Beta'd By: Miruko-The-Stallion
As soon as I first opened my eyes this morning, I was struck by a sense that something was off. Because of that, and trusting that I wasn't likely to just be paranoid out of nowhere, I chose to pay close attention to anything and everything. My room was the same as usual, with my desk possessing a small microphone that I used for the podcasts. Yoruichi and Unohana had both woken up when I slipped out of bed, watching me silently as I double-checked that nothing had been tampered with. Once I was certain that everything was the same as it was last night, I stood scratching my head as I contemplated what was wrong.
"What's wrong?" Yoruichi voiced as the two of them got up, all three of us started to get dressed.
"Not sure, but something feels off." I huffed. "It wouldn't be an issue if it weren't for the fact that the dates of events are changed from what they were in my time. I'd be able to just have Zangetsu pull up memories of this specific date and already know what's up." They nodded in understanding, all three of us silently resigning ourselves to just having to be on guard for whatever was bound to happen. Since all three of us were in our gigais, we dressed casually and went downstairs. The werecat grumbled under her breath since it was a Saturday and my reasonable assumption that something was going to happen meant that we couldn't sit back and enjoy it like usual. Thankfully, this time, there was no date night to interrupt, so it was just the simmering annoyance of losing a day to relax rather than anything more. She and I sat at the dining table where my family was already enjoying their mornings, while Unohana followed routine and went to the front door to pick up our paperwork. Unohana spending the majority of her time in the World of the Living had initially come with its own set of issues, but we were able to make it work after some figuring out. Anything that demanded her physical presence she obviously appeared for, such as Captains Meetings and various minor inspections for meeting standards. But in day-to -day stuff that revolved around maintaining stock of medical equipment and whatnot, Isane was more than capable of fielding it herself. After a while, we had managed to get her to be comfortable with calling Unohana whenever she felt she needed her input or to let her know about Captain-specific forms that she had to fill out. A lot of things that we would otherwise have had to work out resolved themselves anyway because of how often I interacted with Yamamoto, as we could just bring it up to him without any hassle.
"Ichigo…" Unohana called from the front door, voice filled with suspicion and warning. "Our paperwork is not here." I blinked. Yoruichi blinked. Isshin blinked. Yuzu and Karin seemed confused by our reaction.
"What's the issue?" Karin questioned. "Could just be a busy morning and someone forgot to drop it off."
"Urahara-san's the one that organized the system to deliver Ichigo's and Unohana-chan's paperwork." Dad frowned. "Forgetfulness would be something he took into account when making it."
"This is the first time their paperwork hasn't appeared when Unohana-chan was in the World of the Living." Yoruichi corroborated. "And Ichigo mentioned to us when we woke up that something felt off."
"That's…incredibly keen, but it's just papers." Yuzu tilted her head.
"What we're saying," I announced as I rose from my seat, Yoruichi following me, "is that something probably happened and the missing papers are likely a result of that. Dad, we're gonna go to the Soul Society and check things out, have your phone ready in case I call." He nodded. I turned to the plush sitting on the couch. "Kon, you can have my body for the day. You've been paying attention to us, right?"
"Yup!" He hopped up from the seat to the top of the back of the couch. "I'll go walk around town and see if I find anything suspicious! If I do, I'll make sure to let you know!" Since his first meeting with Unohana, he had developed a vested interest in going outside. It wasn't difficult to figure out why.
"Thanks for the effort." I smiled at him, holding out my hand palm up for him to jump onto. He did so with ease, befitting his Mod Soul power. The plush managed to cough up his pill himself, something we had trained to do so he didn't have to suffer me reaching down his throat every time. It was something I had thought to work around since I did not have my Substitute Badge this timeline, and my usual means of leaving my body was through the effects of the pill I got Kisuke to make. Swallowing Kon's pill, I was ejected out of my body as he took over, and he wasted no time in saluting me before practically teleporting out the door. Unohana calmly sat down on the couch, positioning herself so that her body did not fall when she stepped out of it. Once I had first come to Kisuke for him to remake the pill, he had seen fit to add that function into every one of his gigai models. A Gikongan was useful for maintaining cover while in the World of the Living, but it also meant that you would have to fight to exit your body if you were spontaneously attacked. Making it so that every gigai already possessed a function to allow a Shinigami to jump out on their own at will was an incredible upgrade. Yoruichi did the same as Unohana, only positioning herself to lean against the First Kenpachi. With all three of us ready, the Captain of the Fourth opened a Senkaimon that we stepped through.
