I'm so sorry it took me so much time to write this chapter. I have been so busy lately, not just with my other two stories but with the new job i found. That and the writer's block i suddenly found myself in when i realized that i didn't really know what to do with this story. But, thanks to your advice in the reviews, now i have somewhat devised the general plot from the story moving forwards from now on. It will kinda be like Bleach's first story arc which was a bit of a monster of the week set up. But for now, enjoy Ichigo's reunion with Kukaku and Ganju :)
Chapter 11: The Shiba Heritage
As he returned back to the barracks of his Squad via Flash-Step, Ichigo was still saddened by how Momo broke down upon recalling the moment Toshiro was tricked into stabbed her. Mostly because even though, he had nothing to do with it, he still felt in part guilty for having made her recall those traumatic memories again. He wanted to to something, anything to ease her pain but he coudn't. He didn't know what to say or do "And the way she talked about Aizen…. It almost sounded like she used to be in love with him…." he thought as he landed on the courtyard of the Squad, recalling how she called him "Captain Aizen" every time she mentioned him. And that made him wonder, were her feelings ever returned? Or was it yet another illusion Aizen had always cast ever since he first set his plans in motion?
He put those thoughts aside, since he knew that sooner or later he would have found out since he was in the Soul Society to stay. Thus, he decided to head over to Soi-Fon's office to report back to her, but umberknownst to him, a certain someone was also present.
"So, you've still not found a man yet?" Yoruichi asked her former protegee as she playfully sat on her former desk, her beautiful legs one and top of the other and her feet playfully waving up and down.
The raven-haired Captain, who sat on her chair, replied as nonchalantly as she could "Not yet." but no matter how much she tried to hide it, her face had become one full of innocence, much to her former Captain's amusement "It's just….." she added, with a slight blush "Having a lover has never been one of my concerns, especially with all the duties i have to attend to."
Her blush intensified once Yoruichi teased her with her trademark playful smile "Oh please, Soi-Fon. Have you even bothered to look yourself in the mirror all these years and realise what a strong and beautiful woman you have become? Or is it that you believe that no man is enough to satisfy you?"
"Well….." Soi-Fon's levelheaded and tough exterior slowly crumbled away to reveal a young woman full of insecurities "I suppose you could say that, Lady Yoruichi. Even most of the other Captains have never really interested me."
"Not even Kisuke?" Yoruichi teased her again, causing the Supreme Commander of the Stealth Force to feel sick all of a sudden "Surely, there must have been a good reason for you to have stalked him for a few days just to see what he was doing in his free time. Perhaps you really-"
"I DID NOT HAVE A CRUSH ON HIM!" Soi-Fon yelled, the mere concept of a relationship between them making her wanting to vomit her guts out "In fact, i have always despised that lazy fool! And the mere fact that someone like him even managed to become commander of the Detention Unit, sickens me to this day!" making Yoruichi laugh in much amusement. Oh, how she wished Kisuke would have been here to see this…..
She was pulled out of her thoughts by a familiar voice "Yoruichi? What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked in surprise upon seeing the tan-skinned, golden eyed beauty sitting nonchalantly on Soi-Fon's desk.
"Kurosaki!" Soi-Fon exclaimed in surprise, caught off-guard by his appearance, while Yoruichi replied to him, her playful smile still on her lips "Good to see you again, Ichigo. Actually, a friend of mine who learned what happened to you in the last couple of days, wanted to see you, so she sent me here to look up for you. That was of course before Soi-Fon told me you had gone to your first ever Lieutenant Meeting." while she hopped down from the desk and walked towards him, swaying her hips as she did so.
Even more surprised, Ichigo asked her "A friend of yours who wants to see me? Are you talking about Kukaku?" almost immediately figuring out who Yoruichi was referring to since she was pretty much the only friend of hers that he knew aside from Kisuke and Tessai.
"Yeah. Even she coudn't believe it when i told her." The former Captain of Squad Two told him as she stopped in front of him before her expression became a serious one "You two have a lot to catch up to, especially now that you've learned about your true heritage." her words took even Soi-Fon completely by surprise.
