Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. If I did, I'm not sure there's anything that I'd really change anyway.
AN: Sorry about how long it took to get this one out. Life kind of got in the way for a while there, so basically all of my stories were on hold for a bit. Anyway, I think I'm starting to get back into the swing of things, so here's to hoping I haven't gotten too rusty in this last year.
"Talking"
Thought
Time Passage
Soul Society, Seireitei
"Hello there, Captain Aizen."
"Ah, Gin, it's good to see you. My apologies for postponing our appointment, but you know how it can be sometimes." To play the game, the pieces had to be understood, and this particular piece could quite possibly be important in the future. Of course he understood.
"Yes, yes indeed. I hear that dear little Miss Kuchiki has been reassigned to that human town, Karakura. I don't suppose you had anything to do with that, hm?"
"I might have made a few suggestions here and there. After all, reflecting on the recent events in her life would do little good if she was unable to return and confront them, no?"
"You always have been one to insist on playing the role of the ever-watchful father, Captain. You should be careful about that."
"Why do you say that? Was I too informal with Miss Kuchiki? I do hope I haven't offended anyone. I seem to have a poor habit of looking into other peoples' business sometimes."
"Oh, nothing like that. It's just a friendly suggestion from a fellow Captain. If you aren't careful, you may end up poking your nose in to business that would be better left alone. And we wouldn't want that, would we Captain Aizen?" As they continued their little game, they pretended not to notice some of the younger onlookers who were trying to remain nonchalant. They were always excited to see the Captains in person, so seeing two of them making what might have appeared as partially-veiled threats must have been fascinating.
"I don't know. A little trouble now and then builds character. Wouldn't you agree, Gin?"
"What doesn't kill you…" He trailed off, leaving the statement unfinished with a grin.
"Quite. Now amusing double-talk aside, I believe you wanted to tell me something, correct?" It must have been important. Something from a contact in the human world usually was. Well, in most cases anyway. "And please tell me this isn't about that absurd handmade riceball conspiracy. We were lucky that little fiasco didn't reach the ears of the Eleventh. Heavens only know how long it would take them to let it go, paranoid as they are."
"Would I ever trouble you with something so menial? No, I think you'll find this little discovery of mine most interesting, Captain. Most interesting indeed. Perhaps we should move to a more…private…location."
Urahara Training Grounds
"Argh!" Ichigo fell on his back yet again, staring up towards the opening. Damn, this isn't getting me anywhere. There has to be some kind of trick to it. This seriously blows. I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I'm in a hole. Not to mention that he still had dirt in his mouth, the result of his brilliant idea that he might be able to get a grip on the wall with something a bit sharper than his shoes. It hadn't ended well.
"Hey old man, getting hungry?"
Ichigo tilted his head back, seeing the little red-headed kid standing there with a plate of food. Jinta?
"When the hell did you get down here, brat?" So maybe he was still a little sore about the whole spitting thing a few hours back.
"Me? Just a minute ago, but that doesn't matter. Like I said, you getting' hungry yet?"
That jackass is probably just testing me or some crap. Little sadist. Well I'm not falling for it. "Not a chance kid. I've only been down here for about a day. You can take your food and shove it. I'll be outta here in no time."
"About a day? Oh yeah, I guess I forgot about that."
"Forgot about what?"
"Ya see, time passes a bit different for someone down here than it does up there. You've been down here for almost three days now. About sixty hours, actually. I figure you've probably got four or five hours left before the last encroachment begins, give or take a few. It's not always the same length for everybody." Not that he could actually confirm that statement, given that this wasn't exactly a common procedure. But Urahara said he could motivate the guy however he wanted, and pissing him off was proving to be very entertaining.
""That's bullshit!" It had to be a bluff. There's no way it's been that long! Oh man, I've gotta get out of here!
"Hey, I don't make the rules. But I'll be a good sport about it and give you a little warning. The last encroachment? It won't be anything like the others." The fact that the boy wasn't smirking at him right now made him all the more desperate. He looked down to the chains as if they would come alive and eat him instead of just devouring themselves...And as they began to act again, he realized that he wasn't too far off. Jinta shot around at the sudden cry of fear, his eye widening as it dawned on him that even his estimate had been off. The final encroachment was starting already.
