Does Man Make the Monster?
Chapter 7
Birds of a Feather
(A/N Well, from the way things are looking… Some are okay with it, some want Ichigo with a ghoul, and others say no pairing. Weighing my options and thinking of future story advances… I have decided to have no defined romances. I might hint at a couple of pairings but nothing solid will happen. So on with the story.)
SOUNDS/sounds
Thoughts
Inner Voices
(Last Time)
She then swung an arm back but he caught it before she could land a punch. She hated this bastard so damn much. He empathized with Hinami? That was all? There had to be more to it than that! She knew there had to be! He went through far too much trouble for a girl he didn't even know. He did all this for a total stranger? She couldn't believe that! There had to be an ulterior motive. Why would a Dove suddenly…
"Oh, Touka, you're being so stubborn…"
She froze. That was a woman's voice but she was the only woman in the room. She noticed Ichigo slightly look off to his right. It was mostly with his eyes. He was actually looking something.
"I wish you'd calm down and listen to him for a moment."
She looked roughly where he was, hearing the soft, faded voice again. She squinted her eyes for a moment. What was he looking at all of a sudde…?
"Ryoko…?"
(Present)
Ichigo heard her breathe a word and turned his attention back to at her. He watched as the color bled from Touka's face. Her deep raven hair stood on end. Even her shoulders tensed up, tightly. He glanced off in the direct she was looking and… Oh, dear. Ryoko was also looking at her a little perplexed. They actually seemed to have locked eyes. Could they see each other? He let go of her closed hand and the moment he did she snapped out of her trance. She let out a small shriek, pushed Ichigo out her way, and dashed straight for the door. She tore it open and out she went like the devil was on her heels. Four very confused and baffled men were left staring at the open door. A moment later screams of surprise and the sounds so dishes breaking came up from the café below.
"OWWW! Hot coffee! Oouch! TOUKA! Get back here! What's your damn problem?!"
From what they heard down in the café Kaya was not happy. It sounded like Touka must have ran into her on her way into the café.
"Wh-what just happened…?" Kaneki asked, bewilderment on his face.
"I haven't the faintest idea," Yoshimura hummed, rubbing the back of his neck.
Ichigo looked over at Ryoko who also looked lost and frazzled by what just happened. She hadn't been there long, maybe a minute or two at best.
"You think she saw me…? It felt like she was looking right at me," Ryoko said, looking at Ichigo who slightly shrugged at her.
"Want me to check downstairs?" Yomo asked, pushing off the wall.
"It'll be best that I check to see what happened. Hopefully, I won't take too long," Yoshimura said, walking around the couch.
He almost stepped out into the hall when Kaya showed up covered head to foot in a rainbow of pastries and coffee. An angry look was chiseled deeply into her face. He took a step back in surprise at the sight before him.
"Oh, dear! Kaya, are you all right?" Yoshimura asked, looking at the flustered waitress.
"No, sir! What happened up here? Touka came barreling down the stairs and slammed right into me as I was serving some costumers," she huffed, putting her hands on her hips. "Most got on me, thankfully. She looked like she's seen a damn ghost. She was so panicked looking and she was as white as a sheet. Ick! I'm all sticky."
"I see. Is she still in the café?" he asked.
"No. She ricocheted off me and out the door she went," Kaya grumbled and shifted her eyes to those the room behind the manager. "She's long gone by now I'm betting. Hm?"
She spotted the odd guest from earlier, standing in the middle of the room. He quickly slipped on his hat and turned away from her. He was so damn familiar looking with his bright orange hair and… Orange hair…? Orange… Hair… It clicked.
"Y-y-you… Ca… C-can't be…" she choked out, her anger melting into fear as she pointed at the tall figure standing in the room.
Now it was her turn to look as white as a sheet. There was nothing more terrifying when something dangerous is found where it doesn't belong. An investigator standing inside Anteiku was a fine example of that. Especially, when the investigator was the infamous Hawk.
"Kaya, I need you to back away and come with me for a moment," Yoshimura stated, lightly grabbing her should. "Step over here, please."
"You're Hawk, aren't you? You bastard!" Kaya yelled, knocking the manager's hands off. "What the hell is a Dove doing here? Why is he here in Anteiku?"
"Kaya, calm down! I need you back up and lower your voice," Yoshimura ordered, blocking her from getting inside the door.
"Please, calm down," Yomo insisted also helping to keep Kaya back out the room. "We will explain everything then! Don't fight us. Just let us explain."
"Calm down?! Are you serious? What the hell is he doing here?" she hissed, showing her kakugan as she tried to get around Yomo and Yoshimura. "How could you bring him here? He'll rat us out! He's nothing but a murder!"
Kaneki watched quietly as Ichigo just stood perfectly still while Kaya raged out in the hall, fighting with the manager and Yomo. He did the same thing last night when Tsukiyama laughed at him. He just stood there and took it. How could he just stand there and do that? Ichigo then walked over to the window and opened it. Maybe he couldn't take it after all.
"Uh, Kurosaki, hold on," Kaneki said, getting up and rushed over to him. "Please, don't go!"
"Hetare!"
They both paused to look at the cockatiel in the cage. With all the commotion going on it must have woken up.
"Excuse me?" Ichigo asked, glaring at the bird.
"Hetare! Hetare!" it squawked.
"Stupid bird," Ichigo snorted at it. "Stop calling me that!"
"Don't get offended by him. That's all he ever says. Hinami found him and he's staying here now," Kaneki said, walking over to the cage. "He's sort of like the unofficial mascot of Anteiku. Um, Kurosaki… I know what she's saying seems cruel but I'd really like it if you stayed. I know you mean well and that you want to help us. Please don't take what she's saying to heart. She doesn't know you yet."
"Please, just listen to Kaneki," Ryoko said, standing behind said person. "Don't come all this way only to run away. You told me the same thing when I first met you and followed you home."
He snorted and shut the window back. Kaneki let out a long sigh of relief. Ichigo wasn't going to run. They turned back to the argument still going on in the hall. Clearly she wasn't taking the idea of working with him as too smart.
"Um, Kurosaki, about Touka… Do you know why she ran?" he asked, looking back at Ichigo. "It looked like she saw something but… There was nothing to see. It was just empty space."
Ichigo looked over at said "empty space." She still looked rather worried about that. There was just so much going on in his life. Honestly, he wanted to run and hide. But he knew better than that. He promised Zangetsu he would fix his inner world and to do that he had to fix his life. Running and hiding wasn't going to fix anything. He was just torn between too many things and he had to find that perfect harmony between everything. He covered his face, trying to get his nerves in check.
"This is so infuriating," Ryoko grumbled, shaking her head, looking out into the noisy hall. "I wish they knew you like I do. I'd tell them exactly what you're like."
"Yeah, if only," Ichigo grumbled.
"Hm?" Kaneki hummed.
"Nothing," Ichigo said, taking his hands off his face. "Talking to myself…"
"Oh…" Kaneki mumbled.
