somehow this has become the longest chapter so far. No, I have no idea how that happened. Have fun reading!
Rukia was, as ever, feeling as if she just entered the twilight zone. She had been visiting the Kurosaki household for a while now, but each time she came by she was astounded how… domestic it was, given that it was made up of Humans who weren't even adults yet and an Adjuchas. It was difficult to get used to, no matter how she welcomed the change.
Not to forget the Quincy and the three other powerful Humans who were semi-permanent members of the household – apparently, in the eyes of the Kurosaki siblings friends were family and were treated as such. By now she started to rethink her the assumption she had made about their trust in her back when she first came over. So far as she had seen, there had barely been a day that Ichigo's friends didn't dine at his home.
Though when she thought about it, she couldn't say it surprised her. She remembered what the Humans had said about their families and smiled as she realized the Kurosaki's sentiments were wholly returned.
Her smile turned wistful. A family of children. How nostalgic.
A family she was quickly becoming part of, though whether she was being taken in as an older or younger sister was not entirely clear. Not that she minded. When it came to anything to do with the Spirit World they looked to her for her knowledge and guidance – something that was incredibly flattering, even if the Quincy made snide remarks about Shinigami most of the time – but they had taken to looking after her when it came to anything to do with the Human World, which she realized she was incredibly clueless about. Not to mention what living with a Hollow entailed.
She was getting used to it. But it was a slow going process, no matter how much she welcomed the change. Being welcomed by such a close family warmed her heart.
Though the thing she walked into today was something she hadn't witnessed before. She had returned from her patrols and was surprised to see everyone sitting around the dinner table with books and notepads full of what had to be the results of many hours at school before them.
Now this wasn't something unusual for the Humans of their group. What was unusual however was Ichigo who was sitting at the same table in the cushioned chair he had probably dragged over from the living room because the normal wooden ones would be too fragile to stand his size and strength. Rukia thought she had gotten used to Ichigo's humanity, but apparently not. The sight of a Hollow sitting at a table, reading a book that was barely larger than his hands, and making notes with a pencil as thick as two normal fingers was utterly bizarre.
Absently she wished for a camera. Though she knew she would never use it given the danger to Ichigo, she kind of wanted a photo she could show to her fellow Shinigami. Their expressions would be priceless.
"What are you doing?" Rukia inquired tentatively.
Arisawa shot her a look and smirked, pointing her own pencil at the grumbling Hollow. "Nothing special. Ichi over here is just catching up on some homework."
Ichigo have her a long-suffering look for that, which Arisawa blithely ignored. Inoue giggled while Ishida smirked and Sado let out an amused huff.
"… Why?" Rukia asked confused. As far as she knew Ichigo had no use for Human knowledge beyond the basics. He was dead after all.
"Ichigo told you his goal, didn't he?"
Rukia nodded, curiously watching as Ichigo shifted almost embarrassedly.
"Well, what use would he be in a gigai if he doesn't know what everyone our age knows?"
Rukia turned to look at Ichigo. "You intend to get a gigai?"
Ichigo shrugged. "I know Hat'n Clogs can make them. And…," He glanced at Yuzu and Karin, who were looking at him as if they hadn't heard this before. "I want to be able to do more than just fight Hollows. I don't want to remain a secret forever."
Seeing the look on the young girls' faces, Rukia realized they really hadn't heard that part of his goals before. They were looking so amazingly happy, as if they had worried and agonized over it and now finally had their solution.
"You think Urahara can do that?" Karin asked almost desperately. "This isn't just the temporary stuff he fixes for Shinigami. you're gonna need an ID, a bank account – there's a ton of legal stuff we don't even know about! You really think he can do that?"
Ichigo huffed, putting down his pencil in favor of hugging his sisters close.
"I think so," he confirmed. "Hat'n Clogs is flaky as hell, but he's also a genius, and I think I can ask Ryuuken-san to help him with the legal stuff. Urahara-san is smart enough to figure out how to fake everything as long as he knows what exactly needs to be faked, otherwise he wouldn't have a shop ordinary Humans can visit."
"Why didn't you say so?" Karin scolded, looking happier than Rukia could remember seeing her at any point during their short acquaintance, a bright, fierce joy pulling her lips into a grin that bared her teeth for the world to see. Yuzu looked just as happy, though a lot gentler in her delight.
Ichigo looked away. "I… haven't really asked him yet," he admitted. "I was planning to become an Arrancar first."
Just in case I won't make it, hung in the air, unspoken but all the more heavy because of it.
Karin growled and punched her brother. Rukia winched at the crack of Human knuckles against Hollow armor plates. Luckily Karin didn't seem hurt.
"You will make it," Karin told her brother menacingly. "You're planning to visit him this weekend, don't you? You can ask him then. That way he'll have plenty time to get everything done."
Rukia nodded approvingly. From what she had seen from Ichigo so far she had no doubt that he had the power and determination to reach his goal. His uncertainty was entirely unwarranted.
Oh well. She was sure Ichigo's sisters were perfectly capable of getting that point though his skull.
Dismissing the minor arguing among the siblings, she curiously picked up Ichigo's overly large pencil. "Where did you find this?" she asked Arisawa, who was watching Karin's lecture with a smirk.
Arisawa grinned. "Those things are usually sold as a gag gift so you can get them in most of the gift shops. It's quite useful. His hands used to be too large to grip a smaller one. They're still a bit too large now."
Rukia nodded, curiosity flaring once more as her eyes glided over the books full of knowledge she would never have access to otherwise. "… Can I join too?"
In response Arisawa kicked out an empty chair and Inoue helpfully emptied the corresponding spot of books. "Be our guest. Don't complain if you get bored out of your skull though."
Rukia smiled. She rather doubted that would happen. At least, she thought, glancing at the bickering siblings and Inoue who was enthusiastically shoving a book in her direction, not with such a lively bunch to keep her company.
XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX
"You guys will be able to handle it?" Ichigo asked.
It was past dinnertime and Ichigo wanted to go hunting in Hueco Mundo tonight. He loved spending time with his friends and family, but at this rate he would not reach Vasto Lorde any time soon. And he wanted to. So bad.
But given the unusual Hollow activity lately he didn't dare leave anyone on their own, so he had asked everyone to sleep over, including Rukia, and had informed Urahara of his plans. The flaky shopkeeper had promised to keep an extra attentive eye out tonight, so that was at least some of his worry from his mind.
