Bleach (c) Tite Kubo
Black and Blue
Revelation
Ichigo inhales deeply, rubbing some sleep from his eyes.
So. Last night may have been the first night in days he's actually gotten a decent measure of sleep; his shouting match with Kon not withstanding.
Suffice it to say, the Mod Soul is officially banned from using Ichigo's phone until... well, forever. Ichigo even changed its password as extra insurance and he's gonna start taking it on patrols with him.
It's a nuisance that Kon jumped to crazy conclusions and pretty much forced Ichigo's hand (the little idiot thought girl troubles was the reason Ichigo woke up screaming some nights? Seriously?), but there's a reassuring certainty that sets his mind at ease. Help was waiting for him in the morning, even if Ichigo put off the idea of asking for weeks. Whether it was out of fear or out of pride, he wasn't too sure.
All that said, Ichigo figures there's another shoe waiting to drop. There always is.
Rush into Soul Society? The walls drop and lock them out. Defeat the gate guardian, who's willing to let them through thanks to some honour code? A freaking Captain shows up and kicks them out with a mega poke of death from his Shikai (granted, that was Gin Ichimaru). Get shot into the Seireitei with a cannon and kido orb thingy? Ganju screws up the secondary incantation and they all get scattered to the four compass points.
So yeah. Ichigo is suspicious as all hell.
Despite that, Ichigo's got a bucket load of questions to ask anyways.
And Kaien Shiba is apparently the only person willing to dispense with the usual obfuscating bullshit Ichigo's come to expect in his life (by which Ichigo means Kisuke Urahara), and give him refreshingly straight answers.
Admittedly the Ex-Lieutenant was evasive on how he managed to survive a sword through the heart, but hey - the dude freaking died.
Not the 'I faked my death with my stupid illusion Zanpakuto' kind of died like Aizen.
No, this was the kind you're not supposed to come back from. Ever. As in 'light left the eyes, stopped breathing, body gone cold and crumbled to dust' kind of dead - that's what Rukia told him (she'd never lie about anything like that).
Doesn't take a genius to figure that story's probably nine different kinds of traumatic hell to talk about either. So Ichigo figures as much as he wants to know, as much as others deserve to know more, he's not going to touch that topic with a ten foot pole unless Kaien broaches it first.
True to Kaien's word, Ichigo had a text waiting for him this morning with an address to a local park about half an hour's walk away from the clinic.
After making some excuse to his family about meeting up with someone before school (and waving off Yuzu's protest as politely as he can manage), Ichigo skips out on breakfast and starts walking at a leisurely pace. Dressed casually, he still has the combat pass in his pocket, his fingers clutching around it in a white knuckled grip like a protective talisman.
The persistent noise of his inner hollow was suspiciously muted today, and Ichigo wonders if the bastard's doing it on purpose as some new way to screw with him. His nerves are already fraying, and now he's twisting himself up in knots in anxious anticipation. He'll get some answers today. Whether he likes them or not is a separate story, and that thought settles like a weight in the pit of his stomach.
When he does arrive, Ichigo barely crosses the park's threshold when he senses then hears the presence of a Hollow. Its menacing distorted roar punctuated by the cries of a young plus doing his best to run from the monstrosity.
Ichigo doesn't think; he just acts. The combat pass slaps against his thigh, ejecting his Shinigami self from his body, which crumples to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
Zangetsu flies into his hand and grim scowl etches on his face when he spots the damn thing's mask. Its spindly limbs chitter as it speeds forward, looking like a freaky mix between a spider and a beetle with waaaaaay too many legs.
It lashes out with quick jabs. Its legs attacking in pairs. Once. Twice.
Ichigo deflects them all with ease. Zangetsu's light in his hand as its edge cleaves like a knife through butter.
The Hollow howls in anguish and rage that's abruptly replaced by a wet gurgle as Ichigo's sword cuts a diagonal line through its mask. Its form split asunder, it dissolves into reishi then evaporates into nothing. He exhales a heavy breath.
