-That Afternoon-

Dad called and said I had to come home immediately.

So here I was, on the couch.

I didn't even get to eat Yuzu's new recipe for onigiri!

Dad stood across the room, sitting in his chair. Seiryoku stood on my right and dad's left between us.

Dad had the katana sitting straight up beside him, leaning against his recliner.

He just had to show it to him...

"What's up?" I asked boredly, my fist on the side of my face and my elbow on the arm rest of the couch.

"I understand that you came to Seiryoku for training, behind my back." Dad started.

I took a deep breath, a bit angry. Then let it out.

"Go on." I insisted, unenthusiastically.

"I did not appreciate that at all. But Seiryoku tells me you took down a... Hollow single-handedly, with this very zanpakuto and your mother's powers." He said proudly at the end.

My eyes widen and I slowly put my arm down and straightened up.

Dad never talked about my mom. I didn't even know anythign about her.

"Excuse me?" I asked, a little gaspy sounding.

I looked to Seiryoku, he had his arms crossed and had a blank look on his face. I looked back to dad.

"I guess this is the best time to tell you." He said.

I nodded, still a little shaken. "I think you might be right."

"Seishou, you know I'm not human, that I'm a former shinigami." He said and paused.

I motioned with my hands in a circular motion to make him keep talking. "And?"

"Your mother is a Quincy. Meaning you're not even partly a normal human." He said.

I gave him a confused look. "what's a Quincy? Siryuki mentioned after I took out that Hollow, but I don't know what they are."

"Quincy are like shinigami, but there's a difference. One is white, one is black." Dad explained.

I shook my head, "I don't follow."

He laced his fingers together. "In other words, they're completely different, but yet the same. The Quincy are the white, Shinigami the black. I don't mean their clothes, though. They don't get along.

"They both have the same intentions: defeating Hollow's. the shinigami purify a Hollow, sending the former soul to Soul Society where it can lead a life other souls. But, a Quincy, on the other hand, a Quincy completely destroys a Hollow, souls and all. they are not reborn. that's where the war comes in."

"War? What war?" I said, getting interested.

He looked gloomy now. "This war took place over 200 years ago. Between shinigami and Quincy. Most think that the Quincy were completely extinct, but few families survived, but died of age and one family is currently known to survive, though no one in Soul Society knows they still roam, here in Japan.

"Only two other Quincy, other than you, are currently known by me, recently Seiryoku, and a friend of mine. The Ishida's, the family your mother was apart of."

"Wait... Uryu's family? Does that mean I'm Uryu's cousin?" I asked.

Dad nodded, "And so that means his father is your uncle, as well."

I took a quick glance to Seiryoku, though he remained silent, a certain feeling was radiating off of him. I couldn't identify it.

I suddenly got to thinking of what dad said.

"Wait... You said mom was apart of, past tense. Does that mean...?"

Dad looked grimmer than before. "Your mother left the Real World, against your uncle's pleading, and come to Soul Society. Your mother posed as a normal soul and tried to become a Shinigami, which she was successful. I was the first to find out what she was actually born to be, what she regretted to be, a Quincy.

"Naturally, we got closer and married. Obviously, you came along. But since we couldn't take care of you constantly, you were often left in the care of the 4th Division.

"But one dreadful night, a Hollow got into Seireitei, the heart of Soul Society, and possessed the wife of Kaien Shiba, Lieutenant of our Division, and took a fair amount of lives.

"You were around two or so when all of this happened, so you couldn't possibly remember the events.

"Your mother was one of the people to take down the Hollow, but since she knew that it could posses, she couldn't get close. As a shinigami, she wasn't very strong since her zanpakutō, since she didn't find out it's name yet and that she wasn't a close range fighter. She was more in tuned with her Quincy powers, which are far ranged tact-tics.

"She knew that with her poor shinigami strength that it wasn't going to work, and if she got close, she would be posses, too, or killed, or even both.

"She chose to use her Quincy strength, thinking that it would be okay. She used her powers and managed to wound the Hollow, regretting that she would have to sacrifice the wife of her Lieutenant of our division, as we all got along very well.

"But, unfortunately for her, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the Captain of the 12th Division, was observing the scene, recording what he could see from the Hollow possesing people.

"Mayuri was never known to be sane and he loved experimenting for research on everything and everybody that intrigued him. When he saw your mother using Quincy powers, he immediately snatched her and took her to his lab, and... Used her in his cruel and unforgiving experiments..." Dad ended gravely.

I felt my teeth clench together tightly and felt the blood pumping through my body. "You mean to tell me... A shinigami killed mom, because of what she is? And what did you do about that?" I asked sternly.