His friends gave off an air of long-suffering exasperation.
"Must you ask that every time?" the Quincy said pointedly. "I assumed we had proven ourselves capable by now."
Ichigo huffed. "I'm just checking."
Tatsuki rolled her eyes and gave him a shove. "You've checked enough. Now shoo. We'll be fine."
Rukia nodded. "Indeed, Ichigo. You mustn't worry. I will watch over them tonight. I can afford to catch my rest later."
Ichigo sighed. He supposed it was time to leave then. "Okay, okay, I'm going."
With one last look over his shoulder he opened a garganta and set out for Hueco Mundo. A narrow path formed beneath his feet as easy as breathing. He smiled to himself. It had been a long time since he had any problems with maintaining a path. Unlike back when he just started out. Back then it was a miracle if he could even keep a cero steady, and that was just basically throwing a wad of reiryoku at someone.
He truly owed Urahara. He hadn't been able to predict that back when he had first run into the crazy scientist. That encounter had been downright terrifying, and he had half expected Urahara to become his personal boogeyman.
Nowadays Urahara often acted the idiot whenever they interacted. He had acted nothing like that back then. More like the whimsical scientist-assassin he was than the wily cheerful shopkeeper he pretended to be.
No, his first meeting with Urahara Kisuke had been something he had cursed in the beginning. He had only been a Hollow for a couple of weeks and had still been dubious about the edibility of other Hollows, despite his stomach's insistent desire for sustenance. He had found a scent of reiryoku that his instincts told him was neither Human nor Hollow, but was tantalizingly delicious and carried a faint sense of danger.
He hadn't been too fazed by the danger. He had tangled with a Hollow that had been after his sisters already, which had been how he had discovered he could eat them in the first place. His hunger had been building steadily over the weeks, and the bite he had taken from his enemy back then had almost been reflex.
But the new scent hadn't led him to a different kind of Hollow. Instead it had led to a small candy shop and two children doing chores at the front. The moment Ichigo had seen they were just people he had given up on any hope for food and had turned to leave.
But then the kids had noticed him. And Urahara had trained them thoroughly in the art of Hollow slaying.
With how weak he had been at that time, Ururu and Jinta in Killing Mode had been absolutely terrifying.
Ichigo had still been so new to his Hollow form that he hadn't been able fight well, since the karate moves he was so used to just didn't work when he had a body that was more animal than human, and sonido had been something he had only recently discovered as something he might be able to do with some practice. Two little kids-turned-lethal-fighting-machines had not been something he had been even close to able to handle, and that wasn't even counting their appearance making him very reluctant to retaliate.
Luckily, Urahara had interfered before they could kill him, and Ichigo had gradually recovered from his injuries during the conversation that had followed. Unluckily, Urahara had not played the fool at that time. Instead he had played his true nature to the hilt, presenting himself as a powerful, intelligent, merciless Shinigami who promised death with a smile, voice cheery like a wild winter gale and eyes like daggers in the night beneath the shadows of his hat.
Ichigo hadn't stood a chance. All he had been able to do was surrender immediately and give Urahara everything he wanted in the hope that the man would let him return home alive.
Urahara had been very clear about his opinion on loose Hollows without having to verbalize any threats. Saying no to the scientist's desire to study him would have been very unwise, and the offer to help Ichigo in return had been made for no other reason than the Shinigami's near-nonexistent goodwill. It was only later that Ichigo discovered that the only reason why Urahara had made the offer at all had been because the shopkeeper had been a friend of his father and had thus been willing to give Ichigo a chance to prove he was safe for his sisters to be around.
The day he discovered that was the day he realized his dad had had a very weird taste in friends. He could only be glad for it.
Not back then though. Ichigo had not accepted Urahara's unwanted attention and demands graciously. He had detested that the Shinigami had the power to separate him from Yuzu and Karin without Ichigo being able to do anything to stop him, and Urahara made no secret of the fact that he was willing to kill him if Ichigo so much as twitched wrong. Ichigo hadn't been able to allow that when his sisters had already experienced that once, and still had not gotten over the trauma of having seen him dead.
He had mostly held his peace because of that, no matter how he had hated Urahara at that time. And it had paid off.
Nowadays he felt fond regard for the manipulative bastard, instead of the intense dislike of the beginning. Though he still wouldn't mind shoving the shopkeeper off a skyscraper from time to time whenever he was being too annoying. It wasn't as if it would kill the moron.
Ichigo sighed and dismissed his reminiscent thoughts as he arrived at his destination, instead lifting his head and spreading his senses to search any form of threat as the darkness split apart before him.
Quiet, and the lingering scent of a multitude of Hollows. One of the places at the edge of the Menos Forest that Ichigo had scoped out before his evolution into an Adjuchas, and had dismissed because there had been too much risk that a powerful Adjuchas would wander by. Now he was an Adjuchas himself however, it was a good spot to start hunting.
Stepping out of the inky chasm between the Worlds, Ichigo started to track the nearest Hollow, eager to still the hunger gnawing at him. Over the last couple of days it had become clear to him that ordinary Hollows were no longer enough to sate the demands of his new form – at least not at the rate he was currently catching them – which was why he had needed to visit the Hollow World tonight. He had already stretched his tolerance when he had eaten the invading Adjuchas, but that one was digested entirely by now, even its voice having gone quiet. Waiting any longer might have consequences for his reiatsu control and make him more irrational. Not much, but Ichigo didn't want to risk alerting the Shinigami any more of his presence than he already had when he had defended Rukia.
He soon found a trail to follow. An Adjuchas almost certainly older and more experienced than he, but not the strongest one around. Now he was in Hueco Mundo he had no reason to hold back during a fight, so Ichigo was confident he could kill the other Adjuchas with ease.
A feral grin curved his lips behind his mask. Suppressing his reiatsu entirely, he stalked his unsuspecting prey, using a tiny amount of reiryoku to stand above the sandy surface of Hueco Mundo's great desert so his footsteps wouldn't make a sound.
It was almost too easy. The other Adjuchas was completely oblivious to his presence right until Ichigo landed on his back like a boulder, his teeth finding his prey's mask before its shriek of surprise had even ended.