"Kaneki, go down to the café and bring back up some fresh coffee and a couple cold clothes," Yoshimura said as they finally got Kaya calmed enough to at least sit on the floor.
"Right. You going to be okay?" He asked, looking at Ichigo.
"I'll be fine," Ichigo said, walking over to the birdcage.
"Hetare! Hetare!"
"Go do want you needed to do," he said, looking at the feathered creature within.
Kaneki nodded and walked out of the room.
"And I'm going to do what I need to do," he whispered and looked back over at Ryoko with a devilish smirk. "Come here."
She moved a little close to him as he looked at the little the bird. He reached into the cage and let the bird get on his fingers.
"He's cute, isn't he? I'm surprised Hinami found him," she said, looking down at the bird. "She was worried the first night and kept him near her."
"When I was first starting off as a Shinigami I ran into and interesting case involving a cockatiel," Ichigo whispered. "The bird was supposed to be cursed but it wasn't really. You see, a hollow had stuffed a little boy's soul into the bird as punishment among other things."
"Oh, that's a horrible thing to do," she answered, looking hurt.
"Yeah, but he could communicate with the living through the bird," Ichigo added with a grin.
"Still that's just…" she paused as something clicked. She then glared at him. "You wouldn't dare!"
"I'm leaving the option up to you," Ichigo murmured, looking back over at those out in the hall. "You said if you could talk to them…"
"I know what I said but I don't want to be trapped in a bird's body. No way. It's another living being," she bit out, taking a step back from him. "How could you even suggest such a thing? I refuse!"
"I'm just giving you an option and a good one," Ichigo said, putting the bird on his shoulder. "When we removed the boy he was fine and so was the bird. My friend Chad took care of the bird after the boy was taken to Soul Society. It'll be fine."
"No. I can't! I won't," she shook her head as he grinned deviously at her "Stop doing that! It's creepy! I can't believe you even asked me."
"Well, I really could use the help," he mumbled, looking back out in the hall again as Kaneki came back up with a tray.
"Kurosaki, it's final. I'm not doing it!"
"Not even if means talking to Hinami again…?"
She glared the man with the hardest glare she could muster but his grin didn't falter. He really was forcing this idea on her. She was putting her foot down on this matter. When she said no she meant no!
Kaneki looked over at Ichigo as he played with the bird on his shoulder. He was muttering something to the animal but… He shook his head. Kaya was not in a good state. He poured a cup of coffee and gave it to her. She kept an eye Ichigo every time there was a break between Yomo and Yoshimura. Kaneki even handed her one of the cool clothes and she ran it over her flushed face.
"You weren't meant to know about this just yet," Yoshimura said, sitting down next to her on the floor.
"Then when was I to learn, huh? I can't believe this," she grumbled. "Have you all gone mad?"
"I know this seems mad to you but we could use the help," Yoshimura said also taking a cup of coffee from Kaneki.
"He's why Touka bolted, wasn't it?"
"No, we don't know why she did. She knew he was coming and had been talking, well fighting, with him but something else spooked her. We're not sure what happened," Yoshimura sighed. "The point is, this young man has had a change of heart. He's even quitting the CCG."
"You believe that?" she grumbled, taking a shaky sip of her coffee.
"Um, Kaya… You see Kurosaki he's… Uh… Have you told her yet?" Kaneki asked, looking at the manager.
"No, I have not," he shook his head.
"Told me what?" she growled.
"Hawk… Well… Believe it or not, he's actually Incognito," Kaneki said as Kaya just stared at him, almost slack-jawed. "I'm not making this up! I swear! He really is Incognito!"
"Hawk is…? Do you have proof of that?" she spat, wiping her sticky hands with a cloth.
"I saw it last night with my own eyes and I've known the truth for a while," Kaneki said, casting his eyes down. "I told Yoshimura about him and then… Well, that's why he's here."
"I wanted to talk to him into helping us but it seems he's already made plans of his own to even return to his hometown," Yoshimura stated. "He stated medical problems as his reason for leaving the CCG."
"Medical? I still can't… I just… Why bring him here?" she asked, furiously. "This is we're most of us gather and trade information."
"In hindsight not the brightest idea but we have nothing to fear from him, Kaya," Yoshimura stated, looking over his shoulder at Ichigo who continued to talk to the bird. "He is a good person from what Kaneki has told me and from what little I've seen. Give the young man a chance."
"You're actually serious about this?" he drawled and let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't like this idea."
"I understand that but I'm just asking you to try," Yoshimura said, turning to look back at her. "Everyone deserves a fair chance."
"Ugh… I'll try as you put it," she grumbled, running a hand down her face. "Still doesn't mean I have to like it."
"I suppose not," Yoshimura said, getting up to his feet and helped her up. "You're entitled to your own opinions."
"I guess you want me to talk to him?" she asked, looking at Ichigo play with the very animated bird.
"It would be a nice gesture on your part," Yoshimura answered, straightening his vest.
"Looks like Hetare likes him at least. Stupid bird," She grumbled with nasty tone to her voice.
"Yeah, it looks like it, doesn't it," Kaneki gave a weak smile.
The group walked back into the room and over to Ichigo and Hetare. He looked over at them as the bird furiously pulled at his orange hair.
"Kurosaki Ichigo, this is Irimi Kaya," Yoshimura said as the two looked at each other. "She's one of the waitresses here at Anteiku."
She gave him a brief bow and Ichigo did the same. She just glared daggers at him and he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. He was most uncomfortable under her fierce gaze.
"Nice to, uh, meet you," he said, trying to sound civil at least.
"Yeah, same here," she replied, putting on an overly fake smile.
The tension could be cut with a knife. It was getting to be a little more than awkward.
"I need to get back to work," she said bluntly, turning sharply on her heel. "Kouma is down there alone."
"Don't mention any of this to a soul, not even to Kouma," Yoshimura ordered as she just gave a curt nod and walked out the door, hurriedly. "I'm sorry about that, Kurosaki."
"It happened," Ichigo said with small shrug. "I'm not a popular guy around here so… It's to be expected."
"Yes, but that shouldn't have happened… I see Hetare has taken a liking you," Yoshimura said, looking at the bird on Ichigo's shoulder.
Ichigo turned to look at his new feathered friend as well. He smiled as the bird turned to look the other way.
"Oh, now. Say, hello," Ichigo said, rubbing the bird's puffed out chest. "Come on. Be nice."
"H-hello."
The three ghouls stared at the bird. It actually said something other than hetare?
"That's so neat you got him to say something new," Kaneki smiled, leaning forward to get a better look at the bird. "How did you do that?"
"It took a little convincing…" Ichigo said, turning back to Kaneki. A hell of a lot, actually. Sorry about this, Fueguchi. You're not the only one that's going to feel uncomfortable here in a bit.
