... I do not own either Bleach nor Tenchi Muyo, least of all any incarnation of which regarding the two! This story is for entertainment purposes! If I wanted to charge people then I wouldn't put it on Fanfiction now would I? (Super squint!)
Soul Universe
Chapter Two: Here comes the Princess
Masaki Shrine
Since they had moved in he had only noticed two discrepancies in regards to life as he knew it at his extended family's household: An increase in expenditures and an overall lack of time to study and train. At first glance for anyone looking into the situation from the outside they would probably suspect Mihoshi of this; it is true but false as well to differing, situational occurrences. She was accident prone for certain which they all quickly came to learn. She could simply be walking around the house where everyone else had walked through dozens of times before and she would be the one to trip a surprisingly unseen slipper or find a shockingly rotted out piece of floorboard the good old fashion way by stepping through it as an example. Even some tasks were not without some measure of danger for herself and others, though to be fair 'danger' was perhaps overkill to describe the mischief she was unwittingly party to or cause of. Needless to say that each male of the household had spent a fair amount of time either tending to her for any injuries, which were shockingly few given some circumstances, or else trying to repair what was damaged in the first place. For what it was worth however she absolutely excelled at simple tasks and domestic housework with next to no mishaps. No, the real culprit as to the aforementioned discrepancies was an unapologetic Ryoko.
Between splitting her time between rummaging her now ruined ship and being of some help to the household in some manner, often with something disastrous happening of course, Mihoshi was in essence the antithesis of Ryoko: when uninterested of even watching TV or commandeering his games, the pirate often lounged about either snacking or drinking sake if she wasn't asleep. When store of sake they kept at the house, really a sixth of a shelf's worth at most at any given time, were low she often badgered someone into getting more sake or appropriated someone's wallet to get it herself if she felt she felt they were too slow in collecting her favorite drink. But most of all her favorite hobby was essentially stalking him, general hounding for him to play with her when he was typically working at the shrine, cuddling with him against his will and even attempted kidnapping with a rope more often than not. Needless to say he had to make a few sacrifices in regards to his more leisurely hobbies and look over his shoulder on occasion to ensure she wasn't lying in wait with a mischievous, salacious grin on her lips... He wasn't even safe in the bathroom. In all fairness however she only made her appearance when he was taking a bath rather than minding his business.
Thankfully she was only rambunctious once or twice a week at most, though he could swear she did it mostly for kicks rather than any actual 'urge' on her part. Every other time between them was usually spent hanging on his shoulder, literally, like a devil as he tried to focus on whatever task that happened to be on hand. In this particular case it was sweeping the temple grounds at the behest of his grandfather.
"Come on!" Ryoko childishly whined as he tried to drag him away with playful tugs, her arms around his shoulders as he swept. "Let's go play!"
"I'm not going anywhere till I'm done," Ichigo bluntly replied. It didn't deter her in the least however, nor was she even particularly upset by it either. Then again it was roughly his go to response for most Ryoko related matters in the past couple of weeks. But still she tried to 'pull' him away as he kept trying to ignore her as he swept; looking up would've most likely have been met with an almost irresistible and most likely long practiced puppy dog pout the likes he hadn't seen since the last time he visited his family in Karakura. It was only at the sound of odd beeping and clicking emanating from the side that he bothered to look up at all and look to where a humming Mihoshi had seated herself some time ago on the steps of the shrine proper. In her fiddling hands was a pink cube which she twisted and turned much like a rubix cube. On closer inspection it constantly switched from a bright pink to a dull magenta with each side turned.
Given he hadn't noticed it before and the fact that she wasn't secretive in the least, he could only assume she recently scavenged it from the wreck of her ship, another hobby of hers so to speak in order to keep herself busy. Now that he thought about it hwoever, what happened to Ryoko's ship? He had to help Mihoshi find her own ship since she had no knowledge of the forestland surrounding them and that was an absolute battle scarred wreck beyond any of hope of redemption, but that involved finding Ryoko's crash site to act as a land marker; were it not for the scorched earth, the crater and Mihoshi herself he would've thought he stumbled onto the crash site of a meteorite.
In the end however he shrugged it off: for all he knew the ship was ridiculously biodegradable or repaired itself. Hell, a secretive government agency ran off with it, not that Ryoko seemed worried in the least of course. Then again he never asked her to begin with as he tried to concentrate on his work and studies.
"Hey Mihoshi, what is that thing?"
"A special device made exclusively for the Galaxy Police," she answered him without looking up, a smile on her lips. "You turn it this way and that way, and..." A star-like light merged in the very center of the cube. "There! I can send out a distress signal now!"
"We're in the boonies, kiddo," Ryoko stated as she looked over Ichigo's shoulder, arms still wrapped around him yet her body was now draping off him rather than floating next to him. "Can you really count on a toy like that?"