As its flesh slid down Ichigo's throat Ichigo felt a pulse of power rush through him. For a moment the dead Adjuchas' voice drowned out the other voices in his head, but Ichigo suppressed it ruthlessly, forcing it to the same level as all his previous meals.
That dealt with, Ichigo sniffed the air and sought out his next prey.
XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX
A couple of dozen kills later – all Adjuchas, much to his satisfaction – Ichigo was picking some partially dried blood from between the armor on his arms when he noticed a disturbance in the air he recognized. He turned and wandered into the Menos Forest, jumping to perch on a large bough that stretched above a small clearing where a pair of oddly humanoid Hollows was sitting. Hollows whose reiatsu was tinged with Shinigami reiatsu and who had swords hanging from their belts.
Ichigo tilted his head. Arrancar. Their numbers had really been going up lately. This is the third time in his hunt that he came across the hybrids.
He soundlessly curled up on the stony wood, listening in on the conversation between the two. The two weren't very alert and thus didn't detect his presence at all even when he was practically on top of them, but the newly arrived Hollow voices in his head were quite loud, so he was experiencing some difficulties hearing them despite being just a couple of meters away.
Huh. Something about a place called Las Noches and a Shinigami who was constantly looking for new Hollows to turn into Arrancar. Only they apparently were having trouble finding new Hollows after who-knew-how-many the Shinigami had already tried to turn.
Well, that explained why their numbers had increased then. Ichigo had known Arrancar were being created, but not that it was happening so often that 'worthy' – he snorted when he heard that term – Hollows were getting hard to find.
Not that he had ever encountered one of the Shinigami's Arrancar for real. The closest he had ever come was when he had been scouting for vulnerable Adjuchas. He had come across a newly created Arrancar, the bloody shards of its mask still lying around him. It had been a weak, trembling thing, far too pathetic to have become an Arrancar on its own. It had probably been forcefully turned into one when it had been a mere Gillian, given how monstrous it had still looked. The creature had been terrified of him despite that Ichigo had been an ordinary Hollow at that time. Ichigo had put it out of its misery, only slightly discomfited by the few human features it had.
The ones below him were far more Human looking than the one he had killed, Ichigo noticed absently.
But despite rumors having heard about this business being connected to a place called Las Noches, none of the other Hollows he had ever encountered had known any real details about this. This was the first time he got some real info on it. Then again, it had only been a few weeks since his evolution into an Adjuchas, so it wasn't as if he'd had a lot of contact with the stronger Hollows of Hueco Mundo before. Hell, he hadn't visited Hueco Mundo that much in the first place, as vulnerable as he had been as a normal Hollow.
How interesting. Urahara would probably want to know.
And talking about things Urahara wanted to know… Ichigo mentally cursed as he felt two powerful reiatsu signatures approach in the distance. Shinigami. Probably the ones the Arrancar were talking about. He had sensed them once before, but he still hadn't figured out how they even got here. Urahara had been irritatingly secretive about it and had just looked grim when Ichigo had told him the first time he had sensed them, and had ordered Ichigo to never come near those Shinigami.
Ichigo had taken that as a bad sign and had resolved to interrogate Urahara about it should it ever become an issue.
Quietly, Ichigo stood up. Realistically speaking, Ichigo knew that it was unlikely that the Shinigami could sense him. Most Shinigami couldn't even when he was in touching distance after all. But these Shinigami were already in Hueco Mundo and were artificially turning Hollows into Arrancar by the droves. He wasn't just going to assume they could not track him. He wasn't going to risk being brought to the Shinigami's attention. The chances that would end well if that happened were astronomically small.
There was a startled shout from below when he ripped open an garganta and fled into the darkness. Hm, maybe he should have been more discreet, he mused as he swiftly moved through the empty space between the Worlds.
Ah well, no helping it now. Even if the Arrancar went and tattled on him to the Shinigami, they wouldn't know where to find him.
For now he would be safe enough.
XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX
Several miles away, two powerful souls slowed to a stop.
"Oya, now that's a pity. It got away," one of them remarked, running a hand through his hair. "Again," he added.
His companion hummed. "So it seems." An elegant, casual shrug. "It is of no consequence. There will be plenty of others."
"But this one's interesting. Sneaky bugger. Seems ta have gotten stronger too."
"That might be true, but its strength is still hardly impressive. We can spend our time better elsewhere."
"Whatever ya say, Taichou." A cruel, foxlike grin curled beneath the light of the ever present moon as a slender finger pointed in the direction of a far stronger reiatsu signature. "Say, think that one'll scream as nicely as the previous one?"
That earned him an indulgent smirk from his companion. "Feel free to find out."
XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX
Slipping back into the Living World under the cover of a slightly lightening night sky, Ichigo quickly set out towards the Urahara Shoten. The Shinigami was waiting for him at the door, grey eyes regarding him with sharp speculation even as the shopkeeper moved out of the way to allow Ichigo entrance.
"You're back early, Kurosaki-kun," Urahara observed mildly as he followed the Hollow towards the large bathroom Urahara had given him free access to.
Ichigo nodded and turned the tap, wanting to get clean before he went back to his family. It wouldn't do for them to see him covered in blood.
"Yeah, I know. I would have liked to get a few more kills, but the Shinigami were back again."
For a second, grey eyes turned to razor steel. "I see," Urahara said lightly. "Fair enough, I suppose. When will you visit this weekend?"
Ichigo shrugged, scrubbing hard to get the dried blood from between the gaps of his armor. It was annoying as ever. "Don't know. Depends on when the others are going to be busy."
Urahara nodded. "Well, I'll be home the entire weekend. Feel free to drop by any time."
Ichigo gave him a short look and shook his head fondly. Urahara had gotten a lot more subtle and lenient with his demands, but Ichigo knew the shopkeeper would be disappointed if he didn't visit. "Will do," he agreed.
XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX
In the cold light of dawn, Ichigo and Rukia sat side by side, finishing the last of her vigil together. It was surprising, given how used both were to solitude in moments like this, how comfortable they were in each other's presence.
"Hey Ichigo," came Rukia's quiet voice as the sun finally acknowledged that it really couldn't keep dawdling behind the horizon anymore. "Can I ask you something?"
Ichigo made a soft assenting noise.
"I was wondering," she said, plucking at a loose thread of her shihakushou. "All your friends can fight Hollows, but Yuzu and Karin can't. Why have your sisters not awakened abilities of their own? Do they not have the potential?"
