Chapter Thirty Four:
The rest of Ichigo's week in Karakura town passed peacefully, with no further intrusions from any Arrancar level Hollows, no further flashbacks to memories he would rather forget about, and a highly entertaining afternoon of introducing Byakuya to his childhood friends.
"Kurosaki-kun, you didn't say how beautiful your Taichou was the other night!" Orihime had cornered him in the kitchen once the introductions were set to bed with the promise of tea.
"Did I not?" He had smirked to himself at her flushed expression, "It does seem that stoic, dark eyed men are your type, Orihime. I'd never have guessed."
She had snorted and slapped his arm playfully, but made no move to deny his claims as she made the tea, simply shooting him a mischievous grin as she passed him, "Though, something tells me that even if I were a single lady, I wouldn't stand a chance. He clearly only has eyes for you."
"Perhaps." Was the only answer he had dignified her with at the time.
Now, as he sat on the rooftop of Urahara's store, looking up at the crescent moon and the flittering stars surrounding her, he found himself sinking into a deep sense of completion and contentment. He couldn't help but think how different his life was, how right it felt now that he had somewhere he belonged.
While he knew he could never return to a simple Human life, it was good to know more about where he'd come from, where it had all started. Although, in some senses it raised more questions. Why had his Shinigami father been living in Karakura town, was it because of Aizen like Kūkaku had suggested? Had his mother known what he was? He had an itching feeling that she probably would have known, but he had no way of knowing if that was blind wishful thinking.
They would be leaving in the morning, returning to Soul Society. He felt a strange sense of sadness, even though he knew he would be able to return and visit his friends. Sighing softly as he lowered his gaze just a little, he stared out over the other rooftops nearby and made a split second decision.
Sliding down from his seat, he hurried inside the store and disposed of his Gigai and hastily ran back out, not wanting to disturb the sleeping inhabitants.
Half walking, half running down the streets, he found his way back to the memorial garden. He nudged the gate open gently and closed it behind him, allowing the moment to envelop him as he accepted the weighty sense of grief that washed over him.
He had learned that Orihime was the one who came to tend to the flowers that grew there, never wanting the spirits of the departed to think they had been forgotten, she had planted a new flower for every year which had passed. It was a beautiful thought, one which warmed the mournful chill in his gut.
Sitting on the bench dedicated to the Kurosaki family, he allowed soft breaths to leave him as he calmed the aching in his heart. If he closed his eyes and thought hard enough, he could almost remember the house. Almost.
"I still don't know what happened, not really..." He said quietly, "Maybe I never will. Maybe that's my curse. But I think I can accept that a little more now. Even if there's barely a trace of us left here now, I found people that have never forgotten... That never will. At least that's something."
"Ya doin' okay, Aibou?"
"Surprisingly... Yeah, I think I am." He smiled faintly as he responded to Shiro's enquiry, "What about you? It must be weird being here right?"
"What do ya mean?"
"This is where you were made right? That night?"
"Mm." The Hollow's response was almost too soft to hear, "I'm glad ya came back here. Found a part of yer past. I hope it brings ya some peace."
"What the fuck happened to you, huh? You've gone from trying to kill me and take over my powers to almost sounding happy for me."
"Shut up, brat. Just be grateful." There was no real anger in his voice, just mild amusement, "I spent a long time wantin' to be the King. Only to realise that... It might be better this way."
Ichigo nodded slightly at his words, acknowledging them, "Thanks."
"Come here, Aibou." Shiro's voice was suddenly very much alive and real beside him on the bench.
Eyes flashing to his albino doubles' face in surprise, he blinked once and raised a questioning eyebrow, "What... You can just pop out at will now?"
"More or less. Takes quite a bit of energy but I can manage it." The Hollow shrugged, getting to his feet slowly, "Seems to me that this place could do with a personal touch... Somethin' to make sure yer always here... At least in part."
Confused, but following him, he allowed his Inner Hollow to guide him the corner of the memorial garden, there was a bare patch of dirt there which seemed barren of flowers and life, a single patch where nothing seemed capable of growing.
"I know ya ain't good at controllin' yer reiatsu so yer gonna have to trust me to do if for ya." The albino crouched in front of the dirt, gesturing for him to come closer.
"What are you doing?" The strawberry asked, frowning faintly as he knelt beside him.
