Italics + ' = Thoughts (Etc. = 'What is that?')
Bold + '' = Inner Hollow/Secondary Spirit (Etc. = ''Fucking Quotation marks!'' He roared) (Or Zangetsu in Ichigo's case).
Italics + '' = Zanpakuto Spirit (Etc. = ''Do not hesitate, Ichigo'' Zangetsu said) (Quincy part of Zangetsu for Ichigo's case).
I DONT OWN BLEACH!
Chapter 19: Kurosaki Training - Alliance ARC
''Hurry Yuzu!'' I whisper harshly as both of us creep out through the living room.
''I'm coming!'' She replied quietly as she sneaked out of the front door, locking it behind her and hiding the key under the mat.
Yesterday, three days after their brothers 'trip' (who was far older-looking than they remembered) a teen had approached them. She introduced herself as Asami Urahara, Chiro's older sister. Apparently the younger Urahara informed her sister of their knowledge and proposed an offer of training, training to use their powers as their brother had. Almost immediately both of us agreed, especially when Asami promised there were no catches, well save for the obvious 'train hard'.
So here they were, sneaking across Karakura town to some place called the Urahara Shoten. Both their brother and father were asleep and they might be back before they woke up and if not, could play innocent and claim that one of Yuzu's friends was in an accident and they went to see if she was okay. I wore only a black tank top and shorts, since she said they'd be doing lots of physical activities. Yuzu on the other hand wore a long pink skirt with yellow leggings and as green hoodie/shirt, if she wasn't luminescent then I don't know what is.
They made their way through the desolate streets in a quick jog, the instructions Asami gave them ending in leading them down a dark alleyway and into a small dirt courtyard. A single, small shop-like building sat at one end of the courtyard with the title above the entrance to the store. I cautiously walk up to the Shoji door and knock lightly on it, the light already on a shadow creeps over the front. The door slides open with a clunk to reveal a middle aged man dressed in a green-striped hat and robes, dark green Yukata underneath and clogs on his feet. He didn't look much older than their own father, yet was slightly creepy looking the way he only had one visible eye poking out from underneath his hat and hair.
It seemed the whole Urahara family had a thing for having their hair cover one eye; Asami having a small amount going over it while Chiro had a mop of pink hair that only revealed a portion of her face.
''Ah hello, Kurosaki-san'' He nodded to both of us and make a follow-me gesture as he went into the shop and we followed.
''Oh wow! Who could have known that this was here?'' The still unnamed man yelled in faux astonishment, Yuzu however didn't notice it was an act by the way she stared in awe at the place ''It is so mysterious! Why I wonder was it here-''.
He was cut off as a foot crashed into his face, sending him soaring through the air and through several large rocks. I turn to the offender with wide eyes to see Asami scowling in the direction of the man, she was clad in a black and white uniform with baggy pants, sleeveless black shirt that showed off her chest, arm warmers on her forearms and a red scarf that trailed down her back.
''Sorry about my father, he does that too often'' She scowled remarkably like their brother ''Speaking of which, Ichigo! Get out here!''.
My eyes widen as my brother and my father appeared from thin air next to Asami. Ichigo was dressed similarly to Asami but lacked the red scarf and the sleeves more torn than the clean-cut Asami wore, their father wore a baggy black shirt with sleeves and had a white cape over his shoulders, torn from age.
''Yuzu, Karin'' Ichigo smiled down at them softly.
''Hellooooo my daugh-'' Their father cried as he leaped towards them, but was cut off as Ichigo kicked his side and sent him flying through several rocks like Asami's father.
''Shouldn't you be asleep, Onii-chan?'' Yuzu asked out, despite not being able to see anything besides blurs she could hear them clearly.
''Nah, I knew you'd come tonight so I slept through most of the day'' He smirked faintly before he turned serious ''Are you two serious about this? Once you enter the spirit world there's no going back''.
With a firm determination in my eyes I nod, Yuzu mimicking me with less vigour but equal determination.
He smiled ''Alright, Asami?''.
The slightly shorter teen nodded an affirmative and muttered something before slowly sliding her hand in front of her, my eyes widen as I watch her hand disappear into thin air as a rippling appeared around it. She pulled out a blue and yellow spear from thin air and threw it up into the air, it extended and fell back to earth in three pieces attached by chains. They made an archway with a purple glow to it, strangely pulsating.
''Karin? What's happening?'' Yuzu asked in confusion, reminding us of her blindness. Their father suddenly appeared and put a palm over her eyes as they glowed a soft green and held it there for a few seconds before removing it. Asami looked at him, Ichigo and Asami with wide eyes.
