Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach in any way shape or form.
The sun peeked through the trees in the small town of Karakura. Byakuya stood on his porch gazing at the brightening sky and thinking.
'Everything was so simple yesterday,' Byakuya thought to his findings. From the clearing with its most unusual tale to the history books he had been reading last night. According to the history books, there was once a truce between dragons and humans. A member of the Ishida clan had played a large part with the making of the truce. So what happened? What went wrong? How did the relationship between the dragons and humans become this divided?
Byakuya turned back into his cabin to find some breakfast.
"Good morning brother." Rukia happily greeted him at the kitchen table. Byakuya raised the cup of tea and took another sip before he greeted Rukia.
"Good morning, Rukia. How did you sleep?" Byakuya asked looking to her as she retrieved her own cup of tea. Rukia had difficulty sleeping since Kaien had died. Looking over to her face, Byakuya noted that the bags under her eyes were much less pronounced than the day before.
"I slept better." Rukai bowed and placed a plate of fried eggs with a side of bacon and toast in front of him before sitting down to eat her own breakfast.
"What will do you plan on doing today?" Byakuya casually asked of his sister. She paused with the first bit of egg just in front of her mouth to stare at her brother. It wasn't abnormal for him to ask where she was going, but it wasn't completely like him to want to know of her day's activities.
"I plan on going by the medical cabin and visiting Ichigo. I hope he wakes up soon." Rukia replaced her fork onto the plate forgetting the bite of egg as she stared at the grain of the table.
"I hear from Dr. Unohana that Ichigo will recover. So I don't see any reason to worry about his health." Byakuya consoled his sister in that cold tone she's heard from him her entire life.
"You're right, brother. I don't have anything to worry about. It's just that being near him seems to help me remember that I was able to save him, but Kaien . . ." Rukia choked the tears back into her eyes. Watching his sister struggle to keep her emotions in check, Byakuya made a mental note to put her to work. He needed to make sure her mind was taken off from the attack as soon as possible.
"I trust watching over Ichigo will not take up all of your time because I am in need of your assistance." Byakuya explained as he finished the fried eggs on his plate closing his eyes as he relished the spices that Rukia had creativly added to make the meal into a tasty treat.
Rukia, on the other hand, was staring at her brother like he grew another head.
"Is that so?" Rukia hesitated in asking her brother to continue.
"Yes, you see recently I have developed an interest in history and I need help in acquiring more manuscripts pertaining to a time period around the fifteen hundreds." Byakuya finished his explanation leaving Rukia in a state of momentary shock while he finished his breakfast.
Byakuya finally opened his eyes to gauge her reaction, she was still staring wide eyed at him. Byakuya thought the look made her appear as an owl but at least the attack had been driven from her mind, if only for the moment.
"When will you need these manuscripts?" Rukia asked with a small shake of her head to wake up.
"As soon as you are able Rukia," Byakuya finished his plate and stood from the table to gather his thoughts. "Also, I would like you to send correspondence to Kingdom Sereitei and petition Princess Shihoin for manuscripts from the royal library." Byakuya turned from the table and quietly set the dirty dishes into the wash bin before he headed toward the door.
"Okay, Brother. I will see that it is completed." Rukia called to his back as he exited the kitchen. Byakuya inclined his head as a sign that he heard her response.
Stepping from his manor, Byakuya was greeted with the smile of Shunsui Kyoraku with his ever-present straw hat resting on his head. Byakuya remembered the other captain's words to offer his assistance. While Byakuya would not turn down any offering of help, there were times when Shunsui became a hinderance instead of an asset. It was moments like these where Byakuya was unsure as to how the man would react to their findings.
"Good morning, Captain Kuchiki." Shunsui tilted his hat in a gesture of greeting. Byakuya returned the gesture with a slight bow at the waist as he joined his fellow captain in the front yard.
"Good morning to you, Captain Kyoraku." Byakuya answered stepping up beside him.
"Are you ready to go do some digging today?" Shunsui asked as he followed Byakuya out of the yard and down the street.
"Yes, we must find explanations for yesterday's clues." Byakuya answered as they continued to walk down the road.
"Do you plan on going to see Uryu Ishida? To see if his ancestor is the same Ishida who constructed the treaty." Kyoraku peeked at the quiet Kuchiki from the corner of his eye.
"Indeed," they continued to walk in silence until they approached the blacksmith's shop. Among the ringing of blazing metal, there was a distinct sound of a bow snapping with a twang after the release of an arrow. This was accompanied by a female cheering the archer. As the two captains walked toward the back of the blacksmith, they observed Uryu Ishida aim an arrow at a barrel with a target painted along the front. Neither captain could dismiss the two arrows piercing the center in a perfect hit.