"True heritage? What is Lady Yoruichi talking about?" the raven-haired Captain thought in perplexity before Ichigo replied to Yoruichi with an expression that matched her own "I see. I was actually planning to pay her and Ganju a visit at some point in the future since i'm gonna be living here for the rest of my life but since they asked you to find me i might as well do that today." he paused and looked at Soi-Fon for approval before adding "If that's also okay for you, Captain."
Quickly recovering her composure, Soi-Fon replied "I was intending to give you your very first assignment after the Lieutenant Meeting but given that Lady Yoruichi came here to look specifically for you, i believe it can wait." Yoruichi herself smiled, amused to see how professional yet respectful both were towards each other. She coudn't remember the last time Soi-Fon had been this nice towards somebody besides her.
Ichigo nodded in acknowledgement before turning towards Yoruichi and telling her "Then i believe we can go." earning a nod from her. The Flash Goddess then turned towards Soi-Fon and teased her "See ya, my Little Bee! It won't take too long!" before she and Ichigo both left, leaving the Captain of Squad Two alone. Without uttering another word she began to resume her paperwork but in her mind, that question still lingered.
"Ichigo Kurosaki…. Who are you really?"
As they both flashstepped in the skies of the Soul Society, above the village of Junrinan, right outside the West Outer Wall and Gate, Yoruichi was quite impressed to see how easily Ichigo was keeping up with her, in spite of being a year out of practice. She also coudn't help but think of how more mature he looked and behaved, a far cry from when she first met him. Eventually, both of them landed in the outskirts of the village, grasslands, forests and mountains stretching for as long as the eye could see. To Ichigo's surprise, this time the dark-skinned goddess led him to a different place compared to where her house once was. Then he remembered how Kukaku had this strange tendency to change her house's location and design without warning, due to her preference of living away from populated areas. Which indeed, left him completely unprepared upon seeing the latest version of her residence. The main edifice and cannon was still there but instead of two enormous arms holding the beam with the banner with "Welcome to Kukaku Shiba's Residence" inscribed into it, there were two enormous kneeling statues of none other than Ganju himself, each holding an end of the beam with their right hand, both of their faces smiling and with the left one doing a peace sign and the right one doing a thumbs-up respectively with their left hands.
Yoruichi smiled upon seeing a surprised Ichigo looking at the architecture of the residence "Told ya. She likes to change her house's location and appearance a lot." while putting her hands on her hips.
"Actually, that doesn't look too bad, although you can definetely see whose choice it was to build those two statues. Wonder how long it took to build them." Ichigo mused out loud, in his typical nonchalant, emotional tone as he began to walk towards the house with Yoruichi trailing behind….
Only for a deep, masculine voice to answer "That would be more than 10 months of hard work."
And a second, nearly identical one, to finish the sentence "We, along with Master Ganju aimed to make Mistress Kukaku's house much more…. Grandiose, compared to the last one." Ichigo looked up to the top of those gigantic statues to see two tall and incredibly muscular men standing on top of them with their arms folded over their chest which looked almost identical with the exception of the broad face and split chin of one of them while the other had a long face and a normal chin and the color of their outfits, which consisted of a short-sleeved coat (yellow on the one on the left and white on the one on the right),wide green pants, black boots, a red hat with a gold trim and a white tassel on top and a light blue scarf tied at the front by a red fastener with gold highlights.
"Oh great, not these two again…." Ichigo mentally grumbled upon recognizing Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko, Kukaku's house guards and assistants, who previously were her educators. They continued to faithfully serve what was left of the once prestigious Shiba Clan and, as Ichigo found out, they took their job very seriously. And that also meant that they were quite annoying, especially when they harshly scolded him for utterly sucking at controlling his spirit energy and thus at creating the Reishukaku spirit orb that he and his friends used to break through the energy barrier that surrounded the Seireitei, the Shakonmaku after they were blasted thousands of meters in the air by Kukaku's cannon.