Ichigo regarded her for a moment before he shrugged, looking completely unconcerned.
Probably because this way the twins won't try to enter dangerous fights, the overprotective idiot, Rukia thought fondly.
"Don't know. They should have the potential but so far it hasn't showed yet beyond their ability to see spirits. Urahara said something about it being likely that they take after our father, and that their abilities probably won't awaken until they've died. If they would have taken after our mother their powers should have manifested already, apparently."
Rukia blinked. "Really? What powers did your parents have then?"
Ichigo looked away into the distance. Towards the river area, if Rukia was not mistaken. "Well, our mom was a Quincy," Ichigo told her softly. "That's how Uryuu is our cousin, sort of. She was taken in by Uryuu's grandfather after her own parents had died. She grew up there and was supposed to become Ryuuken-san's wife once she was of age." A blink, and a short apologetic look cast in her direction. "Ah, Ryuuken-san is Uryuu's dad by the way. "
A sigh. "But obviously things didn't go the way they had planned. I don't know how they ended up married, but dad was a Shinigami. Hat'n Clogs knows more about the circumstances but doesn't want to tell us yet. Gets that stupid teasing grin on his face every time we ask."
Rukia stared, stunned. A Shinigami for a father? How had that happened? She dearly would like to know, but clearly Ichigo couldn't tell her. Though there was no doubt in her mind that their father had broken the law even worse than she was doing now. It was quite possible Urahara had helped with that and therefore knew more.
How odd. But then again, the shopkeeper was the definition of odd. Trust him to have his fingers in every weird situation she came across.
She sat back and considered the tidbits of information Ichigo had given her. The combination of Quincy and Shinigami heritage probably explained why the Kurosaki siblings were so spiritually sensitive.
"But do you have no family at all?" she murmured without thinking. Paused and reddened when she realized how insensitive her question was, but forged on under Ichigo's curious gaze. "Who is taking care of you? Your sisters need money to live, do they not?"
Ichigo tilted his head. "We've never heard of anyone from dad's side. Not surprising, really. We've got some family on mom's side, but we don't really get along. Even though they aren't Quincy themselves – branch family members I believe; according to Ryuuken-san mom was of the pureblooded main line – they still work as influential priests and such. What they don't have in power they make up with attitude, and from what I understand they used to have high hopes for mom. They wanted her to bring back the prestige of the Kurosaki line or something, which was why they had given her to Uryuu's granddad to raise. Uryuu's granddad was a very powerful Quincy, so he could teach her far better than the family could."
He chuckled a bit bitterly. "You can imagine that mom's family didn't approve of her marrying dad. Probably thought she was polluting the bloodline or something. She was immediately disinherited. I don't know if they knew dad was a Shinigami or thought he was just a random guy she had picked off the street, but they were still hopping mad years later. After our parents died mom's family didn't really want to take care of what they considered worthless riffraff, so they left us mostly on our own, only doing the absolute minimum to avoid problems with the state. For some reason they refused to take the easy way out by giving up authority over us, so we couldn't be taken in by a foster home. Probably just in case we would come into our powers later or something, or maybe because they didn't want to lose face."
Rukia nodded with understanding. The Kuchiki Clan was quite similar. After her Nii-sama had adopted her, the rest of the Clan had demanded she would become someone who would be useful to the family to honor her Nii-sama's generosity and make up for the inconvenience she caused them. Complete with thinly veiled threats and disdainful glares.
So far she had failed to comply to their demands to their satisfaction.
Rukia smiled wryly to herself. Their situations were honestly quite similar. She didn't know whether to be glad or sad about that. She decided to be both.
"Anyway," Ichigo continued, oblivious to her thoughts. "After the funeral our aunt warned us not to make any trouble for the rest of the family, and so far, we've just ignored each other. We were lucky Ryuuken-san overheard our talk with our aunt and involved himself. Helped out with some financial stuff and gave a few tips on how to maintain the house and such. He can't interfere too much because the rest of the family wouldn't like it and he's too busy with work anyway, but he's responsible enough that he didn't leave us floundering completely. He even paid our bills for us one time when the money was really late. He didn't want us to starve or get in trouble or something."
"But you were just a child," Rukia protested. "Surely he could have done more?"
Ichigo shook his head, his mane swishing with the motion. "Nah, that's just the way he is. He barely pays attention to Uryuu either. He makes sure everything is running smoothly and we take care of ourselves, but other than that he leaves us alone."
Rukia hugged her knees, feeling bad for her friend but not wanting to show it, because really, what could she do about it? She felt bad for Ishida too. It all sounded so lonely. It was no wonder that he and his friends acted as family. She was silently glad that the world had had at least enough mercy to bring them all together. It was remarkably similar to the Rukongai in that aspect. Your family were not those of your blood, but those who would stand with you no matter what.
Guess Renji and I weren't really family.
A distant, absentminded thought, and one that was firmly dismissed the moment she found it loitering at the back of her head. Maybe they had grown apart, but she still cherished the memories they shared.
She quickly turned her thoughts away from the subject, instead latching on to another. After all the practice she'd had over the last couple of weeks Rukia was a lot better at reiatsu sensing. She could now being capable of sensing incoming Hollows on her own as long as they weren't too far away, but she could still only reliably sense Ichigo as long as he was less than 500 meters from her. He had even less of a presence than a Plus soul. She would not have believed it possible, but then again, that went for a lot of things that had to do with the eldest Kurosaki.
"Say, Ichigo, can we continue practicing later?" she asked. She wanted to be able to do more. What if she ever came across a Hollow that was as good at hiding as Ichigo was? Right now she would still be in trouble if that happened. She simply would not notice it fast enough.
Ichigo shrugged. "Sure. But I think my friends got plans this weekend, so you might end up getting dragged along at one point or another."
Rukia smiled, surprised that they would go out of their way to include her, but very pleased. "I think I will survive such an ordeal," she replied teasingly, already looking forward to whatever the Humans had planned.
Ichigo snickered at her. "It'd be kinda pathetic if you didn't."
XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX
As it turned out, the group's plans came to fruition a bit sooner than Ichigo had predicted. On Friday the entire group skipped school to go to a grand fair that had been in town since last week. Apparently it would be too busy if they went in the weekend.