"Shit!"
"Jinta, get up here!" It hardly needed saying, and the boy was already pulling himself out of the hole. This...this is too soon. Not good. Not good at all.
"Guess this means he's turning into a Hollow, right?" Jinta peered down into the hole, and Ururu stood up.
"I have to help!"
"Now, don't get too excited there, Ururu."
"Huh?"
"Just stay here and watch. Things are about to get interesting. Tessai?"
"Yes Boss!"
As Tessai dropped down into the hole to prepare the enhanced restraints Ichigo blacked out, awakening to find himself in a very different place. Instead of the dark, dusty depths of the shattered shaft, he was in a vast metropolitan landscape that seemed to be turned on its sides. Only one thing came to his mind, and it was something he'd asked himself quite a few times recently.
"What the hell?"
"Is this place unfamiliar to you, Ichigo?" He turned to look at the voice, and an odd man wearing black stood looking back at him, seeming to hover in an impossible position. Yet strangely, he seemed comfortable where he was.
"What the? Who're you?"
"What do you mean, Ichigo? It is I, Z..." The voice faded out as he gave his name, and Ichigo looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
What? What was his name? Crappy time for my hearing to go wacky on me.
"...I see. How very sad that I still cannot reach you. Tell me, Ichigo, how many times must I cry out before you hear?"
"Why is everyone I've met lately so damned evasive? Can't you just tell me what the hell's going on and get it over with? And how do you keep floating like that?"
"Floating? Such a strange boy. Answer me this: How can you just sit there, in a place such as that?" And then he realized just what the man was talking about. The dark figure wasn't the one floating in an impossible position. He was the one sitting on the side of the building. And apparently, the moment that he realized this was the moment that he could no longer do it. He screamed as he lost his balance, falling alongside the wall. In a split second the man was beside him, calmly looking him in the eyes.
He still couldn't stop screaming. That is, until the man spoke again, the strong voice soothing even in such a crisis.
"If you have time to scream, then you have time to think, time to spare. Why are you so afraid, Ichigo?"
"Why am I afraid? You're asking me why I'm afraid!?" Why in the name of all things holy wouldn't he be terrified out of his mind?
"The Shinigami is a master of death. They are masters not only of themselves, but a great many spiritual beings."
"Well that's dandy, but I'm not a freaking Shinigami now, am I!?" The man let out a disappointed sigh.
"You have the power of a Shinigami at your disposal, hidden just below the surface of your mind. You always have. All that's left is to find it. And if there ever was a time when you must find the power of the Shinigami inside you, then that time is now, with the beginning of this world's collapse." And suddenly the world was flooded with small boxes, all with strands of white ribbon hanging from their edges.
"These boxes raining down, surrounding you, are the key. Inside one of them is the power you seek, but it is up to you to find it."
"What? This doesn't make sense! There are so many, how the hell am I supposed to find the right one!"
"I will tolerate no more excuses! There is little time left. You must find it before this world is completely destroyed, or you will become a Hollow."
"But it's impossible!" It could take months to look through all of these! How can I find them before they've even finished falling! Damnit, what do I do!
As if in response to his desperate cry, the world seemed to go dark, and an echoing parody of his own voice began to whisper in his ear.
"I can help, Prince." A pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders in what might have been a friendly gesture, had the circumstances not been what they are. "I can give you the answer. All that you have to do," The familiar voice paused for a brief, haunting chuckle at some joke that he didn't understand "Is trust me."
He, they, hit the ground, breaking through it as though it were glass. There was something wrong, dark, about the thing that was goading him into helping it. But this Zangetsu wouldn't help any further, and he was running out of time and ideas.
I can't just pick 'em at random, it'd take too long. But this voice, I can't trust it. Right? Or is that part of the test? Is it me? Do I need to trust it to come out in one piece? I don't know what to do!
"Help me."
"Hm. Very well, my little Prince." One of the pale-white hands loosened its grip, sliding down his arm to cover his own hand. He felt a surge of energy course through him, and they were falling through the crumbling world again. This time, though, it was easy to find his target. All of the boxes that Zangetsu had told him to search for had long, white ribbons trailing from them. All but a single one, which instead held a red ribbon that easily stood out from the rest.
