Chapter 45: Family matters (A missing link)
xxx
"You want to what?"
Ichigo looked at his father with his eyebrows raised. Why did the man raise his voice? Did his request deserve such treatment? Was it that ridiculous? Just to be sure the man didn't misunderstand him, he repeated himself.
"I want to visit the Human World."
After spending a few days with Yūshirō at the Shihōin mansion, he needed time to think, and it was the first time since he had come back that he had dinner with the rest of his family. He would have gone out but, as he had a request, he decided to spend some time with his relatives.
"Why? I know you have a lot of free time but you're still suffering from amnesia. It would be best if you didn't leave the safety of Seireitei."
Leaning on the chair, Ichigo put down his utensils and looked at his father with crossed arms.
"What, you think I'd get attacked or something? I can take care of myself just fine, dad."
He saw Isshin crossing his arms as well, and he found himself under a stern gaze.
"You barely have any spiritual energy. How do you expect yourself to fend off a hollow?"
He frowned.
"Why would any hollow try to attack me? You just said I barely have any spiritual energy!"
Before things could get heated, Kūkaku stepped into the conversation by slamming her hand onto the table. Grabbing his plate in haste so that its contents wouldn't spill, Ichigo turned towards her but she didn't return his gaze. Instead, she was staring at Isshin with a frown, not that different from the one he wore by default.
"What if he went to Ikumi?"
Caught off-guard, Isshin was the third person at the table who frowned.
"Ikumi?"
"Yeah. She's family and she knows Ichigo. She could look after him for a few days."
Ichigo stayed out of it for a moment and watched the exchange in silence. But as soon as Kūkaku finished speaking, it became clear that her attempts to persuade the man fell flat.
"It doesn't change the fact that she's powerless too. She can see spirits but her ability to sense spiritual energy is practically non-existent!" Isshin blurted out.
"She's in close contact with Urahara and has means of contacting him at a moment's notice. Come on, uncle, why are you so against it? I think a change of scenery could actually help Ichigo. What do you know, maybe he'll even remember something?" Kūkaku shot back.
Meanwhile, at the mention of a certain name, Ichigo suppressed an urge to shudder.
Isshin opened his mouth to say something but his voice didn't come out. Still, he continued to stare at Kūkaku with suspicion written all over his face. Then he found his voice.
"What gives, Kūkaku? There's something you're not telling me. You wouldn't mention Ikumi without a reason."
At that, Kūkaku's expression mellowed, and she squirmed in her seat. She looked at Ichigo, but before he could meet her eyes, she turned her attention back to Isshin and made a guilty face.
"Well, she contacted me a day ago saying that a guy has been bothering her. Nothing too serious or personal, but it's been rather uncomfortable. And you know Ikumi, uncle. She wouldn't call if she thought she could handle it."
Isshin's frown deepened.
"And you want to send Ichigo to her? He's just as powerless as she is."
Kūkaku shook her head.
"Ikumi thinks the guy is only trying to get into her panties but is so courteous about it that she's been unable to just kick him out. If Ichigo stayed with her at the shop, so it would appear she's already taken, the problem could solve itself."
At that point, Ichigo couldn't help himself and had to cut her off.
"She wants me to pretend that I'm her boyfriend?" He asked, incredulous. In return, Kūkaku dismissed his worries with a wave of her hand.
"Yeah, something like that." She said but then noticed the look on his face and rolled her eyes.
"Oh, please. It's not like you'd have to bang her in front of that guy. Just a hug or two would be enough."
Ichigo didn't respond to that. Instead, while Kūkaku continued to try to convince Isshin, he thought about the offer. It would tie him to one location during his stay but it was still better than not going at all. And it wasn't like Ikumi wouldn't let him go for a walk or two. He knew her well enough.
'Well, I can do a hug.'
"Alright, fine." He heard Isshin say and raised his head to see Kūkaku flashing him a wide grin while his father continued to frown. Before he could thank them, Isshin spoke again.
"Before you go, though, meet me in my room, Ichigo. There's something I need to talk to you about."
…
Light in Isshin's room was dim, and the closed window made the air inside heavy and much too hot for comfort. Coupled with the unusually serious expression on the man's face it created an atmosphere of an impending doom and it made Ichigo close the door with a slow, apprehensive push of his hand. For whatever reason, it seemed Isshin wasn't looking forward to the upcoming conversation. Once he sat down and watched his father do the same, he heard the man release a deep sigh.
"Let's talk, Ichigo. Before you go, there's something I haven't told you yet that I think you should know."
He stared at him with a neutral gaze.
"Sounds ominous."
Isshin shook his head and leaned into the armchair while putting his hands in front of him but allowing his elbows to rest on the armrests. His hands moved towards each other until he clasped them together in a variation of a praying pose.
"It's not. It's just… well, let's not waste time with sentimentality. You know Ishida Uryū, right?"
Ichigo gave a short not.
"You mentioned him back in the hospital. He's a Quincy guy I met a few times in Karakura Town."
At first, Isshin didn't respond, and for almost a minute, just stared at Ichigo with an unreadable expression which ranged from serious to an embarrassed and guilty at the same time. Ichigo felt like he should try to analyze the cause for such emotions but waited instead.
