Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo and Bungou Stray Dogs belongs to Kafka Asagiri.
AN: Sorry for some bad grammar, English is not my first language and I post this without beta-read HEHE. Also, this is a blanket permission for anyone who want to adopt, translate, or expand this story. Just tag this story (and me) so I can read them! (:
The day when everything went to hell was started out normal enough.
Ichigo and Chuuya were now seventeen years old, on their last year of high school and already knew what they want to do after graduation. Chuuya wants to get a degree in Sociology, while Ichigo will go to Med School. Chuuya already talked to the President of Armed Detective Agency –which was very nerve wrecking– and he's going to be an Intern on his second semester, after he got settled as college student, and hopefully manage to become a full-time Detective after he graduate university.
They study diligently, have separated group of friends even when they still gravitated towards each other, still fought some thugs, still spar on the weekends, still got pulled into weird shenanigans by Shinigami and Arrancar alike. Ichigo talked to Orihime, Uryuu, and Chad every now and then even though it was weird to see his close friends all grown up and nearly 40 while he's still in high school. Yuzu brought her wife and their adopted daughter twice a month, Karin brought her boyfriend home for dinner every time the man came to Japan.
Life is good. Life is peaceful in a way seventeen year old Ichigo of the past never experience.
So when shit hits the fan, Ichigo was unprepared.
School's done for the day. They walked the long way home because it has become a habit to walk around the town aimlessly, and sometimes, Chuuya will take Ichigo's hand and they'll fly around. But today, they went to another side of town because Ichigo saw a clustered of ghosts of nearly every age –which was weird and unusual– walk aimlessly yet fearfully. Of course they followed the ghosts.
The following-the-ghost is not unusual for them. Ichigo still can't help but interact with them, especially children. They usually text the coordination to either Urahara or Shinigami-in-charge-of-Karakura-of-the-month for konso, so they didn't hesitate to follow the ghosts.
Which was their first mistake.
Their second mistake was not stealthy enough because as soon as they round the corner and entered some shady but deserted from the outside warehouse –why was it always shady warehouse– they were surrounded by men in black with guns.
Their third mistake was revealing Chuuya's Ability.
(But seriously, when dozens of men open fire at you… it's an instinct to just stop the bullet midair, ok?)
"Call Urahara for backup!" Chuuya yelled at his twin while trying to bend all the gun pointed at them so their attacker can't use them.
Ichigo furiously tried to call the Shopkeeper while keeping one eye on the fighting around him. He block some and kick some, but the call didn't get through.
"Not connected!"
"Fuck!" Chuuya spat some blood from a lucky punch some goon landed on his cheek. He kicked some men and threw another one above his shoulder. Another gun went off and this time, Chuuya is too preoccupied to use his Ability so he dodge. Fortunately, it didn't hit him. Unfortunately, it graze his twin's shoulder.
"Ichi-nii!"
Chuuya became more frantic, using his Ability so instinctively, more smoothly than during sparring but also more erratic. Ichigo saw his twin becoming more reckless, cussed more before trying to call Urahara again.
And then four Ability Users appeared.
One looked so smug, two looked bored, and one looked so excited. The smug one opened his mouth and spiel about how his Ability block every signal in this warehouse. The excited one threw lightning at him, which Chuuya dodged. Chuuya exchange a glance with Ichigo, and while that one person still talk and talk, Ichigo immediately ran outside.
They knew the only person capable to at least keep up with the Ability Users are Chuuya. Ichigo will do what he can do and get some help.
"Pick up, pick up," muttered Ichigo while putting his phone on his ear. He's only a few steps away from the warehouse' front door so he can still hear the fight inside resume.
Then the air around him becoming heavy and dark, like some Arrancar arrived here. But no, it didn't feel like Arrancar, or even hollow…
And then, the screaming and sounds of glass breaking fills his ears, just a second before his calls connected.
"Good afternoon, this is Urahara Shoten–"
"Getaboushi!" Ichigo snap to the phone while hastily take a few steps toward the door. "Track this phone, need backups. Four Ability Users and dozens of men with guns."
"–be there in a few."
"Good–"
And then Ichigo finally saw what happened inside.
"–CHUUYA!"
Chuuya sighed in relief when his brother finally ran outside. When he saw not one, not two, but four Ability Users, he knew he needed to use… that.
The 'final form' of his Ability, when he can accessed the power of Arahabaki. Paul Verlaine, after telling him about his own backstory and the reason why he (and after some cajoling and threat, Rimbaud too) decided to free Chuuya and Ichigo, had warned him about Corruption. He only use them twice, each for less than ten minutes, and twice he nearly died if not for a fact that his partner, Arthur Rimbaud, manage to sedate him with so much tranquilization they can bring down a few elephants.
Chuuya prayed Urahara and anyone he brought as backup has something similar.
Yeah.
Hopefully.
