Chapter 23
The Calm
Karakura Town
Kurosaki Family Home
It had been a day since Ichigo's encounter with his wayward cousin and fighting a Menos Grande Hollow, while he wasn't physically injured he did use a massive amount of Reiatsu in the fight against it, especially that slash at the end really took the wind out of him and left him with an ache that he couldn't soothe.
He had of course had another conversation with Rukia about the Quincy because he had fully intended to get the full story out of Ishida at school today but he wanted to fully understand things from the Shinigami perspective, truly Ichigo did not take either side but he had learnt that the best way to find the truth was to hear both sides and the truth probably resided somewhere in the middle of two opposing viewpoints.
"Are you okay in there Rukia?" Ichigo knocked gently on his closet, usually, Rukia would be out and ready to head to school at this time.
"Yes." Rukia answered but did not deign to explain her change in mood as she slid the door open and hopped out in uniform. But there was a look in her eyes that Ichigo did not like, it seemed like resignation.
"Are you sure?" Ichigo repeated. "You've been acting strange ever since I fought that huge Hollow."
"That was a Menos Grande, one of the most powerful Hollows." Rukia corrected him again. "And yes I am fine, I do not need some Human boy worrying over me like a nursemaid." She glared at him and dared him to ask again.
"Okay, if you say so." Ichigo gave up in the face of her withering glare but that did not change the fact that he was still worried about her attitude.
"If we dawdle any longer we will be late, come on." Rukia marched over to the window and slid it open.
"Just make sure no one sees you." Ichigo sighed as she leapt from his window, the usual would routine would happen then, he would leave and they would 'coincidently' meet up along the way to school just like normal.
'Something's changed but I don't know what.' Ichigo was annoyed as he grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder leaving an empty room behind.
'She looks like a condemned prisoner, resigned to her fate.' He continued his moody thoughts as he passed by Karin and Yuzu both of whom were waiting just getting ready for school as well.
"See you later." Ichigo said as he slid his shoes on right by the door.
"Bye Ichi-nii!" Yuzu called out cheerfully.
Karin did not respond verbally but she did wave which he returned before leaving the house and going into the street.
'Uryu wants to talk with me as well today.' Ichigo sighed, his schedule had gotten very full ever since becoming a Shinigami.
"Good Morning Kurosaki-kun!" Rukia appeared from around a corner and gave him that sickening fake greeting with her faux high-school girl voice.
"Morning Rukia." He answered casually, hating that he had to play along like this.
"You seem out of it today Kurosaki-kun are you feeling okay?" She asked him playing the worried classmate.
"Cut it out Rukia, that gets on my nerves." Ichigo ground out as a vein throbbed on his forehead.
"My Kurosaki-kun, I have no idea what you're talking about." Rukia hid her smile behind a dainty hand as her violet eyes sparkled in amusement.
"Che." He clicked his tongue in annoyance, she won this time.
"How are you feeling Ichigo?" She asked far more seriously now, she was now examining him. "I know that your power exploded out after you slashed the Menos, that kind of drain can be especially bad for a Shinigami."
"I feel okay, a bit tired like I've had a good workout but it's nothing." He answered shrugging his shoulders. It was a strange feeling he wasn't physically tired but it felt like he had an ache that he couldn't stretch out.
"Good, that's good." Rukia looked away at the ground now.
"I'm gonna talk to Uryu today." Ichigo decided to make some conversation. "He wants to tell me about his Sensei."
"I see." Rukia absorbed that information. "I have to admit I'm surprised that you have a relative who is a Quincy, after everything that happened they are a rare species now."
Ichigo nodded and looked up at the sky. "I had no idea." He admitted. "My Mom said that she and Uryu's father Ryuken were cousins and that made us family as well. I was young and didn't think too much about it."
"I see." Rukia hummed as she absorbed the information and mulled it over.
"Reiryoku has a tendency to run through family lines, Humans with enough Reiryoku to see both Hollows and Shinigami are often called High-Spec and that kind of ability is usually inherited by their children, Quincy's also fall under this label as the power of a Quincy often passes down from parent to child." She had to wrack her brain for that information, it was of course part of the curriculum at the Shin'o Academy but it was not an important part.
