No time to explain. Just enjoy a slightly longer chapter!
Part I
Rukia ignored the twinge of pain in her chest as she slipped on her walking shoes, a steadying hand on the school lockers. Yesterday's fight managed to leave quite the bruise.
(Not that today's fights were much better, of course. Her and Renji ended up taking out two Hollows before the final bell even rang.)
Still, she was determined for today to be good. She had her first day of training with the Visoreds, after all. Before, that, however…
Rukia took a quick left turn.
"Hey, we goin' somewhere?" Renji asked.
"Kukaku's," Rukia explained. "She said she had something for me to pick up."
"Oh," he said, stiffening slightly, "you did say that Paku's there nowadays, right?"
"Don't worry," she crooned with a smirk. "I'll protect you." His frown deepened.
The shop wasn't too far from the school, luckily. The two were at the front porch in no time, counting their blessings that the Combat Pass had stayed completely silent for the entire trip. Rukia opened the door, a small sigh of relief escaping her.
"Eyy, long time no see," Ganju said gazing over his copy of Shōnen Jump. "Big sis is out back."
"Thanks," Rukia said offhandedly.
"I should probably warn you, though. Her and Paku have been fighting something fierce. Enter at your own risk."
Then, as if timed perfectly a heavy thud sounded from the other side of the back door, Ganju flinching. The muffled sounds of yelling could be heard, and Rukia had to suppress a shudder.
She had a meeting to make, she reminded herself. There was no use in hiding behind this door. Gathering up her courage, she opened it, Renji shuffling in behind her. The yelled words quickly became clear.
"I want to go!" Paku whined loudly, back facing them. Her fist was currently embedded partially in the wall. Across from her was Kukaku, fingers massaging her temple in frustration.
"I can't just pull an identity for you out of my ass," she groaned.
"You did it for Ichigo!"
"Yeah, it took me weeks! He wasn't even planning on staying!"
Rukia considered just turning back and forgetting about this entirely. She glanced up at Renji only to see his eyes glazed over at the display.
"I want to go to high school!" Paku yelled, shaking her plaster covered fist. Just over her shoulder Kukaku looked at Rukia, the word "help" clear in her eyes.
Okay, Rukia couldn't just leave her aunty hanging here, could she? Knocking loudly on the wall she cleared her throat. Paku turned to her immediately, frustration clear in her eyes.
"Uh…" Rukia started lamely, "you said you had something for me?"
"Yes!" Kukaku exclaimed. "Come, it should be in the back."
The woman practically Rukia's wrist, pulling her along past a sputtering Paku, Renji hugging the walls just to avoid the Mod Soul. She shoved the two quickly into the last door in the hall.
Kukaku let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks for the save, kiddo." Putting a hand on her hip she glanced around the dim room. "Now, let's see where I left it…"
They were cramped together in a storage room, though this one didn't carry much in sweets or magazines. It was instead filled with boxes of various Shinigami items. One particular box had individually wrapped Soldier Pills spilling out from it. Another set of (suspiciously coffin shaped) boxes in the back were labeled messily in permanent marker as "Blank Gigai".
Kukaku ignored all of those, instead zeroing in on a box resting on a bench near a shelf, tearing into it easily. She brushed aside a few packing peanuts pulling out what looked a lot like a Pez Dispenser. She tossed it to Rukia over her shoulder.
"Without Paku, you'll be needing this," she explained. "You want that human body to stay in good condition, right?"
"Y-yeah," Rukia stuttered out, pocketing it. Damn, she'd almost forgotten about that bit. She supposed she was lucky that nothing bad had happened yet.
Just next to them they heard a door slam, Paku's murmuring audible through the walls. Rukia had seen the Mod Soul in a bad mood before, but this kind of took the cake.
"What's up with her?" Renji asked. "She's acting weirder than normal."
Kukaku let out a long sigh. "It's kinda hard to explain, kid. Paku was working a ton her own missions while you were gone. A lot changed for her, then."
The sound of two doors slamming open echoed through the room as Paku appeared suddenly in the doorway, the gust causing several packing peanuts to go into the air.
"I basically held down the fort while you were gone," she bragged. "It's not like it was a big deal or anything. I just did your job for you but better."
The girl's eyes were zeroed in on Rukia, obviously waiting for either an angry response or an admittance of defeat. Odd, because usually her eyes were on…
"Okay, what's going on?" Rukia asked accusingly. "You haven't even looked at Renji once since we came here."