"According to statistics, one case in two-hundred years is reported to result in a successful rescue," Mihoshi answered her as she stood up, eyes closed as she smiled at them.
A deadpan glower replaced the usual scowl on Ichigo's lips. And though he didn't so much as glance at the other woman's direction, he could almost swear Ryoko had a similar if not cynical yet disinterested look on herself as well. "That's what I'm talking about," Ryoko supplied without missing a beat.
It was barely a moment later that tears began to pool in the corner of Mihoshi's closed eyes, smile still in place but straining. It took half as long before she began to whimper and shudder with poorly choked sobs. It didn't take any longer for her to outright start crying. "Well it's better than just sitting around and doing nothing!" she cried, jolting the both of them in surprise. Both were fairly quick to recover however. Yet before either of them could respond or console her in some fashion a heavy gust buffeted the courtyard they were in... an unnatural kind. It wasn't ill or foreboding thankfully, but strangely forceful nevertheless .
Immediately they all looked up and gaped in varying degrees as a ship seemingly made out of wood flew overheard with only a surprisingly dull rumble to announce its presence. It was made up of four, five really, parts, all of which given a wooden appearance in some fashion save for one exception. The ship mainly consisted of three elongated but narrow, by its standards at least going on the cuff, segments, all of which expanding in the direction of the aft, the rear, of the ship like rudders or fins whereas the bow was more reminiscent to horns of some kind, albeit vaguely much like the "fins". On the side sections of the ship were a pair of wings, one for both sides, more moderately built in appearance but polished and given a sheen like the rest of the ship. But what easily drew his eyes the most was the red ring at the center of the ship, held aloft by a series of buttresses belonging to the middle section. Easily enough the color drew one's eye to it but what held his curiosity the longest was the circular glass sphere residing directly within the middle of the ring of red wood garnished with three white strips near the front on each side.
"What the..."
"Uh-oh."
Immediately Ichigo snapped his head toward Ryoko just as Mihoshi began to cheer and wave at the ship, trying to garner the occupants' attention. "'Friends' of yours?"
Instead of regarding him directly she cupped her chin with a bent finger and thumb. "No... Well I don't think so at least. Just I can't help but feel that spaceship is awfully familiar though. Definitely Juraian at the least."
"Juraian?" he asked just in time for Mihoshi to jubilantly bounded off toward the stairs and promptly descended them, disappearing from view entirely.
"More or less one of the more major powers of the universe, if not the most powerful," Ryoko answered as she began to stretch her arms and grunt out of boredom. "Eh, at any rate the warrant for my arrest expired months ago. I got almost nothing to worry about as far as they're concerned."
He gave her a deadpan expression which she challenged with a smirk.
"Just try not to blow up our house if you guys get into a brawl."
"No promises!" she giggled as she took off to the air.
Sighing, Ichigo ran a hand through his hair as he watched the ship begin to descend. If he was right then in all likelihood they were planning to use the nearby lake as a dock. Specifically the one that sat in front of the house. With another sigh he walked to the nearest beam at the shrine keeper's abode and propped the broom against it at an angle before taking off to the stairs in a brisk jog.
XVX
Lakeside
Sure enough they used the lake as a dock. Unsurprisingly both Mihoshi and Ryoko had made it there long before he did. Thankfully it would seem he barely missed anything important beyond a green ball about to land in front of them, Ichigo himself included by coming to a stop behind the pair that were already present. A second later the green orb landed. Soon after it dissipated into nothing, leaving behind the form of a young woman of purple hair, a short curtain framing the back of her head as the even bangs hiding her forehead hid what was hinted to be a tiara of sorts in what few gaps he could see. Looking carefully, aside from two hefty but silken bangs which hung to the sides of her face, reaching all the way to her bosom, he could barely make out a pair of pigtails that seemed to dive past her shoulder. Regardless, as she slowly walked to them in measured steps, eyes closed all the while as if in contemplation, he could not help but take note of her kimono-like dress of whites, soft blue and even some purple along the sleeves. When she opened her eyes at last he also couldn't help but spy her red eyes peering out at them with dutiful, mundane curiosity.
It was lost a second later the moment her eyes landed on Ryoko however.
"YOU! It can't be!" they both cried in anger as they practically butted heads in a sudden confrontation, though neither were quite willing to be nearer than half a meter at best from one another. Still, repulsed, the juraian took a step back and brought a hand up to her mouth, fingers spread and barely hiding what it was covering. "So you're still alive Miss Ryoko. Those Galaxy Police have become so incompetent these days."
Likewise Ryoko took a step back and sneered at her in return. "And I thought this planet was remote, but here you are." With a smirk she leaned forth as she leered at her. "What? Has the Jurai Royal Family fallen or something? Are you in exile?"