Ichigo nodded at hearing her explanation. "Yeah, I thought it would be something like that."
They passed the rest of the walk in comfortable silence, the weather was good and there were no Hollow alerts so it was nice and peaceful and gave them time with their respective thoughts, Ichigo was wondering about Rukia and Ishida while Rukia her thoughts were on consequences of her actions, starting with the decision she made that night she met Ichigo.
Later
Karakura High School
They made it to school in good time and arrived 5 minutes early before Miss Oichi's usual time. Ichigo didn't notice that three of his friends, Chad, Tatsuki and Orihime were strangely silent and each seemed to avoid Ichigo. He however was more concerned with Rukia and Ishida the latter of which had arrived a little late.
"Ishida?" She was very surprised to see him especially since both of his arms were covered in bandages from the tips of his fingers right up to his shoulders. "Why are you so injured?"
"I fell down some stairs." He blatantly lied while adjusting his glasses. The rest of the class was shocked by his obvious lie.
"Oh, nevermind then." Oichi was as always a stalwart in ignoring such strange things. "Go take your seat." Ichigo looked more than a little concerned at seeing his injured arms.
'I'm not getting involved in that.' She thought turning back to write on the chalkboard.
"Don't feel guilty Ichigo, It's not your fault." Rukia covered her mouth with a book and told him. "His injuries were caused by his actions, not yours."
"I-I'm not worried." Ichigo lied. "Oh, who said anything about worrying." Rukia teased, "I just said to not pay it any mind."
"Fu, fu, fu, fu, fu." Rukia chuckled behind her book.
"You!" Ichigo hissed at her.
Ichigo looked away from Rukia and pretended to ignore her, Rukia stopped chuckling and her face dropped from the smile she had into a look of pure melancholy which Ichigo just barely perceived but he didn't want to bring that up to her in class where people could listen in.
"Hey, I saw Ishida yesterday!" Keigo whispered to Mizuiro right behind Ichigo whose shoulders tensed up at hearing it. "I saw him in the park, he was shouting and acting all dramatic."
'Ah, a dangerous person was there.' Ichigo wiped some sweat from his forehead as he hunched forward. 'I need to be a lot more careful if that idiot was around.'
"It must have been an acting troupe or something because some strange-looking uncle turned up along with two kids who had strange-looking props." Keigo whispered to Mizuiro.
"He must want to be an actor or something." Mizuiro whispered back.
'Aaah, thank you, God, that an idiot like Keigo was the one who saw.' Ichigo silently prayed.
"Did he get into a fight?" The whispers for the other students started right away.
"Ishida! No way!"
"I think he must have got involved in something!"
"Why don't you go ask him?"
"No way! I don't wanna do that."
While all the whispering was going on, Chad, Orihime and Tatsuki were lost in their respective thoughts as the decision they had to make weighed heavily.
Orihime glanced over at Ishida who was studying then over to Ichigo who was glancing at Rukia, finally, her gaze went to Tatsuki whose own eyes were zeroed in on Ichigo's back with an indecipherable look in her eyes.
'So that was what Ichigo was dealing with.' She thought reflecting on the boy she knew, who used to call her Tatsuki-chan and the teenager she was friends with now who put up walls around his heart never allowing anyone to get close.
'Although...' Tatsuki looked over to Rukia who was watching the teacher but not paying attention.
Ichigo was also not paying attention and instead was thinking about what Rukia told him about the Quincy the night before, she had never mentioned them before and he had no idea that the Ishida family was involved in this strange world of Hollows and Shinigami.
"So are you gonna give me an explanation about the Quincy?" Ichigo was sitting at his desk. He looked tired but determined, the physical and spiritual toll was showing on his body but even so, he remained resolute.
"Yes." Rukia nodded looking solemn, "Of course, I will."
Ichigo turned to face her properly as she sat on his bed and looked haunted for lack of a better term, he had never seen her like that before even during and after his encounter with the Grand Fisher.
It struck Ichigo that Rukia really was so much older than him as her beautiful violet eyes shone with age, regret and a certain tiredness that only those who have lived a long time have.