"He's also your cousin."
For a split second, Ichigo stiffened.
"Oh… I see." He muttered. Since that was the extent of his reaction, Isshin continued.
"Your mother… when I met her, she was living with the Ishida family. Since she was among the few remaining Quincy, same as members of the Ishida household were, it was only logical they should stick together. However, it went even further beyond that and the Ishida matriarch wanted her son, Ryūken, to take Masaki as his wife."
Ichigo stiffened again.
'Ryūken… isn't that the director of the Karakura Hospital?'
He tried not to let his thoughts to show on his face.
"Go on."
Isshin let out another sigh.
"Truth is, the two, Masaki and Ryūken, were also a sort of not-so-distant cousins. Well, for the Quincy, mixing their blood wasn't something unheard of. However, I came into their lives and changed that. Masaki married me and Ryūken married one of his servants, a girl named Katagiri. They had only one child, Uryū."
Ichigo narrowed his eyes.
"And? What's your point? You could have told me this anytime, but you chose now, right before I'm about to go to the Human World."
Isshin nodded twice in a row.
"Yes. Because of Masaki, me and Ryūken know each other and, from time to time, we talk. We did that not so long ago, and he revealed to me bits about Uryū-kun. Normally, I stay out of the lives of other people but, for more than just one reason, this I can't ignore."
"Ignore what?"
Isshin leaned forward and let his head fall on top of his joint hands.
"Young Uryū is mostly a self-taught Quincy and, because of a certain incident with his grandfather, came to dislike Shinigami. I think he's a smart boy and he'll stay out of trouble but…" The man trailed off and then looked up, at Ichigo, who raised one eyebrow at him.
"But?"
Isshin formed a sad smile.
"Ryūken, just like me, isn't a good father. He was always distant, more comfortable keeping his emotions in check but since his wife's death, he became even more withdrawn. What I want to say, Ichigo, is that it's been almost a decade since young Uryū felt what a family feels like."
"So, you want me to what? Show him what a family is like? I don't think I'm quite the right person for that."
"No. You don't have to do anything of that sort. You don't even have to look for him. Just… in case you meet him, you could mention he's not alone. That he has relatives he could speak to if he ever needed."
Ichigo waited for a few more seconds. but it seemed that that Isshin's speech was at the end, and so he closed his eyes and let the thoughts run through his brain. However, there wasn't much to think about. Just as his father said, he didn't really have to do anything. Exchanging a few words with the unpleasant boy was within his abilities.
'Family, huh?'
…
The trip through the Senkaimon was as uneventful as it could have been, though before he even entered it, he received a hell butterfly with a simple remainder to return to the Soul Society after a few days in case he wanted to prolong his stay in Human World even further. That was the first time he heard about a notification of such kind and he almost wanted to complain but then he realized there was no point and it most likely wasn't a regular occurrence; it was that his was a special case. In any event, he took his zanpakuto with him. Just in case.
Though he knew the way to Ikumi's house, he played his part and, once the Senkaimon gate closed after him, he navigated through Karakura Town using a note with scribbled directions and a small map of the area. For now, he abode by the rules and so his steps led him straight towards the promised destination. With no detour, any random wandering through the town or any sightseeing he took barely half an hour to reach the place.
"Ah, Ichigo! Welcome! Come on in!" Ikumi appeared in the door with her usual eagerness as soon as his finger left the doorbell. She pulled him inside.
"Hello." He greeted her in a reserved tone but she didn't seem to mind it. In silence she led him through the hallway to the kitchen where she motioned him to sit down. While he did so, she reached behind her and placed a large glass of water in front of him. With a grateful nod, he took a sip and watched her sit down opposite of him.
"I heard the whole story from Kūkaku. I am aware of your amnesia, so if this feels awkward for you, let me know." She said without a preface, causing him to choke on the water. Once the inevitable coughing fit ended, he glared at her with a fake malice but she laughed it off. For a few seconds they fought a battle of stares. Finally, Ikumi spoke first.
"Kaoru, my son, is already sleeping."
Admitting his defeat, Ichigo let out a tiny sigh and looked away from her.
"Good to know?"
"Yes. It means we can an honest talk."
The way she worded that made him look back at her face. He saw the same serious expression he had seen on his father's face several hours ago.
"Why do I sense an unpleasant topic coming towards me?" He muttered with a grimace but Ikumi shook her head.
"I wouldn't say it's unpleasant."
"Then?"
With one hand, she reached to the back of her head and rubbed it.
"Eh, it's more like it's about the real reason behind your presence here."
Both Ichigo's eyebrows shot upwards until they disappeared in his short hairline.
'Well, that's unexpected.' He thought but chose different words to speak.
"Let me guess. There's no one bothering you."
Ikumi's hand declined until she let it rest on the table.
"Wrong. There really is a person, a man. However, it's not just me he's been bothering. It's the whole town." She stated while giving him a look of uneasiness. That only further cemented Ichigo's gut feeling.
"I don't care for the rest of the town. But if he's an annoyance to you, well, do you know the reason?"