The obvious goading was enough to have the juraian clench her fists as she snarled back with barely restrained rage. An instant later she turned away so her side was presented to them, her head canted in their direction with the back of her partially covered hand brought near her lips as she suddenly laughed a rather forced rebuke of a laugh. "You're such a joker. You know Jurai's Royal Family will last forever. We're everlasting."
"What?" Ryoko leaned close, a hand to her ear. "Jurai's Royal Family is never-lasting?"
It wasn't even half a second later that the other woman challenged her again much like she had moments ago. "Everlasting!"
"Well isn't that too bad," Ryoko likewise growled as she assumed the position as well with a heated glare of her own. With the tension so palpable between the two it was almost possible to see literal sparks ignite between the two of them as they continue to glare and growl at one another.
"Uh—"
Ichigo placed a hand on Mihoshi's shoulder before she could get any further. "I don't think they're going to listen to anyone right now short of being assault," Ichigo sighed as he scratched the back of his head.
"B-but—!"
"I came all this way to rescue someone and only to meet a lowly, disgusting creature like you?!" the juraian snarled with as much dignity she could muster.
"Yeah, well, I never asked you to come, your royal lowness," Ryoko bit back.
"Maybe I should've kept that broom," Ichigo muttered to himself. Yet in all probability it was most likely for the best he had left it behind. Between pissing off Mihoshi's likely rescuer and potentially starting a war with a technologically superior civilization, whacking both her and Ryoko's heads on a whim to defuse the argument would have short lived merits if he couldn't calm her down... Then again she might let it go if she sees Ryoko floored considering their argument at hand.
"How unpleasant!" the juraian barked as she jerked her head away to the ship. "Azaka! Kamidake! We're leaving!" she orders as she abruptly turn toward the docked vessel and angrily marched to it.
"Yeah, great. Get out of here!" Ryoko yelled at her as she took a step back, relaxing as she crossed her arms under her bust yet scowling all the while. In the meantime Ichigo sighed in exasperation as Mihoshi spoke up in a nervous fright.
"Now wait a minute! She's my ride out of here!"
"Good riddance to bad rubbish," Ryoko answered her, canting her head in her direction as she did so. Her eyes then curiously flicked over to Ichigo as he sauntered up to her, a hand raised. "What?"
Bonk!
"Ow! What was that for?" Ryoko grumbled as she rubbed the afflicted spot. In the meantime Ichigo turned to Mihoshi as he utterly ignored Ryoko.
"Go ahead and explain the situation to her before she leaves."
"Oh. Right! Thank you!" Mihoshi ran off, yelling "wait! Please don't go!" to the juraian. During which he brought his attention back to Ryoko who was matching him scowl for scowl.
"What was that for?" she half growled as she glared at him in the eye. In response Ichigo jerked a thumb to Mihoshi who now clung to the juraian's leg, pleading desperately and even crying a little as the surprised woman tried to shake her off and argue with her. In short it was intelligible on who was saying what and if any form of progress was being made. "What about her?" she half whined as she now pouted at him, though her scowl remained.
"Are you really so cold hearted as to drive away Mihoshi's help?"
She 'humphed.' "I'm telling you, that Ayeka is nothing but trouble. I may not exactly like Mihoshi but even I wouldn't put the poor girl through that." She gestured to Ayeka as she continued to try to escape Mihoshi's grasp.
"You two have a history, don't you?" Ichigo deadpan as he gave her a glare to match his tone of voice.
"Hey! She started it," she defended herself with something of a childish whine.
"All right! Just let me go!" Ayeka yelled, drawing their attention to them as opposed to a new presence casually strolling his way to them from the woods.
"Just what is going on here?"
With a curious hum Ichigo regarded his 'grandfather' as he continued to draw near, eying the entirety of the scene before him with a sense of unflappable calm despite the curious sight of a ship in what could be considered 'their' lake. "More visitors?"
"You could say that," Ichigo retorted as he looked to an exasperated Ayeka patting at her ruffled dress as a relieved but winded Mihoshi sat nearby. In the mean time Ryoko groaned as an inkling of what was to happen came to her mind.
"Don't tell me—"
"I'll get the tea and snack ready," Katsuhito sagely announced as he abruptly yet casually walked away with the hint of a puckish smirk spied along the edge of his now obscured face.
"Ugh... !" Ryoko threw her arms up and shook her head. "Somehow I knew it!" she sighed. A second later it seemed a thought struck her, and with it she turned to Ichigo with soulful eyes, the begging kind which he couldn't help but cringe under. "Surely you won't let a wicked woman like her into your home, right?"
To his credit he fought back with as neutral and deadpan as a stare and scowl could get on short notice. "You do realize that between being a space pirate and claiming you were being chased by one when we first met that I'm going to have to take that with a grain of salt, right?"