"Won't this get you in trouble though?" Rukia questioned as she slipped into her gigai. She couldn't imagine what the teachers at the Shinigami Academy would have said if she had skipped for something so frivolous.
No, actually she could, but it would have been nothing complementary.
Arisawa waved a dismissive hand. "Nah. Our attendance record is really good, even for the Saturday classes, so the school won't care too much about one missed day. I've got a couple of friends from the karate club take notes for me just in case, but I doubt there will be anything truly important we shouldn't miss."
Rukia nodded, absently wondering about what was so special about the Saturday classes, but refrained from asking in favor of giving the Kurosaki siblings a confused look. They were bickering over something. Curious, Rukia stepped closer.
"– don't care. You're going to the fair, and you're all going to have fun. I'm going to be at Hat'n Clogs' place, and you know how he is. I won't be bored so neither will you guys. Got that?"
"But Onii-chan," Yuzu protested. Ichigo swiftly cut her off.
"No. You know I can't go. It'll be so crowed I'll definitely bump into someone, and I don't fit into the rides anyway. I'll just be in the way."
"You'll never be in the way," Yuzu said stubbornly. "And you can make yourself intangible, can't you? You can still go."
Ichigo snorted. "And do what? I love watching you guys have fun, but I can't really do anything else and Urahara asked me to drop by. You know how he gets. He'll whine if I don't go and it'll be annoying."
The twins still looked slightly rebellious.
Ichigo's gaze softened. "Listen, once I've become an Arrancar and have a gigai I promise I'll visit as many fairs with you as you want. But until then it's simply more useful for me to visit Urahara."
Yuzu's lip trembled and Karin looked displeased, but in the end they caved to their brother's arguments. Happy with their assent, Ichigo hugged them and nuzzled their hair. The twins allowed it with a faint air of exasperation.
Rukia smiled. It was sweet how the siblings fussed over each other.
Just before they would part ways she saw Sado pull Ichigo to the side. Her curiosity got the better of her and she couldn't help but listening in.
"Will you be alright?" Sado asked quietly. Rukia frowned. There was an odd undertone to that question, but she couldn't put her finger on it. What was that about?
The Hollow rolled his eyes. "I'll be fine. Quit worrying."
With that the odd conversation seemed to have ended. Whatever it was, Ichigo didn't seem concerned so she decided not to worry about it too much. Which was just as well. The others were getting impatient.
"Come on, come on, let's go!" Inoue cheered, dragging Arisawa and Yuzu with her as she skipped away.
"Bye Ichi-nii!" Karin yelled, holding what looked like a denreishinki to her ear, probably to fool any unsuspecting bystanders. "Don't let Hat'n Clogs do anything weird to you!"
"Damnit, Karin! You know he won't!" Ichigo hollered back just before he disappeared over the rooftops.
Rukia had to muffle a laugh with her hand. Yes, their fussing was adorable, in a weird, overly loud way.
"So…," she started as she, Ishida and Sado caught up with the girls. "What is a fair, exactly?"
"Hm? Oh, it's fun!" Inoue gushed, clapping her hands eagerly. "It's a bit like a festival and there are all kinds of rides and games and such! I think I'm going to try to win a stuffed animal at one of the booths."
"Oooh," Yuzu exclaimed. "That's a good idea! Will you help me win one too?"
"Of course!"
Rukia tilted her head as she watched the two girls dissolve into a discussion about what kind of toy they would go for, and what kind of activities they would try. Somehow they ended up on a tangent about princesses and cyborgs and the merits of sparkling exploding bubbles, at which point Rukia no longer understood anything they were saying.
Still. A festival, huh? she thought to herself. That certainly sounded interesting.
When they arrived at the fair a couple of minutes later, Rukia knew it would be more than interesting. She looked her eyes out at the dozens of machines and stalls that seemed to have no other function than to entertain people. She was amazed by all the staggering devices that provided children, teenagers, and adults with seemingly endless screaming enjoyment. Strong smells soaked the air, originating from vending booths were people leaned out the windows shouting prices of their specialties. Oden, dango, takoyaki, yakitori, nikuman – too many dishes to name, and quite a few she had never seen before. Everywhere Rukia looked people were smiling and laughing and enjoying themselves. The atmosphere was enthralling.
A sudden thought struck her, and she frowned in dismay. "Um, Arisawa-san?" she inquired. "Won't I need Human money for this?"
Arisawa waved her question away. "Yeah, but you can pay us back later. I'm sure that idiot shopkeeper can rig something up." Arisawa frowned at her. "And you do realize you can call us by our first names, right?"
Rukia blinked, giving her a surprised look. "You won't mind?" she asked, not sure whether the question applied to the matter of payment or the use of names.
"Nah. You've been hanging around us for a while now and you're already Ichigo's friend. Just know that we'll be doing the same."
Rukia was still for a moment before she bowed her head, touched. It wasn't an outright declaration of friendship, but it was more than she had ever expected to get from them. "I would be most honored, Tatsuki-san."
"Geez, quit being so formal already," Tatsuki said with a grin as she slung an arm around the smaller girl's shoulders. "Just Tatsuki is fine."
"You can call me Orihime or Orihime-chan, Rukia-chan!" Orihime declared cheerfully, not one to be outdone with something like this. "And you can call Ishida-kun Ishida-kun!"
"Orihime-chan then," Rukia agreed, stumbling a little over the endearment. It had been a very long time since she had been that familiar with someone. She didn't know why Orihime was less familiar with Ishida than with the others, but then again, the Quincy had an air about him that suggested he wasn't that fond of informality. But despite that it was less familiar, Rukia wasn't sure she wanted to address the prickly Quincy the way the enthusiastic girl proposed. He might not be happy with her if she did, so she silently looked at Ishida for permission.
The Quincy wrinkled his nose but seemed mollified by her request for his consent. "… I suppose I can live with that, if you must," he allowed grudgingly.
Still not entirely fond of Shinigami then, Rukia realized. She decided not to take his tone personally. She turned to the last one in their group.
"You can call me Chad," Sado informed her.
She offered a grateful bow with a smile. "… I see. Thank you. Please call me Rukia."
She received a playful punch in the shoulder from Tatsuki for that. "No formality. Friends don't go formal on each other, so cut the crap," the hakuda specialist reprimanded sternly, but her grin ruined her tone of voice. "And you, Uryuu! Get that stick out of your ass. Your name won't wear out if it's used!"
