The Ties that Bind
Chapter 2
Standard Disclaimers Apply
Once again, thanks again to ED for being a great beta!
Chapter 2
"Where's my favorite grandchild?" Isshin asked as he entered the house with a big teddy bear.
Little baby Sora clapped his hands when he saw his grandfather, and Isshin roared with laughter as his seven-month-old grandchild stood up and walked over to him.
"That's my Sora-chan!"
"Yaji! Yaji!"
Isshin's eyebrow twitched.
"Karin!" he yelled, and Sora continued to repeatedly call him 'yaji.'. "What have you been teaching my grandson!?"
Sora reached for the bear and, with a sigh of defeat, Isshin gave to the waiting arms of the boy. Sora fell on his bottom since he could not support the weight of the bear. The baby boy laughed as he wrestled the bear to the ground and climbed on top of it.
"Shin-Shin!" Sora squealed and sucked on one of the teddy's hands.
Isshin pouted and knelt beside his grandson.
"Sora-chan, must you be so cruel to your grandfather? Calling me 'old man' and calling the bear with my name?"
Karin, having come downstairs in light of all the noise, smiled at her father as she leaned down to give her nephew a kiss on the head.
"Good boy, Sora-chan!"
"I'm home!" Orihime called out while she stepped inside the living room. "Karin, Isshin-san, how are you?" She walked towards her son. "Sora! My, what a cute bear!"
Sora rolled off the bear and crawled excitedly towards his mother.
"Mama!"
Orihime picked up her son and kissed him on his nose.
"Were you a good boy today?" she cooed.
Sora buried his face in Orihime's neck and sighed as he wrapped his tiny arms around her tighter.
"Thank you for looking after him, Karin."
"Always a pleasure, Hime-nee. Besides, I want to make sure my nephew doesn't get influenced by that looser!"
Karin gave her father a pointed look.
Before Isshin could launch in his dramatics, he felt a strange, powerful reiatsu appear. Orihime and Karin both stood still in shock when they felt it too.
"Isshin-san?"
Isshin didn't reply and immediately transformed into Shinigami mode.
"Karin, you and Hime go down into the basement. Whatever happens, don't leave until I tell you to."
Before they could move, a blinding light crashed down from the ceiling, and Karin found herself thrown against the wall.
There was smoke everywhere, and Karin could barely hear her father's shout. She looked up to see that their roof has collapsed, and in the middle of their living room stood three people, two men and a woman, dressed in deep crimson outfits similar to the Shinigami uniform. The taller of the two men had dark hair and blue eyes. He was muscular, but not overly so. The next man was shorter, with brown, spiky hair, and he also had blue eyes. The lone woman in the group had frigid green eyes and long, curly brown hair.
Karin glanced beside her and saw Orihime, her back against the wall, with Sora protectively clutched in her arms.
The tall male in the middle looked at Karin and raised his swords toward her. She gasped, and her father was suddenly standing in front of her. He'd used such speed that she never saw him move.
"Who are you?" Isshin questioned, his voice holding years of authority.
"Who we are is not important," his voice was soft, and Karin peeked out from behind her father to watch the man while he continued to speak. "We are here for Orihime Inoue. Give her to us and you will have nothing to fear, Shinigami."
Isshin smirked as he gripped the hilt of his Zanpakuto.
"No deal."
Isshin ignored the cries of Karin and Orihime when the man attacked him. Isshin drew his Zanpakuto in time to meet the blade of his opponent, only to look in surprise as the blade stopped, as if a hidden force stopped it.
The mysterious man gazed over at Orihime, who now knelt on the floor with her precious bundle in her arms. With his free hand, the man felt the barrier that separated him from the Shinigami, he murmured a command, and the once invincible barrier glowed bright yellow.
"Interesting. It seems your powers have changed, Orihime Inoue."
Isshin looked at the barrier and realized that Orihime's shield had gone up without a spoken word of command from her. From the corner of his eye, the male Shinigami could see Sora turn his little head around, perhaps curious to see what was going on.
"Kusanagi," another dark haired male in the invading trio said with haste. "We are wasting time. The others will be here soon."
Kusanagi, the man fighting Isshin and clearly the leader of this trio, didn't lower his hands as he addressed his comrade.
"We are not leaving without the woman."
"I don't see what's so special about her," the woman in the group snapped before she tossed her curly brown hair behind her shoulders.
