Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 3

"Geta-boshi?" Ichigo blinked, staring at the shopkeeper in surprise as the man walked down into the training ground. Then again, he should have known, what were the odds two groups of people who didn't know each other would have training grounds like this?

"Apologies for interrupting but I need to speak with Hachi," he smiled behind his fan, glad to see Ichigo looking better than he had been before coming here. He was losing the hunted look, gaining his confidence back and that was very good.

Ichigo watched as Urahara and Hachi moved away to talk.

"Focus!" Hiyori snapped and Ichigo ducked, pulling his mask back on to face her.

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Harry carried his bags out into the main area of the airport, looking around for either Urahara-sans eyes catching clothing or….okay, yeah, he was tall. And he was holding a sign with Harry's name on it. He fought through the crowds to reach the man.

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Tessai held the sign up, eyes searching the crowds for the boy the boss had decided to take in. All he knew was his name and that he was a few months younger than Ichigo.

"Excuse me sir," a voice called, and he looked down to see a dark haired teenager. "Are you Tessai-san?"

This was the boy? He did not look nearly fifteen. "Hai," he answered, and the boy grinned.

"Pleased to meet you sir," he offered a hand so Tessai shook it.

"Are those all of your bags?"

"Yes sir, I can buy anything else I need but we didn't have long to shop, and Urahara-san has…interesting ideas in clothing."

That made him chuckle, though why had the boss needed to take him shopping? "I will take you to the shop where you will be staying, we have cleared a room for you. Then you can either rest or we can join Urahara with some allies."

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Harry considered the options. "I'm not really tired, I slept on the plane eventually." It had taken time to get used to flying without being in control and he had found that he really did prefer to be the one flying, even if he had flown Business class. Tessai nodded and Harry followed him outside. The man was tall yes, but Hagrid still had a good two feet in height on him. They made their way to a beat-up white van and got in, Tessai driving them. After almost twelve hours on a plane he hated getting into more transport but he couldn't exactly Apparate yet so there was no choice. Just walking to the van he discovered that even with the heatwave back home, Tokyo felt hotter. Thankfully the van had air conditioning, or the drive may have been torture.

As Tessai drove, Harry contented himself with watching the scenery. Tokyo had a very different look and feel to it than London but he kind of liked it. Maybe, he could find a home here? Was he crazy doing this? Trusting people he didn't know…he'd done that before and been burnt in the Wizarding World. Eventually they pulled into a side street and then into a lot with a rather ramshackle looking building, but Harry knew better than to judge a book by its cover. And there was something….almost like magic but not, Shinigami power? Made sense for them to have some sort of protective skills. Tessai parked and they got out and approached the building, Tessai pushing open the sliding doors before ushering him inside.

"The front section is the shop, with the living quarters out the back," he explained, slipping out of his shoes while opening the dividing door and leading Harry into what he guessed was a living room, he could see what looked like a kitchen in a side room. The furniture was different to what he knew but he'd done some reading on the plane and recognised the low table and cushions were traditional. They walked down a hallway and then a door was slid open. "This is your room Potter-san."

Harry stepped inside, seeing the futon on the floor, a window on the far wall and what looked like closet doors. "Thank you. And my name's Harry," he smiled at Tessai. He could tell the room was newly cleaned, and bigger than Dudley's second bedroom.

"Very well Harry, I will leave you to unpack and freshen up. The bathroom is through there," he pointed to the door in the hall. "Do you drink tea?"

"I'm British," he grinned and Tessai chuckled.

"I will make tea."

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Tessai prepared the tea even as his mind swirled. Kisuke had not told him much about this boy they were taking in and he had wondered why. Now he was relatively sure why, he was powerful but that power was unstable, potentially dangerous not only to Harry but those around him. How had he found the boy when he was meant to be investigating the strange readings, the boy wasn't strong enough to have been the cause. He wished Kisuke had told him more before going to consult with Hachi. He was proud of his old lieutenant, his skills had surpassed his over the years, especially considering the price Tessai had paid for those forbidden Kidō.

He was just setting out the tea when Harry emerged from his bedroom in a different outfit, dark hair still damp. He had never flown in an airplane, but he had heard they left one feeling very grimy. He sat first to show Harry had it was done and the boy awkwardly copied him. He poured two cups and Harry gratefully took one, sipping at the warm liquid.

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Hachi watched Ichigo as the teen fought Lisa, mind pondering everything Urahara had told him. He did hope they could help free the boy of the soul that had latched onto his and he understood why Urahara had come to him. To protect the boy and those around him while Urahara attempted to study the fragment would require specific, powerful, barriers, his specialty. Bringing somewhere here though was difficult. For a century it had just been them, the Kisuke had come to them with the news that there was a new Visored and a teenager to boot. They had all been wary, so Shinji had gone to observe him, going so far as to enrol briefly in school to get close. Now…they were all coming to accept Ichigo as one of them.

So, how would they react to another teenager learning about them? The big difference though was that this boy was human. That was risky. There was always the chance someone would lose control, especially Ichigo. With everything Kisuke had done for them he couldn't bring himself to deny his help, he was just worried. He walked over to Shinji to tell their leader that a stranger would be coming either soon or tomorrow.

