A/N: I apologize for the late chapter update. I sort of got a bit stuck up in the meantime with a lot of activities and I couldn't fully concentrate on this fic.
Thanks for the favorites and the review/s!
Reply to Animefan0410: Well, I do have my beliefs. I analyzed a bit and came to the conclusion that Masaki could possibly be a Quincy, but I still can't prove that. I still went on with it in this story though. xD
If it's kind of messed up, really sorry about that. I never take my time to proofread my work, and I'm used to a way of typing dialogue without indicating who's saying which, so yeah, I'm really sorry. I'll try my best to type as clear as possible from now on.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. For the third time now.
Kurosaki Origins
by
Levan
Chapter 3:
----------------------------------------------Predictions and Perceptions----------------------------------------------
"Typical."
Isshin rubbed the back of his neck and laid out his "bored-out-of-his-mind" expression.
"What do you want, ex-Shinigami?"
The man fixed his hat before answering him. "Now, now, maybe both of you should settle your differences and stop all this fighting. Both of you are attracting too much Hollow… Tessai could barely hold off such a huge number ya' know."
Ryuuken scoffed at him. "I didn't intend this fight, Urahara. He did," Ryuuken said, gesturing over to the man clad in full black.
"Well well, didn't know a Quincy like you had so much respect for a former-"
"Shut the hell up, you idiot. Typical enough, a piece of trash talks trash."
"Why you-"
Urahara had raised his palm, gesturing to him to stop. Perhaps it was practical that they should stop immediately – their fight won't make sense if they fight for a pride worth for others, and not for themselves. And yet, their battles had given such a bad overview for Ryuuken's sister.
"Thank god you came just in time, Urahara," Masaki remarked from the corner of the room. Urahara waved a hand to her to say his hello, and diverted his attention again to the two.
"I suggest we call it a night. Let's talk about all of this tomorrow, shall we?"
Under the shade of his hat the two men perceived a deliberate warning. Urahara, after all, was a man to be reckoned with, against Shinigami or Quincy alike.
And there they parted ways. Isshin followed Urahara, but not before looking back at the two siblings. A sinister look came from one, but a gentle smile looked the other.
-
Tomorrow followed quickly and Isshin woke up with a heavy yawn. He stood up, not bothering to clean up his mat, and headed to the dining room where breakfast waited. He slid the door open and much to his surprise, the two ex-Shinigami were already at the table.
"Slept well?" Urahara asked him. Isshin coiled his bandaged shoulder to check. Though it did sting him a little, he was glad that he could move his arm once again.
"Yeah, thanks a lot." Isshin sat down by the table. Tessai, the bulky old man by the corner disturbed him quite a bit, brought by the way he looks and how towering he was compared to Urahara. Urahara smiled at his expression.
"It's been a long time since you've seen Tessai, huh?"
"Uh… Yeah, I think. You look… unchanged, Tessai."
He didn't answer, and it bothered him even more.
"Don't worry, Isshin. He just likes… analyzing, that's all."
With a tray in hand, Tessai sprang up, surprising Isshin.
"I have some more work to do. If you two mind, I'll be going now."
"Sure, sure," Urahara replied, waving his fan up and down. The towering figure left the room, a convenience to the Shinigami captain.
"What brings you here, Isshin? Of all people, I didn't expect that you'd be the one sent here."
Isshin absent-mindedly processed his question into his mind, yet all in all aware of him as he gorged on the cuisine laid on the table for him. Over the fill of his mouth, he tried his best to make a coherent speech.
"I just forced myself, that's all. I wanted to go to the living world for once." He began stuffing himself with the food again, with Urahara casually staring at his eating. He continued. "I'll be going back in an hour or so anyway, I need to fill out my report."
"What was your business with that Quincy's sister, anyway?" Urahara asked him with a more passive tone. Isshin placed the empty bowl onto the table and sighed.
