Really sorry about the mistake in the last chapters where I kept saying 'EspaRda' instead of 'Espada' ! Thanks a lot for pointing it out, if I can fix just that without sending out an update notification, I'll do it as soon as I can!
Chapter 17: Death, Strawberry, Pear & the Yuzu
It was Friday evening. School was done for most, and the streets of Karakura town was brim with students and workers alike returning home. Ichigo Kurosaki, a 15 year old high school student, with orange hair and brown eyes, was no different. But the unconscious bodies of a few skaters would tell others otherwise. And right beside them, by the telephone pole, was knocked over glass bottle. The bottle itself was broken, the water and flowers inside it spilling out.
The boy continued to beat the skaters, making sure to literally pound it into them, about why they were eating the dust. The orange haired high schooler had been stopping by this telephone pole making sure to replace the contents of the bottle with fresh flowers and water while on his way back home. An offering for the little girl who died recently, he took it up to himself to make sure nobody disturbed this soul's rest. And today, these skaters happened to do just that.
How did he know all this? Why, he could see the little girl with twintails, a chain coming out of her chest, by his side. The left side of her face was bloodied. Yes. He could see spirits. Though people might think he had a special ability, he thought otherwise. For one, his whole family could see them. And two, most others didn't believe in the existence of ghosts and spirits anyways and he was not one to go out of his way to prove it. Heck, Karin herself didn't, and she COULD see them.
Though, during rare occasions, when people came near him, they too, became able to see spirits. Maybe that's why Karin, Yuzu, Ruby-nee, his late mother and his father could see them too, he thought to himself. Because as far as he knew, Yuzu couldn't always see them. But at some point during his childhood, she could too. To Ichigo, that was more of a special ability than being able to see spirits himself. And sure enough, when the two remaining street skaters came near him, they too saw the visage of the little girl, one who appeared out of thin air, just like a ghost. Naturally, being scared out of their wits, apologizing to the ghost and running away was their first reaction. He had no idea however if the effect he had in people was temporary or permanent. So far, with his family, it had been permanent. But then again, maybe that was because he was with them most of the time, enough time that the effect was permanent. Or maybe it was something else. He didn't know.
"Sorry about using you like this" apologized Ichigo. "But perhaps with this, they won't come around anymore" The girl nodded her head.
"You don't need to apologize, onii-san. I was the one who asked for your help after all. This is the least I can do" she replied.
"If you're worried about the flowers, I'll get some new ones. But its best if you hurry up and go to heaven if you ask me" he said, waving goodbye to the girl.
"Thanks, Onii-san" she called after him.
By this point, it was routine to him. For as long as he knew, he had been able to see spirits. Some were annoying, some pestered him, but there were times when some would be put through circumstances such as this girl. And during such times, he knew not why, but he would take it up to himself to help them. Perhaps it was because he was the only one who could. Or perhaps it was because his father was the neighborhood doctor, someone responsible for saving the lives of others. Or perhaps, it was his namesake, which meant the one who protects. Or perhaps it was all of them.
"I'm home" he called out, opening the door to his house.
"You're-LATE, Ichigo!" came the voice of his father, as he kicked the living daylights out of his face and sending him crashing into the wall. "It's already way past 7 PM! We already started dinner!"
"OYY! Is that how a father greets his son who just came back from helping out ghost?!" he argued back.
"Silence! Excuses I say! The ironclad rules of this household cannot be bent just because someone was too busy playing exorcist!" retorted Isshin.
"Oh, shut up! Or would you rather have me leave an innocent soul to be bullied?!" shouted the orange haired boy. The arguments flew back and forth, with no foreseeable end in sight.
"Dad, you shouldn't bully onii-chan " said a concerned Yuzu, trying to pacify the two of them.
"Leave them be, Yuzu" said Karin in a bored, uncaring voice. "I'm starving still, another bowl" she demanded, showing her empty rice bowl. "Practice was especially bad today. Hope you had a better time at the archery club"
"Weak! Too weak, my son! Even after all the training I gave you!" huffed Isshin, arms folded.
"Training my ass! What kind of dad beats his own son up as soon as he returns home and calls it training?! First of all, the rules of this house are too strict for a healthy male high school student!" argued Ichigo.
"Huh, there's another one!" alerted Yuzu, pointing to the floating figure of a middle aged man with glasses behind Ichigo.
"What?! When did this guy?!" he exclaimed. "I keep getting rid of them only to have them come back! For god's sake!"
"Well, I for one am glad these things don't bother me as much as they do Ichi-nii, whatever they are" said Karin.
"But…they're ghosts right? See, it's right here" said Yuzu, looking at the spirit.
"Whether we can see them or not, as long as you don't believe in ghosts, they don't exist" said Karin monotonically. Yuzu and the spirit could only watch deadpanned as an imaginary cold wind blew.
"Argh forget it! I'm going to bed" said Ichigo fed up, going back to his room upstairs.
"See what you did dad! You know Onii-chan's been having a hard time of late because of all the spirits that keep coming around!" scolded Yuzu.
"I'll take dinner up to his room later Yuzu" said Karin.
"That kid….how come he doesn't talk to his parent about such troubles" remarked Isshin.
"Of course. I wouldn't either, to a father over the age of 40 who behaves and acts like a kid" retorted Karin, which greatly made the father of 3 distraught.
"Aaah Masaki, Ruby….see how puberty took away your cute little children and siblings away from me….soon I'll be left all alone.." he sobbed comically, a depressed aura hanging around him. In the wall where he was 'complaining' was a huge poster of his late wife, Masaki and his eldest daughter, well, foster daughter Ruby.
"You really should start by taking down that ridiculous poster of Ruby-nee and mom" said Karin exasperated.
Back in his room, Ichigo watched wide mouthed as a figure in black entered his room, not even looking at him. She had a katana on her belt.
"It's here!" she said with a serious look, before comically being sent rolling when the orange haired teen planted his foot on her rear.
"It's here my ass! Some burglar you are, entering this openly in front of me. You lookin for a safe or something?!"
"Yo…you..! You can see me? Wait no.,…you touched me too..!" said the girl, completely shocked. Ichigo looked at her confused. "Of course I can, the heck do you mean?"
"Wa…wait a minute….you…..who are you…?!" asked the girl, somehow even more shocked after getting a good look at his face.
"Huh..? I'm the one that should be asking you that!" he retorted.
"Just answer the damn question, Human! What's your name?!" she repeated, almost shouting. Ichigo was now genuinely confused. What's this girl's deal? And…human? What did she mean by that?
"Quit the crap you little brat! First you break into my room, and then you demand to know who I am? Not to mention that samurai costume of yours. And what's with that sword?! Don't tell me it's real…..brats like you should stay at home instead of playing samurai and breaking into other's homes" he said, trying to pick her up.
"A brat am I…?" she said slowly, before pointing two fingers at him and swinging it to her side. "Bakudo #1, Sai!". The moment she did that, Ichigo could feel an invisible force, as if someone forced his hands backwards and tied them.
"Yo…you….what did you do?!" he demanded as he struggled.
"That's called Bakudo, a spell only soul reapers like myself can use" she explained, kneeling down to his level.
"Soul…reapers…?!" he asked. Just then, Karin opened the door, holding a tray with food in her hands. She raised her eyes, but the rest of her features remained the same.
"Um….what am I looking at here…?" she asked.
"Karin! Go tell dad someone broke into our house! I can't seem to move for some reason!" said Ichigo, still struggling to get up.
"Hmph, it is useless, I cannot be seen by-"
"Wait, so she's not one of your friends? But then again, if it was one of your friends, they would've just entered through the door…" she said.
"Wh….what?! You can see me too…?!" exclaimed the girl, jaw dropping.