Kusanagi smiled while he lowered his hand from the barrier. His blue eyes twinkled momentarily before he addressed his comrade.
"But it seems Ichigo Kurosaki does."
The woman snarled, and she glared at Orihime hatefully.
"You have five seconds to come with us," Kusanagi addressed the human mother, "or your family's life is forfeited, Orihime Inoue."
His words reminded Orihime of Ulquiorra Schiffer. This time, however, there was far more at stake. Returning to Hueco Mundo with Ulquiorra hadn't stop the war or the bloodshed, and Orihime was certain it wouldn't now.
"No."
Her voice left no room for negotiation.
Kusanagi smiled at Orihime's response. He raised his hands to touch the barrier again, and Orihime watched in horror as her shield shattered. Isshin didn't waste any time and attacked Kusanagi, who met Isshin's Zanpakuto with his own.
Karin and Orihime stayed behind, both watching the fight with guarded eyes. They watched as Isshin fought with so much ferocity, it was hard to see him as the goofy man they knew and loved on a regular basis.
Not far from where the human women watched the fight, the other two enemies watched as well.
"Hmph. Ichigo must be blind to go for a broad like that."
"Nadeshiko," her companion said her name dryly. "Shut up."
Nadeshiko ignored the man next to her, and she continued to glare at Orihime until her eyes widened in surprise when she finally realized what was in her arms.
"Hideyoshi, look at her!"
Hideyoshi, the third and last member of the trio, tore his gaze away from the fight to look at Orihime and saw a rather familiar mop of orange hair…
"No way!" his eyes widened in disbelief.
Nadeshiko watched the baby in glee as she prepared to draw her own weapon.
"Do you realize who that child is?"
"Sora Kurosaki," said Hideyoshi as he weighed his options. "He's practically unprotected."
"We kill him now, and we save ourselves a whole lot of problems!"
Hideyoshi rolled his eyes.
"We need him alive, remember? Besides, do you honestly believe that his mother would just hand him over?"
"I will make her!"
Hideyoshi swore and moved to stop his companion, but he moved a second too late. Nadeshiko drew out a pair of sai blades and rushed towards Orihime.
Orihime moved just in time to avoid being slashed by the weapon. Using her right leg, she tried to knock Nadeshiko off balance, but the woman was too fast for Orihime. This time, the mother didn't have a chance to avoid the blade that slashed her arms.
"Leave her alone!" Karin cried and moved to help Orihime, but Hideyoshi stopped her. "Get out of my way!"
"I can't," he said simply and drew his own Zanpakuto.
Karin was at loss for what to do. She knew that without any weapon, she couldn't fight. She clenched her fists in anger and glared at the man called Hideyoshi.
"What the hell do you want our Hime-nee for?!"
"I can't tell you that either."
His answer angered Karin further, and she tried to look for something, anything to fight this man with.
Sora's scream froze Karin's blood, and she watched in horror as the woman called Nadeshiko withdrew the sai from Orihime's side. She was about to run towards Orihime when another figure blocked her path. She could only stare dazedly at the familiar white hair of the Shinigami she'd met all those years ago.
"Toshirou-kun?"
"That's Hitsugaya-taichou to you," he said, almost as way of greeting. He looked around with his eyebrow raised and finally his gaze rested on Hideyoshi. "It would seem that there's no room for us to fight here."
Hideyoshi grinned and shattered the wall next to them, opening the area to the back yard.
"Will this do, Taichou?"
Hitsugaya's only response was to attack.
With no one to block her way, Karin began to move, only to find out that she couldn't.
She tried to move her arms, but even her fingers couldn't move.
What the hell? she thought frantically.
-0-0-0-
Orihime kept her hold on Sora, unable to fight, or even call Tsubaki. Since Sora was born, she had been unable to use her Shun Shun Rika in full strength. This was the first time since Sora's birth that she was able to call upon her shield.
"Pathetic," Nadeshiko sneered in disgust. "You, the mother of the great hero, Sora. Not even able to fight to defend herself. No wonder Ichigo left you. You're useless!"
Nadeshiko watched in vicious glee as her taunt got a reaction out of Orihime. She twirled the pair of sai in her hands as she thought of how to strike next. No matter how much she tried to hit the child, the woman was using her own body to protect the boy.