"Yesterday I was minding my own business. That's when she came, being chased by a hollow. All my life I didn't care about a soul. I saved her. But after performing konso-"
Urahara giggled in mid-sentence, breaking the awry mood of the Shinigami. "You performed Konso on a human? That must be the most idiotic thing I have ever-"
Isshin didn't hesitate to slam a fist down Urahara's skull. It was no joking matter, and even if it really does look stupid, it didn't mean he had to really bring that up in front of him.
"That's not the point! It wasn't my fault. I was just surprised that the girl was able to see me an' all."
"Ow, ow, ow…" Urahara caressed his head in an attempt to ease down the pain, and Isshin continued.
"Back to the story, then. So to cut the long story short, she got hurt, accidentally, then I brought her to that building to heal her and then that nerd arrived and shot me without even me noticing."
Urahara raised his head, all the while fanning himself with his oriental fan, as he delved into his thoughts for a moment. "Ryuuken… He's a real hothead, Isshin. You shouldn't have provoked him."
Isshin raised his tone against him. "Provoked him? He shot me without even noting he was there! It's not like I was doing anything to the girl!"
"You do know what happened 200 years ago, right?"
He opened his mouth, but failed to find words. Perhaps Urahara made a point. Scratch that, maybe he had given a real explanation on how the Quincy reacted upon seeing his very own sister beside a Shinigami.
"The Quincy will forever have a grudge on a Shinigami, Isshin. Even I do admit that the Quincy weren't hospitable upon my arrival in Karakura town," Urahara explained.
"Hm. I guess so."
Isshin felt comforted on Urahara's words. His anger diminished from the Quincy just like that, and he ignored the past injuries he inflicted onto him. Ryuuken held a grudge that Isshin could not feel, and he pitied the naïve Ryuuken for suffering like that, his bretherens killed out to an extent that he was probably one of the last Quincies in this generation.
"Quincy's are supposed to be extinct about now," Isshin said right after his moment of epiphany, "What's a guy like him doing here in Karakura town?"
Urahara decided to tell him what he knew. "His great grandfather, together with his son, arrived here about a hundred years ago. Though the Shinigami believed they were extinct, a few generations were able to survive, including his. Being two groups of people who were judged unfairly by Soul Society, we got along with each other quite nicely. Though the Quincy don't normally reside in industrial places like these, it was safer for them to live here than a secluded area."
Perhaps, this will be the reason why Karakura town shall be the next spirit-enriched land…
"Urahara?" Isshin asked. Urahara had woken up from his blank expression and apologized profusely for him spacing out like that.
"Well then," Isshin continued, "I'm amazed on how they were able to continue life here, without the previous Shinigami noticing them."
"Over the years they've learned better ways of masking their presence. It was a necessity for them to avoid conflict, as much as I know."
The course of their conversation finally stopped when Tessai arrived with a message.
"They're here, Urahara. Should I send them in here for you?"
"Sure sure," Urahara agreed. Tessai nodded and left again.
"Who's they?"
"Just the Quincy."
"What?! Why the hell did you invite them over?"
"Huh? I thought you were okay with them now."
"I didn't say that!"
The door slid open suddenly and three people entered. Tessai, and the two Quincy. Isshin immediately straightened up and tried his best not to panic – he forgave Ryuuken now, yes, but what's left is that the overprotective brother wouldn't have forgiven him yet. That would mean trouble.
"Hey, Urahara," Ryuuken greeted.
Masaki, his sister, entered with a charismatic grin on her face, and greeted the ex-Shinigami as well. "Good morning, Urahara. " She noticed Isshin, fully healed, right by the end of the other table and faced him. "Good morning to you too, Mr. Shinigami.
Isshin blushed at her greeting. She felt so warm and kind unlike yesterday where she was afraid and hurt. It looked as if she changed overnight and didn't bother to dwell on what happened last night. Both sat, the eye-catching features of Masaki ever so tainting the likes of Isshin.
