubtful, and it hit Ichigo hard…his hollow was as afraid about everything as he himself was…maybe it was time he protect his white twin for a change.
*Everything will be alright, Nii-san…* Ichigo assured his counterpart with a sudden burst of confidence, he would make sure of that.
*Very well.* Shiro nodded, Ichigo's confidence helping him along.
The Nakama were about to ask what was going on, when suddenly the space on Ichigo's left seemed to shimmer, just for a second, before two figures materialized.
"Everyone," Ichigo said in an indescribable expression. "The middle-aged man is Zangetsu, the spirit of my zanpakutou. The other, is Shiro, my darker twin, my…"
"Inner Hollow." Ryuuken finished stonily.
"Yes." Ichigo answered, holding his master's look.
If the stand-off had happened even the previous day, Ichigo knew he would have lowered his eyes instantly; but in that moment…he had changed, so much it was surprising it had happened in such a short time. He'd never been ashamed of Shiro, of having a hollow as part of his soul, however, he'd been afraid of the reaction others would have if they were to learn the truth. However, after Rukia, all that had changed; he had more faith in himself, and in those who had become his nakama, he believed they would accept him…and even if they didn't, he would always have Rukia. As long as he had her everything would be alright.
"How do you know what it…he is, otou-san?" Uryuu asked, surprised.
"I have met the Visored." Ryuuken qualified, studying his student's white counterpart carefully. "Though I've never known them to be able to materialize their hollows…"
Ichigo shrugged, it's not like he knew the Visored of how their powers worked, he just knew about his own…their own, and that was enough.
"I've sensed your aura before." Ryuuken said, talking directly to Shiro. "In the corner of Ichigo's own, and sometimes more. Have you tried to take control over him?"
"Ch…" Shiro snorted. "Whatever would I do that for? When he fights I help, and I greatly enjoy watching; when he needs me, I assist, and when he cannot win I step in. All that's with mutual consent. Fighting for control…is unnecessary."
"Is that true?" Ryuuken asked Ichigo.
"Yes." Ichigo nodded immediately. "Look, shishou, I know it seems strange. The whole thing is really complicated. In few words, when kaa-san was killed, the grief and pain in my soul was bad enough that my soul split in two and one half became a hollow. It was that happening which actually woke Ossan in the first place. Back then I didn't know anything about hollows, when I first began seeing Shiro in my dreams and hearing his voice in my head, he looked so much like me, I thought he was like my brother…he's helped me, protected me, many times. I know he's technically like a hollow, but he's nothing like the monsters I've fought. He would never hurt me, or any of my nakama…"
"They are my nakama too." Shiro pointed out. "Ichigo and I were once the same soul. I see his nakama as my own, his family as my own. I know it sounds strange, I know I'm not very hollow-like, but I simply don't care."
"Very well." Ryuuken nodded. "As long as you don't threaten the existence of my students, or other humans in Karakura I will let it be."
Shiro nodded formally, while he might not care as much as Ichigo did about the older man, it still felt good to have his approval.
What no one could have ever expected was what happened next. As Yuzu went to stand right in front of Shiro and began looking at him carefully.
"So you're like another nii-san?" She asked innocently.
"S…sort of…" Shiro really didn't know how to answer that, hadn't been expecting it.
"He's like my twin Yuzu." Ichigo pointed out with a smile. "So yes, he would be another big brother to you…at times I feel like he's an older brother to me, with how he protects me."
"I do not!" Shiro snapped, embarrassed, though it was obvious he was lying.
"Thank you Shiro-nii!" Yuzu cried out, instantly embracing the hollow tightly.
At that point Shiro really had no idea what to do, he could only stand there shocked-still.
"Embrace her back, idiot." Rukia ordered, hitting him in the arm.
So Shiro did, more on reflex that consciously; and as he answered the embrace he could suddenly feel something he had never felt before…he felt what it was like to have a heart…
It took a while, but eventually Ichigo explained everything. Not just what he'd told Rukia when they'd been in his inner-world, but also several of the things he'd told her during the rest of that day, about all the things either Shiro or Zangetsu had done or helped him with through the years. Especially since he'd become a Shinigami.
"The mask…" Chad nodded right then.
"You think Yoruichi-san knows anything?" Karin asked, realizing suddenly why her brother hadn't wanted the others there.
"Possibly." Ichigo nodded. "Even if she doesn't, if she told Urahara, they might realize what it means, especially if we consider the Visored."
"Will that cause problems?" Orihime asked.
"It causes problems on all fronts." Uryuu said gruffly. "The shinigami will flip if they learn Ichigo has an inner-hollow, there are many who don't trust us now, something like this will make things worse. There's no way of knowing if being like that would make the Visored seek out Ichigo to try for an alliance or to eliminate him. And who knows about Urahara and the others, including Ichigo's father!"