The pervading sense of wrongfulness only heightened when The Cleaner came for us. It wasn't anything we struggled with, Yoruichi and I were each fast enough to clear the Dangai in one step and Unohana only noticeably slower, but it shouldn't be able to make its rounds while someone with a Captain's Haori was present. It was a minor boon that everyone more saw as neat to have rather than actually useful, but Captain's Haoris provided the same protection in the Dangai as Hell Butterflies. The red flags were increasing in number, my girlfriends exchanging a glance with me in agreement as we shot through.
When we left the Senkaimon, we startled all of the Shinigami acting as guards. A quick glance soothed our nerves, as all of the Shinigami displayed signs of simply being surprised by the unexpected entrance. No nervousness or aggression. We kept our run-in with The Cleaner to ourselves and told the guards that we were just popping in to meet with Yamamoto. I had done just that enough times that they instantly accepted the answer and we were on our way. The walk from the Senkaimon Gate to Squad One was similarly average, no one paying us any more or less attention than usual. Hidden chatter of gossip that always sprung up when I was seen in the streets, the looks of suppressed awe from Shinigami who wanted to be me for any number of reasons, and the newfound lecherous giggles of people who I instantly pegged as those who bought the SWA's doujins. In our haste, we found ourselves before Yamamoto's office almost before we knew it.
"Enter." We were granted after knocking. The founding Captain took one look, saw it was me, and instantly went back to his paperwork. "I told you in our last call, I am not available this week for a spar. I am in the midst of a debate with Central 46 regarding why I do not arrest you. They continue to not understand why Kurotsuchi-taicho does not make a capture device that can contain you." I had to stop in my warpath to gawk at that.
"Do they seriously not understand that he has to dedicate his time to building countermeasures for the Quincy with Kisuke?"
"That is one of the many points I bring up to them, of which they listen to none." It was only his patience, built up over the course of centuries, that kept his irritation from reaching his tone. "So long as I am forced to continue this debate, I will not pause only to relieve the slightest bit of your stress."
"I understand, but that's not why we're here." I refocused on the matter at hand. "We didn't receive our paperwork this morning." The Captain of the First leveled a look at us, as though I spoke nonsense and he couldn't figure it out.
"Of course." He spoke slowly. "Unohana-taicho typically collects yours while at her Division, so there was no need to deliver it." Confusion filled the three of us, and the First Kenpachi was the one to step up to verbalize that.
"Yamamoto-soutaicho, I only just arrived in the Seireitei with Ichigo." Her face was set in a frown, her eyebrows scrunched in concern. That the bearded Captain set his pen down and slowly stood up with a serious look forming on his own face did not help.
"Sasakibe-fukutaicho." Was all he needed to say for the man in question to straighten his back.
"The morning report from Squad 4 was written and signed by Unohana-taicho herself, supported by Kotetsu-fukutaicho's and Iemura-san's reports." The man paused for a moment, turning thoughtful. "Though, Kotetsu-fukutaicho included a note in her morning inventory report that Unohana-taicho expressed confusion when asked about the next shipment of medical textbooks from the World of the Living."