Instead of answering straight away, Shiro gently grabbed Ichigo's hands and guided them to the dirt, pressing them palm down. The soil was cold under his touch, but began to warm up the longer he remained in contact with it.
"What are you doing, Shiro?" He asked again, tilting his head.
Gold eyes flitted to chestnut, "I'm gonna channel our reiatsu, temper it, control it, and create somethin' new from it. It's... Hard to do, especially when only one of us can control it properly. But... It'll be worth it. Just trust me and concentrate."
Giving a small nod of acknowledgement, Ichigo fell silent, inhaling and exhaling slowly as he tried to make his reiatsu as pliable as possible for his counterpart to use. He could feel the gentle tug of the Hollow manipulating his power, it was a peculiar and spine tingling sensation, he watched in amazement as Shiro's hands came to rest on top of his again, and together began to glow with a gentle amber tone.
The soil shifted under their fingers, twisting and moulding itself into something new, giving way to the sprout which was pushing itself up, prying its way to freedom, tendrils of green leafage springing to life as the buds opened themselves up to reveal warm orange tones of petals, glistening with a protective residue of reiatsu.
"What the..." Ichigo swallowed hard as he looked down at the flower they had created together, "How the..."
"Ya know all those blossom trees Byakuya has around his home?" The Hollow tilted his head, sitting back as if content with a good job done.
"Yeah, there are hundreds of them." He nodded once.
"This is how they were created. Nobles have this... Innate talent at manipulatin' their reiatsu to create new life. Yer shit at it, 'cause ya can't control yer own reiatsu. But with a nudge in the right direction... Ya can do it too." The Hollow rocked back onto his heels and smiled at the plant, "Now yer always gonna be here in some way."
"Shiro..." Ichigo swallowed thickly, cautiously brushing his fingers over the petals, he could sense his own reiatsu trickling through it, "Thank you."
"Don't get soft on me now, or I'll be forced to become King myself." The albino smirked softly but nudged his counterpart's shoulder mildly to show he was joking.
Snorting as he got to his feet, the Shinigami stretched and looked around, the moon was still high in the sky above them, casting delicate rays of flittering white light over the area, reflecting off surfaces and casting subtle shadows.
"Things are going to be different once we leave." Ichigo murmured as he started walking back down the street, sensing Shiro right behind him, "I'll have to go back to training for Bankai, back to my duties as a Third Seat, back to trying to make up for all the shit I've done."
"Mm, there's a definite sense of peace in the town. Like ya could stay forever and never worry." The Hollow mused, shoving his hands in his pockets as he matched the strawberry's pace and came to walk beside him.
"I'm going to make sure Orihime, Chad and Ishida can visit Soul Society sometime. I think Soul Passes are still a thing. I want them to see where I am now, who I am now." He smiled slightly, "Rukia will love 'Hime, and I imagine Renji will enjoy Chad's down to Earth personality. Ishida... Well... He doesn't like anyone really."
"Sounds like a good idea, Aibou."
Ichigo slowed as they turned the corner of the street, squinting up ahead he blinked as his gaze settled on a small soul that was huddled up beside a lamp post. He hurried forwards and bent down, smiling comfortingly at the little girl.
"Hey." He held a hand out, "Are you okay?"
She lifted her gaze, blinking with big eyes as she sniffled and accepted his help, "You can see me?" She asked.
His eyes fell to the Chain of Fate in the middle of her chest and he rested a hand on top of her head, ruffling her hair gently, "Of course. I'm a Shinigami."
"Shinigami?" She repeated, "Does that mean... You can help me? I've been stuck here for ages and... I keep having to hide from these monsters you see..."
Ichigo smiled a little, "I can help you with all of that. There's a wonderful place waiting for you, called Soul Society. You can be safe there, and enjoy the next stage of your life among other souls."
She seemed content with his offer and relaxed, clasping her hands tightly together as he drew his Zanpakutō and promptly stamped her forehead with the hilt, watching the soft glow emanate from her skin.
He stepped back as she sank into a pool of soft blue light, eyes following the Hell Butterfly that came after, watching as it fluttered away, Konsō complete. Sighing softly, he turned to Shiro who had been lingering out of the way.
"Let's head back." He murmured.