"Can you teach him to say something else? Like one of our names?" Kaneki asked. "Can you say my name? Kaneki. Ka-ne-ki…
The bird made a long muted, whistling groan sound like it was unsure. Kaneki blinked at the bird and reached out to stroke his head. The cockatiel stiffened and fluffed up a lot more.
"What's wrong, Hetare?" Kaneki asked, noticing the bird was acting odd.
"Maybe all the noise from earlier startled him," Yomo suggested.
"Maybe," Kaneki shrugged, pulling his hand back.
Ichigo looked at the bird again and raised an eyebrow. She still wasn't sure of this and maybe this wasn't the hottest idea but they had to do something. He let out a long breath as Yoshimura walked back over to the sofa across from him and sat down. Kaneki took back his original seat and Ichigo took Touka's old spot.
"I really am sorry about what happened just now with Kaya and Touka's strange departure," Yoshimura said, looking at the young man across from him. "I should have selected another location for our meeting."
"Yeah, but like I said it's happened so what can you do?" Ichigo shrugged, putting on a weak smile. "Not much you can do about it now."
"Yes…" Yoshimura nodded. "I am still sorry to hear that you're quitting. When are you leaving again?"
"In two weeks or so," Ichigo answered, looking at his hands in his lap. "Maybe a little less."
"So soon?" Yoshimura asked a little surprised.
"Yeah…" Ichigo breathed, knitting his fingers together. "Thankfully most of my belongings that I have are still boxed up from when I moved. My last apartment building caught fire and I didn't have much to salvage…"
"Oh… I'm sorry to hear that," Yoshimura answered and Ichigo shrugged.
"Shit happens…" Ichigo mumbled. "I've been out of work for a while, nearly a month, so I'll see what I can dig up. By putting in my papers that also means I'll get blocked too. Since I'm leaving they can't give me a lot info. Security risks and all that…"
"Can't you hold off a little longer?" Kaneki asked and Ichigo shook his head.
"That's a no-can-do. I may not look or act like it but I'm not well at all, Kaneki," Ichigo said, looking at the teen to his right. "I can't really continue my job. Now I'll try to get what I can and hope Mado keeps his distance. Even with our suspension drawing to close he has another week to stay back from me. He breaks it he's back on suspension and the same goes for me if I go near him."
"Do you think you can get us the information during that window?" Yomo asked.
"I'm hoping to but like I said the moment my papers go through I'm going to be barred from a lot of things. To make matters worse my partner is now on medical leave so I can't mooch info from her," Ichigo sighed, running a hand through his shaggy hair. "What exactly is going on?"
"There seems to be rather violent uprising with the ghouls from the 11th ward," Yoshimura stated.
"I've heard something about this on the news lately," Ichigo said. "The CCG is having a hard time over there."
"Yes and it's bound to get worse. This group isn't just going after investigators but other ghouls," Yoshimura said, looking rather grim.
"They are terrorist group, I take it?" Ichigo asked and Yoshimura nodded.
"I have a list a things I want you look up for me," Yoshimura said, getting up and walked over and a shelf and pulled out a binder.
He opened it and removed a piece of paper from a folder. He put the binder back before walking over to Ichigo. Ichigo took the paper and looked it over. He noticed Kaneki was a little curious but he had a feeling Yoshimura wanted to keep things under wraps at the moment. He kept the writing just out of Kaneki's sight.
"That's what I need. Do you think you can get that for me?" Yoshimura asked.
"I can certainly try and dig up what I can," Ichigo nodded, looking over it. "This is a bit of a tall order."
"I know… I do greatly appreciate you helping us even if it is just for a short amount of time," Yoshimura said, walking back his seat.
"And I'm sorry my time is so limited," Ichigo said, folding up the paper and put it in his pants' pocket.
"If you are as ill as you're suggesting there's nothing much that can be done," Yoshimura said, messaging the bridge of his nose. "We'll just have to make use of the time we have and hope for the best."
Ichigo popped his right shoulder where Hetare was still perched. The bird looked at him again and sighed. This was not going to be easy on anyone. The bird fluffed its feathers again and then let them fall flat. It was now or nothing.
"I can pick up the slack for him when he leaves."
The air went dead silent at the sound of a woman's voice that manifested out of nowhere. They all had a look around the room for the sound of the voice. It almost had a familiar ring to it. Like they should know who it was but…
"Did you hear…?" Kaneki asked, looking at Ichigo.
Yomo looked out into the hall and found no one. He shut the door and then rushed to the window but still no one in sight. It was clear everyone heard a woman's voice in the room. There was no denying that but there were no women in the room.
"I don't see anyone," Yomo said, dropping the blinds. "But I know I heard a woman's voice just now."
"Yes, I think we all did," Yoshimura said, scratching his head a little nervously.
"Where did it come from?" Kaneki asked as Yomo kept looking around the room.
Suddenly the bird hopped from Ichigo's shoulder, to his knee, and then to the coffee table.
"I-I spoke… I was me…"
Everyone eyes snapped to the bird on the coffee table. They stared hard at the feathered creature. It shuttered a bit being under such scrutinizing gazes. The cockatiel fluffed up again.
"I'm the one speaking," the bird snapped, hopping up and down.
Yoshimura just stared hard at the bird and backed up in his seat. Kaneki did the same. Yomo dared to get a little closer to have a better look. Ichigo had a ghost of a smile on his lips, watching this unfold before him.
"Y-you can…?" Yoshimura choked out, pulling at the collar of his shirt.
"Yes, I can speak, Yoshimura," the bird said, looking at him. It was clear the old ghoul was unnerved by the bird in front of him. "Quite well, thank you."
"I'm not really seeing this, am I?" Kaneki asked, rubbing his eye as the bird turned to look at him.
"Yes… You're really seeing this, Kaneki," the bird said as he snapped into a protective ball on the couch. "Please, don't be scared! I'm not going to hurt you!"
"I… I know that voice," Yomo said, walking up to the table and knelt down to get almost level with the bird. "You're not Hetare or even a bird, are you?"
"No, I'm not…" The bird shook its head. "Well, this body is but I'm not."
The body is a bird but… Come to think of it, they all knew that voice but…
"Yomo… What's going on?" Yoshimura asked.
"I'm not sure to be honest," Yomo said, looking over Yoshimura who was slowly getting to his own knees to also get a better look at the bird. "However, this is really bothering me."
"Same here," Yoshimura agreed, studying the bird a little bit closer. "You can understand us?"
"Yes, I can understand you," the bird answered as Yoshimura backed up a little as did Yomo.
"I know you're voice…" Yomo mused, studying the bird harder.
"I sort of do, too," Kaneki added.
"Yes, I have to agree," Yoshimura said with a small nod. "Who are you, exactly?"
"Um, who do you think I am?" the bird turned to look back at Yoshimura.
"Frankly, I'm unsure… I-I'm unsure of this whole thing," Yoshimura said, running a hand down his face. "You said you're not a bird…? So… This is where I'm…"
"Freaked out…" Yomo said and Yoshimura nodded a little.