Silence reigned in Yamamoto's office after the lieutenant finished speaking. There was no need to wonder why Unohana would be confused about medical textbooks, not when she worked directly with Kisuke and Isshin to figure out what Squad 4 would be receiving. The five of us all met each others' eyes before we all charged out the doors, Unohana heading our pack with protective fury building. We rushed out of Squad One and made a beeline for Squad Four, Shinigami occasionally literally throwing themselves to the walls to get out of our path. When the Head Captain, his Lieutenant, the War Preparation Leader, Captain of the Fourth, and Shihouin Princess were tearing through the streets all with grave expressions, you did not interrupt them. That mindset was maintained when we entered the Fourth, though with added confusion that did not enhance our mood. The First Kenpachi stopped in front of her office door and slammed it open, her eyes narrowed to slits and mouth already curled into a snarl.
She was greeted by her own shocked face staring at her from her own desk. Isane sat at her desk off to the side, eyes wide and uncomprehending. Seeing that one of the Unohanas was visibly pissed, she made the smart decision to scramble from her desk and lunge out the open window behind her. The Unohana sitting at her desk quickly noticed that all of us were behind my girlfriend, and hissed as she stood up in a panic, her right arm raising in a panic with her left hand supporting, her palm facing us as a Shakkaho took shape within.
"Hado Thirty-!" My Unohana's fist crashed into the copy's nose before she could finish casting, sending her through the glass of the window. There were no words from my lover as Minazuki found its way into her hand and she darted after the duplicate. My phone began ringing from my pocket. Trusting my instincts, I pulled it out and answered it blindly.
"Ichigo!" Kon's voice shouted from the speaker, notable anxiety in his tone. "I found this girl unconscious by the river, I can't describe the feeling to you, but I can tell that she's a Mod-Soul like me!"
Mysterious copy of someone appearing out of nowhere displaying confusion when asked questions they ought to know the answer to that no one else would be able to know? Check.
The Dangai acting weirdly and sending The Cleaner when it really shouldn't? Double Check.
Mysterious girl appearing in the World of the Living that we (eventually) discover is a Mod-Soul? Triple Check.
"Kon! Get my Dad to bring the girl over here right now! Let him know that the enemy is targeting her specifically, and will attack the house as long as she's there!" I ordered instantly. The line dying immediately gave me comfort, knowing it was him following the instructions as quickly as he could.
"Who is the enemy?" Yamamoto demanded as he, Chojiro, and Yoruichi followed me through the broken window after the Unohanas.
"Someone from Squad 12, I didn't pay attention to his rank." I rattled off. "He was part of Project Spearhead, took serious offense when it got shut down. Instead of destroying it, he buried all of his research in the Dangai and made a Mod-Soul of himself to continue his work in secret. The Mod-Soul got split in two, that girl Kon found is one of the two halves. The other one has been undercover in Squad 12 trying to piece himself back together so that he can continue the Mod-Soul research." We stopped in one of the larger intersections between Divisions, and while they physically matched, it was easy to decipher which Unohana was which. The Mod-Soul tried to stick to Kido, her blade only out to defend against the assault being unleashed upon her from the original. Their body language was obvious, the copy desperately trying to make room so that she could utilize the only combat style she knew while the original was relentlessly in the other's face. From my Unohana's expression, she had initially been angry over the idea of someone masquerading as her but now was just pissed at how the copy was fighting like a bitch. They had gathered a crowd, nameless Shinigami staring in disbelief at witnessing a Captain combatting their own duplicate.
"I assume, then, that the researcher has created Mod-Soul replicas of members of the Gotei 13, hence the sight before us." Chojiro put together.
"Yeah, his endgame is to replace the entire Gotei with Mod-Souls, he thinks it will result in a more powerful Gotei. They'd have the advantage of being able to replace their bodies when damaged, and he has enough skill with them that he can gradually increase their strength."
"Why is Unohana-chan's copy fighting like that?" Yoruichi wondered.
"The researcher's name is Kageroza, and one of the biggest struggles he deals with is that he has to program the Mod-Souls himself." I answered. "He only knows what is public knowledge, and therefore can only give his Mod-Souls abilities he knows the individuals have." Understanding dawned on the three Shinigami.
"The only ones who have witnessed Unohana-taicho in combat are the Captains and their Lieutenants." Yamamoto hummed. "This Kageroza would know neither of her skill nor preference of the blade."
