Author's Note:
Alternate title to this chapter: "Family business should not be interrupted".
Since last chapter was a bit more on the shorter, filler-ish side of thing, this chapter is a good bit longer to make up for it - that, and it has some new details, as you'll see.
The alarm clock went off with that irritating, screechy sound it always had, and Ichigo woke up. After suppressing the urge to smash the alarm clock- he really should just use his cellphone for this- he sat up, and looked around the room. He ran a hand through his hair, rubbed his eyes, and yawned. This was Saturday- why wasn't he sleeping in?
Oh.
It was that day already, wasn't it?
Getting out of bed, Ichigo put on some clothes, and walked down to have breakfast. Today, the day of days that made his mother so moody each time. The day he and his sisters would go to visit his father's grave.
He never knew him. He had died shortly after Yuzu and Karin had been born, at which point Ichigo was only almost four years old. He knew his name was Isshin, and his mother had described him as tall, dark haired and with a bit of stubble, but strangely there had never been any pictures preserved. He guessed there was more to it than his mother was telling him, but that was a can of worms to open for another day. Still only half awake, he poured himself some coffee- there was a pot of it in the kitchen, still warm- and with that first cup, he moved on to breakfast.
"You're late, nii-chan." It was Karin, scolding him.
"Lay off me." He grunted. "I want to see how you get up on Saturday mornings once you're in college." While it wasn't entirely true that school work had been keeping him up last night – it had actually been a hollow with some very annoying timing – it still made a very valid excuse.
Karin snorted. "Nah, I really doubt that I'll ever forget this day over me being so caught up in school, unlike a certain brother of mine."
"Whatever." Ichigo said, rolling his eyes. "Is Yuzu going to come along with us?"
"Yeah, she was able to convince mom that she was feeling well enough to come. I guess even mom had not allowed, it she'd have come along, anyway... you know how much this day means to her."
Ever since Ichigo had been old enough for his mother to allow him to take care of his sisters for a while, it had been a tradition of sorts between Ichigo, Karin and Yuzu to visit their father's grave on the anniversary of his death. Their mother had only accompanied the three in the years before Ichigo was old enough, and had stayed at home in the years ever since. Ichigo supposed that this was because she preferred grieving by herself, or because she was still bitter towards their father for leaving her alone – he could only guess.
For Ichigo and his sisters, this day had always been one to forget what other problems were plaguing their lives, to spend some quality time as siblings together, and wonder what life would be like if their father were still alive. The fact alone that Yuzu was able to come home in time for this day made him even happier than he already was about her recovery, though he did his best to not show this to anybody (and Rukia in particular).
Yes, today was promising to be a wonderful day, Ichigo thought... when Rukia entered the room, wearing her borrowed pajamas, and looking about as sleepy as Ichigo felt.
"What's with all the ruckus over here, in the middle of the night?" She asked, after letting out a long yawn
The fact that Rukia, of all people, complained about lack of sleep, after only boasting that she barely needed to sleep in her Gigai did fill Ichigo with a certain sense of glee.
"It's almost eleven, Rukia." He said, grinning. "Look outside. The sun's up, and time's a-wasting."
"Whuh?" Rukia said, still not quite awake.
"See ya." Ichigo said, walking out, a smile on his face.
"Whurrur ya goin'…?" Rukia mumbled. "You got some hot date or somethin'?" She yawned wide.
"Sort of. I've got some business to take care of, and it's not something you can interrupt even for a hollow."
"Wait, what?" Rukia said, suddenly sounding sober. "That's not-"
"This is a family thing. Nothing gets in the way, even if it means some souls get lost."
"What, for a date?!" Rukia sneered. "You-"
"Said 'date' involves me pushing Yuzu's wheelchair uphill for several miles uptown." Ichigo said, his tone firm. "This is family business. No interruptions, not for anything."
"Uh… okay?"
"Good." With that, Ichigo walked out. Lunch was packed, and it'd take a while to get to the graveyard.
oOo
Rukia watched the three of them leave. Ichigo had seemed so different- so serious, in a more direct way than usual. No snark, no projection of a macho image, just… seriousness. Whatever this was, it meant something to him.
"Rukia-san?"
It was Masaki. The two of them hadn't interacted much, but she seemed like a nice enough person. Putting on her best actor's façade, Rukia chirped,
"Good morning, Masaki-san!"
"You're wondering what Ichigo goes off for, don't you?" There was nothing accusatory about her tone, but Rukia decided to play it calmly nonetheless.
"Oh, it's none of my business." She smiled wide. "He seemed so serious- it was almost funny!"
"It's so like him, going off to do his own thing, not even telling his friends what it is. He's so…" She shook her head. "He's a lot like his father."
"His father?"
"His… dead father. It's his grave they're going to."
"…oh. I had no idea. I'm so sorry." Rukia said. She knew the father was absent, but she had heard nothing, and had decided not to pry.