Chuuya swerved right when one of the Ability User (Produce blue fire? What the fuck?) nearly hit him and instead got shot in the shoulder, and then use his ability to bring down some part of the warehouse' purlin to the men below it.
Fuck he's losing too much blood.
Fine. He'll use it.
(He can feel Arahabaki's power crawled under his skin, impatient to be used.)
The chant fell from his lips easily even when it's his first time; like they're eager to be spoken.
"O, Grantors of Dark Disgrace! You need not wake me again."
Chuuya can hear shouts of alarm and fear from the people surround him. He grin viciously, already starting to lose his mind to Arahabaki. His vision started to lose focus, and filled the edge with vicious red.
He can feel power beneath his fingers, itched to be used. Finally able to be used.
The air pressure around him changes. He can feel his school uniform ripped apart by the force of his power.
A huge black ball formed on his hand. He tossed it to his left.
Maniac laugh left his mouth.
So much power.
(Arahabaki has taken over his body. His last thought is that he hope his brother stays far away from him until backup arrived.)
This is the first time Kisuke heard his former student yelled like that, with voice full of horror and desperation.
"Orihime-san, Kuchiki-taicho, Hitsugaya-taicho, follow me." Kisuke only told them this much, but the people around them understood.
It's very fortunate that today, nearly all people who know Ichigo in his previous life decided to throw a late birthday party to the two orange-haired twins. They have backups to spare.
(They, or the Shinigami, may not be able to hurt humans. But Kisuke can be creative when motivated. And when it involved Ichigo and Chuuya, Kisuke is very motivated.)
They immediately shunpo to a location where Kisuke can feel Ichigo's reiatsu, with Orihime hanged on Kuchiki Rukia. But there's also… something else in the air. Something dark, oppressive, powerful, but didn't feel like Shinigami, Hollow, or even Arrancar.
Something old.
Kisuke found himself behind Ichigo with his companions behind him. Just as he want to ask Ichigo what was going on, a maniac laughter fills his ears and he steps quickly to the warehouse' door.
His training as an Onmitsukidō stops him from reacting, but he can hear gasps from his companions.
There, in a middle of what used to be a warehouse, is Chuuya. He's standing in a middle of crate, the ground around him was in shambles with cracks, boulders, and steel bars. There's foreign blood red markings on his arms and face, his uniform was in tatterns, and there's blood everywhere. He can see bodies around Chuuya –must be the bad guy– and the last man standing is already half dead. The near-dead man threw a lightning bold to Chuuya, but the teenager only laugh maniacally and threw a big black sphere that… consume everything.
"Fuck, he can't hear me," Ichigo whispered, paling drastically especially when Chuuya coughed some blood but still laughing maniacally.
"He can't stop?"
Ichigo shakes his head. "No. Fuck, he's losing too much blood!"
Kisuke's brain start searching for something, anything to stop the teenager in front of him. The orange-haired boy threw another black spheres randomly, with no specific targets… just pure, chaotic destruction.
"Hitsugaya-taicho, try to stop him with your ice. Kuchiki-taicho, hit him with your strongest Kudo to sedate him with me. Orihime-san, stand by and heal him immediately after Chuuya-kun passed out."
The other three nodded their consent to the plan, while Ichigo still watch his brother with fear on his eyes.
Another blood-vomit.
"Now!"
In the end, it only took seconds for them to subdued Chuuya. Just after the boy passed out and the markings around his arms and face disappear, Orihime quickly go to work while Kisuke half watching the procedure and half trying to make sense what was going on.
"Four Ability Users, dozens of men with gun," he murmured to himself. From the quick count of the bodies around him, there's around forty people. What was going on?
Some souls went straight to hell… definitely criminals. Hitsugaya-taicho managed to konso the other souls, so there's another problem he didn't need to think about.
After a few minutes, the power he can feel from Orihime trickled down. Kisuke inwardly sighed in relief.
"He's good to be moved?" Kuchiki-taicho asked the orange-haired woman.
"Um! There's some internal bleeding on Chuuya-kun but I'm able to heal them. He needs rest."
Thanking the woman, Ichigo watched his twin pensively, likely wanting to shake the twin awake and asking what the hell that was.
Kisuke has an inkling, and it's not… pretty.
By the time they came back to the Shoten, the others already puttering around in impatience and nearly-panicky. It didn't help when they came with Chuuya drenched in red blood that sparks a panic and generally useless chained of reactions. In the end, Isshin and Ishida Uryuu as the actual doctors for human checked on the youngest Kurosaki, and after nearly half an hour, told the anxious people on the living room that Chuuya is (arguably) fine and need rest.
Three quarters of the people there went back to Soul Society with the promise of update for Chuuya's health.
They may started out as Ichigo's friends, but after all these years, Chuuya managed to charm them too with what others called as 'Kurosaki's Charisma'. It was hilarious, especially because everyone automatically think Chuuya as part of Kurosaki. As family.