"The Quincy." Rukia began after a moment. "Were or I suppose are a spiritually aware race of Humans who have the ability to fight Hollows and Shinigami." She grabbed her usual pens and paper and began to draw. "It is these abilities that brought them into conflict with we Shinigami."
'They still look so bad.' Ichigo thought with his eye twitching. Though he had long since learnt to keep such thoughts to himself.
"In the past Shinigami were called Balancers, as their primary duty was to maintain the cycle of Souls, in other words, the number of Souls within the Human World and the Soul Society must remain equal." She had drawn a see-saw that was balanced with a Shinigami in the centre, Souls on the left side and Humans on the right. "If this balance is not maintained then it would lead to the collapse of both worlds which will result in mutual destruction!"
"Mutual destruction!" Ichigo was taken aback by the sudden topic of the world ending.
"Yes." Rukia sighed as she began another drawing.
"A Shinigami must regulate the Souls in both worlds, so the main duties are when Souls that are released from Soul Society are watched over and are born as living things in this world." Rukia drew a basic diagram of the cycle and presented it to Ichigo. "Souls that die in this world are sent to the Soul Society and this includes Hollows as well, this is the most important duty of the Shinigami even more than cleansing Hollows."
"This duty was imparted to the Shinigami thousands of years ago and the Soul Society know the weight of Souls and as such, we can make adjustments to maintain the balance, however then the Quincy's appeared in the Human World and the problems began because of a single effect Quincy's have on the world."
"What's that?" Ichigo asked curiously, though he wanted to ask a lot more such as just who imparted the duty of regulating Souls to the Shinigami in the first place?
"Quincy's completely annihilate Hollows including their Souls!" Rukia revealed a comical drawing of a Hollow being shot with arrows by a Quincy-racoon. "That means that the Hollows' Soul as well as the Souls that the Hollow has devoured are completely extinguished so they do not go to the Soul Society, and that creates an imbalance of Souls between both worlds."
"This phenomenon would result in Souls favouring the Human World and cause Soul Society to spill over into this world, a chaos which mixes life and death together." Rukia was very solemn now not even drawing to explain. "In other words the end of the world."
"Oh." Ichigo didn't know how to react to this revelation.
"In the beginning, the Shinigami attempted appealing to the Quincy to leave the cleansing of Hollows to the Shinigami however the Quincy refused any attempts at co-operation and eventually the order came down." Rukia was very grim now.
"What order Rukia?" Ichigo asked though he had a very good idea about it.
"The extermination of the Quincy." Rukia said. "The Quincy were growing in number and killing more and more Hollows, the cycle of Souls began to breakdown and as such the decision was made to cull the Quincy to save the world which was heading towards destruction."
"Damn it!" Ichigo swore as he turned back to his desk with a frown.
"That's the reason why I never brought them up, we've only ever heard about Quincy through history textbooks." Rukia revealed. "I never would have thought that there would be Quincy left in the Human World."
Silence filled the room after Rukia finished talking. Ichigo was looking at his wall with a pensive look on his face while Rukia was watching Ichigo with a worried frown and shining eyes.
"I don't see how that has anything to do with me and Uryu." Ichigo finally spoke. "Uryu's not the type to care about that kind of stuff so there has to be another reason for it."
"Then why do you suppose he confronted you?" Rukia asked curiously.
"I don't know but I'll get answers out of him tomorrow." Ichigo then grinned. "Even if I have to beat them out of him."
"Ichigo." Rukia shook her head but there was a smile on her face. 'He can be so bullheaded.'
"Are you okay?" Ichigo swapped topics, now staring at her.
"What?" Rukia was confused by the sudden question.
"You've been acting strange." Ichigo pointed out. "I've noticed it."
'Why do you have to be sharp when I don't want you to.' Rukia complained mentally before composing her response.
"You fought a Menos Grande today, those Hollows are only supposed to be fought by Captains or Vice-Captain Shinigami." Rukia lied. "I had never seen one before, so to watch you injure it." She stopped here.
"It was a shock, to say the least." She finished after a moment.
"Oh." Ichigo made a stupid noise. "Well whatever, I needed to fight it so I did what I had to."
'You shouldn't have been fighting at all, if not for me you would have had a normal life.' Rukia kept such dark thoughts to herself.