"You are doing so good Uryu! Just think you are only three arrows away from breaking your father's record of twenty perfect bullzeye's in a row." Orihime clapped her hand in encouragement to the bespectacled young man.
"Indeed. It is an accomplishment I am eager to complete." The two captains stood silent as Uryu pulled another arrow into the bow. After a pause, the arrow was shot from the bow in a perfect arc to crowd on the center mark of the target barrel.
"And then there were two," Uryu adjusted his glasses higher on his nose before he bent down to the quiver at his feet. He paused in mid reach spotting the two captains waiting and watching the young man.
"Please, don't stop on our account. We couldn't help but overhear your goal of beating a record." Kyoraku motioned with a hand for Uryu to finish. He hesitated in pulling an arrow from his quiver and notched it into the bow. Uryu stared down at the barrel which was crowded with three arrows, and obviously would hold no more.
"Orihime, will you please pull out another target?" Uryu requested as he relaxed his stance pointing the bow and arrow toward the ground.
"Sure thing Uryu!" Orihime saluted before running around the back of the black smith.
"Please tell me: to what do I owe the visit of two captains from the Sereitei army?" Uryu looked over his shoulder making his glasses flash a glare toward the two captains.
"How did you know we were captains?" Shunsui asked pointing at himself.
"I recognize the army uniform from when my father would relay his trips from the Kingdom Sereitei." Uyru answered as he waited for Orihime to bring the barrel out.
"I noticed that you have yet to answer my question." Uryu adjusted his glasses higher on his nose making the spectacles flash again in the morning light.
"We have come to ask about your family history." Byakuya answered when Orihime rolled the new barrel out and rolled the old one away.
"What about it?" Uryu asked as Orihime ran to stand behind him glancing back at the captains before returning her gaze to Uryu. The captains waited for Uryu to release another perfect shot. The arrow pierced the center of the target with such force it began to wobble from the impact.
"Only one more to go," Orihime whispered as Uryu notched another arrow into his bow. He paused for a few moments longer as if waiting for the new spectators to continue speaking. When they remained silent, Uryu released the arrow and smirked when the arrow joined its brother in the perfect shot.
"Now, I am tied with my father." Uryu announced and looked back to the captains.
"Well, are you going to answer me or not?" Uryu grumbled to the pair behind him. Shunsui blinked to the young man seeing as he had momentarily forgotten the reason to visit the Ishida youth.
"It can wait a few more minutes. Please continue it's not every day that a record is broken." Shunsui gestured for Uryu to continue with his encouraging smile lighting up his face beneath the straw hat.
"Very well," Uryu turned back to the barrel and notched the final arrow that would break the tie. He took a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders for a moment as he concentrated on his goal. Uryu pulled the arrow back further into the bow and his eyes only focused on the barrel without anymore glances, he released the arrow and everyone held their breath, except for Byakuya who remained indifferent to the feat. Three pairs of eyes watched the arrow fly straight to the barrel and the sound of splintering wood pierced the silence of the group.
"Twenty-one," Uryu sighed as the final arrow struck the barrel in the dead center of the target.
"YOOHOOO, URYU! YOU DID IT!" Orihime jumped around pumping her fists in the air in celebration of Uryu's feat. She ignored the fact that she was the only one to celebrate with such enthusiasm. Kyoraku clapped his hands and Byakuya remained as still as a post with his eyes shut waiting for the activity to be over.
"Thank you, Orihime. Now I think I'll invite my guests inside. You can go on home. I appreciate all of your encouragement and assistance in breaking my father's record." Uryu bowed to Orihime who blushed with one hand scratching the back of her head.
"Okay, Uryu. I'll see you later," Orihime laughed running around the building to the main street to disappear from the three men's vision.
"Congratulations. What do you plan on doing now?" Shunsui asked smiling over to the slightly shorter Uryu Ishida.
"First I plan on resting then start a new archery record. Now," Uryu nudged his glasses on his nose again before he turned from the men. "If you would follow me, my cabin is just behind the blacksmith shop." Uryu motioned for the two to follow as he led them back to his home. His home was of average size for Karakura: three bedrooms with two main windows on either side of the front door. What made his home different was the lack of a porch; it only had an overhanging roof to shelter the piece of front yard which fell in its shadow.
Uryu opened his front door and stepped back to allow the captains to enter before him. Once inside, the captains stared at the massive amount of books and multiple bookshelves crowding the walls of the living room. One particularly large bookshelf blocked a good portion of a window to the right side of the door.
"Looks like you have your own personal library." Shunsui commented looking over the books pushed into the bookshelves, some scattered on a coffee table with more spilling over a desk in the far left corner, and, finally, a couple of closed books sat on a couch stuck in the center of the living room.
