Disclaimer: Bleach and all characters in it are the property of Tite Kubo and Shonen Jump. This fanfic is not being written for profit, but because I had this (hopefully) great idea for a story.
As before, reviews are welcome, as is constructive criticism. In the case of the later, be brutally honest, but don't be abusive, please. And flames will used to light fireworks this 4th of July.
(Happy 4th of July to Americans reading this, and those of you from other countries have an excellent time on that day as well!)
More people going Story Alert and/or Favorite Author; in this case it's JaeBard, shortazn97, siyentista, and chaosrin. I seem to be doing something right with this story; hopefully I won't blow myself up later...
"Jinteki Shakusetsu, Suzumebachi!"
As soon as she said the words, the zanpaktou began to glow in Sui-...no; she had to stop using that name, she had no right to it. Regardless, Shaolin's blade glowed with a soft light and then flowed onto her right forearm like molten metal.
The glow faded and she could see her forearm covered in black metal, the gold highlights glinting in the dim light of the cave she was in. Her middle finger was sheathed in more gold, a stinger that was connected to the bracer with a thin chain.
Her zanpaktou's shikai form having been brought forth...Shaolin...set herself to facing down the enemy. They were up ahead, five of them, and barely visible due to the dim light and the targets' own 'camouflage'.
But it didn't matter; she could see them well enough. And there was a part of her that wondered if what she was doing mattered even then...
The...ex-shinigami...focused, gathered her energies, and sent then into her body, but especially her feet. It was an exercise she was very good at, and it meant she was faster than anyone else.
Except Yoruichi-sama...
Sui-...no, Shaolin...whatever her name was, activated her shunpo and proceeded to her targets. She decided to be a little creative today...she was actually starting to feel boredom again.
Maybe Urahara-sama was right. Maybe she was getting a little better...
Shaolin made her way to the first target and jabbed it with her finger-weapon – her little stinger, she liked to think of it. Immediately, a large four-petal flower design grew from the point, covering much of the target.
She sped on to the next target, struck it, went to the next, struck it... Again and again until all five targets had the houmonka printed on them.
Faster than thought, she sized up the targets and then let out an even greater burst of speed, visiting each previous spot in succession again and again and again...
...and soon there seemed to be not one, but five young women in black – five Shaolins – standing in the cave, each one in front of a separate target. Without pause and in unison they each raised their own Suzumebachi and drove it into the heart of each houmonka.
Five voices whispered as one.
"Nigeki Kessatsu!"
She didn't have to openly speak the technique's name, in fact she disliked that fact, but it made the effect more powerful.
And the proof came as the houmonka on each target glowed and expanded. Even as she deactivated her shunpo and her 'clones' disappeared, the young assassin saw the targets enveloped by Suzumebachi's power. She tried to imagine Hollows screaming in horror as they realized their existence was about to be snuffed out.
She tried as hard to keep those images from being members of her own clan, but memories that fresh still came by often...
As it was, the targets silently accepted their fate, the houmonka on each one completely engulfing its target and then dissipating.
Some small part of...Shaolin...wondered whether Nigeki Kessatsu utterly destroyed the victim or merely sent it into another place. Maybe she would ask her zanpaktou's spirit about that one day...
But in any case, the targets were gone.
Five very troublesome boulders had been wiped from existence.
And Urahara-sama's cave had gotten a little bit larger-
"Nice performance, there, Sui-chan!"
"Yaahhh!"
Sui-...Shao-...whatever...practically jumped out of her skin at the sound of the former-taichou's voice maybe a dozen centimeters behind her.
Turning around with shunpo-like speed, she saw the blond man smiling calmly at her. She skittered away and then almost fell over trying to bow in front of him.
"My a...apologies, Urahara-sama, I didn't mean to-"
"Don't worry about it, Sui-chan. I've already had this place shielded, so we aren't going to be getting any unwanted visitors."
His tone was pleasant, but his words reminded the young assassin that she wasn't in her own gigai. She looked over to where it quietly sat on another rock, a perfect copy of her dressed in drab work clothes. Shaolin's 'twin' seemed merely to be asleep, the pick ax and shovel that were supposed to be used for the task of clearing out the cave sitting on the floor beside her.
Shaolin bowed slightly lower towards the man in front of her, and then practically ran to her gigai. Taking just a moment to center her self and align her energy with that of the body, she sat 'into' it and melded her spiritual self with the physical.
She opened the gigai's eyes – her eyes now – and stood up to see that Urahara-sama had moved to stand before her again. He'd long since traded in his shihakushou and taichou's haori for a simple green cotton shirt and pants. But he still had the bearing of a leader, even if an easy-going one and Shaolin found herself bowing to him again.
"I still want to apologize, Urahara-sama. I..."
"You were just trying to practice your shikai, weren't you?"
A wave of shame and disgust flowed through the young woman.
"Yes, I...was being arrogant, sir. It was wrong, and..."
"Sui-chan."
Shaolin paused at the words; there was no reprimand in them, just comfort...
"Would you look me in the eyes for a moment, Sui-chan?"
