A/N: Okay, huge rewrite. I'll be honest. I kinda have a pet peeve against flashbacks that are actually announced as flashbacks. Don't know why. They make things clearer but on the other hand it breaks the flow of the story. Or something. That is the most logical explanation I could think of for why I have rewritten almost the entire chapter.
Additionally, I'd like to point out that this story is AU, so if certain things differentiate from canon there's a big chance it's on purpose. I only apply the events after butterfly Aizen when it suits my needs, mainly because I don't agree with a lot of events and world-building that occurs after that arc. This because Tite Kubo has a habit of creating very rigid, oppressing world rules (see everything mentioned about the Soukyoku's overpowered-ness and the whole Quincy arc mess; including behavior dedicated by blood and heritage; seriously, what the fuck?), and then breaking them (by applying Ichigo and co.). One law of the universe broken? Fine. But in canon that happens too often to make everything believable for me on the long run.
Anyway.
Enjoy!
Chapter 2 – Wish For
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"'Waves of pain and anguish, Washing across the sand. Like shards of broken glass, Having already cut the hand. Love traded for comp-comp…'" Yuzu faltered in her reading, struggling to pronounce the unfamiliar English word.
"'Compassion,'" Ichigo supplied gently, nudging his petite sister softly with his newly spike-less shoulder to encourage her.
Yuzu nodded gratefully and reread the line correctly before continuing. "Such a fine line between… Only good intentions meant. Heart bl-blinded, sight left unseen. Until there is realization, The hand that bleeds is yours… Heart goes on breaking as the shards cut more and more," she finished triumphantly, closing the poetry book with an accomplished snap.
"That was meaningful, if a bit depressing," Ichigo noted amusedly, curling tighter around Yuzu from where he was lying on his side in their backyard. The petite girl was sitting cross-legged, leaning back against Ichigo's stomach and fenced in by her brother's tail with the Hollow's head resting just off her right elbow on his folded arms.
Yuzu nodded enthusiastically. "It has a lot of hidden meaning and people could learn something from it if they knew what it meant. Oh!" she suddenly exclaimed, opening the book again and rifling through the pages hurriedly. "There's a little song in here that I thought was just like you!"
Ichigo leaned in curiously as she proudly displayed the correct page before him. It was a mere four lines but they had great impact. He read them aloud in his warbled voice. "'For every man there is a cause which he would gladly die for. Defend the right to have a place for which he can belong to. And every man will fight with his bare hands in desperation. And shed his blood to stem the flood to barricade invasion'," he finished with a smile behind his mask. Yuzu was right. He could definitely agree with these lyrics.
The cook of the family of three nodded with a smile, pleased that her suspicions were confirmed when she heard the approval in his voice near the end.
"Yuzu, that show of yours is about to start!" Karin called from inside the house, her voice drifting out to them from the living room and through the screen door.
Ichigo uncurled and stood on all fours as the little brunette resting against him jumped up excitedly. "Come on, Ichi-nii-chan!" she cried enthusiastically, hugging her book to her chest as she ran to see her favorite TV show.
The Hollow chuckled and followed more slowly. "Coming, coming." With his new, slightly smaller form he could move through the house a lot easier. He curled up beside the couch as his sisters watched happily from the piece of furniture. Well, one was. Karin appeared only tolerant of the show.
In the hall the mail flap clicked. Since he wasn't that far away Ichigo just reached back with his tail, curling the barbed end around the newly arrived mail and sliding it around to the front of him. Casting a disinterested look at several white envelopes (credit card offers, the stupid things) and advertising brochures, he brightened when he spotted a thick orange letter envelop in the small pile. He gave it to Karin, knowing that with his claws he was more likely to shred it than open it.
The tomboyish twin opened it quickly, a little relief showing on her face. The insurance money that their relatives sent every three months was a little late this time and it had made them all worried that they wouldn't be able to pay their bills that month.
Their closest relative lived a good thirteen hours away and that was where the letter came from after it had gathered up all the money form all-other-willing-to-pay-for-the-twins'-necessities relatives. Their aunt that lived there was their official – meaning: on paper – caretaker after Ichigo had died, but she just sent them the money from all other relatives as her 'care', along with the letters from all family relatives.
The government had no issues with this arrangement since the twins were always healthy, well fed, were properly attending school, behaved themselves, and paid their bills on time, so the officials allowed the junior high girls to live by themselves without an older guardian with them as far as they were aware.
Karin stood and left the room to go into the dining room where she kept the checking book and other bills. Ichigo followed to help her, leaving Yuzu alone to watch her show. She barely noticed their departure, so absorbed she was by the program about ghosts.
"The usual three thousand?" Ichigo inquired as he crouched beside the table next to his sister.
The black haired girl nodded and spread out several checks, all with their own certain amount, across the small table to see them all, placing the letters to the side for now. Once she, with Ichigo's help and a calculator, had made sure that it was enough to cover everything, she put the checks to the side as well to be cashed after school tomorrow. Then she pulled their blank, three-fourths empty checkbook towards her and started writing separate checks for separate bills; electricity, heating, water, etc.
She had done this for two years and didn't make a single mistake anymore, saving herself time and effort. After all the necessity bills had been taken care of, she looked how much they had left, adding it to what was left over from the previous months. That would be used for buying food and other necessities like new clothes and repairs in case something broke.