He watched her take a deep breath.
"I only said this to Kūkaku, and we both decided not to say anything to Isshin-san. Right now, he's a bit overprotective of you and wouldn't let you out of his sight if it was possible."
Ichigo's distinct frown formed on his face in a matter of milliseconds.
"Okay, back up. That's kind of going too far, don't you think?"
He saw her blink in surprise.
"Wait. You mean you don't know?"
"Don't know what?"
His frown deepened and Ikumi once again raised her hand to scratch the back of her head.
"Uhm, Kūkaku told me. Once you went on this spy mission, Isshin-san tried to rush after you to Hueco Mundo with every intention on fighting even Aizen himself if it meant he could bring you back. He wasn't aware you were acting under orders and, since the Captain Commander wanted to keep it confidential, he prevented him from going. It seems he even had to use his zanpakuto because Isshin-san didn't want to back down. In the end, though, he was forced to yield. I… we think he took it as another failure in his life as a father. When they brought you back, in a coma, he changed. Became more serious and sterner."
Feeling a slight twinge in his chest, Ichigo let out a quiet grunt and clenched his jaw. He closed his eyes and kept them that way for a few seconds until the stab of guilt went away.
"I… nobody told me. I'll make sure to let him know I appreciate him." He said and, with a short nod, motioned Ikumi to continue.
"Alright. Moving back to the original topic, we decided not to say anything to Isshin-san because this matter concerns you and you only. The man I mentioned, there's a reason he's been bothering everyone. It seems he's trying to find you." Ikumi said in a dramatic tone but to her surprise, Ichigo reacted with a loud snort.
"Pff. A strange, mysterious man is interested in me. Shocking. Never happened before." He deadpanned. Then he realized what he said and froze in agitation but it seemed Ikumi didn't think twice about his words.
"Well, I sure as hell haven't seen him before, though he somehow looks familiar. Maybe he's somebody you knew during your life or maybe he truly is a stranger and I am not sure which possibility is worse."
Thawed from his moment of suspense, Ichigo shrugged.
"We'll see. What exactly is this guy asking about?"
"Eh, most of the time I try to ignore him but from what I recall, it's… general stuff, I guess. So far, his goal seems to be just finding you."
"Do you think he could see me? Does he have any spiritual energy?"
With an apologetic shake of her head, Ikumi sighed.
"Can't help you there. I don't if Kūkaku told you but my ability to sense reiatsu is abysmal. Why are you asking though? You want to tail him from the shadows? Like in those spy movies?" She asked, suddenly sounding so enthusiastic, it made the corners of Ichigo's mouth twitch upwards.
"Nah, I think I'm done being a spy. Didn't end well the last time I tried it. Also, tailing him is too much of a hassle. I want to confront him, eye to eye. But if he can't see me…" He trailed off, only to notice Ikumi giving him a wide-eyed, energetic nod.
"In that case, go get one of those Gigai things. I'm sure Urahara-san has a whole stash."
Since she looked so sincere in her suggestion, Ichigo held back the urge to grimace. Every time he heard the name of the certain scientist/shopkeeper his facial muscles were trying to twist his expression on reflex; a thing that was becoming a bad habit. On the other hand, obtaining a Gigai probably was the best solution to his dilemma.
"Alright. I'll go in the morning and then I'll play whatever the role you want me to play until this guy shows up."
…
After he visited the Urahara's Shop, where he spent enough time to exchange brief and not quite honest greetings, and stuffing his soul into a Gigai, Ichigo wasted the next few days by helping Ikumi around the shop and waiting for the unknown man to make his appearance. Right after he came back in Gigai, instead of acting as her boyfriend he made a deal with Ikumi to play a role of her distant relative; while the original idea wasn't farfetched or bad, Kaoru, Ikumi's son, would have made it difficult as his attitude towards Ichigo, while not outright hostile, wasn't good either.
It didn't matter to him. A relative or a boyfriend, it all came down to just spending time at Ikumi's place of business, the Unagiya Shop, a business which performed various odd jobs. They all ranged from simple help with moving furniture to getting bored to death by helping fill out stacks and stacks of paperwork. Most of the time, though, Ichigo took on jobs that would let him stay in close distance to the shop so he wouldn't miss when the unknown man showed up.
However, despite Ikumi's claim that the man visited her shop in regular intervals of once every two days, nothing happened for three whole days and Ichigo was itching to go out to the town and look for the man himself. On the dawn of the fourth day, the itch became unbearable and so he decided if not outright stalking the guy, he would at least take a leisure walk around the town.
Strolling down a familiar path near the banks of Karasu River, Ichigo readjusted the cap on his head and, against his own feelings, admitted the oversight of a certain shopkeeper.
'I guess coloring the hair of this Gigai was a smart thing to do after all. Not a single person recognized me, yet.' He thought and tried not to think about what would happen if Gotei 13 knew he was walking among the living in the same town where he had used to live barely months after his death. However, he didn't hear about any regulation that outright forbade him from doing so.
'Or maybe they know and don't care. I can make up something on the spot if things go south.'
He snorted. That sounded just like what the members of Gotei would do.