Thankfully, to Ichigo's relief, when the two men leapt from the top of the statues and landed on the ground to greet him and Yoruichi, they did so politely "We were expecting you, Kurosaki. It's a pleasure to meet you again." Koganehiko greeted him while Shiroganehiko added "Come, Mistress Kukaku is waiting for you down below." while gesturing to his twin brother to remain outside to guard the house's entrance.
Ichigo merely nodded, hiding the irritation he had upon recalling how downright insufferable these two were during their training on how to control the spirit orb, before following Shiroganehiko as he led him inside. Yoruichi smiled, fondly remembering the time she spent helping Ichigo and his friends training in preparation for them to be literally shot by a gigantic cannon more than 40 meters tall, while they were all summoning a sphere of energy that would have allowed them to bypass the wall of energy around the Seireitei, so intensely powerful that any Spirit Energy would simply disintegrate when coming in contact with it, all the while she was in her cat form, with Ichigo and her friends having absolutely no idea of her true nature "I still can't believe a year has passed…. We sure went through a lot…. And i had a lot of fun with them. Well…." she took the time to spare Ichigo a look of irritation upon remembering how he turned her little cat tail, her pride and joy into a "flexible toothbrush" when he fell asleep after creating his first Reishukaku and unconsciously grabbed her tail when she began to explain to his friends what to expect from the Seireitei, causing her to scream in pain "Except on that one occasion. Still need to pay him back for that, nobody ruins my tail and gets away with it." she thought, one eyebrow suddenly twitching. And many ideas were already starting to form within her prankster mind, especially now that he was in the same Squad her beloved Soi-Fon led. But that, will be for another day.
She then followed Ichigo as he was led by Shiroganehiko down the stairs that led to the small corridor with a white wall and green ceiling that led to Kukaku's chambers, much like last time he and his friends went there. He then stopped before the sliding doors and announced to his master "Mistress, he's come." before kneeling on one knee and adding "You may now enter." as he pulled the doors open. But as Ichigo and Yoruichi began to enter the chamber….
"YAAAAA!"
(OST: "BL-60" = Bleach funny soundtrack)
"GAAAHHHH!" Ichigo could only yelp comically as he was suddenly kicked in the face with a roundhouse kick that sent him on the floor on his back with his legs flipped backwards over his head, to Yoruichi's surprise. And then an all too familiar, deep and masculine voice taunted him "Serves you right for letting your guard down! Even after all this time, you still suck at fighting!" making the orange-haired Soul Reaper immediately leap back on his feet with much vexation which only grew upon recognizing the owner of that voice in spite of his black hair now being much longer and messier, reaching down to his upper back. A tall and muscular man with a partially missing left eyebrow, wearing a green vest with a white robe underneath, a green bandana around his forehead, black wide pants with a gold symbol of his family printed on the outside of his thighs as well as white tabi and waraji. One of Ichigo's companions during his quest to rescue Rukia, one whose friendship with him did not start with the right foot in the beginning…..
And, as it turned out, none other than his uncle. Which, quite frankly made Ichigo feel downright embarrassed that he was actually related with this dumbass "WHY YOU! " he roared in anger as he charged towards him, tackling him and slamming him on the ground before putting his hands around his neck and roaring "I come back here to see you guys after a whole fucking year and this is how you greet me you dirty little piece of s-"
Only for Ganju to headbutt him and send him stumbling a few feet back before flipping him back on his feet and taunting "Consider it my way of welcoming you back!" while raising his fists up and assuming a fighting stance. Uncaring about his words, a now enraged Ichigo charged towards him again, pulling his fist back with the intention of decking him in the face while Ganju did the same with a grin…..
And rather, predictably, both of their fists struck each other's faces at the same time, stunning both of them for two seconds, before they then began to punch each other repeatedly in the face almost the exact same way they did when they met for the second time.
"HOW DO YOU LIKE THIS, PIG-FACE?!" at one point Ichigo got Ganju in an headlock and grinded his fist on the top of his head.
