A/N: Thank you for any and all reviews, favorites, and follows, as well as all you other readers out there!
Bleach and all products thereof are copyright to Tite Kubo, et al.
Saturday, February 22, 2003
By the time that Inoue, Chad, and Ishida arrived and were outside the Urahara Shop trying to get Tessai to let them inside, things inside had already completely deteriorated.
"Absolutely not!" Yourichi could be heard proclaiming from inside.
"What do you mean no?!" Ichigo roared in response.
He was immediately followed by Rukia yelling "It's your fault we lost so many hours!"
"I already apologized to you and everything, Rukia, don't pin this all on me!" Yoruichi exclaimed.
Pushing past Tessai and through the store interior, the trio found the pair standing off against the Flash Goddess. Ichigo stood behind Rukia adamantly with his hands on her shoulders. Rukia had her arms crossed in front of her imperiously and was just as unyielding. Both looked like they'd been thrown into a blender, and were covered in dabs of salve and adhesive and cloth bandages.
Yoruichi, for her part, had quite a few visible bruises and some nicks and cuts of her own, but looked significantly less worse for wear. Urahara was sitting behind her, seemingly pretending he wasn't hearing their argument at all.
"We don't have to fight at full strength, we can just work on forms!" Rukia said forcefully, while still trying to be diplomatic.
"Yeah, at least let us do that much! We came here to learn, damn it, and not just to get beaten up!" Ichigo added, leaning forward somewhat.
Yoruichi frowned heavily, crossing her arms in turn "After the stunt you pulled with releasing all that reiatsu there's no telling—"
"Yoruichi-san," Urahara interrupted quietly, "they should be fine to do that much."
She turned to Urahara with a twitching eyebrow "But…!"
"Even if pride means nothing to the dead, it still means something to the living," Urahara said, eyes looking up at her from beneath the hat. "You shouldn't offend them so, if they've made such a decision…all things considered. Besides, we should monitor them for a bit; I can't recall having seen a combined kidō exactly like that before," he finished.
The oblique reference to their resolve despite—because?—of what had just transpired between them was not lost on her. It also now dawned on her exactly what the infectious mood they both shared reminded her of, especially when coupled with the reiatsu they'd been throwing off since earlier. It had been so ubiquitous she'd just ignored it. Oh my...if that's so then working it out through fighting is gonna be mandatory… The Flash Goddess turned back to them then, scowling as she saw the looks of determination on their faces. "Forms only," she said harshly.
"Fine but—" Ichigo began, "—we fight—" Rukia continued, "—together!" they finished as one.
Yoruichi let out a "Tch!" of incredulity at what she was seeing happen in front of her. "It'll take both of you together to be a challenge for a long time yet anyway," she taunted. It was then that she turned, being the first to actively take notice of the trio of humans standing at the shop doorway. "Surprised it took you three this long to show up," she said.
"Um, we—we just felt a really weird reiatsu from Kurosaki-kun and Kuchiki-san is all, so we…" Inoue began by way of explanation.
Whatever had happened, it had rippled across Karakura like a series of shockwaves, as if a fuel dump or some kind of chemical plant had exploded. Seeing the two of them standing there now, even as they looked relatively normal visually, it was like they were a single blurred beacon of reiatsu, and they were burning brightly.
"Who are you calling weird?!" both the shihakushō wearers proclaimed testily, turning their heads to glare at their assembled friends.
Inoue threw her hands up in surrender, Chad stared implacably, and Ishida pushed his glasses up. "Come to think of it," the latter said, "I did feel some kind of weird reiatsu earlier, but it was very faint, like if one were to hear a sound that was originating from underwater."
Urahara scratched the back of his head at this and muttered something about calibrations. Given the number of spiritually active people in Karakura now he had begun to try and apply jammer technology to screen activities in the training room from leaking outside. It would do no good if lay people were routinely in fear of what was going on down there.
"Could it be that had something to do with 'a combined kidō'—" Ishida continued, only for Ichigo and Rukia to interrupt him by simultaneously each grabbing one of Yoruichi's wrists and dragging her over to the ladder.