"Uhhh, yeah…? Ichigo, what's with her? Dressing up all weird, and even saying things like this, you sure your friend doesn't have a nut loose or something? Or don't tell me this is another ghost or something" she asked. "Anyways, here's dinner. Why are you on the ground like that?" she asked, calmly placing the tray at his desk.
"Foolish child! I am no ghost! I am a Soul Reaper! Here, let me show you!" she said, going over to the ghost of the middle aged glasses spirit that was somehow in his room now and placed the pommel of her sword on his forehead. A glowing emblem appeared on the spot.
"P…please don't…I don't want to go to Hell.." he pleaded.
"You wont be going to hell. You are headed to the Soul Society, where all departed soul can finally find peace" she replied as a bright light engulfed the man, and a swallowtail butterfly appeared in its spot, leaving the room.
"Nope, nope, nope nope nope. That did NOT just happen" said Karin, her hand on her forehead. Just when I thought I'd had enough of ghosts and spirits, this happens….just my luck, she thought to herself.
"Wh..what did you do?" asked Ichigo.
"Do not worry. I just sent him to the Soul Society. It is one of the primary duties of a Soul Reaper" she explained. "I suppose now you finally believe me". She went on to explain about Soul Reapers, the Soul Society, Konso, Plus spirits and Hollows, even using her drawings as illustrations.
"So, any questions you two?" she asked.
"Umm…yeah.." started Karin. "I think that's a load of non-"
"Can I ask why your drawings suck so bad?" asked Ichigo in his sister's stead. Seconds later, a moustache was adorning his face.
"Aargh, you brat! Dammit if I could just move!" cried out the orange haired teen. Karin helped him out.
"Why are you still on the ground like that, Ichi-nii?" she asked.
"Hmph. He's bound by the spell I used on him. I demonstrated it to this one earlier. It's a form of magic only we Shinigami can use. Like this. Hadou #1, Sho!" she cried out, which caused the table in front of her to be pushed away.
"Great…just great" groaned Karin. "First it was spirits and now a soul reaper…? I'm just done"
"It matters not. In any case, I need to get back to my mission" she said.
"Wait, if you came here on your mission, does that mean there's a hollow here?" asked Ichigo.
"That would be so, yes" she replied.
"Then what the heck are you doing here breaking into Ichi-nii's room?" asked Karin.
"Like I said, I'm NOT a burglar! And I came here because I sensed a large amount of spirit energy, but now I can't seem to pinpoint it!" she replied.
"What do you-"
*RRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRWWWWWWWWWWWWW!*
Ichigo and Karin froze. A shiver ran through them.
"O…oy Soul Reaper girl! What was that roar just now?!" asked Karin.
"Roar…? What do you mean?" she asked.
"You know! The one that sounded so eerie and inhuman!" said Ichigo.
"What do you…?" she asked, confused. And then she heard it. That inhuman, demonic growl.
"Wh….what?! This is…..undoubtedly the call of a hollow! But….why can't I sense it?! Why does it still feel like something is blocking my senses?! And…..how in the world did these 2 hear it before I, a soul reaper did?!"
"Kyaaaaah! Daaad!" came a voice from below.
"Th…that's Yuzu's voice!" exclaimed Karin. She dashed for the door, grabbing Ichigo's bat. "Sorry Ichi-nii, but I'm borrowing this! Out of my way, Soul Reaper girl!" she cried out, moving past the dazed soul reaper.
"Wa…wait! Don't be a fool! I will go slay it, you stay put here!" she called out, but to no avail. "For god's sake! I will undo your restraints after I take care of the hollow. Don't do anything foolish until then!" she said to Ichigo, before going down the stairs.
As the black haired kurosaki twin descended the stairs, she could only describe the scene as chaos. Broken walls. Furniture scattered and disheveled. It was as if a typhoon passed through. And just a few feet away, was her father, on the ground in a small pool of blood. His body was twitching.
"DAD!" she screamed, going up to him.
"K…karin?! N…no, stay back! Go back up…stairs..! Dam..mit, I need to…that bastard…! Yuzu…!" said Isshin, struggling to pick himself up.
"Hehehehe it's my lucky day! I never thought I would find so many souls with such high spirit energy in one place! I'll start with this one!" said something that Karin could only describe as a monster. It had a large body with a white mask and dead looking yellow eyes.
This thing…is a hollow?! This is just a monster! Thought Karin to herself.
The hollow was about to clamp down on something in its hands. That something being her twin sister, Yuzu who could only watch paralyzed in fear. Karin's eyes widened. Her body was shaking.
"St…stop…STOP….!"
Then, the mouth closed on her head. It was as if the sound of the hollow clamping down on her sister had drowned out all other surrounding noise. She could only feel silence. And regret. And shock. Isshin felt the same too, as he struggled to even get up. Watching helplessly with his eyes barely open as, the hollow bit down on his daughter.
However
That was not to be. For none was more shocked than the hollow himself. Because when he clamped down on her tiny head, he only felt pain. And something cracking.
"Wh…what is this….?!"
He slowly opened his mouth, feeling it with his free hand. His teeth…..were cracked. One even shattered upon touching it. His eyes went back to the girl in his hand. The same girl with those blank eyes, whose body was now covered with glowing blue veins.
"B…blut…vene….!" Exclaimed Isshin inwardly.
"EEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!" came the war cry from the other figure, who charged at the hollow, holding up the baseball bat. Alerted, the hollow raised his arm just in time, but instead of being able to catch it, the bat went straight through, bending his fingers the wrong way.
"URGG…UUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRGHHHHHH!" reeled the hollow. The girl who struck him was panting, the bat in her hands shattered from the sheer impact of the blow. But most noticeable was the red glowing pattern throughout her body, identical to the brown-haired girl's glowing blue vein like pattern.
"Blut….arterie…" thought Isshin shocked.
"Yo….you damn humans!" roared the Hollow, before throwing Yuzu at Karin, sending both of them crashing through the wall.
Ichigo heard the screams of his sister calling out for her dad.
"St…stop boy! I told you not to do anything reckless!" stammered the soul reaper, but Ichigo continued to struggle against his restraints. His arms were starting to slowly give way. "If you force yourself to remove a bakudo spell, your soul will….!"
But the soul reaper could only watch agape, as the human boy wrenched against the invisible restraints, before finally breaking free.
"Im..impossible….how could a mere human break free from a bakudo spell…?! Just what…..in the world is going on….?!" The boy then made a break for it downstairs.
"Wait!" she called out, before running after him.
Ichigo reached the hall…..or what was left of it. Cracks, broken furniture and smashed glass and porcelain lay everywhere. In one corner, near the other end of the hallway was the downed figure of his dad, in a pool of blood.
"EEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!"
The cry from his sister directed the attention of both Ichigo and the soul reaper who descended the stairs to Karin, whose body was glowing red with a vein-like pattern on her body. She smashed into the hollow's fingers, bending it the wrong way. The hollow reeled in pain, cursed and threw something at Karin, sending them crashing into the wall behind Ichigo and the soul reaper.
"KARIN!" roared Ichigo, checking up on them, the soul reaper included. Ichigo saw that Yuzu was there as well, with a blue glowing pattern on her body, similar to Karin's red glowing vein like pattern which slowly disappeared. "Karin! Yuzu! Say something! What is this…?!" he asked them, shaking them. "You BASTARD! YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR HURTING MY FAMILY!" he roared, charging at the hollow grabbing the broken table nearby.
"Wait human!" called out the soul reaper, but to no avail. She chased after him.
The hollow swiped at him, sending him rolling to the floor. Defenseless and unarmed, Ichigo could only watch as the hollow was about to swing down on him. A blur appeared before him, and the soul reaper slashed at the hollow's arm, repelling its attack.
