A/N: I am back! Please prepare for my presence in this fandom for however long I take to get tired of it again. See more comments below for a surprise!
As Ichigo took a breath- prepared to take the blade that was coming in his direction in what seemed to be like slow motion, but he could not get his body to dodge- he was absolutely perplexed to find himself staring into a fun house mirror image as this other person nonchalantly stopped Aizen's zanpaktou with his bare hands and then proceeded to snap it in half as if it were made out of glass and not steal.
The wide-eyed expression on the brown-haired traitor captain was positively satisfying and Ichigo could have enjoyed it more if he wasn't busy gawking at the taller orange haired man too.
His not-exactly-a-doppelganger then proceeded to axel kick Aizen in the chin, drift on his heel to make a slight turn and then placed a very accurate chop to the man's nape that had him dropping like a puppet without it's strings.
Ichigo was still stuck in his meltdown when a bunch of other Shinigami arrived on top of the hill. Most had white Captain Haoris on their backs, but some others didn't and they all seemed equally confused as to what in the blazes was going on.
Somehow things start moving along, the traitors are apprehended, and people are running about getting things figured out while some other Shinigami heal the wounded.
Ichigo is seated on the ground and being attended to by Inoue. Their little group is huddled close to the others but very obviously apart, and Ichigo is still stuck staring blatantly at the orange haired man that comes strolling towards them and is not at all surprised to find one of the Captains moving to meet them.
The white haired man smiles kindly, and Ichigo remembers him from when he helped stop the fire bird which made his rescue Rukia mission easier so he inadvertently relaxes and makes sure his attention is set on the other.
"Who the hell are you." He demands gruffly. His scowl deepens further when all the orange head does is give a small smirk and places a hand on his hip languidly.
The white haired captain laughs softly, and Ichigo turns to look at the man suspiciously.
"I suppose we can cross out our theory of this individual being your older brother." He says in lieu of an explanation, and Ichigo has never been more blindsided in his entire life.
"Well," the older orange head begins. "we do share parents, so by that definition we could be. But the most accurate explanation is that we are the same person from different points in time."
Ichigo looks at… himself and doesn't quite understand how he could become him or how he was once him. Sure, they share characteristics, but this person carries himself with a languid and easy confidence about himself that Ichigo has never been able to pull off properly. He's not scowling, and while that's already weird enough, his default expression seems to have become something like resigned amusement. This man is taller than Ichigo, which could be attributed to being older, but Ichigo's sure that even if he were those couple inches taller, this man would still seem taller. He is also -as if things weren't already confusing- wearing a gray kimono and a navy blue haori thrown on top with a sealed zanpaktou hanging from his pretty obi as if he had just reached for the blade before rushing off from some formal dinner party.
Ichigo looks at all of this and doesn't quite understand.
The white haired captain makes an intrigued humming noise that snaps Ichigo from his reverie as he gives the older one a considering look.
"Out of curiosity, how much older are we speaking?" he asks with carefully hidden interest.
The older orange head gives an amused smirk before answering. "Out of curiosity Ukitake-san?" the white-haired captain merely continues giving a kind encouraging smile that Ichigo is now starting to doubt is wholly nice. "Well I don't think it really matters, but I'm technically speaking ninety-seven years old, so that would put us at about an eighty two year difference, give or take a couple months."
Ichigo finds himself choking on nothing while all his friends show diverging forms of incredulity at that predicament.
The white-haired man -Ukitake- gives a considering hum before nodding. "Eighty years is a… long time. Why are you here?"
"That's a more complicated answer and a long story." The way older orange head states. "It might be best if I explain it in a meeting so I don't have to repeat myself so many times."
"Not a bad idea Kurosaki-kun." Ukitake agrees before hesitating as he glances down to Ichigo and then back up to the half amused older one. "This may get confusing."
The man rolls his eyes before slanting a considering look at him. "Let's not even bother. I've been going by Shiba for years now, that can work to distinguish but there are a lot of Shiba to go around so it won't work all the time- we can use my second name."
"Okay hold up." Ichigo interrupts this time, because older future version of himself or not -which he is doubting because ninety seven? While looking like a Twenty something year old?- he's always been Kurosaki, he's proud to be Kurosaki so why Shiba?" Why Shiba?" he says out loud this time.
"Like I said," the older intones "long story. You'll hear it in a bit. Short story; Goat Face was the Captain of the 10th before circumstances brought him to the living world where he had to stay. He was- is Shiba so that makes us Shiba. Once I relocated to Soul Society, I took on my registered Name. Goat Face did send Kukaku-nesan our information so we could be added to the family tree which means, officially in Soul Society, we're Shiba."
Ichigo gave this the look it deserved and made a silent promise to himself that he would wrangle the whole story from himself later. "And the… second name thing?"
Ukitake interjected this time, looking paler than he was but somehow softer too. "It is a common practice among the aristocracy to give their children an informal and formal name. My lieutenant -your cousin- was called Shiba Kaien but he was given-"
"Rio Kaien of Shiba, Son of Jiro Raden, Son of Gou Hideaki, the first of three, second of two and first of seven." The older Ichigo easily interjects with the flourish of someone resigned to their fate. "As you grow older you have a way you are called, one that was given at birth and the third which is bestowed. At the end, Cousin Kaien was bestowed Wielder of Nejibana, Keeper of the gates of Heaven and Clan head of Shiba. Does that make sense?"
Ichigo simply stares at the older and very carefully to make sure he was serious stated. "No."
The other nodded as if Ichigo had just agreed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Good, it would be embarrassing if toddler-me knew something I still don't understand the point of."
Ichigo splutters at being called a toddler while everyone around him laughs at his misfortune. He's saved when Ukitake turns back to look at the older orange head with his prominent kind smile.
"So what would your Name be?" he asks.
Ichigo feels there's a capital N in that, and is not at all surprised when his older… self winces and exhales tiredly at the question.
"Rai Ichigo of Shiba, Wielder of Zangetsu, Keeper of the gates of Heaven. I am son of Asa Isshin, Son of Gou Hideaki, the first of three, first of two, first of seven and Chosen Heir of Shiba."
Ichigo reels back at this word vomit and arches a skeptical eyebrow. "So Rai?" he asks, half questioning where Rai came from and half questioning if that is the name he will go by.
"Rai." He nods and arches back an eyebrow in a way that has Ichigo maybe possibly now seeing how he became him. "Rai after uncle Raden. Raden means God of thunder and Rai is thunder and lightning."
Ichigo nods in understanding, stares back at Shiba Rai- at himself- and wonders.
Not to be continued…
So ladies, gentlemen and my non-binary folk, I hope you liked this small chapter 😊
I have a surprise for all of you, this time, all you guys get the opportunity to choose which chapter I will write a part 2 -or 3- for! That's right! Whichever chapter gets the most votes, I will type a sequel or prequel for! So make sure you leave a comment below with which chapter #/title you would like to see a continuation for and after the 1 week mark, I will close the voting and release a chapter with the winner!