"That's right, Prince. That's the one you're looking for." Somehow, as he gripped the ribbon, they almost seemed to just appear beside the cube in question. The side of the box fell open, revealing what looked like the hilt of a sword.
"This is it? Is this what I'm looking for?"
"Yes."
"Yes."
Both of the observers spoke at once, both the older man who called himself Zangetsu and the cold youthful voice whom he'd yet to actually see face to face.
"Take the hilt and know my name, Ichigo Kurosaki."
"You should listen to the old man, Prince."
"Right, okay then. Here goes." He gripped the hilt with the hand still being guided by the figure behind him, and a white light coursed through his fingers into the hilt of the blade.
"What was that?"
"There is no more time for questions, Ichigo. You must release me, now!"
"Hurry it up, Prince!"
Tightening his grip, he pulled the hilt as hard as he could as the world around him burst into light and the voice whispered through his thoughts once more.
"Congratulations, my King."
As the residents of Urahara's shop watched on, the violent nature of Ichigo's screams were becoming increasingly more powerful and the bonds around his arms beginning to break. Sweat dripped down Tessai's face as he prepared to push Ichigo's restraints to their limits, knowing that he couldn't allow this to continue for much longer.
"He's at his absolute limit, Boss! I'm switching to suppression mode!" Slamming his fists into the ground, he began the incantation.
"Bakudō 99 Part Two, Bankin! First Incantation: Bandage!" White streams of energy erupted from the ground, wrapping around the screaming soul before settling into the recognizable white bandages. As he began the second incantation, large sharpened nails flew through the air and began to impale the orange-haired teen.
"Second Incantation: Hundred Deadbolts!" As they finished stabbing into Ichigo's collarbone and shoulders, Jinta's nervous cry reached him from above.
"Hey, watch it down there Tessai! If you keep that up there's a good chance he'll die!" Moments later, Tessai's responded with an equally strained yell.
"I can't hold him down any longer! He must be destroyed immediately, before he becomes a Hollow!" He clapped his hands together in front of his face, beginning the final incantation that would unquestionably finish the struggle.
"Final Incantation: Fat-" Before he could finish, Tessai was launched backwards into the wall as an explosion of light echoed through the shaft. Ichigo, or whatever the human once known as Ichigo had become, screeched upwards until it tore through the ceiling of the training ground where they'd entered only a few days earlier. All four of the other occupants stared at the crumbling hole in shock, before Urahara summed up their feelings rather simply.
"Well damn. Didn't see that one coming." And with that rather obvious statement out of the way, they charged for the exit, intent on stopping the Hollow before it could do any serious damage.
Karakura Town
On an extended mission in the human world, the Shinigami often had need for a cover.
"My name is Rukia Kuchiki. It's a pleasure to meet you all."
Looking at the restless children in the room, murmuring and whispering about the new student, she found herself cursing her young appearance for the first time. Not that she disliked her looks, but just about the only logical cover that she could use without bringing up a number of annoying questions was that of a high school student. And she was not ready to deal with a bunch of modern age teenagers in a world far different than the one she'd been raised in. At least she'd been able to read few some of those nifty stories about how teens acted these days…
"Please take the seat next to Orihime."
Apparently the teacher realized that pointing out who "Orihime" was wouldn't be necessary, as a busty girl with orange-brown hair leaned into the aisle waving excitedly. Smiling at the girl, Rukia quickly took the seat, glancing over as the girl gave her a whispered greeting.
"Hi! I'm Orihime Inoue, nice to meet you."
"Rukia Kuchiki."
"Miss Inoue, I know that you want to get to know our new student, but please try to keep it down."
"Sorry ma'am!"
Rukia listened intently as the class went on, finding herself curious about what was being taught to children in the human world. Even with all of her missions to eliminate minor Hollows, she had never really taken the time to get familiar with the strange place. Naturally, being so interested, these classes seemed to pass far too quickly for her tastes. On the other hand, most of her "peers" seem thrilled to have a break for lunch. Unsurprisingly, the cheery young woman that had greeted her earlier was the first to join her during the break.
