"So, what's it like in Soul Society?" Ichigo asked, breaking the awkward and confused silence that the blond had left them in. Rukia stared at him, trying to figure out just what his motives may be. She stared for a little while longer, searching his eyes and finding nothing malicious. She was still wary of him, opting to observe him over respond. This irked the orange haired boy, who's face turned from kind to a scowl so rapidly, it caught Rukia off guard.
"Tch, fine then. Didn't want to know about it anyway," Ichigo said, having waited long enough for the raven-haired reaper to respond. He put some distance between them, before facing her and pulling his zanpakuto. She pulled hers in response, not quite sure what he was doing, the sudden mood change still throwing her off her rhythm.
"Since we're both here and going to work together in the future, we might as well learn how each other fight, even if rudimentarily," Ichigo explained, making some sense to Rukia. She continued to say nothing, but tightened her grip on the sword, positioning it defensively in front of her body. Ichigo let the scowl disappear, a slight smirk on his face now. As much as he hated to admit it, he was looking forward to the prospect of training with someone new. Urahara was.. a bit eccentric in training, and his father never took it too seriously, always complaining to the alleged spirit of his mother in the form of a poster he SOMEHOW convinced Urahara to put in a back corner of his shop. Tessai was great at teaching Kido, but was not one for conversations or personal attachment, though he had sensed the man just hid it well. Yoruichi had a… unique way of teaching him, that somehow resulted in both raw skill and utter embarassment, mostly on Ichigo's behalf. She didn't exactly understand boundaries, or maybe she did and just ignored them anyways, he wasn't sure which one it was. He saw Rukia shore up her defenses and smirked, cracking his neck a few times, before pointing Zangetsu to the sky.
"Cleave the Heavens, Zangetsu!" Ichigo yelled, the compressed zanpakuto releasing a massive wave of energy, kicking dust up all around them. Rukia shielded her eyes from the dust, tracking Ichigo's reiatsu while she did to make sure she could defend. Once the dust settled, Ichigo was still standing in the same spot, now sporting two blades instead of one singular. The smaller blade resembled a rather large version of a trench knife, it's handle kind of cut out of the blade and parallell to its edge. His other blade resembled that of an over-sized khyber knife, with a hollow slot in the back of the blade. The blade itself was nearly the same size as him, while the former blade was about half its size. He gave her a second to comprehend, before dashing forward quickly. He was fast, that much was apparant, as she moved to block him. He swung first with the longer blade, which she was able to block. The force behind his swing was unreal as she grunted, only to be caught off guard as he spun, sliding the larger blade off the end of hers, swinging the smaller one in close for a strike. She jumped back, just in time as the edge of the blade ripped part of her shihakusho. She didn't have time to catch her breath, however, as he continued the spin, slicing the air between them, a concentrated wave of blue reishi speeding towards her. With the distance he fired it at, she didn't have time to move, so she opted to plant her feet, swinging her blade to intercept it. She succeeded in cutting it in half, though the force of it still blow her backwards and onto her back, the wind knocked out of her. He was much stronger than he appeared, she realized. Him breaking out of her Kido earlier was no fluke, nor was him casting a higher level one in response. She didn't have time to ponder, pushing herself to her feet, eyeing the battlefield. Ichigo had stopped in place, watching her silently. It almost looked like he was worried at first. She pushed it out of her mind, steeling herself. If it was a fight he wanted, she was gonna give it to him. She brought her zanpakuto up and charged him, dodging both blades as he swiped at her, using her size to the advantage. She got in close, Ichigo just barely dodging a stab, her blade pentetrating the, thankfully, baggy shihakuso. He jumped back, putting space between them again.
In skill, she has me at close range when attacking right now. When I'm attacking though, I can overwhelm her defense with raw strength and speed. She hasn't released her Shikai yet, though, so I have to be careful, Ichigo thought to himself, serveying their short exchanges. He opted to stay on defense for a little while longer, hoping to see what she had in her.