'Not all of them, at least.' He corrected himself. It would have been rude not to think of the exceptions within the Soul Society's military organization. With a sigh, he looked up and towards the distance. There, just within his view, he caught the sight of a certain house that nowadays smelled of emptiness. Then he turned the opposite direction and saw another house. That, too, was empty.
'I swear I will find a way to help you in any way I can, Tatsuki, Orihime.'
He stuffed his clenched fists into the pockets of his jacket and walked further along the river. Before it could spread its sticky web of melancholy on him, he let go of the thought of his two former classmates, now Arrancars, and took a calming breath. His hands relaxed and the frown he had formed almost on reflex melted away and turned into a neutral expression.
As he walked, his eyes wandered towards the certain spot near the river where his life had turned around in what now seemed like a slash through time.
"You have a hard time keeping your promises, don't you, Kurosaki Ichigo?"
A familiar voice came from behind him. If he wasn't so used to weird coincidences, Ichigo knew he'd have felt surprised. What were the chances he would meet the one person his father had talked with him about? While turning towards the person, he spoke.
"Not really. I just don't care about this one in particular, Ishida Uryū."
The bespectacled Quincy soon appeared in his line of sight. Wearing the odd white attire, the boy was glaring at him from a short distance, tense as a string about to spring.
"Haven't you brought just about enough destruction to Karakura Town, Kurosaki?"
While giving his best not to look arrogant, Ichigo shrugged.
"What happened, happened and is already in the past. Though spiritual energy can be used for many purposes, rewinding time isn't one. At least I can't use it for that, Ishida."
He saw the Quincy increase his glare by forming a scowl.
"Nobody is asking you to do that. But you need to stay away from this town to avoid further bloodshed."
Ichigo stared at him for a few seconds in silence. There was one thing that had occurred to him before but now that the person in question stood in front of him, it was time to try his luck and see if he guessed right.
"Which one did you like?"
While Uryū's scowl remained, after hearing Ichigo's words, his glare morphed into an unsure, incredulous stare.
"Excuse me?"
Ichigo looked away from the boy and pointed his gaze towards a house in the distance.
"I've been in incidents that spawned death and I won't deny that. But your attitude towards me reeks of personal vendetta. I know a few things about you, and despite your dislike towards Shinigami, you wouldn't act this way towards others. So, there must be something I have done to you and the only thing I did was to bring death to Karakura Town. I asked myself 'what could that mean?' and, well, one thing I thought of was that among the dead ones, you held one or more of them dear." He explained and his gaze jumped back to the Quincy, who stared at him with an emotion Ichigo found hard to recognize. On the other hand, nothing about his stance told Ichigo to stop talking.
"I'm not sure how many deaths I was directly, or indirectly, responsible for but among them, there were two I knew. So, I'm asking again, hoping that I'm not off about this; which one was it? Tatsuki Arisawa or Orihime Inoue?"
The boy flinched.
"I saw them again, you know." He added before he could interrupt him, causing Uryū to flinch even more. The bespectacled boy suddenly looked distressed.
"Soul Society?" He asked with hope.
Ichigo shook his head with a sad smile.
"High-level, evolved form of hollows. Arrancars. Type of hollows with humanoid appearance and ability to talk, think and act human-like."
The root of the Quincy's nose twitched and, in a flash, a reishi bow formed in his hands.
"So, it will come to this, huh? I must send their souls to rest."
Ichigo, with both his hands still stuffed in the pockets of his jacket, stared in his eyes, calm as a rock.
"You won't, Ishida."
"Why you-"
"It's simple. You aren't strong enough." Ichigo interrupted him with a raised tone of his voice, causing the boy to freeze in surprise.
"What?"
Ichigo looked down, at the spot in front of him and kicked away a small stone.
"You didn't listen. They are not your usual hollows. They have evolved past the basic Menos and by taking their masks off reached even greater heights. The abilities they gained in the process… they are incredible but scary. I don't doubt you can handle your own against normal hollows but there are enemies you wouldn't stand a chance against. It's that simple."
For a while, there was no response. Then the silence cracked.
"Why are you telling me this? Is this some twisted, sick attempt at dark humor? Or are you enjoying this?"
Ichigo gave out a sigh and looked up, to meet the boy's gaze with his own. He shook his head.
"Neither. I just felt like informing you of the reality of the situation. It is what family does, Ishida Uryū, son of Ishida Ryūken."
He saw Uryū's eyelids widen in surprise but also glint in disbelief.
"What family, Kurosaki Ichigo, son of Kurosaki Isshin?"
Ichigo barked out a laugh. Did the Quincy think he was trying to make fun of him?
"Actually, it is Shiba Isshin."
When the person in front of him blinked, he added one more thing.
"My mother was Kurosaki Masaki. You may have heard of her, since she's a distant relative of your father."
Ichigo watched as Uryū blinked again, and then, at a plodding pace, raised his right foot, only to take a step backwards.
"No. Never. You're saying nonsense, Kurosaki."
In response, Ichigo narrowed his eyes. That Ryūken Ishida never mentioned his mother's name was an honest surprise for him. However, there was another way to convince the Quincy boy of the truth. But he hadn't planned on actually using it.
