7
Rethinking Reason
…
Karin's head rested atop her knees. There was a knock on the door.
"Karin, can I come in?" Rukia asked.
"If I say no, will you use kido to break the door down?" the girl growled.
Rukia paused. "Look, I know Ichigo can be an idiot…"
The door swung open. Karin's eyes were fierce and she looked disheveled. "He refuses to tell me anything and then spies on me! He's not just an idiot; he's a hypocrite!"
Karin stalked back to her bed and resumed her previous position. Rukia slowly made her way in and sat next to Karin. It was time to play big sister. She placed a hand on the younger girl's back.
"He wants to protect you, you know," Rukia said.
"I wasn't in danger," Karin snapped. "I was just hanging out with Toshiro. A Hollow could have come and I still would have been safe."
Rukia opened and closed her mouth. She couldn't help but chuckle.
"What's so funny?" Karin growled.
"You," Rukia replied, "talking about Hollows and kido and using all of these Shinigami terms. You shouldn't know them. That probably worries Ichigo as well. Did Captain Hitsugaya tell you all of this?"
"No," she lied, remembering how Toshiro mentioned he could get in trouble for telling her such things.
"Do you…like talking to Captain Hitsugaya?" Rukia wondered.
"He's cold and distant, but…I guess so. Why? Weren't we supposed to be talking about how stupid Ichigo is?"
Rukia smiled softly. "Do you want me to tell you what I think?" She took Karin's silence as an affirmative. "I think that Ichigo-being the overprotective older brother that he is-doesn't want you to get involved with Soul Society. It's a rough life, Karin, and he'd rather you not have to live it. It probably hurts him to hear you use terms like 'Shinigami' and 'Hollow' and 'kido,' or to know that you've run into Hollows and he wasn't there to keep you safe. So, when he saw you talking to Captain Hitsugaya, it must have driven him crazy to know that one more step between you and Soul Society had been made."
"Yeah, that or he was being nosy," Karin mumbled.
Rukia smiled. "Well, there's that."
Karin scoffed.
"How about this?" the older girl offered. "Next time I see Ichigo, I'll beat him until he agrees to tell you everything."
"Alright," Karin consented.
Rukia patted her back and stood. "Give him a chance to explain himself. You'll see."
…
"Thank you, Rangiku," Ukitake said, ushering the young white-haired boy inside.
Matsumoto nodded and then vanished.
Ukitake sighed. Toshiro was sulking. He put a hand on the little one's shoulder.
"What happened?" he asked.
"It's none of your concern," Toshiro denied, pulling away.
"It is at the moment, considering my present mission," Ukitake rebutted.
"Then please answer this one question: what are you two hiding from me?" Toshiro asked. At Ukitake's stunned look, he continued, "It's not like I haven't noticed and Katashi is obviously trying to keep things secret. Captain Ukitake, I know you know, so tell me."
Ukitake's hand moved from the boy's shoulder to the top of his head. "Toshiro," he said, "don't you believe that if Katashi has hidden something from you, it is for your own good?"
"You want me to simply let this go," the young captain acknowledged.
Ukitake smiled gently. "One day, you will find out. I have no doubt about that because I am quite familiar with your curiosity. However, I believe Katashi and I would like to postpone that day as long as we can."
"You don't think I can handle it," Toshiro noted.
"Personally," Ukitake replied, "I don't think Katashi would be able to take it either. Neither of you are ready."
"There are those words again," Toshiro said. "'You are not ready.'"
"Toshiro…"
The boy waved him off, sidestepping the man. "Goodnight, Captain Ukitake."
The door closed behind his small frame. Ukitake looked at it wistfully. He whispered, "I miss the days when you used to call me Uncle Ukitake."
One the other side, Toshiro flopped down onto the futon. He let his eyes close. "When?" he thought to himself. "When will I be ready?"
…
Grimmjow stared intently at the ex-Espada by the name of Ulquiorra. He acted exactly as Grimmjow had always know him to act: cold, strict, lifeless. That was the only way that the blue-haired man could tell that something was wrong. Ulquiorra had been slowly changing, even if only slightly. There had been some indefinable spark buried deep inside those emerald eyes. Now, that spark had been smothered beneath the habits of the old Ulquiorra. Then again, Grimmjow had always suspected that the emotionless drone act had always been a defense mechanism in the first place: one that had temporarily begun to drop only to reappear now.
"What's eatin' at ya?" Kaeliel asked.
So, even that purple-haired moron had noticed.
Ulquiorra merely turned to the man, not speaking a word, before turning back again. It was as if to say: you are not important enough for me to talk to, trash, so back slowly away before I decapitate you with Murciélago. Of course, that was only a rough translation.
Then again, it was also the defense mechanism talking.
"Don't give me that crap," Kaeliel said.
Grimmjow felt the bizarre urge to smirk sadistically, but restrained. To cover this, he advised, "Kaeliel, I would step away before he loses his patience."
The crazy brown-eyed man snorted. "As if."
Trying to avoid further confrontation, Ulquiorra moved away from the two Arrancar and into the main foyer. Urahara sat there, fanning himself as usual while hiding beneath the shade of his hat. His clogs were perched atop the shop counter.
"A little too stuffy in there?"
The man's light-hearted tone only served to further shorten Ulquiorra's tolerance levels. Yet, the stony demeanor remained. Urahara was really beginning to wonder about this guy. The man's musings were cut off by the jingle of the door.
"Now who would be visiting this late?" Urahara asked himself.
He was answered seconds later by the appearance of a short girl with spiky black hair accompanied by a taller and much curvier woman.
"Ulquiorra," she greeted cheerily.
"What are you doing here…Orihime?" he asked, cutting himself off before he called her "Woman" again. He'd promised to act human for her. It seemed to work because her smile grew.