"Not as sorry as I am." Masaki said, her voice melancholy. She looked to Ichigo's nightstand. Rukia winced- her glove was lying there, the one she used for emergency shinigami form. She bit her lip as Masaki took a seat on Ichigo's bed, and picked it up.
"So it happened anyway…" Masaki said, and there was the most tragic, pained look on her face.
"Masaki-san?" Rukia said, sounding innocent.
"Kuchiki Rukia." Masaki said. "I knew that family name was familiar the first night you came here; I just couldn't place it. Then it struck me the other day- it was one of the names hementioned from time to time, when he'd had a bit to drink and was a little less secretive."
"I don't understand, Masaki-san-"
"I struggled to keep him away from this, do you realize this? I know what his father was, shinigami." Rukia, shocked, simply shut her mouth and kept quiet. Acting could only take her so far. "I know about ghosts. I know about the masked monsters, and the sword-carrying idiots who fight them. You're one of them too." She threw the glove into the wall. "I raised him to not believe in anything that he couldn't see because of it. But now you've come here, and now he's involved in it anyway."
"I- I- I- th-that's absurd, Masaki-san!" Rukia said, her voice almost shrill.
"I do his laundry, Rukia-san." Masaki shook her head. "There's been blood in it this last month, every now and then. First I thought- hell, even hoped he was out fighting thugs, but…" She shook her head. "You stay away from my son, shinigami. If he ends up like his no good father, if he ends up dead doing something amazingly stupid and incredibly heroic, I will endyou. I don't care what it will take, but I'll get you for it. Understood?"
Stunned, Rukia simply nodded.
"And don't tell Ichigo. He doesn't know that I know, and it stays that way. You're going to find a way out of this, by yourself. My family must stay safe."
"I- it's safer now than it was before!" Rukia blurted out.
Giving Rukia a look of pure venom, Masaki quietly walked out. Looking after her, Rukia swallowed. So far, she had believed that Kurosaki Masaki had just been a gentle, caring mother. Seeing her bare her fangs like this was something that she didn't see coming at all – it did, as a matter of fact, even scare her. Her threat had definitely been effective.
And how did she, a human, even know the term 'shinigami'? Humans who could see souls weren't unheard of, and it wasn't unbelievable that if she was one of them, she might have seen a hollow or a shinigami- but she had called Rukia what she was, and…
Had Ichigo's father, too, been a shinigami? That would explain a lot.
But then again, it was still no reason to get all worked up. Despite what Masaki might think, Rukia had no intention to drag Ichigo further into the shinigami business than absolute necessary. It would only be a matter of time before Rukia would regain her own shinigami powers, and once that moment came, she'd off as quickly as possible... at least, that's what she kept telling herself. Just as she had told Ichigo several times already, staying with him in the world of the living was surprisingly fun, a welcome change to the daily routine in her job as shinigami. No matter how fun it was, though, Rukia couldn't allow herself to get too used to the situation, to Ichigo and his friends. She couldn't get too attached to anybody here.
And yet, she had the uncanny feeling that she was failing at this.
Trying to keep her mind off these unpleasant subjects, Rukia's look fell on the glove that Masaki had thrown at the wall. Right now, the only thing, she was alone at home with Masaki, who was quite obviously not in the best of moods... not exactly the most promising premise for this noon. After witnessing Masaki's outburst, Rukia figured that it would be for the better if she were to leave the house, which in itself didn't present too many other options.
Rukia sighed. In the end, there was only one option that was really worth taking it, anyway.
oOo
"Hey, you three! Wait for me!" A voice echoed through the previously blissfully silent street, all the way to Ichigo, Karin and Yuzu. Trying his best not to grimace, Ichigo stopped, and turned around, Karin following suit. Just as Ichigo had feared, the voice did indeed belong to Rukia, who was following the three of them, sprinting so that she would be able to catch up with them.
"Kuchiki-san? What are you doing here?" Karin asked once had caught up to them, and was catching her breath, while Ichigo was doing his best to suppress the urge of hitting her on the head for disturbing him today, of all days.
"I thought... I could use this... opportunity... to see some more... Japanese culture... if you... don't mind, that is." Rukia replied, while panting heavily. At least she didn't exhaust her ability to come up with decent lies on the fly...
"That's a wonderful idea!" Yuzu exclaimed, who had taken quite a liking in Rukia. "Can she come along, Ichi-nii? Please?"
Ichigo grit his teeth. With Yuzu asking him, it was already as good as decided – he'd never be able to turn down any of her requests. "Well, as long as she doesn't disturb us too much, I don't see why not..." He said, giving Rukia a meaningful look.
"Don't worry, I'll try my best to not disturb you three." Rukia assured, with an equally meaningful look. Good. At least she'd try.
What followed this were several minutes of a fairly awkward silence, in which Ichigo was pushing Yuzu's wheelchair, with Rukia walking besides him, and Karin walking besides her sister.