'Oh, well, beggars can't be choosers.' He thought and closed his eyes for a moment. Plunging deep into his own self, he grabbed a familiar hand and kept holding on to it even after his eyes opened. Raising his left hand in front of him, he rotated it around so that his palm was facing upwards and then did his best to increase his concentration.
In a matter of seconds, a small ball of glowing particles formed right above his palm and illuminated the skin of his hand with its weak light. It was one of the few Quincy techniques of reishi absorption he had learned so far. He looked up, at the dumbfounded expression on the Quincy boy's face, and grinned.
"How about now? Is this nonsense as well?"
…
Only after his chance meeting with Uryū ended and after he finished the round around Karakura Town, Ichigo raised his right hand and slapped his forehead with it.
'Damn it. I forgot to ask him about the mysterious guy.'
It tempted him to turn around and look for the Quincy boy but, in the end, he decided not to. Even after they parted their ways, Uryū still looked shaken by Ichigo's display of Quincy ability and so Ichigo was sure if he found him, he would try to talk about anything but the man.
When they day advanced all the way through the lunch and to the afternoon without the mysterious man making his appearance once again, a tiny, annoying thought formed in his mind.
'What if he already moved away from the town?'
When he shared his worry with Ikumi, she shrugged.
"If he did, that would be nice but I don't think that's the case. I admit it's odd he hasn't been here for so many days in a row but I'm sure he's still in the town. One of my neighbors mentioned she spotted him only yesterday. Patience, Ichigo."
Grunting, Ichigo returned to his current work, which was washing dirty dishes in the sink, with an annoyed frown. What Ikumi said didn't do much to ease his worries. Not to mention she told him to be patient. Him. Patient. While he was sure he had grown from his teenage impatient period, true patience was still a thing that eluded his grasp. It became clear as soon as he grabbed another plate to clean and an oily stain refused to get washed away for whole five minutes. With narrowed eyes, he squeezed the washrag until the detergent in it turned into a cloud of pleasant-smelling foam and then he rubbed the stain with all of his might until the foam flew. He focused so much on getting rid of the stain he realized what he was doing only when foam ended in his mouth and in his left eye.
"Pfu! Ow!" He spat away the foam and closed his eye in an instant, but it already stung.
"Goddamnit!"
"Whoa there!"
His shout and subsequent sound of a plate crashing within the sink alerted Ikumi, and the single mother of, at the moment, sleeping boy grabbed one of Ichigo's hands he was using to gouge the foam from his sore eye and yanked it away.
"Stop! Rubbing it will only make it worse." She said and opened the tap further until water flowed out like a waterfall. With slight pressure, she moved him towards the sink and forced him to bend down.
"Here, wash the foam away with water."
Reluctant, Ichigo stuck his head in the sink and let the lukewarm water flow around his eye. It caused him to blink many times but, as the bits of foam vanished, he let out a groan of satisfaction. In a few more seconds, it was all over. He rose from the sink and, while leaning on the counter, he glanced at Ikumi. She was shaking her head at him.
"Thanks." He muttered and felt his cheeks getting red. For some reason, he felt like a child who misbehaved and was caught in the middle of a prank.
"Take a break for the rest of the day, Ichigo. Go for a walk or something."
He looked away and nodded in silence. When he heard her walk away, he let out a sigh and glanced at the clock. It was three in the afternoon. What was he supposed to do now? Ikumi's advice didn't sound so bad but he already took a walk in the morning.
'Guess I'll stop by Seireitei and prolong my stay here.' He thought.
Using a towel, he dried both his hands and his face and looked for Ikumi.
"I'm leaving my Gigai in my room. I'll be back in a few hours."
"Okay. Be careful."
He rolled his eyes. Sometimes, Ikumi was such a mother. Not that it was a bad thing. He did enjoy it most of the time. In his room, he used one of Urahara's tools to get out of his artificial human body, put it in bed and placed a blanket over it so that if Kaoru wandered in his room, it would look like he was taking a long afternoon nap. Then he stretched himself. Four days spent in a Gigai left him feeling somewhat stiff.
'Right foot forward. Lower yourself into a lunge while placing your fingertips on the floor. Breathe in. In one motion exhale and straighten your right leg. Slowly return to the lunge position. Repeat. Switch sides. Stop. Stand with your feet together and your arms straight overhead. Clasp your hands together. Make your fingers interlaces. Keep pointer fingers extended. Reach upwards and inhale while doing so. Breathe out as you bend your upper body to the right. Five slow breaths. Return to the center. Repeat on the left side.'
It was a basic and generally an easy exercise but it was also enough to warm his muscles up and that was all he wanted to accomplish. He made sure everything in the room was in order and that the door was closed, then took out his zanpakuto and plunged it in the air in front of him. In a flash, a moderate-sized Senkaimon gate appeared.
A few seconds later, he was back in Soul Society.
"Kurosaki-san." A pair of guards greeted him with polite nods, a pleasantry he returned in the same manner. He knew most of the guards anyway and so there was no need for further words.