''I can see!'' She chirped happily, hugging her father.
He chuckled ''Alright, Alright lets go''.
We both give them a confused look but were surprised when Asami and her father simply walked into the purple gateway, Ichigo took my hand and gently led me over to the portal with Yuzu holding their fathers hand. I come into contact with the purple barrier and it felt like gel, even as we began walking through a stormy mass of black and purple.
When we exit through the strange looking exit, my eyes widen at what I saw.
''Welcome to the world I created'' I state, ignoring the roll of the eyes Ichigo gave me and awe-filled gazes the two girls gave me.
I could brag too if I wanted.
''We'll be training with Ichigo-san over by the mountains'' Her father informed before blurring away.
''You won't be helping, Onii-chan?'' Yuzu asked with puppy dog eyes.
''I can't, sorry'' He smiled apologetically ''Don't worry, Asami's a great teacher''.
He gave both of the twins a hug, giving me a look that wordlessly said 'take care of them' before he released them and disappeared with their father. They both turn to me with slightly hesitant looks in their eyes.
''So what do we do?'' Yuzu asked nervously.
''I'm going to transfer a small amount of my Reiryoku, which is basically energy, into you two so it will awaken your natural Shinigami powers'' I say with a small smile and they relaxed slightly ''It is completely painless, though you may lose consciousness shortly after awakening your powers but that's normal''.
I poke both in the head with a glowing finger and instantly their real bodies fell back onto the grass, both left in white kimonos.
I gesture for their hands and they obey, Yuzu giving her right and Karin her left. I hold theirs with my fingers underneath and my thumb sitting on their knuckles, a soft purple energy surrounds my hands and in turn theirs. A small amount of black energy dwelled in Karin's and a small amount of blue dwelled in Yuzu's. Both girls were entrapped with awe at the sight of the purple energy as it seeped into their hands, then all at once they exploded with power in a powerful display of Reiatsu.
However in the face of my own power it was miniscule, so it didn't faze me in the slightest.
Once the spikes of purple-based power dies off I release their hands and allow them to inspect their new Shinigami attire with ever-present awe, Yuzu even going as far as to check the undergarments. I turn to the treeline not far off and give a nod to the man hidden in the foliage, said person disappeared from view and I waited patiently for him to reappear. I had to only wait a minute before he reappeared, scaring the life out of Yuzu and Karin in the process. He handed me two Asauchi before nodding and disappearing again, this time not returning.
''These are called Asauchi, or nameless sword'' I explain and hand one to each of them, who take it hesitantly ''As time goes on or the stronger you become, your blade will slowly transform into a Zanpakuto - the main weapon of the Shinigami''.
They both nod and grip the nameless swords tightly, however those two seemingly miniscule actions made them blink tiredly. Their grip loosened and before they hit the ground I caught them in my arms, the twins being surprisingly light even for their age. In a silent blur I return to the house, taking them to the rooms where they will stay.
It took several hours before the twins woke up, though on the outside that wasn't even an hour. Now the three of us stood out in the middle of an open field with two training dummies stationed in front of them, the twins doing basic katas to grasp the weight of the sword and get used to it.
''Do not treat it as a mere sword, but rather as an extension of yourselves'' I order in a stern tone ''If you do not treat it with the same care you would another living being, then it will be as brittle as a stick''.
Both give determined nods before going back to attacking the dummies, Yuzu with weaker strikes but with more precision while Karin had more force but was hack-and-slash like her brother.
Ichigo, an enigma in the eyes of everyone but me.
He was a protector, one who would spend his days training instead of doing things normal humans should. His growth rate was beyond scary, achieving Bankai within six months of training and powerful enough that he will (likely) be able to challenge my own Bankai (not including Sokyoku). It wasn't easy to convince him to allow me to tutor his sisters, the two people he swore to protect with his life. I knew it wasn't because he lacked faith in me or thought I would cause them harm, but rather because he didn't want to bring them into this world.
But there will be times when he cant get to them in time, so if they even have a small amount of training it will allow them some self-defence. It took a good two hours of a calm argument, I say calm because we never raised our voices. Isshin was also hesitant but sided with me quickly, insisting that no matter how strong Ichigo became it didn't mean anything if he couldn't get their in time.
Of course he took it the wrong way, thinking all he had to do was train to be faster. It was clear his thick-headedness was an act but sometimes I truly wonder if it wasn't.
So now he, Isshin and my father were off doing a free-for-all. At first it was to train Ichigo, but then they mutually agreed it would be good to get back into shape if the two fathers were ever needed for combat. Ichigo is likely to release his Shikai as my father, since both are far more skilled with them, while Isshin will likely not due to his Shikai being a powerhouse that rivalled my Sokyoku.