"YOU SNIVELING DANDELION! I'LL GET YOU FOR THAT!" only for an outraged Ganju to free himself by slamming his left elbow on Ichigo's gut, releasing his uncle from the lock.
Yoruichi sweat-dropped upon seeing the two of them fight each other so childishly despite the fact that they both tecnically were part of the same noble family, one that back in the day, was on the same level as hers "Talk about a family reunion. Then again, i tended to do the same thing to Yushiro a lot, so it's not like i have a say in this." she thought, remembering all the pranks she pulled on her younger brother when they were still young, in the process of being indoctrinated into the Shihoin Clan's ways.
The two kept going at it until a feminine but quite pissed voice suddenly came in "Alright that's enough, BOTH OF YOU!" and both Ichigo and Ganju were suddenly struck on their heads with so much force that both of them were sent down on the floor head-first so hard, it cratered slightly beneath them. Yoruichi smiled upon seeing who was it that stopped their childish quarrel, the one who requested her to bring Ichigo here: a beautiful, youthful woman with a well-toned, slightly muscular build, green eyes, bandages over her right shoulder, both ankles and at the left side of her long black, spiky and messy hair which parted down in half around her neck and a tattoo around her left arm. She also wore a white skirt and a skimpy red robe which was purposely designed to show off her large breasts along with a white cape tied over her neck and shoulders by two yellow necklaces, a red fingerless glove around her left arm. And, rather peculiarly, instead of a normal right arm, she had a wooden prosthetic arm that, in spite of its nature, seemed to move exactly like a normal arm would, unlike the human made prostethics in the World of the Living.
(Soundtrack ends)
"I'm not gonna let you idiots break another one of my pipes," a very much vexed Kukaku Shiba spoke before placing her left foot on Ganju's head and scolding him "Seriously, what are you, children?" while Ichigo sat on the the floor and clutched the top of his head that was aching from her punch.
"As i thought, she hasn't changed one b-" he thought only to cringe upon seeing her turn towards him and, with her trademark fierce and angry gaze, walk towards him until she came to a stop before him, placed a hand on the top of his head and lifted him off the ground as if he weighed only a feather, bringing him back on his feet as she bore her angry eyes into his and began to berate him "And you're just as guilty as that dumbass is. Must i remind you yet again that in my house, we do things my w-"
Only for her green eyes to widen in astonishment as soon as she got a better look at his face, causing her to stop talking at once and letting him go. That longer, spikier hair….. Those more mature and sharp facial features…. Those eyes, carrying much more experience and maturity…. She coudn't believe it. She coudn't believe that in front of her eyes, now stood a reflection of her older brother, barring the hair and eye color.
Yoruichi and Ganju, the latter having recovered from his sister's scoldings, could only look upon in awe the moment they saw Kukaku, always sporting that cocky and confident grin on her lips and once infamous through the entire Soul Society for her fiery temper, turn into the complete opposite of who she usually was the moment her eyes saw how Ichigo now looked like. The former Substitute Soul Reaper, now aware of his heritage and that the beautiful woman in front of him was in fact his aunt, looked into her green eyes with a bit of nervousness and uncertainty on what to do or say next, taken completely aback by this change of character, as Kukaku hesitantly, but slowly placed both of her hands on his cheeks and leaned closer towards him. For a few seconds she gazed into his eyes and face before, with her eyes shaking in amazement, she spoke "Ichigo….." a tender smile slowly forming on her lips "You've grown…. And you look just like him…. You look just like Kaien….."
Those words, spoken with a passion and affection he never thought he would hear from her, made Ichigo understand everything and he returned the smile, now knowing that his family had been here all along and he never knew it, until several days ago "Kukaku…. I know everything now." he told her as he gently placed his hands on Kukaku's and slowly took them off his cheeks "Dad told me everything. His past, who he actually is, why and how he left the Soul Society, everything, even about the other brother you and Ganju had. At first i was angry at him for having lied to me my whole life but then i understood why he did it, especially since Aizen was already putting his plans in motion 20 years ago." he held her hands tenderly as he declared "Still, i'd have never guessed that you, of all people, were actually my aunt all along. Life can really be strange, don't you think?"