'She's not telling me everything.' Ichigo noticed the dark look in her eyes right away. 'But I can't push her now.'
Ichigo sighed loudly and leaned back in his chair, slumping over. "I think I just need a good night's rest and I'll be fine."
Rukia looked at Ichigo as he stretched, her eyes had a deeply sorrowful look in her violet eyes.
Ichigo shook himself out of his memories as Miss Oichi ended the lesson and people began to stand up for lunch break.
"IIIIICCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIGGGGGGOOOOOOO !" Keigo shouted and twirled his way over to Ichigo's desk holding his lunch.
"Do you want to go eat lunch?" Keigo asked stopping right in front of his desk.
"Yeah sure." Ichigo agreed easily. "Sure but how about we find someone new to join us today."
"Find who!?" Keigo asked loudly.
Ichigo stood up and walked right over to Ishida's desk. "Uryu, let's eat lunch together."
"EEEEHHHH! Why Ishida?" Keigo gasped. "Why someone who looks so boring? Is it the bandages?"
"I don't want to." Ishida shot back standing up.
"Don't say that." Ichigo crossed his arms. "Keigo's treating."
"..." Ishida stopped for a few seconds. "Then let's go eat." He adjusted his glasses which gleamed as the light caught them.
"You greedy person!" Keigo recoiled.
Soon enough the four boys found themselves on the roof eating their lunches together in a semi-circle, Ichigo, Mizuiro, Ishida and Keigo. Chad had declined to join them today.
Unfortunately for a happy soul like Keigo, there was a heavy atmosphere hanging over all of them.
'Such a bad atmosphere.' Keigo complained mentally as he took a bite out of his sandwich. 'It's not fun at all.'
"Oy Keigo." Ichigo said suddenly and got his attention. "Say some jokes to lighten us up."
'That's cruel Ichigo! You can't put it all on me to get rid of this!' Keigo was like a statue.
'God this atmosphere sucks, maybe I should have just caught Uryu after lunch.' Ichigo thought as he took a drink of juice.
"Ichigo." Ishida started speaking though his tone was flat as always. "Why did you invite me to eat today? Was it because of my injuries?"
"If so then you're wrong to do so, your feelings really trouble me." He said but there was an edge to his tone that even Mizuiro noticed.
"You talk too much." Ichigo complained. "I only did it because I'm in a good mood."
"I didn't invite you because I like it, you should be glad that someone invited you at all. "Ichigo shot back. "You should be thanking me."
"Who's gonna thank you, I prefer eating alone." Ishida retorted.
"I enjoy that as well, you should face the other way." Ichigo didn't back down.
'How funny is it that those two are so similar.' Mizuiro thought watching them with interest, he had noticed that they were on a first-name basis with each other not even bothering to use honorifics as well.
'Just how close are you two?' Mizuiro decided to keep a closer eye on the two from now on.
After all of them had finished eating Ichigo dragged Ishida away while shooing off Mizuiro and Keigo claiming he had to talk to Ishida about something private. Keigo assumed it was about the bandages but Mizuiro was far more suspicious but he went anyway.
"So are you gonna tell me why?" Ichigo didn't bother beating around the bush and addressed Ishida directly.
"Is this why you invited me to eat today? To make sure we had a chance to talk?" Ishida asked him as he adjusted his glasses.
"Partially." Ichigo admitted.
"Very well, I'll tell you everything but first I have a question for you." Ishida stood straight while Ichigo leaned against the fencing that went around the entire school roof.
"Do you remember Grandfather?" Ishida asked softly.
"Ishida-Oji!" Ichigo vaguely recalled the face of a kind old man with glasses.
"Yes, he was my Sensei." Ishida revealed.
"He was a Quincy!" Ichigo stood straight from that revelation.
"Of course." Ishida confirmed.
"Uryu what happened?" Ichigo's old memories were coming back now that he was forced to remember them. "I remember a funeral and after that we stopped seeing each other at all, even, even after Mom died I still remember going to your home for a while."
"Sensei, Grandfather died in front of my eyes." Ishida revealed to Ichigo's shock.
"What!?" Ichigo couldn't believe his ears.