The next three hours were filled with so much excitement, Ichigo was almost afraid he would get bored to death. Unnecessary paperwork, pointless administration, redundant visits to multiple departments, all for such a simple thing that was prolonging a stay in the Human World. As the time spent doing things like these increased, Ichigo questioned the absurdity even more than before.
'I have never seen documents like these before. Why do I even need to fill them? Is it because right now I'm not a member of Gotei 13 or is it because I'm me?' He thought when at last, the last document, a 'Notice of Legal Use of Sampled Reiryoku', left his hand and he was free to return to Karakura Town. It occurred to him that maybe he ought to talk to his father before going but then a Hell Butterfly swirled around him and landed on his outstretched hand. When the voice of a certain shopkeeper assaulted his eardrums, he almost slapped the messenger away but stopped himself when the message continued.
Kurosaki-san, I apologize for contacting you in this way but one of your acquaintances, Ishida Uryū, has been just attacked by unknown personnel. He's alive but on his way to the Karakura General Hospital with a severe injury. Thought you'd like to know.
Urahara Kisuke–
arms went off in his head and he was hurrying towards the Senkaimon gate before the Hell Butterfly even left his hand. It took several minutes before he arrived to the gate location but when he did, it was ready for usage. He glanced at the guards and sent in their way a quick nod of appreciation. Before they could react, he was already back in Karakura Town. He made one step towards the Karakura Hospital when one small part of the logical, analytical area in his brain made him stop and presented him with an outrageous idea.
'What if I calmed down and took things slow… that was your doing, wasn't it, Yhwach, Zangetsu? I get it, I get it, sheesh.' He shook his head and took a calming breath to think about the situation. Soon, he noticed a glaring problem. He was not in his Gigai and going to the Hospital without it would have been a terrible idea. With a frown, he sent a thankful emotion to his hidden spirits and turned in the direction of Unagiya Shop.
He just entered when he heard Ikumi's voice from one of the closer rooms.
"Urahara-san contacted me that-"
"I already heard it! I'm here just for the Gigai. See you later, Ikumi-san!" He interrupted her and reached his room with a few calm, yet quick steps. Mere minutes later, he was back on his way to the hospital.
"Hi, a friend of mine got injured and was supposed to be taken here." He spoke to a receptionist once he got there.
"Name?" She asked in a bored voice.
"Uryū Ishida."
The receptionist stiffened at the name and changed her behavior to a more proper one.
"Ah, sure. Give me a second." She said and tapped on the computer keyboard in a hurry. A soft beep later, she looked at Ichigo.
"Room 616."
"Thanks."
Going by the hospital's design, Ichigo wasn't looking forward to the mountain of stairs he had to take to get to the room. To number them, all rooms wore stickers with three-digit numbers. The first digit translated into the hospital's floor, which meant Uryū was being kept on the sixth one. Second digit was for the department what, in this case, meant the ICU - Intensive Care Unit. It almost made the weight of the situation larger but Ichigo also knew the third digit represented the level of threat. That it was number six meant Uryū's life was no longer in any immediate danger. Soon, after defeating all twelve staircases that led to the sixth floor, he reached the door to the room, only to find a fit-looking white-haired man with glasses pushed up his nose walking out. Ichigo recognized him as the director of the hospital and Uryū's father, Ryūken Ishida. The man noticed him.
"Looking for something?" The man asked in a stern though not unfriendly tone. In return Ichigo nodded and, with a nod of his head, motioned to the room from which the man just came. Ryūken raised one of his eyebrows.
"A friend of Uryū's?"
"More like an acquaintance, Ishida-san."
The man narrowed his eyes and, after pushing his glasses up, gave him a searching gaze. Then he blinked.
"You're Kurosaki Ichigo, right? Isshin's son."
It tempted Ichigo to emphasize his mother as well but the talk with his father made him stop. Instead he nodded.
"Yeah."
It seemed the older Ishida wanted to say something but, just as Ichigo did, prevented himself from doing so in the last moment. With a single blink of his eyes, the man took a step away from the door and then turned his head in a different direction.
"I see. Go on Kurosaki. Good day."
"Right, good day, sir."
He watched the man go in slight dismay. While it appeared he was well-mannered and in control of his wording, Ryūken Ishida seemed to be just as his father had told him. A cold, distant and a difficult to approach kind of person. It almost made Ichigo glad to have his father as his father.
The sound of footsteps died down and Ichigo pushed the door to the room 616 open. Inside, he found a single bed separated from the rest of the room with an opaque curtain. He reached for it and pushed it aside.
"Kurosaki? What are you doing here?"
He had prepared himself for an unpleasant image of a person wrapped in bloodied bandages but the actual sight surprised him. Aside from the hospital gown, there was nothing different about the person in front of him.
"I heard someone attacked you." He replied. In return, he heard a snort.
"And what? You got worried about me?"
"Well, kind of. Like I told you, we're distant relatives."
Looking away from him, Uryū grimaced.
"Which is something I still find hard to believe."
Ichigo stuck out of left hand and nudged him with his right one.
"I can show you the trick again."
Uryū shook his head.
