disclaimer I don't own Bleach
timeline Pre-series. Spoilers abound, though.
warnings Urahara being Urahara. 'Nuff said.
pairings None. …well, maybe RukiaIchigo. Because they're so darn cute together.
notes Ok. I wrote this in ten minutes. You can probably tell. Because there was this chapter where Rukia's gigai was examined, and they said that it wasn't made by one of Soul Society's.
uhm, does Urahara remind anyone else of fandom!Eriol?
Pricelist
When he had first started out, there was barely a street, and the people that lived there were closed eyed and silent. And the amount of plus' and hollows were nearly double what it is now, without the convenience of what the mortals call "modern medicine."
He had called it merchandise, and had sold it by the tons to anyone foolish enough to knock at his door, and he had charged outlandish prices for them, and thought nothing of it, because back then, everyone had to eat, even the people that weren't quite. People, that is.
He had turned a profit, and had squeezed every penny, and he had smiled. A little sadly, and a little forced, but that was what the customers wanted.
He didn't think about swords and battles and experiments. He would have liked to say he didn't think about a dark-skinned woman that was more feline than not sometimes, but he knew that he would have been lying.
He was aware of it when a shinigami was assigned to his area, and he paid it no heed. He knew that it was a Kuchiki, but not one by blood, and that, if nothing else, made him rest a little easier. Someone adopted would be more accepting to his little business.
And he found that he was right, and that he only needed to adjust his business contacts a little, but that was okay, since he had people working under him now.
And as they ate dinner together, he would wonder if this was what they called family.
And Kuchiki-san pretended that there was no shop, and Yoruichi-san started to drop in a bit, and he smiled. Still a little bit forced, but if one looked hard enough, one could see a little bit of contentedness.
And the years passed and he started to keep his eye on the little bubble of power that resided just a few blocks away, because after all, that was why he was here.
Yet he was not prepared for that rainy night, and the power that had exploded near Kurosaki-kun's house, and he was not prepared for Kuchiki-san to stumble in, wearing white robes, and for her to say, "I need a gigai."
He had smiled—a little nervously, and said, "Of course."
She looked a little crazed, and confused, but only confirmed, "A good one."
He had feigned hurt and offence, and asked mildly if she was implying that his wares were not good enough—she ignored him—and they both pretended that the unconscious boy did not exist.
"How much are you willing to pay?"
Her eyes hardened, and he settled down, ready for a night of bargaining.
But then she looked a little uncertain, and glancing down at her hands, seemed to realize how little she had.
His eyes watched her all the while, and decided that though this wasn't really how things were supposed to go, that she would do just fine.
"Anything." She said at last, and he could hear the resolve in her voice. He was tempted to ask for her soul, though he knew that would be a little unfair, even for him.
He smiled now, a real smile. Yes. She would do quite nicely.
end
And when Kuchiki-san appeared every weekend scowling and grabbing a mop, everyone hid their smiles.