"Say, Kuchiki-san..:" Yuzu suddenly interrupted the silence "do you have any siblings yourself? Any brother or sisters?"
Before she answered, Rukia hesitated for a moment. "I... do, actually. I have a brother who's... several years older than me. He... already has a job, but he lives rather close to my home."
Ichigo quickly turned his head towards Rukia, a questioning look on his face. Without looking at him, Rukia nodded – so she was apparently speaking the truth, and really had an older brother at this Soul Society place?
"Oh, really? What does he work as, Kuchiki-san?" Yuzu asked cheerfully.
"He is... working for the military. He has a... fairly high rank for his age and always has lots of things to do, so I don't exactly see him very often." Even though Rukia was speaking rather slowly, clearly trying to think of ways to best paraphrase everything in unsuspicious terms, Ichigo couldn't help but to notice that there was a hint of... well, something in her voice. Bitterness? Disappointment?
"Oh, I see... then, what is he like, your brother? Is he similar to you?"
Again, Rukia hesitated a bit before she replied. "I suppose... he does look a tiny bit similar to me. As far as personality goes, though, he's... different. He is usually very distant, and barely shows his emotions. He's also... very strict, and takes... family traditions very seriously."
"Sounds like he has a stick up his ass." Ichigo grunted.
"Ichi-nii!" Yuzu chided.
"No, I… I suppose you would put it that way. He's very strict, but he's a good person."
"See?" Yuzu said. "There's nothing wrong with being a bit traditional."
"There's a lot wrong with that…" Ichigo said quietly, scowling at Rukia.
"What was that?"
"Nothing, Yuzu…" Ichigo couldn't possibly say anything against Yuzu; he hadn't the heart. Grudgingly, he pushed the wheelchair, and with Rukia in tow, the four of them headed toward the Karakura graveyard. After they had gone a mile or so, Ichigo stopped, stepping aside.
"Ichi-nii?" Yuzu said.
"I just need to catch my breath a bit." Ichigo said, stepping back just long enough that he could speak quietly to Rukia without his sisters hearing, pulling her along with him. Karin raised ana eyebrow, but stayed with Yuzu.
"So what do you think you're doing?" Ichigo said. "This is a family matter, I toldyou-"
"I know why you're going." Rukia said plainly. "Your mother told me."
"So what? It's still none of your business!"
"You're going to a graveyard. It's not unlikely there will be a ghost, and where's there's prey there's predators. What will you do if a hollow comes down on your sisters, huh?"
"I have a gikongan."
"Oh? Where?"
"Right here." Ichigo dug in his pocket. When he seemed to find nothing, he dug deeper, finally letting out a curse.
"What would you do without me, Ichigo?" Rukia said, holding up the gikongan, which she had brought with her from his room.
"Live my life like a normal college student?" Ichigo grumbled. "Fine- you can come with, but when we get to dad's grave, you stay away."
"Of course." Rukia nodded. "I know we don't always get along that well, but… I'm not going to intrude. My manners aren't that bad."
"Good." Ichigo said, and walked back to the wheelchair. Even though the sun was shining down relentlessly on Ichigo and the others, temperatures were rather high, and pushing Yuzu's wheelchair was exhausting him more than any of his recent fights did, Ichigo did not complain. He wouldn't have it any other way, not today.
The Karakura graveyard was located on a hall at the outskirts of the village, surrounded by a small forest. Since the graveyard was fairly remote, it was barely visited, and today was no exception to this: Ichigo, Yuzu, Karin and Rukia were the only people on the graveyard. Save for their footsteps, and the noises causes by Yuzu's wheelchair, the place was entirely silent.
As it turned out, the pathways between the graves were too narrow for the wheelchair, so that Yuzu had to walk by herself, supported by Karin and Ichigo. Just Rukia had promised, she stayed behind with the wheelchair, and let the siblings go to their father's grave by themselves. Once they got to the grave, the three of them sat down, and began to pray for their father... well, Karin and Yuzu did. Ichigo just sat there, and stared at the grave. In the previous years, he would always pray for his father, like his sisters did, but now, that he knew what the afterlife was like... was there really a point in doing so? Could these prayers even reach Soul Society, and tell the deceased people that their loved ones still cared for them?
Suddenly remembering something, Ichigo stood up. "Could you two please wait here for a moment? I just remembered that there's something that I wanted to ask Kuchika-san."
Not even awaiting their answer, Ichigo left his sisters, and walked back to Rukia, who was still waiting for them at the wheelchair – well out of Yuzu's and Karin's hearing range.
"Hm? Is something the matter, Ichigo?" Rukia asked, as she saw Ichigo approach him.
"Well, sort of." He said quietly, as to not alarm Yuzu and Karin. "I just remembered something that I have been meaning to ask you for a while now, but that I never really got around to ask you."
"And... what would that be?"