Ganju's eyes went wide with shock "A-Aunt?!" he sputtered out as he got back on his feet "No…. There's no way….. You can't possibly mean that….."
But before he could continue, an exasperated Kukaku sighed, slowly removed her hands from Ichigo's, threw them in the air in frustration and walked away from him, all the while grumbling "Ugh, i knew it. That dumbass…. What kinda father waits for his son to die in an accident before telling him about his true heritage?" which made Ichigo's own eyes widen in astonishment, his irises comically constricting "That's just like good'ol Isshin. Always doing things his own way, like a true Shiba. Still, how that idiot managed to raise a family is beyond me."
Several seconds of awkward silence passed before…..
"YOU KNEW?! YOU KNEW ALL ALONG THAT I WAS YOUR NEPHEW AND YOU NEVER FUCKING TOLD ME?!
"THAT DANDELION AND I ARE RELATED, SIS?!"
Both Ichigo and Ganju comically yelled at the same time as they both pointed their fingers at the current head of the Shiba Clan, much to Yoruichi's amusement. This was definetely going to be a long day.
"Quiet down boys. I'll explain everything in a shortwhile. But in the meantime….." Kukaku ordered the two males in front of her before snapping the fingers from her remaining hand, after which Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko came through the sliding doors holding many plates full of food in their muscular arms "Let's eat some good food!"
Not to be told twice, Ichigo, Ganju and Yoruichi all sat down with their legs crossed in a small circle and began to eat the food Kukaku's bodyguards brought. This included sushi, sashimi, much rice and even some fried shrimps and duck. As they did so, Ichigo and Ganju sat close to each other and as they ate they began to whisper to each other with her mouths already full of food they were munching.
"I don't get it. If she knew all along why is it that she never told you?"
"Hell if i know! I guess she doesn't trust me all that much. Plus, you know for yourself what a piece of work she is."
"Talk about a model older sister. Not even having the dignity to tell her younger brother that he has a nephew or that his older brother is alive and well. Woudn't surprise me in the slightest if she and goat-chin often came to blows."
At the same time Yoruichi and Kukaku were having some friendly talk "Gotta say, Kukaku." the former spoke up after tasting some of the fried shrimps, mouthful of them "Your cooking's always a treat to eat. Kisuke wishes he could cook as well as you guys do."
Kukaku replied after swallowing a whole fish and pulling out the skeleton out of her mouth, stripped of all the meath except for the head "Always a pleasure to hear your praises, my friend. How's that guy doing?"
"The usual, still running that shop of his, living his life just like any normal man." Yoruichi casually replied as she took another bite.
Kukaku chuckled and remarked "Amusing, don't you think? Once a cunning warrior, once a brilliant scientist, once a Captain and now the owner of a shop. Man, still can't believe how much things have changed." while taking a sip out of her cup of sake "Part of me wishes we could go back to several hundred years ago. Ah, how much simpler and fun those times were back then."
Yoruichi chuckled in response at her lifelong friend's remark "Can't say i agree with that. Good thing i had Kisuke and you to keep me company back then, cause my family sure didn't go as easy on me as your family did. God, all those rules, all that seriousness, all those other spoiled guys from the other families i had to put up with for years…. I don't know about you, but the life of a stray cat is much more fun to me. At least you're free to live your life as you see fit and make your own choices." she paused and took a sip from her sake before declaring "Instead of having others deciding for you for as long as you can remember and not being able to do a damn thing about it." her tone now slightly resentful in part because it wasn't just her life who was preordained from the very beginning by her family but also the one of her beloved Soi-Fon, a girl forced to train and fight ever since she spoke her very first word, all because of her own Clan's tradition of serving the Shihoin Clan.
She was pulled out of her recollection when Ganju suddenly burst out laughing with the food still in his mouth, causing him to choke on it for a moment before spitting it back in his plate "PFFFTTTTHAHAHAHA! Goat-Chin?! Is that how you call him? Man, i wish i'd been there to see it!"