Ryoko pouted for but a moment before smirking. "Can't blame a girl for trying," she relented as she threw her hands behind her head and began to walk in the direction of the house. As she drew herself farther and farther away she glanced back and winked at him with a sultry smirk. It only grew a little wider, more amused when he only rolled his eyes in return and ambled towards the beleaguered pair.
XVX
Masaki household, twenty minutes later
With Ayeka in sequestered in the shrine room with the shrine keeper himself, presumably as an unspoken plan to keep her from being antagonized by Ryoko, they were all huddled in the living room at the house, each awkwardly sitting about and munching on snacks at the table. Well, awkward for both himself and perhaps Mihoshi whereas Ryoko was content with mildly sulking in silence. He had contemplated turning on the TV as a distraction but somehow that didn't feel, in a word, right.
With a sigh he decided to bite the bullet and get it over with.
"So what is your story with her anyway?" he reluctantly asked as he half nibbled on a rice cracker.
"I was wondering that myself," Mishoshi added. "She almost left me here because of you."
And much like he expected Ryoko's eyes were alight with a mild sense of mischief, yet at the same time perhaps a quiet touch of forlorn reluctance. Nevertheless she grabbed an emergency box of tissues from underneath the table, closed her eyes as she swiped one for himself and blew he nose into it. When she opened her eyes it was that same tearful expression she was keen on using to garner his pity... it was almost as if she was taught by Yuzu herself each time he looked into them.
"I'm home!" his uncle cried out from the foyer. "Hey Ichigo! I just got a package from the mailman for Grandfather! Do you mind taking it up to him for me?"
"I'll be back," Ichigo grunted as he got up and made for the door.
"But I was about to start my story!" Ryoko pitifully whined just as Nobuyuki turned around the corner with a small parcel in hand.
"Grain of salt Ryoko, grain of salt," Ichigo reiterated with a smirk at her expense. In response Ryoko pouted at him, drew down the lid of her eye and stuck her tongue out at him. Ichigo's uncle blinked in a confusion in the meantime.
"Did I interrupt something?"
"Hadn't really started yet," Ichigo answered as he received the package. "I'll be back in a bit," he said before slipping past his uncle and quickly made his way out the front door.
"So... what were you talking about?" Nobuyuki asked after a mild moment of silent awkwardness.
XVX
Masaki Shrine, some minutes later
"Who is it!?"
Scowling in annoyance Ichigo pushed aside the paper door and handed out the small package. "The neighborhood hooligan who decided to do a good deed," he sarcastically grumbled.
"Ah, it's you, Ichigo!" Katsuhito announced from his kneeling but ready position from the floor. Behind him was a surprised Ayeka who was curiously looking on as Ichigo stared at his grandfather figure in an annoyed, flat fashion as the elderly man accepting the item.
"Were you expecting a bloodthirsty shinobi to come crashing through the door or something?"
"Something like that," the shrine keeper softly chuckled. "There are hooligans running around at the very least you know."
Rolling his eyes Ichigo turned to leave as he half mindedly began to close the door behind him. "Wait!" With a curious hum Ichigo fully reopened the door. "Why don't you mind taking Miss Ayeka and show her around?"
While Ichigo was the one to perk an eyebrow at him, it was Ayeka who made a soft noise of confusion. As such it was her the older man turned to, once again seated on his legs considering the lack of furniture such as chairs in the room. "The mountains and fields on this planet have their own charm, though different from Jurai's, especially now. This time of year they're quite something to see."
"But—" she attempted to interject only for Katsuhito to calmly keep on insisting.
"It's all well and good to live for the duties of a princess, but that doesn't mean you can't have a day off from time to time. Whatever luck brought you to this planet, you should take advantage of it and try to relax. Forget your worries just for today." With a wry smirk he turned to the younger of the two. "Right, Ichigo?"
In response Ichigo couldn't help but give him an annoyed glare and a groan whilst Ayeka canted her head forward, a resigned smile creasing her lips.
XVX
Outside
It had been the last dregs of summer when Mihoshi and Ryoko arrived. He hadn't quite realized that till he ended up escorting Ayeka to and fro between varying points of interest that were small ponds with their own shrines, the dirt trails leading to a few of the fields where wildflowers grew and lastly the great tree that resided in the middle of the small lake near the Masaki Shrine, accessible by a small stepping stone path. It was an oak tree, yet out of all the foliage within the entirety of the forest and even in winter it was the only tree that stubbornly kept its leaves a healthy shade of green despite the fact it wasn't a fern... Regardless, its neighbors from across the shore couldn't help but inadvertently remind him that both Mihoshi and Ryoko had been with them for at least some months by now.
"Lovely," Ayeka softly noted as she continued to observe the trunk.