"Hey there, Rukia!"
"Hello. Orihime, right?"
"Yep, that's me. And this," She indicated towards the dark-haired girl standing at her side. "Is Tatsuki. She's been my best friend ever since we were little."
"It's a pleasure, Miss Tatsuki."
"Right back at ya. And drop the 'miss'. Makes me feel old." Ah, the informal type. From what little research she'd managed to get done, it would seem that teenagers were considerably less "stuck up," as the Shinigami Women's Association President had once called it, than her real peers in the Soul Society had been. A bit like Renji in his earlier days, really.
She might just be able to enjoy this.
"We were gonna go have lunch. Do you want to join us Rukia?"
"I'm afraid I didn't really bring anything to eat…"
"It's okay, you can share with me."
"I'm not sure if Rukia shares your, uh, unique tastes, Orihime." I'm not sure that anyone does.
"Oh, it's no problem. I'm not very hungry."
"Are ya sure?"
"Really, Rukia?"
"Trust me, I'll be fine. But I'd love to join you, if it's still okay."
"Of course!" Orihime looped her arm through Rukia's, leading her towards the stairs as Tatsuki smiled, already too used to Orihime's overt friendliness to really be surprised.
They arrived on the roof just in time to join a small group of girls that were sitting around discussing something that she couldn't quite make out. She didn't know many names, though she was pretty certain that the curly-haired brunette's name was Mahana, having heard the teacher call on her at least once.
Few introductions were necessary, though she was glad that at least some customs hadn't changed between the Soul Society and the world of the living. Not to mention that it was nice to finally know who she was spending her time with. The next several minutes were filled with chatter, though Rukia didn't recognize even half of the things that they spoke of. There were a few basic questions tossed her way, where she was from, what she liked to do, but little that caught her attention. At least, not until one particular conversation was started.
"So have you heard anything from Ichigo?"
"Nothing new. Some guy drove into their house and Ichigo chased after him. I was thinking about asking his dad if he'd heard anything later."
Not now. "Excuse me, but who is this Ichigo that you're talking about?" Tell me it's not him. But she already knew what they were going to say. He'd lived not far from here, and he'd most definitely been in the right age range. It only made sense that he would go to this school. And the thought that there may have been a mistake in their memory alterations, allowing them to think that he was still alive but just missing, wasn't common by any means. Still, it was also far from unheard of, and a heartbreaking thing to deal with. Having to spend time with those in mourning was one thing, but knowing that someone wouldn't be returning and having to watch their loved ones wait and hope…
"Oh, Ichigo?" Orihime brightened up even more, if that was possible. "He's this guy that goes to our school. He's kind of scary sometimes, and he's always got this creepy frown, but I think he's pretty nice under all that. I mean, he gets in a lot of fights, but I don't think he starts them. Maybe if he's helping someone that's getting bullied. He doesn't like it much when people get picked on. I think it's 'cause he got picked on a lot as a kid because he's got orange hair, but you'd have to ask Tatsuki about that. She's known him since they were just little kids, so-" She stopped as the girl in question patted her on the head with a grin.
"I think she gets the point, Hime. Don't you Rukia? Rukia? Hey, Rukia, you okay over there?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry. I was just, uh, trying to picture someone like that." It's him, no doubt. Natural orange hair isn't exactly common, and he acted just like she described. Damnit all, why did I have to pick a cover where I'd be with his friends? Even all the questions she probably would have gotten if people had seen a "young girl" running around outside of school wouldn't have been as bad.
"Well," The girl with the curly brown hair, Mahana, cut in. "He's a bit scary, but he is pretty cute in that 'bad boy' sort of way."
"Ew, gross! How could anyone think that ugly mug of his is cute?"
"You don't get any say in this, Tatsuki! You're practically his sister. Of course you don't think he's cute."
"He's okay I suppose, but you'd think that with all that fighting he'd look a little less scrawny. Maybe a little more like Sado." The somewhat cold first year girl with the long dark hair spoke up, flipping her book closed for a moment.
"Oh come on Ryō, nobody is like Sado. He's just huge! Besides, I didn't think you'd be in to sweet guys like that."