"This is complicated…" Ichigo muttered.
"Not necessarily." Rukia declared. "Not if we don't allow anyone to know. No one besides us, that is. If we keep Shiro a secret no one has to get involved in the matter."
"You will not be able to keep the secret for long." Ryuuken pointed out. "With the threat of war upon us all. If it is a matter of keeping a secret or winning a battle…or protecting, which do you think he'll choose?"
"I'll always protect." Ichigo declared solemnly. "If that makes me reveal things they don't like…well, too bad. They'll just have to deal with it, we all will, I will never put others at risk just for the sake of keeping a secret."
Rukia nodded, it still made her nervous but she knew Ichigo was right.
"So, is that everything?" Karin asked.
"Mostly…I think." Rukia was thoughtful, wondering if they were forgetting anything.
"Well, I think Ichigo is an idiot, for waiting this long to tell us things." Tatsuki declared before turning to Ichigo himself. "I would hit you, but somehow I doubt it would have much of an effect. Besides, I have a feeling someone else already make sure you got some sense beaten into you, am I right?"
"All taken care of." Rukia assured her with a chuckle. "And if it's ever needed, have no doubt I'm quite willing to do it again."
Tatsuki nodded with a grin, satisfied.
"What is it with women wanting to beat me?" Ichigo asked dramatically.
The others just laughed.
"Very well, if that's all we better leave." Ryuuken announced.
The teens nodded, and they were just about to reach the door when Ichigo finally remembered what they were forgetting.
"Oi, Karin, Yuzu, Tatsuki, Chad!" He called with a bright smile. "Nee-sama says hello, and she'll be waiting for you to visit."
That froze everyone whose name had just been spoken instantly.
"N…Nee-sama?" Yuzu asked, suddenly teary eyed. "Yailen-nee-sama?"
"What the hell are you talking about Ichigo?" Karin demanded. "Nee-sama is dead!"
"I know that, baka." Ichigo half-snapped at her. "And where do you think people go when they die?" he didn't wait for an answer. "Remember a certain girl-servant who warned us about what the Kuchiki Elders were planning on doing to Rukia? That's her. Yailen-nee-sama. She's in Soul Society, she's in the Nagaken Estate. I saw her yesterday."
No word was spoken, but none was needed, those words had just acted as a healing balm; it hadn't just been Ichigo's soul that had been scarred by the death of the bright, gentle young woman. And knowing what they knew in that moment, they realized something; something they had probably always known, but never so surely: death wasn't the end. It wasn't just about Yailen, but everyone they'd ever loved and lost, they may have lost their human bodies, but that didn't mean they were lost forever, they'd just moved on to a new life. If they were lucky enough, they would be reunited again, like what had happened with Karin, Tatsuki, Yailen…if not, well, at least they had the hope they might meet again.
The teens took the elevator to Ryuuken's private office and then began leaving it in groups of two; as it would have been too odd and called too much attention if a bunch of teenagers had suddenly walked out of the man's office.
Ichigo was about to leave with Rukia, leaving Uryuu, Orihime, and Ryuuken himself for last, when unexpectedly Orihime called Ichigo.
"Do you want to know her name?" She asked out of the blue.
"What…?" Ichigo for a moment had no idea what she was talking about.
"Of that girl, the one who saved you, who saved us all." Orihime clarified in a very solemn tone. "The Shinenju. Do you want to know her name?"
"You know it?" Ichigo couldn't believe it.
Orihime simply nodded in silence, something in her expression so solemn, so unlike the usual her that no one dare ask her how exactly she remembered that much, or if that was even all she remembered, some instinct told them they weren't ready for the answer.
For Rukia, though, it was enough to prove her theory right. What she didn't know yet was if it was due to Orihime's powers or something else entirely.
"Yes, I want to know." Ichigo nodded immediately. "I cannot honor her, her memory, her sacrifice, properly if I don't even know her name."
"Senna." Orihime told him with a small, sad smile. "Her name was Shinenju Senna."
After both Ichigo and Rukia had showered (separately), all Kurosakis joined for breakfast. It was the same as usual, with Isshin's dramatics, Ichigo hitting him, Yuzu trying to stop their fighting, Karin ignoring everyone and Rukia simply giggling at their antics. The whole affair was a lot more interesting than meals in the Kuchiki manor, or even at the Nagaken estate.
Eventually father and son stopped and they could all have their breakfast in peace.
"So, when are we going to Seireitei next?" Yuzu asked, somewhat anxious.
"Don't know." Ichigo answered honestly. "I took the chance to check up on things last week and everything seemed to be in order. They may want just Karin, or even both of us at their monthly meeting but that's still a week or two away and…"
"But I want to go!" Yuzu interrupted him with a small pout. "I want to see Nee-sama!"