"Foolish boy! I told you to not charge in recklessly and leave it to me! Fortunately for you, none of your family members have their souls eaten. Though I do not know about the glowing pattern on their bodies, they aren't harmed. So just stay back and let me finish my job!" she scolded him.
"But….you said hollows attack people to eat their souls right? Then why is one here!?"
"Hollows always wander around looking for souls with high amounts of spirit energy. And this place might as well be a beacon calling out to them" she replied.
"Wh…what do you mean?!" asked Ichigo.
"I've never met humans capable of surviving an attack from a hollow unscathed, or a human capable of injuring a hollow without a zanpakuto. Or a human able to break a bakudo spell on their own. And here I am, in a place containing all of them. There's no doubt that its target is your family!" she said.
"Yo…you mean to tell me…..its my fault…? The reason dad is lying over there, the reason my sisters were attacked…?" he said slowly, getting up.
"That's not at all what I meant…!" she responded, before being flung aside by the hollow's fists. She cursed herself for letting herself be that open. She could see the boy slowly getting up, confronting the hollow.
"You bastard….leave my family be…..and come fight me face to face!" said Ichigo. The hollow charged at him, mouth wide open.
*KSCHICK!*
Ichigo saw blood, but not his own. Because between him and the open jaws of the hollow, was the figure of the Shinigami clad in black, the teeth sinking into her shoulder and abdomen. She fell to her knees, weakly holding her Zanpakuto.
"Shinigami!" cried out Ichigo. The girl weakly slumped against the wall. "Foolish boy, this is why I told you to stay back. Dammit…with these injuries, it's next to impossible now. All that's left is for us to become its food"
"…..It's my…fault…"
"Tell me….human. Do you….want to save…your family? Even if it means….you could die?" she asked.
"Is it….possible?" asked Ichigo. "Please! Tell me if there's a way to save them!"
"I can't guarantee…that this will work. You may die…..if it fails. But….it won't matter either ways. But the only way….for you to save them now….is for you to become a soul reaper yourself!" she said.
"Me….a soul reaper? How? Tell me!" asked Ichigo.
"Take this blade….of mine, and pierce…the center of your being with it. That way, I can…..transfer some of my…powers to you. It will be temporary…but it will give you the chance to fight back in equal terms!" she said, holding out her sword.
The hollow was approaching. His sisters and his dad were lying there helpless. Earlier, Yuzu had nearly died, and yet, Karin had charged forward, with no thought for her own life. So, why in the world would he turn tail when his siblings 4 years younger than him didn't?
"I'll do it, Shinigami" said Ichigo with a confident smile, taking her sword in his hands.
"My name isn't Shinigami. I'm called Rukia Kuchiki" she replied. "I've wanted to ask you this earlier, but what's your name?"
"It's Ichigo Kurosaki" he said, thrusting the sword through his chest. There was a blinding flash of light, and in the place of the teenager stood one that was wearing a black robed hakama, with a sword as large as his body itself.
"Ho…how can this be…?! I only meant to transfer some of my powers, but he depraved me of all of it! And that's not all….now I understand….what was jamming my senses earlier, it was the immense spiritual pressure coming off from those kids! I was engulfed in their spiritual pressure! Those girls did survive a direct attack from a hollow, and one even injured it without a Zanpakuto! And his Zanpakuto…I've never seen someone wield a Zanpakuto that big! Just what are these people!" she thought inwardly, surprised out of her wits.
The hollow itself, wasn't doing so well now. With a quick slash, Ichigo managed to slice off its arm.
"Realize the consequences of messing with my family!" he said, swinging his sword vertically, cutting through the hollow. The figure of the hollow then gradually dissipated.
"My~~what an unexpected development this is" cooed a voice from behind. Rukia and Ichigo looked in the direction it came from. Walking towards them was a man wearing a striped green and white bucket hat, a dark green hakama, traditional Japanese sandals, a cane in one hand and a fan in the other.
"Another human that can see spirits and soul reapers….!" Noted Rukia.
"Urahara-san….?!" Asked Ichigo surprised.
"Wait, you know this man, Ichigo?" asked Rukia.
"Yeah, he's the owner of the candy store a few blocks from here" said Ichigo. "I or my family visit his shop every now and then to buy supplies once in a while"
"Wait…Urahara…Kisuke Urahara?!" exclaimed Rukia.
"Wait a sec, now I'm confused….how do YOU know him?!" asked Ichigo. "And…..you can see me like this, Mr. Hat and Clogs…?!"
"Minor details for later, young Ichigo. Don't you think we need to check up on your family first?" he suggested.
"Aaah you're right!" exclaimed the orange haired teen, dashing to his damaged house. Rukia and Urahara arrived soon after.
"Step aside, young Ichigo" said Urahara's voice.
"Urahara-san….?" Said a confused Ichigo as the enigmatic shopkeeper moved past him, and knelt down by Isshin. He placed a hand over him, following which a green light appeared. The injuries on Isshin's body were slowly disappearing.
"You look like you've had a rough day, Isshin-san!" cooed the shopkeeper.
"Tch…..shut….up…you should've come here sooner…" replied Isshin, slowly getting up. Kisuke then went up to his sisters.
"Wa…wait…..what just ….happened here….?!" Asked Ichigo wide eyed. "Dad….! What's going on….?!"
"What in the world…..?! Your dad can see spirits too….?!" Asked Rukia, just as surprised as Ichigo. "And by the way you were talking….."
"Damn, this is one big mess" sighed Isshin, dusting himself off. Masaki….Ruby…..I'm sorry….but it would seem, that I couldn't fulfil your wishes after all. In that case…..the least I can do….is help you keep your promise to Masaki, Ruby. I almost lost them today. I'm not losing them like I lost the two of you.
"Your daughters are fine, Isshin-san. In fact, they're not even unconscious!" said Kisuke, whipping out his fan. The twins too, looked just as confused as Ichigo and Rukia.
"Dad…..what was that monster from earlier….?!" Asked Yuzu.
"This one here told us it was a hollow…." Said Karin. "Wait…..why does your getup look all different now…? And Ichi-nii! What's with your getup?! You look just like that soul reaper girl!"
"Oy, soul reaper brat!" called out Isshin to Rukia.
"Wh..what…?! You mean me…?!" she asked confused and annoyed.
"Yeah, you! Which squad are you from? And what's your rank?" he asked, sighing.
"Wait….you…..you know about Soul Reapers….?" She asked, wide eyed.
"Just answer the damn question!" he snapped back.
"I…I'm from Squad 13. I'm not a seated officer yet" she replied, flustered.
"Ah for god's sake, what were those lot back in the soul society thinking sending a complete greenhorn to this place?!" he said, facepalming. "But even so, to struggle this much against a single hollow…...then again, I can't really blame you here when I was this useless"
"Dad….you know about Soul Reapers?" asked Ichigo, wide eyed. Isshin took another look at his son, in his black Shinigami attire and the giant sword strapped on to his back. "Oy….say something!"
"Damn it…..this was the one thing I didn't want to see…." He said, looking towards the poster of Masaki and Ruby that was still intact.
"In any case Isshin-san, I can help you patch up your place. Till then, why don't we go over to my place? I believe this one will need a gigai as well. I can ask Tessai and the kids to help with the damage control" suggested Urahara. Isshin nodded. First he helped Ichigo get back into his soulless body that was lying nearby. He then urged his kids to follow him, the powerless soul reaper included. Nobody spoke a word, though questions were swarming their minds. The ex-soul reaper was the most confused of them all. The rest simply followed their dad and the enigmatic shop keeper until they reached his store. Kisuke went in first, talking and explaining something. Following that, a large, dark skinned man with shades a boy with flaming red hair and a girl with dark hair and twintails exited the shop one by one. Urahara then urged them to follow inside. Soon, the soul reaper, Isshin and the three kids were seated in a room with Kisuke.