"E-Excuse me, mister?" Ichigo turns and its the young soul this Hollow was just chasing. The boy looks maybe ten years old. His eyes are red from tears, but he's taking deep breaths to calm himself down as though someone had coached him.
"Y-Your big brother o-over there said you'd help me go some place w-where the monsters won't get me." The boy's hiccupping and Ichigo casts a frown towards the direction he's pointing. Some distance hence, he can make out three figures.
Of course, Ichigo recognizes his own body posed with its arms crossed on a park bench like it's napping. He recognizes Kaien (basically a taller, black-haired version of himself so it's hard not to recognize him), a sheathed Zanpakuto with a navy-wrapped hilt in his hand. And there's a third figure that's half his size. A blond girl with pig tails wearing sandals and a red tracksuit. There's a crimson handled Zanpakuto slung across her back.
She and Kaien are locked in some heated exchange and Ichigo internally sighs. He's gonna have to get mixed up in that if he wants his body back.
"He's not -" He's not my big brother, Ichigo's about to protest but cuts himself off, deciding there's no point arguing when its not going to matter in a couple seconds anyways. He offers a slight smile, taking a knee to speak with the soul face-to-face. "He's not wrong, I can send you somewhere you won't be chased by monsters anymore. It's called the Soul Society. You can rest in peace there."
"Really?" His eyes shimmer with hope.
"Really." Ichigo promises and hefts Zangetsu, the hilt glowing a faint blue as he gently stamps the young soul's forehead.
When the Konso's complete, Ichigo exhales a heavy breath. This is going to suck. Mustering his resolve, he keeps a tight grip on Zangetsu and moves towards the arguing duo.
"We're supposed to protect souls, not scare them to tears."
"That's a Shinigami's job, its got nothin' to do with us anymore. Maybe you've forgotten that much, Kaien." The girl spits spitefully and Kaien's jaw clenches like she's struck at a particularly sensitive nerve.
"But who gives a damn about some random kid. We had a plan; you know we had a plan!" The girl barks, jabbing a finger at his chest. It would've been intimidating if she wasn't such a midget.
"Yes, we had a plan; the plan was that I reached out to Ichigo, explain the situation, offer my help then invite him back to train with us once we got things with his Hollow squared away. Not..." Kaien waves his hand in the general direction of something behind him, "Whatever you pestered Shinji into doing. You couldn't have waited two days for me to get back? And who's idea was it to make us sound like some kind of crazy cult, anyway? It sure wasn't mine or Lisa's."
"Cults are all the rage these days. Teenagers love 'em. It made sense." The half-pint dismisses with a wave,
"Speaking as a teenager myself, they're distinctly not." Ichigo cuts in irritably, a tight grip on Zangetsu.
Is it rude to barge headlong into a strangers' conversations? Yes. Does Ichigo care at this junction? Not particularly, no. Especially when he's the subject matter.
Kaien looks genuinely happy to see him, and Ichigo finds that both heartening and frankly a little weird, "Oh hey. Good morning. Did the kid get away okay?"
"Yeah. Hollow's dead and Konso's done."
"Glad to hear it. Good job." Kaien offers a grin that's wiped off his face by the girl's caustic tones,
"Cut the crap. Ya ain't here to pat him on the head every time he wipes his ass."
"Diplomacy's just a lost art for you, isn't it?" Kaien gives a disappointed sigh before offering introductions, "Ichigo Kurosaki, this is Hiyori Sarugaki. Another Visored. Hiyori, Ichigo."
"About time you came to your senses. Only took ya, what? A few weeks to actually get your backside in gear?" Hiyori crosses her arms, her lips set in a thin line. Her brown eyes scrutinize Ichigo and he scowls at her in turn.