They currently had several thousand dollars saved up in the bank that weren't being used for any bills or other necessities. That was used for rare fun times and then later to get into college. Ichigo had not-so-subtly pushed them into taking care of their future early on and it had paid off. The spare money kept stacking into the thousands.
By the time Karin and Yuzu had finished high school, they probably would have enough cash to get them both into an university even without scholarships. The twins had been shocked that their brother's persistence of squirreling away any spare cash was paying off so extremely well. At this rate Karin and Yuzu wouldn't need any insurance checks from relatives anymore by the time they were in their second year of college.
But despite the fact that their future was as secure as it could ever be, the black haired Kurosaki couldn't help but worry. Karin was sure that Yuzu had never thought of it, but the question lurked in the back of her mind whenever she thought of having a life: What about Ichi-nii?
Their brother was dead, tied down by the desire to care for them until they no longer needed him. But what would he do after that? He couldn't live his own life anymore and others couldn't see him, so where would he go?
The painful questions had no answers and Karin held in her sobs at night in case she worried Ichigo, always telling him it were just bad dreams about losing him whenever he noticed her distress. It just wasn't fair that their kind, devoted, and protective older brother had no reason to live after the twins were grown and had their own lives.
If there was one thing that Karin would wish for, it would be that Ichi-nii had never died in that car crash, protecting them from that stupid drunk driver that had swerved onto the sidewalk.
"Karin?"
The small raven-haired twin looked up to see her Hollow brother peer closely at her, unaware of her brief, depressed space-out. His golden irises shone with affection and it made the secret knot of guilt in her stomach twist tighter. "Yeah?" she responded after swallowing to cure the tremble in her voice.
"Let's take Yuzu to the ice cream parlor, ne? You guys go on ahead and I'll catch up with you; I got a Hollow to see to first," Ichigo suggested, nuzzling his sister's arm.
Karin nodded and smiled faintly, running a hand over her elder sibling's unruly hair. Ice cream would be a perfect cure for these depressing thoughts, she agreed silently as she stood to retrieve her twin sister while Ichigo disappeared through the back door for another quick Hollow-disposal run.
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Rukia drummed her fingers on the round wooden table she was sitting at, patience running thin and with the minute thinner. It had been more than an hour already. When was that crazy, hat-wearing shop keeper going to get his ass back here and answer her questions?
It were only a few simple inquiries about what appeared to be a resident Hollow in this town! As the Shinigami now stationed in Karakura, it would help her immensely to know all the available details in case it turned out to be a serious danger for the citizens of Karakura. The Hollow was powerful, she knew she wouldn't be able to defeat it without at least some collateral damage! Honestly, maybe she should just inform her Captain, he surely would know how to handle this...
She pursed her lips, reluctant to take that step. This was supposed to be a simple solo-mission meant to cull the number of new Hollows and take care of lingering souls. Calling in help right at the very beginning would be… humiliating. Especially because she had only met the Hollow once and hadn't even tried fighting it yet.
She strengthened her resolve. First she would try to solve the situation herself. And for that she needed the crazy shop keeper!
She tried to wait another ten minutes as patiently as she could but when still no one appeared after fifteen minutes, the raven-haired Shinigami slammed her hands on the table and stood abruptly, turning on her heel and stalking out of the room. Scanning the rooms while simultaneously searching for any reiatsu, she scowled when she failed to detect anyone in the shop. Not even the two kids that worked here! Of course they could simply be out, but after years of living among people that preferred her gone, she could easily recognize so-called 'coincidences' –this being a particularly pathetic one; what kind of shopkeeper would close his shop on a normal day without leaving even a note at the door for his customers – and caught the sleight just fine.
These people were avoiding her!
"If that's how it is then I'll just come back when I can't be ignored or avoided," she muttered to herself before stomping out of the shop angrily. The nerve of those people!
As soon as she was gone a white and green striped hat on top of a blond head peeked out of the shop doors. Soon after came the rest of the green-wearing, wooden-sandaled body to sit comfortably on the porch, waving itself with a plain white fan even though it wasn't that warm.
A large, muscled man wearing a green apron and glasses stepped out of the shop behind the owner. "How long are we going to keep avoiding her, Urahara-dono?" the large man questioned in a low voice, looking in the direction the Kuchiki had left. The sun gleamed off his glasses as he looked down at his employer.
"As long as we are able to," Urahara replied with a grin, and then added with a touch of seriousness, "It is the least we can do for Kurosaki-san."
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Rukia was sitting sullenly on a rooftop overlooking most of the city, her thoughts plagued by the unusual Hollow she had met earlier that morning. By now it was late afternoon and she hadn't gotten any further unraveling the mystery surrounding the odd creature.
Never had she met or even heard of a Hollow that was semi-polite and had spoken with that level of intelligence, without the characteristic bloodlust behind it. It definitely was not a normal Hollow, that was for certain. But what repeated itself the most in Rukia's head was the fact that it – he – had said he didn't want 'them' to be involved in their business. Who were 'they'? Other Hollows? What was he protecting? And why -?
Her train of thought was derailed when she heard the distant voices of two young girls approaching. Looking up and then down along the road she sat above, she saw a pair of young teens walking slowly in her direction. One was a pale-haired brunette wearing a pretty pastel-pink flowery dress, while the other was black haired and was dressed in a t-shirt and jean shorts with a red baseball cap on her head. The brunette was the one leading the conversation with energetic hand motions and a cheerful voice while the other mostly nodded and only replied with a few words here or there in a deadpan voice, but seemingly interested in what the brunette was talking about.