"You don't have to wait for us to have to go to do that, Yuzu-chan." Rukia assured her. "As an adopted daughter of the Nagaken Clan you have every right to visit when you wish. And, like Ichigo told you before, I know Yailen-san would love to see you."
"But I cannot open a Senkaimon myself!" Yuzu reminded her.
"If that's all the trouble I can open one for you." Rukia told her soothingly. "Though you would need to get out of your body first, since I cannot create the kind of gates Urahara Kisuke can, to allow living humans to get through."
Yuzu nodded, she didn't have any problem with that and she really wanted to go.
"I will go too." Karin announced softly. "I…I too wish to see Nee-sama…"
Yuzu's smile got brighter; she knew that despite how much Karin might try to control herself, her twin loved Yailen deeply, the older girl had been her role model for the two years they'd known her. It was obvious she wanted very much to see her again; knowing she was alright in the Soul Society, and that she'd kept her memories of them…
"Faye Yailen?" Isshin asked unexpectedly. "Is that who you are talking about?"
"Yes." Ichigo nodded calmly. "We saw her a week ago. She's in the Nagaken estate, has been working there as a servant for at least a year now."
"A servant Ichigo?" Karin called out suddenly, she had forgotten that part. "You're keeping Nee-sama as a servant?!"
"Hey!" Ichigo interrupted her tirade. "It wasn't exactly my idea, I offered her to cease her work and just stay at the estate as a privileged guest but she refused. She said it would call too much attention upon herself, and upon us. Besides, she said she likes it. The best I could do was make her Rukia's handmaiden. Since Rukia will be here with us most of the time, Yailen-nee-sama will only have to work when we go there, and even then she will only have to see to Rukia's things, and escort her should Rukia go anywhere."
Karin nodded, she still didn't like the idea of a woman she idolized so much working as a servant of what technically was her own house; but at least with what Ichigo had done she should be better. In a way she would be in a privileged position still, as the only one to serve Rukia and Ichigo directly (even if no one yet knew those two were the next Heads of House).
"So you'll be going to Seireitei today then?" Rukia asked then.
"Yes, for a few hours at least." Karin nodded. "If anything happens…"
"We can handle it." Ichigo interrupted her. "You and Yuzu go have some fun with Nee-sama."
The twins nodded.
"What will you be doing Ichigo?" Isshin wanted to know.
"Rukia and I made plans to go into town, hang around for a while." Ichigo answered. "Maybe we'll meet the others for lunch."
Isshin nodded, he knew his son was keeping things from him, and he couldn't really blame him, for too long Isshin himself had deceived not just Ichigo but all three of his children. Still, knowing that his son didn't trust him hurt, a lot…he wondered if that was what his children had felt when realizing he'd been lying to them their whole lives…
xXx
Ichigo and Rukia, as they had planned, went around Karakura for the day, mostly sight-seeing. They also took the chance to buy candy and some trinkets. By the time lunch came around all the Nakama, except the twins, went together to a curry-place Ichigo liked a lot, and then, without much need for conversation they decided to go catch a movie.
That's how it was almost always with them, they needed few words to understand each other. Like they'd said back in Soul Society, some things were just instinctive to them.
Late afternoon, after the movie they were all walking together, about to reach the corner where they would split so each could go to their own homes. While they were still together, they were talking mostly in smaller groups. Like Ichigo with Rukia, in that moment at the very back of them all:
"What are you thinking so hard about, Ichigo?" Rukia asked, almost worried at the hard expression Ichigo had kept since they'd left the cinema.
"What Nee-sama said, about that monster coming back…" Ichigo mumbled.
Rukia sighed, she should have known. With the Bounts gone and Aizen apparently taking his time before openly declaring war on the Nakama, there was really only one thing that could put Ichigo in that mood: Grand Fisher. And if the depression the orange-haired had been in recently wasn't enough, then there was what Yailen had told them shortly before they'd left the Nagaken Estate to return to Karakura:
It was the afternoon already and both Ichigo and Rukia were getting ready to go through the Senkaimon and back to Karakura, when unexpectedly there was a knock on the door and a voice called to them:
"Rukia-sama? Ichigo-sama?" It was Yailen.
"Come in." Ichigo called in a half-tired voice.
He'd been trying, for hours, to first convince the older girl to stop working as a servant and instead become a guest of the Nagaken Clan, and later to at least stop referring to him and Rukia with such terms. It had been useless; he should have expected something like that, really, if anyone could out-stubborn him, it was Yailen.
"I really wish you would drop the -sama…" Ichigo muttered as soon as Yailen closed the shoji doors behind herself.
"We already had this conversation Ichigo-kun." Yailen told him as she softly flicked his nose. "Unless we're alone, or in safe company, I will refer to you in the way our different stations demand." She stopped him before he could complain. "And I will not become anything more than what I am, right now. Really, I think we've called enough attention by making me a handmaiden. Such positions are usually given to more experienced and trusted servants, not ones who have been serving the House for barely a year!"