"Now let's cut to the good business, kid: You don't wanna be trained by this punk, Ichigo." Hiyori tosses a thumb over her shoulder and its an effort of will not to laugh at the affronted scowl Kaien shoots at the back of her skull, like he's trying to glare her into an early grave. Kinda freaky too. Like looking in a mirror.
Ichigo gathers this Visored must be the impatient element Kaien mentioned during their first meeting. Funny. He has a hard time imagining the older Shinigami being pushed around by anyone. Except maybe Kukaku.
"See, he's the most inexperienced Visored by leagues and miles. Ya shouldn't really take advice from this half-trained runt." Hiyori declares boldly.
"You do remember I've got several centuries of experience on you, right?" Kaien mutters under his breath, earning a hard stomp on his foot. "Ouch! Why is it always violence with you?"
Hiyori shoots daggers at him, "Keep running that mouth of yours and I'll show you how violent I get, Shit-ba!"
Kaien rolls his eyes at her display, quietly shaking his head in exasperation. Ichigo gets the sense this is pretty par for the course for them.
Hiyori puffs up and thrusts a thumb at her own chest, "See, if you ask me very politely; I, Ms Hiyori Sarugaki, will train ya. I'll even let ya run around doing the Shinigami's dirty work for 'em. Assuming you survive."
"Assuming I survive?" Ichigo echoes in mockery. He can see the vein on Kaien's temple and he looks about ready to thump his fellow Visored over the head.
"I have to say; between you, Shinji and Kaien? Kaien's still got the best sales pitch by far. Best bargain too. No offense freckles, but I'd prefer to be working with the guy who owes me a favour rather than the guys trying to dangle the promise of my sanity like a carrot on a stick."
"F-Freckles..." The shorter Visored repeats with a low threatening growl, her lip curling up to expose one fang. Before Ichigo can react, her Zanpakuto's pressed to Ichigo's body's neck, "Alright. If that's how you want to play then let's deal, Carrot top. You're gonna pull your head out of your ass and come with us, or we're taking your body hostage-"
"We most certainly will not! Will you stop buying problems?" Kaien barks the frustrated protest, he gets folded in half by an offhanded punch to the gut for the trouble.
Hiyori continues, uninterrupted, "- And if you want it back, you'll have to fight us for it. Your choice. You gonna come quietly?"
Ichigo snarls, he's already short fuse is oh-so-very close to blowing, and his grip on Zangetsu tightens to the point of pain. He can feel the hollow within just underneath the surface. "Didn't you get the memo the first time? If Shinji's ultimatum didn't work on me, what makes you think a literal sword to my throat's gonna change my mind at all?"
Ichigo thrust a finger towards Kaien, who's hand is curled around the hilt of his Zanpakuto, ready to bat Hiyori's away should she actually follow through on her threat. "Look, this guy's already offered to help me out anyway. That's what you all wanted right? So how about you just walk away and we'll sort this out, shorty?"
A vein pops on Hiyori's forehead, "What... did you just call me?"
"Uh oh." Kaien grimaces,
"Did you just call me shorty?" Hiyori growls,
Ichigo's unwilling to be cowed by some blond punk half his size and pushes back, he's well and truly done with this situation, "Get your Zanpakuto away from my body's throat before I send you home crying to mummy, snaggletooth."
Kaien groans with his face buried in his hand, "OhdeargodIchigopleaseshutup."
"Oh, you are so dead..." Hiyori hisses and Ichigo can feel a surge of darker reiatsu coming to the forefront. He can see... something white starting to form on her crown before-
"And that's our cue!"
Before Ichigo can even comprehend what just happened, he's being dragged off by the scuff of his shihakusho in a flurry of Shunpo and Hiyori is a diminishing howling speck in the distance.
Ichigo's first coherent thought is Holy shit, this dude's fast! Like, almost Yoruichi fast. He'd probably give her a run for her money!
