Homura's POV
Deeeeep breaths… In, and out… In, and out… ignore everything outside and focus only inwards… Let your spiritual power flow around you like water… If a location comes to mind, let it drift into focus and imagine yourself there… Feel for the presence of another, try to find them and hear what they are saying…
…
*Slam!*
Ok! this isn't working. Homura decided abruptly with a scowl as she fell backwards from the meditation pose she had been in, doing her best to ignore the uncomfortable wooden floors that had never before been seen as such an enemy. "Oi! Sword Spirit! Speak up! If you're in here, you owe me several years of rent, and I demand to be paid in conversation! So get your phantasmal butt out here and talk!"
It was quite generous in her opinion.
…
Nothing.
She screwed her eyes shut as she let out a little growl.
"Look. We've been at this for several months now," She tried to reason, "and if you know me at all then you know that I'm not giving up! We've been here every week, and that's not changing till you come out!"
If there was one thing that she could do, it was out stubborn people. Unfortunately, still nothing. No response.
She let out a huff as she opened her eyes to gaze blankly at the ceiling.
What was she missing?
Several months had passed since the red-headed moocher and his band of stragglers had arrived and they attempted to get Shirou to teach them how to use their spiritual power.
They had managed to wear Shirou down, finally getting him to give them lessons on how he used his spiritual power. Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly as easy as sparring was.
There were three tricks that Shirou knew how to do. The first was analysis: Finding out the itty bitty details of an object. It sounded kiiiiinda boring (aka, extremely boring), but she kept her mouth shut since it was supposed to help with the other two. Then there was reinforcement: being able to make something stronger. Way more useful! And finally, projecting: being able to make stuff out of nothing, which was by far the best!
Shirou hadn't put them in those terms. His was a lot more technical with a bunch of steps and words, so she paraphrased.
Of course, that made it all the more frustrating when none of them could actually do anything that Shirou taught! Not even the boring analyzing one!
Had it been anybody else that was trying to teach them, she'd call them stupid, or maybe think they were sabotaging them. But this was Shirou. Even if he could lie to save his life, which he couldn't, she trusted him. One of the three people in the world that she did trust.
In the end, after working and not seeing any results with her, Rukia, Shizuku, and the intruder Renji, Shirou thought of something that might be able to help.
Zanpakuto spirits.
Shirou called them spirits of swords that lived inside souls, which was kinda weird, but she was going to go with it for now. Shirou showed them the three swords of his that had spirits - the beautiful black and white swords that she had seen Shirou use once or twice when he got serious (so pretty…) and the tiger striped practice sword (hah! She knew that sword wasn't normal!)
He said that some of the best advice that he had received had been from the black and white swords, and thought that their spirits could help them.
He very noticeably didn't say anything about the striped shinai, she noted.
Apparently other spirits called Soul Reapers also had Zanpakuto. Shirou was proof that you didn't need to be a Soul Reaper to have Zanpakuto Spirits, and since Soul Reapers were just Souls with more training that meant they should also have Zanpakuto spirits.
But if that was the case, then why couldn't they contact these spirits of theirs?!
Communication was a two way street, and it wasn't her fault if her sword was too lazy to walk down it!
She grudgingly sat back up and got into the stupid meditation pose again, taking a bit of time to think. Over the last couple months she had tried passively waiting, cajoling, bargaining, bribery, and arguing with no effect. What else could she do?
Hey Sword Spirit! If you don't start talking, I'm going to, uh, jump off a cliff!
She focused intently…
Dang it, nothing. It was calling her bluff. Rukia would never let her do something like that.
"Look, it's not like I want the power for myself! Surely you know me, right?"
Hmmm, maybe not the best of arguments.
Uh, never mind that. But I really do need it to help them!"
She still remembered the old days, before Shirou came.
The fear? That feeling of huddling amidst the trash in the hopes they wouldn't be detected? Of being helpless to stop when the others claimed they were hiding something - because why else would they hide unless they had something of value? - and they had to run away or be beaten up when they hadn't done anything and she just wanted them to please stop?
She hated it. She hated it sooo much. Just as much as she was terrified of it coming back now that she was away from it.
Rukia had been the first person that had shown them kindness, had taken them in and given them a respite from the fear. She cared for them, made them feel loved in a way that nobody ever had before. Is it any wonder that she and Shizuku were so protective of her?
But even with Rukia's help, it didn't banish the fear. Not completely. Every time she left them alone she had done it for them, but she never fully understood.
It was to keep them safe, but how could they not be terrified of the possibility she'd never come back? No, Homura never wanted to feel that helpless again. She couldn't, wouldn't, allow it.
Rukia was the first person that had shown kindness, but Shirou was the second. More than that though, Shirou was the first person that actually made her feel safe. How could she not yearn for that feeling? And she knew that part of it was because of how strong he was!
Therefore, she needed to become as strong as Shirou.
She wasn't like Rukia or Shirou. She was way more selfish, not really caring about anybody beyond the three closest to her.
Not that she would ever go out of her way to hurt others, buuuut she really wouldn't feel anything if something bad happened to them. She'd feel bad if Rukia and Shirou felt bad… probably… but that'd be the extent of it.
If it was because of these sword spirits that Shirou was able to get as strong as he was, then with or without its cooperation she and her spirit were going to work together!
She sighed as she went through her options. Really, what sort of things would a spirit in her head be interested in? It's not like she could give them Shirou's food or something.
She just wished it would give some sort of indication that it was there. At the very least to give her a name. She didn't like referring it as the 'Sword Spirit' all the -
Wait.
She stiffened in alarm.
'Do… do you not have a name?' She ventured cautiously, her former aggression gone.
…
She bit her lip. What if it didn't? Shirou had at least a couple spirits in his head, maybe they named themselves? If Homura didn't have multiple spirits, if it was all alone, maybe it, well… didn't.
After all, Homura didn't even have a name as of several months ago. Maybe her sword spirit was more like her than she thought.
She took a deep breath. 'Would you like it if I, um, gave you a name?"
…
"Say something if you disagree."
…
"Good enough." She placed a fist underneath her chin and thought hard. Naming things wasn't really her thing.
Maybe she should talk with Rukia about this.
She was brought out of her thoughts when something messed up her hair. Jerking back, she looked into the concerned eyes of… Oh, hey! Rukia!
"How did you come up with our names?" She asked impulsively. No time like the present, right?