"Yes, well you see my father brings back books from the various kingdoms and villages he travels to. I have accrued quite the collection over the years." Uryu stepped around the captains to address them properly. "As can be suspected, I don't have many visitors to enter my home so there really are very few places to sit. Otherwise I would ask you to have a seat." Uryu's words relayed the proper mannerisms of a man having grown up in a noble's household, however his actions did not. Uryu kept his hands close to his side while excusing his lack of seats.
"That's fine," Shunsui removed his hat while in the home, "we don't plan on staying for very long anyway."
"That brings me back to my question: what do you want? And, why are you interested in my family history?" Uryu asked arcing one of his eyebrows above the rims of his glasses.
"We would like to clarify if you are related to a wizard," Uryu scowled at the captain and looked to the floor. "Recently, I have found a record of a wizard from the Ishida clan to introduce the dragons to the humans." Uryu suddenly turned his back before Byakuya could explain any further. Shunsui glanced between Byakuya, and back to Uryu. Byakuya was just as surprised in this sudden change of mood with his own glance of curiosity to Kyoraku.
"I broke off all contact with my ancestors long ago. I'm sorry but I can't be of any help to you. Get out." Uryu's low voice cut through the air like a blade surprising both captains in silence.
"Uryu," Shunsui reached out to tap the young man's shoulder as he whispered, "we need your help. If there's anything that-"
"I don't know anything!" Uryu whirled around glaring at the two captains warning them to back off. Byakuya read his facial expressions accurately and sighed, this was becoming a frustrating habit that he was finding hard to break.
"Uryu Ishida," Uryu glared to Captain Kuchiki in a futile attempt to scare the older man off. "The information that was passed down to you by your ancestors is critically important. Many lives hang in the balance of the events from that time period." Byakuya's words slightly eased Uryu into a calm glare instead of the murderous daggers he was giving a moment ago.
"I don't understand." Uryu looked between both captains.
"We have to tell him," Shunsui glanced over to Byakuya as he nodded his head in agreement.
"It seems that we must inform you towards the gravity of the situation." Uryu blinked throwing off any anger he had as questions danced around his face. "Karin Kurosaki disappeared from Karakura two days ago and Captain Toushiro Hitsugaya followed after her. I gathered a group of soldiers to form a search party to see if we could find them." Byakuya paused watching Uryu's eyes widen in surprise. Byakuya could literally read his mind: 'they've been out in the woods for this long! There's not much of a chance they are still alive.'
"What does this have to do with my ancestors?" Uryu asked during the silence.
"I found a clearing where Karin and Captain Hitsugaya had stayed the other night. The camp was in a very orderly manner and all appeared to be calm from their footprints." To say that Uryu was confused would have been an understatement.
"Now, a calm campsite is quite normal and is very common. However, what made this campsite so perplexing is the company that Karin and Toushiro were entertaining. Dragons," Uryu's eyes went as wide as saucers as the images of blood, guts, and the lifeless bodies of Karin and Toushiro swarmed into his mind. It was only after this slight moment of panic that Captain Kuchiki's words registered in his brain: everything was calm.
"How could they have been calm if they were with dragons?" Uryu asked shaking his head at the thought.
"At the time I did not understand. I was just reading what the prints depicted. Contrary to your initial reaction, I believe that Karin and Captain Hitsugaya are alive and well. You see there was a distinct lack of blood and conflict, save for a small scuffle that promptly ended as quickly as it started." Byakuya continued his explanation.
"This is unbelievable." Uryu placed his hand on his head as if to keep from getting dizzy.
"Those were my words exactly. However upon returning to my home I was able to dive into historical documents and uncovered some very interesting facts. The most striking was a most unusual arrangement: dragons protected human villages around the early fifteenth century. From my readings, the wizard at the head of this agreement was a man from the Ishida clan. Seeing as you share a similar name to this man, we decided to inquire if there was a relation . . . and, if so, did the wizard keep a diary of the events." Byakuya completed his petition to Uryu. Uryu remained rooted to the spot looking between Captain Kuchiki and Captain Kyoraku. Uryu sighed heavily as he proceeded to admit an unfortunate item.
"Yes, we are related. The wizard you speak of was Soken Ishida. He was my great grandfather. I can't tell you how many generations ago it was because that branch of my family is an embarrassment. I have tried to forget my ancestry and the part my ancestors played in creating this chaos we currently call life." Uryu took in a deep breath before he continued. "It is unfortunate that one man's foolish actions resulted in the slow execution of my entire clan. Slowly but surely, the wizards of the Ishida clan were killed off over the centuries until now. My dad and I are literally the last of our clan. Resentment ran through the ages, and my fellow humans called for the destruction of the Ishida bloodline to prevent another wizard like Soken from appearing again." Uryu stared down at the grain in the wood. All three men remained silent as Uryu's difficult lifestyle was revealed. Shunsui felt for the young man: to be hated for no fault of your own, it would be tough on any person.
