Hinamori's Apprentice
Chapter 30
"Uryu! Darling! It's time for lunch!" Yuzu called.
"Stop calling me that! And I can't come to lunch because I'm still fixing your stuffed animals!" Uryu hollered back.
"Come on Uryu, hurry up so you can eat lunch with your future wife!" Isshin shouted boisterously.
Uryu growled and went back to sewing up one of Yuzu's teddy bears. No matter how many times he told her otherwise, Yuzu was convinced that she and Uryu were soul-mates. She mistook his fulfilling his promise to Ichigo to look out for her for romantic interest, and now it was impossible to get away from her. He was in quite a difficult situation. As awkward and ridiculous as this was, his pride and honor as a Quincy would not allow him to just leave Yuzu and Isshin. He had promised Ichigo that he would look after them, and he would fulfill that promise, regardless of how… awkward it was to be around them.
"Uryu, hurry up! I have a surprise for you!" Yuzu called again.
"Fine, I'm coming!" Uryu yelled in frustration, putting down the teddy bear Yuzu had asked him to sew up. He would have to do that later. He stood up and walked out of the room and downstairs to the kitchen, where he knew Yuzu and Isshin were waiting. When he got there however, he froze in place, unable to move or speak in shock from what he saw.
Yuzu was laying on the table, wearing a yellow thong bikini and looking at him with an expression would expect to see on a model. Uryu's voice caught in his throat as he stared at her.
"Do you like it darling?" Yuzu said cheerfully, "Sorry for tricking you about lunch, but I wanted it to be a surprise! What do you think about it? Pretty sexy, huh?"
"What… what do you think you're doing?!" Uryu finally managed to say.
"I'm dressing up for my darling lover of course!" Yuzu said happily, "Daddy helped pick it out for me!"
"That's right!" Isshin said boisterously, "Doesn't the sight make you want to start making grandchildren?"
"Are you insane?!!" Uryu practically yelled at him, "Don't you have any idea how creepy that is?"
"Oh Uryu, don't be coy, we both know that we're destined to be together," Yuzu said, getting off the table and embracing Uryu, attempting to kiss him as he tried to push her off.
"What the hell is going on here?!!"
Uryu looked over to see Ichigo standing at the bottom of the doorsteps. Uryu knew it to be Kon in Ichigo's body, so did not react differently than normally.
"Oh, just doing what I always do when Yuzu is around," he said sarcastically as Yuzu tried kissing him.
"Well I'm going to have to beat your face in so you don't do it again then," Ichigo said, approaching Uryu with a furious look on his face.
"What's wrong with you?" Uryu asked as he drew nearer. Kon got jealous sometimes, but he usually didn't react like this.
"Hey Ichigo, why is your sister trying to make out with Uryu?"
Uryu looked over to the base of the stairs, his eyes widening in horror at who stood there.
"Ah, Rukia! I didn't notice you come in! You should have said something so that we could prepare lunch for you too!" Isshin said, getting up to greet Rukia.
"Rukia!" Yuzu said happily, finally letting go of Ichigo, "It's been so long since we've seen you!"
Uryu looked back at Ichigo, who was now inches away from his face and turning red with anger.
"You're… not Kon, are you?" Uryu said meekly.
---
Toushiro Hitsugaya stood on the roof of a building in Karakura Town's business district. He wasn't in a Gigai, though Urahara had prepared one for him just in case. Right now, he was simply watching out for any sign of trouble. They didn't know when, or even if, the enemy was going to attack Uryu Ishida, and they had to be prepared for any circumstances.
Though he wore his usual expression, in truth Toushiro was in a much better mood than normal. His friendship with Momo had finally been restored. The final remnants of the trauma brought about by Aizen had been brushed away. He took comfort in the fact that Momo had seemed significantly more cheerful than she had before. He was glad; Momo deserved happiness.
He and Momo's relationship was indeed unique. He was cold and reserved, she was warm and cheerful. He was a loner, she was popular and friendly. To a casual observer, they were polar opposites, but in reality they were as close as friends could be. They protected eachother and looked after one another's best interests. They depended on eachother, which was why the recent tension between them was so difficult. Now that things had been smoothed out, life seemed much brighter.
Toushiro allowed himself a small smile. Things had changed so quickly. He supposed it was just another aspect of their unique relationship that allowed them to push past their difficulties so quickly and reestablish their friendship. It was by no means easy, but the fact that just a few weeks ago they felt too awkward to speak to eachother spoke volumes about how different things now were. It was as if their friendship had never changed – no, that wasn't correct, their friendship had changed. Their friendship was now even stronger.
Reminding himself that he was still on a mission, Toushiro used shunpo to travel to the next area he was scheduled to monitor, though not dropping the smile on his face.