"Sensei was a very kind man, he believed that it was wrong that the Quincy ignored the Shinigami." Ishida was thinking about those happy times.
"Rukia told me about the Quincy extermination." Ichigo said with a sad tone.
"I don't care about something that happened all those years ago." Ishida waved that off right away which confirmed Ichigo's feeling that their little competition was about something else.
Ichigo remained silent and waited for his cousin to continue.
"Sensei had a belief that Shinigami and Quincy could work together to protect people from Hollows, as the last remaining Quincy he remained under strict surveillance so he always had contact with Shinigami." Ishida explained.
"He always advocated the idea of the Quincy fighting Hollows first to contain them so a Shinigami can come and cleanse it, in peacetime the Shinigami's response to Hollow attacks was sluggish and Sensei said that it would be better for all if a Quincy who was already in the Human World to engage the Hollow to stop it devouring Souls." Ishida's hand shook as he continued talking while Ichigo listened and watched in silence.
"But the reply from the Shinigami was always the same, 'Don't interfere in our work.' That is what they said to him." His voice began angrier as lightning flashed through his eyes.
"And then one day while we were training, Sensei was attacked by five Huge Hollows, without the Shinigami to help him Sensei had to fight alone. The Shinigami as always were late in helping him, two hours that was one hour after Sensei died fighting the Hollows." Ishida's voice cracked for but a moment before he forced his emotions back under control.
"In the end the Shinigami never acknowledged Sensei, they never listened to him and his ideals failed to reach them. If the Shinigami just listened, if they acknowledged the strength of the Quincy then maybe they could have helped sooner." Ishida turned to Ichigo for the first time since he began speaking.
"Then maybe Sensei wouldn't have died."
"Do you understand now Ichigo, why I had to prove my strength to you a Shinigami" Ishida asked him with a look of steel.
Ichigo was quiet as he absorbed the information, a cold wind blew through the roof and made both boys shiver but they remained on the roof staring at each other.
"I do but Uryu, Ishida-Oji's wish, your Sensei's wish wasn't to prove the strength of the Quincy." Ichigo finally spoke. "His wish was for the Shinigami and Quincy to fight together, to work together for the sake of the world! Wasn't it?"
"Ah!" Ishida made a noise Ichigo had never heard from him before. "I'll have to think about that."
"I'm sorry that Ishida-Oji died because of that but remember Uryu, I'm not a Shinigami I'm a Human." Ichigo told him before leaving.
Uryu stood there left with his thoughts and after a while, he shook his head with a smile and left the roof.
With Rukia
Rukia after all but fleeing the classroom had gone outside and jumped up into a tree branch to have some time to herself.
'The Menos should have triggered a response from the SRDI by now.' Rukia thought as she looked at the roof where she could see Ichigo and Uryu who were finally talking.
'A Vice-Captain should be on their way here now and they will be looking for me, I can't go on anymore. I've falsified my reports but I've gone over my mission time which means they will think I'm AWOL.' Rukia brooded on her circumstances not too dissimilar to Ichigo himself.
'No doubt their orders will be to investigate the appearance of a Menos-class Hollow and my disappearance. I don't have any time left.' She had realised this the moment the Menos appeared but it was only now that it was truly sinking in.
"Oh! There she is!" A cheerful voice said from below her.
"Heeeeey!" A girl called out to Rukia. "Kuchiki-saaaan!"
"Oh!" Rukia let out a little noise of surprise and looked down to see the girls of 1-A. Orihime, Tatsuki, Michiru, Chizuru, Ryo and Mahana. She was secretly thankful that she had memorised the Class roll call to avoid any awkward situations.
"Do you want to eat lunch with us today?" Mahana asked her.
"Oh my, of course." Rukia slipped into the cheerful mask she had created and jumped down from the tree, impressing those around her.
"Wow! You're pretty athletic Kuchiki-san." Michiru said looking impressed.
"Ah, yes I like exercising to keep healthy." Rukia technically did not lie as fitness for a Shinigami was a very important factor in keeping healthy to not get killed by Hollows.
The girls quickly found a nice spot nearby to sit down and eat their lunches together. Rukia found herself in a circle with the other girls as they began taking out their food, Rukia had bought a juice and decided to sip before eating.