"But...I..."
"Sui-chan, we left our titles and positions back in Soul Society. And besides, you know the kind of guy I am; there's no need for this much formality."
Shaolin hesitated; she didn't want to do that. Decades of training and the etiquette of nobility demanded that she not.
But what did any of the matter now? That wasn't her world anymore...
She only had this place now.
Slowly, hesitantly, Shaolin straightened herself, and then she raised her vision to meet his eyes as he had requested. His smile broadened.
"See, that wasn't so hard, now was it?"
Shaolin could only manage a slight smile.
"I...guess not."
"Good. Now as I was saying, there's nothing wrong with practicing down here with your zanpaktou; I do it sometimes myself. Just be careful when you do, all right?"
"Or you'll sic the Vizards on me again?"
The former taichou made a mock-frown.
"You're going to hold that against me forever, aren't you?"
"Well, you did almost..."
The man shook his head.
"All I did was told them who you were...okay it was an accident...I mean it just slipped out...but still..."
'Slipped out'? You said I was from the Onmitsukidou...
It was when she'd first met the other Vizards; they hadn't been in a terribly good mood, and the idea of having an agent of the people who'd tried and condemned them put them in a worse mood.
Shaolin didn't remember the moments after that very clearly, simply because she'd had six irate taichous and fuku-taichous and a kidou master attack her at once; if it hadn't been for Sarugaki-san...
Shaolin wondered if the young Vizard was still being ostracized by her 'kin'; she hadn't been over in a couple of years...
"You did that on purpose."
"What was that?"
Shaolin took in a breath and sighed. What did it matter...?
"You told them what I was on purpose, you...you jerk."
Urahara looked at her with dramatic amazement.
"My goodness, Sui-chan: an emotion from you other than abject submission or utter depression! So you haven't completely broken, have you?"
Shaolin thought about that for a moment.
"I guess not."
Urahara smiled kindly, if a bit roguishly. He seemed to be coming out of a shell of his own.
"Good. And I didn't come here to give you a hard time about your work in the cave. Tell you what, get yourself upstairs and cleaned up and we'll talk."
Shaolin knew she looked unsure.
"Have I done something else wrong, Urahara-sama?"
Urahara looked hesitant, though more like he was trying to figure out what exactly to say than whether to say it.
"In a manner of speaking... I'll talk about it later, okay. And please, Sui-chan, try to at least call me Urahara-san?"
"I'll try...Urahara...san..."
The man beamed again.
"See, I knew you could do it! Now don't be late for supper, Sui-chan; I'm not quite sure what Tessai-san is cooking up there, but it smells delicious, and you don't want to miss any of that, do you?"
Shaolin shook her head and started for the ladder out of the cave when she stopped and looked at Urahara...san again.
"What is it?"
"Would you be willing to...call me...Shaolin-chan...Urahara-san?"
The man smiled sadly in understanding.
"You don't want to disgrace your ancestor anymore, is that it?"
She nodded.
"Yes; like you said, we gave up our titles when we left."
All that work...then one thing people didn't like...and it was all for nothing.
"All right, Shaolin-chan, I think we have ourselves a deal."
Shaolin bowed to her...boss, she guessed she could call him...and then headed up the ladder.
As she climbed through the trapdoor and into the building above, Shaolin couldn't help but marvel at her situation a little. That she should be a simple servant and worker at a general store was one thing; she could imagine what she was doing as 'undercover work'.
But to think of Urahara Kisuke, a man of noble blood, posing as a mere shop-owner...a merchant...
It made her shake her head. It wasn't so bad in the Living World now, but she knew only a scant half-century ago, and in Soul Society still, such people were considered the bottom of polite society.
In short, it was a perfect disguise; no one would look for them here. Or for Yoruichi-sama, for that matter...
The former head of the Shihouin-ke didn't visit often these days; or perhaps she came when Shaolin was asleep or away on chores. When the two women did meet...Shaolin couldn't keep the nervousness out of her soul and so stayed silent, while the older woman had gone from contempt to simply ignoring her former protégé.
Shaolin made her way down the short hall to her room, and then shut the door and started changing out of the work clothes. It wasn't a big place, and it was very plain, but it was hers; at least it was hers at Urahara-sam...san's pleasure. Though she still didn't trust him – and Sarugaki-san really didn't trust him – he'd proven to be kind enough, both as landlord and employer.
But did that kindness mean anything?
Yoruichi-sama had been friendly and kind to Shaolin when they were in 2-Bantai. Shaolin could remember many kind gestures and quiet moments with the woman she worshipped. They'd trained together...ate together...spent quiet moments during moonlit nights just sitting together...or just messed around together.
And yet...none of that seemed to matter in the end.
Kind gestures just seemed to be for momentary enjoyment, and had no lasting meaning. At least that was what she was beginning to think...
A very sad thought indeed.
Shaolin shook her head as she tied the obi around her black kimono and fixed her hair a little. She looked at her reflection in a small mirror and pronounced herself decent. And she started out of the room and to the dining area of the shop.