Rukia blinked in surprise, "Wha- huh? Why the sudden interest?" She asked, a bit flustered.
Homura shrugged with a bright grin. "Why wouldn't I want to know more about my name?"
Was this supposed to be a surprise or something? She loved her name! After going for so long as just 'girl', or 'brat', or other less complimentary names, she finally had one of her own! The fact that Rukia gave it to her was just icing on the cake.
It was one of the reasons she disliked Renji and Tommy so much. Those two hardly ever called her the right name…
Not that she needed another reason to dislike them. She had a list. It began with trying to steal their food and went downhill from there.
"Well…" Rukia bit her lip as she moved over to the bed, picking up a comb and looking at her inquisitively.
That was as much of an invitation as she needed. Homura eagerly bounded after Rukia and sat in front of her.
"I chose your names when things actually started looking up for us." She said slowly as she began brushing, with Homura letting out a humm of contentment. Her hair was short, but she still loved having it brushed.
"Your name means 'bright flame'," Rukia paused in her explanation briefly to look at her wryly, and she just beamed in response. "And Shizuku's is 'long life'." She blushed and looked away. "It's just… I spent so long trying to think of good names for the two of you, and at that moment everything looked like they were going to change for the better." The brushing paused briefly as Rukia gave them a hug from behind. "I guess… your names were my hope for you two. That from then on your lives would shine brightly for years to come."
Awww! Wait, gush about name more later, focus!
"So our name came from what you hoped for us?" She asked carefully. What exactly did she hope for her Sword Spirit?
Maybe she should name it Kyouryoku, for 'cooperation'…
"Yours did, yeah." Rukia said before hesitating, "I thought it felt appropriate."
"Hmmmm." This would require some more thought later on. That would suck…
A thought hit her.
"Oh yeah! Did you want to talk to me about something?"
They all had different rooms now, after Shirou helped them repair the rest of the house. Homura had mixed feelings about the separate rooms. She didn't really like being separated at night. too many bad memories. but it wasn't terrible. And Rukia made her a stuffed animal to sleep with!
The little stuffed rabbit was cute, no matter what Shizuku said!
While Rukia did visit her room a bunch, she usually did so to talk to Homura about something or other.
Rukia was quiet for a bit before answering that. "I'm… Trying to think of the best thing to do for all of us." She replied cryptically, and Homura twisted her head to look at a Rukia in confusion.
"That sounds like something that Shizuku would say." She pointed out with a pout. Her brother didn't really like talking, and was pretty quiet overall. Still! She understood him! Well, most of the time. The important times.
Rukia looked pensive for a moment, "What exactly is your opinion of the District?" She asked.
Uh, it could burn to the ground and I wouldn't care?
Hmmm, probably not what Rukia was looking for, and would make her upset. One of those weird 'social skill' thingies that she was supposed to be learning.
And people thought she didn't have any tact.
Instead, she shrugged. "So long as I'm with you, Shizuku, and Shirou, I don't really care." She declared happily.
She could practically feel Rukia frown, "I know that, but you have other friends that you've made, right?"
Hmmm, 'friends' was a strong word…
She just shrugged and hummed happily at feeling Rukia continue to brush her hair. There really wasn't anything more to say - she hung out with other kids occasionally because it made Rukia happy, but she didn't really have a connection with them.
Trust was hard to come by, and she certainly wasn't going to hand it out just because somebody liked to play with her.
After a while Rukia sighed, "what am I going to do with you two." She murmured with fond exasperation.
"Keep us?" She suggested with a bright smile, causing Rukia to let out a little laugh while shoving Homura's head slightly.
"Alright, now it's time to go to bed. We still have to get up bright and early tomorrow."
Homura groaned, but didn't resist as she got up and gave Rukia a confused look, "was that all you wanted to talk about?"
It wasn't really anything new… Did she give a bad answer? Dang it, now she was worried!
Rukia stood up and gave her a quick hug, which she eagerly accepted. If she was hugging her, then she didn't do too badly, and Rukia gave the best hugs! Shizuku was always a bit hesitant, but he liked them as well, and while Shirou was awkward about it his hugs were enjoyable because he was bigger and warmer.
"I'm just working through something." She assured her, "I'll let you know when I come up with a solution."
"Hmmm, ok! Let me know if I can help!" She said brightly. She didn't really get it, but she trusted that Rukia would let her know if it became important.
As Rukia left she let out a sigh and slowly got ready for bed. Too late to attempt any more meditation/threatening.
She might not have accomplished anything major that evening , but she at least felt better when she climbed into her bed and snuggled with her stuffed animal, various name ideas in her mind.
Shizuku's POV
"Hey Shizuku, Ararata said one of the newcomers wanted to teach us to play something called 'poker', want to join?"
"… Not now. Later?."
"Sure thing, see ya!"
Shizuku waited till they were out of sight before turning back where they came. No need to tell them that Rukia had bullied Shirou into playing various games with them, with poker being one that he had taught.
It was… weird… Having friends beyond Homura and Rukia. Renji's friends weren't bad or anything, but it took a while to get used to.
He made his way to the door of the half-demolished house that served as their reading and writing classroom. Shizuku still wasn't sure of the value in it, but Shirou insisted that it was important.
Shirou didn't teach this class - said he wasn't qualified - but he had found a few people who could. Crane-sensei was one of them.
Tall and gangly, with anxiety issues that left Shizuku worried for the man's health, but he would admit that the man was at least a decent teacher when he got started.
Instead of walking in, the dark haired boy leaned against the doorframe just out of sight as he heard two voices. Their teacher and Rukia.
It's not eavesdropping. He was just waiting for them to finish. Right by the door. And out of sight, to not disturb them of course.
Rukia had been distant as of late - clearly thinking hard about something, to the point that even Homura was starting to notice. However, she kept up an act around Shirou, which meant she didn't want him to realize that she was worried about something.
He just wanted to figure out what was bothering her so he could help out his older sister.
"So you've never actually fought a Hollow then?"
"G-goodness no! Miss Rukia, the only Hollow that I had the d-displeasure of meeting was that one, and even if I avoided being eaten it did manage to kill me. I am in n-no hurry to repeat that experience, which is why I remain in this d-despondent District. T-traveling is just inviting d-danger."
"But you know how Soul Reapers fight them, right?"