The raven-haired Shinigami watched them come closer with little interest. That is, until she saw the same Hollow from before rushing towards the two girls. Immediately she shunpoed to intercept the red-plated Hollow before it could get to the two young teens, grabbing the girls around the waist to get them away from the monster, relocating them to a nearby rooftop. Right now she couldn't worry about frightening the Humans, not with such a dangerous adversary as her opponent.
A low snarl escaped the beast as he shook itself out of his startled stupor, clearly not having expected any interference during his hunt. Quickly Rukia drew her blade, rotating it in front of her to call upon her Zanpakutou's abilities, pushing as much reiatsu as she could into her blade, hoping it would be enough to wound the aggressive creature.
"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!"
Before Sode no Shirayuki's white ribbon had even finished forming the Hollow was upon her, claws poised to rip her to pieces. Her reflexes were the only thing that saved her from critical wounds, blocking the heavy strike that almost knocked her off her feet. Her blade flickered like silver beneath the bright noon sun, her spirit energy dancing over the edge like cold damp rising from ice in warm air. It was more luck than skill that allowed her to slip her Zanpakutou between two crimson arm plates, her blade's sharp edge cutting through the Hollow's hardened skin into the flesh beneath.
The Hollow howled, more from rage than pain, the sound surprisingly human. Blood fell and the Hollow hissed loudly, holding the wounded appendage close to his chest while the stream of blood dried up quickly, the wound healing at an extraordinary rate.
Rukia glared at the Hollow and moved forward to attack again when her blade was almost yanked out of her grip with an amount of violence that implied a serious grudge. Caught off guard, she stumbled and then cursed when she fell hard on her butt. Looking up, startled, she was shocked to see the black-haired girl glaring right at her, Sode no Shirayuki's ribbon slipping out of her hand onto the ground while the little brunette rushed past them towards the Hollow with a concerned cry.
What the-?
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"Onii-chan!" Yuzu cried, concern raising her voice to an almost panicked pitch as she reached out for her brother's arm. Ichigo tried to reassure her that it was already healed, but Yuzu still ran her fingers over the rapidly disappearing scar to confirm that the injury hadn't been too bad.
The Hollow rumbled reassuringly in his chest and coiled a strong arm around her middle, drawing her further into his protection as his tail gently did the same for Karin. Pulling both sisters against his chest, he directed a searing glare at the shocked Shinigami. "I told you to leave us alone," he hissed menacingly, the venom in his words promising retribution.
Before the raven-haired Shinigami could even hope to reply, the three siblings vanished from her disbelieving sight in a static buzz of sonido, leaving her in a state of dumbfounded shock on the empty roof.
In a park a small distance away, Ichigo came to a halt and steadied his siblings, who were dizzy from the sheer speed they had just been exposed to. Apologizing softly, the Hollow flicked his tongue over their wrists, the small transfer of reiatsu washing away the lingering nausea. Not one to be deterred by any lasting discomfort, Yuzu resumed her fretful inspection of her brother's injury. Ichigo left her to it, knowing it was the quickest way to assure her that he was okay. Instead, he and Karin exchanged grim looks.
Seemed like the Shinigami refused to let matters lie. She would have to go. And it would probably be a good idea to call on some reinforcements.
But first things first; he had a promise to keep. Hopefully the ice cream would be enough to take his sisters' minds off of the upcoming trial.
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Ishida Uryuu ignored the gossamer whisper of well-concealed Hollow reiatsu in the vicinity, so light he could easily convince himself he had imagined it despite his knowledge of the contrary. Instead he choose to focus on the far clearer source of reiatsu, this one as blatant as a festival's grand firework show compared to the brush of spider's silk that was the almost nonexistent touch of the Hollow.
He paused for a moment, pushing his rectangular glasses back up further on his nose, waiting. A few seconds later, as expected, the tiny whisper of Hollow reiatsu dimmed even further into obscurity, as invisible as a wisp of mist on a bright day even for one who knew how to look for it. Shifting his bag of new handicraft supplies, and he diverged from his previous path, a new destination in mind.
Given the close proximity of the Hollow's reiatsu to the foreign source just a few moments ago, he had no doubt his unusual friend would wish to have something done about it, especially given the other sources of reiatsu involved.
Uryuu shook his head. Honestly, those Shinigami. They screwed up so often it was a wonder they got anything done.
He sighed, running a finger over one of the temples of his glasses, remembering a time when the barely-there touch of Hollow reiatsu would have alarmed him instead of comforted him. If anyone had told him back then that there would be a day the presence of a Hollow wouldn't concern him he would have called the asylum for that person, because obviously he had ran into their missing patient.
It was more than a year ago, a dreary day on which he had taken one of his more unusual beats, one that included the neighborhoods surrounding the river. It was when he was about halfway done that the sensation of muted reiatsu had alerted him of the presence of a Hollow. It had taken mere minutes to find the location, and the sight that had greeted him had made his heart skip a few beats with worry.
Two little girls within easy grabbing distance of a Hollow. A situation straight out of nightmares, even when the Hollow had been smaller than usual. A Hollow who had been pacing restlessly as if sensing its imminent demise, circling the girls like a shark from a bad Hollywood movie, close enough to brush their shoulders with each pass.