"So Kuchiki-san do you like Ichigo!" Mahana asked bluntly which made Rukia spew the juice out.
"What?" She reached for a napkin and dabbed at her mouth and chin.
"Well, we were all wondering about your relationship with Ichigo." Mahana pressed on.
"Relationship? He's just a friend." Rukia answered looking frazzled.
"Mahana! How can you ask her so bluntly!" Michiru scolded her, coming to Rukia's defence.
"What are you talking about? You guys were curious so I asked." Mahana answered showing her blunt nature.
"I-I'm not curious about that!" Michiru refuted.
"You would say that." Chizuru muttered.
"Oh yeah, I forgot you hated Ichigo." Tatsuki remembered.
"You do?" Orihime turned to Michiru who was blushing now.
"N-no it's not that I hate him." Michiru waved her arm. "It's just I find his face a bit scary looking!" She admitted.
"I don't care about you guys and your interests!" Chizuru exploded and grabbed Orihime. "You guys have nothing to do with Ichigo and Rukia's private matters! The only ones who should be concerned are me and Orihime!"
"Why you and Orihime?" Tatsuki asked her with a frown.
"Isn't it obvious? Because if Rukia stakes a claim on Ichigo then I can stake my claim on Orihime and there's nothing between us anymore!" Chizuru announced proudly.
"So fight Rukia!" Chizuru grabbed her hand. "I'll cheer you on!"
"Well, what is your relationship with Ichigo?" Mahana ignored Chizuru and asked her directly. "Ever since you arrived you've been hanging around him, so what exactly are you guys to each other?"
"Ichigo and I are just friends." Rukia answered with a fake smile.
'Whether I like him or hate him, it's all so troublesome; love, companionship, friendship and relationships are nothing but trouble.' She thought as she fended off further questions.
"Really?" Michiru asked.
"Yes." Rukia confirmed.
"No love affair at all?" Mahana asked again.
"Yes." Rukia repeated.
"Ahhhhh! Orihime-chan! Let's not worry about that!" Chizuru returned to form and began to fawn over Orihime.
Tatsuki of course moved instantly to intercept Chizuru and both the girl reverted to their usual shenanigans when it came to Orihime while Rukia watched on.
'The time is coming when I have to leave, the time when I have to cut myself off from all of them.' She watched as Tatsuki began to stomp at Chizuru who was reaching towards Orihime's breasts.
'Truly, love, companionship and friendship are troublesome.' Rukia thought as a smile came to her face as she watched the interactions between friends.
'Shinigami should not have these feelings.'
After-school
The rest of the school day went quickly as there were no big disruptions and most of the students seemed eager to get through the day as fast as possible. Ichigo and Rukia of course ended up beginning to walk home together. They were not talking or arguing instead there was a serene tranquillity between the both of them.
"Rukia." Ichigo spoke up disrupting the easy peace that lay between the two of them.
"Yes." She turned to face Ichigo who was looking at something in the distance.
"Let's go get something." Ichigo said. "I don't want to go home yet."
"Why?" Rukia asked if this was a disruption to their usual routine.
"I just don't feel like going home yet." Ichigo gave a non-answer.
"Okay, where are you thinking of visiting?" She asked him curiously.
"There's a small cafe near here, I was thinking of going there." Ichigo pointed to a nearby shop.
"Very well." Rukia nodded and followed his lead.
They went in and Rukia found it very comfortable and inviting, the seats were made of wood that reminded Rukia of the Soul Society through the cushions were far more comfortable. Ichigo told her to find a seat while he made their order to the owner who seemed to know Ichigo by name.
Rukia found a nice table with two chairs right by the window, though she noticed that the windows were tinted and she recognised that it was to allow the diners their privacy from people looking in from the outside.
'The Human World has been fascinating to be a part of, but it is not my world.' She thought gloomily watching the passers-by go about their day
"Here's yours." Ichigo's voice brought Rukia out of her thoughts as he placed a very nice-smelling drink in front of her.
"Ah! This is that Hot Chocolate isn't it?" Rukia asked as she brought the drink in front of her, holding it with both hands.