"Hey, what—what do you think you're—" was all the woman could manage before all three were gone. Moments later the distant shouting of three different voices could be heard coming up from the hatch.
"Ishida-kun," Inoue began, "they both seem really…" and then trailed off. There was no real need to verbalize it as their behavior now was highly unusual, even by recent standards. The reiatsu that leaked off them seemed to be heavily tinged with a variety of emotions, but the far and away most dominant one was an absolute determination, with undercurrents of bloodthirstiness, impatience, and…understanding?
Urahara sighed as his mind caught up with Yoruichi's intuition on the matter. "I see," he cryptically verbalized aloud.
"See what?" Chad asked.
"During the course of training earlier, Kurosaki-san and Kuchiki-san engaged in a combined kidō attack. Hadō 33 specifically," Urahara said, as if this explained anything about their current behavior.
"Kurosaki can barely do Hadō 4 with a full incantation, how on earth could he possibly perform Hadō 33, even with Kuchiki-san's help?" Ishida asked.
"From what I saw, heard, and felt, it seems that they opted to take a split-shift duty in terms of powering and controlling it, which I'm unaware of anyone having tried before…anyway, it seems this has had the residual effect of making their reiatsu highly synchronous and resonant with one another, and this was only amplified by whatever words they exchanged…usually this kind of thing only happens if…" Urahara trailed off into thought, before turning toward the floor, as if watching them straight through it.
"Usually only happens if what?" Inoue asked, peering at the shopkeeper. His level of evasiveness was unusual, even for him.
Urahara was quiet for quite awhile, and finally in response said only "You're underage."
All three of the humans' mouths dropped at this statement as they immediately processed the inference that was meant by this. Chad and Ishida both blushed subtly while Inoue's eyes grew wide and sparkly in awe.
"Are you, are you saying that two souls, when…" Ishida stammered. He'd never heard of such a thing.
"Since you're clearly going to keep asking," Urahara said with disinterest, "and I guess you're all close to old enough anyway," he added, "when two souls meet intimately, a temporary bond can be formed between them and they can start to act in concert with one another, responding in kind to inputs. This is somewhat similar to the theory of quantum entanglement, if that means anything to you. Another way of putting it is that they're very literally on the same wavelength as one another. The effect is time-limited and proximity-based. Kurosaki-san and Kuchiki-san seem to have replicated this effect, albeit through an altogether different method, which might explain their rather different disposition…usually the mood you would observe would be rather more…domestic."
Ishida frowned at this "They're acting more like a single linked soul right now?" The explanation certainly made sense in conjunction with what they'd all observed lately, even if that was only mild in comparison to what they were seeing now…
"Can't you feel it?" Chad asked.
Below them, the pair's reiatsu was crackling even as they supposedly practiced forms with Yoruichi. The pretense only just barely held to even the most casual observer: they were assaulting her with everything they had; she was simply not retaliating and instead merely blocking and dodging. Every blow they landed radiated the signatures of Rukia's cool and Ichigo's heat at the same time. It was almost impossible to distinguish one from the other remotely as they blitzed about Yoruichi's comparatively rock-solid and distinct reiatsu. The irrepressible aura of willpower they had given off an air of earlier was still increasing.
"How romantic!" Inoue beamed.
"What's romantic about two people both desperately trying to beat someone up from the very depths of their souls?" Ishida muttered.
Inoue uncharacteristically shot him a glare that for an instant could've cut through a mountain before turning back to watch it in amazement. She knew that even if they were aware of what had happened to them, given the circumstances, they wouldn't have called it voyeurism to look at them fight together. And to watch it was…
"Incredible, isn't it?" a new but altogether familiar voice said behind them. All of them, including Ishida who had been momentarily completely frozen in place, turned around to see Isshin Kurosaki. He was wearing a shihakushō with a pauldron on one shoulder holding down a tattered haori. All three of Ichigo and Rukia's friends stared wide-eyed at this. They hadn't felt him appear, and his reiatsu seemed extremely faint to them, but he was very clearly suppressing it…
"Oh, Isshin-san, I wondered when you would show up," Urahara said plainly, before turning back to watch events down below.