The other voice let out a snort, "N-neither musket nor bayonet caused it to flinch during my time. I h-heard a rumour it had something to do with t-the Soul Reapers swords, b-but I don't know how that could be. Shirou w-would know that subject better than I."
There was silence for a moment. "Can you at least tell me anything about the rest of the Districts?"
He heard a sigh, "O-once again, a q-question for another. P-perhaps Mr. O'Haire? As it stands, one c-can't even make an educated guess."
"Really?" Her tone became frustrated, "why not?"
He heard a scuffling sound as the teacher pulled out a chair and sat down tiredly. "T-t-here are just too many v-variables. How many people are in each District? I don't think even Shirou knows. S-some districts, like this, will group together into one large 'c-city-slum' area, while others I imagine s-splinter off into multiple groups. Apathy and laziness are no d-doubt constants, but are there tribes that wander instead of s-staying in the city? Will it be ruled by several groups? T-total anarchy? Or by one strong overlord? No, I can't m-make a judgement call like that - each District m-must be taken as their own unique area. You really must ask somebody who has f-firsthand experience."
He heard Rukia sigh in defeat, "alright. Thank you for your time anyways."
"O-of course, it is m-my responsibility as your teacher after all. Though I am sorry that I have failed in this instance. To make up for it, perhaps I can offer s-some advice?"
Some more shuffling as the teacher stood, and it sounded like he made his way over to Rukia. "Whatever it is that you are planning, y-you'd best make it soon."
"Planning?" Shizuku could just imagine the wide eyed look she was no doubt giving the teacher. "What on earth do you mean? I just heard Tommy talking about Hollows and was absolutely terrified! I'm just worried about the areas outside of the District!"
He had to really focus to not let out a laugh at that.
Alas, Homura seemed to have picked up on that same traits while lying. He was caught in between feeling amusement and embarrassment.
The teacher chuckled, seemingly agreeing with him. "D-Don't ever go into acting young lady. I'm afraid your intentions are r-rather obvious." He said in a slightly teasing voice. "As for why? R-remember last time Tommy c-came through? He was escorting a few p-people."
There was a pause, and he could just see the dirty look Rukia was giving their gangly teacher.
"... That's not anything new. He brought Hisoka and Yuudai from District 72 a couple months ago, and before that it was Nikoleav, Segal, and… Desjard from 70, right?"
"C-correct. Very g-good memory, Miss Rukia. But do you recall their jobs?"
Shizuku frowned as he tried to figure out where this was going. What was Rukia planning that was so 'obvious'?
Every new person always introduced themselves at the Shelter, so it wasn't hard to keep track of people. Sometimes, a District would need someone with a certain skill and other Districts might have a surplus. If that happened, then Tommy or one of his courier friends would escort them to the other District.
The new people had seemed to fit in rather well, but beyond keeping an eye on them in case they became a threat he pretty much ignored them.
The teacher continued on, "Sewing and f-farming predominantly, while Desjard was an architect. All v-very useful, and areas which we c-could use more people in. But the latest? Brom, Gagneux, Arata, and Gaston are all rather gifted fighters. An aspect that we don't particularly have need of."
There was a sudden tension in the air, and Shizuku felt like he was the only one not understanding something.
Rukia seemed to have an idea, if the tightness in her voice was any indication. "Gaston is a hunter," she pointed out, "and Gagneux doesn't shut up about his painting."
"Perhaps, but those are just hobbies. Useful coincidences I wager that does not detract from my point." He rebutted, before saying more gently, "Shirou came in, established an outpost in hostile territory so to speak. Now he is fortifying it, making sure it is well protected. I believe that Shirou is -"
"Ok! I get it!" Rukia snapped.
No! He was just about to spill the beans!
Shizuku barely refrained from hitting his head against the wall.
What was Shirou about to do? Was he preparing for an attack from somewhere? Was that why he was 'fortifying'? That would explain why Rukia was asking about the other Districts, but why would they do that? And how would Rukia have heard of it?
Several minutes later Rukia thanked their teacher for his help once more and left, and Shizuku quickly teleported to a nearby roof to observe her. She still had a determined look on her face, so he doubted that she was done.
What followed the next couple hours was him carefully observing Rukia. It was a lot like the modified versions of Hide and Seek that Shirou would play with them occasionally. Shirou might have been the King of Seeking (it was their smell apparently. They still couldn't figure out a way past it) but he was the best at hiding.
Rukia quickly made her way to the Shelter and the surrounding buildings, and he watched as she then questioned several of newcomers on the state of the other Districts and the roads in-between.
It didn't take terribly long to go from place to place. The Shelter was still relatively small. Despite the throngs that came for either the lessons or the food, most were either too paranoid to join their small community, or they weren't the type of people that Shirou wanted to join.
He remembers seeing several people that had beaten him up in the past in those lines waiting for food. Shirou never withheld meals or teaching from them, but they were never given an invite to The Shelter.
For those reasons the Shelter remained pretty small, but Shizuku preferred it that way. It had a nicer feel to it. And, coincidentally, it made following Rukia much easier.
I'm not being creepy… and this isn't stalking, he assured himself as he teleported from roof to roof. Rukia was family, and she was clearly bothered about something. He was just trying to figure out what since she wasn't likely to just tell him.
Though by the end of the day he was getting frustrated.
He did learn that there was one safe road that went through all the Districts, leading to the 'Seireitei'. Like the spokes of a wheel. Other roads existed, but were not patrolled by the Soul Reapers. The Districts the others came from were pretty identical to Inuzuri, just with less gang warfare. No, they hadn't ever seen a Hollow, just heard them occasionally.
Yet nothing of what he learned was what he wanted to know. He was still no closer to figuring out what was bothering Rukia!
True, he could just ask her, but he'd be in a better position if he could figure out what was wrong beforehand.
He found himself frowning as she entered a house he knew was empty. He waited a few minutes before teleporting to the door to eavesdrop once again. He carefully leaned up against the door to hear…
Nothing?
He had a couple seconds to be confused when suddenly a hand grabbed him and yanked him into the house. One moment later he was looking into the furious violet eyes of Rukia.
… Crap.
"Shizuku?" Rukia looked surprised to see him before letting out a sigh of relief "I thought you were somebody else. What are you doing?" Her eyes narrowed dangerously, "Why were you following me?"
He let out a careful breath as he willed his heartbeat to slow. Getting caught was… not part of the plan.