Paku flashed Rukia a toothy grin, which could in no way be a good sign. "I found my own 'Renji'," she said smugly, "and he's a lot better than yours."
Did she think Renji was a job title, or…?
"He helps during my fights, he's much cuter and nicer. Heck, he doesn't even need cool powers to help me."
"What?!" Kukaku yelled.
"Wait, you dragged a normal human into this?" Rukia groaned out. Of all the idiotic things…
"Huh?" Paku stepped back defensively. "Of course, I didn't! He can see Spirits and everything, and I didn't drag him into it! He likes helping, and he was from Rukia's class, so I thought it was okay…"
Rukia paused, trying to resist the urge to facepalm.
"Keigo," Renji grumbled.
"You're kidding me." Rukia was unable to resist the urge to facepalm. "Looks like we're talking to him tomorrow."
"Of course, it was Keigo!" Renji growled.
Kukaku took hold of Paku's arm, a deep frown on her face. "We need to have a serious talk about this, young lady."
"B-but I…!" With a noise of frustration Paku tore her arm free, turning back into the hallway, marching right through the back-porch door.
"Sometimes I just don't know about that girl." Kukaku shook her head. "Sorry to drag you two into this."
"Funny that," Renji said with a snort. Rukia sent him a quick glare.
"It was no problem. Thanks for the Soul Candy."
She dragged them both outside quickly, putting as much distance as she could.
"I can't say I didn't see that coming," Renji said, kicking at the dirt in the front lot.
"Sad to say, same he–"
Rukia was cut off by a gust of wind at her back. In front of her stood Paku, eyes on the ground and fists clenched.
"I…I get…" the Mod Soul stuttered for a moment. "I get that you have to talk to Keigo, and that you're probably going to tell him to stop fighting Hollows and all, but…" She gulped heavily. "I really like him, okay! So, don't ruin it! …Please."
The last word was practically a whisper, and the second it was spoken she had disappeared back into the house. It all happened so fast Rukia had a hard time processing it for a moment.
"Shit," Renji whispered. "She really likes him, doesn't she?"
Rukia's shoulders slumped. "I can never tell with her."
She kicked at a rock in the sidewalk, trudging along, trying not to think about this whole mess. She turned back to the path, Renji trailing behind her quietly, hands in his pockets. They made it all the way to the warehouse, pausing just outside. Despite how friendly all the Visoreds were with her, she doubted Renji would get the same reception.
"So…time for you to go in, huh?"
"If I want my Zanpakuto fixed, yeah."
"You're sure you want to go, right?" he asked with a frown. Then, cracking a smile he added, "They're not actually some cult trying to drag you into their weirdo ritual."
"Not every secretive organization is a cult, Renji," she defended. "I'd take you with if I could, but…"
"I get it," he said, hands up. "Just try not to stay too long that I kick Aizen's ass without you."
"As if!" she jabbed. She moved to enter the field but found herself hesitating. Maybe she was nervous about going in to see the Visoreds, or maybe she was just unsure about leaving Renji to fight all those Hollows alone. Either way, she knew she couldn't just leave him like this.
It was probably just impulse that made her do it, but she found herself tugging her Combat Pass from her skirt and pressing it into Renji's hand.
"The dumb thing hasn't really worked, yet," she started, "but Captain Ukitake said that this proves you're with the Soul Society. So, maybe it'll help you. I'm not really sure."
Renji wrapped his fingers around the pass, studying it for a moment before pocketing it with a smile.
"I'll keep it close," he said. "Now go, before those weirdos start thinking you're a no show."
Rukia felt something warm in her chest at that. The barrier behind her opened with a rush, and with a single step she crossed it.
Part II
Miné's eyes darted to her wristwatch as she finished clearing her station. She was running late, and she knew it. Why on earth did that last client have to be so difficult? Her coworker looked at her with amused eyes as she shouldered her purse.
"What's got you in such a hurry?" Ikuyo asked. "You have a date, or something?"
"Ha!" Miné barked out. "You wish. I'm just meeting with an old friend." She left the shop, Ikuyo on her heels.
"Hey, that's still more fun than what I have planned."
Ikuyo was a nice girl. She was young, talented, and maybe just a little more trouble prone than she ought to be. She fit in nicely as the newest recruit for their little tattoo shop.
"Seriously," the girl groaned. Miné let the words wash over her, focusing instead on the sidewalk, trying to walk just a bit faster. Did the bus here come every five minutes or every ten? For some reason she couldn't remember, right now. "I can't wait to get these graduate classes fucking over with. I mean those professors, they just…"
Ikuyo trailed off, stopping suddenly.