"I'll go get some tea" said Kisuke, leaving them to themselves.
"Alright. First off, how much did this girl tell you three?" asked Isshin to his kids. Karin and Ichigo explained the basics that they were told, while Yuzu sat there clueless. Ichigo and Karin then gave her the short version.
"Whaaaaat! So this onee-chan here is a soul reaper that defeats evil monsters called Hollows and guides spirits to this place called the Soul Society?!" she asked surprised. "And now, you became a soul reaper after getting her powers, Onii-chan?!"
"Yeah, that would be it" confirmed Ichigo. "But…..how do you know about all this dad? And…..Karin, earlier….what were those red veins…? And Mr Hat and Clogs there….."
"….fine. The thing is, this wasn't in my to-do list anytime soon" he sighed. The kids noticed, that his tone was much more serious, unlike his usual goofy self. "You could say….that I was a soul reaper too" There was a stunned silence in the group.
"You're…a soul reaper….dad…?!" exclaimed Ichigo.
"But…" started Karin. "You never…."
"…So, dad is like an angel that helps people pass on to heaven…?" asked Yuzu curious.
"Yo…..you were a soul reaper…?! Wait just a minute…..earlier, he called you Isshin…..you….it can't be…..you're THAT Isshin…?!….Capt-?!" called out Rukia, utterly surprised.
"Alright, I have to stop you right there" interrupted Isshin "It's true that at some point I was a Soul reaper. But I don't have the power now. Otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation today" he said.
That explains so much more, thought Rukia to herself. So…..that's what they were! No wonder they possessed such enormous spirit energy! They are Captain Shiba's kids! That would mean Ichigo, Karin and Yuzu here really are…..Kaien's…..
"You….know my dad…Onee-chan?" asked Yuzu.
"Yes. He was…well known during his time" said Rukia. "But I heard that 20 years ago, he disappeared from the soul society. The thing is, I've never really met your dad. I'm only a regular officer after all. I never really left my squad. But there isn't a single soul reaper who doesn't know him"
"20 years ago…." Said Karin slowly. "Then…..did mom know…..?"
"Yeah" replied Isshin.
"Then why….?! Why would you keep quiet about it all this time?!" demanded Ichigo.
"Because all she ever wanted…..was for the 3 of you to live normal lives. Away from spirits, hollows and the soul society! Away from dangers of being involved!" he answered. "And you just had to go ahead and make him into one!" sighed Isshin.
"I'm….I'm sorry, capt- Isshin" said Rukia apologetically.
"Forget it" he said dismissively. "It was bound to happen sooner or later. And you did what you had to do in that situation. But still this is still quite the mess we're in now"
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I'm sure you're aware Kuchiki-san, that transferring your powers to a human is a serious offense in the Soul Society. I wouldn't be surprised if the soul society decided to send other soul reapers to apprehend a criminal who dared transfer their powers to a mere human" answered Urahara, bringing in the tea.
"Yeah…..I know….I was afraid…that this might happen" she replied.
"And before you ask, he's also a soul reaper friend of mine. I'm sure you know of him, Rukia" said Isshin. "He's the one that helped me stay here in the world of the living"
"Yeah, I do know…Kisuke Urahara. The soul reaper expelled from the Soul Society 100 years ago. Although I don't know the reasons" she replied.
"And now…..you're a soul reaper too?" asked Karin, raising her eyes and sighing. "At this point, it feels like just about everybody I run into is one"
"Karin-chan, that's just rude…" said Yuzu sweatdropping.
"Well~~….let's leave plain old me for later" he replied, unfurling his fan. "The question is, what do we do next?"
"Just hold on a minute here" called out Ichigo "Earlier…..when Karin attacked that hollow, there were red glowing patterns on her arms and face….what were those? Are they Shinigami abilities too…?!"
"Yeah….now that you mention it! Yuzu was bitten by that hollow, I'm sure of it! But then, there were these blue glowing vein-like things on her and instead of her getting hurt, it was the hollow that got hurt instead!" added Karin. Kisuke raised his eyes, and his hands that were fanning himself stopped midway. No way…..Blut vene and Blut Arterie…? They really are your kids, Masaki-san. But I wonder how Isshin-san wants to take this. Telling them about their mother's death and the circumstances surrounding it now might be a bit too….Not to mention, what about Ruby-chan….?
"That can't be, I've never-" started Rukia, but once more, Isshin interrupted him.
"Yeah, you could say that" replied Isshin "I was a Shinigami, is it so strange that you kids have it as well?"
Rukia was initially confused, but a quick subtle look from Isshin told her this was something he wanted to handle and that she wasn't meant to interfere.
"I guess…..that makes sense.." said Karin. "But…..I don't remember doing anything….in fact, I don't even remember having those 'red veins' you speak of. All I remember was seeing that hollow about to kill Yuzu. And then….I…I just felt this rush in my body. And before I knew it, I was clonking the hollow"
"Me too…" said Yuzu. "I just remembered seeing this huge monster's face, and staring into its mouth….I…..I….I was just so…..scared…." she said, dwindling her thumbs.
"Yuzu…Karin….." said Ichigo.
"When a soul faces mortal danger, that's when it does all it can to preserve itself" explained Urahara. "That's why until now, your abilities were never triggered"
"But what about Ichigo?" asked Rukia. "Does he have powers too? Because right now, his power comes from my Shinigami powers"
"Indeed, he does" said Urahara "If left alone, maybe his soul reaper powers might have triggered too"
"You mean…I have it? I have….soul reaper powers of my own?!" asked Ichigo surprised.
"Uh huh" said Urahara, fanning himself again "But right now, it works to our advantage that your powers are hidden, and that you're running off on Kuchiki-san's powers instead"
"As this goof just mentioned earlier, because of what she did, there's no doubt the Soul Society would send in reinforcements to apprehend her and in the process, 'take care' of the human that dared to trespass where he shouldn't" said Isshin.
"But, since you have her powers, all you would need to do, is to do her duties in kuchiki-san's place" said Urahara. "This way, anybody monitoring your spirit energy will be mistaken into thinking that Kuchiki-san was the one still operating here as normal. Unless someone visually comes over to see you, nothing would appear out of the ordinary. This should stop them from suspecting anything abnormal and therefore prevent any reinforcements from arriving"
"I was about the suggest something similar as well" said Rukia. "I can help Ichigo perform his Soul Reaper duties"
"I don't like it one bit, but its either this or risk having the soul society as your enemy while having to deal with hollows as well" said Isshin irritated. "You see now? This is exactly why your mother could never tell you lot about anything! Being a soul reaper means you'd have to forget all about going to school, growing up like a normal human and getting the chance to lead a peaceful life!"
"I never wanted to get involved in any of this! All I wanted was to protect you, Karin and Yuzu!" argued Ichigo. "Maybe if you had told us all of this before, we might not be here today! And now you're telling me I HAVE to be a Soul reaper, going out to fight Hollows to protect complete strangers?! Don't give me that bull!"
"Onii-chan….please don't get mad…" requested Yuzu.
"Maybe you're right….but do really you think I hadn't thought of that?" argued Isshin back " I was only respecting your mother's wishes, and I simply wanted to do all I could to fulfil that. Even as I did that, I knew, something like this was bound to happen someday. Especially with your leaking spiritual pressure. Even now, do you really think I would be doing this if there was any other choice?!"
"Dad…..Ichi-nii….please let's not get worked up over this…." Asked Karin. There was an uncomfortable silence between the two of them.
"My,my Karin-chan and Yuzu-chan are right, there's no need to jump to conclusions yet~" said Urahara in his sing-song voice. "And besides, I never said you have to give up your normal life, kurosaki-san~"
"What…?" asked Ichigo.