With her smile making its way back on her lips, Yoruichi teased Ichigo by saying "Looks like you two are already doing some family bonding. Quite amusing really, considering how much you were at odds last year."
"Yeah. If all Shibas are truly like that then it makes me wonder what kind of education my old man got to end up like the idiot he is." Ichigo told her before turning towards Kukaku and remarking "Woudn't be surprised if you ended up beating his ass up from time to time due to how insufferable he can be."
"As a matter of fact, i did, many times. Somebody had to keep that goofball in check in order not to make the lot of us Shiba a laughing stock among the noble families." Kukaku's nephew sweat-dropped at the reveal that his father's personality wasn't all that different all those decades ago "It still boggles my mind how he was able to become a Captain, especially with his childish antics." then, with a smile, he asked his aunt "Lemme guess: he used to wake you guys up by jumping on you while shouting "GOOOOOODDDDD MORNIIIIIINNNNNGGGG", right?" while spreading his arms upwards, raising his head and comically imitating Isshin's loud voice whenever he woke his son up.
Kukaku burst out laughing followed soon by Ganju doing the same "HAHAHA! You don't know half of it, kid! He always woke us up like that in true, dynamic, Shiba fashion! And he often attacked us all of a sudden for no reason other than, "Making us keep our guards up"!" he answered his nephew's question and making him chuckle as well.
"And every time he did, my fist was always ready to break his stupid face! God, he pissed me off so much when he acted like that. He even once had the fucking nerve to tease me about my breast size! Can you believe that?" Kukaku added, fondly remembering all the times she kicked her lazy and lecherous older brother's ass every time he ticked her off before, with her sweet smile returning on her lips she told Ichigo "But it's a good thing that you inherited his kindness and altruism. No matter how many times he made a fool out of himself, he was always there to support us in times of need. In fact, he was the one who taught me how to fight a long time ago."
"Can't say i'm surprised by that all that much, especially after all the times he attacked me without warning in the past. And since he used to be a Captain, he was probably quite skilled in Hakuda." Ichigo remarked before a thought suddenly popped into his head, thus making him ask his aunt "And now that i think about it, if you don't mind me asking, were you in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads too, Kukaku?"
"Not exactly." the Head of the Shiba Clan answered, her smug smile returning on her lips "I was in the Kido Corps." making Ichigo raise an eyebrow.
"Kido Corps?" You mean, that other organization besides the Stealth Force and the Thirteen Court Guard Squads?" he asked once more, surprised and at the same time, interested to learn what that branch of the Seireitei's military was all about.
"Heh, i see that you've been doing your homework, Ichigo." Yoruichi told him with a smile "But yes, the Kido Corps are in fact, a separate military branch from those other two you mentioned and, as the name implies, it's composed by a group of specialists who excel in Kido. It's a relatively small branch compared to the others, but equally as important since their members are responsible for opening the Senkaimon between the Soul Society and the World of the Living and keeping watch over prisoners and preventing them from escape, among other things." she explained before smiling even more in anticipation over what she was about to tell him next "And guess what? Tessai used to be its Captain a hundred years ago."
And as she predicted, Ichigo's eyes widened in shock once she told him that "Glasses & Moustache?! That guy was a Captain too?!" he exclaimed, making Kukaku chuckle.
"Yep and back then, i was the Third Seat of the Corps. And "Uncle Tessai" as we all fondly called him, was pretty much the model sergeant: he didn't speak much but when he did, you paid attention. When he gave you an order, you carried it out and you were expected to do so at your absolute best. But at the same time, he treated us like we were his children and in return, we looked up to him like a father figure." Kukaku explained with a smile, fondly recalling the times in which she was just a Third Seat "And well, he made a woman out of me, i'll tell ya that. I'll never forget all the times he karate-chopped my head every time i stepped out of line, hehehe….."