Uryuu had been unable to figure out why the beast had not killed the girls yet, but he had not looked a gift horse in the mouth and had covertly summoned his bow, taking aim before the monster could change its mind-
And then reishi had fallen apart in his hands, his bow losing cohesion like the very first time he had tried to summon it when his grandfather had just started teaching him.
Losing control over the reishi was in the best of circumstances reason for mortification for any Quincy worth his salt. With a Hollow as nearby as then, complete with young girls as soon-to-be prey, it had beenterrifying.
Someone chuckling softly behind him hadn't helped matters in the slightest. Fearing the appearance of another Hollow, Uryuu had whirled around only to come face to face with a grinning man wearing predominantly green, traditional clothes and wooden geta, with a bucket hat with green and white stripes upon his head and a plain brown cane in his left hand. The man had had blond hair that fell in messy locks from the shadows underneath his hat's rim, distracting one from the piercing eyes glinting within the same shadows. The man had held a small, smoothly humming black device in his right hand, which Uryuu had suspected was what kept him from shaping reishi into weapons.
And as if being stripped of his most important defense hadn't been bad enough, Uryuu had been able to sense the strength of the man's reiatsu, massive and tightly constrained so it reached no further than a few meters, tinged with the otherworldly sensation that was characteristic for the black-clad spirits he detested. Given how flawlessly the Shinigami had controlled the distance, it had been easy to deduce that the only reason why he could feel the reiatsu was because the man allowed him to. A deduction that was swiftly confirmed mere seconds later when the man had pulled his reiatsu back into himself, leaving not even the faintest trace for Uryuu to track the man with should he decide to vanish.
Nonchalantly, the man had turned his little device off and tucked it away, confirming Uryuu's suspicions when the ambient reishi suddenly responded to his call once more.
Cautiously, Uryuu had gathered reishi for his bow but hadn't actually summoned it. It would have been utterly ineffective against this Shinigami anyway. It had been unnerving to be at the questionable mercy of an unknown adversary. His pride had balked at the position he had found himself in, but his self-preservation had won out. His cross had remained just that, warm and glowing with reishi but without the shape that would make it dangerous.
"Ara, what a surprise. Ishida Uryuu, son of the last Quincy and inheritor of said title, I presume?" The green-clad Shinigami had had an odd look in his eye, one that had been difficult to interpret because most of his expression had been hidden beneath a white paper fan that probably had been pulled out when the man had put his odd device away. Uryuu hadn't seen him do that, which could either say something about his awareness or the man's skill. Probably both.
Uneasy and very aware that the Hollow was aiming curious looks in their direction, Uryuu had demanded, "and what if I am? Who are you?"
The Shinigami had waved his fan placatingly, an amused smile curving his lips. "Hmm, nothing really." The smile had stretched into a grin when Uryuu had responded to that non-answer with an aggravated glare. Before he had been able to say something however, the Shinigami had blithely continued. "My name is Urahara Kisuke, poor and humble owner of the Urahara Shoten, a small candy shop a few blocks down."
Then the self-introduced shop owner had sidled up to Uryuu with startling speed, pushing a scrap of colorful paper into Uryuu's surprised hands."Here, have a coupon! It expires tomorrow so come by soon!~"
Uryuu had sweat-dropped at the lunacy of the sudden offer and had politely declined. Well, as politely as he could when not only dealing with a Shinigami, but with an insane Shinigami.
An echoing snort behind him had made Uryuu whirl around, only to nearly jump out of his skin when he had come face-to-face with the toothy mask of the Hollow. The Hollow, who had been as tall as Uryuu when standing on all fours. Small, for a Hollow, but it had still been damn daunting this close to his face.
For a moment, he had honestly thought he was dead.
"Honestly, Urahara-san, must you always do that?"the orange haired Hollow had chuckled, surprising Uryuu by sounding very much amiable and non-violent. Sane even. When in the presence of a Shinigami and a Quincy. It had been mind-boggling."Why do you always try to con people?"
Urahara whined as though he had been kicked in a very sensitive place. "I do not! You are so mean, Kurosaki-san! I'm an entrepreneur! Trying to get new customers is my job!" The man chidingly tapped his white fan on the Hollow's mask, only to yelp and yank it back protectively when the Hollow snapped his teeth at it.
Uryuu had only been able to blink numbly. Kurosaki? He knew that name…
Not that he had known Kurosaki that well. They had only been in the same class for a few months, during which Uryuu had gotten the impression that Kurosaki was just an obnoxious, small-time delinquent with a penchant for brawling and otherwise getting into trouble.
And then, two months ago, the school had held a memorial in the assembly hall, and Uryuu had learned Kurosaki had died a hero's death, giving his life to save his little sisters. His world had flipped, and the teenage Quincy had discovered he regretted the times he had callously called Kurosaki a good-for-nothing, out-of-control idiot whenever one of his classmate's escapades had come up. Clearly he had completely misjudged the sullen teen.
He had come home to a surprisingly not-empty house and had received another world-shaking shock, delivered by a cream envelope containing a funeral card with the name Kurosaki Ichigo spelled in elegant, somber letters, along with an invitation.
He had demanded an explanation from his father and to his surprise Ryuuken had complied, face blank but at the same time looking uncharacteristically sad when he had recounted events of years past.