"Yes, quite freaked out," Yoshimura replied. "Uh… If you're not a bird… Well, you said the body was… Does that mean that you are some sort of spirit that's…"
"Yes! This was the best way I could talk to you," the bird answered again. "I'm not fond of this idea, of course… But it is what it is…"
"You're… You're Mrs. Fueguchi?" Kaneki swallowed the knot in his throat.
"Yes! Yes, I am," the bird replied, spreading its wings, happily. "You figured it out, Kaneki!"
Three adult ghouls hastily got to their feet and bolted off to different parts of the room, away from the bird. Ichigo was the only was still seated. He bit his lips trying his hardest not to laugh out loud.
"Oh, please don't be like that! It really is me! I mean no harm! I had no other option," she snapped in a panic, turning to look at Ichigo whose face was turning red from trying his hardest not to laugh. The bird glared at him. "Stop laughing! This is very serious!"
Ichigo then clamped his hands tightly around his mouth. She growled at him. This was his stupid idea and he's was sitting there laughing at this whole mess. She stomped a little bird foot in anger and that did it. Ichigo rolled out of his seat, clunked his head on the table on the way down, and broke out into a roaring laughter.
"STOP LAUGHING! Oh, this is not funny," Ryoko puffed out her feathers in anger. "How can you think this is funny?! I'm not happy about this! This was a horrible idea!"
At this point Ichigo was laughing too hard to even speak. Her voice might even be falling on deaf ears from the sheer volume of his laughter. He was even crying from laughing so hard. The others in the room were rather baffled as to what was going on before them. Did Ichigo have something to do with this? If so, how and why? The three men looked at each other from across the room and then at the fussing bird and the laughing investigator.
"I'm so, so sorry about this! Please forgive me," Mrs. Fueguchi said, turning to Yoshimura and bowed as best she could in a bird's body. "But I had no other way to communicate. I'm sorry I startled all of you. I'm harmless! Really! It was this hyena's bright idea when he saw the bird!"
She pointed a small wing at the still laughing Ichigo. He was practically rolling in the small space between the couch and the coffee table.
"H-his idea? He put you in the… You m-mean… How? Is he's a medium? " Yoshimura asked with skeptical tone, taking a careful step forward. "Is he a psychic of some kind?"
"Yeah… I'm not sure of everything but… He had lost his ability for a while and only recently got it back," she let out a long sigh. "He already had a change of heart before I even made contact with him but I pushed him more to help Hinami and Touka. I gathered the information he needed to help save them as I could go places he couldn't."
"Y-you're really her?" Yomo asked nervously, sticking the closest to the wall.
"Yes, I know it's hard to swallow… But I really am Ryoko," she stated, desperately. "Please, believe me! I am Fueguchi Ryoko!"
"Well, you do sound a lot like her," Kaneki said, keeping his head down some.
"That's because I am her, Kaneki," the bird said, hopping along to the table to get closer to him. "Kurosaki said you were there when I was killed and that you covered Hinami's eyes from seeing me… I was trying to tell her goodbye, remember? And that I loved her but that horrible man tore my head off my shoulders before I could even finish speaking!"
Kaneki fell to his knees, looking at the talking bird just a few feet from him. That was how it happened. Hinami had found him and lead him over to the scene. He hated remembering that rainy afternoon. He shuttered a little. He was the one to gather his courage first and got back up to his unsteady feet. He cautiously walked over to the table and looked down at the bird.
"Kaneki…?" she asked, looking up at him.
He bent down a little as she hopped into opened hands. He brought the bird up to eyelevel and really looked at it. There was a real intelligence behind those beady little bird eyes. There really was a person in there. He let a long sigh and set the bird on his shoulder. The bird wrapped its wings around his head as a form of a hug. He jumped a little finding a gentle wing in his face.
"Thank you… Thank you, Kaneki," she said happily into his ear.
"Yeah, sure," he said, lightly stoking her feathered back. I'm not going to lie. This is a little more than awkward. I'm still really uneasy about this.
They noticed the room had quieted down. Kaneki looked down to see Ichigo sitting up with an arm propped up on the coffee table for support, wiping his eyes. His was flushed from laughing so hard and clearly a little winded. Ryoko turned to look at him and huffed a little. He looked like he could just start laughing again at any given moment.
"Have you got it out of your system yet?" she asked as he drew in his lips and gave a few tiny nods. She then sighed. "You haven't really, have you?"
He shook his head hastily right after.
"Uh-huh… I figured. I've been around you too much…" she sighed, shaking her own head. "You have a really twisted sense of humor, Kurosaki… I don't even know how you even managed to talk me into this."
He just shrugged, keeping his lips tightly pursed. He was really trying to keep from having another laughing fit. His cheeks were as red as they could be and his face had small tear tracks running down them.
Yoshimura drew in a deep breath and took a careful step toward Kaneki and "Ryoko." He wanted to try and take this in a little better. Even as old as he was he never heard or seen anything like this before. Frankly, it disturbed the aging ghoul tremendously. A cockatiel being possessed by the late Fueguchi Ryoko wasn't something that could be easily accepted. He wanted to deny what he was currently witnessing but there was no way he could. There trapped in Hetare's small body was the soul of Fueguchi Ryoko. He was a little hesitant to get too close. He looked briefly over at Yomo. The man was still glued to the wall like he was part of it. Surprisingly enough Yomo was taking everything a little harder than he or Kaneki.
Yoshimura cleared his throat some and finally closed the remaining space between them. He looked at the bird on Kaneki's shoulder as it focused in on him. He extended a hand and the bird jumped on quickly.
"I'm going to be honest… This is not something I'm going to be comfortable with for a while," he said, looking at the bird in his hand. "I hope you don't take this the wrong way."
"I'm not too comfortable either but I'm sure we'll work through all this with time," she said, looking up at him. "Trust me… I'm still trying to come to terms with what happened to me… Then there's this…"
She spread her wings for a second and Yoshimura nodded. This whole thing was really going to be hard to adjust to. Yoshimura turned slightly, watching Ichigo get back to his feet. He was hunched over a little from laughing so hard. No doubt his sides hurt quite a bit. Ichigo hadn't laughed that hard in a very long time. He pushed back a little of his shaggy orange locks from his sweating face.
"So you're a medium?" Yoshimura asked, looking over Ichigo.
"Yes, I guess you could say that about me," Ichigo breathed, holding his middle. "Like she said, I only recently got my sight back… I haven't been able to see spirits since my teenage years. Hadn't I lost my sight I might have never even thought of joining the CCG. I would have seen the truth a lot earlier. In death humans and ghouls have the same souls."
"The same souls?" Yoshimura asked rather surprised and confused.
"When I died… I was just like an average human. I have no kagune or any other traits of being a ghoul," Ryoko stated boldly. "We are no different from humans spiritually. Physically we are vastly different but…"
"As I told her, death is the great equalizer. Never once growing up did I ever see a ghoul soul," Ichigo said, sitting back down. "I didn't even think of it until she told me. She's no different from a human soul now."