His only response was to hum as he looked to the side and peered at the side of one of the larger hills. "Different from Jurai?" he asked seeing as he had nothing else to contribute without seeming overly rude by seemingly ignoring her.
"Yes," she answered him. "Though I admit it does remind me of my home to some extent."
He hummed once more. "Similar ecosystem?"
"Similar," she softly hummed as she looked up to the branches with a smile.
"I guess that's reassuring."
"I'm sorry?" She turned to him with a confused frown. In turn he glanced at her d before looking up to the sky.
"Just there's this kind of image of space here, for when we do set out in the future..." he offered before pausing. "I guess that, inevitably open land in Earth like this would become more and more scarce in favor of industry or habitation just before we go into space. Even when we do make contact as a species, there's a chance other worlds are nothing but cities and the like... I don't know." He shrugged before lowering his gaze to the hills once more. "I come from a small city myself, not here. We have some green there, parks and such but not quite in abundance like this... I guess I just thought there wouldn't be anything like this," he gestured to the forest, the lake and the unobstructed sky, "out there."
He quietly sighed to himself before turning to face her, finding her gently smiling at him when he did. "What?"
"It's nothing," she answered him in a genteel manner belied only by the small affection obvious in her smile.
A bit self conscious at the moment, he began to scratch at his cheek as he looked away. "If you don't mind me asking, should we head back now?"
"Yes," she agreeably said. It wasn't even a moment later that she began to step forward only for her foot to catch the edge of the stepping stone she stood on. With no even ground, much less an expectation of such an event, she pitched forward with a startled gasp, jolting Ichigo into action. Yet he was too late to catch her, properly at least. Instead she inadvertently fell into him, tackling him by accident and catching him off guard to the point he stumbled back slightly with his arms instinctively wrapping themselves around her to keep her from falling off from him. It was only when he regained his balance that he looked down to her with a concerned scowl etched on his face.
"Are you alright?"
"Y-yes," she replied as she stood up and looked him in the eye, her face a scant few inches away from his own thanks to the tilt of his head. He didn't resist in the slightest when she broke his grasp on her in a sudden rush to stand as far as she could from him without crossing over to the next stone, her cheeks aflame with a heft red whilst Ichigo, his own cheeks dusted, turned his head and cough into his hand.
"Um... I think there's one spot worth taking a look at on our way back to the house. Or the shrine. Whichever you want."
"Right..." After taking a moment to regain her composure she turned around and offer him her hand with a smile.
XVX
Masaki Residence
"Ichigo! Ichigo!" Ryoko yelled as she bounded through the house. Nobuyuki in the meantime hummed to himself as her largely ignored Ryoko after briefly being interrogated by her, contenting himself with polishing one of the knick knacks around the house.
Ding-dong!
"Hmm?" He looked up from his seat. "Who could that be?" He set both the decoration and the rag onto a nearby table and got up from his seat. In a matter of moments he navigated his way to the front door.
Ding-dong!
"I'm almost there!" he announced loudly, hopefully it was enough for whoever it was on the other side to hear him. When he finally reached the door he wasted no time in opening it, nor did he try to hide the surprise on his face upon seeing who was on the other side of it. "Oh, it's you! I didn't know you were coming today. How are the girls?"
XVX
Lakeside
For a long while there was an amiable silence between them that neither were interested in breaking. If fact they were content with it if her small but happy smile which he inadvertently spied on meant anything. But like anything it eventually came to an end, courtesy of Ryoko.
"There, I found you." Their collective attention snapped to the silver haired woman, Mihoshi standing next to her as they both stood in front of the lake, the juraian ship behind them. "And just where have you two been hiding all this time?" she demanded much like a concerned yet angry housewife.
Having been in odd situations much like this with his acquaintances at college, Ichigo sighed as he raised up his hands in a placating manner. "We simply went out for a walk. That's all that happened." Yet he was utterly ignored as she went straight for Ayeka, invading her personal space as she threatened to roll up a sleeve or perhaps even withhold herself from outright punching her.
"And you! How dare you flirt with Ichigo like this."
"Flirt?" she challenged as the princess' hands slowly curled to half formed fists. "Are you addressing me? Where did you get that idea?"
With a sly smirk she canted her head to the side to look at her from the corner of her vision as she stood back. "Uh-huh. So you're telling me you weren't flirting."
"Well of course not! I was certainly not flirting, gutter brain."
"Oh you lie!"
"What do you mean by that?" It was Ayeka's turn to invade Ryoko's space. "I'm not going to let that one pass."
Shaking his head, Ichigo stepped in between the two before it become more serious than it was. "I have no idea what happened between the two of you but now isn't the time and place for it." He turned, placed both hands on Ayeka's shoulders and began to gently push her away from Ryoko. Meanwhile Mihoshi likewise did the same for Ryoko as she added her own two cents. "Yes Ryoko. We need to start making arrangements to get back home."