"I am sorry for what's happened to you and your family." Captain Kyoraku broke the silence with his words of comfort. Uryu accepted them with a nod of his head and pushing his glasses up higher on his nose. With another glare of light, Uryu shrugged off the history and stood before the two captains with a new resolve.
"I can't focus on the past, we need only learn from it." Uryu crossed his arms and rubbed his thumb over his chin as he pondered something.
"That is the exact reason we wish to know if Soken kept a diary, so we can figure out exactly what happened." Captain Kuchiki answered the young man.
Uryu looked between the two captains and turned back toward the back of the house. He briskly walked to a back room leaving the two captains to wait in the messy living room. Shunsui stared at the floor thinking over Uryu's words and the sorrow he felt. Both captains were snapped out of their thoughts when the sound of a metal door clicking reached their ears. They heard a lock being opened and a loud squeak of metal that made Shunsui grind his teeth from the pitch, far too similar to nails on a chalkboard. They heard a thud as an object fell onto the ground, then the metal door slamming shut with a final creak as the door locked. Byakuya opened his eyes as Uryu walked back into the living room carrying a sack that looked to carry a book.
Wordlessly, Uryu walked over to the desk and began clearing away many of the books and rolled parchments cluttering the surface. He dropped the dust-covered sack onto the cleared surface of the desk and started to remove the bag from around the object. Before the object was completely revealed, Uryu turned toward the captains to explain his actions.
"Soken Ishida was the head of the clan at this point of time. During his lifetime, he made a record of every day's happenings and every event, no matter how small and insignificant; from the playful antics of his children, up to the eve of the wars during the early fifteenth century. This book would have been destroyed long ago if it weren't for the ridiculously powerful spell that Soken placed on it before he died."
"What kind of spell?" Shunsui asked stepping over to the heavy book.
"Anyone who tries to call destruction on this book will be destroyed in the same method. Some of my ancestors that tried to burn the book were burned to ash, leaving the book in perfect condition. Same as when it anyone tried to rip it apart, that person was ripped to shreds, and when they tried to cut it . . . you get the idea." Uryu answered stepping away from the book so that Byakuya could approach.
Stepping up to beside Shunsui, Byakuya blinked at the book. It was a simple book, there were no special decorations on the front, no engravings along the binding. At first glance, one would think it was nothing but a dictionary. However closer inspection showed this book to be no dictionary: the edges of the book began glowing a soft yellow which started to cover the front of the book. Byakuya blinked as he imagined two red eyes staring from the book face amid the glowing yellow which quickly turned into a soft blue flame. The flame began to engulf the entire book until it had turned from a dusky red to a bright blue as the flames died. Both captains openly gaped at the book: it was now beautifully decorated with calligraphy in long, artistic strokes. Where dull black straps kept the binding, now there was a gold vine engraved along the spine, spiraling into a lance tip along the top and bottom. The cover of the book was also beautifully designed: gold vines were elegantly painted into wavy patterns along the perimeter with a pink rose connecting each vine at every corner. After admiring the designs of the book, Byakuya read the front cover: Wizard of Ishida Clan, Soken Ishida; A lifetime of memories to share through the ages. Byakuya blinked once again in surprise.
"Wow," Shunsui muttered. It was the only word he could think to describe the last couple of minutes.
"Indeed," Byakuya agreed. They looked up to Uryu who seemed to be bored with the spectacle.
"I should congratulate you, Captains. You are the first humans to read this book since Soken Ishida's passing. The book has never passed the flaming eyes stage for every other person who has tried to read the contents." Uryu explained stepping away from the desk as he moved toward the front door.
"You may read as much as you like, however you may not take it from this cabin. I don't want people to know this book even exists." Uryu looked back to the captains.
"We understand, Uryu. Thank you, we shall leave once we have found the events regarding the early fourteen hundreds." Byakuya bowed at the waist in gratitude to the young Ishida.
"You're welcome. I'll go back to the smithy's shop. Once you've done reading just wrap the book back into the sackcloth. I'll lock it back up when I return." Uryu walked out of the cabin leaving Byakuya Kuchiki and Shunsui Kyoraku to read over the mysterious past.
A/N: I'M DONE WITH THIS CHAPTER! I really didn't want to leave Toushiro and Karin, but I had to at least introduce Soken from Hyourinmaru's vision and point the captains in the right direction. I'll fill you guys in on the happenings of the past after we pop in on Toushiro and Karin.
I am so glad so many people are enjoying this story. I feel so warm and fuzzy inside with over 100 reviews for this story. I apologize for not replying to the reviews on a more regular basis. Life tends to get in the way, and I tend to get distracted very easy.
A/N2: This story is inspired by the movie "How to Train your dragon" by Dreamworks. I haven't gotten around to buying that movie yet, but I'm sure we'll get it eventually.