Urahara clapped his hands to catch attention. "Alright then… I invited both of you here to talk about the increase of Hollows in the area. You, captain, were stationed here, am I correct?"
Isshin nodded. "Yeah, but… They said it was better to send me here than any other, mainly because the Hollows were surprisingly stronger than usual. And I can't deny their increased strength, that's for sure."
"Hm. I did notice that the Hollows were getting smarter and smarter now, unlike a few days ago. One was clever enough to dodge one of my arrows," Ryuuken added.
"Who told you to butt in to my story, Ryuuken?" Isshin growled at him.
"Please keep quiet, both of you." Surprisingly, Masaki gladly shut them both up before this erupted into another fight. As predicted, the rivals silenced immediately, not bothering to burden themselves over Masaki.
"Okay, back to topic," Urahara finally interrupted, "Stronger and smarter hollows, eh? Is there… something wrong with their masks?"
"What's it about their masks?" Isshin asked curiously. Before Urahara got the chance to explain, Isshin gestured him to not bother. "I didn't find anything strange about them, except for the fact that they were stronger, and there were a lot more spawning than usual."
"Okay. Any theories, guys?"
Ryuuken gladly raised his hand. Isshin sneered at him.
"Whenever a crack opens and a Hollow enters the living world, there's something very awkward I sense beneath that crack – it was different from any other reiatsu I had ever witnessed before. Its strength seems to surpass a Gillian. It could be that there is a stronger type of Hollow that is ordering them to invade Karakura town – an Adjuchas, maybe?"
"That's quite an interesting find, Ryuuken. Thanks."
"It isn't much of a big deal. I was being observant, that's all."
"Observant my ass," Isshin slandered in, "It's child's play to be able to discover something like that."
"If it was child's play, a person as dumb as you could've brought that information out just as Urahara asked for theories. But I guess not," Isshin retorted.
Though Isshin felt extremely furious at how he countered his remark, he zipped his mouth shut and desired no conflict anymore – it was him who was starting the fights anyway, and upon this realization, he just wanted to look like the good guy for once. Urahara broke the silence and speculated on the situation.
"Adjuchas, you say? Did you ever think it could be a Vasto Lorde?"
All eyes moved to Urahara's lips. Masaki was confused at the name, but Isshin and Ryuuken was knowledgeable enough to know that a Vasto Lorde isn't something to be underestimated, but feared.
"A Vasta Lorde?" Masaki questioned.
"Vasto Lorde, not Vasta," Urahara answered, "It's the highest class of Hollow that can be strong enough to even surpass a Shinigami captain's strength."
"Don't Vasto Lordes rarely appear in the living world? How exactly would a Vasto Lordes end up here, of all places?" Ryuuken felt like this was utterly ridiculous. A Vasto Lordes doesn't just pop up anywhere in the world, even more so to be sending Hollows in the living world.
"That, we'll have to find out. I think this'll be enough for now. You two should go home and rest." Urahara shrugged the two Quincies to leave, almost like he was eager to let them come home.
"Okay. Let's go, Masaki."
"Wait a minute, Ryuuken. I need to go to the bathroom. Wait for me outside, okay?"
Ryuuken felt reluctant to leaving her sister alone inside a foreign home, but her insistence persuaded him otherwise.
"Be quick."
Masaki nodded obediently, and went ahead to the bathroom. Ryuuken stayed by the entrance of the Urahara shop and sat on the platform to wait.
Meanwhile, Isshin was left alone with Urahara and Tessai inside the dining room.
"Isshin, do you remember the incident a hundred years ago, that involved me and Tessai?"
Isshin searched through his memories and caught the image – a flash of grotesque images, with nearly half a dozen captains and vice-captains; faces completely covered in a substance unknown to him, but clearly entered his mind, that it was Hollow masks.
"The… Vizard incident."
"I'm glad, you still remember that. I have a gut feeling that something related to that incident is happening here right now. It could be that Ryuuken's predictions are correct and a Vasto Lorde is responsible for the increase in Hollows."