"Or her bloodthirst." Yoruichi and I finished in sync. The founding Captain and his right-hand man nodded mutely as we all witnessed the exclusively gentle replica get hunted by her vicious and pissed original.
"Almost all of his Mod-Souls are perfect physical copies of the originals, the only exceptions are when he intentionally makes a change. You're not going to be able to tell at a glance if someone is a copy or the original." I informed. "Outside of testing them on things you know only they would know, Kageroza programmed them to be incredibly defensive of himself and in support of his goals. You can infer that you are also one of the copies and they'll let down their guard, or make it clear that you're going to attack him and they'll be up in arms."
"That is, if they decided to stay hidden in the face of this display." Yamamoto deadpanned, standing to my right. I shrugged, keeping my eyes on the Unohana's fighting.
"From a tactical standpoint, they don't lose their advantage just because we've made it publicly obvious that we know they're a thing. As I just said, you'd have to confront their ideals to be able to pick them out. Last time, they were able to utilize that until the end, I don't see why that'd change now."
"It might have something to do with the fact that everyone knows you're from the future and Kageroza probably extrapolated that into thinking you might have some way to tell that he hasn't caught onto yet." The Goddess of Flash hummed from my left. I paused. That was oddly specific phrasing. I glanced back at Yoruichi, who was looking up. Following that, I found about two dozen Shinigami all standing in the sky above where the Unohanas fought.
"Huh." Looking them over, I noticed that Kageroza was not among them. "He's not here. He probably is off trying to find Nozomi, the girl Kon found." The Senkaimon Gate burst open, a massive gout of flame being the clear explanation for how and why. "And I'm gonna bet that's my Dad fighting him off to bring her to us."
"Is there anything else that would be vital for us to know?" The Head Captain questioned as Ryujin Jakka was exposed, Chojiro drawing Gonryomaru next to him.
"Just as it's up in the air what abilities they have access to, their level of strength is also in question. He's built each and every one of them from scratch, it's purely his decision to replace the Gotei that even has us working with familiar faces."
"So don't assume that they would be equal in strength to their originals, got it." Yoruichi nodded before zipping off, quickly engaging with a Nemu that was far faster than she had any right to be. Chojiro went straight for his own copy with a stormy expression on his face. I figured that was going to be a fight that was going to leave him pissed no matter what. I drew Zangetsu, currently in its sealed state, as Yamamoto unsheathed Ryujin Jakka.
"Before the rest of the Captains arrive to dilute the pool, which do you claim as yours?" He asked me plainly, both of us gazing up at the Reigai while they all glared down at us.
"I don't see either of us, but then again, he also didn't make copies of us last time." I groused as I looked over the 'menu'. "Kyoraku and Ukitake."
"Bah. Of course you'd go for them. Making up for the difference in power with complex abilities." He complained for the sake of it. "Kenpachi-taicho and Kuchiki-taicho are mine, then. I suspect Hitsugaya-taicho's duplicate does not possess his mature Bankai, else I would replace Kuchiki-taicho with him."
"Kenpachi's probably not gonna have Shikai." I warned.
"Do not make me regret my decision to allow you first pick." He fired back. I smirked and we launched into the air. Out of the corner of my eye, I was able to make out Kenpachi meeting Yamamoto halfway only to get dragged through the air by the bearded man, who then altered their course to crash them into Byakuya. Several of the Reigai followed them, though they were sure to be sufficiently distracted soon by the reiatsu signatures I could sense closing in. My path was aimed directly at Kyoraku, who frowned but drew his blades, keeping them crossed in front of his chest in preparation. Clearly, he had already figured out that we were separating them. Zangetsu met Katen Kyokotsu, and the wind nearly tore his hat from his head as I pushed him back. Since my blade was still in its sealed state, I was able to snap my left arm out and wrap my fingers around Ukitake's neck. With a roar, I hurled the replica into the air. I would never have done that with the actual Ukitake, as I would not want to exploit his condition to gain an edge in the fight. His copy, on the other hand, had been made without his 'illness', as its creator had rightfully considered it to only be a hindrance. Unfortunately for me, its creator was unaware of how much of Ukitake's reiatsu was sectioned off to keep him alive. Rather than the enormous ocean of power the man possessed being at his full command, the Reigai was merely an Ukitake who did not pause to cough. And Kyoraku likely also did not possess his Bankai.