"A quite simple question, actually. In that Soul Society place of yours, did you ever run across somebody named 'Kurosaki Isshin'? Tall, dark haired guy, has a bit of a stubble, smokes?"
For just a second, he could see something like hesitation. A sharp intake of breath, probably involuntary- and then she replied, sounding as natural as ever,
"…no."
"Not a one?"
"Your father is probably up there, Ichigo- along with billions and billions of more souls. The Soul Society is a large place, and most people don't find one another in the afterlife."
Ichigo took a good, hard look at her. If something was off, she wasn't showing it. "So… it's a happy place up there, only you don't get to spend it with your family?"
Rukia made a face. "I really shouldn't be telling you details- but yes, it's not really ideal. Most souls tend to lose memory when they pass, too- souls usually form adoptive families or small clans instead. Wherever your father is, he probably isn't lonely."
"…that's good, then." Ichigo said at last.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help." She sighed. "I'm sorry to break your illusions of what the afterlife's like."
Ichigo shrugged. "Before this, I didn't even believe there was one. It's still a good place, right?"
"Most of the time." Rukia said quietly. "It uh, is a bit like life here on earth."
"So you die only to live the same shit twice? If there is a god, he has a twisted sense of humor." Ichigo grunted. "Never mind- I'm going to go pay my respects. See you."
With that, Ichigo walked over to his father's grave, saying a silent prayer to whatever deity might listen.
oOo
Once the three of them had finished their prayers, they left their father's grave behind, and made their way to the grave's shrine together with Rukia. Since the way to the graveyard took them a rather long time, Ichigo and his sisters would stay a little while before they headed home. Today was no different from this – due to the high temperatures, and Ichigo having to push Yuzu's wheelchair, staying around to rest for a while was even more necessary.
The general atmosphere on the graveyard was wonderfully calm, Yuzu and Karin were caught up in a sisterly conversation, and Ichigo was already considering to just take a nap... when suddenly Rukia demanded his attention by poking Ichigo. Not for the first time, Ichigo began to wonder just how exactly she always managed to have something to talk about when he just wanted to relax, or otherwise mind his own business – it was as if she had a sixth sense, just for detecting these opportunities.
As Ichigo gave her the kind of glare that he, over the past few weeks, had more or less reserved for her, Rukia gestured away from Yuzu and Karin, seemingly wanting to talk about something that they shouldn't be hearing. Carefully, as to not catch Yuzu's or Karin's attention, Ichigo and Rukia moved slowly away from them, and went away from the shrine.
Once both of them were gone, Yuzu and Karin interrupted their conversation, and looked in the direction that Ichigo and Rukia had gone.
"Soo... they really are together, aren't they?" Yuzu stated more than she asked.
Karin nodded. "Pretty much. And they're still trying to fool everyone, as if we didn't see them act like an old couple..."
"Should we go after them?" Yuzu suggested.
"Nah, not yet. First, we eat."
"What is that you want this time? Did you receive another mission? I thought I told you; today I'm not doing anything like that today! And just how the hell does it come that these things always attack when it's the most inconvenient for me?! I need some time to relax, dammit! I swear, one of these days you'll walk in on me using the toilet, just because you got a mission!" Ichigo loudly complained.
"Calm down, Ichigo! I didn't get a mission, not this time."
"Then what else is wrong?"
"Well, nothing is wrong per se, it's just... there's something weird about this graveyard. It's too empty. Normally, on a graveyard of this size, there's at least two or three spirits roaming about, but this one... it's absolutely empty. As if there's something here that has disposed of all the spirits."
"Or this graveyard just so happens to have no spirits at all." Ichigo rolled his eyes. "God, to drag me all the way out here, just because you had a suspicion..."
"Take this seriously!" Rukia snapped. "This is a graveyard- there should be spirits here! Plenty of them too! Doesn't this tell you something?"
"Could be natural."
"Could be, but highly unlikely. Think, Ichigo. If there's a hollow here, then it's not just you and I, but your sisters too who are at risk!"
That got his attention, at last. "I won't let them be hurt."
"Good." Rukia nodded. "This is exactly why I came. Hollows can pop up any time, and they don't care about respects or special dates."
"Is there any way to tell?" Ichigo flexed a little, feeling uncomfortable. "I don't want to interrupt this, not today..."
"If I had my powers, I could probably sense it. You can't."
"I could try."
"Wouldn't work if it was hiding in its home dimension until it was time to hunt, anyway." Rukia shook her head. "Be on the alert. That's all we can do for now. I'll keep an eye out."