"I was curious." He murmured. Best to keep it vague. Saying he was curious could mean anything from 'I was curious if I could do it', to 'I was curious what you were doing'.
He just needed to figure out which would get him in the least amount of trouble.
She let him go, and he quickly straightened himself up as she kept up a disapproving glare. "How long were you following me?" She asked suspiciously.
He made sure to keep his expression blank. At what point did she realize he was there? Probably not till at the later end. Continue with vague then, and redirect.
He shrugged, "not long." Long was a matter of perspective really. "I went looking for you. You looked worried." He gave her a concerned look. "Is everything all right?"
The question did seem to distract her slightly, and her glare let up as her expression shifted into something more nervous.
He felt like sighing. He didn't want to put more pressure on her, he just wanted to help!
"Well, since you're here…" she murmured before looking him in the eyes, "What exactly do you think of the District?"
He tilted his head slightly as he considered it. "It's… Better than it used to be." He decided.
She nodded seriously, "What about the people?" She stressed, "I know that you've made friends, like Daigo and Kudo."
He raised an eyebrow, "Is that wrong? you've made friends with Renji." He pointed out.
He didn't have any issues with Renji nor his friends, not like Homura did. They started off on a bad foot, but he thinks that they've since made up for it.
Renji had been annoyingly cagey and distrustful for a bit, but he calmed down eventually, and had even begun a sort of rivalry between himself and Rukia - his group against hers. It often turned into a competition on whose group could outperform the other in training.
Renji and his friends had the advantage in numbers, but Rukia, himself, and Homura had been able to stay ahead fairly easily until lately. The gap in skill was closing though. Slowly but surely.
He idly wondered when Homura would realize that. Her reaction would no doubt be… Interesting, followed by a sharp increase in her own training. He would no doubt find the entire thing humorous up until he inevitably got pulled into the training.
The woes of having a competitive sibling.
Rukia sighed and waved away the question, "no, it's a good thing - I'm glad you're making friends." She assured him, "it's just…" she bit her lip nervously before seeming to come to a decision. "if, let's say hypothetically, you had to choose between staying in the District with friends or leaving, what would you do?"
His breath caught.
"W-what do you mean?" He felt confused - suddenly the questions she was asking all morning made sense, but not much else did.
"Why are you thinking of leaving? Where would you even go?" What on earth even brought this on? He felt a bit panicked at the sudden thought of being separated - of that level of change… was she leaving them?! - when Rukia swept in and enveloped him in a hug, allowing him to calm somewhat.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it quite like that." She murmured apologetically. "I'm… trying to work through some stuff. You and Homura are family. I won't ever leave you unless you want."
He took a deep breath before pulling back, "So what did you mean by that?" He asked warily.
Rukia gestured around her, "If we -" she stressed that word "- were to leave the District, would you be alright with that decision? Or would you prefer we stay?"
"Why would we leave?" He still wasn't sure of that point.
She shrugged, "Humor me."
"What about Shirou?" He pressed, "Have you talked to him about this? And would he be staying or going?"
She twitched, "Not yet." She admitted reluctantly, "That's one of the things I'm working through."
He had no idea what that meant, but that didn't matter as much, he supposed.
He leaned back and turned the idea over in his head. In truth, while he did enjoy the companionship of others, he trusted Rukia's opinion. If she was seriously considering this, then there was a reason for it, even if she wasn't telling him.
"It really does depend on why we would leave. But if you feel that it's important, then I don't have a problem with going to another District." He eventually replied before giving a shrug. "It's not like it would be goodbye forever after all - Tommy does deliver mail, and I doubt this hypothetical place is a place that he doesn't visit."
They'd finally have a reason to actually use those reading and writing skills that Shirou had been insisting they learn.
"That's… true," Rukia brightened at that before giving him a smile, "I still have some stuff to think about, but… I'll tell you and Homura more later, and we can make a more definite decision then."
"Ok." He replied, before a question came to mind.
"What about you?" He asked curiously just as Rukia was about to leave the building.
"Hmmm?"
"What do you think of the District?" He clarified.
She hesitated, and he wasn't sure that she was going to answer for a moment, before she let out a small, hollow laugh as she shook her head. "I hate it." She said, her voice hard as she scowled at nothing. "The amount of times it's hurt any of us when we were weak, for the sole reason that we were? The number of people that could actually do something but instead ignore everything and do nothing?" She closed her eyes, letting out a breath before giving Shizuku a pained smile, "It's gotten better ever since Shirou came - there are other people that we can trust at least, and he's helped us become stronger, but… I don't know if I can just forget how this place treated us."
He looked at her in concern when she let out a laugh and gave him a more genuine smile. "Sorry, that was probably more than you wanted to know. I may not like the District at all, but certain people inside of it are definitely different. Especially…"
She darted forward, surprising him as she quickly wrapped him in a headlock despite his protesting. "Especially little eavesdroppers like you," she growled playfully while mussing up his hair until he teleported out of her grip.
He tried to give her a glare, but couldn't seem to muster it past his own embarrassment. She did catch him after all.
"Anyways, like I said, I'll talk more about what I'm planning with you and Homura when I figure out a few more things." She said as she straightened up her clothes. "I'll see you later tonight!"
He watched as she left, but before he could make a move he heard her call out, "And don't even think about following me this time!"
He let out a chuckle, her order almost tempting him to follow her regardless… But in the end he decided against it. He had pushed enough and was able to shed some light on things at least.
After all, didn't he accomplish his goal?
He might still be very confused about what Rukia was planning and why, but what did that matter?
By the end of their conversation Rukia had indeed been happier. What more could he ask for?
Shirou's POV
Shirou took a careful breath as he sat on the grassy plain, legs crossed as he let himself just feel his power as it flowed around him.
All around him was a world that did not truly exist. A field of grass, extending as far as the eye could see, with a hill rising up from the middle the only landmark in sight. The sky above showed a clear blue, the light gentle and encompassing though there was no sun, and in the distance monolithic gears could be seen half-buried in the ground, motionless and covered by grass and vines.
A small ways away from where Shirou sat was a man wearing a black blacksmith's garb and a woman in a white dress, both watching as they held each other's hands, a curved sword on each of their hips. Meanwhile a woman with cat ears and tail lounged close by as she curled lazily around a tiger striped shinai.
But what truly made this world unique was the sheer amount of weapons.