It really took all the fun out of it. What was the merit of a Kyoraku and Ukitake well and truly attempting to kill me if they couldn't even put their backs into it? I was certain Yamamoto was having similar complaints as a Kenpachi with nothing more than a ragged blade and a Byakuya already in Bankai tried and failed to batter the ancient Captain from all sides. Shaking my head, I whipped my blade out to knock Kyoraku back, the copy collecting himself and going to stand next to his partner.
"You've really made things difficult for us, Kurosaki-san." The flowery Captain hummed with a frown. "Kageroza-sama only just started having us infiltrate the Gotei 13 this morning, and you've already caught us in the act."
"It was doomed to fail from the start." I rolled my eyes as I wordlessly slipped into Shikai, my dual blades filling my hands. The two duplicates did the same. "Everyone knowing that Unohana stays at my house means that it's already a red flag when she's suddenly not. And, if we're being honest, the man seriously underprepared for discretely replacing everybody if he didn't even know what training I've been having the other Squads do."
"He's only one man, it would be quite a time-consuming endeavor to discover such things, especially without raising suspicion." Ukitake's copy reasoned.
"He's 'one man' who literally has an army of programmed allies who have whatever skillsets he needs them to have." I drawled. "All he would have needed to do was make any of his Stealth Force or R&D Reigai find that stuff out and have you all spread the knowledge amongst yourselves." The duo winced together, and Kyoraku shuffled on his feet, embarrassingly turning to the side to hide his face. If I were to hazard a guess, they likely suggested that very thing to the man, only for him to turn them down for whatever reason. He didn't program them with legitimate autonomy, they wouldn't take matters into their own hands if it went against his orders.
A torrent of flame filled one of the Seireitei streets between where we were and the Senkaimon Gate.
"Seems like Dad's fighting his way over here. You know, stalling me out only has merit if you're actually benefiting from that extra time." Ossan's blade pointed at the distant blaze. "And it looks like stalling me out here just means that I'll still be standing when Isshin brings Nozomi to me." Their winces worsened. "Throwing out a guess off the top of my head, I'm gonna assume that the reason you're stalling is because you're already aware that there's no chance in hell you're beating me, but Kageroza ordered you to keep me from stopping him from capturing Nozomi. Since Nozomi is already in my family's care and on her way over to me, you're left in a Dead-If-You-Do, Damned-If-You-Don't situation." Ukitake sighed and hung his head.
"You're right. Upon Unohana-taicho being discovered, Kageroza-sama ordered all Reigai in Soul Society to distract you and keep you from stopping him. There was clear hope that our combined strength and sheer numbers would be enough to subdue you, but he accounted for the possibility that would not come to pass." His head raised, his eyes meeting mine. "While he could not create a Reigai of yourself, your zanpakuto too diverse for him to replicate, he decided it was not immediately important to do so." One of Katen Kyokotsu's blades speared out from the shadow underneath my chin, the point aimed straight at my throat. "He figured he'd have two more years to study your-" The silver-haired Mod-Soul cut himself off as his and his compatriot's jaws dropped in shock. Kyoraku's zanpakuto shook against the flesh of my throat, specifically against the spread of black Acero which encompassed the front.
"Did you really think a time traveler wouldn't know your guys' tricks?" One of my eyebrows raised. "You two tried to act like guilty children caught raiding the cookie jar because I pointed out your creator was an idiot. You think I missed that Kyoraku turning away conveniently made it so that one of Katen's blades was hidden from my view?" This time, the two turning sheepish was far more genuine. Katen retreated into the shadow, Kyoraku shamefully fixing himself so that both of his blades were exposed.