She dreaded what Urahara-san might want with her.
But she was looking forward to supper. She was hungry, a fact the gigai only accentuated, and Kisuke was right about whatever Tessai was making being excellent.
She could smell it in the air...
Shaolin could smell Hollow as she walked through the suburbs in southwestern Karakura. And it was taking everything she could muster to simply walk, since she had ideas about where any Hollow in this area would have been heading...
The ruins of the Kurosaki Clinic came into view, wooden walls splintered and glass shattered. Yellow police tape still surrounded the building, even though whatever had occurred had been long-since looked over and processed by the authorities.
The reiatsu was different for each individual, but all Hollows had a certain rotten or bitter tang to their 'scent'. And right now the scent of a fairly strong member of their kind lay underneath the smell of summer flowers and cut grass in the otherwise tranquil early evening.
As she came closer, Shaolin could see there was blood still impregnated into wood...the concrete sidewalk...the ground outside. It was the blood of the family that had lived there...
It helped that the Hollow reiatsu was weak and dispersed; whatever had happened, it had happened some time ago, so she would only be dealing with the aftermath. She didn't relish the idea of a full-on battle in literal broad daylight.
Ishida Ryuuken was standing there, immaculate in his white suit and blue necktie. She supposed he was there out of respect; the two of them and Isshin hadn't been together for years, but there was still a bond that needed to be honored...
It was just like a century ago with Yoruichi-sama, and many times after that.
One couldn't build anything stable, no matter how one tried. No matter how much effort went into it, no matter how many bonds one tried to forge, all it took was one event...a mistake...any little thing to tear it all down.
Even as she thought this, Shaolin could also sense the reiatsu of another...
It was the shinigami she'd sensed earlier today. So the woman had been here, actually doing her job for once...and she'd survived the encounter. Maybe things weren't so bad...
Maybe.
Standing some distance away from the ruined structure, a young woman looked sadly at what was likely her first failure. She had the full curves and earthiness of a woman of the Shiba-ke, and the black shihakushou of the Gotei 13; she had one hand on the zanpaktou on her side.
The woman's eyes were full of sadness, but her failure to protect the Kurosakis wasn't the thing that boiled Shaolin's blood. It was the fact that the stranger looked like she was having trouble with the concept of being upset over this...
Shaolin was getting near the Clinic now; another block or so and it would be coming into view. And as she took each step she was trying very hard to control her own movements, trying not to run or show the deep worry coursing through her.
Gods...please tell me they're all right...
She had already adjusted her bag so that she could drop it and use the reishi 'blade' at a moment's notice. Again, it wasn't that she expected combat now...but she hadn't expected to be running into a fight simply walking down the street earlier today, either.
As Shaolin made her way to the destroyed house, she noticed a black cat sitting calmly on the side of the road, unnoticed by anyone else. But it seemed to be looking at her with a mix of accusation and disappointment.
'You failed again, didn't you, Sui-chan...?'
A moment later, Shaolin turned the last slight curve in the road and saw her destination...and breathed a small sigh of relief.
The Clinic was still standing; there was no police tape or other signs of disturbance around it. And there seemed to be no sense that the building had been 'separated' from the rest of the community through tragic occurrence.
But she still couldn't be too careful; the reiatsu of both Hollow and newcomer shinigami were stronger here. In fact, as Shaolin made her way to the Kurosaki home, she could tell the shinigami's 'scent' was much stronger, much more recent...
The woman still came by here.
Much like the Urahara Shoten, the Clinic wasn't a terribly ostentatious affair. It was a large, two story house, although a large part of that was taken up by Isshin's business. The clinic's green and white-lettered sign was up above a pair of glass doors through which Shaolin could see a waiting room.
It had blown her away that a shinigami captain would take up the life of a general medic, but Isshin had always been a man of simple tastes. And it was a solid profession; even though the Gotei 13 dismissed them, people just about everywhere else she'd been appreciated a healer.
As she came closer, Shaolin couldn't seem to see anything wrong; there didn't seem to be anything out of place...
Then she saw a wall of the building, off to one side of the glass doors. The paint was new on that area, and she bet herself that the wood underneath was new as well; the sod and plants in front of the section had been replanted recently as well.
Most of the people around here wouldn't notice such things, but it was clear as the fading day to her.
"Hana?"
The mod soul took a moment to respond.
"Yes?"
"Scan the building for life-forms."
The gikongan paused.
"Do I look like a tri-corder to you?"
Shaolin paused herself and then sighed.
"Sorry, it's just..."
"Go up to the door and knock. If whatever answers it has a Hollow mask on, kill it, otherwise, let it live."
The ex-shinigami found she couldn't argue with that logic. Forgoing the glass doors, Shaolin headed to the side of the house; she needed to know the status of the family, and also to keep her visit a little more low-key.
There didn't seem to be anything wrong with the rest of the house, but the normality that had been a relief before was starting to get to her. As she came upon the side door to the house she tried to force back memories of houses and apartments that had been turned into private abattoirs by the Hollows.