"Right." Ichigo said. "So, I should head back-"
He was cut off by a cry, a muffled scream coming from the shrine. The noise was abrupt, and stopped as soon as it had begun, but it was enough to set Ichigo off. "Gikongan! Give me that damn pill, right now!" He said sharply. Rukia fumbled with her pocket, quickly pulling out the gikongan. Ichigo snatched it from her, almost choking on the pill as it went down. As he popped out of his body, he rushed towards the shrine.
oOo
Karin couldn't breathe. That thing, whatever it was, was pressing her down to the ground. She had cried out, but had had the air knocked out her lungs. She looked around quickly, struggling feebly against the overwhelming power holding her down- Yuzu was at least untouched for now, though it looked like she had fainted?
Ichigo, where are you?!
But just as it had to be expected, no help, no answer came. The thing – an enormous, green hamster-like monstrosity with talons for legs, a limb resembling a tentacle hanging from its forehead, and an eerily grinning white mask for its face – slowly lifted Karin up, and, to hear even greater shock, began to speak.
"Today must be my lucky day! To believe that a human with such a spiritual pressure would pass by... you will make a fine meal!" The creature screeched.
Closing its grasp around Karin, the creature slowly lifted her off the ground, raised her at least three feet into the air... before violently smashing her into the ground. A fierce pain, worse than anything that she ever felt in her entire life, shot through her body, and somehow she knewthat that hit had broken some bones.
And then, suddenly the pain was gone, and... Karin was looking down on her body?
What was going on?
But there was no time for wondering about that. Once again, the monster made its move to get hold of Karin – her conscious self. Fear dominating her entire thinking, Karin simply turned around, and started to run – when suddenly, a black flash shot past her, towards the monster!
"GET AWAY FROM THEM!"
Ichigo slammed into the creature foot first, sending it backwards. The creature staggered, stepping back, away from his sisters.
"Shinigami?" The creature sounded delighted, almost gleeful. "It's been too long since one of you tried to take me-"
"SHUT UP!" Ichigo roared, swinging his sword down, hard. Somehow, his rage-fueled reiatsu created a wave of raw power, slamming into the creature. It reeled, grunting with what sounded more like annoyance than fear.
"Power too, eh?" It began stepping to the side, circling Ichigo. "Oh, but it isn't even close to tempered, is it?"
"I said SHUT UP!" Ichigo said, charging towards the creature, slashing, hacking. The creature dodged, surprisingly nimble for a creature so big and bulky. It lashed out, but Ichigo had been expecting a counterattack. Catching the paw with his blade, he redirected the blow, and hopped forward. Counterattacking, he sank his blade into the beast's shoulder. The creature grunted.
"Not bad." It shrugged, removing the sword from its flesh- the cut hadn't been deep, apparently. "For a fly that can't even cut me hard enough that I feel it, that is." The creature lunged forward with surprising speed, slamming its paw against Ichigo. He just barely stopped it from grabbing him, instead being sent flying. "Good sport, though. I think I'll play with you before I eat those little girls."
"THE HELL YOU WILL!" Ichigo shouted, just barely landing on his feet. "I'll kill you, you hear? I'll split your ugly mask in two!"
"Talk is cheap." The hollow said, again circling Ichigo.
"Ichigo, be careful!" Rukia shouted from afar. "I know it- that's Grand Fisher, and he's killed many shinigami in his time!"
"So I am famous, too?" Fisher said bemusedly. "You'd think they would have sent something better than this, though."
"I'll be more than enough." Ichigo spat, before he wildly charged at the hollow once more. He still remembered Rukia warning him once that fighting while angry is not the smartest thing to do, but right now, that did not matter to him. That bastard had put his sisters into danger, and Ichigo would make sure that he would pay for it.
Intending to shatter the monster's mask, Ichigo jumped upwards just a few feet before the hollow, attempting to finish it in one single rising slash-!
Only to be knocked out of the air by a strike of the beast's talons. With some serious trouble, Ichigo barely managed to land on his feet. After the last hit, his entire body was aching... he really should have listened to Rukia. Forcing himself to calm down, Ichigo got into a defensive stance, intending to figure out Grand Fisher's attack pattern, and seek for openings.
"Weak. Weak and pathetic. Have the shinigami really lowered their standards to a point where they accept weaklings like you amidst them? The shinigami that I killed might have had less raw power than you, but they were infinitely more skilled. You are boring." Grand Fisher taunted. Ichigo, determined not to let the monstrosity's words get to him, grit his teeth.
"And you don't even have anything to say for yourself, shinigami? You really are boring. Perhaps I should skip the part of toying with you, and just finish you off right away, and eat those girls... or perhaps, I should beat you within an inch of your life, and have you watch me eat them? I do fancy a bit of company while I have my meal, you see."
Ichigo stopped thinking. Being told in theory that you shouldn't let your emotions get the better of you was one thing, but standing face-to-face with a monster that somehow knew just what to say to get him angry was another thing entirely. Once more, Ichigo charged at Grand Fisher. He didn't have any sort of strategy planned out, nor had he any ideas on how to evade the hollow's counter-attacks, but that didn't matter to him. Behind him, he could hear Rukia scream something at him, but he ignored her. The only thing that mattered was to kill Grand Fisher.