"Admittedly, there was some hope in my mind that you might have grown cocky from being so powerful and feel you don't need to always be on guard." The brunet revealed.
"Well, to give you credit, I do have confidence that if I have my Hierro up, I only need to worry about attacks from a very small selection of people. Unfortunately, both of you are part of that selection. Soi Fon is not, however." Rather than confusion, the faces of the duo filled with resignation, and Ukitake sighed once more.
"Soi Fon-taicho!" Kyoraku tilted his head to call past me. "Please put your Bankai away! Kurosaki-san's made it clear that it won't hurt him!" Ah, he mistakenly believed that would have her lower her missile. He did not seem to realize she would take his words as a challenge. The distinctive sound of her Bankai firing filled the air. Startled noises slipping out from the duo's throats, they flew away from me, desperate to escape the blast radius. I sheathed both Zangetsu blades and crossed my arms in wait.
It crashed into my back and exploded on contact, the eruption engulfing me and a few hundred feet in every direction. I had no doubts that it would attract the attention of everyone in the Seireitei, since it went off high in the air where there were no obstructions. Since I was the epicenter, I didn't really feel any of the concussive force, though I did flare up my reiatsu simply so my clothes wouldn't get immolated and leave me naked. Of course, that concern did result in the sight of me completely untouched from Soi Fon's Bankai after the fire and smoke cleared, but it wasn't like anyone from the Gotei would be all that caught off guard by such a thing. I imagined it would be much more of a shrug of the shoulders and an accompanying 'well I guess he's missile-proof'.
Since the Reigai seemed unable to do anything but stare in gobsmacked disbelief, none of them stopped Dad from soaring up with Nozomi tucked in one arm. She was dressed in some of Yuzu's clothes.
"Ichigo," he huffed, sweat covering his brow and Engetsu's blade smoking in his hand, "explain to me why I'm literally seeing two of almost everybody."
"The guy trying to take Nozomi was one of the researchers who were part of Project Spearhead." I announced quickly. "He wants to replace everyone in the Gotei 13 with Mod-Soul replicas."
"Okay." His tone made it clear that he actively voided the words I had just spoken from his brain the instant he heard them. "Why did you want me to bring her to you?" The girl, frightened out of her mind while in Isshin's hold, turned to me.
"He's trying to assimilate her into himself to turn them back into their creator, and she doesn't want that. Beyond that, I haven't thought about it." The two of them remained silent as they stared at me.
"…Well, I'm certainly not surprised by the thought process of another Shiba." There was conflict in his voice like he was trying to ignore how stupid it was because it was technically pure goodwill for another. A twitch of instinct had me throw my right arm up, Acero spreading across my skin. Kageroza's blade sparked heavily against my forearm, a strike which would have removed my Dad's arm had I not blocked it. My Dad's eyes widened and he made to jump away, only for my other arm to come up and box him in. His mouth opened to question me, only for Kageroza to teleport to the other side, his blade once again coming to a full stop against my skin. Seeing that both attempts failed, and likely also the confirmation that I knew how his zanpakuto worked, the scientist backed off with a scowl.
"What was that?" Isshin asked, flames curling into existence upon Engetsu's blade.
"His zanpakuto creates portals." Nozomi breathed, staring at me in awe and disbelief. "He can go through them himself, so he can be anywhere he wants."
"So that's how he kept catching up. I knew there was something up with that." My father grumbled.
"It's annoying, I'll admit." I kept my gaze on the scientist. "But that gimmick is all he's got. He can open portals and send ranged attacks you send at him back at you, but that's about as creative as he gets. He's not that strong, he's otherwise not that fast, and he's not that tough."
"He's also incredibly useful!" Kisuke's voice had Nozomi, my Dad, and myself all blinking in surprise before turning. The blonde was flying up towards where we were, Kurotsuchi on his tail. Both were uncomfortably interested.
"What?" I asked.
"What?" Kageroza tilted his head, visibly caught off guard.