Inside the house, there were gouges in the walls and broken furniture strewn about. Shaolin could even see a hole in the ceiling, right beneath where the twins' bedroom would have been on the second floor.
Shaolin walked up to the door and slowly placed a hand on it, and then pushed.
The rooms and hallways reeked of rotting flesh and Hollow, with the newcomer shinigami's reiatsu providing a mocking counterpoint. And then on the floor of the dining room...
The side door held firm.
Shaolin calmed herself a little. And then she reached over and pushed the doorbell.
Underneath a tattered poster of her mother, the body of little Kurosaki Yuzu lay. Blood covered her dress and the floor around her, and her face was contorted in a look of horror. She'd obviously never known what had killed her; she'd simply felt her body come apart for no apparent reason, the din of an alien roar in her ears as she'd died...
There was a muffled 'Coming!' from inside. A moment later, a perfectly fine and healthy Kurosaki Yuzu opened the door and beamed when she saw who was calling.
"Shaolin-obasan!"
Trying her hardest to keep the relief flooding through her off her face, Shaolin raised a welcoming hand and smiled at the girl.
Thank you gods...Thank you.
"Hi, Yuzu-chan. Is it okay if I come in? I know it's late, but I just got back in and I need to have a word with your father about something."
"I'm sure it's fine. And don't worry; you won't be a bother."
"Thanks."
Yuzu raced back into the house, while Shaolin walked in and shut the door behind her. The inside of the house looked no worse for wear than the outside; the place was as clean and tidy as it ever was.
Shaolin took a moment to breathe a more proper prayer of thanks to whatever gods had preserved this family; she was sure that if Yuzu was her usual chipper self, then the rest of the family was probably fine as well.
As she breathed in the air, though, the ex-shinigami began to realize which god she probably needed to thank. She could sense the remnants of the newcomer's reiatsu inside the house even more strongly than she had on the street.
And it was just as recent...
"So the newbie's living here now, huh?" She sighed and shook her head in bemusement. "Well, that answers one question, I guess."
"And maybe it's something else."
"Meaning?"
Hana paused for a moment.
"Are you going to be civil?"
"Is that why you've been silent this whole time?"
Hana paused again.
"You can be...hard to talk to when you are this agitated, Shaolin."
The assassin sighed; she could be a bitch when she got this upset.
"I'll be nice, Hana; I promise. Now what was it?"
The gikongan took another moment to gather its thoughts.
"This place was attacked by a Hollow recently, I am sure you have noticed. And you said on the way here that our newcomer has a reiatsu very much like Ichigo's. Doesn't that sort of say something?"
Shaolin closed her eyes and tried not to think of that; it would mean...
"Hana, let's wait and see for ourselves before we do anything. If Ichigo-kun's...well, I'd like to be sure before I go apologize to Masaki-san's gravestone."
As she entered the dining room, Shaolin could see Yuzu's twin sister Karin sitting at a table working on some homework. The two girls didn't look all that much alike despite their familial relationship; Yuzu was very much like her mother Masaki, including the light brown hair and eyes and the easy smile. It was something that tugged at Shaolin's heart and she was sure it hurt Isshin a little to see his wife's face in the girl...
Karin, on the other hand, was more like Ichigo in favoring their father's side of the family. And she also had her brother's power, though in a more controlled form; it still bothered Shaolin that Isshin didn't mind his daughter being quietly trained in reiryoku control, while forbidding such things for his more problematic son.
In any event, Karin was in Shaolin's opinion very much a girl of the Shiba-ke, with all that that implied. The ex-shinigami was sure in a few years that poor Orihime and Tatsuki would have a great deal of competition from the dark-haired Kurosaki daughter, on both the field and with boys...
The object of Shaolin's attention noticed her family's guest, smiled and then waved.
"Hey, obasan, back from your trip already?"
Shaolin nodded even as she started looking into her bag.
"I just got back in today, Karin-chan; just taking care of a little business before going home. How's school?"
Karin shrugged.
"It's okay, I guess; Yuzu seems to be enjoying it more."
"Yuzu-chan enjoys everything more."
All three females shared varying smiles at the comment as Shaolin pulled out a bag full of some honey-flavored candies. She handed one candy to each of the girls, and then set the bag on the table for the household to enjoy at its leisure. She listened to the customary first refusal from the girls, and then made a second offer of the omiyage, which was of course accepted.
She knew it was a small gift, but it brought smiles to the two girls that made Shaolin feel a little more at home.
"Thanks, obasan!"
"Yeah, thanks!"
Shaolin smiled at the two girls.
"Don't mention it. By the way, how's Ichigo-kun doing? Is high school still agreeing with him?"
Karin decided to answer that one, although she sniggered a little at the honorific.
"Ichigo-kun seems to be doing fine, at least we think. He hasn't gotten pounded by the locals as far as I know, or done any pounding himself."
Shaolin smiled at that.
"Well, give him time..."
"How about you ask them?"
Shaolin didn't respond out loud, but she decided to follow Hana's advice.
"Did anything happen recently that I should know about, something involving the wall that just got replaced?"