Lashing out in a furious set of strikes, his arms moving faster than he thought possible- his muscles burned, but he didn't even notice- he struck, struck, struck- and for just a moment, Fisher seemed to be at bay. Roaring, Ichigo swung his blade in a broad sweep once more, and finally hit, sinking it into the hideous creature's left shoulder. Fisher groaned, but his right paw shot out, grabbing Ichigo by the arm. The oppressive force of his hand felt like it would crush him to the bone.
"LET GO!" Ichigo screamed. "I'll KILL you! KILL!"
Ignoring him, Fisher lifted him by the arm, and slammed him into the ground. Ichigo lost his breath; he would have cried out, but found himself unable to. Quickly, Fisher put a foot on his legs, pinning him to the ground.
"Not bad, kid," Fisher said malevolently. "I'll take my time with you- I'll break your arms and legs, and then I'll make you watch when I eat those girls, one limb at a time."
"Talk is cheap!" Ichigo shot back. Provoking the beast was probably not a good idea, but Ichigo wasn't thinking in a very rational way at the moment. "You'll need that mouth to scream when I've broken free!"
"Oh, I do like a bit of spirit," Fisher said, "it makes it all the much sweeter when they break."
He sounded like something out of a rather badly written shonen manga, but it didn't quite matter- he meant what he said, and the fact that he was losing begun to sink into Ichigo. He squirmed, fought, but the weight of the hollow was pinning him down firmly. He blazed his reiatsu, hoping to perhaps overpower it- but the creature seemed to have at least as much of it as he did. It was pointless.
So, was he to die here? His mother would be heartbroken, but dying wouldn't be so terrible if only his sisters were safe. They weren't. Desperately, he punched at the hollow's arm, trying to make it let go, trying to reach that sword. It was pointless. The grip was too strong, the hollow too heavy. Up until now, each one of them had been something he could handle, but… this was something else entirely.
"My, my," The voice was relaxed, sounding almost amused, "I hope you will learn from this, Kurosaki-san. This is the sort of thing that happens if you charge in recklessly. Going berserk works better in the movies, I am afraid."
"The hell're you?" Fisher grunted. Ichigo turned his face around, and even though the angle was bad, he could see him, standing right next to the hollow. White and green coat, cane, bucket hat, clogs…
"Hat and clogs!" Ichigo cried, "please, get my sisters to safety, please!"
"And what about yourself?"
"I said, who the hell are you?" Fisher growled, not too pleased with being ignored.
"Do shut up, Fisher-san," the man said dismissively, "this doesn't concern you. We are trying to have a conversation here."
"Die!" The hollow roared, lashing out with its free arm, It might as well have tried to move a boulder- somehow, the blow simply redirected.
"As I said, this doesn't concern you." The man smiled, looking infuriatingly confident.
"That does it," Fisher growled, letting go of Ichigo, standing up before the man- was it Urahara? "I don't know who you are, but I'll kill you too."
"Come at me, bro." Urahara said, grinning. Urahara said, grinning. "I'm ready whenever you are, dear sir."
This time, Grand Fisher didn't even bother to respond. Instead, he simply lashed out with his talons, trying to shred Urahara with his claws. The man, still grinning, didn't move an inch, even when the talons where just mere inches away from him – which might also have something to do with the beast stopping it just before it reached Urahara. Instead of hitting Urahara with the full force, Grand Fisher instead... extended his claws and penetrated Urahara's flesh with them?!
"Hat and clogs!" Ichigo screamed, as the man wavered from the unexpected injury.
"This is only the beginning, you bastard!" Grand Fisher screamed, as he pulled back his claw. He then lowered his head-tentacle, and grabbed hold of it with the talon that he had used to injure Urahara, before removing it again.
While Ichigo wasn't sure what he had expected the hollow to be planning with this, he definitely did not expect what he saw now.
In place of the lure-like tentacle now stood a beautiful, dark-skinned woman with purple hair, wearing the exact same clothes as Ichigo. As she looked down on Urahara, an enormous, psychotic grin spread across her face.
"Yes, not so high and mighty now, are you, you bastard? In front of me, all of you shinigami are the same. All of you have friends, family, loved ones, people that you would never dare to harm. My claws search for this people in your mind, in your heart, and my lure copies them! This woman... she's a friend of yours? I hope you enjoy the thought of being killed by a friend!" Grand Fisher spoke in a smug tone, using both his own mouth, and the mouth of the copy (if it was a copy) that he created.
But had Grand Fisher expected Urahara to break like Ichigo, and fall into despair, his hopes were betrayed: When the shop owner replied, his voice was just as bemused as it had been before. "Hmm, this is certainly quite unexpected." He said calmly, as if his injuries were nothing but a minor nuisance. "I certainly wasn't expecting a hollow like you to boast such a useful ability, but I suppose it does explain how you were able to kill shinigami at all."