"Uh… Abarai?"
Miné glanced quickly at Ikuyo, and then to whatever the girl was staring at, mouth agape. What she saw was a sleek black Lexus pulled over to the side of them, window rolled down. In the driver's seat sat Byakuya.
He leaned slightly out of the window. "I'm glad I was able to catch you."
"You never said you were picking me up," Miné said with a frown.
"I wasn't sure if I'd be able to," he explained, "and…" He stopped, suddenly noticing Miné's shell shocked companion. "Sorry if I interrupted something. I'm just here to pick up Miné."
Ikuyo blinked before turning to Miné accusingly. "I thought you said it wasn't a date?" Miné just rolled her eyes.
"Well, it's not like I'll turn down a free ride," she said sauntering over to the passenger's side. "I'll catch you later, Ikuyo!" She climbed in the car, her coworker giving her a thumbs up and a grin. The two drove off.
"So…" Miné drawled, "you don't usually do things like this, picking me up from work and all. People might get the wrong idea, you know."
"I…uh." Byakuya struggled to find the right words for a moment. Really, he was just too easy.
"I'm kidding," she said with a grin. "Has anyone ever told you you're as awkward as a teenaged girl?"
"You have," he sighed out, "multiple times." He managed to keep a straight face for about a second. This quickly morphed into a smile.
They really didn't see each other often enough; it seemed like they were always so busy with work or kids nowadays. It felt nice to just get away for once and enjoy a cup of coffee together at some stupid trendy café.
Granted it was one of those obstacles that prompted her to arrange this meeting in the first place. Miné's smile fell just as they hit a stoplight.
"Is something wrong?" Byakuya asked.
She collapsed back in her seat, defeated. "It's Renji," she said. "I just don't know what's going on with that boy, lately."
Wringing her hands, she could feel her stress levels rise as she just started thinking about the conversation they'd had the other day. It was weird, even for him. In fact, this whole school year had been weird.
"Go on," Byakuya prompted. He drove forward with the green light, and somehow that managed to open the floodgates for her.
"I mean, he's gone all summer at camp, he comes home later and later every day, sometimes with injuries that he can't explain, and then there was that incident with the goddamn bird! Honestly, I don't even know what to think, anymore. All I know is that he's in trouble, and… and I was kind of hoping that since he's so close to Rukia and you're so close to her, you might have some answers."
She supposed those were the perks of being a "brother" rather than a "mother".
"If it helps," Byakuya said, eyebrows furrowed in concentration, "I don't think they're in any trouble with the law."
"I don't care about that," she insisted. "I know he would never do something actually wrong. I just want to know that he's safe."
It was then that Byakuya took a careful breath. His fingers tapped the steering wheel, and she could practically see the wheels in his head turning along with it.
He finally proposed, "Maybe they are doing something dangerous, but there just isn't anything we can do to stop them."
Miné opened her mouth to respond, to say that of course there was something they could do, but a certain look in Byakuya's eyes warned her against it. He looked pained. So, she waited.
"They're teenagers," he continued. "Keeping secrets is practically in their nature. It's not surprising that one or two of those might be dangerous. While we can try and steer them away from the worst of it, ultimately, all we can do is give them somewhere safe to return to."
Miné didn't respond at first. She stared down at her lap, thinking over each and every word.
She remembered herself back at Renji's age, how no one could tell her anything. That got her in trouble for a good while. She did plenty of things she regretted in the end, but she learned from them all. Still, she would have appreciated that extra little bit, a safe place to go back to in the end.
"Maybe you're right," she said. "I'd still like it if he'd just tell me, but…" She let out a sigh, feeling one weight lift as yet another took its place. At least this one felt a little lighter. "Where'd you learn that one?" she asked with a smile. "Did one of your parents say that to you?"
"Oh no, I got that from a book," he said flatly. She choked back a laugh. "My parents were far too concerned with how we'd look in front of other families to ever worry about me like that."
Huh, it was pretty rare to hear Byakuya talk about his family.
"Don't I know how that feels," she said with a grin. She could already see the café in the distance. (An overpriced latte sounded really good, right now.) "Still, thanks for the advice."
It felt good to get that out of the way, she thought. Now, they could just enjoy each other's company. Like she'd said before, they hadn't seen each other in a while.