"Lord Ichigo, please listen to me." Caught by surprise at the sudden addition to a title to his name, he focused the entirety of his attention on Ayeka. All the while however Ryoko was aggressively struggling against Mihoshi. "You must listen and listen very carefully. That creature called Ryoko is bad through-and-through. She always has been."
"I kind of inferred that when she convinced me Mihoshi was a space pirate for kicks," Ichigo grumbled as he looked over his shoulder with his typical scowl. Likewise Ayeka leaned to the side to scowl at her too, though this one was met with a mean spirited drawing of Ryoko's eye and the presentation of her tongue.
"Yes, well," she cleared her throat as he righted herself and drew Ichigo's attention back to her. He couldn't help but glance to the side as he could've sworn he saw movement coming from the forest. "It all happened—"
"ICHIGO!"
And for the first time in years his senses were kicked into high gear as an all too familiar man in his forties with a rugged, sprouting beard in a casual shirt and jeans launched himself from the forest in a flying kick aimed at the orange haired college student. "IT'S RUDE NOT TO GREET YOUR OLD MAN AT THE DOOR!"
"... One minute please."
Granted he is and was a soul reaper some years ago, but a gigai operated on the limitations of the human body for cloaking purposes. Even if somehow modified like when Kon was running about in Ichigo's body, it didn't quite explain how his father had essentially cleared the clearing in a direct course for Ichigo while everyone watched in utter confusion. In a moment of perfect precision, just as Isshin's foot was about to connect with Ichigo's face the college student stepped back, grabbed the offending appendage and judo tossed his old man into the lake.
"AAAH! IT'S COLD!"
SMACK!
And now Ichigo was missing a shoe... it was worth it though as the man sank like the Bismarck, only with a shoe stuck to the brow.
"Lord Ichigo..." Ayeka spoke up in an uncertain fashion, "who was that?"
"That, unfortunately, was my dad," he grumbled. He turned to her. "So what were you saying?"
"Uh, shouldn't we help him?" Mihoshi questioned from the side.
Ichigo only raised his hand and waved it about as if to signify he was waving the issue aside. "It's not the first time he sank to the bottom of a lake."
"Oh Ichigo!" Before he knew it he was tackled by Ryoko from the side and was being strangled in a supposedly affectionate bear hug. "It must be so hard to have such an overaggressive father! Here honey, let me help you forget!" Ryoko's eye gained a mischievous glint as she puckered her lips and leaned in to kiss him.
"What the—what are you doing!" Ichigo cried in shock, completely unprepared for this.
"What do you think you're doing?! Let go of him!" Ayeka demanded, her hand balled up into fists and raised in an effort to restrain herself.
It was then it was made obvious as to her reasoning behind this, for Ichigo at least, as Ryoko slyly looked over and leered at the princess. "What are you so upset about? You said you weren't flirting, didn't you?"
"Ryoko," Ichigo intoned.
Ignoring him, she nuzzled her cheek against his own. "Hey, Ichigo, let's show her. Let's show her how madly in love how much we're in love! Let's show her. What do you say?" she breathily suggested, deliberately riling Ayeka up more and more with each syllable spoken.
"YES! THOUGH THERE IS ROOM IN OUR FAMILY FOR TWO MORE DAUGHTERS, ICHIGO!"
WHACK!
And now Ichigo was shoeless as his father sank into the depths once more after his brief reemergence. Unfortunately in his focus for retaliation against his asinine father he wasn't able to temper Ayeka's ire in the least.
"I HAD ENOUGH!" she roared. "For the sake of universal peace, I am going to finish you off once and for all!"
"Okay, great." She let go of Ichigo to glare at Ayeka. "Let's just see if you really can."
From the side Mihoshi ran in between them, coming to a stop in front of the juraian princess. "Um hello. Excuse me." She began to turn her attention from one to another, facing them as she did so. "Could you two fight after you rescued me? I was just wondering if—"
"Mihoshi," Ichigo intoned as he began to back away, "I don't think they're listening."
As if on cue Ayeka thrust an arm up, her finger pointed for an unwittingly dramatic effect. "Azaka, Kamidake, open the hatch! We're taking Ryu-Oh up to attack!" Without warning she dashed past Mihoshi to the shoreline, the police officer in hot pursuit, begging her to wait. When she came to a stop Mihoshi latched herself onto her legs, her begging more pronounced than before as a green orb erupted from Ayeka's person, enveloping the two of them and disappearing as the orb floated up and dove straight for the ship. Meanwhile Ryoko turned on her feel and thrust her hand up in the air in a commanding gesture. "Come! Ryo-Ohki!"