As he spoke, he raised the cane that he was carrying with him, and pulled it aside, revealing a blade within it. "I do thank you for helping my research in that regard, but I suppose your cooperation will end with that. I bid you adieu, Fisher-san! May your soul have wonderful bleaching."
"WHY, YOU LITTLE-!" Grand Fisher roared, as he himself now madly charged at Urahara – only for the shop keeper to vanish in front of the monster, and reappear behind it!
"Your little copy technique has one glaring weak spot: Not every shinigami would be completely immobilized by your copies. Being realistic is also an option." Holding his free hand out, he said, "Bakudo sixty-three: Sajo sabaku."
From out of nowhere, giant, glowing chains formed, encasing Fisher completely, binding all of his legs.
"What?" Fisher roared, struggling against his binds. "You damn, dirty, cheap shinigami bastard! I'll tear your face off!"
"Don't struggle; you'll only tire yourself." Urahara said with a matter-of-fact tone. "You're stronger by far than your average hollow, but compared to me… well, you're small fry. You're not going to break a level sixty-three binding spell."
Rukia, staring from where she was- she had been busy re-inserting Karin into her own body, and administering a memory overwrite- gaped. A successful level sixty-three bakudo, deployed in seconds? That- that was captain level of skills, at least with regards to skill. Who the hell was he, really?
Roaring with frustration, Grand Fisher let out his lure one more time, the beautiful, dark-skinned woman appearing once more. Urahara looked at it for a couple of seconds, and then promptly sliced it in half.
"You… you cut your friend without even hesitating…" Fisher sounded genuinely shocked.
"I cut a dummy." Urahara said flatly. "Unless skills have dropped terribly within the Gotei Juusantai, no one higher ranked officer would be fooled by a trick like this. I have to admit, it is a very interesting ability, though…" he looked closer, smiling mischievously, "say, I think I'll let you live after all. In my basement, that is. We're going to learn a whole lot, you and I." He gave a whistle, and approaching from further down the graveyard were two children, and one middle-aged, muscular man with brown hair tied up into braids.
"Boss?" The man said.
"Take this creature back to the store. Make sure it is secured in the basement."
"Roger!" The man said, and hoisted the hollow up over his shoulder effortlessly, despite it being nearly ten times his size.
"Wait! What are you going to do to me?!" Fisher roared, thrashing helplessly.
"Quiet, beast!" The muscular man said, carrying the hollow away and out of sight.
"Are you all right, Kurosaki-san?" Urahara said, still smiling. "Not hurt? Any injuries, broken bones?"
"…no." Ichigo said sullenly. "Give it two more minutes though, and I would have. Thanks, I guess."
"Yes, I was watching, and it looked like you needed help. I have some interest in you after all, Kurosaki-san."
"You watched?" Ichigo said, incredulous. "You saw this monster- you knew it was here, and you could take it so easily- and you let it attack my sisters?"
"Your sisters are fine, Kurosaki-san. Have you no faith in your ability to protect them?"
"Don't fuckin' joke around!" Ichigo said, grabbing Urahara by the collar. "They coulda died, and you would've done nothing? What the hell kind of person are you?"
"It's not my job, Kurosaki-san." Urahara said calmly.
"Your job?" Ichigo shouted. "They- they could have died, and you don't even care?"
"And what should I do, Kurosaki-san? Be the hero? Step up, strike a pose and save the day?" He sounded snide. "Hollows alone kill hundreds of people every day. If I began saving the world, I wouldn't make a difference, and I'd have time for nothing else."
"How the hell does anybody get so cold?"
"Cold has nothing to do with it. If you want to find the strength to protect your sisters-"
"Fuck you!" Ichigo said, unhanding him. "I don't need you. I don't need that kind of help- go dissect that monster instead!" With that, Ichigo turned heel, and walked back towards his body, past Rukia. By the time he had gotten back into his body, he realized that what he had said was almost like a complete mirror of what it had been like, weeks back, when Rukia first convinced him to help.
…how had he ended up this way?
oOo
Just as it had been on their way to the graveyard, their way back home was plagued by a silence that could only be described as awkward. Unlike how it was before, though, the mood surrounding this silence was of a more low-spirited nature. While Yuzu and Karin had, thanks to Rukia's memory modification, no memories of what had happened, the memory was still very much present in Ichigo and Rukia. For whatever reason, the events at the graveyard seemed to have gotten Ichigo brooding, as he was walking several feet behind Yuzu, Karin (who was pushing Yuzu's wheelchair on the way back) and Rukia.
This, however, was not lost on Yuzu and Karin.
"Say, Kuchiki-san... could you please look after Ichi-nii, and ask him what is wrong? He has been so down ever since we left the graveyard..." Yuzu asked, completely taking Rukia by surprise.