Uryuu and Ichigo were related. Through the adoptive sister of his father. Who had died together with her husband in an accident when he had been nine. When Ichigo had been nine.
No wonder Kurosaki's behavior had been so... off-putting. Without parents to correct it…
Yeah, it had explained a lot.
Cousins.
He had wanted to attend the funeral. He really had; an inadequate, guilty wish to make amends urging him to at least honor the memory of the brave cousin he had never gotten to know. Maybe even offer his condolences to Kurosaki's sisters, who had now lost the last close family they'd had. Uryuu's only family outside his father since Souken.
Who had been just kids, not even in their teens yet, four years younger than their brother had been.
Kids, who probably would have been just as curious about him as he had been about them, if only to take their minds of the hole their brother's death had left in their lives.
He still remembered the fear of what they might ask if he were to tell them who he was. What if they had wanted to know about the relationship he hadn't had with his classmate? How could he have explained to his little cousins that he had openly badmouthed their hero brother when he had still been alive?
Shamefaced, he hadn't been able to work up the nerve to go. His father hadn't said anything, which had been more than comment enough.
When his father had returned home after the funeral his usual mask of disinterested aloofness had been replaced with deep contemplation. He hadn't divulged what had gotten him in such a mood, but he had told Uryuu to avoid Kurosaki's house and neighborhood for a while, and not to try seek out his cousin's spirit.
Uryuu hadn't dared ask why and had simply nodded his consent, only requesting to know whether the girls would come to live with them now. His father had shaken his head. Without official proof of relation they had not been eligible guardians when there were real blood relatives to take care of them.
But for that name to crop up like that a mere two months later…
"Kurosaki...?" He had repeated in astonishment. He hadn't believed it. It took several months, if not years, for a soul to become a Hollow. It had been only two…
Yet the Hollow had swung its head around to face him in response to the name, its orange hair falling around its broad, spiked shoulders.
That hair color…
"Hey Ishida," the Hollow had greeted in a slightly saddened tone."Never thought that we would meet this way. I never knew you were able to see spirits too."
Uryuu had blinked, dumbfounded. Had taken a better look at the girls half hidden behind the Hollow's hind legs, looking upset but not scared despite that the Hollow's tail was curled around them almost possessively, and honestly, what was the world coming to when he could stand in the presence of a Shinigami and a Hollow with two little girls without any of them actively trying to kill one of the other parties?
And then he had recognized them.
Kurosaki Karin and Kurosaki Yuzu. Their pictures had burned where they had been hidden within his wallet, because damn it, they were the only family he had besides his father, and his father didn't count. Ryuuken had never behaved like a parent, and honestly, Uryuu had liked the idea of having more family than just his cold fish of a father. Even if he hadn't interacted with them yet.
His little cousins. Who had been hugging the Hollow's legs as if he was their oversized security blanket.
What had the world been coming to? Really, he had wanted to know.
Realizing he was supposed to respond to the Hollow's – Kurosaki's – greeting, Uryuu had uttered the only thing he could come up with. "How?..."
The Hollow had chuckled lowly without any real mirth. "I died. And then..." Kurosaki had trailed off, sounding guilty beneath the Hollow echo and at the same time suddenly so much like his old (living) self that Uryuu had promptly decided to refrain from pointing out that he was stating the obvious.
The Hollow had shrugged, oddly awkward despite that, if the world had had any sense of propriety – which it apparently had not – the menacing spikes on his shoulders should have made the gesture threatening. "I couldn't leave my sisters alone. Not after we already lost mom and dad."
Wordlessly, the two girls had responded to his misery, Yuzu with tears in her eyes and Karin looking like she just wanted the world to go away for a long, long time. Their Hollow brother had crouched low, almost curling up on the sidewalk in a disconcertingly cat-like fashion, so his little sisters could burrow between the spikes on his shoulders and his neck, hiding their faces in his wild mane as they hugged him.
Ichigo had turned to Shinigami and the Quincy, and his golden eyes had glowed behind his mask as if he had dared them to make a fuss about his little sisters not fearing him. "I just told them what happened to mom and dad here," the Hollow had explained somberly in a voice that had been hoarse as if he had been trying hard not to cry as well. Uryuu had assumed that the accident that had killed their parents had happened here, and he had bitten his lip at the sudden burst of sympathy that had coursed through his chest."This was the only way I could stay with them and protect them."
Uryuu had struggled to compose himself and had pushed up his glasses habitually, the fading light reflecting off their square surfaces. "I... understand," he had said quietly, accepting his deceased cousin's words and silently pledging his support and, daresay, friendship. From what he had seen he had been quite sure that Kurosaki wouldn't be a threat, and as much as he loathed Shinigami he hadn't thought that this Urahara-guy would let Ichigo stay with his two spiritually powerful sisters if he didn't believe the same.
That was as much reassurance he had needed to decide to leave his cousin be.
Ichigo's eyes had become slightly glassy and two intensely grateful words had been whispered that had left Uryuu feeling guiltily embarrassed. Turning his shaggy head towards the quiet Urahara (and Uryuu had suspected the man of being bipolar, what with the cheerfully insane behavior before), Ichigo had nodded in an unspoken understanding with the shopkeeper before he had picked up his two sisters and had walked away silently, undoubtedly taking the two mentally exhausted twins home.