Part III
Rukia lingered at the door, watching in the corner of her eye as Renji walked away. With a desperation she held onto that warmth in her chest.
If there was one thing she'd learned over her time fighting it was that there was always a catch to gaining power. No training session had ever been quite the same in that each had been their own special kind of hell. The other thing she'd learned was that it was best not to think about it.
Before she could go for it the door in front of her slid open revealing Hirako grinning down at her. She stiffened.
"Right on time, I see," he said with a glimmer in his eye.
Well, she wasn't, not really. "I would have been here sooner, but I had something to take care of, first."
"No problem, no problem," he placated. "You're a student. You shouldn't be rushing out every day, even for us. School days should be treasured!"
He sounded like he was speaking from experience and boy did she not even want to know what kind of school days an ancient Shinigami-Visored could be reminiscing on. She simply offered a weak smile and tried to change the subject.
"What are we starting on today?" she asked.
"Oh, I was thinking a tour."
A… tour?
"I… that makes sense," Rukia said, more to herself than anything.
"You're going to be spending a lot of time here," he said, getting out of the doorway, turning his back. "You might as well get familiar with the place. Besides, we can go over a couple of things while we're at it."
Rukia nodded along following him in, eyes scanning the warehouse.
When she was first dragged inside by Sarugaki, she didn't have much of a chance to look at it, too concerned with what the heck was even happening, but now, she realized it wasn't nearly as empty and abandoned as she had first thought.
For one, the place was surprisingly clean and well furnished. She counted three couches, five rugs (some hastily thrown over deep gouges in the floor that she'd bet her sword were from a fight), and one short table shoved into the back. Near one of the couches was a set up involving a large shelf, manga volumes lining it, as well as boxes labeled with specific music genres. Next to it was a record player, a fast-paced classical song coming from it.
The place looked comfy, lived in, and she wasn't just saying that because the people living in it were staring at her right that moment.
Rukia fidgeted awkwardly under the attention.
"As you were, people," Hirako said with a raised hand. "I'm just showing the newbie around."
It took a second or so, but eventually they all complied. A few went back to reading whatever they had in their hands while the blonde man (Rose?) turned his music player's volume up another notch. For some reason, though, Rukia could still feel someone's eyes on her.
From the top of her vision she caught a flash of red, and her eyes immediately snapped up to the rafters. Crouched on one of the lowest beams was Sarugaki in a bright red tracksuit, her school uniform long abandoned. The girl glared down at her for a moment, meeting her gaze unflinchingly before turning away. The red faded into shadow and Rukia let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
"…You could say we spend most our time here, and though it's been a bit of an adjustment, we make it work."
It took Rukia a moment to realize Hirako was still speaking to her. Snapping her attention up to him she hoped he didn't notice the lapse. Judging by how he kept on going without taking so much as a breath, he didn't.
The man never ran out of energy, it seemed. He continued his explanations mixing in grand gestures and corny jokes, occasionally greeting whoever they stumbled upon. It was then that Rukia realized something. These people were about as eccentric as they looked.
She wondered for a moment if that was just how all Spiritually Powered people were. Maybe being quirky was just an occupational hazard, because it seemed to her that every single one of them ranged between antisocial weirdo and hyperactive weirdo. The only halfway normal one was Orihime and even she tried to kill Rukia when they first met.
(Rukia hoped she herself wouldn't become that way, or that somehow, she was already there without even realizing it.)
Before long the tour took them out back. Here she was greeted by a half open shed, training equipment practically spilling from it. She could spot a hacked-up training dummy laying pathetically on its side, a small pile of broken wooden bokken, and even a weight rack. The most notable thing, though, was the wall behind them. Scratches, gouges, slices, and cracks covered it, so frequent she was surprised the entire thing didn't come down. She supposed you couldn't cover those by just buying another throw rug.
"We've gotta stay sharp," Hirako continued. "so, we practice whenever we can. This is our official training center, but our fights usually get, uh…out of hand."
That explained a few things, she thought. It also filled her with some uncertainty.
"So, you don't really have control over your Hollows?" she asked. "Even now?"
Hirako's face fell into a frown. He scratched his head pensively. "It's not really about controlling it. It's…well, it's complicated. The whole reason we're here together is because it makes things a little easier on us, ya know?" A smile crept back onto his face. "If one of us gets a little 'out of hand' there's about seven others to help beat the shit out of us and bring us back. Well, eight, now," he corrected with a wink.
Rukia took in his words, nodding. She'd known it wouldn't be so simple, but hey, knowing that there would be seven people backing her up made her think it might not be impossible.