"Ehh? Why me? You are his sisters; you should know him better than I do!" Rukia tried to talk her way out of it, even though she was already beginning to see why Ichigo had such trouble disagreeing with Yuzu: She was just the kind of sweet young girl that one simply couldn't say 'no' to.
"I know, but... it's just that you already seem to understand him very well, Kuchiki-san. You come along just nice, so I'm sure he'll tell you what's wrong." Yuzu insisted.
"Oh, alright... I'll see what I can do." Rukia finally gave in, sighing. She then stopped dead in her tracks, and let Yuzu and Karin get ahead, while she waited for Ichigo. The teen didn't even seem to notice her, as he continued to walk slowly, his hands in his pockets, and his gaze fixed at the ground.
There was no helping it: Ichigo really needed somebody to talk to, that much was certain to Rukia. "Listen Ichigo, I know that what happened with Grand Fisher and Urahara-san has gotten to you, but you can't just mope like that. Your sisters are getting worried about you, and I don't think that you want to have them worry about you today- or do you?"
Ichigo did not respond right away, and instead continued walking, his eyes still fixed on the ground in front of him. Rukia, not wanting to return to Yuzu and Karin just like that, walked by his side, constantly looking at him. When Ichigo after a short while finally did say something, his voice was surprisingly silent and... calm. "Look at me, always talking all high and mighty... you know, until now, I considered fighting these hollows as kind of a joke, and I kept wondering how you could do so badly against that thing a few weeks back. And then, when it all comes down, I can't even protect my own sisters... I really am just a weak and arrogant human who has stumbled into a grim tale of reapers, aren't I?"
"Ichigo, you're anything but weak. Like I told you, you have amazing reiatsu for a human. In fact, there's plenty of shinigami graduating from Shinigami Academy that would do anything to have such a-"
"I don't mean that sort of strength. I'm talking about emotional strength here... all it took that hollow was some taunts, and I was already unable to even have any clear thoughts. If he had taken me seriously, and used the same power that he had used on hat and clogs, I wouldn't have been able to do a thing... mother, Yuzu, Karin, my friends, or even my father... if he had transformed into any of them, I would have been done for." He shook his head slightly. "I would never be able to cut them down... I'm just human, and not some sort of emotionless fighting machine."
Rukia didn't say anything in response. To hear Ichigo, who so far had always been snarky, a tad arrogant, but serious when the times call for it, to see him humble and thoughtful like this... was just unexpected.
"I have made a decision, Rukia." He then said after Rukia had stayed silent for a short while. "I'll learn how to contain my – you called it reiatsu? I'll learn how to contain that, with or without that bastard's help. Even if you can only explain it to me in theory, even if I have to ignore my homework to finally get this right." He finally raised his head, and looked at the clear sky above them. "Even if it is just for as long as you don't have your powers, I don't want to endanger those that are close to me. I want to be able to protect them, until they no longer need me for that."
Rukia stared at Ichigo, slightly bewildered. "What has gotten into you? If I didn't know it any better, I'd say that Grand Fisher hit your head at some point during all this. Acting all humble and determined like that... that just isn't like you."
Ichigo chuckled. "You think? I suppose he must have at least knocked some sense into me during all this... c'mon, let's get back to Yuzu and Karin."
oOo
At the Urahara shoten meanwhile, a certain shopkeeper had finally arrived back home, after making sure that Grand Fisher was safely stored under the shop.
"I'm hoome~!" He shouted as he entered.
To any observer, him announcing his return would seem more than odd – except for a black cat lying on the floor, the entire shop was completely. But then again, no normal observer would ever expect the cat to reply, either.
"Already, hm? So how did it go?" The feline asked with a male, and surprisingly low human voice.
"I suppose you could call it fairly interesting, mhm. The young Kurosaki still is fairly reckless... if it weren't for my timely help, he would have been in some serious trouble against that hollow that lurked on the graveyard."
"I'm not surprised. He is just a human with shinigami powers, after all. How exactly did that hollow cause him trouble?"
"He taunted him. This hollow didn't even take him seriously... if it had used its own power against him, he would have been completely done for."
"What power did it have?"
"Does, my dear Yoruichi-san, not did. I decided to bring that hollow along for some good old research, you see. As for its power... it can search its victim's memories for people that are dear to them, and create a copy against them. It is a moderately useful power, but nothing that a skilled shinigami couldn't overcome."
"I see... and what about the young Kurosaki? Did he agree to being trained by you?"
Slightly embarrassed, Urahara scratched his head. "Sadly, no. He took some offense to me watching his battle, and waiting for the right moment to intervene. I suppose I will have to ask him again at a later time."
The cat, Yoruichi, sighed. "Again? Honestly, Kisuke, it's just like I told you: Your people skills are terrible."
"Well, whatever." Urahara said, dismissing the criticism. "I have no intent on giving up that easily... then again, he isn't the only potential I've set my sights on."
Author's Note:
Dun-dun-duuuun!
. . .Yes, that is all that I have to say for now.