Ichigo had to rethink his entire image of Tessai. He initially didn't think much about him at best and at worst, he thought the man was kinda creepy sometimes, especially that one time where he woke up after his first "fight" with Byakuya, only to find him quite literally on top of him, his glasses and moustache mere inches apart, the former Captain's way of "making sure" he was okay. The former Substitute still remembered quite clearly how he screamed like a little girl on that occasion, it was so embarrassing! But with this newfound information, Ichigo finally began to appreciate him for the type of person he was because in a way, with his tough exterior but hidden heart of gold, he definetely wasn't that much different from him "I see. Well, in that case, you'll be happy to know that he's doing just fine back in the World of the Living." he reassured Kukaku with a smile before turning towards Yoruichi and asking her "There's still one thing i don't get though: how is it that you and Kukaku are such close friends when you weren't even in the same military branch? Kisuke, i can understand since he was in your same squad but what about-"
"Thing is, Ichigo, both their families, the Urahara Clan and the Tsukabishi Clan, in spite of being lesser noble families, were very close ancestral allies to the Shihoin Clan. That allowed both Kisuke and Tessai to spend quite some time in the manor i was raised and so did Kukaku when Tessai first brought her there." Yoruichi was happy to fill him in since those were some of the happiest times of her life. She then turned towards her lifelong friend and with a grin, remarked "And, as is the case for those who see eye to eye, we became friends almost immediately. Ah, all the pranks we played on my old man and the others…. We sure had a lot of fun back then." while Kukaku likewise grinned, closed her eyes and nodded her head.
"We sure did. Until you and those other two left that is…. Wasn't really easy having to rise up to Captain of the corps, having to lead 'em all alone without you guys to brighten up my days, you know." the current head of the Shiba dejectedly remarked, taking Ichigo by surprise even more. And while he did also seek an answer for why exactly Kisuke, Yoruichi and Tessai had left the Soul Society, right now, he was more concerned about learning more about his aunt's past.
"I see. So you were a Captain too, Kukaku…." thus he remarked, making her turn her beautiful green eyes towards him again and tell him, her voice still filled with melancholy as she recalled the saddest period of her life "Yep. Somebody had to lead those poor guys after Tessai left, so i stepped in and kept that post for nearly one-hundred years, until Kaien died and Isshin left. That was the final nail in the coffin for me. After that, i quit the Kido Corps and left the Seireitei for the rest of my life." Ganju could only look at his older sister in sadness as she lowered her head and remarked "I just coudn't do it anymore. I had nothing left that tied me to that place anymore. And thus, now i reside here like a commoner."
Never before did Ichigo see the usually short-tempered, headstrong and thrill-seeking Kukaku like this, in such a sorrowful state. It didn't really come off as a surprise to him, given that she had lost not one, but two of her older brothers in a short amount of time, along with three dear friends. He understood the pain of her loneliness perfectly: he felt exactly the same when his mother died, an act that forever changed him as a person, hardening his heart. He was nonetheless surprised to see her trademark grin replace her dejected expression as she declared "But ya know what? I like things just the way they are. I get to live as i see fit, build my houses the way i want and i get to do the one thing i'm best at: fireworks!" but the real shocker came when she revealed "Sure took a while for me to get good at 'em though and i definetely paid a big price for that." while pointing at her prostethic arm.
Which made Ichigo sweat-drop out of comical incredulity "Seriously? That's how you lost your arm? In a firework accident?" he asked her, immediately regretting doing that when she glared at him with much animosity, making him cringe "Huh? And what's that supposed to mean? You insinuating somethin', kid?"