Yuzu's face got very serious.
"Yeah, there was this truck that crashed through the side of the building just a week ago. It was horrible, obasan!"
Karin shrugged, but even her face showed some concern.
"Yeah, it was a mess. Fortunately, nobody got hurt; we were all asleep upstairs when whoever it was plowed into the place."
Shaolin smiled and nodded her head at the information.
"The important thing is that all of you are all right."
And that none of you remember a thing, since all of your memories about the Hollow have been replaced...
She turned to face Masaki's 'memorial'.
I'd hate to see your kids traumatized, Masaki-san...
On one wall of the dining room a massive poster of Kurosaki Masaki was prominently displayed. The woman had a radiant smile on her face, a smile she'd had almost all the time Shaolin had known her, and on the borders were flowers of several kinds.
It was the way Isshin liked to remember his late wife, and Shaolin had to admit that she wished she could remember her that way too.
Not lying face down in the grass of a riverbank, the rain washing away the blood from a gaping wound in her back...
Shaolin shook the image from her head and instead bowed to the image, pretending to pray for her. She wanted the prayers to be genuine, but she knew nothing could be done for Masaki until-
"Oh, c'mon obasan, not you too..."
Karin's words cut through Shaolin's thoughts.
"What do you mean?"
The dark-haired girl shrugged.
"It's kind of stupid, you and dad falling all over that poster..."
Shaolin looked at Karin sadly.
"You mean you don't want your mother around?"
"No...it's not that...it's just..." Karin looked troubled. "I'm sorry, obasan, I-"
"It's all right, Karin-chan. We deal with things in our own way."
Yuzu looked at the tense situation and cleared her throat.
"Uhm...I know you came to talk with Dad, obasan, but did you also want to stay for dinner?"
Shaolin smiled and shook her head.
"I'm sorry but I can't right now, Yuzu-chan; I'm just going to take your father aside for a little bit, that's all."
Karin raised an eyebrow in interest.
"Well, Dad ought to be-"
Out of the corner of her eye, Shaolin could see a large mass hurtling through the air towards her. She turned and saw that it was the 'man' of the house, performing a flying kick that was aimed straight at her.
"Hellooooooo Ichig-"
Faster than she could think, Shaolin knocked Isshin's leg to one side; as he started to sail past her, she raised her arm up and elbowed him in the gut with enough force to send the larger man crashing to the ground.
"-ooooooooooooooooo!"
Karin sighed in frustration.
"Like I said, Dad ought to be doing what he always does..."
"Dad!"
Shaolin turned to the frightened Yuzu.
"Don't worry, Yuzu-chan, your father can take a beating."
The brown-haired girl still looked a little worried; Shaolin noticed that Karin was now only smiling and shaking her head.
The ex-shinigami turned her attention back to her friend and looked down on him – a rare treat given their difference in height. By now Isshin was recovering from his mishap and looked up at Shaolin with embarrassment.
"Oh, hey there Shaolin-san! I thought you were my son back from school."
Shaolin made sure to put a strained smile on her face, and put an equal amount of strain in her voice.
"No, I'm a guest who you tried to attack in your own home. Do you have any idea what kind of example you're setting for your children, you goofball?"
"And besides, you let her kick your ass in your own home."
"Karin...language."
The dark-haired girl looked appropriately chastened.
"Sorry, obasan."
Isshin was shaking his head as he picked himself off the floor.
"How do you do that? I can't ever get Karin to listen to me."
Karin rolled her eyes.
"Because she's not a goofball, she's cool."
"That's enough Karin; get back to your schoolwork."
Karin smiled wryly at Shaolin.
"Yes, okaasan, I'll be a good little girl."
Even as she cringed a little at the title, Shaolin could hear Yuzu chuckling in the kitchen; she turned to Isshin.
"Listen, Isshin-san, I need to talk to you...outside."
The man raised his eyebrows a little at the request, but then shrugged.
"Okay. Karin, Yuzu, I'll just be a few moments with Shaolin-san."
"All right, dad. See you later, obasan!"
"Yeah, see you, Shaolin-obasan."
Shaolin nodded to the two girls.
"Goodbye, girls. Don't worry, I'll be around."
With that, the assassin turned and headed back out the way she came, her erstwhile host following behind her. They quickly exited the Kurosaki home and made their way past another house before she stopped and turned to face him. Isshin only looked at her with curiosity.
"All right, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Shaolin looked at Isshin with deadly seriousness.
"A Hollow attacked you guys just recently, didn't it?"
"I don't k-"
"Don't give me any shit about this, Isshin-san! Your place stinks of the thing's reiatsu, and it smashed a hole in the side of your house. I thought all of you were..."
Isshin smiled calmly at her.
"We're fine, Shaolin-chan, as you can see. And Ichigo is too, before you ask."
"And you're not going to let me train him this time, either. Am I right?"
Now it was Isshin's turn to look serious.
"Are we going to have another fight?"