His reaction up close is delayed if he's not attacking. This could be my advantage, Rukia thought, similarily eyeing the situation. She decided to go in for another attack, not giving him another chance to attack her like he had. This time, when he swung at her, she dodged to his right side and away from the smaller blade, banking on the reach of the longer sword being a disadvantage. She was right, as she swiped at his unprotected side, sword meeting flesh as he spun to defend himself. Her victory was short lived, as the smaller blade came around with an unexpected force, slamming into her blade and causing it to fly from her hands. To say she was startled was to say the least, doing her best to jump away as Ichigo continued the spin, his longer blade coming within inches of her chest. She continued jumping away, making use of some graceful backflips, landing near her sword. She dove for it was Ichigo dove towards her, blade outsstretched. She grabbed her blade and brought it up just in time, deflecting the longer blade. Ichigo sailed past her, landing and immediately turning to charge again. Rukia likewise stood and turned, ready to defend herself when a low whistle sounded, Urahara having reappeared at the exit.
"Whew, that was some fighting. I figured you'd start with a round of twenty questions or something, but I guess this works too," Urahara said, obviously having seen the whole thing. It wasn't much of a fight, but he figured if he stopped it now, it might not get out of hand. Ichigo nodded silently, bringing the blades together and condensing his reiatsu, the blades mending into their sealed zanpakuto form.
"Tch, not like I didn't try. This shorty just refused to say anything," Ichigo said, turning to the blond, an iritated scowl on his face. Rukia at this stormed up to the unsuspecting Ichigo and slapped him on the back of his head hard, knocking him face first into the dirt. He quickly stood up, scowling down at the girl. Urahara silently chuckled to himself, enjoying the show. It just meant his plan was going perfectly.
"What the hell was that for?!" Ichigo demanded, seriously pissed off now. Rukia stared back up at him with an equal intensity, not backing down.
"That's for calling me short, you idiot!" she retorted, making Ichigo scowl even harder.
"Im just calling it as I see it! Maybe grew a few centimeters and I won't call you that!" Ichigo retorted, making the raven-haired reaper fume even more.
"Shut it, you damned strawberry!" Rukia yelled back in his face, before stomping off. Ichigo just hmmphed, turniing his back to her in defiance.
"Well, once you two are done with your lover's quarrell, I'll be upstairs waiting," Urahara commented, heading back to the exit before Ichigo could turn on him and try to kill him. Just in time, too it seemed.
"Hado number four! Byakurai!" He heard Ichigo yell, a beam of lightning flying past him and slamming into the wall by the exit. He doubled his pace, just in case now. Ichigo followed him up the stairs, Rukia seemingly at a slower pace, maybe still wary of them. Rightfully so, considering she was technically kidnapped and subsequently threatened. The duo followedin silence, re-entering the shop and following the blond to a back room, where Tessai, Yoruichi, and Isshin were all waiting for them around a kotatsu. Urahara sat next to Yoruichi at seemingly the head of the table, Tessai on one side and Ichigo's father on the other. Ichigo and Rukia opted to sit on their own side, facing the shop owner. Rukia kept eyeing Isshin, the man seemingly familiar to her, though she couldn't place it just yet. Urahara cleared his throat, bringing the attention back to him. Everyone aside from Yoruichi turned their attention to him, the former Omnitsukido captain keeping her concentration on Rukia. It was mildly unnerving, like a big cat observing its next meal.
"Now that everyone is here, I wanted to go over the groundwork of this deal, just so everyone understands," Urahara explained, Rukia reluctantly nodding in understanding. This was a sort of show of power, he could sense each of their reiatsu, knowing it was markedly less than what they truly possessed.
"Well then get on with it, I've got homework to get to," Ichigo scoffed, impatience wearing through. It's not that he wanted to disregard the situation, it's just that he wanted this over with so he could get back to some form of normalcy, at least for him, anyways. Urahara chuckled at this, enjoying his attitude. It was always refreshing for the blond.
"Right-o, down to business then. To start things off, Rukia, you and Ichigo will go on hollow patrol regularily, serving as back-up to each other. Not that you two couldn't handle it on your own, but we've had some particularily strong hollows appear lately, and it's always safer this way," Urahara paused for a moment, both seemingly in agreement on this, before continuing "You'll also both be training here regularly after school, as I feel you both could benefit from this. In return for all this, you leave us and Ichigo out of your reports back to Soul Society," Urahara stated, looking to Rukia for a response. The reaper just nodded solemnly, taking it all in. It wasn't exactly favourable, but if it meant the blond wouldn't kill her, she guessed it was better than nothing. She still needed to figure out how he knew her, anyways, so this gave her time. That and the black haired man looked so familar.
"Well if that's all, can I go no-" Ichigo was interrupted by a sudden oh, as if Urahara had suddenly remembered something, although by the smirk he doubted that it was so sudden.