"So what you're saying is that when we ghouls pass on we are no different than a human?" Kaneki asked and Ichigo nodded.
"Only the physical body makes a difference but the soul is the same regardless," Ichigo stated, crossing his arms over his chest.
Yoshimura smiled a little at this news. So ghouls and humans really weren't so different. He had wanted to believe that for years and here was an investigator telling him just what he always wanted. He drew in a long breath and found his seat again. Kaneki did the same sitting beside Ichigo. Yomo still didn't make a move.
"Yomo, are you all right?" Yoshimura asked.
"Not… Not really…" he said, looking at the bird. "I'm going to need a little more time to process this. Sorry…"
"No, no. I fully understand," Yoshimura answered, setting the bird down on his knee. "Take your time. I'm still not sure about this yet myself. All of this seems rather surreal."
Yomo nodded, still sticking to a distant wall. This for some reason really unnerved him. He'd been through and seen a lot but this just hit that right nerve. He didn't want to say that he was actually scared but he was. He wasn't really superstitious and maybe that's why he was taking it so hard. He would pray for the dead but this… This was a whole new level for him. The little bird Hinami found now housed her late mother's soul. He ran a shaky hand down his lightly sweating face. Yes, this was going to be hard to truly process and accept as reality. He just needed to do this on his own time.
"Um, what are we going to do about Hinami and Touka?" Kaneki asked, looking between them. "I'm sure you want to speak with them, right?"
"Oh, I'd love too but… I think Touka caught sight of me for a moment. That's why she ran," Ryoko said, solemnly. "I don't know how well they'll take this. Touka's already scared and I can't imagine what my baby will think of this."
"I see… But you should try to communicate with them," Kaneki insisted, adjusting his eyepatch a little. "Even if it isn't right away."
"Oh, I completely plan to do that. But seeing how all of you reacted to me… I'm scared to go back through that with my daughter and Touka," Ryoko answered, quickly. "I don't want to scare them so bad that I end up driving them away."
"You wish to be a little more subtle next time?" Yoshimura asked and Ryoko sighed.
"Yes… I want to ease them into seeing me like this. I know the shock is still going to be there but given how close they were to me… This will hit them extremely hard," Ryoko breathed, hanging her head low. "So until I'm ready, can we keep this between all of us? When I feel safe I will confront them but just not right now."
"We won't mention a word about this to anyone," Yoshimura stated, looking at the bird on his knee. "Trust us… This isn't something we should be spreading around as it is."
"They'll think we're looney," Yomo muttered.
"W-well, yes…" Yoshimura said, scratching the back of his head. "It will have to stay between us for the time being."
"Thank you, Yoshimura," she bowed.
Yomo lightly cleared his throat as everyone turned to look at him.
"Kurosaki… Do you mind answering some questions for me?" Yomo asked still not moving from his spot.
"I suppose. What do you want to know?" Ichigo shrugged, looking over his shoulder.
"Well… You're a psychic, right?"
"Yeah…"
"Other than seeing the dead and putting souls in animals… What else are you capable of? I'm asking because of what I've been told recently by Touka and even Kaneki. From what I understand your abilities far surpass those of the average human."
Ichigo gave him a weak grin. It was true he had been displaying abilities that were far beyond human. It was the only way he could physically go toe-to-toe with ghouls. He had been hoping that none of them would bring it up. He dropped his shoulders a little and let a long breath out of his nose.
"You're asking me if my psychic ability affects me physically?" Ichigo replied and Yomo nodded his head.
"I am," the man curtly replied.
Ichigo clinched his jaw a little.
"Yomo, please don't press that matter," Ryoko exclaimed, hopping off Yoshimura's knee, hurried across the coffee table, and to the back of the small couch, sitting between Ichigo and Kaneki. "This is not an easy subj—"
"It does," Ichigo replied as Ryoko turned to her right to look at Ichigo.
"Kurosaki?" Ryoku asked, cocking her head to one side.
"He asked an honest question and I gave an honest answer," Ichigo said, casting his eyes on her. "However, I will not disclose everything."
Ichigo shifted his brown eyes back on Yomo with a blink. The ghoul's own sharp eyes narrowed a little.
"As they are personal issues," Ichigo followed up.
"She seems to know what's going on with you," Yomo stated.
"She's been staying with me," Ichigo answered sharply. "So I would imagine so. That makes a large difference."
"So, what can you tell us?" Yomo questioned, daring to take a step off the wall.
"One answer is yes. What Touka and Kaneki told you about me is true. It all does stem from my psychic powers," Ichigo responded, flatly.
"Can you do more than what you've shown?"
"Yes. Most right now are still underdeveloped."
"So… What are you?"
"Let's go with Esper* for right now and leave it there."
"Esper?" Yomo raised his eyebrows a little. "You're actually being serious?"
"Yes," Ichigo nodded and then rubbed his chin, quizzically. "What was that line…? There are more things in heaven and earth than dreamt up by your philosophy or something like that."
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy," Kaneki muttered as everyone turned to look at him. "W-well, that is the actual line…"
"Okay… Thank you…" Ichigo replied slowly and Kaneki gave a small uneasy shrug.
"So you're saying there's a lot more out there than I could ever fathom? Could there be more people out there like you?"
"I know there are others. Each with their own abilities."
"Why haven't people really heard about them?"
"We tend to keep in to ourselves and don't openly display our powers if we can help it. Sound familiar? If you think ghouls scare the masses imagine if people discovered that some humans have supernatural powers. How do you think that will go over?"
Yomo let out a deep breath. He knew all too well.
"Very poorly I'd imagine. A witch hunt would be started."
"Exactly… We're also very few in number as far as I know."
"Ryoko and you both mentioned that at one point you lost your powers. How did that happen?"
"That's a no comment."
"Okay… How did you suddenly develop them again?" Yomo finally getting up the courage to walk closer to them.
"Another no comment," Ichigo answered, looking up at Yomo who now stood directly behind them.
"Okay… Is it the development of your powers that is causing you to leave the CCG?" Yomo questioned firmly.
Ichigo gave him a ghost of a smile and narrowed his eyes a little. This man was good.
"Hammer on the nail," Ichigo drawled in a low voice.
"That's why you're leaving?" Kaneki asked in surprise, looking wide-eyed at the man beside him. "Can't you hide it?"
"My powers are deteriorating my health," Ichigo clarified, turning to look at Kaneki. "If it wasn't for that… I would most likely have stayed to try and help. But my body will be going sooner or later. I don't want to lose control of abilities, especially in the middle of a CCG office."
"Yes, that might not end too well. So that's why you're leaving so suddenly?" Yoshimura asked and Ichigo sighed, turning back to the old ghoul.
"Yes. I don't have a choice. These powers enhance me but they are also tearing me apart," Ichigo answered. "I have a feeling I might even have less than two weeks. I'll have to hurry and get what I can for you. I've shown Fueguchi how she can get in and out of the bird's body. She can be your eyes and ears in the CCG in my absence."