Swords, spears, halberds, axes, lances… weapons of every size, shape, and form - from every era and region of human history, for as far as the eye could see. Each was stabbed into the ground, as if as a marker.
This was the Inner World of Shirou Emiya, a veritable World of Blades. And the place where his Zanpakuto Spirits resided.
Shirou breathed in once more, taking in the 'scent' of his own spiritual power as it flowed throughout the World and did his best to focus.
He had no idea why nobody else he tried to teach was able to use spiritual power like he did. Beyond what the body did subconsciously anyways. What he did, while not necessarily instinctive, did feel natural.
He didn't think that it was unique for every individual, but he had no proof one way or the other. In the end, the answer was obvious - If he couldn't teach them, then they needed another teacher.
And who better to teach them how to use their spiritual power than the spirits inside of them?
It's how he had learned after all.
Just as the ones who had helped him years ago had been Kanshou and Bakuya, it only made sense that their own Zanpakuto could help them in ways that he could not.
The problem he then ran into was… How does somebody teach another how to talk with the spirits that lived in their soul?
Neither of his first conversations with his Zanpakuto had been planned nor expected. It was only after it had happened a second time that he had found a potential common thread.
Kanshou and Bakuya were known as the Married Blades - two Spirits whose love was strong enough that their blades always found their way back to each other, just as he was determined to find the one that he loved.
Tora-Shinai was, bloodthirst notwithstanding, a practice sword - meant to help train others and to hone their skills - and the shinai had a protective streak that rivaled his own when it came to those she saw as Shirou's. The moment he first heard her had been when those feelings had been particularly high.
Two events did not make a pattern, but it provided a clue. In some way, he needed to be 'in sync' with the spirits in question before he could hear them.
If one wanted to teach, they needed to know the subject well enough to do so. If Shirou wanted to help Rukia and the others with their own spirits, then he needed to 'sync' with another spirit on purpose.
Not for the first time he wished that there was a more competent person that he could ask. A Soul Reaper would be the obvious choice, since it was from them that he had first heard about Zanpakuto's. The problem was…
Well, the Soul Reapers he had met in the past hadn't exactly been the most… competent. Based on what he had seen and from what he learned by analyzing their own Zanpakuto.
Unfortunately, not even their own Zanpakuto were helpful in this case. Their blades were different from his for one - they were 'physical' ( forged by a dark skinned man with thick black hair and an eccentric personality ) as opposed to how Shirou created them with his own spiritual power. For another, he didn't actually sense any Spirits in them. Was it because he could only analyze the blades, and not the spirits within? Or was there another difference he wasn't aware of?
All questions that would require a more in-depth conversation with those Soul Reapers, and he somewhat doubted that they'd be able to provide that.
He didn't have anything against the Soul Reapers in general. They patrolled and protected the Rukongai from Hollows and had been doing so for years, which he respected them for. It was the fools that attempted to abuse their position that he disliked.
All of the Soul Reapers he had met thus far had been idiots and fools, but with an organization as large as it seemed to be you were always going to have those. And those fools would undoubtedly be given the less desirable jobs, such as patrolling so far away from the Rukongai.
Condemning the group as a whole on the actions of a few would be foolish.
Until he came across a Soul Reaper that he deemed competent enough, he would continue on as best as he could.
And that meant attempting to connect with one of his own swords that contained a spirit.
Within his Inner World it wasn't too difficult to find a sword that he suspected had a Spirit attached to it. When he analyzed a sword, he was able to tell everything about it. From the materials and method of construction to who had wielded them previously and how they were used.
(A part of him was actually confused as to how these blades existed in his soul… he may not remember his life, but with the concepts he did remember he had assumed he was relatively modern. Certainly not the fifth century before the common era.)
Select blades throughout his soul were… unreadable, for lack of a better word. Shrouded.
Up until the moment a connection had been made, Kanshou, Bakuya, and Tora-Shinai had been the same. Once a connection had formed, it was as if their presence had solidified in his soul, and their entire history became known to him.
Even without that, however, he'd probably be able to pick them out simply from their appearance. The sword he had chosen to experiment with was certainly an unusual one, even amongst the many blades found in his soul.
It was an old blade, twisted black metal marred with dull red across the blade, with engravings and grooves seen from hilt to the tip that appeared to twist along the length.
If strong emotions were what allowed him to connect to his previous spirits, couldn't one force it?
The last several months Shirou had been focusing on attempting to sync with this blade in particular. He would focus on a particular feeling, letting it fill him, and see if it had any effect.
The desire to improve, the fear of failure, the love he felt for the woman he searched for, the peace he felt from spending time with Rukia and the others… in order to properly test this, he had to immerse himself in that particular emotion and see if anything came from it.
The current emotion was the feeling he felt while fighting.
He exhaled as his heart began to beat faster, memories of fights flowing through his mind.
Fighting was different from sparring. A spar was meant to push and improve one's self and their technique, but it was still something he found enjoyable. Depending on who he was against, it was either a cathartic experience or an enjoyable competition.
In an actual fight, there was none of that. Each time he fought - whether it was a simple bandit or gangster, a warlord, or even a Hollow - every fiber of his being was focused on defeating his opponents as swiftly as possible.
Complacency was a very dangerous enemy.
In a spar, he enjoyed going against strong opponents. One didn't grow by pitting themselves against weaker enemies after all.
In a true fight though, Shirou preferred that things remained simple. There was no playing around, no taunting the enemy or unnecessary talking. A battle in which Shirou could disable his opponents instead of killing them was his goal.
He wasn't as naive as he had been when he first entered the Soul Society, but his dreams remained the same. Of the two dreams he yearned for, one was to help everybody.
Targeting the tendons and muscles, aiming at their eyes, breaking fingers… It was brutal, but it worked. Disabling an opponent in this way removed the threat, and they were still alive.
It was harder to win that way, but that was why he pushed himself as hard as he did, so that when he was required to fight that nobody had to die.
He had no desire to play the judge, jury, and executor. He wouldn't wish that responsibility on anybody.
Shirou shuddered as a darker memory surfaced. One of a monster of a man, one that was both strong and skilled. One that terrorized an entire District in the past…
He didn't always succeed in just disabling, and he had managed to eventually accept that. But that never stopped him from trying.
As much as he disliked those darker memories, for the purpose of this experiment he let everything flow through him.