"You heard me. You can continue going to school, be with your friends, go watch movies, what ever you want" he said "Even going on dates, watching other girls, peeking up their ski-grwahshgrasgheh!" Karin backhanded the perverted shopkeeper, sending him comically rolling backwards.
"Just when I thought he was actually decent, and turns out he's as perverted as they come" said Karin, a vein popping in her face.
"Yeah….in fact, why don't you leave that perverted old man and come over to your dear dad's side?" said Isshin.
"Yeah right. Now that's the pot calling the kettle black" said Karin with a stoic expression.
"Aah Masaki! Your daughters are already in their rebellious age~~!" he cried comically into his sleeve.
"Zip it, old man, you'll just embarrass mom" snapped Karin again.
"Karin-chan that's mean…" said Yuzu sweatdropping.
"Oy Mr. Hat and Clogs! What was that you were telling earlier?!" asked Ichigo.
"Exactly what I said, young Ichigo. It's not like being a Soul Reaper is as bad as you think you know? And besides, you wont even be a proper soul reaper. Soul Reapers are souls that have passed on to the Soul Society, trained there to become one. You three on the other hand are still alive. Even if you possess the power, at best, you're only imitations. Substitutes for the actual thing. A Substitute Soul Reaper" said Urahara, picking himself up. "In fact, Kuchiki-san can attend school with you"
"Wh..what?! You want me to go to school at my age?!" said Rukia flustered.
"To perform your duties, you will need to guide him, won't you? I can arrange for that as well. I can give you a gigai, or an artificial body so that you can live and guide Ichigo-san while blending in. I can prepare for your transfer to his school. Together, you can perform your duties when needed" said Urahara.
"Hmm….this could work. In fact, this may be the best you can hope for Ichigo" said Isshin.
"Bu..but…! Why…?! Why do I have to do all this in the first place?! Fighting monsters, risking my life for the sake of complete strangers…?!" asked Ichigo again.
"Why did you help those souls all these times? Isn't that 'risking yourself for the sake of complete strangers' as well?" asked Isshin "It's not like they're related to you. In fact, as a soul reaper, you can help those souls you've been helping till now even better, by actually helping them pass on. Not to mention, protect them from being eaten by hollows"
"Wait….eaten..?" asked Ichigo surprised.
"I already told you, earlier didn't I? Hollows go after souls to eat them! It's why we soul reapers exist!" said Rukia. "The next time, if a hollow appears and is about to eat a soul right in front of you, can you still say the same thing, knowing you possess the power to save the person in front of you?"
"That's…..I…." stammered the orange haired teen. His mind conjured up images; images of the same monster that was about to tear his family apart. Images of the monster, making a meal out of his family. Or the soul of the girl he had been bringing flowers. Could he really stay quiet? He already knew the answer.
"…..Fine…..I'll do it" said Ichigo slowly. Urahara and Rukia smiled, Isshin sighed.
"Wonderful!~~" chimed Urahara. "I can get things ready then!"
"Wait a minute, dad!" interrupted Ichigo. "What about Karin and Yuzu?! Don't tell me you plan on making them fight hollows as well?!"
"No, of course not!" said Isshin immediately. "But….it's true that their spirit energy will attract hollows to them. Even now, I still don't want your lives to be disrupted and try my best to make you live as normal humans. Which is why, starting tomorrow, the two of you will learn to defend yourselves should you find yourself in danger"
"Bu…but we want to help Ichi-nii!" protested Karin.
"Y..yeah.." agreed Yuzu.
"No" said Isshin flatly "You're much too young to be going out fighting hollows. The same applies to your brother as well. But his is a different scenario. In his case, there's no other option. I will help you learn to defend yourself in case of emergencies. But only as a means of keeping yourselves safe from harm. No buts" The two of them protested regardless, but Ichigo stopped them.
"Karin….Yuzu…" said Ichigo. "It's fine. I can take care of myself. I agree with dad. I don't want the two of you to be in danger because of me". They still weren't convinced but remained placated for the time being.
"It's settled then~~! Starting tomorrow, the two of you can come here to train~~! Young Ichigo on the other hand, can continue performing the duties of a soul reaper as discussed with Kuchiki-san~~!" chimed Urahara.
"And I'll help with your training as well, Ichigo" added Isshin "You'll do much learning Kendo from me than that club of yours but wait…..won't she need a place to stay? It's not like she can go back to the Soul Society now…" pointed out Isshin.
"Indeed you're right!~~" chimed the shopkeeper. "And considering that she needs to work with young Ichigo, why not let her stay at your place?~~"
"Say what?!" came the collective voices of Rukia, Isshin, Ichigo and the twins.
"Oy oy oy, you can't be serious?!" exclaimed Isshin.
"No no, I'm dead serious~" said Urahara in a loony voice, waving his hands. "Think about it Isshin-san! It's the most ideal situation you could ask for. And besides, you'll have yet another cute little daughter in your family!~~" And now, suddenly, Isshin was much more approving. Karin facepalmed herself, tempted to sock her old man. Rukia looked at him and Urahara with an expression of disgust and disbelief. Ichigo threw Isshin a dirty look.
"It'll be like the time Ruby-onee chan was here!" said Yuzu enthusiastically. Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted. One that Rukia didn't miss. Because the little bickering and arguments died immediately.
"Yuzu…!" hissed Karin, and Yuzu, realizing her mistake, covered her mouth apologetically.
"Wh…what's wrong…?" asked Rukia.
"I'm sorry, Urahara-san, but if we're done for today, I'd like to head back home" said Ichigo, getting up. His tone sounded…..tense? Hurt..? Angry..? Rukia couldn't tell.
"Ichigo, wai-!" called out Rukia, but Karin stopped her.
"Rukia-san….I wouldn't do that if I were you" she advised. What was even more surprising was that Isshin and even Kisuke had melancholy looks.
"Thought that might pop up…." Sighed Isshin "But fine. She can stay over at my place" said Isshin. "Go on then, you old goof. Get her Gigai ready". Urahara nodded, going inside. He urged Rukia to follow. Though she was confused, she understood enough that it was a sensitive topic, not one she was meant to talk about. And she could respect that.
And so, after a tiring day, the kurosakis plus one kuchiki returned home. To their surprise, the house was as good as before. Sure, some of the furnishings on the inside were not there, but if someone were to look at the house from the outside, nobody would have guessed that a major incident took place. Rukia and Isshin weren't too surprised, but the kids definitely were. The twins were also given urahara's own 'Use during emergencies only otherwise I'll bill your dad' buttons, which they could use when appropriate. It did make the twins question the eccentric owner's naming sense, but were glad just the same.
Though Isshin offered Rukia the same guest room Ruby used to sleep in, she chose to sleep inside Ichigo's closet for some reason. 'It's cosy and comfortable and it will help me get Ichigo out of his body should something happen' she said, which did greatly annoy the orange haired teen. Not just because of her, but because his goofball dad would use this as a chance to get some juicy gossip. Yuzu was all in for it, but Karin couldn't care less.
And as planned, Rukia started attending school with Ichigo as a transfer student, causing quite the ruckus in class. Ichigo's jaws almost fell to the floor when Rukia put on the façade of the diligent and obedient girl in school in front of all the others. On the way back home, he would take care of hollows they happened to detect.