He looked to his laced fingers, "I couldn't do a thing... It all happened before my eyes... I was in total shock and fell into depression when I lost sight of her... I told my captain when I was able to find him and pleaded him to get her back, because I did not know the whereabouts of the lab.

"He confronted Mayuri and then Mayuri informed him that she struggled and resisted so much, even under drugs, and was forced to end the testing hours later. He said he was... Disappointed that he only got a Quincy artifact out of the situation.

"But then that's where people start to misunderstand. I couldn't just keep you under the 4th Divisions care when I'm on my duty when I'm your only family in that world. And it wasn't safe there anyways, if Mayuri found out about you.

"I informed Jushiro about my early retirement and chose to keep my zanpakutō so I could do some off-duty Hollow slaying if one ever came around. I left for the real world to let you lead a normal life.

I clenched my fist tightly, "Mayuri Kurotsuchi, eh?"

I don't think I've ever been this pissed off in my life.

"I think you should move onto the matter of the zanpakutō, Kotsu-sama." Seiryoku suggested.

I glanced to him, a little confused now.

Did he just show respect to dad? After calling him naive and such?

I looked to dad and he was nodding, 'I should. So, moving on."

With that, I became a bit less tense and then glanced at the zanpakutō.

Dad picked it up into his large hands and stared at it deeply. "This certainly is mine. I put it in that shop, hoping I could abandon my shinigami past for good and let another young one, a strong one, weild it. But I know that another cannot wield what is not theirs.

"But since you, of all people, found it and attempted to weild it, Uomiru has become confused. You are much like me, looks, fighting style, and even amount of anger, so Uomiru thought you were me, but became a bit confused after you drained that Hollow's reiatsu."

i didn't quite undertsand, but I just nodded. "So? What's going to happen to it?" I asked anxiously.

He smiled, "I've put alot of thought into my decision. But let me ask you one thing: Do you want to become stronger?"

I shot up from my seat, "More than anything! Siryuki told me that if you purify a Hollow, souls can be saved and be taken to Soul Society so they can be reborn back into a human! I want to be able to take down a bunch of strong Hollow's, all at once! With one sweep of my blade!"

He smiled, "You have good intentions. Then my decision is confirmed: I loose all of my shinigami powers and you become stronger, meaning I'm giving you all of it."

I looked at him curiously, then to Seiryoku, then back to dad. "Huh?"

He looked serious now, "But you have to wait. You need training from Ryuken to enhance your Quincy powers. That's our first priority. If he finds out you're going to becoem a shinigami, he will not train you. So tomorrow, rather than going to school, you will go to his hospital and he will train you there."

I nodded with a smile, "I won't disappoint you, Coach."

-Dojo-

"Do you really think my dad's going to let me become a shinigami?" I asked, raising my arm to block Seiryoku's high kick.

"I dunno. But, technically, you'll just be a substitute shinigami. You'll be one for a short time, but since he's giving you all of his shinigami powers, it'll be a year's worth alone, and with your reiatsu, it'll be extended. Your father was the 4th seat of his Division, a very admirable thing." He replied, blocking my punches.

"That kinda sucks. Not permanant? What'll I do when it runs out?" I asked, throwing another punch.

Before he could reply, I saw an opening on his left side and took a quick swing at it with my right leg. I got him. "Hah!"

He jumped back and shook it off. "Let's take a break and I'll explain."

We went over to the foot of the stairs where our drinks were. I sat three steps higher than him.

He took a quick drink. "Well, to answer your question, you might either have to recharge off of him, taking the power he gained through the year, but it might not be much. Or, there's another method which is pretty dangerous, or from what I hear. Only one person really knows how to do the whole thing that I know of, but I just know it's dangerous and you could loose your life."

I raise a brow, "Oh?"

He sighs. "We should get back to training. I'm bored. No Hollow's or reported souls are around."

He was about to get up but I stopped him with a look that told him to stay, but not a desperate one. More like a happy one.

He looked a bit confused, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

I smiled, "You know, it's nearly been a week and I already feel that i'll miss you when you go back to Soul Society in three and a half weeks. Is that weird?" I asked.

He became a bit flushed and looked hesitant, "That's not something you say out loud, you know. Don't you know how to keep things to yourself?"

I stuck out my tounge childishly. "'Course I do! I just wanted to let you know, that's all. I dont' want you forgetting me! It would make me feel bad, afterall, you are the guy that was the key to my dad teling me about mom and everything. I found out alot and became stronger because of you. You're my first mentor who didn't hide that he was strong from me."