"I'll make it easier for you. Give me the boy, and I will spare your life."
"What do you want with my son?"
Nadeshiko gripped the sai tighter and pointed them both in Orihime's direction.
"What I do with the boy is none of your business."
Orihime turned her attention briefly to Isshin, who was holding his own with the one called Kusanagi, and then to Karin, who was trying to control her temper as she stood, unable to move. Sora continued to cry, and Orihime held him tighter.
Nadeshiko gripped the sai again, ready to attack. She watched Orihime, who was beginning to pale as blood continued to flow from her wounds.
I don't care what that bastard Kusanagi says, Nadeshiko thought. Kill them both now, and we won't have anyone standing our way. Kill them now, and she won't be standing in my way. Ichigo will be mine!
"Give the boy to me!" Nadeshiko demanded, her tone harsh.
"No!" Orihime cried defiantly.
Nadeshiko smirked as she crossed the blades of the sai and pointed it towards Orihime, who had turned her body to protect her son.
"Slash, Kuro," was her release command.
Orihime's scream of pain distracted Isshin and Kusanagi. Even Hideyoshi and Hitsugaya stopped as they saw Orihime covered in blood.
"Nadeshiko, you fool!" Kusanagi yelled. "What the hell are you doing?!"
Orihime's arms trembled as her hold on Sora loosened. Sora's cries stopped when he left Orihime's embrace.
"Mama?" he murmured, his voice soft and confused.
Nadeshiko pushed Orihime to the ground before she pulled the boy away, and no one in the room moved as she clutched Sora by back of his clothes.
"Nadeshiko!" Hideyoshi demanded. "Put the boy down, right now! Inoue is our mission, not the boy!!"
"Shut up, Hideyoshi! Don't you see? Without this boy, we will win the war!"
"We need that boy alive!" shouted Kusanagi. He knew he should have never allowed Nadeshiko to come. "You are jeopardizing the mission, Nadeshiko. I am giving you a direct order. Put the boy down!"
Hitsugaya calmly assessed the situation around him. One look from Isshin, and the young captain knew his fear was correct. They had no idea on what that woman was capable off, and with that blade so close to Sora's chest, there was no way they could move without endangering the boy further.
"Let him go."
Everyone's attention turned to Orihime who was lying on the floor as she tried to get up.
"You are in no position to order me around, whore!"
The air around them became cooler.
"Look at you," Nadeshiko said with complete disgust. "I didn't even fight you will my full power, and you're almost dead!"
"I'm warning you," Orihime said quietly. "Let him go."
"Or what? You'll send your little fairies after me? You have no will power to fight. To kill. You never have, and you never will! I will take this boy, and I will show everyone that I'm the one who's powerful!"
"Nadeshiko, put him down right now!" the leader of the trio ordered sternly. "You don't know what you're doing!"
"I don't have to listen to you. To any of you! Once I finish with this boy, you'll see that I was right all along!"
"Let my son go…"
Nadeshiko turned and sneered at Orihime, who was now on her knees.
Sora began to tremble as he tried to wriggle away.
"Mama!"
"Give me back my son!" Orihime's voice trembled, and she lifted her face up in definance.
Her pins glittered slightly, yet no one noticed.
Nadeshiko cackled in delight as she saw the angry slashes her attack caused.
"Watch me Inoue! I've taken Ichigo from you, now I'm going to take your bastard son away!"
"You will not hurt my child!"
With an angry scream, a strong wind lashed inside what was once the living room of the Kurosaki household.
Everyone watched in awe as the wounds in Orihime's body closed slowly. It looked as if there was some unseen force that lifted her body from her kneeling position, until she hovered a few feet from the ground, her hair flowed behind her as her brown eyes glittered like her hair pins.
"I am warning you, Nadeshiko. Let. My. Son. Go."
Nadeshiko held her head up high and she tightened her grip on Sora, who didn't cry, but still reached out to Orihime.
"Mama!"
"You want him?" Nadeshiko snarled. "Catch!"
She threw Sora high up in the air and crossed her sai again and pointed them up at Sora's falling body.
"Slash, Kuro!"
Isshin watched everything as if it was in slow motion. Everyone, even the men who came for Orihime, moved to save Sora. They all watched with horror and dread as the blades splintered into a dozen thin blades shot up in the sky towards the falling boy.