"I've been gathering information for Kurosaki all this time. I'd like to continue if that's all right with you?" she asked, looking at Yoshimura. "Being a spirit no can see me. I can go in and out of the offices as I please, totally unnoticed."
"I would really appreciate that. We really need someone on the inside at this time. Kurosaki all I ask is that you get whatever hard information you can before you leave," Yoshimura ordered and Ichigo nodded. "Fueguchi will take over for you after that."
"I will certainly do my best," Ryoko said happily.
"I start work again in two days. I'm going to be behind so it might be a while before I get anything valuable," Ichigo added. "Hopefully I get what you want without any complications."
"Please be careful. Whatever you can get will be most helpful," Yoshimura said, stretching his hand out to Ichigo. "Do we have an accordance, Kurosaki?"
Ichigo looked down at the offered hand. He smiled, reached out, and shook it firmly. The old man returned the smile.
"We have a deal, Yoshimura," Ichigo said almost happily.
"I'm glad. How would you prefer that we keep in contact?" Yoshimura asked and Ichigo pondered that thought.
"I can't come here again. It would be too risky," Ichigo answered and Yoshimura nodded.
"This is true," the old ghoul agreed.
"Well… If Kaneki is willing to risk it, I can give him the info and you can give me instructions through him. We are neighbors after all. If we talk to each other chances are things might go unnoticed," Ichigo said, putting a hand on Kaneki's shoulder. "We can make it look as casual as possible by keeping everything neighborly. If we look like friends it wouldn't hold up as well. Any exchanges between us have to be made quickly. No real long chats. Think you're up to the challenge?"
"M-me? You want me to…?" Kaneki pointed at himself.
"Phone records, emails, and stuff like that can be pulled and traced. I don't need a digital trail that could lead the CCG to any of you," Ichigo explained and Kaneki nervously bit his bottom lip. "One direct line would be best. I want you to be that line. If you don't feel up to it I'm sure grumpy back here can do it."
"Watch it," Yomo growled out.
"No… No, I-I'd like to help where I can. You helped me last night so it's the least I can do," Kaneki said, trying to put on a strong smile. "I'll do it… We'll just keep it casual like you said."
"Good," Ichigo smiled, patting the boy's shoulder before getting to his feet. "Well, I think it's best I get back. I shouldn't linger here. The longer I stay the more of a risk this becomes."
"Of course. It was nice meeting you, Kurosaki," Yoshimura got to his own feet and bowed.
"Same to you," Ichigo returned the gesture. "I'll see you around, Kaneki."
"Yeah, I guess we will," Kaneki said as Yomo walked around the small couch. "I'll see you later."
Yomo came to stop beside Ichigo and the two looked at each other.
"You ready?" Yomo asked and Ichigo nodded. "I'll show you out."
"Yes, of course," Ichigo said, putting his hat back on his head and popped up his coat collar. "Fueguchi, do you want to come with me or stay a little while?"
"I'd like to stay for a bit if you don't mind," she answered, still sitting on the back of the couch. "I'd like to speak with them for a while."
"Come back when you're ready," Ichigo said with a smile. "I showed you how to leave the bird when you want."
"I know," she waved a wing at him. "I'll see you later this evening, Kurosaki."
He waved back as Yomo opened the door and they walked out. Ichigo followed Yomo down the stairs and back into the café. He noticed Kaya giving a rather nasty look as he walked by. It was best not to even acknowledge her. Yomo took Ichigo back to the door and opened it. Ichigo stepped out while Yomo remained in the doorway.
"Just so you know… I'm still not completely on board with this," Yomo stated in a hushed tone.
"I'm not expecting you to be. Given my track record I wouldn't trust me either," Ichigo replied, shaking his head. "But I swear I will hold up my end of the bargain for as long as I can."
"You had better, Kurosaki," Yomo warned, stepping back and shut the door, firmly.
Ichigo shook his head again and straightened his fedora. He shouldn't linger here. He picked up his feet and started moving away from the café. This was going to be hard but it was nice to take on such a challenge. He smiled again and looked up at sun for a moment. Yeah, he could totally do this. He'd just grab what he needed on the list and put it all on a small USB drive. It would be the easiest way to hide the stolen information and quicker than burning a disk. He was going to try and make some sort of difference before he left. He was going to make sure of that. It might also help with clearing out that heavy baggage of his. He knew that would make his hollow at least some what happy.
Ichigo groaned loudly as he stepped out of a 24 convenience store. The sky was nearly starless due to the full moon and light pollution of the city. Other than that the night sky was crystal clear. He was still trying to get his sleeping pattern back to what it should be and it was hell. Then there were the late night munchies to deal with, too. That of course landed him in the convenience store he just stepped out of. He had a couple bags full of chips, drinks, and candy bars. Not exactly healthy but the sugar and caffeine should help keep him on schedule.
He opened one of the sodas and off he went down the sidewalk. This was a more of a residential area. It wasn't nearly as populated as other places in the city and it was rather quiet. He'd noticed that there wasn't as much foot traffic as usual. Given all that's happened lately, most people might not want to go out, fearing that the Rabbit or Incognito might kill them. That thought almost made him choke on his drink. He wiped his mouth and put the lid back on.
He crossed in front of an alleyway and saw something move. He paused and backed up to look back down at the dark passage way. He could see clear to the end and it led to another street. Who the hell knows? He shrugged and kept moving again. If it didn't bother him he wouldn't bother it. He walked a few more steps when he noticed something odd in the air. It wasn't a smell or a sound but a foreboding feeling.
"A hollow?" he murmured, looking back towards the alley he had just questioned.
He turned on his heel and raced down the old alley only to find that alley lead to abandoned area not a street. It looked like a building had once stood there but had long since been removed and new buildings enclosed it completely. Only parts of the foundation remained and a few rusted pipes stuck out of the ground. The paved ground was heavily cracked and weeds grew thick out of the narrow fissures.
He looked around he knew that the hollow was around in this—
"Shit," he jumped back as the hollow came down right in front of him. "There you are!"
The hollow stood on all fours and was built a bit like a tank. Rather boxy in shape, dark blue body, and his hide looked rather tough. His white mask had a thin red horizontal line running from left to right, and his teeth were sharp and serrated like a shark's. Then there was the one long horn smack in the middle of his forehead. It was like rhino's horn in shape.
A wide smile split Ichigo's face. This was going to be fun. It had been too long since he last dealt with a hollow and I might give him and idea what he was actually capable of so far. He took two steps forward when he was suddenly hit with a kido spell that knocked him back to the ground a little ways. He sat back up just as he saw a human sized figure cloaked in black fall from the sky and sliced the mask clean through. The hollow let out one last roar before it dissolved into nothing. Ichigo got back to his feet to see a male shinigami put his zanpakuto back in its sheath.
"H-hey," Ichigo called out, taking a step forward.