"Related? Related how?"
"Your vice-captain is coming here, now. I can't explain it to you just yet, but remember this. Don't include your report about the Quincy, or the Vasto Lordes theory. You have to keep it a secret at all costs. Just report about the increase in strength and population of the Hollows to Seireitei. Trust me, alright?"
"Uhh… Alright, if you say so. Even if I'm curious to find out, the way your eyes speak means I shouldn't really care about it." Isshin stood up, now ready to leave.
"Heh. Pretty good perception for a brand new captain, Isshin. And before you go…"
Isshin stopped sliding the door halfway to listen attentively to Urahara's statement.
"Don't trust your vice-captain. Don't trust Aizen."
Isshin was shocked even more by Urahara's claim. The tone of his voice was gradual enough to make him realize that he was being utterly serious, and was a serious matter. He swallowed.
"…Alright."
Isshin left the room, with a sickening feeling inside his chest that there were some things that were meant to be kept a secret.
"You're going?"
Isshin coiled his head to the right and to his surprise, Masaki was still inside the shop. She was standing along the hallway, clearly suggesting that she was eavesdropping on them, but Isshin decided not to bring that up, fearing that it would hurt her feelings.
"Yeah. I'm still a Shinigami, and I have my duties like you humans… or rather, Quincies too."
Isshin smiled at her before turning around and walking around to leave. Before he even reached the door to the inside of Urahara's main shop, Masaki grabbed his wrist as he was about to leave.
"Don't go just yet. Please."
"I'm really sorry, but I have to. I'll probably be back to investigate but I don't really know when that'll be. Take care of your brother, Masaki. He may seem mature, but he's as stubborn and arrogant as a child can be."
Isshin noticed the sadness pouring from her frown, almost as if she was losing a dear friend. Though he regrets leaving her in this condition, his duties as a Shinigami must always come first. That's what his grandfather had thought him.
"You saved my life. I owe you a lot for that. At least, tell me your name," Masaki pleaded.
"Isshin. Isshin Yamamoto."
"Then thank you, Isshin. I hope you come back soon."
"Don't worry, I will."
Isshin entered through the door and ambled to the exit, without bothering to look back. His departure alerted Ryuuken in some way as he passed by him.
"You're-"
"Leaving? Yeah, that's right. I have to fill out my report to the Soul Society. And don't worry, I'll say no word about you two. Urahara already warned me about that."
"You swear you go by your word, Isshin?"
"Of course I do."
Right after his answer, Isshin disappeared from his view. Isshin used his shunpo technique and left the area in quite a hurry. Ryuuken adjusted his glasses as the morning sun reflected on his eyes – he was going home relieved now. Newfound conflict, or newfound friend, he couldn't say. But all he knows is that he can be trusted, just like Urahara.
-
Isshin arrived by the river, awaiting the Senkaimon that was supposed to fetch him. At last, a flash of light irritated his eyes as a rural gate opened before him. A figure emerged from the blinding light.
"Ah, Captain Yamamoto. Your grandfather's been waiting for you."
"I know, Vice-captain Ichimaru. He always waits."
Isshin's face was firm but Gin Ichimaru's was always a mystery to him. He always had that smile that was indecipherable. Even he, complimented by Urahara as someone who has a good perception over people's expressions, was perplexed with the enigmatic grin that always haunted his mind. And he remembered Urahara's words as he saw him.
Don't trust your vice-captain. Don't trust Aizen.
He entered without a foreshadowing mark on his face that he suspected Gin. Isshin disappeared into the Senkaimon. Honestly, with Gin's face curled into an everlasting smile that told either good or bad, Isshin couldn't help but trust Urahara, and be on high alert.
Urahara's eyes said so, he previously remarked.
A/N: OMG! Isshin Yamamoto?! Gin Ichimaru as vice-captain?!
Share your thoughts about it! And don't forget to point out contradictions! :)