"Don't bother. Father already told me what you said is the truth."
There was a hint of bitterness in the boy's voice and Ichigo couldn't help but to sigh. For once, it turned out his father was right about something. Moving his left hand to the side, he grabbed ahold of a nearby chair and pulled it towards him. Before Uryū could protest, he sat down in it.
"So? What happened?"
His question was met with a pregnant silence. It surprised him. It didn't look like the Quincy didn't want to talk to him but the boy was also trying his hardest not to look at him and not to say anything. Such a situation lasted only for a few seconds.
"You were right."
Ichigo's raised both his eyebrows.
"I was? About what?"
Uryū pushed himself up and glanced at Ichigo with a defeated look.
"You said I am weak. You were right."
"Oh… that." Ichigo muttered and lowered his head. For a moment, he felt ashamed for his earlier words.
"If I wasn't, there is no way I would let myself get attacked without even being able to see the attacker."
At that, Ichigo's head shot upwards, and he stared at the Quincy with an incredulous gaze.
"Wait, really? You didn't see who it was? Ah, damn it."
"Hmm?"
Seeing the frown forming on Uryū's face, Ichigo voiced his thoughts.
"I was hoping that the one who attacked you is a certain man that came into this town not that long ago."
In a smooth motion, Uryū reached for his glasses and pushed them up his nose.
"I see. Do you happen to be talking about a certain spiritually aware man that has been asking questions about you for the past two weeks? Give or take."
"Spiritually aware?"
Uryū shrugged.
"Able to see ghosts and possessing some spiritual energy."
Ichigo lowered his head once more.
"Ah, shit. I did not know that."
There was a short silence following that statement.
"Is he the reason why you came to Karakura Town and why you're in a reiatsu suppressing Gigai?"
Ichigo blinked and then glanced up at the Quincy boy with a bit of amusement playing in his eyes.
"Kind of."
Uryū met his gaze and continued staring in his eyes for a while longer before looking away.
"In that case, I can tell you one more thing. Whoever attacked me definitely wasn't that man. The spiritual signature doesn't match. Then again, the attacker possesses spiritual energy too."
Ichigo placed his head on top of his hands and supported his elbows on the top of his knees. From this position, he gave Uryū a curious frown.
"What makes you say that? I thought you saw nothing."
After shaking his head, Uryū unbuttoned his shirt, causing Ichigo to raise one eyebrow.
"I didn't. But my spiritual senses work differently than my sight does. And I felt it." He stated and, once his shirt was unbuttoned, he pushed its sides apart and turned to face Ichigo with his bare chest.
"I felt a blade cutting straight through my chest. Like a knife plunging into butter, it entered my body and made it feel like an alien presence bisected me. However, as you can see, there is no wound. Therefore, the attack must have been spiritual, not physical. My father confirmed this and told me my spirit ribbon has almost been severed. I don't know what happened, but it did something or at least tried to."
Ichigo watched him button his shirt with a thoughtful expression.
"But it doesn't make any sense. No, let me rephrase that. Something's amiss. If it wasn't this mysterious man, it means that there are more spiritually aware people in town. That can't be a coincidence. Well, it could but I no longer trust such things. You getting attacked must connect to his presence here. But how? And why are you the one who got attacked? We're not exactly friends. It would only make sense if you were the real target. But then why would somebody go around the town asking questions about me?" He muttered more for himself than for Uryū but as Ichigo spoke, Uryū was nodding.
"For once, I agree. However, like before, I'd like to stay out, if possible. Until this man or, these men, turn out to be a threat for the people of Karakura, I leave this matter to you."
Ichigo snorted in exasperation but then formed a wide grin.
"Fine by me."
…
That night, it took Ichigo a long time to fall asleep. Deep in thoughts, he was turning and tossing around from one side to the other until the source of his insomnia presented itself in a simple thought.
Finding the man had been taking him far too long, and it was time for him to act. Being passive never suited him. He had always been more of a reactive, proactive kind of guy and this time, it was no different. He had to find the person by himself. Waiting for him to show up was not working as he had thought it would.
'If he won't appear until tomorrow lunch, I'll search for him.'
After he set the goal and satisfied his consciousness with it, sleep came to him in the matter of minutes. But, as it always had been, fate found its way to twist itself around him and mock him with a wide grin of a coincidental, chance meeting.
"Hello there, could I take a bite from your time?"
He was on his way to the next menial job he had received from Ikumi early in the morning when, just a block away from the Unagiya shop, an unknown voice called out to him from a nearby corner of the street. There, looking as innocent as one could ever be, stood an unfamiliar, tall and lean-built man with shoulder-length black hair, distinct dark eyebrows and striking eyes. Ichigo had never seen him before, but there was something about the man that made him feel like he should know him.
"Yes?"
Ichigo took a few steps towards the man while making sure the distance between them was enough for him to react to any surprising move. He had no way of knowing whether he met the one person he had been trying to meet or not but the underlying paranoia stemming from his experience kept him cautious.
"I was wondering if you could help me. You see, I've been in this town for a while now, searching for a certain person but nobody knows anything. I felt like I've asked everyone in this town but you seem new here."