Ichigo's second thought is he does not want to be on the business end of Hiyori's outrage by the time she breaks out of that kido. She's howling and cussing and bound by a crawling rope of yellow light. His own vacant body is thrown over Kaien's other shoulder.
"H-hey! Let me go, damn it. I can take her!" Ichigo demands,
"Nope!"
"Fine. I won't fight her but let me go! I can use Shunpo too, I don't need you dragging me along." He says that, but Ichigo hates to admit he'd be struggling to keep up with this sheer speed.
"Nope. Not while Hiyori's still got a bead on us," Kaien answers back, he adds a sarcastic quip after, "Thanks a lot for pissing her off by the way. Super grateful. I'm gonna pay for that when I go home later. That girl's got a temper to match Kukaku, and I know you've met her!"
Ichigo is nearly compelled to wince in sympathy. Nearly. He only met Kukaku briefly while they were training to infiltrate the Seireitei, but he knows the kind of explosive outrage Kaien's sister is capable of. That being said, "She put her sword to my throat! Besides, I'm not the one who cast a freaking binding Kido on her!"
"Hiyori was two seconds away from flaying you alive!" Kaien volleys back, then shrugs as best he can with his baggage, "Besides, it was only a little Hainawa. She'll be fiiiiine... probably."
"Probably?!" Ichigo repeats incredulously.
Ichigo doesn't bother to point out he doesn't even know what a Hainawa is, or what constitutes a 'little' binding spell. The most Ichigo knows about Bakudo is Sai and Kin, and presuming the numbers indicate spell strength, they're the weakest and strongest binds in that kido school. Even then, the only reason Ichigo knows them at all is because he was on the receiving end.
"If that Hiyori girl's that much of a problem, then get her to lay off the same way you got Kukaku off your case. You managed to live with your sister once upon a time, right? You had to do something to calm her down whenever she got into a mood!"
Kaien grunts in annoyance, "There's a difference; I'm Kukaku's big brother - I helped raise her. She adored the ground I walked on!"
Ichigo can't help but snort derisively at that, "Funny that. The way she tells it; Kukaku called you the biggest idiot that ever lived."
"They're not mutually exclusive!"
"That doesn't explain why you brought Hiyori along if she was gonna be such a pain in the ass and force a confrontation. So, why'd you bring her?"
Kaien huffs, defensive, "Excuse you - I didn't bring her; she followed me! I was perfectly happy spending the day training or shooting the breeze or whatever else you wanted to do, but then she showed up to crash the party."
Ichigo can't resist the barb nor the meanspirited snarky little smirk he shot the older man's way over his shoulder, "Didn't you say something before about how plans make God laugh?"
Kaien pulls a face at him, vein bulging in his temple, "You know I was going to offer to buy you breakfast, but if you keep being a smartass I'm just gonna let you starve."
Kaien doesn't let him starve.
Ichigo's back in his body and the pair of them walk out of a side street into a massive shopping plaza like Kaien hadn't just Shunpo'd them to the other side of town in about a minute flat. At the older man's prompting, Ichigo scans their surroundings and finds a teashop he's always walked past in this part of town but never had the chance to actually try out.
They find themselves a booth in a corner and away from the main traffic. Kaien rests his Zanpakuto besides him while they take a seat and order their food.
It's beyond annoying to admit, but Ichigo's honestly having a pretty good time, crazy circumstances aside. Kaien is... well, he's fun. He's friendly enough without being over the top about it and doesn't seem to care that he's the one driving the conversation most of the time.
Ichigo's still suspicious. Still feels like this whole scenario is too good to be true, but he's feeling those doubts drop away bit by bit as their conversation continues. Kaien's not brought up the Visoreds or Hollows or anything remotely in that topic range once. If anything, he seems to be trying to get Ichigo's mind off that stuff entirely.
Its easy and comfortable, and Ichigo can very clearly tell why he's been so fondly remembered by the Thirteenth Division years after his death.