So for now, she would train his siblings to be as strong as possible.
Today was not a good day for Renji Abarai.
Firstly he had been sent to the world of the living with his captain, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Rangiku and Rukia to prepare for Aizen in case he decided to attack the human world. Not only that but they had to attend a high school for humans to keep an eye on Ichigo and Asami, and as a distraction from sitting doing nothing for days on end. And getting Byakuya Kuchiki in a school uniform was no easy task, mainly because of his normal social standing and the fact he would not be treated as a noble but like anyone else, which he clearly did not like very much.
Secondly, when they arrived at said school neither people were present. Asami and Ichigo were gone, nobody of the group could sense them either. When they questioned their friends (Inoue, Sado and Ishida) the three friends all replied they didn't know, nor had the two left a note of any kind. When they returned they went their separate ways and when they awakened in the morning they couldn't sense them. So the next logical course of action, from Rukia, was to go to Ichigo's house.
That was when things got weird.
The house was completely empty, no father, no sisters, no Ichigo. No note was left either, everything was tidy and showed no signs of being forcefully taken. This of course caused some degree of alarm especially to Rukia, since the rest of the Kurosaki family were unaware of the spirit world. The next and last stop was the Urahara Shoten but only contained Tessai and the two human(?) kids, when questioned they simply replied that 'the boss' had gone to Naruki city to do a supply run and will not be back for several days, while Yoruichi just left in her cat form a short while ago.
He promised to relay to the hat-and-clogs man that Ichigo and his human family were missing, so with that they left.
It was incredibly troubling to say the least, two incredibly powerful beings just suddenly disappearing without warning. Not only that but a family of spiritually aware humans and a creepy exile and a cat, all gone.
The third thing that made this day a shit one was the fact they encountered what seemed like a human, but instead was more like a vampire according to Ishida. She had introduced herself as Yoshino and promptly left after she fought myself and Rukia, the latter critically wounded. We gave our report to soul society and Kurotsuchi informed them of the Bount, and also to collect some samples for him to play with (they pretended not to hear that last part).
Even his captain admitted it would be best if they found Ichigo and Asami before this escalated beyond their control, in other words he silently admitted their strength may not be enough if two lieutenant-class fighters could be defeated so easily.
So the hunt continued.
''Hado #31: Shakkaho!'' Yuzu cried as she sent the fireball to the dummy, it was slightly off-centred and struck the side of its body and burned it.
''Good'' I nod to the blonde haired girl ''Work on adding some more power while keeping or improving its accuracy''.
''Hai!'' The girl saluted with a grin before returning to the spell, I turn to look at Karin who was busy hacking and slashing at the dummy. It had been a total of four days on the outside and that totals up to four months inside, though I didn't tell the twins just to save them from trying to wrap their heads around the godly power. Both hadn't showed any real signs of growth besides longer hair (which I cut when they requested, since the others would likely shave them bald by accident) and maybe being an inch higher.
Despite the short amount of time they had trained for, both have grown remarkably. Nothing Ichigo-level in terms of growth (his was almost impossible, yet something to admire) but in terms of Shino academy standards they would be classed as prodigies.
Yuzu's Shunpo could rivals a lieutenants, which in itself was admirable considering she had the body and mind of an eleven year old, her Kido was excellent and she could perform a flawless Raikoho, or Rikujokoro in terms of Bakudo. Her Zanjutsu was rough, but again considering her physique and amount of (or lack thereof) physical activity she had done prior it was incredible. She attained her Zanpakuto and came into contact with her spirit, as well as another spirit who was dormant so to speak but had yet to gain Shikai.
The one thing she lacked was Hakuda, which was difficult to overcome and the only current solution was to enhance her attacks with Reiryoku, which helped a bit. She also had a decent grasp on healing Kido, which I taught her both for her benefit and for my own (who knew I was so rusty at using simple healing Kido?).
Karin was the more combat-oriented sister. Her Zanjutsu was the area she excelled at, even attaining her Shikai shortly after coming into contact with her spirit. She however completely expressed how 'creepy' it was, being a photo negative of her. It confirmed my theory that my hollow Reiryoku had seeped into her when I awakened her powers, that her Zanpakuto was now hollowfied but if anything it was like Ichigo's; willing to work with its wielder without trying to turn it into a hollow.
Her Hakuda was proficient as well, perhaps being able to match up with a seated officer of the second division. Her Kido wasn't too bad, though she succeeded in Hado more than Bakudo, her Shunpo wasn't as good as Yuzu but was still lieutenant-class. Ichigo was proud of them when they met up back at the house for dinner (since she and Yuzu were the only ones capable of cooking dammit) and the twins had beamed at the praise, putting even more work into training.