"Ah, but I care little about experience, and I trust you more than anyone save my nakama." Ichigo pointed out with a half-smile. "Besides, it's not like I'm anyone important in the Clan."
"Yet." Yailen reminded him.
"That time is long coming." Ichigo pointed out. "Who knows, maybe something totally unexpected will happen and I'll never actually become Head of House…"
Yailen looked like she was about to say something as her eyes changed minutely, but in the end simply shook her head and let it go.
"Did you need something Yailen-san?" Rukia asked right then.
"I've told you Rukia, call me Nee-sama." Yailen smiled softly at the girl. "If Ichigo insists on claiming me as an older sister, then you must do the same. After all, you're his wife." She suddenly thought about something they had told me. "Unless you think you shouldn't. I would never presume to try and take the place of Hisana-dono or Kuchiki Byakuya-dono."
"No, that's not it at all." Rukia assured her immediately. "It's just…it's so strange, having a sister. For a little over fifty years I've called Byakuya-nii-sama by such a title, and yet it wasn't until recently that I actually felt it. I didn't know what it felt like to have a sibling until Yuzu-chan and Karin-chan…"
"You'll always have me, Rukia-chan…" Yailen assured the younger-looking girl, embracing her. "And Byakuya-dono, Ichigo-kun, Yuzu-chan and Karin-chan too…" she chuckled slightly. "Well, I think you'll actually be having a pretty big family…"
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Rukia assured her.
They stayed like that for a short time, Ichigo simply watching two of the most important women in his life holding each other, it was like a part of him had begun to heal…finally.
"Before I forget." Yailen commented after a while. "There's something I need to tell you before you leave…"
"Well, I imagine there had to be a reason you came." Ichigo commented with a smirk.
He was trying to make a joke, but when Yailen didn't laugh he knew it was something serious.
"He's coming back." Yailen stated directly.
"He? Coming back?" Ichigo asked, not understanding at all. "What are you talking about?"
"He who targeted a guardian and instead ended up getting the one who guarded him." Yailen said cryptically. "He's coming back, and this time has his eyes set on more…"
It took a second for Ichigo to break down the riddle, he'd always hated when Yailen did that, and yet she did it so often it had become more or less natural to him to translate her words. When he finally made it out, he instantly growled.
"That bastard!" He snarled.
Inside his head Shiro was calling out for blood, and all Zangetsu could do was watch as a storm began to build up…again.
"Ichigo! Shiro! Control yourselves!" Rukia called, accurately guessing that it wasn't just Ichigo losing control.
After having met Shiro she was able to sense both reiatsu, so she knew when Shiro was influencing Ichigo, when he got closer to the surface.
And somehow, even when her words didn't seem to be enough to calm him, her voice managed to do the trick as Ichigo took a deep breath and somewhat calmed down.
"Now, what is happening?" Rukia asked. "I'm sorry but I'm not very good at discerning riddles so you'll have to explain that to me."
"I am the guardian, the one who guarded me was my mother, the 'he' Nee-sama mentions is the one who killed her when going after me; that bastard, that monster: Grand Fisher." Ichigo explained, barely managing to keep control over himself.
"Oh…'and this time he has his eyes set on more'…" Rukia quoted, then guessed. "He's going after someone else, or maybe even more than one someone." She turned to Yailen. "Who?"
For all answer, the older girl could only watch the couple with half-lidded eyes, she either didn't know more, or couldn't say.
"Thank you for the warning, Nee-sama." Ichigo said, placing a hand on her arm. "Rukia, we need to get back now."
Rukia nodded, still not understanding everything, but as nervous as Ichigo about their nakama and the possibility of an attack from a hollow that had managed to evade slaying for over five decades, taking down hundreds of humans and several shinigami along the way. The hollow had prevailed for so long, what could they hope to do against one like him?
"One more thing, Ichigo-kun." Yailen called as the two were about to leave the room.
Ichigo stopped and looked over his shoulder, waiting.
"The third encounter shall be the last, one way or the other." Yailen pointed out. "The guardian has become more powerful, but then so has the monster. Only if the guardian can find a motive stronger than revenge to guide his blade will he be able to this battle win."
Ichigo closed his eyes briefly before nodding once seriously.
"Thank you again Nee-sama." He said, and then walked out without looking back.
Rukia, not quite understanding what had just been said, followed.
"I still don't understand what she meant with that last part." Rukia pointed out. "Though it sounded like a warning."
"That's exactly what it was." Ichigo told her with a sigh. "She meant that while I'm more powerful, so is that hollow. She also said that if all that motivates me to fight him is revenge, I will not win, I need another reason, a better one."