"That was yer first Konsō, wasn't it?" The Hollow asked as he followed.
"Yeah." Ichigo let out a puff, "It feels good to have helped someone like that."
The following morning, Urahara, Yoruichi, Byakuya and Ichigo ate breakfast together, they spoke little and seemed content to finish their meal. Byakuya and Ichigo were more than ready to return to Soul Society and catch up on their duties.
They headed into the underground training room Urahara had revealed to them at the start of the week and were surprised to find Orihime, Ishida and Chad already waiting for them, along side Kaida and Hotaru. Ichigo broke into a grin as Kaida broke free from her father's grasp and scrambled up into his arms instead, hugging him tightly around the neck.
"Good morning Ichi-ji!" She exclaimed happily, beaming at him.
"Good morning." He replied, chuckling softly as he balanced her on his hip, "I wasn't expecting you to be here."
"We had to come and say goodbye!" Orihime sounded almost exasperated, "There was no way we were going to let you disappear without a trace again, Kurosaki-kun."
"Indeed, she was most insistent." Ishida muttered, seemingly less bothered about the up coming departure.
As Urahara joined them, opening the Senkaimon between two of the larger rock formations in the room, Kaida and Hotaru released small gasps of surprise, while the other Humans in the room seemed both amazed and taken aback.
Ichigo glanced at the two children, he shouldn't have been surprised that they could see the opening, both Orihime and Ishida had fairly powerful reiatsu, it only made sense that their kids would as well. Kissing Kaida on the forehead before he passed her back to her Quincy father, he offered a wave.
"I'll see you soon. Make sure you take care of yourselves in the meantime!" He stepped up into the blinding light ahead of them and offered a hand out to his lover.
"Keep us updated on everything concerning Aizen. Kurosaki." Ishida nudged his glasses up his nose, "If his plans threaten Karakura in anyway, or you find yourself in need to extra assistance... We'll be here to help."
Shooting a look at Urahara, the strawberry pointed at him, "You'd better keep an eye on them."
"Of course, Kurosaki-san." The blond man merely tilted his hat slightly and offered a wide smile.
When the doors slid shut behind them, Ichigo and Byakuya made their way through the open passage, guided by two Hell Butterflies. Their fingers linked as they walked, offering a shy smile to one and other as the exit to Soul Society drew closer.
"I shall have to attend to my paperwork when we return, I am sure Renji has done his best to keep on top of it, but I have no doubt Rukia has distracted him in our absence." The noble hummed.
"I need to attend to my duties as well." He agreed, imagining a large pile of reports on his desk.
"You are welcome to join me at my private quarters tonight if you wish, I shall not be returning to the mansion until the weekend." There was an unspoken promise underneath the offer, one only confirmed by the slight twinkle in Byakuya's eyes.
Smirking faintly as he released his hand, Ichigo stepped out of the Senkaimon first, "I'd be honoured, Taichou."
Any response Byakuya may have been about to give, died on his lips as they were met by the sight of Norio's passive aggressive expression glaring across the courtyard at them. Byakuya's back stiffened slightly as he noticed the presence of two other Elders at his sides and tension rolled off him in waves.
"Well... That looks like a welcoming committee if ever I saw one." Ichigo huffed, cursing the Soul King for his timing.
"Your presence is requested by the Council of Elders." Norio's voice was as blunt as ever, "Along with Ichigo Kurosaki."
"Oh good, I'm invited too." The strawberry couldn't stop the sarcasm dripping from his tone.
The Kuchiki heir clenched his teeth, "I have things to attend to, I don't have time to-"
"It is mandatory." The Head Elder interrupted, "If you do not attend willingly, I will be forced to make you attend."
Ichigo glanced at his lover and Taichou, expecting to hear another protest, however as he saw a mixture of mild concern and annoyance on his face instead, he realised that a mandatory meeting wasn't something that could be avoided.
"Shiro... I don't suppose you fancy doing something useful?" He thought, following the Kuchiki family cautiously.
"Will it piss off that stuck up son-of-a-bitch?" Came the immediate answer.
"Probably."
"I'm game."
Ichigo smirked faintly, glancing to the side as he watched his albino counterpart slink away from them, disappearing into the shadows. He was done being pushed around by people who thought he was no better than dirt under their shoe. It was time he made a stand.