"Only if you keep being a stubborn asshole like last time. Look, it's not like I want to turn him into a shinigami or anything; I mean he's human so he can't do the things we do. But for crying out loud, he needs to learn how to control his power Isshin-san!"
Isshin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Shaolin-san, we're all right and we're not going to be in trouble anytime soon, believe me."
Shaolin pointed back at the Clinic.
"Yeah, I'm sure your cousin or aunt or...whoever will be able to protect you guys just fine..."
"Wait a minute, what did you say?"
Isshin actually looked stunned; Shaolin sighed.
"There's been a shinigami assigned to Karakura, Isshin-san. That's how serious the problem's going to be. And whoever it is, I'm pretty sure they're related to you; I almost had a run in with her earlier, and her reiatsu was a lot like Ichigo's."
The man shook his head, still looking a little floored.
"I'm sorry Shaolin-chan, but we haven't had any guests here lately; at least not while you were gone..."
Shaolin threw her hands up in defeat.
"All right, whatever..."
"You don't believe me?"
The ex-shinigami crossed her arms and glared up at him.
"It doesn't matter what I believe or don't, Isshin-san. The fact of the matter is that Ichigo-kun doesn't spend his life at home; any and all of his friends at school or, hell, the whole community, are endangered by him just being around."
"I don't want to-"
"I'm talking with Ichigo-kun, whether you like it or not. He's 16; he's old enough to handle this."
Isshin stared at her in disbelief.
"Handle what? That his old man is a death spirit; that he's some kind of freak?"
"Will you...!"
Shaolin took a moment to rein in her anger and continued.
"He has your level of strength, Isshin; he has the power of a taichou, but no restraints, no control. And he's proving the point of having the power of taichous and fuku-taichous sealed when they come to the Living World."
Isshin looked confused.
"I don't-"
"He's probably infecting people with his reiatsu right now, Isshin-san. And when that happens they'll be targets too." She sighed. "Even if you aren't worried about you own family, think about the community! You're a doctor, you know the best way to stop a problem like this is to treat it at its source as fast as possible."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Or has the last thirty years just been an act?"
"Come again?"
Seeing the look on Isshin's face, Shaolin inwardly cursed herself.
I stepped in it again, didn't I? Oh well, might as well go all the way...
"I know that you still care about Masaki-san, and I know you care about your family. But I also know you were a captain...almost a god compared to the people around us."
"You're kind of at that level yourself, if I remember correctly."
"Yeah, I am, but that's not the point..."
Isshin held up a hand.
"The point is I'm Gotei 13 and that we don't give a damn about people, just ourselves and a handful that strike our fancy. Is that about right?"
"Nothing is permanent; all is transitory..."
Shaolin sighed and turned away from her friend, even as the words came to mind from that day long ago.
"...what is built is cast down; what is forged is broken..."
"Being nice to someone doesn't necessarily mean you care about them, and doing good deeds doesn't keep you from being shunned..."
"...all who seek otherwise deny the way of the universe."
"Still going on with that line you won't tell anybody else?"
Shaolin turned enough to see Isshin wasn't angry, or at least didn't look it. He instead had a sadly sympathetic look on his face and was shaking his head a little.
"Yoruichi-san really screwed you up, didn't she?"
"I don't know... That was a long time ago, Isshin, and this is now."
She turned to face him again, though she had a little trouble looking him in the eye.
"Look, I'm going to do what I'm going to do. I want to protect your son, and I want to protect this community, and you know I'll do what I have to in order to do that. I don't want to lose you as a friend, but if I have to..."
Isshin sighed and rubbed the back of his head, though he still didn't look angry; he could be infuriating that way.
"You're as stubborn as you ever were, I see."
They stood there a few moments, and she wondered if she was going to get anything out of the man. Then he sighed and looked at Shaolin as seriously as she was looking at him.
"Shaolin...I don't like the idea of my son being dragged into our world." He held up a hand to stop the assassin's protest. "I know he's already halfway there because he can see ghosts and spirits, and I know that sooner or later he's going to get sucked in whether either of us like it or not. Masaki wouldn't have wanted that for him..."
Shaolin's shoulders slumped at mention of the name.
"You're right... And I don't like the idea of dragging anyone into this either...but Isshin..."
"You're right too; Ichigo is getting old enough to make his own decisions about life. So...tell you what: I'll let you talk to him about it. If he agrees to the matter, then I'd like to sit down with the two of you and we can have it out. How's that sound?"
She was pleasantly surprised; Shaolin hadn't expected to get this much out of the man. While she was a little suspicious, she was going to take whatever she could get. And at least they weren't yelling at each other this time.
"Thank you."
Isshin's smile widened, any seriousness in it vanishing.
"Now are you sure you don't want to stay for dinner, Shaolin-san? I know how you like Yuzu's cooking and Karin..."
Shaolin shook her head.
"No, I'm sorry Isshin-san. I need to get back to my house and get settled in, maybe stop by a couple more places over the next few days. But I'll be sure to come over sometime soon."
Isshin beamed.
"Great! Anytime you want, Shaolin-san, just come on in!"