"Like what?" Rukia asked, confused.
"I have no idea." Ichigo answered with shrug. "I don't like this, really…"
He broke off when a scream suddenly called their attention. Instantly the heads of both snapped in the direction they'd heard the sound coming from.
"That voice…" Rukia mumbled, suddenly very afraid.
"It was Yuzu…" Ichigo declared, already beginning to run in the direction they'd heard it.
"Oh lord…" Rukia mumbled even as she ran after him, suddenly understanding. "and this time he has his eyes set on more…"
"Yes." Ichigo had realized it too. "He's going after my sisters…"
Instantly Ichigo scooped Rukia up and began running, knowing he was much faster than she; a moment came when he was moving so fast Rukia began wondering if he was somehow using shunpo even while in his human body.
The scene that greeted them at the riverbank where the Senkaimon had opened shortly before was unlike any they could have been expecting. What looked like a woman with wavy chestnut hair in a dress was standing a couple of feet in front of an awful hollow with a half-broken mask; across the space Karin laid unconscious in a heap, shihakusho badly torn and bleeding from several wounds, and right in front of her was Yuzu on one knee, panting and somehow managing to hold a high-level shield to protect herself and her twin.
"Kaa-san…" Ichigo muttered under her breath, before shaking his head hard. "That bastard. How dare he use kaa-san's image against my sisters?!"
Rukia could only cover her mouth in shock, that had been a really low trick; at the same time it explained how Karin had been defeated when she was so powerful; she must have either been distracted by the apparition or gone half-mad when seeing the hollow who had killed her mom use her form against her. In any case, it was a miracle Yuzu's shield could stand against the attacks, and that she managed to stay strong despite the obvious mental torture. The honey-eyed girl was definitely stronger than most gave her credit for.
Ichigo was furious. He wouldn't allow the insult against his mother, or the attack against his sisters to stand. Barely conscious of what he was doing anymore, he set Rukia down and stepped down the small hill to the riverbank. The moment he reached it, something happened no one had been expecting, not even Rukia, without need for a gikon, or a glove or a seal of any sort, Ichigo simply stepped forward and right out of his body, letting it fall back onto the grass. He didn't even react to the event, as if he hadn't even noticed, or he had somehow known already he could do something like that.
"Ichigo…" Rukia muttered as she got on guard by his body.
"Hey you, bastard!" Ichigo called loudly to the hollow. "Why don't you go against someone your own size for a change?!"
"Huh…you think you can take me, little shinigami brat?" Grand-Fisher laughed at him. "I am the great Grand-Fisher; I've consumed hundreds of human souls, and even some shinigami. No one's been able to lay a scratch on me in over fifty years!"
"Really?" Ichigo gave him a sudden predatory smirk. "Then what would you call what happened a little over three years ago, in this same riverbank?"
"You!" Grand-Fisher hollered, furious. "I'll destroy you brat!"
"That's where you're wrong, hollow." Ichigo declared as he unsheathed his zanpakutou. "I'm not the weak, useless boy I was three years ago, I've grown, and I have power now. You're the one who won't be walking away from this fight. I'll make you pay, for what you did to my mother, for what you tried to do to my sisters!" his blade went into shikai without need for the command. "Zangetsu!"
And so the battle began…and so did the rainstorm…
In the following minutes the rest of the Nakama arrived, one by one. Uryuu helped Yuzu pull Karin to where Rukia was still standing guard by Ichigo's body, and when Orihime arrived shortly afterwards she made sure to heal the twins. After that they all just stood there, not caring at all about the rain falling and drenching them; they just remained by the riverside, a few feet away from where a battle was taking place, a battle in many ways harder and more important than that against Kariya, or even the Bounts.
Eventually things got serious enough that even the adults began arriving, first Ryuuken, who just made sure things were considerably safe for everyone and then went to join the 'guard'. Tessai helped Yuzu create a kekkai so no innocent humans would get to close to the battle and end up hurt, while Orihime put up her Santen Kesshun to keep all of them safe even as they continued watching. Yoruichi and Urahara joined eventually, wondering why none of them did anything, but not wanting to interfere either.
Eventually things got to the point where even Renji arrived.
"What the hell is going on here?" He demanded as soon as he got to the riverside. "Taichou, and everyone else seems to be in an uproar up there. The kind of reiatsu being put off is off the scales. Such levels of power shouldn't be released in the Human World."
"Shut up Renji!" Tatsuki snapped, without taking her eyes off the battle.
Surprised at his girlfriend's attitude, Renji turned to watch the battle himself.
"Who the hell is Ichigo battling?" Renji wanting to know.
"Grand Fisher." Rukia answered.
"The monster who murdered his mother, and tried to do the same with his sisters just a short while ago." Uryuu answered at the same time.
Renji was left speechless at that.
