Talk, huh?
I never had heard a sentence like this come from my goat-faced father before, but I didn't mind.
If he wanted to talk, than let's do right that.
"Ok. What about?"
I asked him while I walked over to the kitchen to pour me a glass of water, that I gulped down in no time, followed by a second and a third one.
Wow, I really had been thirsty, must have been because I told and Shiro so much.
When I came out of the kitchen again, my dad still sat on his place and studied me.
I looked back and raised an eyebrow in question.
"So?"
I asked, waiting for him to start already.
He sighed and finally spoke.
"I'm worried Ichigo. You leave the house and come back late at night. You don't talk with me about anything, and just this afternoon you came home with a load of shopping bags in your arms, just to disappear again an hour later and now you stand here in some fantasy-combat-cowboy outfit at what, 11 pm, and act like it's the most normal thing in the world."

I listened to his rant, somewhere in the middle of it I got out of my coat, threw it over the back of the sofa and walked around it to sit next to my dad.
His gaze zeroed in on the short blade at my thigh and his rant was stopped for a second.
"Wait, is that a blade? Ichigo, what the hell is going on with you? You changed so much since you met this Shiro person."
"Hold the train right there. Shiro has nothing to do with this, well not much. Anyway don't blame him for this."
I emphasized the word, while pointing at my getup.
My dad nodded his understanding and opened his mouth, possibly to ask a question that I guessed I knew already, so I stopped him before he uttered anything.
"I don't think that I can tell you anything. It's very complicated and crazy."
The look my father gave me at my explanation was something I couldn't quite decipher and than he suddenly smiled.

"You've become a slayer, right?"
To say my eyes were wide as dinner plates, was an understatement.
"How...How do you know about this?"
Just when the question had left my mouth, I felt like an idiot.
There was just one way that he could know.

Kisuke told him.

"Do you remember what I told you kids about, how I met your mother?"
I nodded, yeah, so what did the one thing have to do with the other.
"Apparently the story wasn't entirely true. Let me tell you the whole story."

I waited, while he sorted out his thoughts.
"Let's start with how I met Kisuke. It was when I had gone to Germany for my medical study. I met the blonde at a cafe near the campus. I had ordered a coffee, which I emptied over his shirt when I turned around to head over to a table. Out of habit I apologized in Japanese to him, but he understood and we got into conversion. I learned that he was on a business trip and came from Tokyo. We befriended easily and kept in contact. I had offered him to come and visit me when I were back home and he did. After that we didn't see each other for some years. It was when I had just recently opened my clinic, that we saw each other again. In the middle of the night someone knocked at my door, when I opened it Kisuke stood there, with a bleeding woman in his arms. He just looked at me and I immediately led him to the clinic rooms and treated the woman. I discovered some bite wounds on her throat and asked Kisuke about it. He couldn't lie to me, so he told me everything and I believed him. When the woman woke up and looked at me, it was love at first sight, for both of us. The woman was your dear mother, Ichigo and she had been attacked by a Vampire, that's why I know about it."

I was shocked, to tell the least.
My mother had been a Vampire victim and survived it, thanks to the blonde slayer.
"I am a slayer dad. I'm sorry to make you worried, but I thought it would be better to keep you in the dark, to protect you all."
"It's alright Ichigo. I'm glad to know that you're in safe hands when you are out there. Maybe it is fate that you became a slayer."
Maybe it was, who would know that but the masterminds behind this game.

"So, what's with that Shiro?"
I hesitated and studied my dad, to weight the possibility to get out of this unharmed.
"I'm kind of dating him. I mean I love him and the feeling is mutual I think."
My dad smiled at me, he seemed to be happy that I found someone.
"I'm glad about that, but that isn't quite what I asked about. I want to know what he is."

Fuck me sideways, what should I say now?

"He...damn, does it really matter? Whatever he is, he wouldn't ever harm me, dad."
A unwavering look was all I got, but I held against it, until the goat-face gave in with a sigh.
"It's your decision who you are with. I'm sure if he'd try to hurt you, you can defend yourself. Just be careful, Ichigo."
I rose from my place, grabbed my coat and walked to the stairs, saying to my dad, before heading them up.
"Thanks dad."
I was glad that my dad let everything go and didn't try to press anything out of me.

Just when I had grabbed some clothes to change into and had pulled my dark shirt off my body, my mobile went off.
Throwing the piece of clothing onto the floor, I fished for the device, flicking it open to answer the call.