"This had better not be what I think it is and you had better not have had anything to do with it, Urahara," Isshin began, advancing into the room.
"Can't you feel the difference by now? They performed a combined kidō attack, passed out, and exchanged some words after they had both woken up," Urahara continued, "it just appears to have produced a broadly similar outcome as to what you're thinking of." He never once denied that he had had something to do with it.
"So that's what that feeling was earlier," Isshin said with some degree of surprise, adding "And what did they say to one another, I wonder?" as he came to stand beside the shopkeeper.
"We'll never know," Urahara said with a small smile.
Isshin exhaled, "Well, at least I won't have to beat him up."
"You would have otherwise?" Urahara asked mildly, turning to look at the other man.
"Kurosaki-kun would never take advantage of Kuchiki-san!" Inoue forcefully declared. She had caught the drift of the men's conversation and didn't like it one bit.
"That's right, Ichigo and Kuchiki-san are—" Chad began.
He stopped as both men turned to look at the three teens, and Isshin found himself raising an eyebrow as if he had just now become aware of their presence despite having clearly done so earlier. He surveyed the three without saying anything. They now looked more irritated at his seemingly low opinion of Ichigo than dumbfounded by his presence and appearance. "It was a joke," he said.
"Ah, Isshin-san, you are…were…a taichō?" Ishida asked. A lot of things suddenly clicked into place in his mind that he hadn't known were incomplete.
Isshin looked at the Quincy and then the other two, narrowing his eyes fractionally. "He didn't tell you?"
They all shook their heads simultaneously.
"I guess he's smarter than I give him credit for sometimes," he said, turning to watch what was going on below. "She knows she's going to have to fight them to exhaustion with the way they are now, right?" he asked, having picked up on their mood. With the way they had harmonized, they would be completely unrelenting. It was a self-reinforcing process now.
"I'm sure she figured that out before, but if she didn't she surely knows by now," Urahara said.
"We should help her if it takes too long," Isshin said.
"That would ruin your surprise," Urahara said meaningfully, adding "She can handle it." There was a long silence between the two men before Urahara adjusted his hat, saying "Indeed, who's ruining evenings now…?"
"Should…we go?" Chad asked of the two men.
"No," both replied, both their tones making it clear that it was non-negotiable. Chad and Ishida looked at one another awkwardly before taking seats at the kotatsu. Inoue joined them but was completely unphased.
"Tell me everything that happened during their training earlier," Isshin said after awhile.
Ichigo dragged himself along the ground toward one of Yoruichi's feet. Rukia was on the other side of her and together they could still—
"Give it up already!" the Flash Goddess exclaimed. It was now evening. She was a bit winded and covered in sweat, but had held off the two without further injuring them or herself and had eventually brought them to a standstill through sheer attrition. They had collapsed from exhaustion five minutes ago and had been feebly trying to continue ever since. "I get that you made a romantic declaration to fight to the end and all but you've fought well and you're clearly done for the day by now, so knock it off!"
"Were you listening?!" Rukia shouted incredulously. She could barely move anything other than her mouth.
"No! It was just obvious to anyone who remotely knows anything about the two of you at all what transpired! I'm even the one who suggested you…! Tch, haven't you even noticed what your reiatsu has been doing?" Yoruichi said. She was by now rather aggravated about how clueless they had seemed.
"What are you—" Ichigo started, even as he became dimly aware of Rukia realizing what she was talking about, only to be immediately distracted at the sudden feeling of a tremendous and familiar reiatsu appearing near them. This is…
"Were you waiting for an invitation?" Yoruichi complained, turning to face the new arrival.
"Urahara said you had it under control and that it would ruin the surprise," a voice declared. There was no mistaking the fact that it was his father. Isshin's feet and hakama walked into both Rukia and Ichigo's view, coming to rest beside Yoruichi. "I can take it from here," he said.