And with that, Kurosaki Isshin started back to his house, Shaolin shaking her head in wonder at his back. He was such a hard man to figure out...
Maybe that was why-
"That was an interesting conversation."
"Don't even start, Hana."
"Maybe you should have been more aggressive back then; you might have gotten him to cave."
Shaolin sighed in frustration as she turned and began the trip north to Furin Hall.
"We were already screaming at each other, Hana. Being more aggressive wouldn't have helped, believe me."
"I wasn't talking about that 'back then'."
It took a moment for Shaolin to process that, and then she shook her head.
"You're as bad as Suzumebachi sometimes, you know that?"
Shaolin knew she was going to remember this evening for a very long time; and not in a good way.
As she came into the small room that had been set apart for dining, she could see Urahara-san and Tsukabishi-san sitting around a large meal that included her favorite fish. The aroma filled the room, and the small candles that were burning around the room gave the place a friendly and intimate air.
But Shaolin felt as uneasy as the evening atmosphere outside.
Yoruichi-sama sat next to Tsukabishi. And more to the point, on one side of the table the Vizard Hirako sat with a somewhat sullen look on his face.
The Vizards now considered him something of a leader, and they didn't like the idea of an Onmitsukidou agent near their home, worming her way into Urahara's confidence...
...and 'poisoning' Sarugaki's mind.
This would not end well.
Shaolin sat down in the 'open' space around the table and tried to keep her eyes down in a manner that at least looked respectful. She was sure she wasn't fooling anyone here, but it was the appearance that counted.
"Tessai, it never ceases to amaze me how well you can cook!"
Yoruichi-sama was as animated and charismatic as ever, though Shaolin noticed that the woman ignored her.
"Thank you, Yoruichi-sama, I do try with what I have available."
Yoruichi-sama paused as she picked up a bowl of rice.
"Oh please, Tessai, would you stop with the honorifics, already?" She swept her chopsticks around the room. "It's not like we need them anymore..."
"Nevertheless, I will continue to use them, ma'am. It's an affectation of mine, and a gesture of my personal respect in your case."
The woman sighed in defeat.
"Oh all, right...just for you. Kisuke, don't you even think about copying him."
Yoruichi prepared to dive into her food, even as Shaolin quietly gathered her own. She wasn't hungry anymore and just wanted to go to her room, but it would be rude to just leave.
"Now, anyway..."
"I think that's enough."
All eyes turned on the still-sullen Vizard, Urahara in particular.
"Hirako-san?"
"We have important, private matters to discuss. I thank you Kisuke for letting me barge in like this-"
Yoruichi-sama waved her chopsticks dismissively.
"You aren't 'barging' Shinji, I invited you."
Hirako bowed slightly.
"And I thank you, Yoruichi-sama. But the fact of the matter remains that we should get this matter of...her," he pointed at Shaolin, "taken care of. And then we can enjoy this sumptuous repast Tessai's been gracious enough to fix for us."
Shaolin continued to just sit and eat through the exchange, and then lifted her head as she felt Urahara's eyes on her.
"Shaolin..."
"Oh, you mean she's not using 'Sui' anymore; I'll have to remember that."
Kisuke tried to ignore Yoruichi-sama's words and focused again on Shaolin.
"I need you to leave Karakura for a while, Shaolin-chan. Just for a year or two, that's all."
The words were gentle, understanding...he knew he was delivering a hard blow, and it was obvious he didn't like it. For a moment she wanted to protest, and then considered who else was in attendance and decided instead on submission.
"Hai, Urahara-san."
Urahara kept the smile on his face and she tried to focus on that, and not Hirako or Yoruichi-sama.
"Look, don't think this is me wanting to throw you out or anything, it's just that you need to get out and do things. Tessai and me, the two of us could stay in a cave for years and love it as long as we had something to occupy our time.
"But you're more like Yoruichi here; being here is killing you, and I don't mean physically. I'm going to give you some money before you leave, something to get you started on. And like I said, I'd like it if you stayed away from here for at least a year so you can really spread you wings, so to speak."
Despite the kind words, she was almost sure that he had been pressured to the point of caving in by Yoruichi-sama or Hirako; probably both. She hated thinking it of her former mistress, but it was pretty clear after these few years that Feng Shaolin was no longer even wanted around.
Then again, who would want a 'former' Onmitsukidou agent in their midst?
Again, considering the situation and the company, submission seemed the only course.
"Hai, Urahara-san. I will do as you say."
The air in the room relaxed noticeably; Hirako in particular seemed to settle a little and a bit of a smile crept onto his face. He reached for his own set of chopsticks and a bowl.
"Well, now that that's settled..."
The rest of the meal passed without incident; Shaolin hadn't actually expected them to discuss anything important, and they didn't. It was all just trivialities or various news, with Yoruichi delighting the others with accounts of her travels, and Hirako talking about how his 'people' were settling in to their new home.
Shaolin simply sat in silence, eating her food and trying to enjoy the taste of it. She kept her head down as she didn't want to attract attention; she just wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible and leave.