The shinigami said nothing and kept walking, like Ichigo didn't even exist. He looked like he was about jump into the air. Ichigo wasn't going to be ignored.
"I'm addressing you, Shinigami," Ichigo snapped and man stopped dead. "Yeah, you heard me! I can see you and I know what you are! Don't even try to pretend otherwise, Shinigami!"
The shinigami turned quickly and glared at the carrot top, crossing his arms. Was this human serious? He took in the young adult male. He didn't look like much. How this human could see a shinigami was beyond him. He untangled his strong arms and reached for his memory modifier, tucked in his haori. He was going to fix this real quick.
"Sir, I'm going to need you to look at this," he smiled, walking over to Ichigo, brushing some of his brown hair from his face. "It'll only take a moment."
"That's a memory modifier," Ichigo pointed out straight away and man stopped dead again, his glasses sliding down his nose a little. "You think I don't know? Please, give me some damn credit."
"You know what this is?" the shinigami blinked, holding it up.
"Tch, yeah…" Ichigo snorted. "You were the one that hit me with that kido spell, too, no doubt."
The shinigami could only stare at this human before him. He had never laid eyes on one as strange as him. Honestly, he didn't like it. People like him usually ended up causing trouble later on. He put the modifier away back into his uniform and put a hand on his zanpakuto.
"Hey, don't pull out your zanpakuto. Let's talk for a bit," Ichigo said, quickly noticing the warning signs. "I mean no harm! It's been a while since I've talk to anyone from Soul Society."
"Are you a traitor or something?" he asked bluntly, slowing pulling out the blade.
"Wh-what? Hell no, I'm anything but! You're clearly new, right? When did you graduate Shino Academy?" Ichigo asked quickly, taking a step back.
The shinigami did not answer as he withdrew his blade, completely. Okay, this wasn't going to end well. Ichigo had to keep talking.
"Okay, what squad are you on?" Ichigo asked, looking at the long silvery blade. "You can at least tell me that, right?"
"I'm in Squad 10," he answered flatly and charged.
Ichigo quickly dodged using sonido. The blade came down on empty air. The shinigami blinked in surprised. How did a human dodge that?
"Oh, 10th? Wow, I have some history with that squad. Tell me, is Toshiro still the captain?" Ichigo mused as the shinigami came charging down and went to strike again.
"Yes," the man snapped as Ichigo jumped back in time. "Tch. You will also not address my captain so informally."
"Oh, please… I've always done it. He never did anything but snap at me," Ichigo snorted and crossed his arms. "I take it Matsumoto is still his lieutenant?"
"Yeees… How do you know all this?" the shinigami growled out, ready to strike again. "You know far too much to be a mere human."
"I'm not a 'mere human' as you put it," Ichigo state bluntly. "I have a pretty big history with Soul Society. Clearly if you don't know me you didn't participate in the Winter War."
"The Winter War? You were in the Winter War?" the shinigami almost looked flabbergasted. "That's a lie! I know it is!"
"No, no! It's true, really I did! I was there on the frontlines."
"You couldn't be! You're a normal human! And the war didn't even happen here. It happened in…"
"Karakura. I'm from Karakura town. I'm not making this up! Get me Toshiro on the line. He'll straighten it out. Or even Matsumoto."
"I most certainly will do no such thing! I don't know who you think you are but…"
"Kurosaki Ichigo…"
"What?" the man scrutinized him.
"My name is Kurosaki Ichigo," Ichigo said slowly. "The former substitute shinigami."
The man stared long and hard at Ichigo. He had heard about a Kurosaki character that fought in the war. But he had lost his shinigami power after that. He scratched the back of his head. History wasn't his strongest. He usually slept through that subject. This guy right here was trying to say he was that particular person? The shinigami snorted. That was the biggest pile of bullshit he had ever heard.
"I still don't believe you," the man scoffed and Ichigo rolled his eyes.
"I'm telling you the truth! I am Kurosaki Ichigo," Ichigo spat and went to reach in his back pocket for his ID. "I'll show you my—"
Ichigo just did move out the way of another deadly swing. This time the Shinigami had used shun-po to make a very serious point. He glared at the shinigami and the shinigami did the same.
"How did you manage to dodge that...? That wasn't even shunpo you used," he snapped, facing Ichigo. "If I didn't know any better… I'd say that was sonido."
Ichigo drew in a long breath and let it back out.
"If you won't call, I will," Ichigo said, holding up the shinigami's pilfered Soul Phone. "Let's see here…"
"What…?" he choked out, feeling around his robes not finding his cell. "H-hey, that's mine! You give that back!"
"Contacts… Okay. This looks like a good one. This one here under emergency," Ichigo grinned and selected the number.
"You will give me back my phone this instant, you bastard," he snapped, charging at Ichigo again.
"That's not happening. I'm going to get this straightened out," Ichigo ducked his head as the blade whistled over his head.
He hit the send button and avoided another attack of the untransformed zanpakuto. The shinigami was clearly at the end of his rope.
"I have run out of patience with you," he snapped, swinging his blade over his shoulder.
"Shh-shh! It's ringing," Ichigo snapped as the man only growled at him.
"Hello, what's your emergency?" It was a woman's voice on the other end.
"Quick can you get me Hitsugaya-taichou on the line?! I'm under attack by unknown forces! I need to talk to the captain directly!"
"DON'T YOU DARE," the shinigami growled and came down swinging with more speed and strength than before.
The blade cut into Ichigo's chest. Ichigo stumbled back with a loud hiss of pain and looked at the large bleeding cut in his chest. Blood was pouring out a good bit and soaked his clothes and the ground. His attacker was ready to swing down again.
"Yes, this is Hitsugaya-taichou what's going down there?"
"Hello, Toshiro, are still as short as I remember?"
"Wh-what? Who the hell is this? You're not Tachibana!"
"I'll kill you," the man now known as Tachibana yelled.
"No, I'm not but can you please tell him stand down?! He's trying to freaking kill me," Ichigo yelped, ducking down again and nearly fell. "Whoa! I tried to tell him who I was and he just cut me wide open!"
"I don't even know you are!"
"Seriously, Toshiro! You couldn't have forgotten so damn quickly! C'mon! Whoa! Shit!" another strike came down, clipping Ichigo in the shoulder. "AAAAGH! Dammit!"
"Wait! I know that scream… And there is also only one person that's stupid enough to call me… Put me on speaker! Now! Can you hear me?"
"OWW, yes, hold on," Ichigo looked down at the phone. "I'm so glad you remember me!"
"What does mean?"
Ichigo held out the phone, leaving his arm wide open for an attack.
"I don't know what sort of shit you're trying to pull, you piece of shit, but when I'm—"
"TACHIBANA! YOU WILL STAND DOWN THIS VERY INSTANSTANT! STAND DOWN! THAT'S A DIRECT ORDER!"
The shinigami faltered at the sound of his captain's angry voice. He stopped just short of cutting Ichigo again. He looked at the Soul Phone in Ichigo's hand. That really was his captain at the other end.