Karin and Yuzu on the other hand, attended school like usual. Karin was in the kendo club like her brother and Yuzu had been doing archery since the two had been gifted in said fields and their school clubs couldn't be happier to have them. Isshin asked them to continue as usual, but back home, he would also teach the girls about spirit related stuff. Karin was…..hesitant at first. To her, it felt like a pain. But Yuzu was enthusiastic. They learnt about basics first rather than any actual fighting. Things like what reishi was, how to sense it, how to control your own reishi and even things like how a Zanpakuto purifies hollows, who really only were human souls that became that way due to lingering emotions, feelings and regrets. Something that made Karin cringe with distaste and Yuzu uncomfortable and sympathetic. And in the weekends, Karin and Yuzu would go over to Kisuke's place, learning to manifest their 'blood vessel' powers.
The first major incident revolved around his childhood friend Orihime. The numerous 'accidents' that occurred around his ditzy friend screamed hollow, said Rukia. She confirmed this when a large bruise in the shape of a hand print appeared on Orihime's leg. That same night, a hollow appeared right by Ichigo's bedroom. Rukia was quick enough in detecting it and pushing Ichigo out of harm's way. Isshin stood by the entrance, while Karin and Yuzu stood behind Isshin.
"Stay behind me!" barked Isshin to his daughters.
"Ichigo! Go for the head!" screamed Rukia. The hollow, which was shaped like a snake, made swipes at him, which Ichigo rolled about and dodged in the limited space he had in his bedroom. He slashed at the mask, but the hit was too shallow to go all the way through. Instead, only the mask cracked, revealing the face of Orihime's dead brother. The hollow then made a run for it.
"Wa…wait just a minute….that was….." exclaimed Ichigo.
"So….it was true after all.." said Karin. Yuzu also had a sad expression on her face.
"Wait, what do you…?!" started Ichigo. And then Rukia explained it to him, about how hollows were nothing but souls of humans that transform due to lingering regrets and emotions. It made Ichigo hesitant, but a sharp call from Isshin brought him back to his sense.
"This isn't the time to be lingering around here, foolish son of mine!" he barked "That thing is no doubt going after your friend! Stop wasting time here and follow after it!"
"But….!"
"Ichi-nii…dad said that a Zanpakuto purifies hollow souls and allows them to crossover to the soul society. That it doesn't actually kill them" said Karin. "So you don't need to worry about that"
"Are you sure…?" he asked.
"Yes, dumbass! Now get going! I'll take care of things here!" barked Isshin again. Ichigo spared a quick glance at his family, and leapt off after the hollow. Rukia followed after.
And sure enough, the hollow was right at Orihime's apartment, almost about to kill her best friend and Ichigo's other childhood friend, Tatsuki. Having arrived in the nick of time, Ichigo was able to handle the situation, but not before Orihime was forced out of her body as a spirit. After a tense exchange of blows, the orange haired girl learns of the hollow's identity as her brother. After a quick exchange of words, the hollow was only more ticked off, attacking Orihime. Ichigo intervened once more, and though he held it at bay, couldn't deliver a finishing blow. Orihime then takes a blow meant for Ichigo, opting to placate her departed brother now turned hollow. With Ichigo's help, things between Orihime and her brother were resolved, and the hollow's soul passed on peacefully, with Orihime promising to pray for her brother's peace. Rukia then used a device given to her by Urahara to replace Orihime's memories with fake ones. The next day, she caused quite the commotion when she told her friends about the Sumo wrestler who burst in to her house with a bazooka. Whether that resulted from a fault on the device Urahara gave Rukia or Orihime's unique imaginative brain, Ichigo couldn't tell.
The next incident followed soon after when Ichigo's hulking and silent classmate, Yasutora Sado, better know as Chad, received a supposedly cursed parakeet, which was actually the soul of a little boy stuck in a parakeet used as bait by a hollow. Chad would continue to receive injuries while being around the parakeet, but would shrug them off, determined the protect the talking bird. The incidents proceed to the point that Chad gets seriously injured to the point of being admitted. But he escapes with the bird right after, not even attending school the next day. Ichigo chases after Chad in soul reaper form, fearing the worst.
Meanwhile, in Karakura South Elementary school, a distraught Karin grabs her wooden sword, skipping school and taking to the streets. Yuzu, sensing that something may be amiss, follows after her, taking along her archery practice bow just in case.
"Karin-chan…..? What happened? You just ran out of school all of a sudden….?" Asked Yuzu, concerned.
"We need to find Ichi-nii…I have to hurry…." She said.
"Just hold on" said Yuzu, closing her eyes. "There!" she said, pointing in a direction.
"Nice one, Yuzu! I really should practise sensing reiatsu better!" she praised her twin, and the two ran in the said direction until they happened across Ichigo and Rukia.
"Karin…?! Yuzu…?! What are you two doing here?!" he exclaimed. Karin ran up to him.
"Ichi-nii….! We need to find him! Yesterday…..I saw his strongest memory…..he saw his own mother getting killed in front of him….I'm sure, he can see his mother again if we perform a konso on him…..so please, let me…..let us come with you!" said Karin, nearly in tears.
"Karin-chan….."
"Karin…ever since Mom died and Ruby-nee left, you never cried once since then. You, who felt inferior to Yuzu who took over the responsibilities of a mother in mom's absence, did all you could to never make any of us worry. And yet….." thought Ichigo inwardly. "All right, just this once" he said, "Stay behind me!" The twins nodded, thanking him.
"But Ichigo! We don't know where he is!" said Rukia.
"I can find him!" said Yuzu, and as before, she closed her eyes, sensing her surroundings. "There!" she pointed.
"You can sense spirit energy?! Nice going, Yuzu!" complimented Ichigo. "Wish I knew how to do that…"
"It's fine, Ichi-nii….I have trouble with it as well" said Karin. Rukia, on the other hand, was in shock.
"Have some trouble….?! Sensing a reiatsu this weak and this camouflaged is something even veteran soul reapers have trouble with! And yet….this girl, just over 10 years of age can so smoothly….they really are Captain Shiba's kids…" she thought to herself.
The group run over till they reach an abandoned warehouse, where Chad initially tries to run away from them, in order to protect them from whatever was attacking him.
"Oy dumbass, why the hell are you running?! We're here to rescue you!" shouted Ichigo.
Just then, something narrowly scrapes Rukia, sending her rolling towards the wall.
"It's my lucky day! I never expected following this oaf around would lead me to so many souls!" said the hollow who appeared behind Rukia.
"Yuzu! Karin! Stay back! I'll deal with him!" said Ichigo, drawing his sword. "And stay back as well!" he said, looking at Chad.
The two exchanged blows, while Karin and Yuzu help Rukia, who was bleeding from her head, get to safety along with Chad and the parakeet. The hollow, called Shrieker, threw what appeared to be leeches at Ichigo, that detonated when he made a specific sound with his tongue. The blast temporarily dazed the substitute soul reaper, and the hollow used the opportunity to rush at Chad who was holding the bird cage containing the parakeet.
"Not a chance!" declared Karin, readying her stance. The red veins on her were back. She swung, swung and swung her wooden sword, but the hollow was too fast for her to keep up.
"Foolish girl, I don't know what those marks are but you're obviously one with high spirit energy! Even so, to attack me as a human is the heights of foolishness! A soul reaper couldn't defeat me, what makes you think you can? Haah?!" he shrieked, throwing some of those leeches at her. She struck the first 3, which caused them to splatter from the impact but missed one. Yuzu dove in, shielding Karin.
"This is where you go splat!" he declared, vibrating his tongue. The blast knocked Yuzu backwards.
"YUZU!" Ichigo and Karin cried, going towards her. But when the smoke cleared, they noticed that she was quite unharmed.
"I'm fine, Karin-chan! Onii-chan!" she said. Blue, vein like markings were covering her. "Dad told me that my ability allows me to defend myself! See! I'm not hurt!" she said.
"And dad told me mine allows me to strike with increased power" said Karin.
"While you fools were wasting time, I found myself a nice present!" said Shrieker, holding the bird cage with three leeches attached to it.