Sado, Sado…They must be talking about that boy from class. She had to admit he was a pretty tall and muscular guy for an average human, but compared to some of the people in the Soul Society, he just didn't seem that unusual.
"What's that supposed to mean!? And I do not have a crush on him!"
"I never said you did, but now that you mention it…"
"I-w-wait just a minute!"
This was…nice. It was all she could really think of to describe it. Now if she could just keep her mind off of that boy, she might just be able to make it last.
And at that moment, without realizing it, the young Shinigami had been silently accepted into their small group of friends. It was only after their afternoon classes had passed and she was preparing to track down Urahara to work out some specifics about her living arrangements that this truly hit her, as Orihime and Tatsuki caught up to her only a few minutes after leaving, apparently intent on escorting her home. Unsurprisingly, they were shocked to find that she didn't currently have any place to stay at the moment, and was in fact on her way to meet an "old friend of the family" to ask if he would be willing to keep her around for a little while. In retrospect, she probably should have developed a more thorough story earlier. But hey, they were teenagers, so she could probably wing it.
"It's all because of one unfortunate mishap when I was on the way here. I had an apartment all prepared, but the building was closed at the last minute because of safety violations. Then the movers got the wrong directions, and ended up going to a completely different town, and now I'll only have what I brought with me until they return. And they said that could be days. I just don't know what I'm supposed to do." She dabbed at her eyes with the handkerchief (Embroidered with the oh-so-adorable Chappy the Rabbit, of course) that seemed to appear out of nowhere, sniffling dramatically. "I'm sorry, you two. I shouldn't bother you with this."
"Oh! Oh, me! You can stay with me!"
Eh? Is she serious? Okay, so she'd anticipated a bit of pity from anyone that heard the story, but she hadn't honestly expected one of them to offer up a place to stay. She hadn't meant to manipulate them or anything…Then again, the frighteningly cheery girl was starting to grow on her, and while Tatsuki seemed to be a bit more suspicious, her expression was more amused than anything.
"Are you sure, Orihime? I wouldn't want to impose. I'm sure I could find someone willing to take in a young, lost, lonely girl like me…" Okay, but maybe she was putting it on a little too thick.
"It's no problem, really! You see I live all by myself, so it'd be fun to have some company. Not that you're not great company, Tatsuki! I mean-"
"Stop freaking out, Orihime, I know what you mean."
"Well, if it's really alright, then thank you Orihime. I would love to stay with you."
"I've never really had a roommate before! I mean my brother lived with me for a long time, but that's different. This is so cool! Hey Tatsuki, why don't you come over tonight? We could have dinner and watch a few movies and-Huh?" Orihime glanced around curiously. "What's that?" It feels so strange, and angry.
"What's what, Orihime?" But there was no mistaking that she felt it too. Or that she'd noticed the subtle shift in Rukia's appearance when it appeared. I think it's time to get Orihime and Rukia home. I have a bad feeling about this.
"Yes, I'm afraid I don't-" The signature ring of her soul phone sounded even as she felt the energy herself, and she flipped it open to reveal that the Hollow was nearby, and glanced towards the cheery girl in shock. Did she sense this? The timing was too close to just be a coincidence. Is she aware of spirits like that boy, or is it just convenient timing? Either way, there wasn't enough time to contemplate it. She needed an excuse to get to that Hollow before it could do any damage.
They weren't the only ones noticing something unusual, however. As day gave way to evening, the residents of Karakura Town living near the small shop owned by Kisuke Urahara fled in terror as the small building's roof exploded. While it may have seemed like an explosion to the average citizens of the town, those with a sharper, somewhat well-tuned connection to the spiritual realm were feeling something quite different, a variety of similar thoughts running through their minds.
Back on the schoolgrounds, Uryū Ishida's grip on the needle slipped before he could press it through the fabric, and he shot up from his seat in frustration. This isn't good. That Spiritual Pressure is more intense than the usual trash in this town. I need to get over there before that Shinigami does. There's no way I'll leave something like this to one of their kind.