"Mod-Soul research has been severely neglected since the shutdown of Project Spearhead!" The shopkeeper explained. "Gikongan are basic and can only follow simple instructions. Nemu-chan, Ururu-chan, and Jinta-kun are far more autonomous but are also limited in their combative capabilities. However, Kageroza-san's Reigai are capable of meeting Captains head-on and are even able to replicate zanpakuto abilities!"
"If we could acquire this man's research, we could uncover the secrets of his technology and be able to create far more advanced models with all new capabilities!" The clown supported. Well, that solved that.
"How alive do you need him?" Both of Zangetsu's blades were pulled from their sheathes, and I ignored Nozomi's terrified squeak at my nonchalance.
"Allowing him to keep his limbs would only incite him to attempt escape." The current Captain of the 12th seemed all too pleased by my response. "You may remove them, though try to keep his zanpakuto undamaged. If it creates portals like you say, it may prove useful for the future." He finished with a pointed look. I shifted my gaze to Kisuke for confirmation, who held a hand to his chin in thought before shrugging. Nodding at him, I turned to the creator of the Reigai, who tensed and readied his blade.
Aw, how cute. He thought he would be fast enough to react. Being in Shikai, a simple blur of Shunido had me behind him, the man's right arm having been cleaved off from the shoulder. His agonized scream filled the air as I kicked back, my heel connecting with the separated arm and sending it toward the pair of scientists. A startled noise left Kisuke as he lunged for the arm, leaning slightly so the blade didn't hit his head as he wrapped one hand around the one holding the zanpakuto and the other around the bicep of the severed arm. With that out of the way, Kageroza wasn't able to do anything but fail miserably at dodging my attacks, as I severed his remaining limbs with two more swings. Ossan's blade was returned to my waist and I reached out to take hold of the Mod-Soul's clothes before he could fall. He continued screaming in agony as I walked up to the founder of the Research and Development Department.
"This guy's a Mod-Soul, so if you accidentally push him too hard, you can just put him into a new Gigai." I explained. Both Kisuke and Kurotsuchi grinned delightfully. "That girl he was after is another Mod Soul, but she doesn't know anything he doesn't." The clown grunting in disinterest and turning to start back toward Squad 12 was all I needed to know I succeeded at convincing him to leave her alone. The sound of a glacier forming before immediately being shattered caused Kurotsuchi to snap around to the ongoing battle between the Captains and their counterparts.
"KEEP THEM IN ONE PIECE, YOU FOOLS!" He shrieked as he charged at the royale. "I NEED TO BRING THEM IN FOR STUDY!"
"You'll get them in however many pieces I leave them in!" Kenpachi roared back.
"THIS ISN'T THE TIME FOR YOUR IDIOCY, YOU BRAINLESS BARBARIAN! MY RESEARCH WILL BE DISTORTED IF I DON'T HAVE A CONTROL GROUP!"
"I understand the importance, but such a task is easier said than done, Kurotsuchi-taicho!" Komamura grit, his arms keeping Hihio Zabimaru's jaws from enclosing around him.
"IF I SAY I NEED IT DONE, THEN YOU WILL DO WHAT I WANT YOU TO! THAT SHOULD BE ALL THERE IS TO IT, I DON'T CARE HOW MUCH DAMAGE YOU TAKE, I NEED THOSE MOD SOULS IN AS PRISTINE CONDITION AS POSSIBLE!" I rolled my eyes at the nonsensical demands and left them to it.
"So, what's your reason for being so invested in this?" I asked Kisuke. He grinned lopsidedly, his eyes sharp upon mine.
"Reasonable variance." He intoned. I matched his grin and nodded, a silent message that we would discuss it more when we were in a more private location.
"U-uhm." Kisuke, Isshin, and I turned to Nozomi, who was still nervously cradled in my Dad's left arm. "W-what's going to h-happen to me?" The other two men turned to me in silent question.
"…You've got the analytical mind of your original, right?" I went with the first thought that came to mind. Her face contorted with suspicion, but she silently nodded nonetheless. "What are your thoughts on working as an assistant?"