Kaien's telling stories about growing up in Rukongai with Ganju and Kukaku, and he's half way through weaving a tale when their breakfasts and coffees arrive, pausing only to take a drink and a bite.
Ichigo's covering his face with his palm with a groan, "So... in your infinite wisdom, you decided that the best way to encourage your sister's hobby of playing with dangerous and highly explosive materials was to volunteer as a test subject for her newest invention," He stares at Kaien who's grinning and entirely unrepentant about the whole thing. "... you're what the Soul Society call a genius. I weep for the afterlife."
Kaien raises his hands defensively, "I've never claimed to be a genius, thank you very much. That being said, its amazing how often genius and madness coincide. Look. It only made sense; Ganju was too young, Kukaku was needed to perform the ritual, I had nothing better to do and we were all left unsupervised."
"And you thought the best way to alleviate your boredom and encourage your sister's hobbies was to shoot yourself out of a cannon?" Ichigo can scarcely belief it. He scoffs and shakes his head.
"This coming from the kid who got shot out of that same cannon to infiltrate the Seireitei not two months ago? Pot calling the kettle black much?" Kaien counters, wearing a crooked smirk. "Come on, look me in the eye and tell me it wasn't a little bit fun."
Ichigo meets those mirthful eyes, and realises he doesn't have a leg to stand on there.
Kaien shrugs, the son of a bitch is preening. Ichigo presses on incredulous, "And no one in the Seireitei questioned a firework with a person inside it?"
"Nope. Not a one. They saw Shibas were involved and just went about their day."
Ichigo gapes at him, the corner of his treacherous lip turning up in a half-grin, "You're absolutely mad."
Kaien puts on the façade of utmost sincerity, a solemn hand to his chest. "Oh no no. I'm a Shiba. That's far worse."
"And what was your family's reaction to this?" Ichigo can't keep the chuckle out of his voice,
Kaien lights up, a wide beaming grin on his face while he recounts the memory, "One of my uncles was the Lieutenant of the 10th at the time; and even with the Captain-Commander standing right there ready to immolate me, he was pissing himself laughing. At the same time, my father was Commander of the Kido Corps. And he was supernaturally straight-laced for a Shiba - I mean, so stoic he'd make the Kuchikis blush with envy. But he had a very dry sense of humor. He was called in and promised the Captain-Commander he'd escort me home and discipline me."
Ichigo sips his coffee, "Then you had to do the walk of shame back to your compound."
"And I had my head held high with a goddamn grin on my face. My dad promised the Captain-Commander that I'd be properly disciplined for the misuse of Kido arts."
Ichigo watches Kaien do air quotes on 'misuse of Kido arts', Ichigo simultaneously does yet doesn't want to know what that means. "What about the rest of your clan?"
Kaien threw a hand to one side, "To the rest of the clan's kids; Kukaku became a hero overnight. They all wanted to have a go testing out her new toy - even queueing up to get shot out the cannon. But all the adults axed that idea pretty quick. We Shibas are a rowdy lot, but we've still got some standards."
Ichigo covered his face with his hand in bemused exasperation, "Ignoring the fact its a freaking firework. And they're treating it like its a theme park ride?"
"Heh. And my mother? Oh, my mother was furious. You know how dare we do something so reckless; it was an untested device; should've been supervised; no safety precautions; Blah blah blah. The usual spiel concerned mums do when their kids are playing with volatile substances. And through the entire scolding, my dad's just completely silent. Absolutely stone faced and just letting my mother get all the hot air out. When my mum's done lecturing our ears off about proper safety, dad just looks at the cannon then to me, then at Kukaku and says-" Kaien folds his arms and puts on a deep gruff impression of a voice, "I'm thoroughly disappointed in the both of you. You should know better; use Launch Method 2 next time."
They burst into laughter at that. Ichigo's not one to laugh openly, but it feels so damned good. He draws in a shaky breath, "And was there a next time?"
