Chapter Twenty-Two
"Come on, Jinta! They're our guests! You don't want them to not come again, do you?"
"Why should I care whether they come again or not?"
"Jinta! You will apologize to our customers…" Tessai said firmly, walking out of the shop and lifting Jinta into the air with a single hand, looking him in the eye. Jinta gasped, and immediately apologized to Hinata, who bowed politely to Tessai.
"It's an honor to meet you. You were the former captain of the Kido Corps, were you not?" He asked quietly while out of hearing range of the other children. Tessai nodded, smiling.
"I'm impressed, young man. Not many people still know about my former occupation. I suspect you to be a member of the Onmitsukido?"
"Third Seat of Second Division, and a member of the Onmitsukido, sir…" Hinata said, seeming quite proud. Tessai scratched his chin.
"Third Seat. I sense so much power in you, though."
"Yes, sir…" Hinata said modestly.
"Hmm… I sense some Hollow on you. You were a Hollow before you were purified, were you not? You must have been quite powerful? What level did you make it to before purification?"
"Vasto Lorde… But I was a leader of a small organization within the Rukongai… A shameful misuse of my abilities. Captain Soi Fon generously gave me the opportunity to use my powers for something better, though. And today, I serve under her." Hinata said.
"And your… Zanpakuto?" Kisuke asked. Hinata looked away.
"Back before I fully learned to control my Zanpakuto's power, I occasionally absorbed reiryoku unconsciously. People learned back then not to get too close to me. Only Shinigami who could exercise great control over the flow of their Reiryoku, prevent it from being sucked out of them dared come too close to me. It was mostly Lieutenant and Captain class Shinigami. Captain Soi Fon, who was training me for the Onmitsukido was the one I spent the most time with.
"Excuse me, I've rambled." Hinata said, blushing slightly. Kisuke laughed.
"Not at all! I was in the Onmitsukido myself, back before I was excommunicated from Soul Society. Your Reiatsu is quite powerful. Captain Class at lowest. I would say that if you continue to increase your reishi as you are, you'll be much more powerful within a year or two at most."
"That's the thing… Soul Society has forbidden me to use that aspect of my Zanpakuto unless they give me specific permission to do so. They consider it too dangerous to be used freely since absorbing reiryoku so rapidly can cause Soul Death. It destabilizes the foundation of the subject's soul and absorbs them completely. When I do so, I receive a much larger boost in Reiryoku. But it's cannibalistic and considered a crime if I do it without permission. I think they fear me becoming drunk on my power and thus place immense limits on my use of it." Hinata said nervously. Kisuke nodded.
"Would you consider working for me instead? You would be closer to your girl, and we protect Karakura Town from Hollows, which you could use to further enhance your power. I sense that you've already absorbed multiple powerful Hollows."
"I-I couldn't… I owe so much to Captain Soi Fon. I would like to be closer to Miss Yuzu, but… I couldn't betray Soul Society. They've given me so much."
"That's a noble sentiment." Kisuke said, hoping that Hinata was never dissuaded of his idealism. Kisuke had found over 100 years ago that Soul Society wasn't necessarily as noble as it made itself out to be. Those who were different, those who couldn't fit in were quickly cast out, whether in the Maggot's Nest or being banished altogether. Kisuke was lucky that he escaped before they stripped him of his powers.
And the Vizards were hardly as lucky. They were going to be executed. It wasn't until recently that they were allowed back into Soul Society. Whether because they needed captains quickly or because they realized that it was Aizen's fault, not Kisuke's and the Vizards' fault, they were allowed back. Kisuke, and by extension, Tessai decided not to return.
"I know of your bad experiences with the Seireitei, Urahara-san… You used to be the Captain of 12th Division. But you were framed for forbidden experimentation."
"No, I was guilty of forbidden experimentation. I was framed for using the forbidden experiment on other Shinigami… If I'm guilty anyways, I'd like to at least be considered guilty of the right crime."
"It's hard to believe that you were a former member of the Onmitsukido, sir… You're so relaxed and casual." Hinata said uncertainly. Kisuke laughed self-indulgently.
"Oh, well thank you. Ms. Yoruichi and Soi Fon said the same thing. Soi Fon was so obsessed with finding dirt on me that she tailed me for a full day… She just hated me so much!
"It was fun to lead her around Soul Society, doing nothing in particular, letting her take her notes and get nothing done." Kisuke laughed. "She's just so serious, isn't she?" Kisuke asked. Hinata rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably. If this was the kind of man that Kisuke was, he wasn't surprised that Soi Fon didn't care for him. He was a little bit off-putting, even if he was very powerful. What was it about this man that was so annoying?
Whatever it was, Yuzu didn't seem to see it, since she was laughing at his antics.
"Well… We better get going… Yuzu's father wants me to bring her home before dark… And I wouldn't want him to believe that he was wrong in trusting me." Hinata said, taking Yuzu's hand and hurrying out of Kisuke's shop. The sun was already beginning to set, so he began running faster, not taking into account Yuzu's limitations until she cried out as he pulled her arm too hard.