There was a bright light, and Isshin felt his skin burn at the intense heat. It felt as if gravity disappeared, and they all floated momentarily. Everything turned so white for a second that he had to close his eyes, and there was nothing but silence as he felt his feet touch the ground.
The earth beneath him trembled, and when he opened his eyes, his house was almost gone. The men in red uniforms were lying in the ground. Karin, Hitsugaya and himself were the only ones standing. Orihime was still hovering a few feet in the air, Sora safe in her arms, while the woman called Nadeshiko was the one on her knees now, wailing as loudly and desperately as the day she was born.
"My face! What did you to do my face?!"
Isshin moved towards the young mother and son to protect them if needed and found himself encased behind some sort of shield.
A few feet from him, Kusanagi and Hideyoshi weakly got up. Isshin looked in wonder when he saw and felt them. They appeared unhurt, but their reiatsu has greatly weakened.
"I warned you, woman!" Orihime said, her voice unforgiving and demanding respect.
"She destroyed my face!" Nadeshiko screamed, covering her mangled face with her hands.
Kusanagi and Hideyoshi moved in a way similar to the shunpo to reach their female companion. Both men looked at Orihime, who was now healed of all her injuries and still protectively clutching her most precious treasure.
"You do know how to fight when provoked, Orihime Inoue," Kusanagi said with praise. "Come with us, and we will spare everyone. Even your son. Can you fight all of us, in one go? Can you use that same level of power the next time we attack?
"There will be no next time, Kusanagi."
Orihime felt her heart skip at that voice. She turned around, expecting to see the man she hasn't seen in more than a year walking towards them. Except, she saw a young man, a boy, really, who was dressed all in black. He locked eyes with her at her for a second as he passed, and Orihime gasped.
She'd just stared into her own eyes.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Hideyoshi yelled in aggravation.
"I told you to stay away from Karakura," said the stranger, who calmly walked in front of Orihime to protect her from any more attacks.
The young man was dressed like a ninja, Karin noted. He was wearing all black, with his sword behind him like Ichigo wore his. He sounded like her brother, too, but different at the same time. She also noted that the three would-be captors in those strange crimson Shinigami-like uniforms looked in great anger at the new comer.
"You really think I was going to let you come here and have all the fun?" the boy said, his tone mocking. "I knew something was up when no one wanted to kill me today. Should've known you'd pull something this dirty."
"We're here for her," Kusanagi said an gave Orihime a pointed look. "Orihime Inoue is the only thing that matters. Not even you can do anything if we have her!"
Karin watched the stranger draw his sword.
"More reason for me not to let you anywhere near her!"
"Kusanagi, the others," Hideyoshi warned. "They're here!"
Kusanagi returned his Zanpakuto to its scabbard.
"This isn't over yet," he glared.
As Renji, Rukia and Matsumoto arrived, Kusanagi and his comrades disappeared. Once they were gone, the shield protecting Karin, Isshin and Hitsugaya disappeared, and they all ran to where everybody else was.
"Who the hell was that? Are they with Aizen?" Rukia demanded.
"No. Aizen is the least of your worries."
Rukia turned her attention the owner of the voice. Her eyes narrowed at the young man wearing a strange looking outfit, his face was covered, but his eyes… there was something familiar about those eyes.
"And who are you?" Renji asked wearily.
The masked stranger looked at Renji and bowed.
"I can only tell you I'm a friend."
"Ichi-nii?"
Isshin watched his beloved daughter look at the stranger with hope, yet he knew that this was not his son. Nevertheless, there was something about him that was oddly familiar.
"No, I'm not your brother."
His words were soft and kind. He bowed to Isshin before he turned his attention to Orihime who looked at him curiously as she held her son in her arms.
"I know you, don't I?" she asked as her feet finally touched the ground.
"No you don't," he spoke too quickly as he scratched the back of his neck. He looked at the baby in her arms and coughed politely. "Cute kid."
Orihime beamed and nodded.
"Yes, he's quite adorable. His name is Sora."
She looked at him with a kind smile.
"Won't you tell us your name?"
The masked stranger seemed to ponder her question, and just as Isshin thought, there was no one in this world who can refuse Orihime when she gave that smile.
"Kakei. You can call me Kakei."
To Be Continued.
Ichigo will make an appearance next chapter, and the next chapters will explain a few things further. Thank you to all that reviewed. I appreciate it very much!