"Dammit!" cursed Ichigo.
"Now….I think we'll play a different kind of game, shall we..?" he said, holding the cage hostage. "Why don't you run around like the bugs you are, just try and avoid my leeches if you can!" he laughed maniacally, while chasing around Rukia, Karin, Yuzu and Ichigo using his leech bombs to make sport out of them.
"The sick bastard…!" growled Ichigo, trying to prevent his sisters from getting too involved, but surprisingly, they weren't doing half bad. Karin defended Yuzu and Yuzu would tank any blasts that got too close. Rukia on the other hand worked in tandem with Chad, with the former being the eyes and directing Chad's strength to defend themselves.
"Hehehe this brings back good ol' memories! The thrill of the chase as I hunt down my prey, watching them struggle and run about for their lives….nothing ever beats this feeling! If not for that brat's mother, I would still be carving up humans. But I must admit, this hollow form is even better!" he said, detonating a few more leeches. Karin was getting tired. Yuzu even more so. Rukia already had an injury that she needed to tend to and chad wasn't unhurt either. Ichigo on the other hand, was limited in his movement since the hollow kept flying around.
"What the hell do you mean?!" asked Ichigo, splitting another leech bomb. "And stop using such a dirty trick and face me yourself, coward!"
"But that wouldn't give me the pleasure of watching you bugs squirm in helplessness now would it? So, keep running, Soul Reaper!" he said.
*Whhiiizzz!* *Schick!*
The leech on top of the cage that shrieker was holding suddenly splattered, leaving only the two on the sides. From afar, Ichigo could see Yuzu holding her bow, reaching for another arrow.
*Whhiiizzz!* *Schick!*
The one on the left went splat again. This time however, Shrieker wouldn't let things go their way. Yuzu fired her third arrow, but the hollow blocked it. She kept firing one after another, but to no avail. Finally, one of them hit the hollow's hand, knocking the cage out of his hand.
"You just couldn't play by the rules, now could you? Time for some punishment! Watch as this boy's soul goes kaboom!" he shrieked, about to detonate the leech on the cage.
"Dammit!" cursed Ichigo, as he rushed towards the falling cage.
Yuzu reached for her quiver, but found nothing. She clenched her hands.
"N..no…!" she stammered, looking down. If only had one shot..! Just one arrow…!
And then, something caught her attention. Her hand….was glowing. Specifically, the bow itself had a thin outline of reishi originating from her hand. At the focus of her bow, was a shining arrowhead.
"Yuzu…?" called out Karin, surprised by the glowing bow. Yuzu knew it was now or never. She drew, nocked, and fired. The arrowhead flew true to its mark, striking the third leech on the cage before the hollow could detonate it. Ichigo, caught the falling cage.
"Wh..what?!" exclaimed the hollow.
"Yuzu….what was that?!" asked Karin surprised.
"I…I don't know..!" she replied "I just really wanted to save that boy, and I had no arrows left, so I just really wished for another arrow and I saw my bow was glowing with an arrowhead…and then I just fired.." Ichigo caught up to the twins, and so did Rukia. Ichigo passed on the parakeet to her, asking her to take it far away from here. Rukia and Chad left the scene, while the 3 siblings stayed.
"Heh, I don't know why you bothered, it's not like the brat was going to live anyways. He'd far outlived his usefulness after bringing me you three here" said Shrieker.
"Tell me something…..the one that killed that boy's mother….it was you wasn't it? You might as well admit it, because without your sick hostage games, I promise it won't be like before" thundered the orange haired soul reaper.
"He's….the one that killed that boy's mother…?!" asked Karin shocked.
Back with Rukia and Chad, the boy inside the parakeet explained how the hollow had used him as bait, to lure in souls with high spirit energy so that the hollow could devour them. All in exchange for the promise that the hollow would bring his dead mother back to life. And how he never wanted people to get hurt because of that.
"You actually believed that?! When something like him said something like that?!" asked Rukia shocked. "But why?!"
"Because he wanted to believe it!" said Shrieker with a sinister grin.
"Bastard!" cursed Ichigo.
"Yes…I was the one that killed the boy's mother, back when I was still alive" he said almost 'smiling'.
"Bu….but why…?! Why would you do something so horrible…?!" whimpered Yuzu.
"Because it felt good!" he said almost as if it was obvious "5 years ago, when I was still alive, I remember having some petty argument with my family. And without meaning to, I killed them. But then, I cut them up so neatly, it filled me with satisfaction like I had never knew! And then….I wanted to start cutting up people even more neatly, I wanted everyone to see. You might have even heard of me, I was in the radio, the news, I was pretty famous as a serial killer. The cops always chased me, but I was always much too clever for them to catch me"
"N..no…how could you…..how could you be so cruel….?!" stammered Yuzu, tearing up.
"How can you just kill people for something like that?!" asked Karin, shaking.
"Oh, but I can!" he said, inching closer with a maniacal tone. "Given the slightest opportunity, humans can so easily kill each other!"
"Stay back!" roared Ichigo.
"For revenge, out of envy, out of anger, out of greed out of hatred or simply for the sake of personal satisfaction like me, people can kill each other so easily, just like this!" he said, striking Ichigo through his shoulder, drawing blood. "And just like that, I kept carving up my victims too, into neat little pieces, until I reached that boy's mother. Who would've thought she would be my last victim? Aah, she was a sweet one. She ran and ran, holding onto her little boy until her last breath. I kept slashing at her, again and again and again, and still the stubborn bitch wouldn't let go of the brat"
Yuzu and Karin listened distraught, their knees feeling weak. Yuzu was the first to fall on all fours, crying. Images were flowing into their minds. Images of their mother, images of their beloved sister Ruby, images of those days long gone.
"No…mom…"
"Finally, the bitch stopped moving and I was just about to make my escape but then the brat grabbed my shoe laces, making me fall 20 storeys to my death. Suddenly, I was stuck in this body, I was pissed and I wanted payback. So, I stuck the boy's soul into the stupid bird and told him that if her could run around in that body for 3 months I would bring the brat's mother back to life!"
"Yo..you can actually do something like that?!" asked Ichigo, shocked.
"Of course, not you moron! Nobody could bring her back to life after the bloody mess I made of her! But the brat believed me nonetheless and it worked like a charm! I let him run around, and I get to enjoy the thrill of the chase! He would attract those with high spirit energy which gave me the added bonus of killing those that got in the way! And when he squealed 'Don't hurt them!', that's when I used my clincher 'Mommy's waiting for you'". He said as Ichigo listened wide eyed.
"N..no….mamma….Onii-chan…Ruby-oneechan…" whimpered a tearful Yuzu, completely . Karin was in a similar state, with her hands over her head, eyes tearing up.
"Ghahahahahahahah! YES! Just like that! The brat would then go 'Maama! Maama! Just like those there!"
"Grrrrr!" growled the orange haired soul reaper in rage, but the hollow grabbed his sword, shifting it aside.
"But enough of that. It's time I finished this hunt!" he said, flying away, and throwing the leeches again. Ichigo roared, catching them with his hands and with a war cry, lunged forward driving his fists straight through the hollow's mouth and through his teeth.
"Gwahewhghghhh…!"
"What's the matter? Not gonna use your tongue to blow these up anymore? Then I might as well take out your tongue!" snarled Ichigo, slicing said organ off. The hollow reeled in pain, unable to react in time.
"Go burn in Hell!" cried Ichigo, slicing at the hollow's mask. The strike went through, but instead of simply disintegrating, the mask began to glow, and a sinister looking gate materialized instead.
"Wh…what is that….?!" Asked Ichigo.