"Oh! I'm so sorry… Yuzu… Let me see your arm." Hinata said, looking closely at it in the waning sunlight. It would bruise if nothing was done. He took a deep breath. Wielding kido was harder in his gigai, but for the relatively small wound Yuzu had, he could do it. His hand began to glow and her arm stopped hurting. Yuzu's eyes widened as this happened.
"You can do magic?" She asked. Hinata nodded.
"A little bit. Most Shinigami can perform basic spells. My skill is more in assassination techniques than magic… But I can still use magic for basic purposes like this." He said modestly, starting to run again. Yuzu hurried after him. By the time, they made it back to the clinic, it was just after sunset and Yuzu was gasping for breath.
"Perhaps it would have been better to just be a little bit late." Hinata said. They were already late, but Yuzu looked exhausted now.
"No… It's… Alright… I really should… Be running more… Anyway…" She managed to gasp. Her training was by necessity intense. She was already about to go into high school. If she waited too long, she would begin college before she finished her basic training.
And that wouldn't be any good, since then she would be unable to train like she needed to. After a while, her breathing returned to normal, and they headed to the front door and headed inside.
"We're home, Daddy!" Yuzu called.
Suddenly, Hinata heard a rush of wind and leapt out of the way, rolling on the floor and standing up as Isshin leapt from the top floor, landing on the bottom floor in a thunderous boom as he hit the floor.
"You're late, young man!" He exclaimed. Hinata nodded.
"I'm sorry, sir… I… Lost track of time. We visited Mr. Urahara's shop and I guess I was enjoying myself so much that I forgot to look at the clock." He said, looking away nervously.
"Well, that's alright I guess… You're only about ten minutes late… I can forgive it this once. Yuzu, go upstairs and start your homework! Mr…" Isshin began.
"Tomoe… Please, call me Hinata, sir." Hinata replied.
"Hinata… Please sit down. I'll be with you in a minute." Isshin said. Hinata gulped, but started over to the couch. Yuzu stopped him, though, kissing him lightly on the lips.
"I had fun tonight. Maybe we can get together again soon…" She said with a smile, heading upstairs. Hinata turned a deep shade of pink.
Isshin went up with Yuzu and made sure that she was set with her homework, then went downstairs to talk to Hinata.
"So we didn't really get to talk before… Yuzu-chan is very special to me. There comes a day in all parents' lives when they need to let their kids move on. But until that day, it's a parent's job to protect their child… So I'll ask you this exactly once. What are your intentions for Yuzu?"
Isshin said this very seriously, making Hinata wonder if there was even a right answer.
"Um… Well… Sir, I don't know how long or even if this will last. Humans age so much faster than Shinigami… There's not a long time that it will even be appropriate for me to date her… But I genuinely like her… She's nice, she's interesting and there's something about her that I can't put my finger on… Her Reiatsu is so pure, so gentle…"
"Mm… Yes, yes… Yuzu-chan is all those things." Isshin said, nodding along with Hinata. "She is quite special. Very well… You can date her… But if you hurt her, I will bury you… Alive… Face down… In cement."
"What's cement?"
"It's an acronym for Can't escape my earthen nightmarish tomb." Isshin made up on the spot.
"Really?" Hinata asked, gulping deeply.
"No… Of course not, Hinata…" Yuzu said, hugging him tightly. "Daddy wouldn't hurt you." She assured him. Hinata sighed with relief, but didn't seem entirely convinced.
"Daddy… Stop trying to scare Hinata!"
"You're supposed to be doing your homework, Yuzu-chan!"
"And you're supposed to not be scaring my boyfriend away! Again!"
"He was no good for you! And the one before that…"
"Wasn't a boy. I know, it took time for you to get used to that… Maybe with my next girlfriend you'll accept it." Yuzu said with a laugh. Isshin's eyes widened.
"Your next girlfriend?"
"I'm joking, Dad, jeez… Who can say what will happen next week or even tomorrow?" Yuzu asked, shrugging. Hinata laughed, but was quickly silenced by a dirty look from Isshin. Finally, Yuzu smiled and went back upstairs to finish her homework and Isshin and Hinata finished their conversation.
"I'm serious… Ichigo and Karin have both left home… Karin was still so young. Ichigo would have left home soon anyway. But Karin was still Yuzu's age. I won't have my daughter hurt by jerks who just want to string them along! You will treat Yuzu-chan with the resepct she deserves!" Isshin commanded. Hinata nodded, standing and heading toward the door.
"I hope to see you again soon, Yuzu… I'll send you a Hell Butterfly. This town has a good defense force. Between you, your father, Urahara and his small military force… You guys hardly need our help." Hinata said, taking out his sword and poking a hole in the sky, walking back to Soul Society. Before he left, he kissed Yuzu once more, then he disappeared into the Rukongai.