Several lights of comprehension light up within Ichigo's mind and he focused his gaze a bit to take as much details of the man in front of him as he could.
"Ah, well, I'm from around here but I have been away for a few months and returned only a few days ago. What can I help you with, sir?" He asked, choosing the polite manner of speech just to be sure. The man's face lit up with a wide grin.
"I'm Ginjō. Ginjō Kūgo. I've been looking for a certain guy. He's appearance is supposed to be striking but so far, I have met no one like that in this town."
Storing the man's name into his brain, Ichigo listened to him with a knowing nod.
"I see. Does this guy have a name?"
"Kurosaki Ichigo."
"Hmm…" Ichigo pushed out through his mouth as he tried to keep his face as unresponsive as he could. After five days of nothing, he found the person he had been looking for. It made him feel relief but, as he stared at that person, this Ginjō guy, he felt confused. Nothing about the guy showed any reason he had been looking for him. Still, Ichigo decided it was too tiring to play any game and went straight to the point.
"Well, you found him. Nice to meet you, Ginjō-san, I'm Kurosaki Ichigo." He said and outstretched his hand in greetings. He saw the man's eyes widen, but he adapted to the situation and accepted the offer without a word. They shook hands.
"Color me surprised. I honestly didn't think I would find you, Kurosaki. Still, are you Kurosaki Ichigo? They told me your hair is orange, not black."
Ichigo's left hand went to the top of his head where he combed his hair with it.
"Oh, this?" He said and, in an instant, went over the scenario he had prepared for this situation in his mind.
"It was necessary to dye it for my own protection."
"Protection?" Ginjō asked him with a confused stare. In return, Ichigo nodded.
"Yeah. My dad had a clinic around here but we got on a bad side of certain people and had to flee this town. Almost like in one of those action movies, you know. But it happens. I mean, not that long ago I learned that an acquaintance of mine got attacked."
It was one of the carefully prepared lies Ichigo had spent several hours perfecting. Here, his father created the Kurosaki Clinic with the use of a loan from Yakuza but now, after several years, he stopped with the regular payments and Yakuza members came after them, forcing the whole family to move and change their names. As he thought about it, Ichigo realized it was a ridiculous idea only a teenager could come up with but, at the same time, those kinds of things weren't unusual in certain parts of Japan and so he hoped the man would take the bait.
"Really? From the little I could find about you from the people in town, they made it look like you died in some freak accident. That's why I doubted I would actually find you but tried anyway."
Already prepared for this kind of reply, Ichigo nodded again.
"Yes, that is the official version. Before we escaped, they attacked us in our home and so we created a diversion to fake our own deaths. At the time, an explosion of a gas leak seemed like a good idea." He explained and heard Ginjō hum in satisfaction and the man gave a short nod. The bait seemed to have worked.
"I see. I thought maybe your father and… ah well. Looks like I was wrong."
Ichigo would have snorted if he thought he could. He had spent weeks in the presence of a master manipulator and the guy in front of him tried to bait him with such a weak attempt. Still, he wanted to find out why the man had gone to such lengths for finding him and so he took a bite. Just as he spoke, he realized he wasn't the only one with a bait prepared beforehand and not created on the spot.
"My father? You know him?"
Following his question, there was a short pause when Ginjō stared at him with a searching gaze. Then, silent as a grave, the man handed him a set of photos, which Ichigo accepted with raised eyebrows.
"I'm sure this must seem like an outrageous offense but I assure you it is not. These photos are the reason I have been looking for you. Do you recognize the men on them?" He asked Ichigo in a quiet, serious voice. Looking down, Ichigo inspected the pictures in his hand. His fingers twitched.
"Yes. That's my father and the other guy is one of the nearby shopkeepers, Urahara Kisuke. What about it?"
Ginjō continued staring at him.
"What exactly do you know about these men, Kurosaki?"
Ichigo looked up and at the man.
"Well, my father is my father and Urahara is a shopkeeper with a weird sense of humor and an annoying, meddling personality. Why? What is this about?"
Ginjō stiffened.
"This guy is the reason I'm in this town. Kurosaki Ichigo, have you ever heard the term Soul Society and spiritual energy?"
End of Chapter 45.
Surprise, surprise, this arc is about... Fullbringers! At the same time though, the main focus will be on background stuff. But that should be already quite apparent.
For reviews:
lara5170 - the purpose for him pretending is tied to what you wrote in your review for ch. 42.
D - no worries. Well, Aizen's influence over Ichigo's train of thoughts will become apparent soon enough if it isn't already.
Okay, just to put this one out, I was given an advice that I shouldn't comment on reviews here in AN but writing separate PM for each is tedious and I rather use the time to focus on new chapters. Because of that, I'm curious whether you want me to continue doing it or should I stop - let me know.
That's also why this time, I focused only on reviews with questions relevant to the plot. Don't be mistaken though, I read and re-read each one many times just to make sure I appreciate them enough.
Well, that's all for now, see you next time in:
Chapter 46 - WTOX (White lies, Moon remix) - SHOULD (i have some irl responsibilities) be published on 30th August.