"Do you understand now why this is happening?" Orihime asked then, solemnly. "It's also why we're all standing there instead of interfering."
"Don't worry, Tessai-sensei and I mounted a kekkai already." Yuzu assured him. "No one will be affected by this battle."
Renji nodded, half-absently watching the battle even as he used his phone to make a quick call to his captain and informed him quickly of the situation. Thankfully, the fact that a kekkai had been erected calmed the higher-ups enough that they wouldn't interfere with what was happening. Though they would still want a full report when it was all over.
"I know Grand-Fisher is pretty infamous and feared and all that." Renji commented. "But with the kind of reiatsu Ichigo is putting off he should have defeated him already, so why hasn't he? What is really happening?"
"Revenge is a good enough motivation to fight, but not good enough to win." Rukia answered absently, nervous eyes fixed straight on the battle.
Renji was still wondering what she meant with that, when Isshin finally made his arrival, shihakusho rustling in the wind being created by Ichigo's and Grand Fisher's reiatsu and clashes, zanpakutou already in hand. However, before he could interfere, Ryuuken used a technique to stop him from moving.
"What the hell do you think you're doing Ryuuken?" Isshin demanded hotly. "Let me go."
"No." Ryuuken stated simply.
"I need to help Ichigo!" Isshin insisted.
"No." Ryuuken repeated.
"Isn't Ichigo your student?" Isshin called, confused. "Shouldn't you be worrying a bit more about him. Let me help!"
"Worrying about him would imply that I do not trust his ability to emerge victorious from this fight." Ryuuken answered with apparent disinterest.
Only the Nakama realized, from his words, from his posture, even from the slightest change in his tone of voice…how much he really cared.
"Ryuuken…" Isshin really didn't know what to say at that point.
"Your lack of faith on your own offspring is disgraceful Kurosaki." Ryuuken reproached him sternly. "Even more than your deceit of him and his sisters with regards to their powers and their history. This is a battle Ichigo has to fight, let him fight it."
It was a low blow, and everyone knew it, but they also knew Ryuuken was right. It was high time Isshin realized that Ichigo, Karin and Yuzu weren't children anymore; they had fought in Soul Society, against enemies far stronger and more experienced than them. They had won there. And they were getting ready to fight a war, one on which their futures, and possibly the future of all the worlds, depended…
No one knew how long the battle lasted, no one seemed to care, they all simply stood there, watching, as Ichigo fell again and again; he was dealing good damage to his opponent, but still nothing seemed to be enough.
Nothing could be heard by the riverside but the pants, groans, yells and clashes of the battle going on. Until a half-groan, half-yell…
"Ichigo!" Rukia screamed in absolute panic.
And it was that Ichigo had just been run through by at least half a dozen of Grand-Fisher's tentacles at the same time. His wounds, already grievous by that point, were such that anyone any less stubborn would have died on the spot.
"Ichigo!" Rukia screamed again, her aura flaring brightly with her love and fear of losing the man she'd come to love with all she was.
For Ichigo, it was like time had frozen. He was on his knees, in front of his enemy, with so much blood pooled around him he was surprised he hadn't died already. What proved without doubt that something had changed, was the fact that his blood wasn't dripping in that moment, and two ghost-like figures were standing at his sides.
"Do you want to fight or do you want to win Ichigo?" Zangetsu asked stoically.
"I want to win…no, I have to win." Ichigo stated, still panting. "Just fighting isn't enough. Not against this enemy. I have to win."
"Why?" Zangetsu asked this time. "What is your resolve?"
Yailen's words echoed in Ichigo's mind in that moment: Only if the guardian can find a motive stronger than revenge to guide his blade will he be able to this battle win.
"A motive stronger than revenge…" Ichigo muttered out loud.
"What do you fight for, Ichigo?" Zangetsu inquired. "What did you gain all this power for?"
"To protect." Ichigo answered, suddenly realizing the truth. "That's what I gained this power for, what I became a shinigami for, what I trained so hard for…to protect. So no one else will have to die like kaa-san did, so no one else will have to suffer the loss of a loved one like my family, and so many other families have, so everyone I care for will be safe…I fight to protect! That is my resolve." His eyes began shining as his reiatsu began building up. "Zangetsu, Shiro, lend me your power."
"That's what we're here for Aibou!" Shiro said with a feral grin. "Lets show this bastard not to mess with us, or with our own!"
"Yes, lets." Ichigo nodded.
Ichigo extended his empty left hand to the side, holding onto Shiro's, at the same time as Zangetsu laid both hands on their shoulders.
"Go Ichigo, Shiro." Zangetsu declared strongly. "Show that hollow your power, our power, our resolve. Fight, protect!"