"So many people are worried about you, Chu," Ichigo whispered to his slumbered twin. "Get well soon."
Chuuya keeps on sleeping.
Two days later, Ichigo told Isshin and Urahara about what happened, the last two person outside Tessai who stays on the Shoten. The ghosts, the men with guns, the Ability Users, the blocked phone, how he only went outside for less than two minutes but it's enough for Chuuya to starts wrecking shits.
"He's definitely your twin," Isshin told his son, "got your penchant of property destruction."
Ichigo punched his father in the head before sulking back to his twin's room in the Shoten. Urahara and Isshin watched him quietly.
"You knew."
Urahara waved his fan. "Not quiet. I believe this time only Chuuya-kun knew the specif."
Isshin sighed. He thought after what happened in Ichigo's first life, he's more than prepared for anything his sons did. He thought wrong.
Ability Users? God's vessel?
Even after being 'human' for nearly four decades, he's still not used to the world around him.
"Chuuya's awake!"
The two Shinigami quickly got up and walk to the room dubbed as 'Chuuya's Room'. Ichigo, already besides his twin, holding on a glass of water while Chuuya drank using a straw. After he finished, the younger tried to keep sitting up but after a few seconds –and how his arms can't stop shaking– he gave up and slid down slowly.
Ichigo keeps on scowling while the younger tried to look innocent.
"I'm sorry?"
"What was that?" Ichigo started, his voice oddly calm even when he's visibly upset. "You can't stop. Why?"
Ichigo and Chuuya stared at each other, never break the eye contact. Urahara and Isshin content with letting the twins take their time.
Finally, Chuuya sighed and looked away.
"It was called 'Corruption', the final form of my Ability."
Then, he told them how he always able to feel Arahabaki's power crawling under his skin. How those powers wants out out out but Chuuya always held on, never falter, never gave up. How he still in contact with Verlaine, who also has a God inside him. How Verlaine explain to him the way to channel those powers as last resort, literally last resort because human body cannot handle those kinds of power and he either use those power until someone stops him or he died.
"Verlaine used them twice before being sedated by his partner," Chuuya explained to a stony face Ichigo, completely ignoring the other two, "and both times he activated Corruption for less than ten minutes. How long…?"
"Seven to eight minutes," Ichigo told him, voice somber. "No other way to stop?"
"No unless there's someone with Ability to null other people's Abilities."
(Joke's on Chuuya, that person exist and will be the pain in his ass.)
"How to activate it?"
"A chant."
Ichigo nodded because it make sense. To activate shikai and bankai they also needed chants, so why not Ability?
"You still gonna use it?"
This time, Chuuya didn't meet his twin's eyes. "Yes. Last resort only, and only when I'm sure someone will be there to stop me."
A few seconds of silence, before the orange-haired boy whispered,
"It's frightening, nii-san. Losing my mind like that…"
Mindful of the way Chuuya's body still hurt and shaking, Ichigo pulled his twin into a hug. They keep whispering, voice so low Urahara and Isshin cannot hear them.
It's fine. They finally got their answer, now they need to move forward.
Urahara knows what his next project is going to be.
"Another phone, Getaboushi?"
Since Ichigo reappear, completely human if not for the fact that he has high reiatsu like before and sometimes able to communicate with his Zanpakuto, Urahara decided to make so many gadgets he could use as human.
Phone is definitely one of them.
The ex-Twelfth Captain waved his white fan. "Maa, there's upgrade of course, Ichigo-san!"
Ichigo squinted at the guilty look he can detected from the blonde. "Ok spill. Why do you look guilty and what's with the new phone?"
Outside, on the porch and unseen by the two, Chuuya smiled.
Urahara opened his fan to hide the lower part of his face. "You didn't need to charge them because they took energy from the reishi on the environment, the memory is nearly unlimited, it was waterproof, fire proof, and unbreakable unless you unleash a bankai directly on top of it, and you can definitely call someone on the Soul Society but this version' call can only last for thirty minutes."
Then, then Shopkeeper slid something. "This one is for Chuuya-kun."
"Thanks," Ichigo absentmindedly opened his new phone. "So I can contact anyone from anywhere?"
Urahara hummed in agreement. "I believe you can even call someone in Hell or Hueco Mundo."
"So no Ability can block the signal?"
"No, of course not!" the cheery tone of the Shopkeeper is definitely there.
Ichigo look at the Shopkeeper properly, before smiling that smile Chuuya knew without seeing only exist for the Shopkeeper.
"Thank you, Kisuke."
"Anything for my favorite student, Ichigo-san."
If they didn't get together after Ichigo graduate high school, Chuuya will do things.
Time to contact Yoruichi-san.
END… for now.
I decided to write a few short stories related to this universe because, surprise surprise, I actually got attach with this universe HEHE. See you soon!