A ring resounded from my Hakama pocket and I pull out my soul pager in an instant and notice the pending call. Only when something that required my immediate attention did anyone call me, so I raise it to my ear while pressing the answer button.
''Hello?'' I ask.
''Kaa-san~'' Claude sang ''We've got another Bount problem, though this one's too strong for Abarai-kun and Kuchiki-chan~''.
''Which one is it?'' I ask, glancing the twins and quietly asking them to rest before returning to my call.
''Hm...'' He hummed, keyboard taping in the background ''...it seems to match the Bount known as Yoshi, long green hair, narrow features, nice chest...''.
A whack was heard in the background followed by a high-pitched ranting voice, undoubtedly Ririn.
''Thanks Claude'' I thank ''Keep me updated''.
I close the soul pager and turn to the twins, who were watching me curiously ''If you two feel like it, I have your first proper battle you can participate in''.
Both perked up ''Really?!''.
''Mm, if you want we'll get you suited up and the both of you will try to incapacitate or defeat your opponent, no need for a kill'' I explain and I notice Yuzu breathe a sigh of relief ''Your opponent will be tough however; using unknown techniques and relentless, despite this will you accept?''.
''Definetly!'' Karin grinned.
''Mm!'' Yuzu hummed ''We'll make you and Onii-chan proud!''.
I smile slightly ''Okay head to the house, Nova should be there ready to suit you up''.
''Okay!'' Both chirp and blur towards the house.
''Now I have to convince your brother'' I grumble and find his soul pager number and dial it, bringing it to my ear ''Ichigo?''.
''Asami? What is it?'' He asked as a clang of metal was heard in the background.
''Remember the information about the Bounts I shared with you?'' I ask and hear a hum of approval ''One has appeared and is fighting Rukia Kuchiki and Renji Abarai, the latter two are losing... your sisters will be deployed to defeat said Bount''.
Silence.
''Why?'' He sighed.
''Because they need combat experience and this is the perfect opportunity, the Bount is already weakened and they are capable of handling it. Your two allies will be unable to hold off for much longer and if it helps, we'll be watching from above''.
''Fine, I'll be at the house in a minute'' He said with another sigh and I let out a thanks before shutting the phone shut and blurring over to the house.
''Why do they look like ninjas?'' Ichigo asked dryly as he looked at his sisters, both wearing black hooded robes with a mask underneath to hide their face.
''Its to keep them off the radar from soul society'' I explain ''Its one thing for someone as powerful as you to exist, but if they knew your entire family was at least lieutenant-class then you might be targeted by them on orders from central 46''.
''...fine'' He sighed as Nova held out the clothing to him ''But why do I have to?''.
Instead of the black hooded combat robes that the twins wore, he instead had a black trench coat with a hood, which apparently reminded him of his Bankai spirit. He also had a black mask, two small holes for eyes and some to breath. The mask is also able to distort the wielders voice like a hollow mask, though he had yet to wear it.
''Because I want to keep Jikan Yari a secret from soul society as much as possible, since it technically breaches a few laws'' I shrug ''Besides, it'll be cool playing the mysterious badass, it suits you''.
He raised an eyebrow in a similar manner as Byakuya Kuchiki, which was both amusing and slightly... interesting?
I put my arms over my chest ''Just put it on''.
He gave me another quizzical look before sighing in defeat and gestured for the coat, making me smirk in victory.
''Pitiful'' The Bount named Yoshi taunted as she slowly approached our broken bodies, my hand gripping Sode no Shirayuki as tightly as possible. Renji was the worst of the two of us with a large gash across his chest, broken ribs and dozens of smaller cuts all over. I had damage to my left arm, making it unusable, and several large cuts all over my chest. Byakuya wasn't anywhere nearby, Yumichika was in soul society giving a report and Ikkaku was recovering from his injuries at the Urahara Shoten.
She walked up to Renji and raised the sword above the barely-conscious Renji and before I can cry out she swung down. However the cry died down in my throat when a black blur passed me and blocked the attack with a Zanpakuto, though the figure wasn't dressed as one but rather adorning a cloak. Yoshi was clearly caught off guard and before she could overcome her shock the short figure lashed out with its foot and hit the Bount in the knee.
Yoshi let out a cry of painful shock as her assaulted leg collapsed under her, the short figure took advantage of this surprise and with its Zanpakuto it lashed out and make a large cut across her torso. She stumbled back and the masked assailant assisted her my jump-kicking her in the abdomen and sending her sprawling back.