Steely determination is normally what he felt during a fight, followed by gratefulness once it was over, for managing to succeed. The handful of fights where he actually needed to push himself however were different.
He was still determined, but that determination was tainted with frustration. Frustration at how pointless their actions were, at how they refused to surrender despite knowing that they would die.
Many would have called them monsters for their actions, but were they irredeemable? Who was he to judge that? They absolutely deserved to be punished for their crimes, but that did not necessarily mean death.
It wasn't a line he liked to cross, but to protect the people he cared about he would. If they insisted on being a threat, then Shirou would treat them as one.
He didn't notice when the wind began to pick up around him, the faint howl of a wolf in the distance.
If it weren't for his Zanpakuto he would probably have a lot more issues than he already did. They refused to let him dwell on those thoughts for long. Whether it was simply talking with him or dragging him into his Inner World for a fight, they would find some way.
He had thought it before, but as much as he appreciated his Zanpakuto there were definitely issues he could not ignore. They might not be able to read his mind, but being able to tell what he was feeling at any given time made it extremely difficult to hide anything from them.
He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard a faint growling.
The wind carries the call forth, the sound of the hunt echoing across the plains. A force unrelenting, never ceasing once let loose.
Opening his eyes, the first thing that he noticed was that the twisted sword in front of him seemed to be glowing a faint red. An instant later a faint blurred form shimmered into existence next to the sword, and he found himself surprised despite himself.
He really couldn't be blamed for that. Looking down at him, even if it was blurred and indistinct, was quite obviously a werewolf.
Standing six feet tall, with fur that had probably been bloodred in the past but was now graying from age. Across its body Shirou could see the discolored fur caused by numerous scars and tribal tattoos.
It let out a low growl that sounded less angry and more amused. "You really are just a pup," it said with a rumbling chuckle, all his teeth showing as he settled down near his sword, "But that is not a bad thing I suppose. I've worked with worse. Though your persistence is impressive, I will admit."
Shirou let himself relax a little bit, "It worked." He breathed out in relief.
The new Spirit looked… Contemplative. "Not completely," he grunted, "let me try this, and listen closely… My name is _."
Shirou looked at him in confusion, "Could you repeat that?" Sure, his voice sounded like it was coming from a long ways away, but when he was about to say his name he heard absolutely nothing.
"I. AM. _!" Still distant, but it was clear that it was a shout. The Spirit then let out an annoyed growl. "I thought so." The faintest of feelings flowed from a thin connection, frustration and disappointment. "Perseverance is all well and good, but a Hunter needs more than that."
Shirou frowned as well, now understanding the problem. This same thing had originally happened with Kanshou and Bakuya. He had been able to hear them before he had been able to hear their names.
Dang it.
Still, it was progress, and proof that he was onto something.
All of the Spirits seemed to perk up suddenly, and the werewolf let out a huff. "One of your own pups is coming. We can talk later." He gave a rather terrifying grin, "I can be patient. Not all hunts are quick."
Shirou hesitated for a second before standing up and gave a small bow to the werewolf Spirit. "I might not be able to hear your name, but mine is Shirou Emiya. I look forward to working with you in the future."
His eyes widened before he gave a chuff, his tongue hanging out of his mouth in amusement. "That confident, are you?" He chuckled before standing and mimicking Shirou's bow, "Very well, I too shall look forward to that moment.
As Shirou vanished from his Inner World, Hrunting calmly sat back down.
"A pleasure, eh?" He murmured to himself as he watched Kanshou and Bakuya walk towards him to congratulate him while Tora-Shinai let out a scoff.
He never did get along with that cat…
Meanwhile, to the eyes of each Spirit, a multitude of other Spirits watched on in either indifference, curiosity, or jealousy.
"Here's hoping you treat me better than my previous wielder, eh pup?"
Shirou opened his eyes just in time to hear somebody knocking on his door.
"Come in!" He called out while stretching his muscles a bit. Judging by how sore they were, he had been in his Inner World for a while.
He wasn't all that surprised to see Rukia opening the door. The only other people in the house besides her were Shizuku and Homura, after all, and had it been Homura she would have just barged in.
What surprised him was that she wanted to talk to him so late at night. He had thought they were all asleep.
"Good evening Rukia, is everything alright?" She seemed alright, though she was clearly nervous. Nothing urgent then, but it was clearly bothering her.
She hesitated briefly before giving a quick nod. "Everything's fine, I just wanted to ask you a few things."
He looked at her curiously and gestured for her to sit down on the bed, "Sure, what's up?"
She walked over and sat down gratefully. She then looked at him with sad eyes, "Shirou, don't you like us?"
Shirou nearly fell off the bed in surprise. "What? Of course I do!" he replied in a surprised and slightly worried tone. Had he done anything to imply otherwise?
In truth, he was actually shocked by how attached he had become to the three children. He had always been friendly with the children he met, but there was just something about these three. At this point, he had spent more time with them than he had with anybody else in the Rukongai.
And they continued to surprise him! The three of them had matured during his time in the District, and had shown that off their own talents. Not just in fighting, but in other areas as well.
Homura had taken up hunting with him as often as she could, resulting in him spending quite a bit of time with the girl. She was a far cry from the girl that had to have either Rukia or her brother (preferably both) in sight at all times. Shizuku had grown more confident over the months, coming out of his shell with strangers, while also becoming decent at cooking. Meanwhile Rukia worked well with the children at the Shelter and assisted Amelia. Additionally, she had actually managed to overtake him completely in sewing skill.
Her sense of style was… an acquired taste, to be sure, but that was another subject entirely.
She continued to look at him with sad eyes. "Then when were you going to tell us that you were leaving soon?"
Shirou winced suddenly, her words making more sense now. "Ah, you found out about that?"
She folded her arms and gave a reproachful look, "I shouldn't have had to find out." She rebutted, "why haven't you told us yet?"
"Yeah, why haven't you told them?" Tora-Shinai asked in his head, clearly enjoying his discomfort.
"You stay out of this." He grumbled. She snickered, but seemed to acquiesce after Bakuya pulled her away. Hopefully it lasted.
To Rukia he answered, "I never like to make a big deal over it. People usually make a bigger deal out of it than it really is."
After the framework is set up, he really isn't that important. Hunting and cooking? He's taught them how to do that themselves, as well as how to make bows and spears. Teaching? He was never the best, and he found others that actually had credentials to teach. Protection? He's taught every person in The Shelter at the very least the basics of how to fight, and when possible he can ask strong fighters from the lower Districts to assist. Which might not even be needed, since he'd be leaving a reputation behind.