"Yeah."

"Kurosaki-san, Sorry to disturb you but could you come back to the base please? We got a case that needs to be taken care of."

"I hope for your own safety, that it isn't a late night shopper again."

"No, no. Actually it's a whole nest of insane blood addicts. We need everyone to help."

"Ok, I'll be there in twenty."

I ended the call, remembering that Shiro had mentioned a nest as well and he hadn't sounded like he liked the slayers plans.
Were they really trying to fool me?
Well, just in case I'd tell Shiro, so I'd have some reinforcement in case the others planned to slaughter innocent Vampires again.
I send the albino a short text, in which I also asked him to stick onto our heels once we left the base and hold a distance of fifteen meters, so I could be sure that only me could sense his presence.
Redressing in my dark shirt and putting my coat on I gave my weapon a final check, than headed down, made a little detour to the kitchen to drink some water, again, and finally left the house, not without telling my dad goodbye and that Kisuke had called.

On my way to the base, Shiro arrived to join me.
We shared a look, and he knew how he'd had to act if anything went the wrong way.
Like I had told the blonde slayer, I arrived after twenty minutes, finding everyone in their combat clothes and putting their weapons in place.
No one spoke a word and so we headed out in silence toward the south, Shiro in our back, unbeknownst to the others.
Kisuke led us until after some miles he stopped and pointed at an empty factory.
"There is the nest."
He told looking at me, while I tensed, feeling Shiro walk around to the factory holding his distance to us, so I'd notice, before he left my radar to hide in the farther shadows.
That was my sign that those Vampires weren't a thread and I felt anger rise in me.

Some of the Vampires inside must have felt us and Shiro approach and left the empty building.
The others drew their weapons, aiming at their enemies and I did as well, just to pretend.
Kisuke stood at the front, flanked by Neliel and Shuuhei, behind them were Ishida and Renji and behind those two was where I stood, waiting for what would happen.

I felt Shiro enter my radar again and come closer, until the others could see him.
They tensed and Renjis finger must have been really nervous, because he fired at one of the watching Vampires, hitting her in the forehead.
Our leader looked back at him, in a scolding manner, but he just shrugged.
"Would've died anyway."
He mumbled.

Shiro looked back to the female Vampire and the growing puddle of blood underneath her dead body.
"Tch. You never change, damned slayers."
I surprisingly heard him mumble to himself, before he spoke up, loud enough for the others to hear and make my ears ring.
"What are you doing here, aiming your weapons at a peaceful colony of my kin?"
The albino hollered at them and I felt he anger wafting around him.
It made me feel strange.
I could smell the blood in the air, making my stomach turn and me feeling really sick.

No one of the others bothered to answer Shiro, but all aimed their weapon at him.
Kisuke looked shortly at all of us and the others must have understood the silent command, because Neliel and Shuuhei circled around Shiro from two sides, who didn't move an inch, into his back and toward the colony.
Renji moved forward to flank the blonde, Ishida stayed in the back row and I behind him.
All the while Shiro stayed where he was.
When Neliel and Shuuhei attempted to move closer to the colony he let out a growl, than disappeared from my sight for a second, before I found him, standing behind Neliel, holding her captured, with talon like fingernails placed at her throat.
"Move just one more step and her head rolls to my feat before you can even lift a finger."
He warned Shuuhei and pressed one of his talons against Neliels sensitive skin, making a little drop of blood well up, to underline his words.

Neliel stood calmly in her captures arms, as if her life wasn't in the Vampires hands and Shuuhei froze in his place, lowering his daggers.
Shiro turned his attention toward us remaining ones.
"Anyone mind to explain? If I hadn't been informed wrong, you wanted to talk things out with us, but now you stand here at the ready to attack those who haven't done anything wrong. Why is that?"
"Who told you that they didn't? If I'm correct you don't normally keep an eye on your kin so close that you would know who's guilty and who not."

'But you don't know either.'
I thought and I felt anger rise in myself.
Shiro had been right, they promised me something that they deceived behind my back and on top they tried to fool me and pull me into the fight.
I chose to step out of their rows and side with Shiro, but as I attempted to move I started to feel really sick.
My head spun and a thousand smells attacked my nose, that I felt like I walked through a perfume store.
The last thing I noticed, as I sunk on one of my knees, was the shocked look in Shiros face.

Chapter 14
End