Rukia's eyes widened, and widened even more when none of the others denied Tatsuki's claim of friendship, though Ishida did glare at Tatsuki for her crude remark. Rukia felt blindsided. Friend. She hadn't been called a friend that casually in years. She had known that the group accepted her growing friendship with Ichigo and had therefore accepted her presence in their midst, but she hadn't thought they would so freely include her into their group. She smiled tremulously, feeling happier than she could ever remember being since her mentor had died.
"Now come on! The fair won't wait for us!" Tatsuki yelled, pumping a fist in the air as she approached one the booths to get tickets for the rides.
The twins cheered as they followed the older girl and Rukia couldn't help but get caught in the festive atmosphere as she was dragged along.
Friends don't go formal on each other. It wasn't a promise. Not really. Tatsuki had no idea of what had happened between her and Renji. But after Renji had done just that, Rukia prayed that Tatsuki would keep her word regardless.
"You're slow, Rukia!" Karin called teasingly. Rukia blinked and realized that she was indeed lagging behind. The Humans had already obtained the necessary tickets and where now moving towards the cluster of machines further away. "Don't tell me you're scared of a few rides?" the black-haired Kurosaki added with a smirk.
Despite her tumultuous feelings, Rukia felt her lips stretch into a grin.
"Scared? Me? You wish!" she yelled back, pouring on speed in an attempt to get to the closest of the odd contraptions before the young Human girl could.
She didn't have a clue what all the machines did, or if the screaming of the Humans within them was truly a good sign, but she would not be bested in bravery by a couple of Humans. Even if they were her friends.
Friends. I have friends again.
Humans, who were all so much younger than she. People she should not even be interacting with, according to Shinigami regulations. But in this moment she could not care what the consequences would be if she was ever discovered.
She was simply too overjoyed to think of the future.
XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX
Ichigo released a heavy sigh, wishing he could skip today. His arrangement with Urahara had been in place for as long as Ichigo had been a Hollow, but despite the shopkeeper's attitude change over the years, Ichigo still did not like that he was part of one of Urahara's long-term experiments. Nowadays it was a minor part in his acquaintance with the shopkeeper, but it was by far the most unpleasant.
Fortunately, only his friends were aware of this part of his arrangement with Urahara. They had learned about it when he had brought them to the shop so Urahara could help them train their newfound abilities. His sisters knew that there was an arrangement, but didn't know the more unpleasant details, and Ichigo wanted to keep it that way. Back when it all started that had been because he hadn't wanted them to become involved with the dangerous Shinigami, and later Ichigo had continued to keep it quiet because had come to appreciate the help Urahara offered.
His friend's reactions had been a good indication on how his sisters would react should they hear how Ichigo's involvement with the Shinigami's experiments hadn't been voluntary. Ichigo wanted his sisters to trust the shopkeeper enough to go to him if something bad happened, not to reject his aid just because the Shinigami hadn't been all that gentle in the beginning of their acquaintance.
When Ichigo had first told Tatsuki, Uryuu and Chad what the arrangement entailed they had been ready to march up to the shopkeeper and give him a piece of their mind. Only Ichigo's frantic insistence that it was fine had stopped them from going. By then the arrangement had been in place for a while and Ichigo had gotten used to the shopkeeper and his people, who had been the only ones besides Yuzu and Karin who had been able to see Ichigo for quite a while, and who had been a tremendous help in avoiding Soul Society's attention. They didn't deserve getting his friends' anger turned on them, no matter how much of an asshole Urahara had been.
At least, not in the degrees that his friends would have unleashed back then. Urahara wouldn't have been any help if they had destroyed his shop.
To his surprise, even Orihime had been offended on his behalf when she had discovered the details of the experiment herself. Ichigo really hadn't expected that. Back when he had first encountered Orihime, he had not realized that her brother's active reiatsu clashing with his own had forcefully awakened her ability to see spirits. She had seen him kill her Hollow brother and had – understandably – never been able to leave the memory behind even after she realized that he had saved her life.
To have her come to his defense mere weeks after being introduced by Tatsuki had been entirely unexpected. Orihime truly had a kind heart.
With a sigh he pushed his thoughts aside and approached the shop. The door opened before he reached it.
"Ah, Kurosaki-kun. Glad you could come today," Urahara commented with a smile. With an overly dramatic sweep of his hands he ushered Ichigo inside.
"I'm sorry about this, but I'll need some samples," the Shinigami said apologetically as they arrived in his labs. "By now your transformation should have settled enough."
Ichigo sighed. Yeah, he had been expecting that.
"Yeah, okay. Just get it over with," he grumbled.
The first set of samples weren't that bad. Hair, saliva, and a few pieces of his armor. The latter were carefully cut off so it wouldn't cause him pain.
It were the last two samples that were the real issue.
"Brace yourself and don't bite your tongue," Urahara instructed as Ichigo put his hand on a sloping metal plate with raised edges, fingers curled into a fist except his little finger. Ichigo hated this part with a passion.
Steel flashed and Ichigo had to bite back a snarl of pain. For some reason, getting injured this way was far more agonizing than getting wounded in battle. Possibly because of the lack of adrenaline and distractions. Blood ran thick across the shiny surface and into a glass bottle Urahara had placed below the plate just for that purpose. Ichigo's severed finger was quickly snatched away and stored in its own glass container.
With a grimace Ichigo forced himself to keep still so the camera would have a clear view of the regeneration process. Since his regenerative ability could focus entirely on the wound without reiryoku being drawn away for a battle, the finger reformed in a handful of seconds.
When Urahara nodded that he was finished Ichigo quickly pulled his hand back and flexed it, glad that he would suffer no permanent damage from this. The Shinigami drew a bit more blood so he would have enough for his experiments and then the harvesting was over. Thank gods.
"There, there. My apologies for the unpleasantness," Urahara said sincerely, doing a quick inspection of Ichigo's hand to ensure he was fine before he swiftly moved on to the next part. Urahara dug his fingers deep into Ichigo's mane to reach the base of his skull where Urahara had attached a small device that constantly monitored Ichigo's condition and reiatsu. Experiments with other Hollows and Gillian had ensured that the device had not hindered Ichigo during his transformation.
Urahara swiftly downloaded the new data from the device before he put it back.