Kaien's maniac little cackle into his coffee was all the answer Ichigo needed. "And this happened before or after you joined the Gotei 13?"
Kaien waves a hand, his nose wrinkles in thought. "Before. Way before. Comparatively speaking, I was about 110? 120? The rough human equivalent would be about... your age, actually - a teenager. But don't think for a second I wasn't tempted to keep it up after I joined either."
"You're a certifiable lunatic." Ichigo declares,
"Guilty as charged." Kaien concedes.
A silence stretches on as they eat their meal. Its companionable enough, but its not long before Ichigo feels the good humour dissipate. He can feel the tension rise in him as his thoughts from the past few weeks surge to the forefront of his mind.
Ichigo clicks his tongue and opens his mouth to speak, "Look, um... I'm gonna spitball a few things that've been eating at me for a little while. I get that it'll probably be a bit, ya know, out there. But I'm just gonna get it off my chest and you can tell me if I'm way off base or not. Okay?"
"Alright. Lay it on me." Kaien agrees over his coffee.
Ichigo leans forward, his hands folded on front of him while he gathers his thoughts. Kaien's observing him with patient eyes.
Ichigo draws in a breath and figures the best method is the direct attack. "When I lost the powers Rukia gave me, Kisuke Urahara offered me a way to get them back. Of course I took it because I wasn't about to let her die for saving my life, ya know? That whole experience was an ordeal and a half so I'll spare you the details, but I remember what happened in my inner world. It was crumbling around me. Then my Zanpakuto Spirit, Zangetsu, was chastising me and called Byakuya out as a fool. He said that Byakuya didn't notice the powers he destroyed were only the ones Rukia gifted me, and that I had my own innate Shinigami powers."
Ichigo toys with his coffee mug, suddenly finding that far more interesting than his breakfast companion. "Then when I was in the Soul Society, I was on the bridge to the Penitent Cell trying to rescue Rukia for the first time. Ukitake was there with Byakuya - and when he got a look at me, he went pale like he'd seen a ghost. And there's a dozen other little things after Aizen was ousted and we, my friends and me, were permitted to roam about until they sent us back home. Whenever I'd gone to visit Rukia in the Thirteenth, or when I was in the markets or in the street, people would just... stop and stare, the same way Ukitake did. Like they'd seen a dead man." Ichigo chuckles humourlessly, "Well, you were a dead man, right?"
At the mention of his old Captain, Kaien's face fell for a split-second. He wasn't about to break out into tears or anything that dramatic, but Ichigo catches a glimpse of misery and grief flashing across his expression. The Visored obviously misses his former Captain.
Ichigo draws in a sharp breath and presses on.
"We're related." Ichigo announces at last, "I mean, it's obvious. Look at us, there's no way we can look so much alike and not have some kind of blood tie, right? So what I've been thinking is... either one or both of my parents were Shinigami, or at least spirit beings that hid in the human world for whatever reason. And out of the two of them, I think the best bet is that my dad was the Shinigami."
"And I'm wondering if this-" Ichigo gestures between the two of them, "-is some kind of long-lost-brother situation, a cliché if there ever was one - that Goat Face already had a family in the Soul Society when he came to the World of the Living. My guess is he was stationed here like Rukia was. And for whatever reason, he was trapped. So he decided to start a new life and a new family - with mum, Yuzu, Karin and me. Sounds kind of crazy saying it out loud, doesn't it?"
Ichigo looks up at Kaien who's considering him carefully. There's maybe a flash of pity and quiet anger Ichigo can tell isn't directed towards him, but still present all the same. "Am I way off base, or do I sound like a certifiable whack job? I kinda need a response otherwise I'm going to feel like an idiot."
"Cousins. Not brothers." Kaien corrects after downing the rest of his coffee, "Isshin and Inei, my father, were brothers. Twins as a matter of fact."
Ichigo blinks. He feels... oddly liberated by that candid revelation. "Then Shinigami really does run in the blood, huh?"