Still, she had one more question. "If you can't control it, then what do you do?"
Hirako shrugged. "That changes from person to person. All our Hollows acted a little differently, so we all needed to deal with them a little differently. If you told me a bit about what yours is like, though, we might be able to figure out where to start."
Biting her lip, Rukia took a moment to think. She'd never really had to describe these experiences before, wasn't even sure if she could, but she had to try.
She told Hirako every detail that she could remember and even the ones she couldn't, like the time it possessed her completely. There was something about just doing this that helped her sort through it all, actually.
The Hollow acted like a parasite, gnawing at her Zanpakuto's mind and invading Rukia's in the process. It took over their bodies, seemed to have its own distinct personality, and was incredibly dangerous, putting Rukia's body on the line to sate its lust for violence. That being said, it didn't seem to want Rukia dead.
Hirako listened to every detail, not interrupting even once, and taking everything in stride. It was nice, in a way. Everyone else that found out or saw it seemed so shocked.
When she finished he nodded, humming for a moment. Then, eyes lighting up he snapped his fingers.
"Rose!" he exclaimed. "A lot of what you said reminds me of things he used to say about his Hollow. You should talk to him, see if he has any advice."
"Rose…" she trailed off. That man wasn't exactly the approachable type, but she'd give it a shot. Hirako grinned wide.
"And with that," he bowed, "the tour is ov…"
The tail end of his sentence was drowned out by an intense pressure shooting through the air.
"A Hollow?" Rukia ground out. This pressure, it was even stronger than what had come from the Gillian's she'd fought back when she'd met Ishida.
Hirako's eyes narrowed. "Hollows," he corrected. "Two of them, Menos class or greater."
She gulped. "Renji's out there alone. We have to help him."
"Way ahead of you, kid."
He reached for the Zanpakuto at his hip, jumping into the air and landing on…air? Rukia's jaw dropped. Hirako let out a disappointed sigh.
"I thought you'd at least know this one." With a frown he explained, "There are Spiritual Particles in the air. Just use them as footholds. Now come on, we've gotta go!" With that he sped off towards the pressure, leaving Rukia in the dust.
Okay, she thought, just a little panicked. She just had to figure this out quickly. Nothing new, there. Just find footholds in the air. Whatever that meant.
Her hand went to the Soul Candy dispenser in her bag, popping one in her mouth. She felt herself get knocked out of her body, and in less than a second was looking at her own creepily smiling face.
"Reporting for duty, master!" This Soul Candy's voice was cheery and high, and looking at her Rukia could tell there wasn't much behind the eyes.
"Uh…" Rukia froze.
"What would you have me do?" she asked, leaning in.
"Just…uh…stay here, I guess." Rukia's eyes went back to the air. She could see some particles glimmering in it. They didn't look like they'd hold her weight, but it was worth a shot.
"Got it!" the Soul Candy exclaimed with a salute. She put her back to the warehouse wall, and stared straight ahead, smiling.
Why was this so much weirder than Paku, somehow?
Whatever, Rukia didn't have time to think about that right now. She instead launched herself up into the air, trying to catch onto some of those glimmering particles.
For a moment her feet grabbed onto something, but in the next they fell through, leaving her weightless. She went down about a meter, arms flailing and then…stopped, right above the ground. She let out a sigh of relief.
Eyes to Hirako's quickly disappearing back she followed as quickly as she could, feet stuttering along. She eventually caught up, but that may have just been Hirako slowing down for her. Still, she grinned, exhilarated as she ran away from the rapidly setting sun.
Part IV
Uryuu frowned at the quickly darkening sky. He tugged his heavy book bag closer to him, the weight of the Quincy text within putting a strain on his shoulder. He wouldn't complain, though. As long as it gave him the answers he was looking for, he didn't care.
And it better have some.
He'd been blowing through books at a rapid pace, already making it through half of them. Over all that studying he'd found nothing. He might have to consider some alternatives pretty soon.
For now, though, all he could do was get back home before dark. He still had homework to finish and pulling another all-nighter didn't seem like a very good idea.
It was with his back turned, while he was deep in thought, that Uryuu felt a disturbance right behind him, a pressure that sent his skin crawling as power jolted through the air. Breathless he turned around.
Behind him a massive Hollow was dragging itself from a tear in the air that was far too familiar to be a coincidence.
"A Menos?" he whispered to himself.