"Yeah, it is." Ichigo answered sitting down with his drink.
"I must admit this is a delicious beverage." Rukia said with a smile as she took a sip.
"I'm glad you enjoy it." Ichigo said drinking from his cup.
"I got some cookies as well, they came free with the drinks." Ichigo pointed out the sweets on a small plate, placed in the middle of the table.
'How did I not notice those?' Rukia thought as she picked on up. The Soul Society had these kinds of sweets but due to her duties and background, she had never eaten many.
Ichigo wordlessly picked one up and took a bite out of it and let out a small hum of pleasure. "Great as always." He commented.
Rukia agreed with the sentiment as she took a bite. "Hm, delicious!" She was pleased with the taste.
Ichigo watched Rukia out of the corner of his eye as he appeared to be looking out of the window.
'Good she seems a little happier now.' Ichigo thought as he watched her delight in the treats he bought.
'I suppose it's true you need sweets to cheer a girl up.' Ichigo reflected on the advice his Dad gave him. Most of it was bullshit but it seems that occasionally he had good advice to give regarding girls.
Ichigo and Rukia sat together in comfortable silence and enjoyed their drinks and cookies together.
'This is nice.' Ichigo thought as he looked back at Rukia who was eating the cookies with relish.
Unknown to Ichigo later in the day above Karakura Town the harbingers arrived through Sengoku Era doors and hovered above looking down at the Human world. Their appearance marked the end of the days of relative peace that Ichigo had found as a Substitute Shinigami.
And set events in motion that would shake the Soul Society to its core.
Urahara Shop
Jinta and Ururu were doing their usual chore of sweeping the front of the shop but their routine was interrupted when a black cat appeared with a long object strapped across its body.
"Ah! Owner!" Tessai called out on seeing the cat. "Yoruichi-san has arrived!"
The shop doors slid open and Urahara appeared with a jaunty smile. "Yoruichi-saaaaaaaaan!" He called out happily and picked the cat up.
"What's with Owner and that cat?" Jinta asked confused watching him swing the cat around.
"Yoruichi-san is a dear friend of the Owner." Tessai answered.
"A cat for a friend?" Jinta looked at Tessai. "That's pitiful." He snickered at his boss.
"Back to the work now." Tessai urged him as Urahara walked past the three of them with Yoruichi held in his arms.
"Was it difficult?" He asked as soon as he got inside the shop and shut the door behind him.
"Yes, it was." Yoruichi answered plainly as Urahara took the package off her back.
"Getting this was vital for the plan, so thank you Yoruichi-san." Urahara thanked her genuinely.
"Don't thank me yet, they're on their way." She replied.
"I know." Urahara's eyes were shadowed as he said this turning the package over in his hands.
"I do hope that it will play out the way you've planned." Yoruichi admitted as she jumped from Urahara's arms.
"Which way?" He asked back sardonically. "I've made multiple plans up for this situation."
"One where Ichigo lives and is healthy would be preferable otherwise you'd have to deal with Isshin." Yoruichi fired back.
"Me too." Urahara looked outside as he felt a shift in the air.
"They're here." Yoruichi said grimly.
Above Karakura Town
A Senkaimon appeared high in the sky above Karakura and when the wooden doors slid open two black butterflies flew out followed by two figures clad in black.
Two Shinigami whose appearance marked the beginning of events that many had planned for years in advance.
"Our objective is to capture the subject or kill her if the situation proves untenable." One spoke out with a deep male voice, who had a shockingly pure white haori over their black Shinigami robes which created a large contrast. "Consult the Compass Scroll."
"Che, It's not functioning properly, that's not right." The other spoke with annoyance, he was dressed in the standard Shinigami Shihakusho with the only difference being high-tech-looking goggles on his forehead.
"So, where are you Kuchiki Rukia?" That same figure asked as they adjusted the goggles on their face.
AN:
Chapter 23 bit of a slow one if I'm honest but I hope you all enjoyed it and look forward to 24.
I honestly can't wait to get to the Soul Society Arc, but I've always felt that the Substitute Shinigami Arc is really important for the setup to it. There's a lot that's foreshadowed here that pops up later in the series.
Next Chapter 24: The Storm