---
"I see…" Ichigo said slowly, taking a calming breath upon hearing Uryu's explanation, "So you're not… doing anything with my sister?"
"Of course not! What kind of person do you think I am?" Uryu huffed tersely.
"Alright, alright, I get it," Ichigo said in a lighter tone, "Sorry about the misunderstanding. I suppose I should be thanking you for taking such good care of my family. They seem to have really taken a liking to you."
"Tell me about it," Uryu rolled his eyes.
"Ichigo, isn't there something you should be saying?" Rukia said, clearing her throat to make her point.
"What?" Ichigo asked blankly.
"The reason we're here," Rukia said bluntly. Ichigo looked as if he was about to slap himself on the forehead.
"Right, sorry," he muttered in embarrassment, "We, uh, came to protect you, Uryu."
"I'm flattered, but I can take care of myself without the help of Shinigami," Uryu said coolly.
"No, you don't understand, there are these weird people who are after you. They're affiliated with that Shinigami girl you fought before. You may be in serious danger," Rukia clarified.
"I know," Uryu said, "I've known ever since that first attack that I was likely being targeted, and have been on guard since then. I am able to take care of myself, so there's no need for you to stay here."
"Well Soul Society thinks an attack may be imminent, so we're not going to be going any time soon," Ichigo insisted.
"You're so stubborn," Uryu grumbled.
"You're one to talk," Ichigo retorted with a slight smirk, "So how are things at school? I hope Kon hasn't been messing around with my body too much."
"Sado, Orihime, and I have managed to keep him in line," Uryu said, "To be honest though, I'm surprised that more people don't realize something is up, give his mannerisms."
"What do you mean?" Rukia asked.
"Did you expect Kon to act like Ichigo all the time? We could prevent him from being a pervert and engaging in exceptionally stupid activities, but we couldn't stop him from acting noticeably different from you. Tatsuki is definitely aware that something is going on, and Keigo and Mizuiro are catching on too," Uryu explained.
"Keigo and Mizuiro can be placated with simple explanations. Tatsuki has always known that something was up, but hopefully she's accepted the way things are. As long as Kon doesn't let anything major slip, she won't get involved in it," Ichigo said.
"She doesn't like being left out," Uryu noted.
"That may be true, but it's for her own good," Ichigo said, "It's better that she's not involved in this Shinigami business."
"Is that really any way to treat your friend?" Uryu asked.
"I'd like to tell her, I really would, but without any real powers of her own, making her aware would just put her in danger. Look at Karin. She figured out what was going on, and it led her to put herself at risk and… well, you know the rest," Ichigo said with a sigh, "My point is that it's best for me to not get her involved. I'm already bound to Soul Society, so even if I did tell her, I couldn't do anything for her. My life is bound to Soul Society now. I won't be in this world much as it is."
"I see," Uryu said, "Orihime will be sad to hear that, she misses you. Sado too."
"Are you trying to guilt-trip me into something?" Ichigo asked, "You know that I have responsibilities in Soul Society that I can't just abandon. Even if I'd like to be here with my friends, it just isn't feasible. I'm going to be a Captain soon, and between the responsibilities of that position and looking out for Karin, I won't be able to visit this world much."
"Don't worry, I understand," Uryu said casually, "I'm just saying that you're still human, so you don't need to devote your life entirely to the Shinigami."
"When did you become so fond of meddling in other people's business again?"
"He may be right, Ichigo," Rukia said calmly, "Why not live your life out on earth, and then go to Soul Society. You'll probably be a Captain eventually anyways, so what's the rush?"
"I've already made the commitment, and besides, there's Karin to worry about," Ichigo said, "Besides, I've already come so far! You were there, you know how much training and preparation I've done to ready myself for the Captaincy! Why are you suddenly asking me to drop it?"
"I'm not, I'm just trying to make sure that you don't lose track of other important things in your life," Rukia said, "I don't want to see you end up making a decision you'll regret. I'm sure Uryu has the same concerns."
"Actually I'm just hoping that you'll come back so that I won't have to remain the target of your sister's lust," Uryu said, provoking a scowl from Ichigo.
---
"Good! Very good! Show me that move again!" Rangiku said as she sparred with Karin.
"It's kind of a 'heat of the moment' thing, I can't do it completely on will," Karin grunted, parrying a strike with her Shikai.
"If you want to get better you'll have to master control over your powers. If you don't, I'm going to get ya!" Rangiku said playfully, striking at Karin's feet.
Karin leapt into the air to avoid the attack, and gripped her zanpakuto tightly as she prepared to attempt to use her power again. She channeled her reiatsu through the blade, feeling the sensation of the sword becoming an extension of her arm. She felt the power flow, and just as Rangiku began another strike, she brought her zanpakuto forward to meet it.