Uryuu and Urahara had watched them go in silence before facing each other once more. The shopkeeper had lifted his hat a little so the other could see his eyes better and had cracked what Uryuu had believed to be the first genuine smile of the evening. "Come, it is becoming chilly out. I have tea at my shop." The man had turned and had led the way back to the main street and, without a word, Uryuu had followed.
It had been the oddest evening of his life, what with meeting a Shinigami-shopkeeper and his cousin-turned-Hollow, but most of all he remembered afterwards, when he had arrived back home and all he had learned had really sunk in.
Hours after he had left the Shinigami's shop, Uryuu's head had still been reeling. Seeing Kurosaki like that had really punched home the fact that Hollows, for all their sadism and plain monstrous behavior, were stillhuman souls. Broken and maddened by longing and lack of closure, but human.
He had known this already back then of course. His grandfather had explained the motives behind the Quincy Genocide quite thoroughly. But, well, there was a world of difference between knowing something and acknowledging that same thing as an unshakable truth. It had been a very painful thing to acknowledge, but the Quincy pride had demanded he'd face the truth. And he had.
He was of course ashamed to admit that before meeting the dead Kurosaki he had pushed said truth away. Mainly because when he had finally acknowledged it, he'd also had to accept that for all their pride, Quincy were even more throughout killers than Hollows. If the souls he destroyed were just monsters their eradication did not matter, but if they were human… Well, there was a reason why his grandfather had insisted that the Shinigami might have had a point.
Which was why he had swallowed his own pride (not the Quincy's though; he'd be dead before he did that) a few days later and had sought out the weird, hat-wearing Shinigami with gritted teeth and a reluctant proposal.
The man had been more than happy to agree with his plan, exited to have another unusual and semi-willing test subject.
Uryuu had often regretted his choice to make the eccentric Shinigami (very, very, very eccentric; there were no words to adequately describe Urahara's eccentricity) an acquaintance, but overall he was satisfied with what it had earned him.
It had been vexing to discover that the Quincy arts were closely related to a Shinigami art called kidou, though he probably shouldn't resent the fact so much since it had allowed Urahara to help him convert the techniques with a lot less complications than initially expected. Still, pique aside, the results had been what he had hoped for.
Nowadays, if he had time to mentally prepare himself, he could kill the Hollows without destroying the souls they contained. It was worth all the aggravation the shopkeeper had heaped on him during their collaboration. Though Uryuu had sworn to himself he was never going to agree with working in the shop to pay off his 'debt' everagain. His back still hurt at the memory of scrubbing floors and carrying heavy boxes.
Uryuu sighed, shaking off the reminiscent mood that had suddenly overcome him, instead opting to grab his phone and shoot a few texts off to people he was sure would be wiling to help deal with their unwanted Shinigami visitor.
XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX
A few miles away, a phone beeped. Tatsuki fished it out of her bag and glanced at the message.
S. patrol ran into I. We need to discuss damage control.
Tatsuki swore.
"Tatsuki-chan?"
She waved a hand at Orihime. "Hold on a sec. Apparently the new Shinigami is after Ichigo."
Ignoring her friend's shocked gasp, Tatsuki sent off a text herself. Can be there in an hour. Have lunch with Hime.
God damn it, she had hoped they could avoid this kind of situation but she should have known it wouldn't last. At least it hadn't happened right at the beginning. That would have been bad.
Oh fuck, the beginning. She still had nightmares about it. It had been two years, and still her memories of that moment were as vivid as the day it happened. Worst of all, it had been such a normal day. The weather, hanging out with Orihime, complaining about the idiots in class and how weak her opponents had been at the last competition-
But nothing was normal when your childhood friend dies within just a few meters of you.
She should have seen the accident coming the moment that car had almost swerved onto the sidewalk and had come too close to the two of them. She had yelled and been annoyed and Orihime had been her sweet, forgiving self, assuring her friend that the police would not let such a moron go free.
And then there had been that god-awful screeeech.
That, and the screams of children.
Tatsuki and Orihime had frozen, and looked ahead a number of blocks to see the same car that had almost hit them trying to back up off the sidewalk, revealing a downed figure just before people had swarmed in with loud, fearful voices and had blocked the view. Someone had stopped the would-be hit-and-run car and had dragged the man from his vehicle, restraining him on the ground as people had yelled to call an ambulance, cell phones popping up through the crowd.
Shaken, Orihime had stepped closer to her friend. "Tatsuki-chan," the bustier girl had murmured shakily. "Someone... someone was just..." She had trailed off, unable to continue.
"Don't worry Hime," Tatsuki had tried to tell her friend, even though her own voice had been shaking too. "They've already caught the guy and an ambulance is on its way. It's gonna be okay."
And she had believed that. Believed that, while walking towards the site of the incident with the first sounds of a siren rising in the distance. Believed that, while trying to see if she could offer help.
Believed that, until she had caught a look at the victim.
It had felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her head and a frozen knife had buried itself in her gut.
There had been so much blood, splattered across the pavement along with little bits of more substantial red she really hadn't wished to investigate. But worst of all had been the sight of her friend, lying broken and bloody and awfully still on the ground, limbs at entirely the wrong angles and scraped raw.
So much red...