He seemed a little wary just hearing it from the looks of it. "Let's get to katana training."

He got up and went over to the corner and picked up two shinai's. I got up and he tossed one to me and I caught it by the handle.

He walked to the center of the room and got into position, as did I.

"1... 2... 3!" He said and immediately striked for my right shoulder, but I turned my shinai horizontal to block it.

I pushed my shinai forward a bit and then quickly let his shinai slide off mine when I I turned it vertical with the hilt up and the tip down. I didn't let him move his shinai by, in a way, twisting mine around his. (Circling in a way)

He seemed a bit irritated by it and then I made a quick movement to his head and managed to graze his cheek until he used his shinai to push away mine and jumped back.

I smirked, keeping my stance. "If these were real, I'd given you a scar. I wonder what it would look like with green hair."

"I have to admit, you've gotten better. Managing to hit a 6th seat shinigami in the face when you've just started learning. I'm interested in seeing how you do after your Quincy training." HE said.

I smirked a bit, "Thanks. It means a lo-" I suddenly heard a beeping and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone that looked new.

Who would call him?

He flipped it open. "A Hollow showed up." He said and put away his shinai and pulled on his glove that extracts his gigai from his shinigami form.

He placed his hand on his chest and then he split into two: his lifeless gigai and his shinigami self.

He was about to leave.

"Wait!" I said, stopping him.

He grew an anime vein, "What?! Why do you always do that?!"

"Take me with you. I need more experience against Hollow's." I said.

"No. You don't have a weapon." He said plainly.

"Can't I at least use my drainy power thing?" I asked quickly. I knew he had to be there immediately.

He huffed, "You're such a pain!"

-Five Minutes Later-

"Oish! This is a pain!" Seiryoku complained.

I glanced around the park. I didn't see or sense anything close to a Hollow, but something that resembled Seiryoku's reiatsu.

"Are you sure it was a Hollow?" I asked.

He was looking at his phone, "Yes! but then it just disappeared!"

I frowned at him, "What got into your briches? I'm sensing a shinigami, not a Hollow. Can't you detect a shinigami on that thing?" I asked.

He huffed, "I don't have an upgraded version. They give all the new stuff to the captains and then work their way down. I'll be getting one when I return.

"And how can you sense another shinigami? I don't sense any other reiatsu other than yours, which I shouldn't since you're supposed to be completely suppressing it by now." He said.

I narrowed m eyes. "Whatev. But there's deffinately another shinigami around and he was right here not even a minute ago. This place reeks of a shinigami reiatsu and a Hollow reiatsu."

"Hmph. Freakin' Quincy..." He mumbled under his breath.

My eyebrow twiched and I grinned with a grave look, "That's it!"

I reached for the back of his head and grabbed a clump of his hair and tugged on it to make him eye level to me.

"Itai! Itai! I-i-i-i-i-i-itaaaai!" He yelped, wincing.

"Listen here, make fun of the Quincy, ya making fun of me, ya making fun of me, I'll just have to bleach your hair purple, ya got that? And I don't break promises, so keep that in mind." i threatened.

I let go of his hair, noticing it was soft and silky as soon I let go.

He rubbed the back of his head, still wincing a bit. "Man, you can be a total bitch. How old are you, anyways?" He asked.

It sounded a bit insultig in it's own way, like he was saying I acted like an old crazy woman or something, y'know?

I crossed my arms and started walking. "15." I answered with a straight face.

He started walking too, looking a bit disappointed. Probably that the Hollow wasn't here.

I looked up to him then, "And what are you? 17?"

He suddenly started laughing with a bit of hysteria.

I gave him a weird look. "What's your problem?"

"Seishou, you wouldn't believe me if I told you." He said.

"Try me." I said.

"In human years, I'd be nearly 116." He said.

I looked ahead of us. "Hm. Then I'm afraid of how old my dad is, then."

"You're not surprised?" He asked.

I shrugged, "I am, but it's nothing to freak about. Plus, wouldn't you think I'd be more surprised when you told me you were a shinigami? why would I freak about your age?" I asked.

"Hm. Good point. you're really different, you know that?" He said.

I smiled, "Individuality is key."

He looked don to me with a smile with a bit of a smirk. "You do realize that that wasn't a compliment, right?"

I thought for a moment. "Wha?"

He picked up his pace a bit, so did I.

"You're definitely not a girly-girl. The only skirt I saw you in was your school uniform and you wear boys uniform pants under that. Not a good view." He said.

I thought for a moment, then caught on. When I was about to kick him in the face, he was already running.

"You perv! Get back here so I can kick your ass!" I exclaimed.