"Yeah." Kaien scratches the back of his head with a sigh, his hand coming down to rest over his neck tattoo, "To be perfectly honest, I don't know that whole story myself. Even if I did, its not my place to tell it. But I was completely shocked when Isshin showed up in the Human world a couple decades ago. Obviously he was equally stunned to see me alive and kicking too. I had no idea why back then and still have no idea now, but for whatever reason, he gave up his powers. I don't know if he was banished or if he'd just decided to say to hell with the Gotei 13 after what they did to the Shiba clan. "
Kaien closes his eyes and leans back on his chair, "But if I were a betting man, I'd say he gave them up to be with Masaki. He loved her with all his heart and soul. I'd never seen Uncle Isshin as happy then when he was with her." Kaien confesses somberly.
Ichigo nods slowly while considering this. This man was his cousin. Well, that made sense. The resemblance was undeniable. Which made Kukaku and Ganju his paternal cousins too. He was a Shiba by blood, even if his family went by his mother's name.
"You okay?" Kaien prompts after a few minutes, "I realise its a lot to take in. And I know you must be pretty angry at your old man for keeping all this from you."
Ichigo exhales a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. "No. I mean, yeah I'm good. And yeah, I'm pissed off about it, but I also figure that he's got a good reason for keeping all this quiet, right? I'm not the kind of asshole who goes barging into another man's personal affairs demanding answers, so I'll wait for when he wants to tell me."
Ichigo's lips curl into a wry smirk, "That being said, if he ever gets his powers back, I'm punting him out of that gigai and kicking his ass for keeping so many secrets from me."
"Give me a call, I'll hold him down for you." Kaien offers with a wink, he sobers up, "Talk to him. I know Isshin's eccentric and he can be a little over the top, even for my tastes, but you know you can sit down and pry a serious conversation out of the man when push comes to shove. He's been around the world a good deal longer than the both of us, so he knows a thing or two. And... you are part of this world, you're owed your answers. Who knows? You might even find it liberating to talk on even terms. I can tell you Uncle Isshin's always been a good listener whenever Kukaku, Ganju or I needed an ear."
Ichigo smiles softly, "Went to him a lot when you were growing up, huh?"
Kaien returns it, "Yeah. A couple times."
Ichigo slumps back in his chair, feeling one of many weights lift off his shoulders. Its odd to think he has family outside of his sisters and his father, but he thinks maybe it might be nice too.
"Any other burning questions do you want to ask? Want to go for a walk about the town for a bit? Or we could do some sparring?" Kaien taps his Zanpakuto demonstratively, his lips curled into a challenging smirk, "I wouldn't mind seeing just how well you do in a fight. I know Kisuke was the one who trained you and Yoruichi taught you Shunpo, but I wanna see how well you handle against me."
"In a little while, maybe. But I want to know about the Visoreds first. Just who are they? What do they want?" Ichigo's tone is stronger now, fierce and determined. He wants to know precisely what kinds of nutcases are trying to recruit him, and why his newly discovered cousin is so readily working with them.
Kaien pauses long enough to polish off the rest of his breakfast. He blows out a heavy breath. "The short answer is they are my closest friends - and they were all former officers of the Gotei 13, exiled courtesy of one Sosuke Aizen."
Ichigo's eyes widen, "What?"
Kaien leans forward resting his elbows on the table, his green eyes are grim and his lips are pressed in a thin line. There's pain, anger and a myriad other emotions Ichigo couldn't catch playing across his face.
"As for the long answer? Buckle up because this wild roller-coaster ride started a hundred years ago; and trying to get to the truth of the matter is the reason why I was murdered."
Author's note:
Well... what do you say to cap off that? A fun story with a revelation and a lot of angst. Hope you enjoyed. :D
Edit: 11/12/2022 - just cleaned up the chapter to make it flow better.
Regards,
Aurora313