Tatsuki had rushed forwards, only dimly hearing Orihime's cry of concern, a mantra of three words repeating like a frantic prayer within her head. It can't be, it can't be, it can't be- She had dashed up the sidewalk towards where the police had just arrived and were managing the crowd, only paying attention to other people long enough to tell them to get the fuck out off the way! Her dash had come to a stop by an officer's restraining arm around her midriff, but she'd gotten close enough to confirm her fears.
Ichigo's dulling brown eyes had stared lifelessly back up at her from where he'd been positioned by the medical crew who had been desperately trying to revive his prone form. Two of his limbs, his left leg and arm, were bent entirely out of shape, blood had stained his clothes crimson in several areas, and a horrid raw scrape had covered the whole left side of his face. It had been obvious from which side he'd been hit by the car.
Choking, Tatsuki had turned her face away, squeezing her eyes shut as almost foreign tears had blurred her vision and had threatened to spill over as her stomach had churned with nausea and raw grief. She had turned away, unable to see her friend like that. Not that it had helped. The image had been burned into her brain anyway.
Soft sobs and shaky words of comfort had drawn her attention and desperate as she had been for anything able to distract her from the image of Ichigo's injuries, Tatsuki had raised her head towards where the sound was coming from.
She still didn't know whether that sight had been worse than seeing Ichigo like that or not.
Ichigo's younger twin sisters had been huddling against the wall of the nearest building, facing away from where their brother had been lying motionless while an ambulance crew member had been frantically giving him CPR while the other crew members had been busy preparing a defibrillator. The girls had been clinging to each other, heads down and avoiding the sight of where their older sibling had been struggling for his life.
They'd had barely a scrape on them.
"Yuzu! Karin!" she had called out desperately, elbowing the officer in the ribs to free herself from his grip and rush to them. She had dimly heard Orihime also call to her but had ignored her best friend for the first time in her life to fall next to the two sobbing girls and catch them when they had thrown themselves into her arms. "Shh, shh, i-it's okay..." she had soothed shakily, not even believing her own words as she comforted her old friend's distraught sisters.
"H-he pushed us away, Tatsuki!" Karin had sobbed into Tatsuki's shoulder, breathing in ragged breaths through her grief. "He s-saw the car coming and he pushed us out of the way j-just as it-it h-hit him!" she had choked out through her tears while Yuzu had just sobbed beside her, crying her eyes out while nodding along with her sister's words.
Tatsuki had immediately believed every word with a heavy heart. Of course Ichigo would have sacrificed himself without a second thought to protect his sisters. He had always been overprotective.
And then to her horror the frantic activity behind her had slowed, stilled with five barely audible words.
"It's no use. He's gone."
Four days later the funeral had been held.
"You're missing it, you bastard," she had told Ichigo's headstone; a pretty, elegant thing made out of deep blue granite, fresh flowers sitting in the stone vases on both sides. "I am, for once in my life, wearing a damn dress, and you're not even here to tease me about it." She had spoken harshly, softly so people wouldn't hear how badly she was affected by seeing the solid proof of her friend's demise.
Here lies Kurosaki Ichigo; a loving, protective older brother and beloved son. July 15, 1995, to July 7, 2008.
Tatsuki had almost snorted at the ironic dates. Ichigo had been 8 days away from his birthday; had been 12 years old when he had died. He'd had so much more to live for... But some drunken idiot already on trial for driving under influence and manslaughter had ended it all.
The black haired girl had sighed, dejectedly plucking at the edge of her formal black dress, a flowery umbrella that she'd borrowed from Orihime clenched in one hand. The forecast had predicted rain, and thick storm clouds rolled by overhead. It had been another stupidly ironic thing; Ichigo had hated the rain because it reminded him of the night he'd lost both his parents.
Orihime had left with most of the other mourners, having not known Ichigo at all except through stories Tatsuki had told her, and thus not feeling she'd had the right to stay while the family and closest friends had payed their last respects to Ichigo. Only Karin, Yuzu, Tatsuki, and Ichigo's closest friend, Sado Yasutora – or Chad, as Ichigo had used to call him – and a distant aunt of the Kurosaki family who was now officially Yuzu's and Karin's benefactor and who didn't look pleased about it at all, had stayed.
The aunt had given Tatsuki an affronted look for her cursing but had said nothing and instead had allowed both Yuzu and Karin to walk to Tatsuki, who had given her watery smiles as they came and had wrapped their arms around her waist. The karate fanatic had hugged the two nine year olds tightly to her. They had been too young to have suffered the loss of both their parents three years before, and now had also lost their brother. It just wasn't fair.
Sniffling, the twins had then knelt before their family grave, and Tatsuki and Chad had shared a quiet look before turning and leaving. They had both silently agreed that now was the time to leave the two siblings to their final goodbyes. Looking back once, she had seen the aunt and a white-haired man watching silently from a distance while Yuzu and Karin had been looking upwards and slightly to the side as if they had been listening to someone taller than them kneeling beside them. There had been nothing there but air and the next grave.
Then again, Tatsuki had known her friend had often seen things she hadn't been able to, so to see his sisters talking to empty space hadn't been that surprising. She'd just hoped they were able to say their goodbyes to their brother before he'd pass on.
Brushing it off, Tatsuki had caught and squeezed Chad's large hand, silently offering her friendship to the silent giant. Chad had squeezed back, agreeing without words. They had stopped at the bottom of the hill, where Orihime had instantly caught Tatsuki in a hug, murmuring her condolences once more.