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Shinji stood beside Kisuke, a frown on his face even as he watched Ichigo as he fought to lengthen the time he could wear his mask. He did not like Kisuke bring another person to their hideout, who knew how much Aizen was watching the shop? This could lead the madman right to their door. He'd tried to kill them twice, once by his own hand, the second via the government, who knew what form a third attempt would take? Because Shinji doubted the man would let them live if he found them, even if he had been revealed for what he was to Soul Society. That was why they had fought so hard to learn control, to keep their skills sharp, they would have their revenge against the man one day.

Bringing a human boy here was dangerous. Even if he swore to keep their existence secret, well he was a kid and kids slipped up. Ichigo had very good reasons not to, since that would reveal his own secret and it was very obvious he wanted no one to know what he had become. It'd come out eventually, he would need to don his mask against the Espada, but he was rightfully worried about reactions to it. Then again, having some sort of parasitic soul attached to him, well, no one deserved that. Who knew what it was doing to the kids own soul or even those around him. And yeah, dealing with it should probably be done behind barriers and Hachi was the best.

Shinji sighed and Kisuke smirked, so he shot a mild glare at him and then Hachi looked up.

"Tessai and a stranger are here," he looked at Shinji who nodded.

"Let them in."

Lisa moved back from Ichigo who removed his mask, breathing heavily even as they all looked towards the stairs where Tessai soon appeared. To his left and slightly behind came a much smaller figure with messy black hair. Shinji frowned, how old was this kid? He'd thought Kisuke said he was Ichigo's age, he didn't look it.

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Kisuke grinned as his friend appeared, with young Potter at his side. "Enjoy your flight Harry?" he called out and the teen grimaced.

"Not really, I don't like flying when I'm not the one in control."

"Understandable. Welcome to Japan," he offered a theatrical bow and the grinned. "Everyone, this is Harry Potter of England, Wizard," he happily introduced the teenager to the Visored.

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Harry was relieved to see the one person he sort of knew as they walked down the stairs and into a room that wouldn't be out of place in the wizarding world. If Shinigami could do stuff like this he was eager to see what of their skills he might be able to learn, perhaps merge methods. The group they were meeting was….interesting, that was for sure. But he knew better than to judge anyone by their appearance, managing a hopefully passable bow to them as Mr Urahara introduced him. "Hello."

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"Wizard? What, that another word for Quincy?" Ichigo asked as he looked from the kid to Geta-boshi.

"What's a Quincy?" the kid, Harry, asked. How old was he anyway?

"Human mediums that have the ability to detect the existence of Hollows and destroy them, rather than purify them as Shinigami do. They do seem to utilise what they term spells, but they pull power form the world around them. They absorb and manipulate Reishi." Kisuke explained.

"Oh, well, no, not a Quincy," Harry shrugged and Ichigo studied him, he was older than he looked.

He glanced at Gate-boshi who sobered. "Harry-kun is here for help with a rather serious condition. Do not worry, we won't interrupt your training," he smiled at Ichigo who sighed and then dodged as Kensei attacked.

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Harry's eyes widened in shock as he watched the two, if he wasn't a Quidditch player and a Seeker at that, he doubted he'd be able to see them at all! They were that fast. "Woah," he whispered in awe and Kisuke laughed.

"You can see them?"

"They're moving too fast, they're blurring, but yeah," he glanced at the man and grinned. "Youngest Seeker in a Century."

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"Ah," Kisuke nodded, glad he'd been doing research on the Wizarding World, so he knew that term. Quidditch was the main sport of their kind, played on brooms. Seekers had the hardest job, dodging everyone and everything else while chasing a tiny golden ball at high speed. "What do you fly?" he asked curiously. He'd never actually seen someone fly on a broom before.

"Firebolt, top of the line. It was a gift from my Godfather. 0-150mph in ten seconds," he grinned.

"I have a room like this under the shop if you would like to fly while here," he offered casually.

"That'd be great, thanks. I don't usually get the chance over the summer since I lived with my relatives."

Kisuke nodded as Shinji and the others approached, curious but trying to hide it and he hid a smile behind his fan. Harry could use all the friends, trainers and perhaps allies, that he could find. Hachi and Tessai had already moved off to begin erecting barriers.

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Shinji looked the kid over, short black hair, the greenest eyes he'd ever seen on a human, hidden behind glasses. His clothing was casual but new and when he moved his hand he caught he flash of something secured to his right wrist. He didn't look at all threatening or powerful, but he'd seen eyes like those before, aged before their time. This kid hadn't had an easy life. "I'm Shinji," he introduced himself, offering his hand and the boy grinned.

"Nice to meet you Sir, sorry if I'm disturbing something."

"Just Ichigo getting beaten," he smirked as Ichigo hit the ground, hard. "No need to be so polite either."

"Are they trying to kill each other?" Harry asked as the orange haired guy got up to attack.

Shinji laughed. "Trust me, if they were trying ta kill each other there'd be a lot more explosions."

"Okay."

"Harry this is Hachi, he's going to be putting up protections while I take a look at your problem," Kisuke introduced them and Shinji grinned when the kid didn't even blink at Hachi's size.

Hachi smiled and began talking with the boy so Shinji motioned Kisuke away. "How old did ya say he is?"

"Fifteen at the end of July," was the terse answer and Shinji raised an eyebrow. Kisuke smirked and Shinji shivered, it was easy to forget sometimes just how dangerous a man the eccentric scientist was. "He was illegally placed with relatives who have now been taught a lesson."

"Ah, I see." That helped explain Kisuke's actions, there was a reason he already had two children living with him after all.

TBC….

Not so happy with this chapter but after 2 rewrites I'm moving on.