Time began moving again for Ichigo, but no blood was spilling anymore, his wounds were totally gone, his reiatsu in a storm around him as his bankai was called forth, for the first time in the World of the Living… If anyone besides his enemy had been standing before him in that moment, and had been able to see through the rain and his drenched bangs, they would have noticed that half of his face was eerily pale, one of his eyes was yellow-on-black and there even seemed to be a red-black line running across half his face, like some sort of tribal tattoo. Ichigo and Shiro had synched, for the first time, to bring down the creature that had caused so much pain, not only to them, but to so many others; in that moment, shinigami and hollow were one, with only one purpose, to protect.
Among the spectators, Rukia was the only one who could clearly sense the moment Ichigo and Shiro synched; Uryuu, Orihime, and possibly even the twins might be able to sense a change, maybe even suspect what it was, but no one could sense it clearly as Rukia herself did.
Grand-Fisher couldn't believe what was happening, one moment he was absolutely sure he'd won, had even begun to drool at the idea of consuming not just that shinigami's soul, but the souls of all of those who had stuck around. A second later the orange-haired young man was standing again, his injuries somehow gone and exuding even more reiatsu than when their battle had begun.
The confrontation was over shortly afterwards, as Ichigo ran Grand-Fisher through with his zanpakutou, simultaneously releasing a black Getsuga edged in red; an attack created by the combination of his and Shiro's powers.
The moment Grand-Fisher's scream stopped echoing around him Rukia sprinted after Ichigo, getting to him right in time to help him lay down instead of crashing against the grass. Noticing the signs of Shiro on his face, the obsidian-haired shinigami made sure she was the only one able to see Ichigo's face.
"I did it…" Ichigo whispered in a strange double-layered voice.
"You did it." Rukia agreed, kissing his brow twice, once on each side of his face.
"Thanks…snow-princess…" He knew what she'd meant by that gesture.
Shiro's signs on Ichigo disappeared then, and Ichigo was left gasping. Even though his hollow-twin had taken care of his wounds, he was so low on reiatsu he couldn't even think about moving; it was hard enough just to stay conscious at the moment.
"You did it Ichigo." Rukia whispered as she caressed his face. "All of you together, you won. You defeated Grand-Fisher…"
"I gave peace to kaa-san…" Ichigo whispered with a small smile. "I protected everyone."
"Yes…" Rukia nodded crying, though it was barely noticeable. "Thank you Ichigo."
"Whatever for?" Even as tired as he was, Ichigo could still feel confused.
"For not dying." Rukia answered honestly.
"Je…" Ichigo managed to chuckle very slightly as he held her hand tightly in his. "How could I ever die when I have you to come back to?"
Rukia began crying even harder at that, holding onto him with all the strength she was capable of in their somewhat odd position, his head and shoulders in her lap as she knelt on the wet grass by the riverside.
"Rukia…" Ichigo called unexpectedly. "It's not raining anymore…"
It was true, the rainstorm had finally stopped, and the blue sky, now beginning to turn shades of orange, red and purple, could be seen among the parting clouds. And yet Rukia knew him, enough to understand he meant a different kind of rain entirely.
They laid there, in the soaked grass for what seemed like forever, with their Nakama and the adults just watching a few feet away; Rukia even began wondering if he hadn't fallen asleep or something, when unexpectedly Ichigo took hold of her free hand.
"Marry me." Ichigo blurted out suddenly.
"What…?" Rukia hadn't been expecting that.
"You heard me Rukia." Ichigo stated.
"We're already married baka." She reminded him half-dismissively. "Or did you forget that in the midst of your battle?"
"You know that's not what I mean." Ichigo declared, very serious. "Marry me for real. Not for an agreement, not because you're a Kuchiki and I'm a Nagaken. Marry me, here, as just us, as just Ichigo and Rukia."
She had no words, she had never expected something like that from him. And then, to further her surprise, he jumped onto his feet, ignoring his exhaustion, Shiro was pushing him on. Then he pulled her on her own two feet, making sure she was alright before she spoke again.
"I know we're technically already married." Ichigo told her softly, taking both of her hands in his. "But that time, we did it for all the wrong reasons. It's also not technically legal in this world. I now know what I feel for you, I know I love you. This time…this time I want to do things right, the way they should be done." He dropped to one knee without letting go of her. "Will you marry me Rukia?"
Tears began falling down Rukia's eyes. When she'd married him, it had been special, even if there hadn't been any love yet; when she'd learnt he loved her it had made things even more special; the idea of marrying him again, with their families and friends present, and knowing it was a union created by love…it was more than she'd ever imagined possible.
"Yes." She nodded with a bright smile. "I will marry you, Ichigo."
"Hey idiot!" A voice interrupted the sweet moment.
Ichigo was about to complain to Uryuu for interrupting them when he realized just what had been thrown at him: a small black velvet box he'd been carrying around…
"Thank you Uryuu." He said.