A loud crack echoed through the area, and Rangiku's sword was pushed back by an invisible force. Karin smiled at her success, and was joined by Rangiku as soon as she regained her composure.
"That was wonderful Karin! Soon you'll be able to use your power completely on will," she said.
"Thanks… do you think we can take a break?" Karin panted, wiping sweat from her forehead with her free hand.
"Yeah, I suppose you've earned a break," Rangiku said, sheathing her zanpakuto. Karin returned Denryu to its normal state, and put it back in its scabbard.
"Thanks for practicing with me," she said to Rangiku.
"No problem. Momo has really trained you well," Rangiku said.
"Yeah, that's true. I owe a lot of my current strength to her," Karin said, "I'm still not quite at your level though. It will be a while before I can compete with a Vice-Captain."
"Oh, I don't know, you were pressuring me a bit," Rangiku smiled, "I think you may reach that level faster than you think. You might even become a Vice-Captain yourself some day. Perhaps even a Captain, given the right amount of time."
"Oh, I don't know about that," Karin said, brushing aside the suggestion that she could ever become a Vice-Captain, let alone a Captain.
"Don't sell yourself short," Rangiku said, "You've shown truly amazing progress given the short amount of time you've been training. I predict great things from you. I'm sure Momo does too."
The mention of Momo reminded Karin of something she had been meaning to ask.
"Rangiku, what kind of training is Momo doing?" she asked. Rangiku hesitated a second before answering.
"She's training to achieve Bankai, the final release of her zanpakuto," she finally explained.
Karin's eyes widened. She had of course heard of Bankai, and was aware that Momo (along with many others) was probably seeking it, but she didn't realize that she was going to do it so quickly.
"How… how does someone train for Bankai?" Karin asked.
"It's different for every person, but in all variations, it involves a Shinigami forcing his or her zanpakuto into submission. That girl we saw with Momo earlier was the manifestation of Tobiume," Rangiku explained. Karin reflected on this new information with astonishment.
"How… how long will it be before she achieves Bankai?" Karin asked. Rangiku shrugged.
"I don't know," she said, "After materializing a zanpakuto, the time it takes for a Shinigami to subdue it is highly variable. It may be a matter of days or it may be a matter of weeks, months, or even years. It's impossible to know for certain. We just have to maintain faith in Momo that she will be able to do it…"
---
Momo sat with her legs crossed and her hands in her lap. Her eyes were closed and she took slow, steady breaths. Across from her, Tobiume sat in a similar pose, and between them was a glowing orange ball suspended in mid-air.
To an observer, it would appear that neither was doing anything, but in reality, a fierce battle was raging. Inside that glowing ball of energy, Momo and Tobiume's powers clashed and fought for dominance. Absolute concentration and focus was needed from both of them. This battle was not between enemies, but within Momo herself. Tobiume was a part of Momo's soul, and as such was essentially Momo herself in a different form. This fact did not make the battle any less vicious though.
The invisible battle raged within that serene glow as each fought for dominance. Huge quantities of reiatsu were required to maintain control, and intense concentration was needed. As time dragged on and hours passed, hunger and fatigue set in, but Momo did not let those distract her. She was determined to go through with this.
Only a week ago, she would have been unable to do this. The doubts and insecurities in her heart would have hampered any effort she made. Now though, her renewed friendship with Toushiro had changed her. She found herself able to look ahead and put aside her doubts to focus on what needed to be done. She was absolutely determined. She would do this; she had to do this.
---
"Hey Sado…" Orihime said with a sigh, walking up to Sado on the school roof.
"Hello Orihime," Sado said calmly, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Orihime said with a smile that did little to hide her gloomy demeanor.
"Ichigo is back," Sado said. Orihime didn't answer. Sado's statement was not meant to be news.
"He's been back for three days, but he hasn't visited us," Orihime sighed, "He hasn't even come to school."
"He's probably busy with his Shinigami work," Sado reasoned, "I saw Rukia at Urahara's shop the other day, and she said that he was here on official business. He may be spending time with his family too."
"Do you think he's forgotten about us?" Orihime asked glumly.
"No… of course not," Sado said, "A lot has happened, he's probably confused about it himself. I trust that Ichigo won't forget us though. He's not that kind of person."
"Yeah, you're right," Orihime said with a slight smile.
Suddenly, they both felt a massive burst of spirit energy. Reiatsu was coming from several sources, and whoever was causing it was very powerful. It felt very strange and sinister, and it did not take long to determine that it was likely an enemy.
"Sado!" Orihime said in panic.
"I know! Let's get to Ichigo! He'll need our help," Sado said, hurriedly rushing off the roof to go to Ichigo's aid.
Thanks for reading. Thank you to war90, Thunder Claw03, oOoHKoOo, The Great Pineapple MEKI, nexuswarrior, and DigiPal for reviewing! Please review!