BREATH OF LIFE
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Tokyo Ghoul. Or the songs mentioned from this point onwards. Kudos to people who recognize the songs, though.
Shout Out: Right. As noted in the first chapter, this will veer off the official story-line very quickly. This time, the inspiration is scary similarity of one certain Quincy archer who is obsessed with needlework with a certain prodigy when it concerns ghoul extermination. Don't believe it? Go see it for yourself.
Warnings: AU-verse, SLASH; a certain Quincy gets to meet his counterpart.
001 – Who We Are
A week later after Karin's disappearance, the preparations to invade the Soul Society were finished.
The three teenagers stood in front of the shopkeeper - and a cat - in an unusually grim mood. They were a ragtag bunch - a big, half - Mexican teenager clad in a colorful flower - printed T shirt, with his wavy hair hiding his eyes. The single girl in the group had a long, sunset-orange colored hair, held back with her hairpins. She was clad in a simple trousers with a beige T-shirt what hugged her figure nicely, along with wearing sneakers. The last person wore glasses and was clad in strange white coat above his normal clothes.
"So what are we waiting for ?" The bespectacled youth snapped at the shopkeeper who was hiding his face behind the paper fan. "You've already explained us how the gates work.
The shopkeeper nodded. "I did. However, there will be two additional persons to accompany you through the gate." He blinked at the white-clad teen outraged glare.
"You are joking! Just who do you think to throw along with us and why weren't we aware of it?" He snapped, dark blue eyes glaring at the unrepentant keeper who straightened up and snapped the fan shut. Grey eyes glared back at the impudent whelp. "Silence. They have more right than you to pass through the gate." Urahara snapped at the unrepentant Quincy brat. Oh, he knew what Ishida was - it wasn't a long shot in the dark, what with his cute little clothes.
"Why?" The girl's innocent question prompted Urahara to turn his attention to her and give her a half smile.
"Because he's Karin's big brother."
"Indeed." The little group was startled by the cold voice behind them. And there they stood.
"Wah! Ishida-kun, I didn't know you had a twin!" Orihime squealed, clutching her hands in front of her chest. "Does he have a robot?" She asked, stars in her eyes.
Contrarily to her excitement, Ishida was positively horrified.
It was like looking at a double of himself - if that double had dark blue hair instead of black – a bit messier too, and mercury grey eyes instead of deep blue ones. The teen was also slightly smaller than him, and a bit more fragile looking. He was clothed in dark blue trousers with short-sleeved button-up shirt and carried a guitar case on his back. His feet were clad in ordinary black shoes.
"Fuck no! I don't have any siblings!" He spluttered, as he backed away from the silent anomaly as he pointed comically at the still silent guitar-wearing doppelganger. "Besides, I am a Quincy, and he's - he's - whatever he is!"
His unfortunate doppelganger tilted his head. "Nice to meet you." He intoned, his voice soft. "I hope we'll get along." Ishida backed away even further.
"You're creepy!" He blurted out, much to Urahara's amusement. "And what's with your guitar case! We are not intending to serenade them, you know?"
"And you are a prejudiced bastard." The cloaked form behind his doppelganger's back snapped at Ishida, making him whip his head toward the source, glaring at the person hidden beneath the dark red cloak, not that it helped him any. "I still have to pick a bone with you for breaking that Hollow bait in the middle of a civilian population without any backup in the case things went wrong."
He strode forward and Ishida flinched.
"You're Karin's brother." Chad finally spoke up, nodding at him.
The now identified form nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for having her back." The previously glacial voice warmed slightly as he addressed the quiet giant, causing him to duck his head with a small, bashful smile on his lips.
"Wasn't any problem." He rumbled.
"Soo… if you finished with introductions, shall we move on? Tick-tock, time is a-wasting, you know?" Urahara sing-songed, only to yelp as his leg was introduced to the sharp feline claws.
"Yoruichi?" He asked, confused as the ball of fur shivered behind his leg.
"W-Why did you have to call them!?" The feline hissed at him, golden eyes wide with fear.
"He - " Urahara pointed at the still cloaked form "Is her brother. And he - " He jabbed his closed fan in the direction of Ishida's twin – "Came with him. Would you rather I called her father?"
If cats could blanch, this one was doing very good impression of it, despite its night-dark fur.
"R-Right." The feline squeaked out. "But you do know what they are?"
Gray eyes blinked as the shopkeeper opened the fan with flair.
"Know it?" He chirped. "Nope!"
"They reek of blood!" The cat howled at him. "Not only that but it's a – "
"Keep your muzzle shut, kitty." The cloaked form's ice cold voice snapped the mentioned feline's mouth shut faster than lightning. "It's not any of your business. Now, shall we proceed?"
"R-Right. What shall we call you, then?" The cat's voice still shook, confusing the three teens, The two weren't that dangerous were they?
The Ishida-near-double inclined his head. "Arima Kishou. Call me Arima, please."
The red-cloaked form moved slightly.
"Kurosaki Ichigo."
To Be Continued