''...Hado #63: Raikoho!'' A distorted, female voice cried as a bright bolt of yellow energy struck the downed woman and erupted in a dome of raw power. A second equally short figure appeared next to me in a blur of Shunpo, she knelt down next to me and a soft glow of healing Kido glowed on my hands and to my surprise my wounds were closing at a fairly fast rate, nearly as fast as the lieutenant of the fourth.
''Who... are you?'' I ask in awe and shock.
''I cant tell you my name, sorry'' She said softly ''I can stop the bleeding and maybe close off a few wounds, but I was told not to heal more than that''.
''Who told you not to?'' I groan.
The masked person simply replies ''Look up''.
I do as she said and was surprised to see two figures standing in the air above, one wearing a long black hooded trench coat and the other in a hooded robe like the two shorter people. Both wore black masks similar to the girl sitting next to me and were clearing spectating the fight, it was also then I noticed the girl had a purple teardrop tattoo on the back of her hand, as did the other person who was now in a slashing match with the Bount.
Just then the short person delivers a deep slash to the Bounts abdomen, making her let out a groan of pain before falling on her back unconscious. The girl who was healing me stopped and moved to Renji, who had fallen unconscious. I try to get up but get as far as sitting on my elbows before I find a blade at my neck, courtesy of the tall hooded figure that was in the air a moment before.
''Stay down'' The voice was distorted but clearly female and held an air of authority and intellect.
There was a whoosh of air and suddenly Byakuya was behind the masked assailant, Senbonzakura at its throat.
''Who are you?'' He said in a threatening tone.
There was another whoosh, though slightly quieter, and the person in the trench coat was behind him with a glowing red sword at his neck.
''I'd tread carefully, Shinigami-san'' The masked man said in a low threatening tone ''Yumi, Kiyone... we're leaving''.
''Sure'' The one who fought said in a carefree but hostile tone, the girl healing Renji stopped and got to her feet before both left in a blur. The three of them stood in silence, waiting for one to make a move. Suddenly, faster than Byakuya could react, the woman elbowed her brother in the stomach and disappeared in a blur, the tall man also disappearing in a blur, a single piece of paper floated from the space he stood and landed on my stomach.
The words on it made my eyes widen, instantly deciphering the riddle on it.
What's has orange hair and means strawberry? -Jin Kariya
''Ichigo...'' I mutter with wide eyes.
We enter the world of Jikan Yari again and practically rip off the cloaks, though I at least try to fold it neatly.
''Was it necessary? All of that?'' I ask as Yuzu and Karin grin widely as Asami praised them with a small smile.
''Yes, they'll believe we're part of the Bounts and go after them with newly-found ferocity, while thinking they've taken you and your family hostage'' She said the last part quietly ''Yuzu, Karin go and inform your father of your success''.
Both grin widely and nod, blurring off to the house.
''That's what I mean'' I frown as we walk casually ''Why make them believe we are the enemy and why make them target the Bounts?''.
''To make things interesting'' She chuckled quietly ''Its a show of skill; how far the Gotei 13 has declined from a hundred years ago. I mean look at it, we managed to bust into the Seireitei with ease, even if the barrier was up it wouldn't have done much besides stall us''.
''So your making them scramble to fight an enemy we could easily defeat?'' I frown deeper at her.
''Soul society is flawed, Ichigo'' She said abruptly, looking at me out if the corner of her eye seriously ''A being, with an unmatched amount of power who is not loyal to the Gotei 13... what do you think happens? Do you believe they just give that being a slap on the wrist and a verbal thrashing? They are assassinated or imprisoned, the problem with you Ichigo is that you have two little sisters which they can easily kill or threaten to make you submit to their will''.
My eyes widen with realisation ''That's why you're training them?''.
She nodded ''Soul Society doesn't like loose ends, central 46 hates them with a fiery passion. Their word is law and cannot be denied, and as you've seen there are a multitude of people willing to follow the law, namely Byakuya Kuchiki and Soi Fon''.
Her fist tightened at her side as she focused on the distant mountains ''I wish to change things, but to do that one must stand upon the heavens above... you'll understand later''.
Realising what she was about to do I place a hand on her shoulder, making her flinch from the sudden contact and unable to disappear in her silent high-speed movement.
''You said 'One day I hope you'll understand', but to understand one must know the story behind it'' I say in a speech pattern that would make Zangetsu proud. She locked eyes with me and for a whole minute we had a stare-off, eventually however her lips turned upwards into a small smile.
''Took you long enough'' She joked to my confusion ''Very well, if you wish to known the story then I'll tell you...''.
Cliff-hanger ;P