From the other side of the mountain a new ship came into view. It was definitely strange to say the least: Appearing to be made out of polished obsidian, several precision cut 'diamonds' jutted out from a rectangular shape, though not really, base with a significant, angled block protruding from the bottom to host a singular diamond in a box shaped pattern. In the middle of the bottom of the ship was a diamond shaped spire. Along the upper half of the ship, though he didn't see it all as it came to a halt above them, were four more diamond-like spires, though it was plainly obvious for all to see that each obsidian 'diamond' was bent at the middle and made to protrude upward into the air almost like a crown.
"Now, ready?" Ryoko asked as she looped an arm around him.
"Please don't te—"
From the center spire a series of red, ethereal rings descended upon them right before they solidified into a focused red beam that encased them in its light. Soon enough Ryoko's grip on him tightened as they began to float up to the spire.
"I knew it," he groaned just before disappearing.
As the ships lifted off and raced to the reaches of outer space, Isshin popped his head out of the water whilst sporting two red shoe imprints along his forehead and watched them as they gradually shrank in the distance. "Jeez. He could've let me talked to them before they left."
XVX
Outer space
While he wasn't sure what to expect on short notice, he did at least expect some furniture or at least a bedroll within the domed command room of the ship. At the utter most there was a floating, legless chair that Ryoko was content to ignore and a strange array of diamond shape black crystals surrounding them. Not only that but it appeared that the controls which Ryoko was standing at were nothing more than blue-steel spheres, the middle of of which was larger than the other two.
"Ryo-Ohki, this will be a fight to the death," Ryoko announced, once again in her previous set of clothing.
"Meow!"
That and he wasn't expecting the ship to meow like a cat as it made it past the upper reaches of Earth's atmosphere alongside Ryu-Oh in record time, by human standards at least.
A second later without disturbing either occupant the ship began to tilt, allowing the side view of Earth to come into view. And as much as Ichigo would've loved to take a moment to gape at the scene, he had other issues to worry about.
"Oh now you two are going overboard!" Ichigo raged only to be ignored.
Boom !
Already the two ships began to fire at one another. From the juraian ship came a barrage of blue-white lasers pricking at the edges of the ship in its initial barrage while the retaliatory strike came in the form of a giant red laser that crashed into the other ship to no obvious effect. But Ryo-Ohki did not relent, nor did Ryu-Oh as they traded one barrage for another at an unrelenting pace as one sought to overpower the other, neither moving in favor of assaulting the other. Yet as invincible as Ryo-Ohki seemed for no part of its hull was damaged with each blast, it was most likely a case of compounding and compounded wounds as various crystal began to spark with red electricity upon each hit, glancing or not.
Then, without warning, an image of Ayeka appeared on a screen as she cackled a dignified cackle at Ryoko. "Now you know better, Ryoko."
"Ha! We haven't even started yet!"
"Can you two please knock it off! If you absolutely insist on fighting to the death then leave both Mihoshi and I out of this!" Ichigo roared from the side, startling Ayeka.
"Lord Ichigo, what are you doing there?"
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ryoko gain a calculative, opportunity seizing, mischievous look . He instantly paled as he tried to mitigate the soon-to-be damage.
Alas, he was too late.
"Where else would he be?" she purred. "Ichigo and I have a special bond." She grabbed the hapless, paling college student and held him against her. "We have taken a vow to die together."
"NO WE HAVEN'T!"
... His counter claim came too late however as the princess looked to be on the verge of tears.
"Y-you mean you mean..." She all but collapsed almost out of view. Yet the image expanded to encompass her and the bridge entirely to reveal two log-like constructs with red and blue sxript individually written on them, distinguishing them from one another, and Mihoshi who not only was sitting on the floor but appeared to be utterly baffled by what was going on.
"Lord Ichigo, taking a vow with a lowly creature such as her, there is nothing left for me to believe in," Ayeka loudly gasped between muffled sobs while she shook in place.
"Uh... Ayeka," Ichigo attempted to broach the quivering princess only for Ryoko to essentially mash her cheek against his own.
"Now, Ichigo, let's fight that evil princess with the power of our love."
"You're not helping!" he growled.
"Well, if that's the case..." Forcefully and with full dignity she stood upright with a look of steel in her eye... vengeful steel no less. "We die. Miss Ryoko, Lord Ichigo, then all three of us go to hell together!"
Flabbergasted, Ryoko giggling, Mihoshi spoke up at long last as she clutched at her legs. "Miss Ayeka, I think you forgot about me," she mentioned only to be ignored. In the meantime Ryu-Oh began to turn about till its bow faced Ryo-Ohki.
"Oh dear kami what have you done Ryoko..."
The ship at a sudden burst of speed lurched toward Ryu-Ohki at top speed.
"... You know, I may have overdone it, just a little," Ryoko muttered as she instinctively clutched Ichigo all the tighter as he did the same for her. Her countenance paling as Ayeka was laughing madly as the log with blue kanji begged her to stop.