That had been two years ago. Yuzu and Karin were both eleven now, and while Ichigo is technically still thirteen, his sisters still counted his birthdays so he was now fifteen. Tatsuki smirked when she remembered how flustered Hollow's actions had been the first time he'd come home from another Hollow hunt to find banners and balloons scattered amongst the house. She had never thought she'd see someone who looked as terrifying as her friend embarrassed and she could never resist smiling whenever she had thought about that birthday party.
It had been less than a year after Ichigo had died when Tatsuki had begun seeing spirits like Ichigo had, as well as the Hollows that hunted them. She'd even been saved from one by Ichigo himself; the first time she'd seen him as a Hollow. The moment he had realized she could see him he had told her everything and had apologized for the grief he'd caused her. Tatsuki had been in shock, not believing that a monster like that was actually him, until had teasingly remarked that she had actually looked like a girl in the dress she had worn to his funeral.
The dark-haired girl was still mildly embarrassed with how quickly she had snapped out of her daze and had sniped back in retaliation, quickly falling into a playfully heated argument right there in the park despite Ichigo's new fearsome appearance, ignoring how many passer-byes had given Tatsuki the strangest looks for shouting curses at thin air for.
Soon after, Chad and Orihime had come to her, confessing to also having seeing spirits and Hollows and she in turn had confided in Ichigo, asking if he would allow her to tell their other friends about him. He'd been eager to agree, having missed interacting with other people and very happy he could talk to Chad again. Chad had been surprised but nonetheless had been similarly glad to have his best friend back, no matter how menacing Ichigo's new appearance was.
Orihime had been another thing. She had been quite ashamed to admit that Ichigo's appearance scared her but had quickly claimed she didn't mind being near him as long as she didn't look at him directly too often. Tatsuki had been mildly affronted and upset with her friend, but Ichigo had assured her that he understood and didn't blame her, especially because the first time Orihime had seen him had been when he had stopped Orihime's own older brother-turned-Hollow from killing her. Tatsuki had grudgingly agreed that that hadn't been the best way to make a first impression.
Not that long after that the three of them had discovered they had supernatural abilities which were, as the weird shopkeeper-cum-scientist Ichigo had become acquainted with after his death had speculated, the result of being exposed to Ichigo's presence and his massive reiatsu. Chad had developed the ability to transform his right arm into a red and black, Hollow-like appendage that could fire off blasts of pure energy. Orihime had a group of six fairy-like spirits called Shun Shun Rikka that worked in set teams and could do amazing things. Tatsuki herself had the ability to focus her reiryoku around her body to make her kicks and punches more powerful. Urahara had described it as a technique similar to shunkou, but weaker and less likely to destroy clothes. Suffice to say, Tatsuki hadn't been happy to learn she might just destroy her own clothes if she put to much power behind her ability, opting to borrow a few shirts from one of Urahara's acquaintances that left her back free and would hopefully keep her dignity intact if she slipped up.
She had kicked the shopkeeper when he had dared to act disappointed by that. Urahara's friend had laughed and gleefully approved.
Together, Chad, Orihime, and Tatsuki had chosen to help Ichigo protect his sisters from other Hollows whenever they had the chance. Ichigo had reassured them that Urahara and his people already helped out during school hours so Ichigo could hunt during that time, so they didn't have to devote their time to it. Tatsuki had hit him over the head and told him they could keep watch after school from time to time so he could hunt a bit longer when he needed to.
They had soon learned that Ishida Uryuu from their class could also see spirits and was friends with Ichigo. He had already been helping out at least once a week so Ichigo could focus on his evolution. Tatsuki and the others had swiftly decided to join him, hanging out at Ichigo's house and doing homework. The house had soon become their favorite haunt, a place to relax and talk and enjoy Yuzu's cooking. The twins had been happy with the additional company too.
But now a Shinigami threatened the normalcy they had managed to win for themselves and there was no way in hell Tatsuki would allow that.
Shoving the last bite of her bento in her mouth Tatsuki packed up, slinging her bag over her shoulder. Orihime followed suit. The orange-haired girl might not like the idea of hurting people but she had come to care greatly about Ichigo's sisters. Tatsuki was sure Orihime would be able to shove her distaste aside in favor of making sure the twins would keep their brother. Orihime knew the pain of losing a dear sibling intimately.
Tatsuki gave her friend an encouraging smile. "Lets go."
No one was allowed to disrupt the peace Ichigo had won for himself and his family. Not even a so called Death God.
Poem: 'Sight Left Unseen' by Gina Wooten
Song lyrics: 'Invasion' by Shiro Sagisu. Bleach DDR OST
Original note from TealEyedBeing:I couldn't find Ichigo's birth year anywhere so I had to make something up. Since according to Tite Kubo at the beginning of Bleach, Ichigo is 15 years old. He died when he was almost 13. So, I subtracted 2 years from this year, 2010, to get 2008, and then 13 from 2008, to get 1995 for his birth year. It works for the story as far as I'm concerned and sorry if anybody has problems with it; it was the best I could come up with. That makes Karin and Yuzu 9 when he was killed and 11 in this present time. Tatsuki, Orihime, Uryuu, and Chad all follow the same process though I don't know their specific ages. We'll just go with that they're all 15 as well.