"They're the gates of hell" explained Rukia, who had arrived at the scene. She was helping Karin and Yuzu. "A Zanpakuto can only wash away the sins of a soul it commits as a hollow driven by its instincts. Those that commit sins consciously are dragged to Hell"
Ichigo watched as the sinister gates opened and a giant hand stabbed the remains of Shrieker with an equally giant blade. But….something was bothering him. It wasn't the fact that the gates appeared or the fact that a giant arm stabbed the hollow, dragging it back inside. No…..it was…..the reiatsu. It felt so….familiar.
"Why…?" he asked, almost to himself.
"As I said, those that commit-" repeated Rukia again but Ichigo nodded his head.
"No, that's not what I meant. I was talking about that twisted reiatsu" he said.
"It's not that surprising is it? I mean, Hell IS supposed to be a place of damnation filled with evil people. Much more evil souls that hollows ever could be" explained Rukia. "Or was it something else?"
"I don't know why but…..when I felt that reiatsu….it felt….familiar. Nostalgic even I would say…" said Ichigo. "Like something from so long ago"
"Nostalgic?" said Rukia surprised. "But that can't be. Hell Reiatsu is only present in Hell, and those that can enter Hell are only evil souls like that one. And even so, only soul reapers even get the chance to feel it because only a Zanpakuto can summon the gates of Hell. You weren't a soul reaper until today. So, there's no way you could've felt Hell Reiatsu"
But Ichigo was unconvinced. Strange and near impossible it may be, but this feeling, he was sure. There was no doubt about it. He had definitely felt it somewhere. But there were other things to worry about now. He put aside those thoughts for the time being and went back to his sisters. They were still shaking and Yuzu was still half teary eyed.
"Karin…Yuzu…are you hurt?" he asked softly.
"I…I thought….I was…." Started Yuzu. "I was scared…I thought I could…."
"It's all right….it's all over now" he said, making his best effort at an assuring smile. Their eyebrows quivered, and the two threw themselves around Ichigo. Rukia did her best to help placate them as well.
"This is why your father never wanted you to become a soul reaper. And this is why he never wanted you girls to accompany Ichigo during his duties. Sometimes things go well, sometimes things go bad. When fighting hollows you'll see all kinds of souls, both good and bad. But you girls were really brave, braver than most I know" she said, stroking their heads. "Come on, we have one last job to finish. Let's help the poor boy's soul" The girls and Ichigo nodded, reuniting with Chad who could see the orange haired soul reaper and the other spirits much clearly now. After hearing that the boy could be reunited with his mother in the soul society, he happily passed on after Ichigo performed konso on him, promising to allow Chad to carry him around if they ever happened to meet in the soul society.
Rukia and Ichigo rushed back to school, mainly to patch Rukia up first with some basic first aid and for Ichigo to return to his body. Karin and Yuzu then met up with Ichigo and Rukia, going straight to Urahara to get their wounds looked after.
"Onii-chan…..please don't tell dad about today, this really was a one time thing. I don't want him to worry…" requested Yuzu.
"You too Mr. Hat and Clogs" said Karin. Urahara gave them an 'ok' symbol with a goofy smile.
"Oh and one more thing! Today, something strange happened! I was holding my bow, and I had no arrows! Then, somehow, my hand started glowing with reishi and I could fire off an arrow head made from reishi! Would you happen to know about it Urahara-san?" asked Yuzu. The enigmatic shopkeeper raised his eyes in slight surprise. As I thought, with more exposure to the spirit world, their abilities grow more. But…from here on, they will need the right experts in the field. And that would mean asking HIM. The only one who can teach them in place of their mother.
"Well?" asked Karin.
"Let's just say…that it's an extension of your abilities" said Urahara. "In fact, you should be able to do it too at some point, young Karin. But it's been a long day and I can tell the 4 of you are exhausted from your ordeals. We'll talk about this another time. Off you go now~~" he said, waving at them. The gang then waved the enigmatic shopkeeper goodbye before heading back home.
Luckily for them, Isshin didn't notice anything out of the ordinary when the 4 of them returned but was curious to know why they all returned from school at the same time. The rest of the day went by as usual, but the events of the day were still fresh on their minds. Karin and Yuzu for one, couldn't sleep at all. So the twins went over to Ichigo's room, who agreed to let them stay. Following that, the 3 of them could fall into peaceful slumber.
Yeah I know, this was more of an…..intro chapter? I actually thought it would be easy to do this part since this part is well established in cannon. But it is only when I go back, I see how many plotholes were present and how knowing everything about bleach, you simply can't ignore some of them. This was hard, really more than I thought it would be. And longer than I thought it would be, and we aren't even in the SS arc. Hopefully, by next chapter, I can cover till beginning of SS arc. Let's see.
Response to reviews:
Argorok: Thanks a lot man!
NEGATARO: Well, Aizen's defeat will be slightly different, I can tell you that. I won't kill him though. Thanks a lot!
Lawrence Limequat: Ah I see! No worries! By power level creep, do you mean the scaling? But glad to see you'll be around to see where this goes, thanks for the support!
Misaka Phenex: No yuri ships planned…..yet. One misunderstanding though. She wont have a 'shikai'. She's an arrancar. So, her power is a resurreccion.
Crlittlemoee: Thank you so much! That makes me really happy and also motivates me a lot to continue writing.
fightingchampion: Thanks! No worries!
firewyrm2: Not necessarily. Yeah, she leaves by end of vol-3, and will return sometime between vol 1-2. Obviously this is some sort of time travel. But its still not the same. You'll see when we get there. And yeah, I just felt I had to explain some stuff that might be on people's minds.
Vedahzii: Yeah, that was exactly what I felt too. I really really wanted to write up that fight but yeah. Will surface later in a fully descriptive way, I guarantee.
Ayad_t_h: Yeah, definitely. Though, it might be a couple of chapters before we get there. Since SS arc is HUGE as I just found out myself. I cant simply breeze through it.
Momentei: Thanks a lot man, always happy to see your comments! No they wont be angsty or edgy, I will try to make their reactions as human like and as in character as possible. Ahaha, yeah Summer and Ruby could surely do that….maybe! A parody ending! And yeah, definitely. Arrancar can learn Hado or Bakudo. But think about it. It wouldn't suit some of them. Like I don't ever see Grimmjow wanting to learn 'cheap Shinigami tricks'. Nelliel on the other hand wouldn't mind.
Lucian Naruto: Good question. Actually, Gin addressed this in one of the after episode extras in bleach! And yeah, Ruby could surely/would definitely make cookies during meetings given she had the stuff to make them that is.
Mobian: Yeah. That's one of the major things between Aizen and Ruby. Both have stuff they're not telling the other. And yup, Starrk and Grimmjow would surely have it rough. Being dragged along with the girls when all they want to do is sleep and fight.
Robbie2413: Yeah, I actually have planned out this part. Let's just say that….Summer isn't wrong completely in her hypothesis.
The-Killer40513: Definitely.
ccl1995: Yeah indeed. Their meeting will be interesting.
Spartastic 4: Ack, my bad my bad! Sorry! I really thought it was Esparda and not Espada. Don't even know where I got that extra R from ahahaha! But I'll fix it if I can do it without sending out an update notification (because I don't want to trick readers into thinking I released a new chapter). As for their meeting, it was something I contemplated on for a good while. But I think, Summer would want to, to sort of place pressure on Aizen as a way of keeping her daughter safe from harm by implying he had something to gain from it. And no, as you saw, Ruby never visited them in 6 years. Thanks for the feedback and for reading!
rammieson: I know, really sorry about that! I'll fix it if I can do it without sending a false update notification for a previous chapter! Thanks for pointing it out!
Pleaseworkforonce: Thank you so much! And yeah, I really wanted to write a story, where the suffering feels more natural and not very anime-esque. It was to focus more on human behavior and nature and character development. I'm glad it was received well by many readers.