The Hollow turned to him in an instant, its dark eyes landing on him, and Uryuu's breath caught in his chest. He took one step back, watching as it moved forward, balancing carefully on the spinning-top like structure it had in place of legs. Its tongue darted out, and Uryuu barely had a second to react after that.
It struck, its frog-like tongue shooting out of its mouth like a bullet. Uryuu dove out of the way, reflexes still strong. He watched with wide eyes as the pavement the Hollow struck cracked and crumpled, sending debris flying.
It was a close call, close enough that Uryuu was reminded how even if his reflexes had remained, his loss of power would more than make up for it. Heart pounding, he did what he would have never considered before.
He scrambled onto his feet and ran.
Just as he'd hoped the Hollow's strange form made it slow. Under normal circumstances he would have been able to outrun it no problem.
Right now, running at full speed the Hollow continued to gain on him. He could practically feel its breath on his back as it approached, its large shadow quickly overtaking him. It was going to strike again. He just knew it, and this time he might not be fast enough.
He had to do something before it got that chance. Powerless or not, Uryuu Ishida refused to be helpless. Uryuu reached blindly into his school bag fumbling for something that he'd found in his studies, something that he'd thought might come in handy one of these days.
He pulled out four little cannisters, each the size of a coin roll. Gintō, they were called. With a bit of collected Reiryoku and the right incantation, they could be deadly. He threw them with perfect accuracy.
"Feel the wrath of battle and accept this sacred chalice, Heizen!"
In a burst of light, the four Gintō activated, cleaving the Hollow's arm right off in a single burst. It reeled back with a cry. A victorious grin on his face, Uryuu turned and ran.
The Hollow would doubtlessly need time to recover from that one. Uryuu on the other hand could take that time to get the hell out of–
The Hollow let out a second ear piercing screech and in an instant the shadow was on him again, two arms completely whole and reaching for him out of the corner of his eye.
He ran faster.
He'd need to try another, spell then. Something more debilitating. He had the wire. With its small Spiritual charge, it wasn't much but maybe–
(Nearly tripping over a strike of its tongue, Uryuu felt his heart beat so hard it nearly came out of his chest.)
No, he'd need to reach the mask to do any real damage with that, and to do that he'd need to get much higher.
Glancing over his shoulder he could see the Hollow, uncomfortably close, its head going over the tops of nearby trees. Yeah, he doubted he could get that high, not as he was.
He was screwed.
The Hollow's mouth was open, its tongue darting towards him again, and just as Uryuu's looked back his foot caught on an upturned root sending him tumbling to the ground. In that moment he could only think of one thing:
He hoped this didn't hurt as much as getting stabbed by Ichimaru's Shikai.
Above him a flash of light darted across the sky, impacting the Hollow's tongue and taking a few teeth with it. The creature let out a choked cry. Uryuu pulled himself up to his feet.
"What the…?" he gasped out.
"How unsightly."
Uryuu's eyes snapped up to his savior, and he didn't like what he saw.
Before him stood a middle-aged man with pure white hair. He had glasses, was wearing an expensive looking suit, and looked an awful lot like Uryuu. The man was frowning, disdainful eyes settling on him right before darting towards the still screaming Hollow. Frown deepening, he raised the bow in his hand and fired, silencing it for good.
Uryuu's fists clenched, fingers digging into the bark of the tree. "Ryuuken," he muttered.
"Calling your father by his first name, again." The man shook his head. "You never change, do you, Uryuu?"
"That… why…?" Uryuu grit his teeth, collecting himself. "Why are you here? W-what are you doing with Grandfather's bow?"
"I just saved your life," Ryuuken said evenly. "One would think you'd be grateful."
The man allowed the bow to revert to its Cross form, a silver bracelet with a Quincy Cross charm. It was one of the few things they were able to retrieve when his sensei died. The last time Uryuu had seen it his dad had stuffed it into a shoebox.
"Answer the question," Uryuu tried again. "You hate Quincy. What are you doing acting like one?"
Ryuuken let out a long sigh, a hand going to the inside of his suit jacket. He proceeded to take his sweet time taking out a pack of cigarettes and lighting one. Only after he took an elongated drag did he deign to answer.
"I really am tired of this old fight." He leaned back against a tree taking another drag. "I never said I hate the Quincy. I simply said that I have no interest, and you have no talent."
Uryuu just about rolled his eyes. He could already hear the tirade Ryuuken was about to go on.
"Really, you go all the way to the Soul Society to help a Shinigami and manage to lose was little power you had. I have to say, you're more of a fool than I thought."