The tense and abrupt change in their fellow club member didn't escape the other students, and they looked on with concern as he dashed from the room. He had no choice. He'd known immediately that the new girl was a Shinigami. Their kind were impossible to miss for anyone who already knew of their existence, but he was forced to leave her be or risk his innocent classmates being caught in his vengeance. And since she'd dragged away several of the students on her way home, that was out of the question as well. But he couldn't simply stand by as a Shinigami dealt with a Hollow in his city.
As he carried the man who had hit him on his motorcycle towards the clinic run by Ichigo's family, Yasutora Sado did something that was almost as unfamiliar to him as being cruel was to Orihime. He flinched, and nearly lost his step. For a man who could be hit by a speeding motorcycle with barely losing a centimeter, to do so seemingly out of nowhere said something of what he must have been feeling. And what he was feeling...Something odd is happening. What is this dark feeling? It's just the same as the day that Ichigo went after that driver that crashed through his home and the one I felt again just yesterday. But what could it be?
And in that very clinic where the teenager had been heading, the sudden feeling of encroaching darkness didn't escape those who lived there. As Isshin stopped his playful, overly dramatic acting, legendary amongst their neighbors, he suddenly clutched at his chest as Yuzu looked on with concern. This was far too familiar, and while everything seemed a bit fuzzy, she knew that something horrible had happened the last time she felt this way. It had happened right before Ichigo had left for a while, and now that he wasn't there to shield her from her fears as he always did...
This feels like…Ichigo? But it's so much darker! I thought Kisuke said that he'd be watching after him!
It feels so cold, and angry. And why's dad looking so scared? Does he feel it too? I hope Karin gets home soon.
And last of all, the cynical sister of Ichigo Kurosaki was on her way home when she felt it. Karin absent-mindedly kicked the soccer ball ahead of her, slowly making her way home as the sun began to set. After all, it wasn't exactly uncommon for her to be out for a little while in the evening when her favorite game was involved. Hopefully that idiot father of hers wouldn't be too overdramatic about her being home later than usual. Besides, she needed some time alone to think. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out why her father and sister thought that Ichigo had run after some jerk that had driven through their house. The last time she'd seen him, he'd been trying to fight off some freakish monster that had attacked them.
And she was very worried. She would never show it, of course, especially not since Yuzu was still hoping that he'd be back in a few days. But she couldn't shake the feeling that he might not be coming back. It was in the midst of these depressing thoughts that her senses felt as though they'd just been overloaded, an almost unbearable pressure forcing her to pause and struggle to breathe. The ground behind her let out a crack, and she swiveled around only to see a strange creature with a face that reminded her far too much of her attacker from the day before.
Haven't these things done enough already!? But it seems so familiar.
She'd started to turn when her mind registered the rest of the creature's appearance. The skull-like white face marked with blood-red stripes, a wide, long silver blade with a black edge just as tall as it was, and a strange white bone-like skin covering its body under a torn old fashioned white and black outfit. But the most outstanding and frighteningly familiar feature of all was the light orange hair that she'd only ever seen on one person.
Is that…
"I-Ichigo?" Her brother, or what looked like what might have once been her brother, seemed to pay no attention to her questions. It charged forward and she barely managed to jump to the side, her cap blowing off into the wind as she leaped to her feet. She'd barely moved even a few steps as the ground shuddered as the Hollow punched it with all of its might, sending her tumbling forward to the ground again. She rolled to her back, and scrambled away as it walked towards her in uneven steps, growling all the way. Suddenly it dashed forward, pinning her to the ground with one hand while lifting the massive blade high into the air with the other. Crossing her arms in front of her face in a futile effort to protect herself, she let out one last desperate cry as the blade began its descent.
"Big brother!"
Big brother! The words echoed through its mind, bringing its movements to a pause. It knew this voice, these words.
And to Karin's astonishment, the blade halted. Looking into the yellow eyes, she could almost see what might have been a spark of recognition. In an uncharacteristically gentle gesture, she slowly lifted one hand to run her fingers along the side of its face.
"Is that you, big brother?" A torrent of too-familiar thoughts, feelings, and images began flooding its mind. The sword fell from its grip as a haunting scream tore through the air, the blade stabbing into the ground next to her as the Hollow began shaking and howling in a rage.
A small girl with long black hair and a red baseball cap, standing in front of several older boys in a field.
"Get out of here loser."