The area was stable. While there was a lot he could still do, he was no longer necessary. His search would continue on elsewhere. And if the situation ever changed, Tommy and his growing messenger group knew how to contact him.
Rukia continued to look at him disapprovingly, "Ok, that explains why you didn't tell anybody else." She allowed, "But why didn't you tell us?"
"I was planning on it," probably "But I didn't want you guys to worry."
She kept up her glare for a few seconds longer before sighing and looking down, "We still deserved to be told."
Shirou nodded, "You did." He agreed. After everything that they had been through, they definitely deserved to have been told first.
They sat in silence for a few seconds, and eventually Rukia scooted over to lean up against him, and he wrapped an arm around her.
"I'm still not happy with you." She grumbled, and he chuckled.
"Wouldn't have expected you to be." He replied lightly.
People would probably laugh at the sight - he, someone who appeared in his 20's, being cowed by somebody that looked like they might have just reached their teens.
It was hard to remember that she was around 40 years old, especially the way she acted. He would have personally thought she was simply a mature teenager.
"So where are you going?" She asked eventually.
"Near the edges of District 71," he replied, and she jerked back to look at him, clearly startled.
"Why so far away?" She demanded, confusion clear on her face, "I would have thought you'd just go one District across?"
Shirou shook his head, "I got a letter from a friend in another District." He explained, "District 71 has several mountains, and they've discovered some iron deposits in one of them. They want me to help."
With his ability to project, he could create dozens of tools capable of mining. The letter he received said that they'd been able to put together a group of people that used to be miners in life. Between his tools and the miners, it wouldn't be long till they actually had a source of metal in the Rukongai.
Previously, the only metal they've had access to was scraps they'd scavenged from houses or the rare import from one of the lower Districts. It was far more likely to see people use more primitive tools.
If they could produce their own metal though? A number of doors would open.
Scythes, plows, axes, picks, needles, shovels…. All of these were things that Shirou could create, but his creations were temporary, so only the District that he was in would benefit. This would change that, allowing them to create permanent tools.
The benefits were obvious.
Rukia scowled, looking down as if deep in thought before nodding in acceptance. "Alright." She murmured. "And when are you planning on leaving?"
"Two weeks," he replied. He could leave earlier, but he wanted to run some more drills with the men that came from the lower Districts. They seemed capable, but Inuzuri was almost at the edge of the Rukongai.
The higher the District, the more dangerous it was. That was the general rule, and it was better to be safe than sorry.
Rukia made a humming noise as she processed that. "What about supplies? What do you usually bring?"
The rest of the evening was spent with him answering questions on how prepared he was, the dangers of the roads, whether other people were going with him…
This was why he hadn't wanted to tell people till the time was closer. To avoid situations like this. He had been doing this for years after all.
Still, he answered all her questions as best as he could. If questioning him like this made her feel better, he would allow it.
He should have known better.
Two weeks later he was staring in surprise at Rukia, Shizuku, and Homura as they stood in the middle of the road, each with a new backpack filled with supplies.
"Hey Shirou," Rukia greeted with a smug smirk, "we're going with you."
He really should have known better..
Rukia's POV
"Hey Shirou, we're going with you."
Rukia was feeling quite proud at how completely off guard Shirou was at that moment. Everything had to be kept secret until now, otherwise she was sure that Shirou would try to find a way to leave them behind. Maybe even leave in the middle of the night without telling them. She had honestly been really worried that Homura was going to give everything away a while ago.
As it was, it was close. Homura had been absolutely distraught when she had first heard that Shirou was leaving them. In the end, she had assured Shirou that she would talk with Homura to help calm her down.
She did. And with Shizuku. She just didn't mention to Shirou that what she talked about with them was if they wanted to go with Shirou when he left.
"No, you guys can't," Shirou protested as his confusion started to lift. "It's too dangerous!"
"Is it? But you're going to District 71, which means that it should be even safer than here, right?" Her smirk never leaving her face.
Shirou shook his head, "Inside the populated areas is safer maybe, but the Soul Reapers don't patrol outside of them nearly as often." He replied firmly.
"Then it's a good thing that we're taking the main road the majority of the way, isn't it?" She asked archly. "We're only going to be on the more dangerous side roads for a little bit."
Oh, she had been preparing for this for weeks. She had talked with Shirou, Tommy, Bennet, and multiple other people. She knew the risks, she made new backpacks specifically for this and Shizuku and Homura had collected the needed supplies, and most importantly she knew the directions.
Looking at Shirou, she had to resist the urge to laugh as he attempted at his expression of surprise and confusion as he tried to come up with a reason why they should stay.
He wouldn't find one.
"I've already talked with Amelia and gotten her blessing." Rukia informed him before he could say anything. "We've talked with Renji and our other friends, and they are aware of our choice and we've promised to write." Well, she and Shizuku would write. Homura refused to make that promise.
He looked between all three of them and let out a deep breath. Closing his eyes briefly in what she recognized was his way of talking with his Zanpakuto Spirits, he soon opened them and looked at them with a piercing look.
"Why?"
Finally, now they were at the stuff that mattered.
"Why do you think?" She gave him a true smile, "We wanted to help you."
He shook his head and tried to give them a reassuring look, "I appreciate the sentiment, but you really don't need to do that. You guys certainly don't owe me anything - everything that I did was done because I wanted to."
She folded her arms and gave him a small glare, "Why do you think that you're the only person that doesn't need a reason to help people?" She demanded crossly, "You want to help us, but we want to help you!"
It had long stopped being about how she could repay Shirou. How could she? While Shirou had always been helpful and friendly to them, over the months it had turned into something more.
Shirou wasn't just a close friend like Renji, nor was he a helpful adult like Amelia. Shirou was family.
Rukia would freely admit it, she failed. Completely and utterly. She knew Shirou was going to leave them at some point, and she still went and got attached to Shirou. Worse, Shizuku and Homura had gotten attached as well.
It was his own fault really, after everything he had done for them. He took the time to train and teach them. He made them food and fixed up their house. He played games with them and told them stories at night, and he always did his best to protect them.