"You…you knew about that?" Uryuu asked, stiff as a board. "I didn't tell anyone when I went to the Soul Society."
"Of course, I knew," he said casually, "and I've been keeping an eye on you since, too, making sure you don't get yourself killed ferrying rotting spell books this way and that in the middle of the night."
Uryuu was somewhere between shocked and completely infuriated. (How the hell did his father always manage to make him feel that?) He tightened his hold on his book bag until his knuckles turned white.
"You got to gloat," Uryuu said shortly. "The Hollow's gone. I'm going home." He walked away, steps fast and measured, not even thinking about whether he was going in the right direction. He refused to look behind him, keeping his eyes squarely on the ground. Still, he could feel his father's eyes at his back.
Even after exiting the park, his father's Reiatsu so far behind him be could barely even feel it anymore, Uryuu still felt tense. He felt like a good two hours or so of target practice might do him some good, right now. Gods, where was his old training bow when he needed it?
Well, he knew where it was, but he wasn't going there to get it.
His training, bow, along with all the rest of the Quincy stuff Uryuu had grown out of were back at his father's house, shoved away in his old room's closet.
(Actually, he used to assume it was somewhere in the dump along with much of the other Quincy artifacts that were in that house. Today's interactions put a hole in that theory.)
For a moment, Uryuu wondered what else might still be there, what Ryuuken might have that Uryuu had never gotten to look at in the first place. It was hard to know; the man was never one for sharing and getting him to talk about the Quincy back in the day was like pulling teeth.
Still, it was possible he had something. Perhaps even something that might solve Uryuu's problem.
Uryuu stopped dead in his tracks. Had he really just entertained the idea of asking his father for help? Had that Hollow hit him on the head without him noticing?
He physically shuddered before walking forward again. There would be no asking his father for anything. He wasn't out of books, hadn't checked all the artifacts, and was far from out of options.
Yeah, that was when he'd ask his father for help. When he was completely and utterly out of options.
(Or possibly with a concussion having somehow lost all bodily control. Whichever came first.)
Part V
Rukia caught up to Hirako just in time to see him face their opponent. It was a Hollow, that was certain, but it wasn't like one she'd ever seen before.
Its wild appearance was not unlike any other run of the mill Hollow, but there were some crucial differences, here. This Hollow towered above them, easily several stories tall. Its hulking form was surprisingly human-like, the fur on its shoulders looking more like a barbarian's cloak than a part of its body and…
"Is that a Zanpakuto?!" Rukia cried out.
Right there on its back was a blade so large it put her sword's old form to shame. It was just the right size for a monster like this.
"It's even worse than I thought," Hirako muttered to himself. It was this that caught the attention of the Hollow.
"A Shinigami?" the Hollow asked, and right there another oddity made itself known. This Hollow's speech wasn't distorted. There were no growls or hisses. It just sounded human. Gathering up the courage she approached the creature, seeing that wasn't the only human thing about it, either.
Through a shadowy crack in its mask she could see a very human face. This face was smiling down at them, murder in his eyes.
Whatever was going on, Rukia lost the plot a while ago, and a question of "what the hell is happening" died on her lips the moment she saw Hirako beside her looking so different from the energetic man from before that he was almost unrecognizable.
He didn't look angry, or anything else so extreme. He looked bored. His eyes dropped, his smile had long fallen, and he gazed at the Hollow as if it were a minor annoyance, power leaking from him in small waves.
"Two Shinigami," the Hollow said with a leer. "I'm in luck." His own power flared to life pouring out as strong as water from a firehose. Rukia felt herself being pushed back by it, and with a startled yelp stuck the tip of her Zanpakuto into the ground, anchoring herself.
Hirako did no such thing. He just brushed the hair from his eyes with a single hand cracking a smile, but not one she was used to seeing.
"Sorry to say this, Hollow, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave," he said easily.
The Hollow let out a booming laugh in response, one that shook the concrete they stood on. "Now why would I do that? As if I would let two good meals go to waste."
Hirako held up a finger, his smile gaining a certain edge to it as he said, "See, that's the thing. I can't exactly have you eating my new recruit, and I certainly can't have you razing a town I only just finished moving to…
"So, if you don't run back to Hueco Mundo right now, I'm afraid I'll be forced to kill you."
Something in his tone had Rukia taking a step or two back in caution. The Hollow was not so wise, however. It laughed again, shaking the loose leaves off some nearby trees.