Dad's face shifted to displaying the respect of someone who was being introduced to a simple solution for a problem they had to struggle through. Kisuke's was of seething envy. The woman's purple-red eyes blinked as she found herself stunned by the suggestion.
"Assistant to you?" She asked.
"Yeah. I'd ease you into the groove of things, but you'd have to regularly go around the three worlds to check in with people, receive and deliver things for me, and help out with reviewing reports."
"…How safe would I be from that creepy Captain?"
"The only danger you'd have to deal with is people wanting to get gossip from you."
"That sounds annoying." She deadpanned. I shrugged in response
"The only alternative I can immediately think of is working in Kisuke's shop. He has a pair of Mod-Souls as attendants already." Her face turned to a withering glare and she made a show of turning toward Kisuke before returning to me.
"I think I'd rather not work under the best friend of the creepy Captain." She droned.
"Hey, I'll have you know that I'm Mayuri-san's mentor, not best friend." The blonde defended. She maintained her glare.
"Great to have you on board, you can start tomorrow." I smiled. "Hey Dad, can she stay in the twin's room tonight? I'll get something arranged for her to have her own place."
"Sure, I don't mind. I was gonna have her borrow some of their clothes until we figured everything out anyway." He hummed.
"Eh, I'll let them borrow my card and take her shopping when we get back. Less awkward that way. Kisuke, you gonna stay here?"
"I'll wait until I have a Reigai or two that I can bring back to my shop, you two can go on ahead." He waved off. Nodding in acceptance, I glanced around beneath us for Unohana and Yoruichi. Unohana was still mauling her Reigai. Even from here, I could see how she was seething at how the one area her copy matched her in was healing ability. Blood soaked the copy's clothes as well as covered the ground beneath them. The Reigai remained determined to focus on Kido, and it was doing her no favors. Yoruichi was battling both Soi Fon's and Nemu's Reigai, likely due to them being the only ones even comparable in speed to the werecat.
"Let my girlfriends know that we left when they're done, yeah?" I asked, Kisuke lifting a thumbs up as an answer. "Especially make sure to point Unohana my way, we're probably gonna be borrowing your basement for the rest of today." Gray eyes peered at me from the shadow of his hat.
"As long as you can promise that the only bodily fluid you'll leave behind is blood." He spoke seriously. I rolled my eyes.
"We keep our bedroom activities in the bedroom, thank you very much."
"That's very hard to believe with how many times I've come down to find both of you naked."
"We do that so we don't have to replace our clothes or send them to the dry cleaners."
"That is an astounding leap in logic."
"Tatsuki can confirm that fighting is all we do down there."
"Arisawa-san appears to be mildly traumatized from what she's witnessed of you two 'fighting' down there." My eyes rolled again, more dramatically this time.
"She wasn't prepared for the kind of sparring that occurs between two people who can disregard almost any injury. It's no big deal."
"…Then you'd have no qualms about Ururu-chan spectating one of your spars?" He tested.
"Not in the slightest. I would if you said Jinta, but that's because that kid would perv on Unohana."
"…Are you saying you have no problems being naked in front of Ururu?" Dad reentered himself into the conversation.
"She'd be embarrassed until we explain ourselves." I answered. Isshin and Nozomi both stared at me, before silently turning to Kisuke. To their visible horror, he nodded in understanding.
"While Jinta-kun has combat capability, I focused far more on creating him with a realistic personality. Ururu-chan is the reverse, and all-too-easily capable of halting reasonable responses if her logic program decides it is 'unreasonable'. It's sufficiently coded that you can't outright take advantage of her, but I can very much see her accepting them taking their clothes off while sparing because they don't want to trouble the dry cleaners."
"…Exactly how soon can I have my own place? You all appear to be insane perverts." Nozomi asked. Isshin rocked her in his arms and petted her hair.
"You signed away your chance to leave when you agreed to be my son's assistant."
She whimpered.
Next Chapter: Abandon Your Fear