"Aaand we're done~" Urahara chirped with satisfaction. "Think you're ready for some interrogation?"
Ichigo sighed but obediently moved back to the shop, walking into the sitting room and curling up on a couple of pillows there. Urahara sat down next to him, notepad held ready.
This part, at least, was just as beneficial for him as it was for the scientist. By interrogating the Hollows trapped within him, they had learned far more about Hueco Mundo and Hollows in general than Ichigo could have ever figured out on his own. It had been how he had learned about the Arrancar transformation, among other things.
It was difficult to wring answers out of the souls within him since Hollows weren't big on sharing information unless it benefitted them, but after all this time it had gotten easier. It helped that Ichigo was ambitious and had proven himself capable of realizing that ambition. Unlike the devoured Hollows, Ichigo could boast that he had become an Adjuchas within just two years. The Hollows within could respect that. Thanks to that, it only took a few hours to get the most important information out of them.
Which was still too goddamn long to listen to Hollows, in Ichigo's opinion. Not to mention that talking with the inner Hollows was always exhausting, and not just because allowing them to speak to him gave them openings to try to claim dominance. He really detested their insane homicidal blather, and trying to get information out of them was like trying to wring water from a stone. Most just didn't have anything useful to say.
"So, basically it comes down to this," Ichigo said tiredly at the end of the session. "The Shinigami has been very busy. A lot of Hollows have disappeared the last couple of months, of which the majority were Adjuchas. Apparently the self-proclaimed God King of Hueco Mundo, a Vasto Lorde by the name of Baraggan Louisenbairn, has allied himself with the Shinigami, which is weird as fuck, given that Hollow's infamous pride. Rumors are that the Shinigami won him over by beating Baraggan's minions with ease and then offering to make all of them a lot stronger. Las Noches is located at the heart of Baraggan's territory, right where he used to hold court. Baraggan's horde of minions consisted almost entirely out of Adjuchas and has now merged with the Shinigami's army. I don't know their numbers, but from what I've been told I think Baraggan's group is at least several dozen Adjuchas large."
"Also, the Long-tailed Shark, a Vasto Lorde of whom no one knows what it calls itself, has recently disappeared together with the three Adjuchas that followed it. Poison Miasma, a Hollow that is said to have such an powerful aura that it creates a death zone, has not been detected in its regular haunts for a while now either. I'd bet that both are either dead or at Las Noches."
"I see," Urahara muttered as he wrote it down. "He's collecting quite an army then."
"Yeah. That's gonna be trouble sooner or later, especially if he keeps turning them into Arrancar," Ichigo agreed, frowning behind his mask. "Vasto Lorde are incredibly strong, but Arrancar are supposed to be even stronger."
Urahara regarded him with shrewd eyes. "What do the other Hollows think of it?"
Ichigo shrugged. "Most of them don't like it, which is one of the reasons that the ones I caught haven't joined. The majority is simply suspicious, but some firmly believe that no true Hollow should ever allow itself to become a Shinigami's subordinate. I had a hell of a hard time convincing the more hard-headed ones that I do not serve you. They almost didn't answer me."
The scientist hummed. "Not entirely unexpected, I suppose."
Ichigo snorted. "Yeah. It's bloody annoying, but better them than the ones that insist that following the Shinigami's lead is a good idea. At least the former have some pride, even though it's pride in being a monster."
Urahara smiled. "That is one way of looking at it." He glanced at his notepad. "You wouldn't happen to come across more details on exactly how the Shinigami creates Arrancar?" he asked hopefully.
The Hollow shrugged. "No. All he seems to do is tear off their masks and watch them transform. The ones that don't die that is. I'm not sure, but so far it seems pretty gruesome to me. Also stupid and pointless. I mean, doesn't he know they have to take their masks off themselves to transform properly? So far every Hollow that knew anything about it believed that. None of them wanted to transform until they were stronger."
"Either he doesn't or merely doesn't care," Urahara speculated. "Though if I had to take a gamble I would say it is the latter. I doubt the Hollows are anything but tools to him." A sharp considering look. "You've learned quite a lot about the transformation. I assumed natural transformations are very rare?"
Ichigo grumbled at the roundabout question. "You know that most of it is just instinct and speculation. No one really knows. It's just – Whenever I consider it… I don't know. The Shinigami's way just feels wrong. It's like, how can your soul change properly when you don't really want to change? Everything just… balks. You have to do it yourself."
Urahara nodded slowly. "That sounds reasonable," he agreed. "You can't force a Shinigami to manifest a Zanpakutou either. Not if their soul isn't ready. I suppose it is slightly similar, since Arrancar do gain a Zanpakutou. But if it feels wrong, why do the Hollows agree to be turned at all?"
Ichigo made a disinterested noise. "Beats me. Maybe they're just too greedy to listen to their own instincts." An amused snort. "My friends' biology teacher claims that the mind gets in the way of instincts, which is why humans would utterly fail as a species should they have to start over from scratch."
Urahara chuckled at that. "I doubt it would be like that. Humans can be quite resilient. But then again, maybe in the long term too few would survive, if they truly had no tools to start with." He tapped his pencil against his cheek. "But your view on the transformation is quite interesting. Maybe it can be applied to other situations as well…."
Ichigo only listened half as the Shinigami's words became unintelligible mutters as Urahara got lost in theories and speculation. He had a bit of a headache after wrestling with the Hollows inside him, twisted assholes that they were. They had been constantly clawing for control, and while Ichigo wasn't likely to lose, that didn't mean it wasn't a goddamn pain in the ass.
He sighed, feeling tired. At moments like these he wished he could trust his control over the inner Hollows enough to sleep.
"Hey Urahara…," Ichigo started hesitantly after several minutes of silence. "I was thinking, do you think you can make me a gigai once I'm an Arrancar?"
Urahara looked up, a mysterious little smile playing across his face. He didn't answer Ichigo's question, but instead said distractedly, "Go seek out Tessai. He has something to show you."
Mystified but realizing Urahara wasn't going to say anything else when he was in this mood, Ichigo did as he was told.
He found Tsukabishi in the basement, where he was directing Ururu and Jinta as they took out supplies to bring up to the shop above. The two children always happily greeted Ichigo, having become fond of him after Ichigo had weathered several barrages of questions and had started to treat them like surrogate siblings, looking after them and caring for them whenever Urahara got too caught up in one of his schemes and dragged Tsukabishi along with him. By now the two children held him in the same regard as his sisters did, which never failed to warm Ichigo to his bones.