"You sure talk big, Shinigami!" he yelled with a grin. "Do you really think I'm just some Hollow?"
"On the contrary!" Hirako said with a false cheer. "I know exactly what you are, Arrancar."
For a moment the Hollow had the decency to look shocked. This didn't last, though. A smirk quickly appeared on his face.
"You know more than I thought," he growled out. "Then pay close attention to this next part. You just might learn something else!"
With his words even more Reiatsu spilled forth cracking the cement below them, shaking the buildings around, and before Rukia's very eyes the top half of the Hollow's mask cracked and fell into nothing. Suddenly she was looking at a different beast entirely.
Rukia suddenly understood how Paku felt back then at the sight of the Menos Grande, completely paralyzed. This was so much worse.
It was a hulking creature, easily bigger than the Menos with horns and a wild expression. It was certainly the same Hollow, but Rukia couldn't even begin to comprehend how. She was just lucky that Hirako wasn't nearly as fazed.
"Interesting," he said evenly. "I have a couple tricks of my own."
The Visored held out his hand and summoned his mask, a pure white thing with ridges down the front and a head piece reminiscent of a pharaoh's. He slipped it on with a smile, held out his still-sealed sword and waited.
With a smirk, the Hollow reached back to unsheathe his Zanapakuto, but the second he got a good grasp, Hirako was already darting forward, faster than Rukia could see.
He slashed at the creature, forcing him to deflect, and Hirako went at him again and again, forcing his too heavy legs to move. The Hollow struggled to meet the attacks, his Reiatsu coming out shaky and unsure.
The deciding moment was as amazing as it was fast.
Hirako sliced at the Hollow's hand cleaving through fingers and forcing him to drop his Zanpakuto with a choked cry. The hulking beast lashed out with his injured hand towards the Visored, and before he could even make contact Hirako muttered something under his breath, a burst of red light coming from the man's hand, cleaving through the Hollow's hand and then his head. He dropped to the ground and disintegrated into nothing.
Hirako landed on the ground gracefully, his mask dissolving as he sheathed his Zanpakuto. With that Rukia was able to breathe again, and the first thing she did was run towards the man, questions already spilling out.
"What was…" she panted. "How did…" She had to get a hold of herself, here! "What was that?!"
Turning to her with an amused expression Hirako asked, "Which part?"
Rukia grinned.
"All of it!"
She got the run down she wanted, in time. Apparently, the final attack he had used wasn't a Kidō, but in fact a Cero, an attack used by powerful Hollows that he'd figured out how to use himself a while back.
Rukia took note of that, excitement bubbling in her chest. This excitement died down when he got to the rest of his explanation.
The creature he faced was an Arrancar, a special type of Hollow that took off its own mask to gain the powers of Shinigami. They were a lot like Visoreds in many ways, were incredibly rare, and while some were naturally occurring, he didn't think that was the case here.
"That half-rate crawled straight from Aizen's lab," he said with a scowl, "no two ways about it. I'm willing to bet the bastard's made more, too. Depending on how powerful they are we could be in some serious trouble."
A part of Rukia wanted to point out that this one wasn't even a challenge for Hirako, that if he could take down an Arrancar as big as that without even breaking a sweat, then how much trouble could they be in.
Something about the look in his eye, though, the way he stared at the ground the Hollow died on, deep in thought, made her decide against it. Instead, she just nodded.
"We… we should go find the other Hollow," she finally said. "You said there were two, right?"
Hirako shrugged. "Someone else already handled it. Our job is done for now." With a sigh he looked up at the sky. It was completely dark out. "You should go home," he added. "We can continue tomorrow."
With a grimace she remembered she still had homework to finish. "Yeah, I probably should," she said. Then, she sheepishly added, "I kinda left my body back at the hideout, though…"
Hirako chuckled at that, turning back in the direction of the warehouse. With a smile of her own she followed.
Whatever was facing them, they could handle it. She was sure.
Eyyy, you know what's fun? Subplots. I might have gotten carried away with them this arc but I had a hecking good time. This chapter introduces a few important ones, my favorite of which being Uryuu's broken relationship with his father. (I play favorites, here. Don't me.) Expect them to get some quality screen time in the future.
(Uryuu, the manga did you dirty, don't worry I'll make it all bet–)
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this. I've been noticing these last few chapters have earned me some Kudo on AO3, and I really appreciate that! I love all your interactions, even when they make me cry. Feel free to leave a review, they give me life.