"Yeah, this is our field!"
Anger, frustration, fear. They were stronger than her.
Karin watched on as he, it, slammed its skull into the ground, trying to drown out the unexpected feelings rushing through its thoughts.
"No, I'm not leaving! I was here first!"
Defiant, brave, but not strong enough. In need of protection.
"Back the hell off you little punks."
His protection. They ran. Cowards.
"I could've handled it, Ichigo! Those guys were total wimps!"
Anger, but there was affection, gratitude.
He struck the ground with his "face" again, tearing at the hardened white surface furiously with the sharp, clawed fingers.
"Yeah, ya probably could have."
"Then why'd you get in the way?"
Simple. Family. Duty.
"Because I'm your big brother. And the reason why big brothers like me are born first is so they can protect their little brothers and sisters."
Ruffling the child's hair, chuckling as she pushed it away, pouting.
"Even when they don't think they need it."
"…Thank you."
Acceptance. Love.
"No prob. I'll always watch out for you guys,"
She was sister. His sister.
"Karin."
One of the sisters he'd promised to protect, with all of his being.
I made that promise.
He fell to his knees and slammed his face into the ground once again with all the force he could muster, the bone cracking at the edges.
Me. When I was still…
He jerked, twisted, and writhed as he dug both claws into the skin near the right side of the mask. Tearing away at the bone-like material until a tiny piece chipped off. Whether it was instinct or conscious thought, no one would ever likely be able to say, but the armored hands wrapped around the weapon again just above the hilt, and began slamming the end into its bone-like skull as if in some twisted imitation of the soul burial rituals used by the Shinigami. Soon, yet another piece of the mask crack and split away, followed by another, and another.
Ichigo Kurosaki.
With one last roar, one in which Karin would later swear she'd heard her name before it ended, it drove the hilt into the center of his skull. And finally the right half of the mask shattered as he looked to the sky, revealing the familiar face that she'd somehow known was hidden behind that twisted shell, albeit with a number of differences. The bone-like material covering his body began receding, until they only covered his left arm, and the upper portion of his chest where a small hole was opening in the center. At the same time, a bright glow covered his weapon and she had to glance away for a moment, only to stare in confusion when it ended and revealed a much thinner blade in its place, only larger than an average katana by a small margin. Karin pushed herself up as Ichigo dropped to his knees, still facing the blue sky above, and crawled over to her distraught brother.
And the transformation had come to its end.
Big brother? She reached out again, lightly touching the immobile boy's cheek. It was still distorted slightly; his skin pale and his one visible eye an unnatural black, with a yellow-golden iris staring blankly towards the heavens. Yet as they made contact, and he hesitantly looked down at her with a wide-eyed shock, she knew that it was him.
"Big brother? It's me, Karin."
"Ka…rin." His more human eye softened and he slumped over, leaning his unmasked cheek against her shoulder as her arms wrapped around his neck in a hug. The duo sat like that for some time, unaware of the curious former Twelfth Division Captain watching the events unfold from a nearby rooftop.
"What should we do, Boss?" All three spoke at once, and Urahara turned to look at them.
"Eh? You guys still here? You can head back to the shop. I'll keep a lookout for a little while, but I think he's gonna be okay." The trio behind him silently nodded and began making their way back to the shop, while Urahara turned to look at the duo from his safe distance, fingering a small device that should effectively render Ichigo invisible to the Soul Reaper's tracking devices. Not that he'd quite expected this, but it was a nifty little tool to have on hand, and such convenient tools were one of his specialties.
Most of his former associates always seemed to find it annoying.
Not quite what I expected but hey, it'll do. At least he's not drowning half of the spiritually sensitive people in the city with reiatsu now. Between the Quincy and little Rukia, that could have caused a pretty impressive fiasco.
There was still a lot of training that they needed to do, especially considering this particular turn of events, but for now it would probably be best to let the siblings rest.
AN: And the editing is done, for now. I was incredibly displeased with how it turned out before, so instead of just pumping out another mediocre chapter, I decided to go back and do some serious modifications to this one. And now I'll be able to get along to the next chapter without constantly coming back to this one because I'm just so insanely annoyed by it. Until next time, hope you enjoyed.