"You're not mad are you?" she asked, showing a sudden concern for her charges.
"Nah, Urahara explained everything. It was something that was predictable in hindsight, I just need to talk with them," he replied. Neither Rukia nor Ichigo could see the two older ex-Shinigami well, finding it hard to lift their heads.
"I'll hold you to that," Yoruichi warned, before she said "Since I'm sure you want some privacy, and I have to go beat that man up…" and excused herself, walking out from between the group.
Isshin seemed to either watch her go or to consider the son and one-time adopted third daughter at his feet, or possibly both, for some time. At last he said "So, you two want to be next to one another for this?"
"Don't taunt us," Ichigo said.
"It's not a taunt," Isshin's voice said noncommittally from above him, "you're both going to be here for awhile, so I figure you might as well be as comfortable as you can be. You know, other than being on the ground. Come on, last offer."
"Put me next to him," Rukia said, looking to meet Ichigo's gaze. He could see she wasn't ashamed in the slightest and that both did and didn't surprise him.
Isshin obliged and gingerly plucked her up by the waist, setting her back down side-by-side with Ichigo, both on their stomachs. Rukia promptly hooked one of her arms around Ichigo's and grasped his hand tightly, resting her chin on her other arm and looking ahead at the pair of feet before them. It was then that Isshin dropped into a cross-legged sitting position about a meter in front of them and gave them a disarming and considered look. They were pretty cute together now, if in a rather different way. "What a difference a week makes, huh?" he said.
"I told you not to—" Ichigo began to say.
"Shut up, I'm just appreciating the fact that you're both being so open now, it's a beautiful thing!" Isshin said dismissively. He looked up at the artificial sky for awhile before asking "So, first question, you know what's been happening just now, right?"
"Soul linkage," they both said tiredly.
"I'm guessing you just recently figured it out from Rukia, Ichigo?" Isshin asked.
"Yeah," he replied.
"And you were too wrapped up in whatever it was you said to one another to recognize it, Rukia?"
"Yes," she said.
"And I'm guessing you both know how it usually—"
"Yes," they both said testily, not wanting to hear the lecture.
"Okay, next question: Rukia, how long have you known who I am?" Isshin asked.
"I suspected something ever since I met you, but I didn't know for sure until I became a fukutaichō and looked it up. Nobody told me, and we had never met in person before then. So, since I've been back, functionally," she said.
Ichigo said nothing at this, already having a vague idea over their residual linkage.
"And why didn't you tell Ichigo?" Isshin asked.
"It wasn't my place to," she replied, still feeling no shame. Ichigo could tell she sincerely believed it, and felt no reservations toward her position.
"Alright, final question: do you remember when you told me I could tell you what had really happened whenever I felt it was right to do so?" Isshin asked to neither of them in particular.
Both Ichigo and Rukia's eyes went wide in recognition. Rukia spoke up then: "Wait, why are you doing this when I'm here?!"
Isshin smiled softly down at her. "They knew," he said, "When they roped him into this they knew. But I guess they figured it wasn't their place to tell him either. Well, I wouldn't know. And now you're mixed up in it too, so you have just as much a right to know as he does…besides, it seems you're now his better half in more ways that one. As to why now…call it a gut feeling."
Ichigo gripped Rukia's hand securely and she said nothing else.
With that, Isshin told the pair about how, when he had been taichō Isshin Shiba of the 10th Division, he had met a Quincy named Masaki Kurosaki, and had fought the Hollow White. He told them about how he had met Ryūken Ishida, and how the three of them had met Kisuke Urahara. He told them about how the latter had stabilized Masaki's Quincy soul against Hollowfication by getting him to inhabit a gigai and having his Shinigami powers shackled to her. He told them about how their relationship had progressed. He told them about how on June 17, 1996, Masaki and Ishida's mother, Kanae Katagiri, had ultimately died in their own unique ways because of something called Auswählen.
And he told them about a man named Yhwach.