Just to mess with them, Ichigo suppressed his reiatsu completely and sneaked up on them. Tsukabishi noticed him the moment he slunk into the room and gave him an amused smile, but otherwise remained silent.
The two kids, on the other hand, didn't notice him until he was right behind them.
"Boo," Ichigo said before they could turn. They jumped a little, but laughed when they saw who it was.
"Ichigo-san!" Ururu giggled as she abandoned her job for a moment to hug Ichigo. "Welcome back!"
"Ichigo, ya ass!" Jinta yelled enthusiastically as he playfully punched Ichigo's arm. "Don't think that scared me! Ya gotta do better than that if ya want to catch me off guard."
Ichigo chuckled and returned her hug, reaching out to ruffle Jinta's hair. "Hey Ururu, Jinta. Having fun?"
"Bah, no," Jinta complained as he swatted Ichigo's hand away from his head. "Tessai only has us do boring stuff."
"It's not that bad though," Ururu added timidly in an attempt to soften Jinta's words. "It's just dusty."
"Humph. If you worked harder, Jinta-kun, then it wouldn't take so long," Tsukabishi said from behind them. He offered Ichigo a friendly smile. "Greetings, Kurosaki-san. I assume tenchou is lost in thoughts again?"
Ichigo snorted. "Isn't he always?" He gave the large Shinigami a hesitant look. "Hey, Tsukabishi-san? Urahara-san said you have something to show me?"
Tsukabishi stilled, before a wide, warm smile broke through. "Well, well, so he decided to let you know. Very well. Follow me."
Jinta's eyes widened eagerly. "Wait, are ya gonna show him that?"
"So it seems," Tsukabishi agreed as he led Ichigo to a different part of the basement.
"Oh yeah!" Jinta cheered. "You'll like it. The old man said it turned out really well!" he told Ichigo as he rushed after the large Shinigami.
Confused but curious, Ichigo followed them into one of the back rooms, where Tsukabishi hauled a huge box off one of the shelves and started to remove the lid.
Ururu grabbed Ichigo's hand with a small mischievous smile on her face, while Jinta kept on talking. "Urahara-san didn't know when you would become an Arrancar, so he made ya look twenty-one so that ya can already legally do all kinds of stuff when you're ready to get ya body back," the boy enthused eagerly, but Ichigo barely heard him.
Lying in the box was him. Orange hair, tan skin, and long limbs. He'd been almost thirteen when he'd died, but the resemblance between the gigai and his old self was unmistakable. His baby fat was gone, leaving only lean muscle. His jaw was strong and mature, and his chest and shoulders were broader than they had been when he'd been a scrawny twelve year old.
"I-it's me…" Ichigo croaked, the amazement and appreciation so obvious in his voice that Ururu clapped her hands with a giggle and Jinta grinned so hard it looked like he was about to strain something. "I look…"
"Ya look thin," Jinta laughed. "I wanted to make ya ripped but Urahara-san said you'd be 'lean' or whatever."
"All that's required now is your final transformation, so that tenchou can set the reiatsu barrier that is incorporated in it to match your reiatsu. It will even age, so you won't have to worry about standing out too much," Tessai explained.
Ichigo stared at the large Shinigami. Looked down at the two children who were grinning up at him, both pleased as punch with his reaction.
He couldn't help himself. The Hollow snatched them up and hugged them, squeezing just a bit harder than he normally would to emphasize his joy. Jinta began complaining immediately, but he still wore a grin, while Ururu giggled eagerly into the embrace. Ichigo jumped towards Tsukabishi too, including him in the group hug.
Tsukabishi chuckled and patted him on his head. "I take it you like it then?"
Ichigo finally managed to force words past the lump in his throat. "I – Yes! Thank you, Tsukabishi-san! Thank you so much!" A blink. "And Urahara-san! I need to thank him too!"
Tessai was quick to catch Jinta and Ururu as Ichigo drew back and darted down the hallway in search for the shopkeeper. The Shinigami's soft laughter followed Ichigo out of the door.
Without thinking, Ichigo pounced on the shopkeeper, who was still scribbling notes. "Urahara-san!"
The blond shopkeeper yelped when he suddenly had his breath squeezed out of him by red plated arms. Normally it would be a worst case scenario for a Shinigami, but Kisuke wasn't in any danger because Ichigo was too busy trying to express his utter glee and gratitude through the hug. The worst he would get was a mild case of asphyxiation.
"Urahara-san, thank you! Thank you so much!"
"Aww, Kurosaki-kun," Urahara whined as he was being swung around like a life sized plushy from the arms of a Hollow. "I can't work like this!" The man smiled at him, wriggling around till he could look Ichigo in the eye. "I take it you like it then?"
Wordlessly, Ichigo nodded.
Urahara chuckled, ruffling his long orange hair. "You'll need to come in every few weeks for me to make sure the body is aging correctly with you inside," he warned. "But you're very welcome, Kurosaki-kun."
Ichigo pressed what could be called the cheek of his mask to the top of Kisuke's hat, unable to express how much it meant to him that the man apparently had so much faith that Ichigo would become an Arrancar that he already had the gigai prepared before Ichigo even asked.
"Thank you so much…," Ichigo whispered, feeling like he could cry of joy right now.
There was no other future possible now. Ichigo would become an Arrancar. He would accept no other outcome.
He wouldn't let his friends down.
XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX
Later, when he arrived home and told everyone the good news, they all supported his resolve. That night they celebrated their plans for the future. It was a small celebration, with nothing really special, but it was fun and it was theirs, and at that point no one could have been happier.
They could only hope that it would last.
tenchou = shop manager. It's what Tessai calls Urahara most of the time.
Aaand I'm FINISHED! Well, with rewriting that is. Which means, next chapter will be entirely new. Yay!
Regarding the half day on Saturday: Japanese schools have by tradition lessons till midday on Saturday. Since 2002 this is no longer mandatory, but these classes are still available and a lot of schools push to make them mandatory again because of the rigorous requirements set by the Ministry of Education. Given the overall high marks within Ichigo's group of friends, I think it's likely that Uryuu, Chad, Orihime, and Tatsuki all attend these lessons.
Feel free to let me know what you thought!