"I forgot to mention as well, but Kuchiki-san will be staying with your family and attending school with you in the meantime, Ichigo," Urahara stated, the shit eating grin on his face making Ichigo furious, He wanted to reach over and pummel it right off his face, before Isshin cleared his throat.
"That was actually my idea, Ichigo. The girls could use a role model in the house to bond with. It could be goodfor all of us," Isshin said, voice absent of any of his usual banter. Ichigo studied his father for a second before sighing, knowing it would be a useless fight. Besides, maybe it really would do Karin and Yuzu some good.
"What's the story then? Long lost cousin? Alien from outer space?" Ichigo questioned ridiculously, light coming into Isshin's face at this. Ichigo already regetted asking that question.
"Well, Rukia here is, 'officially', the kid of a family friend who had passed away recently, and we took her in because she lacked any family of her own!" Isshin stated, puffing his chest out in pride at his own fabricated story. Ichigo sighed, of course it was something stupid and complicated. It couldn't be helped, that was just who his father was.
"Now you can go, Ichigo, Kuchik-san. The rest of us have to have a conversation first," Urahara stated, dismissing the two of them from the table. Both stood without a word or glance to the other, exiting the back room of the shop. Ichigo was glad to see his body had been brought back to the shop for him, presumably by Kon. The mod soul was nowhere to be found, however, probablyup to no good in Yoruichi's dresser again. He noted that there was a blanket covering something on a chair, with a note for Rukia. He took control of his body once more, stretching his limbs as he did so. He watched as Rukia took the note, reading silently, before removing the blanket to reveal a gigai that looked identical to her, the only difference being the gigai was in a yellow sundress and straw hat. Ichigo marveled at the detail, before returning to staring out the shop with a scowl, letting Rukia get accustomed to her new body. Once she was adjusted, she moved to stand to his left, staring out at the limited traffic going by.
"You could always run away and report everything back to them, you know," Ichigo said nonchalantly, not bothering to look at his compatriot. Rukia gave him a sidelong glance, before returning her gaze to the street.
"I could. I doubt I'd make it far, however," Rukia reflected, noting the significant power difference between her and the four adults. Even Ichigo could easily keep up with her. She had no way of outclassing them any way she put it.
"I wouldn't stop you. Nor would I let them kill you, ya know," Ichigo responded, still not bothering to look over. Rukia gave him another glance, curious about this man beside her. She was technically his enemy in every meaning of the word, yet here he was saying he'd protect her against people he knew and seemingly trusted.
"What makes you say that?" Rukia questioned, curiosity getting the best of her. Ichigo sighed, turning his gaze to Rukia.
"There's no good reason to let them kill you. You just came here to do what I've been doing, and it's just your job. I certainly can't blame you for doing what you have to, nor would I let them punish you for doing your job," Ichigo explained, meeting her eyes. He wasn't sure if it made sense to her, but the slight appreciative smile she gave reassured him that she understood, at least to an extent. Before Rukia could respond in kind, they were interrupted as an orange stuffed lion was sent flying out of the shop, a very pissed off Yoruichi having just punted him.
"And stay out of my drawers!" she yelled, turning and heading into the back of the shop once again. Ichigo was right about that, at least, that cursed little pervert. Rukia looked confused for a moment, Ichigo giving her a look that meant another time. He simply reached down and popped the mod sould out of the lion, not wanting to explain Kon's personality just yet. He pocketed both the lion and the pill separately, just as his father came from the back room of the shop. He was holding a set of papers that looked suspiciously like forged legal documents, but didn't bother asking. The less details he knew, the bettter.
"Let's go meet your new family, Rukia!" Isshin stated, a cheeryness in his voice. Ichigo scowled at that.
'Dammit goat chin, you can't say it like that, it just sounds creepy!" Ichigo yelled, socking his father in the face. Instead of getting up, Isshin stayed on his kneed, letting the water theatrics cut loose.
"Oh Masaki, how our son hates me! I've failed you!" Isshin exclaimed dramatically, Ichigo sighing. He reached down and grabbed the collar of his father's shirt, dragging him out of the shop.
"Come on, Rukia. Guess we should show you to our home," Ichigo said, his father still being overly dramatic as he was dragged away. Rukia watched in confusion, considering maybe death was a better alternative to this family dynamic. She wasn't used to such… closeness, she guessed, between family members. She followed Ichigo silently along the streets, receiving odd but noncomittal stares from others.