"C-captain?" he blinked.
"Don't captain me, idiot! Why are you attacking Kurosaki Ichigo?" Toshiro snapped and Ichigo grinned evilly. Somebody was in trouble. "Have you lost your damn mind?!"
"But, Captain, this man can see me and he knows about—"
"Shut up! I know what this man is fully capable of! Why did you engage him in a fight?"
Wow… Ichigo looked at the phone in his hand. Toshiro was a little more than irate. Oh, how the carrot top was just loving this.
"Well, he… I just thought he might be an upcoming enemy…" Tachibana's voice faded out.
"Did he not tell you his name?"
"He… He did tell me his name, Sir…" Tachibana was sweating bullets at this point.
"And have you been living under a rock, Tachibana?! I don't believe this! Ugh… I'm getting a headache! This man is Kurosaki Ichigo. He's the one that took down Aizen Sosuke back in the Winter War! Who did you think he was?"
"W-well, I, uh… I'm not… I-I made a mistake…" Tachibana looked half scared and half embarrassed looking at the phone.
"Damn right you made a mistake! A big one!"
"FYI, he cut me open. Twice just so you know," Ichigo added just to rub in a little extra salt as Tachibana glared daggers at him. "Honestly, I thought he was going to kill me. Thankfully I managed to snag his phone. I'm just now getting my powers back so I'm not too strong. I wasn't expecting to be attacked."
"TACHIBANAAA!"
Ichigo grinned even wider as Tachibana's face grew bright red and an eye twitched feverishly.
"I'm sorry, Captain! This clearly was a large error on my part," Tachibana said, through his clinched teeth.
"You think? You will return this instant and straight to my office! This isn't the first big 'mistake' you've made! We're going have nice long chat about this incident upon your return! Do I make myself perfectly clear?!"
"Yes, sir, Captain," Tachibana grumbled.
"What was that?"
"Y-Yes, sir, Captain," Tachibana replied louder and clearer.
"I will be waiting for you so do not delay. Also leave your phone with Kurosaki. I wish to speak with him."
"Yes, Sir," Tachibana snorted.
"And more thing… Apologize to him."
"What?!"
"Tachibana…" there was a dangerous tone lacing the small captain's voice.
"R-right! I sincerely apologize for my brazen attack, Kurosaki," Tachibana said, giving Ichigo a deep bow and Ichigo had the smuggest look on his face. "I honestly didn't know who you were. My actions were clearly uncalled for."
"Thank you," Ichigo's grin was practically stretched from ear to ear at this point.
"Now return to Soul Society. I'll be waiting for you in my office."
"Yes, Captain," Tachibana said, giving Ichigo a nasty glare and went to give him the finger.
Ichigo opened his mouth and looked at the phone in his hand. If his finger so much as twitched that carrot top was going tattle on him. He tightened his fist and slung it back to his side. Instead he raised his zanpakuto and opened a Senkaimon. The large round gate appeared and the doors slid open, effortlessly. Tachibana gave Ichigo one last hard glare from behind his glasses before stepping into the gate, doors closing tightly behind him.
"Kurosaki, I am sorry about Tachibana's actions. This isn't the first time he's acted before thinking. Please don't take this personally."
Ichigo took the phone off speaker and put it up to his ear.
"I'm not but there's not much we can do about it now."
"How badly did he injure you? Can you get medical attention?" there was a little worry in the young captain's voice.
"He cut me cross my chest and my shoulder pretty good but… It could be a lot worse," Ichigo pulled back his tattered, blood soaked shirt. The wound was starting to close. "Look, Toshiro, can I—"
"Hitsugaya-taichou!"
"Right, right… Can you call me back later? I'm in the middle of Tokyo right now," Ichigo said, looking around the empty lot. "I'm soaked in blood and this isn't going to look good."
"Yes, I would imagine not," Toshiro breathed. "I'll call you after I talk with Tachibana."
"All right, that sounds good," Ichigo nodded. "I'll talk to you later."
"Yes, until later. Good bye, Kurosaki," Toshiro hung up.
Ichigo hung up his end and looked down at his ruined long sleeve shirt. Yeah this wasn't going to look good. He'd best use sonido so that no one would see him soaked in blood. It would certainly be easier and safer for him. Oh, what a mess this was going to be to clean up.
"Well, well, I thought I caught a whiff of something tantalizing," a deep voice echoed out of the dark alley. "I do so love the smell of fresh blood."
A man walked out of the shadows, licking his lips and his eyes were vibrant red on black. Ichigo groaned and rolled his eyes in annoyance. He should have known his blood would draw in the sharks. He rolled his shoulders and stared at the ghoul guarding the only exit. Ichigo clicked his tongue and actually walked towards the ghoul. The ghoul paused finding it odd that his pray would actually move towards him.
"You have a death wish or something, pal?" he asked, jokingly, but Ichigo didn't stop. "Well, if you're just going to walk over here…"
Ichigo pulled off his ball-cap and ruffled his shaggy bright orange hair. The ghoul just stared at Ichigo in shock. He was not expecting to see Hawk. He took a careful step back towards the alley. He studied the investigator. He was soaked in blood and it was his own. The bastard was injured. This couldn't get any better. He'd kill Hawk and eat him. He would save the investigator's head as proof of what he did. He gave Ichigo a wide toothy grin. Ichigo just stared dully at him, clearly not impressed.
"You're mine, Hawk," the ghoul yelled, charging straight at Ichigo.
Suddenly Hawk vanished in the blink of an eye. The ghoul hurriedly tried to locate his pray only to feel a strong, bone shattering kick land on the side of his head. He was sent flying into the crumbling remnants of the old foundation. He painfully sat up and blood ran into his eyes. How did…? How did Hawk do that? He wiped the blood from his eyes and glared up at the bleeding Dove. His head was swimming from the impact. He slammed his eyes shut and shook his aching head slightly, trying to clear it. When he opened his eyes again he felt his heart skip a beat. Hawk was glaring down at him with eyes that were a molten gold against charcoal black and a devilish smirk stretched his lips. He only had a moment or two to register what he was looking it at as Hawk suddenly vanished from sight.
The ghoul frantically looked around the abandoned area, trying to see where he was but Hawk was nowhere to be found. He put a hand over his racing heart and his stomach did a couple of flips. He knew what he saw just now. He wasn't knocked that damn hard. He shuttered remembering those burning eyes. Even a ghoul's kakugan weren't quite that intense. He got back to his feet and looked around a little more. Fear gripped him and he bolted back down the shadowy alleyway. He didn't think it would be wise to stick around to see what would happen next.
(A/N So I'm leaving it there! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was a bit of a hard one to write and to put together. I hope it was worth it. Please tell me your thoughts in a review. Until next time, buh-bye!)
* Esper is a term used a lot in Japan for someone with some sort of psychic ability. This is for those that might be unfamiliar with the term.
Millie M. Banshee