Had it just been her, Shizuku, and Homura, she would stay. As Shirou said, it was riskier outside the populated areas, and there was nothing for them out there. But how could she when she cared about Shirou as she did with Shizuku and Homura?
It was so hard to say goodbye… So why did they have to?
"If you leave without us, then we'll just follow behind you." She said bluntly with a soft smile as she saw Shirou startle at her words, clearly remembering the other time he heard her say those words.
He seemed to study her before giving a small rueful chuckle, "And what will you do if you run into trouble?" He asked, continuing what was said in the past.
She felt a surge of happiness as she folded her arms proudly, "Well I guess you better take us with you so you can protect us in case something like that does happen, right?"
He looked at them carefully, going from Rukia's face to Shizuku's and Homura's eager expressions, and let out a sigh. "You really don't have to do this, you know," He warned them.
Rukia walked up to him and folded her arms stubbornly, "Neither do you, and yet here you are." She pointed out, "So why don't we do it together, and we'll keep each other company as we do stuff we don't have to do."
Shirou let out a huff, though she could see that he had an amused smile on his face. "Alright. But!" He gave them a firm look, "I want to make it clear that I was being honest when I said this is more dangerous. If I tell you guys to do something, I need you to do it without hesitation. Alright?"
Each of them gave a nod, and Shirou relaxed a bit.
"Alright, we should leave right now then so we can - Oof!"
He was cut off as Homura teleported directly on his back and she gave him as big a hug as she could with her small body. Rukia heard a whispered 'Thank you', as she clung to him. Moments later both Shizuku and Rukia joined in the hug, and after a while Shirou reciprocated back.
Was this the wisest of decisions? Probably not. But this is the one that she chose. Rukia had been abandoned as a baby, and 40 years later her one desire remained the same - she wanted a family to call her own.
Now she has one. A younger brother and sister, and an older brother. This was the family that she had chosen, and she never wanted to have to say goodbye to her family.
It was inevitable that it would happen eventually of course, but it didn't have to happen today.
For as long as she could, she would keep her family together no matter what.
Shirou's POV
Shirou looked at his new traveling companions and gave another smile.
This was not what he was expecting. Still, after everything that Rukia had done, it was hard to refute her desire. Especially with all three of his Zanpakuto telling him to let them come. Even the newer werewolf spirit approved of it, saying that Shirou was better off in a pack.
It made things a bit more difficult, having other people travelling with him, but he should be able to manage. These three were already talented fighters, so barring a Hollow fight they should be able to hold off any opposition until he got there.
Though speaking of Hollows…
"Kanshou?" he thought towards the male blade.
"Of course. I will see what I can devise."
Shirou nodded, feeling slightly better.
None of the three had been having any luck in hearing their Zanpakuto Spirits, so he needed to improvise. He wouldn't be worrying about this as much had they remained in the District, but since they were traveling with him he wanted them to be prepared for anything.
If they couldn't sync with their Spirits to create a blade, then they needed a substitute.
He couldn't make them a Zanpakuto… but between himself and his own Spirits, he should be able to come up with something that they could use to fight.
They trusted him to protect them, and he would make sure that they could take on any threat that dared challenge them.
Authors Notes:
(Long note incoming. Trying to answer various questions that I keep seeing pop up.)
The end of an arc! It was really tempting to write more for their time in Inuzuri - shenanigans between Rukia and Renji's groups, stuff like that - but I needed to keep things moving. Time skips were always going to be a thing - as a couple people have noticed, we're about 100 years away from canon (60 years before Rukia and Renji enter the Academy), and nobody wants to wait that long.
I might write some small extras that show their time in Inuzuri, but for the most part I think that this arc fulfilled its purpose.
When I first started this story, I made an outline and listed objectives for each arc. Shirou's first arc was devoted to showing and explaining how bad things were in the Rukongai and why things were like that (though I do try to keep things relatively lighthearted and enjoyable despite that), and then to show how Shirou is doing his best to help.
It was always the plan for Rukia and company to join Shirou. The part that I hadn't expected to write about was Renji and his friends joining the group in the previous chapter. He's not out of the story, but we won't be seeing as much of him (unless I write those shenanigans I mentioned).
People have complained and said that what Shirou is doing is too small and inconsequential… But if the goal is to help other people, what else can he do? There is no oppressor or tyrant to rebel against, no dragon to fight that will make everything better. The Seireitei as a whole isn't doing anything against the Rukongai - they practically ignore it, their only involvement with it is to help protect it against Hollows (as stated in the wiki).
They aren't hindering… nor are they helping. The Rukongai, at this moment, is it's own biggest enemy, and there is no quick fix here. The best path I think to help the people there is going to be slow, but the changes will be longer lasting. Shirou is teaching people the skills needed to survive and thrive, is helping people band together, and is helping establish contact between the Districts.
It's slow work, but like I said, we have 100 years till canon. Just imagine how much can be done in that time? :)
We're going to have an Intermission chapter next which will tie things up and provide a segway into Arturia's arc, which will serve a similar purpose. I'm going to expand on the world of Hueco Mundo, and show how Arturia is changing things for the better.
I want to make one thing clear - I have no intention of bashing anybody. While I might criticize, I will not bash. Sure, the justice system in the Soul Society is antiquated, and the Seireitei has some idiots and bad eggs in it. But I still like it and a lot of the Shinigami inside. It has its issues… but let's face it, most places do.
This story is, unfortunately, going to go on for a bit before Shirou and Arturia reunite. I am writing another story where Shirou and Arturia met relatively quickly, set in the Mass Effect universe, but this story was mostly focusing on what they do during that long wait.
Let me see… what else… Ah.
NPC of the chapter: Bennet Crane!
Name: Bennet Crane
Died: 1857
Residence: Kinderhook, New York
Occupation: Former soldier, schoolteacher
Quote: "F-fear is not n-necessarily bad. Like any emotion, i-it is simply the b-body's way of telling you something. Fear c-can push you to improve, or it c-can keep you alive by w-w-warding you from danger. And l-like any emotion, in excess, it c-can be bad.
M-me? Oh mine is in e-excess. Absolutely, completely, and d-devoted to keeping my good self alive."
I'd like to thank my brother and sister, Autumnstar and CaptainDarkElf, for proofreading this chapter. And for anybody that is interested or would like to support me, I have a Pa tr eon page that contains various extra's and teasers to future chapters. The link to that page is P a treon . com (slash) shdowstep. (remove the spaces).