After a while, she determined she had eaten enough food and stayed long enough to not be considered rude. Putting her chopsticks away, she bowed to the assembled guests.
"Thank you for the wonderful meal, Urahara-san, Tsukabishi-san." She turned to the guests and bowed to each in turn. "Thank you for your company, Yoruichi-sama, Hirako-sama."
Everyone nodded to her in return and she stood up to leave. She hoped down to the bottom of her heart that she wasn't showing any of the shame or...was it hatred?...in her heart.
"Pardon my rudeness, but I have an errand to attend to before I go to sleep. I wish you all a good night."
With that she turned and exited the room, the slightly troubled look in Urahara-san's eyes burned into her mind.
Shaolin walked quietly to her room, trying not to run or show any of the nervousness she felt. She needed to get out of here; the atmosphere was too confining for her tastes...
"Feng-san, you really are going somewhere?"
Innocuous words, but coming from the Vizard Hirako they froze the blood in her veins. That he was here on Yoruichi-sama's advice...it just made it worse. Shaolin schooled herself so as not to give the slightest possibility for Hirako to claim being insulted.
"As I said before, I am merely getting ready to go...on my..."
"Yes...your 'errand'." Hirako's genteel words dripped with sarcasm.
"Well, have a good time; and know that you will be watched."
Shaolin nodded.
Hirako then walked around to her front and made sure he held eye contact with her. He was still smiling his cat's grin, but it didn't reach his own eyes; there was only venom and hatred there.
"In the morning, you will leave." His words were still calm and quiet, but they carried the weight of an order. "As Kisuke-san said, you will take leave of Karakura, and we'd really prefer it if you left Nippon entirely..."
"...and never come back?"
Now there was some genuineness to Hirako's smile; it just made Shaolin even more uneasy. She wanted to run right then.
"Now I didn't say that...but it is a good idea. How about you capitalize on that, and we'll all be happy; especially Hiyori."
She said nothing as he proceeded to walk back around her and head back to the dining room. Then he paused.
"And Feng-san?"
"Yes?"
"If you do ever come back, make sure you bring an army with you."
"Yes, Hirako-ta...Hirako-sama."
She waited for the explosion. The Vizards hated their old titles being used, hated the fact that they were forever barred from Soul Society, hated their current existence. Kuna and Sarugaki tended to cry, some of the others would just stare hatefully at her.
Hirako tended to use sneering sarcasm, or just explode into a tirade when he thought nobody was looking.
But the honorific seemed to mollify him for the moment; he just continued on his way.
Shaolin stood there for a while, trying not to cry or notice the film of sweat on her body. As soon as she was sure it was all right she quietly walked to her room, gathered an umbrella, and made her way out the front of the shop.
"I need you to leave Karakura for a while, Shaolin-chan."
The words still tore through Shaolin as she made her way through the streets of Karakura. The skies were leaden gray today, and she knew it would only be a matter of time before the rain came and she would have to use the umbrella she'd brought with her. But she wasn't sure if she cared about getting wet anymore.
She wasn't sure she should care about anything anymore...
She just ran for...she didn't know how long, trying to ignore the reiatsu that were following her, trying to ignore Hirako's threat. Inside...she just wanted to blend in. She wished for once that she was just a normal human, that she could forget all of this, or only see it as an outsider.
But she was shinigami; it was as much race as vocation. She could not get away from that and could not get away from the demands and duties of her kind. The thought helped slow her flight and still her heart.
Even as she slowed down, it began to rain and Shaolin fumbled to open her umbrella. After a moment she gave up; it was raining too quickly and she was too upset. So she simply made her way under the awning of a nearby building.
As Shaolin tried to dry off a little and keep in the dry area next to the wall, she began to look at where she had taken refuge. It was one of the newer structures built in Karakura, made of plastered brick rather than wood and paper. She'd seen structures like this before, and once she'd even gone to the capital and seen the new buildings and fashions modeled after those in Europe...
That was it. She didn't entirely know where this 'Europe' was, other than it was the land many of the gaijin came from. And it was where all the new things in this country were coming from.
Why not go there and become a part of this new future, much as Nippon was celebrating a new emperor?
She had come here to the Living World, mistakenly it turned out. She'd tried to fit in; again she was mistaken. And she thought she'd had friends...
Now she had no one...and no one wanted her.
Fine; she would leave them all, if that was what they wanted.
She would leave Urahara; leave Tsukabishi, Sarugaki, and the Vizards...all of them.
And especially Yoruichi.
She would go someplace where maybe she could forge her own destiny, and maybe find something new to belong to...
Thanks for the review, DarkScyther, it's very much appreciated.
I do indeed intend for Tatsuki to get some powers (I'm still mulling over what to give her, but I have a pretty good idea).
As for Shaolin/Sui-Feng's behavior, consider that this Sui-Feng hasn't spent 100 years stewing in her own hatred and thirst for vengeance. She's had hard times in her life, and there are still plenty of scars, but she's a very different woman in this timeline.
And as for the bold text in this chapter, a hint:
Isshin's Final Getsuga Tenshou had to have been used on something...