"Lady Ayeka lost her temper!"
CRASH!
XVX
Lakeside, Earth
"No good rotten son of mine," Isshin grumbled as he ringed out what was hopefully the last of the water out from his shirt before slapping it back onto himself. While still grumbling to himself he bent down and attempted to do the same for his shoes for what good it would do him.
"SHHHHHHHHHHH—"
"Uh-?"
CRASH!
"NOOO!" He ditched the shoe and attempted to reach the safety of the mainland, yet he was too late to avoid the crashing wave that spilled onto the shore. It engulfed him and dragged him into the lake against his will.
XVX
Living room, Masaki Residence, night
At the table next to the kitchen Katsuhito hummed as he took a sip from his tea. "Well, no one was hurt and that's all that matters," he stated to everyone before him. Nobuyuku in turn turned around behind him to address the log-like constructs standing behind him in the living room proper. "You're welcome to stay here with us as long as you like."
"So long as you don't blow up the house," Ichigo added.
"Seconded."
"I appreciate that sirs," one spoke up. Azaka, the blue one. "We take your offer with thanks." The red one was Kamidake unless Ichigo wasn't paying attention.
"Great. More freeloaders. It's really annoying," Ryoko grouched.
"You have yourself to blame for this one, Ryoko," Ichigo grouched back.
"Yeah, well, my Ryo-Ohki got destroyed too," she shot back. Sniffling from Mihoshi cut her off as everyone's attention was drawn to her.
"I told you to fight after you rescued me!" she wailed.
"By the way, where is Miss Ayeka?"
"She's still in shock from seeing Ryu-Oh, her spaceship, blow up," Azaka answered Nobuyuki.
With a sigh Ichigo got up and cracked his neck. "I'll go check on her," he announced.
"There should be some soup left still in the kitchen," Katsuhito suggested.
"Hey, you're going to feed that ingrate? After she tried to kill you?" Ryoko groused.
"Again, you have yourself to blame on that one," Ichigo retorted before slipping into the kitchen.
"By the way," Nobuyuki spoke up, "has anyone seen Isshin?"
XVX
Meanwhile
Thanks to an absurd amount of luck he had found his missing shoe, wrung his shirt dry as it can be and managed to do the same with his pants without anyone peeping on him. At least no one as far as knew.
"Pick up your phone! Pick up your phone!Pick up—"
"I really need to change that ringtone," he groaned as he fished out his cell phone, thankfully protected in a waterproof casing for days just like today.
"Hello?"
"Hey Dad, it's Yuzu!"
"Yuzu!" he exclaimed before adopting a worried expression. "The house is not burning down is it?"
"No."
"Hollows?"
"No."
"Did I forget to pay a bill?"
"I don't think so..."
"... please tell me Kisuke didn't get bored again and started to tinker with our stuff again."
"Not as far as I can tell, dad."
"Oh, then, why did you call?"
"Just making sure if Ichigo's alright. I mean we haven't talked to him in awhile.
"Oh he's alright," he grumbled before slyly grinning. "It looks like he's just been too busy entertaining some lovely ladies as of late. Can't really blame him for forgetting to call thanks to that."
Yuzu gasped at the other end, causing the man to laugh. "Does that mean he's settling down? Away from Karakura?"
"Looks like it! Next thing we'll know he'll be the next shrine keeper here!"
"Aw! But it's a long commute to get there and back again! That's going to be tough to visit any nieces and nephews in the future!"
"I know, I know," he assured her. "That's part of being an adult though."
"Aw..."
"Well I'm going to head back home now. I'll talk to you later."
"Okay dad! Be safe!"
"Will do! Bye!"
Beep!
He holstered the phone back into his pocket, stuffed his hands inside his pockets and, instead of heading for the dirt road, made for the lake. Once he was there he sighed to himself as he looked down and watched a piece of tarnished driftwood from the other ship float on by. "Only you can get yourself into interesting situations like this, son."
Krk!
"Hm?"
Boofm-splash!
"Bleh! Phtooie!" The older Kurosaki spat out water the second he surfaced and growled as he looked up to the sparkling night sky. "This is some kind of running gag, isn't it?"
A/N: ...Yep.Going to try to avoid those "she did" stories as creatively as I can! Though as you can see creativity can be relative.
Also, on a side note and a bit of a spoiler, I'm going to avoid the Time and Space mini-arc. Maybe the festival too but that one is up in the air considering as far as Universe is concerned (at least in my interpretation) those are for comedic value only for the most part. You're more than welcome to make the case for otherwise if you want but I would advise you to not hold high hopes for me writing chapters for those episodes.
No need for a Ghost is also a little iffy for me. Though to be fair I am planning to take a whack at it for the sheer challenge of it considering this is a Bleach crossover.
Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.