"Well, you see, my friend Tatsuki and I were going to have a sleepover and we needed to pick up a few things and since the shop is right here and I thought that maybe we could stop by and say 'hi' and…"
"Hello, Ulquiorra," Tatsuki half-groaned from beside her friend. They'd already been introduced and, yes, Tatsuki did realize that this was the same man who'd been in the park that day and hadn't stopped his partner from nearly killed all of her friends. However, she'd promised Orihime to give him a second chance.
"Hello, Arisawa," Ulquiorra replied.
If it was possible, Orihime's mood improved even more. "Ah, and before I forget, Ulquiorra, I—"
She was cut off by a loud crash.
Then what appeared to be a human being was thrown through the doorway. Kaeliel looked up in pain from the floor, rubbing his head. Grimmjow soon came to stand in the entrance, fist still raised.
Ulquiorra' attention shot back to Orihime and her friend. His former prisoner's eyes were wide. "G-Grimmjow!" she stammered.
He looked at her emotionlessly.
"Hey!" Tatsuki shouted, completely oblivious to the gravity of the situation. "Watch where you're throwing people, would you? Or do you lack the common sense to keep fighting away from a store front?"
Grimmjow blinked. For a second, Ulquiorra thought he saw some trace of surprise there. Then it was quickly gone. Orihime tried to quiet down her best friend.
"It would be best," Ulquiorra strictly advised, "if you two remained in the back."
"Oh, I see how it is." Kaeliel smirked. "You didn't want your little lady friend involved. So which one is it: big and beautiful or the feisty imp?"
"They are not part of this conflict," Ulquiorra deadpanned.
"And who are you calling an imp?" Tatsuki rebelled. "I bet I could kick you're a- into next week!"
Kaeliel's favorite insane grin appeared. "I'd like to see you try, little girl."
Tatsuki's fists tightened.
"Leave them, Kaeliel," Grimmjow ordered, "or would you prefer I force you into doing so?"
The offensive man huffed. He cast one last glance at the group before stomping on past Grimmjow, muttering, "Think you're so high and mighty just 'cause you're the freaking Cero Espada, ba-."
Grimmjow headed back into the room without another glance backward.
Orihime's face took on a look of shock. "Ulquiorra, what's going on here?"
"It's complicated," he answered. "Also, I would rather not confuse your friend."
Tatsuki folded her arms over her chest. Why was she always left out of these things?
"Tomorrow, then?" Orihime asked.
"Yes."
The two turned to leave.
"Orihime," he called. "Didn't you say you needed to buy some items here?"
"Oh, um, we'll just go to the convenience store," she answered. She smiled and left.
Ulquiorra realized that she hadn't needed anything in the first place.
Orihime learned that Ulquiorra was a good actor.
…
Orihime was not the only visitor that night, sadly.
Another orange-haired visitor decided to stick his head through the doorway. His intrusion was much less welcome. Orihime, Ulquiorra could handle, but having Ichigo Kurosaki anywhere near him right now was a threat to his mental health.
"What do you want, Kurosaki?" Ulquiorra asked.
"I'm making sure that everything is under control here," Ichigo appeased.
"The Espada are all well in hand," Ulquiorra replied. "They have caused no harm so far and thus you should not have to worry about them injuring any members of your friends, family, or of this town."
Still, Ichigo did not look fully relaxed. "That's good to hear, but I meant with you, too."
Ulquiorra looked suspiciously at the other. "What are you insinuating?"
Ichigo let out a deep breath and leaned against a wall. "You've been acting weird ever since Toshiro got here and then a few hours ago when he and Karin found us out…"
Ulquiorra turned away from Ichigo, his gaze shifting toward the inside of the house. "I do not need one of your sporadic moments of piteous concern and sincerity."
"It's not just for you," Ichigo defended. "Toshiro looked upset."
"Why should you care?" Ulquiorra demanded.
"What?" Ichigo asked. "Did you think that while you were off in Hueco Mundo, playing big bad Espada, that no one else started to care? Ulquiorra, half of Soul Society has been trying to look out for that kid because, honestly, he has no clue how to take care of himself sometimes. Matsumoto, Ukitake, Rukia, Renji…"
"You?" Ulquiorra finally concluded.
Ichigo smiled. "It would be hard not to."
"I already knew," Ulquiorra informed. "I had seen all those Shinigami worrying, especially Matsumoto, and never let it slip that in your desire to protect everything you cared about, that barrier seemed to fall over Toshiro as well. For that, I will admit to being thankful because you and those other Shinigami were trying to do what I hadn't been able to. You looked at Toshiro…almost in the same way you look at your younger sister, Karin."
Ichigo's muscles tightened.
"I would imagine the reason they find each other's company so tolerable is that they find common ground in their distrust of their older brothers," Ulquiorra theorized.
"I just don't want Karin involved with Soul Society," Ichigo defended. "Everything I'm hiding from her is for her own good."
"As it is with Toshiro and myself," Ulquiorra replied.
Ichigo's eyes became distant. "By keeping his memories from him?"
"Yes. I would rather him avoid a mental breakdown."
"Toshiro's a tough kid," Ichigo admitted. "Are they really that bad?"
Ulquiorra blinked slowly, his form of showing exasperation. "Do you remember the events on top of Las Noches? That battle?"
"Kind of hard to forget," Ichigo muttered.
"What if Karin saw that?" Ulquiorra subtly demanded. "Had your younger sister seen you turn full Hollow, seen you tearing apart friends and enemies alike, witnessed every gory detail…and it broke her, would you be able to live with yourself?"
Ichigo was taken aback. He stuttered out, "N-no."
"Then do not question my motives because they are much along the same lines."