Rukia could only watch how her husband/fiancé, turned back to her, still on one knee, and popped open the small box in his hands, showing her the contents. She gasped in surprise and delight: it was a ring, a very elaborate ring: the band itself was made of diamond, two lines, one white, one black entwined together; it had three stones, two small round-cut diamonds, one blue, one red, flanking a slightly bigger marquise-cut violet one.
It took no time at all for Rukia to realize the significance of the ring, of each part of its design. And if she'd had any doubt, the different reiatsu imbued in each would have cleared it up for her: the two smaller diamonds representing one Ichigo, the other Shiro, the band being Zangetsu and Shirayuki; the violet diamond was the only one with no reiatsu in it yet, as it was meant to be her. She solved that part quickly enough.
"How did you get Shirayuki's reiatsu?" Rukia wanted to know.
"Zangetu and Shiro worked together to collect almost every trace she left in my soul from the time I wielded her." Ichigo explained. "We wanted this to be special…"
"You planned this?" Rukia could hardly believe it all.
"Last week." Ichigo nodded. "Kasumi-oba-sama helped me. She offered me the Nagaken Clan rings, but none seemed right, in the end she allowed me to take some stones to a jeweler designer she knew. He did it, though the design was ours…"
"Thank you Ichigo…" Rukia moved to whisper into his ear and added. "Thank you Shiro, Zangetsu-san." She then moved to kiss Ichigo. "I love you …"
"As I love you…" Ichigo assured her as he put the ring on her finger.
They had their perfect moment then, witnessed by those they trusted the most: their families, and their Nakama, there, where so many bad things had happened, now a memory of joy and love had been made.
xXx
At the International Gate of Tokyo's airport, a woman stood, watching the night sky in contemplative silence. She was of average height, with alabaster skin barely visible beneath the white long veil that covered all her hair and wound around to cover all of her face except her eyes, which were a light-gray under the light of the street-lamps; she wore a lavender peasant blouse with sleeves long enough to cover even her fingers and silver stars adorning the trim, as well as a plain mauve-colored skirt to her ankles, with the same stars on the hem, white flats were on her feet and she wore no jewelry save for a translucent glass-pendant with a silver star done in Celtic-knots hanging from a platinum chain.
"Milady?" a voice called her attention from behind her.
She was younger, not out of her teens yet, several inches shorter than the other woman, with slightly-tanned skin, ebony-black hair so short she almost looked like a boy and a white bandana in place; she wore dark-jeans that hung low on her hips, a spaghetti strapped gray top along with a short dark-denim jacket; black leather knee-high boots with heels and a thick platinum cuff with the same Celtic-star finished her attire.
"We're here Keeva…" The woman stated solemnly.
The teenaged girl by her side canted her head, as if trying to notice something special about the place they had arrived to, she found nothing.
"What is so special about this place?" Keeva, the girl, asked. "I mean, I can sense some power, but nothing greater than most of the other places we've been to. And even what I sense…it doesn't feel exactly right."
"That's because it's not the same kind of power we hold." The woman informed her calmly. "But we are, indeed, in the right place…the place where the Oracle was lost…"
The girl said nothing at those words, simply followed her lady's line of sight to the horizon, where the most power could be felt; she couldn't help but wonder just what kind of power it was, and no answer seemed to find her. However, they would be finding out, eventually.
"Come Keeva." The woman indicated. "It's getting late, and we must get going. There are eyes that must not be allowed to lay upon us, not yet. The winds of change have been stirred, but until every warrior has chosen a side, until the battlefield has been chosen, it would be too risky to reveal our presence to any but those marked as trustworthy by the Oracle herself."
"Milady?" Keeva asked, even as she followed.
There was so much she didn't understand. Beginning by what they were doing there, why it was so important that they be there; she also didn't know why the Oracle had gone there, why she'd been lost there. What was so special about Japan? And about the small town they were going to: Karakura? She had no idea, only knew that the place had to be important, enough that the Oracle had gone there, and never returned; enough that now they were there. Yes, there were a lot of things Keeva didn't understand, but then again, she didn't have to, her mission in life was simple, follow her lady, and protect her no matter what, everything else was secondary, even her own understanding.
xXx
At the same time, in the same direction the two women were going in, a certain individual, dressed in a rather strange combination of modern clothes, watched silently as people began retiring for the night, from his place above a light post.
"So this is the place, huh?" He said to himself. "Karakura Town. And he thinks he might be like us…Well, what we've felt thus far has been interesting enough. In due time we'll see more, we'll see what you're truly made of, Kurosaki Ichigo…"
So... did you like the chapter? We have so much more coming! Visored, Espadas, more original characters; the Hueco Mundo arc, blended in with some movies and filler arcs that I liked too much to leave out, and fit well with what I was doing. You could see this as the end of the beginning, and the start of so much more!
See ya next week!