Ganju faceplamed as his nephew quickly raised his arms apologetically and nervously replied "No i'm not!" fearing she was about to beat him up like she used to a year ago "It's just…. With you being, you know…. So quick to anger and like you said, "somebody who likes to get in trouble", i thought you had lost in a fight or somet-" his uncle, who up until that point had remained silent throught all of his older sister's recollection, grabbed Ichigo by his Shihakusho, making him turn towards him "You know, sis doesn't really like talking about that all that much. So how about you change the subject at once inst-"
Kukaku suddenly interrupted her younger brother by saying "Nah, it's okay, Ganju. He was only being curious." before giving one last glare at Ichigo and stating "But i'm only letting that slide just this once 'cause you're my nephew so don't push your luck in the future, kid." while pointing her pipe at him "And in case you're wondering why i haven't gotten my arm restored after all this years, that's because i lost it after i left the Seireitei. I didn't owe all the other Soul Reapers there a damn thing so i attached this prosthetic limb to my shoulder that i enchanted with Kido. Of course, Healing Kido was never my strong suite and therefore, i could have never been able to recreate my original arm, but it works either way and i like the way it looks. Really adds to the whole "misfit" vibe, don't ya think?"
Ichigo sighed, realizing that it was all a matter of pride. It didn't really surprise him, given what kind of person Kukaku was. Still, part of him wanted to ask her why she didn't ask Orihime to have her arm restored given that she had done the same to Jidambo after Gin cut off his left arm but he refrained from doing so in order to not irritate his aunt further and instead remarked "Heh, you're really something, you know, Kukaku? You just kept doing things your own way for all those years, in spite of everything others told you. I guess this must have been what the Shiba were known for back then, for never wanting to be told who or what to be despite their social status." he told her with a heartfelt smile before declaring "And i'm sorry my dad wasn't there to help you guys out in these last decades. But now i'm here and since i'm gonna spend the rest of my life in the Soul Society, well….. I'm definetely gonna hang out more with you guys in the future." as he exchanged a caring look and smile to both Yoruichi and his two relatives "Just promise me one thing." he asked them as his expression went from a cheerful one to a serious one, making all of them raise an eyebrow in curiosity "Please don't tell anybody about my heritage, at least for the time being. I know that it's only a matter of time before everybody in the Seireitei will find out but after all i've been through this last week….." sadness filled his face as he explained "I need to keep a low profile as much as i can. I don't know if there's anybody else besides you guys who knows but i don't want to think about what will happen should guys like Byakuya and all the other nobles find out i'm actually the son of a former Captain and Clan Leader."
"Why, Ichigo? What is it that scares you so much?" Kukaku caringly asked him, not understanding why exactly would the thought of all the Seireitei knowing about him actually being of noble blood of the highest caliber, not sit right with him.
"Exactly! You beat that Kuchiki prick, remember? Your name is known by all in the Soul Society, even here in the Rukongai, for your actions in the war against Aizen! You're a goddamn hero for crying out loud! And you're scared about a bunch of petty, conceited nobles that spent all their lives in their households, many of them having never carrying a sword even once in their lives?" Ganju exclaimed, reminding him of his past achievements in an attempt to raise his morale.
Ichigo turned towards his uncle and told him earnestly "Think about it, Ganju: i'm the son of a former Captain and head of one of the Five Great Noble Families. I'll be pressured to take that position in order to reinstate the Shiba Clan's former status. And the truth is…." he lowered his gaze downwards, his brown eyes filled with uncertainty and dismay "I'm not the kind of person Byakuya Kuchiki is. I didn't grow up with servants assisting me every single day for every one of my needs. I was taught nothing of nobility. For crying out loud, i was going to high school just a week ago and i only turned 17 just a few months ago. I just…." his eyes and lips trembled as he said his next words "I didn't want any of this…. I don't know how i'll be able to…."
His heart feeling much pity for his nephew's pain, fears and uncertainties for the future, Ganju placed his right hand on his shoulder and told him "You are and ain't many things, Ichigo. But you most certainly ain't a coward." surprising not only Yoruichi and his older sister, but also Ichigo, with the mature and wise tone his voice held.
"Ganju?" he called out the name of his uncle in puzzlement just as he told him "Those nobles can flaunt their status and wealth as much as they want, but they don't know what it's like to be weak, to be utterly powerless and not being able to do a thing about it. They know nothing of what it means to stand up in the face of certain death and emerge victorious, despite the odds being severely stacked against you! And they sure as hell know nothing of what it means to risk your life for the sake of the ones you love!" Ichigo's eyes widened and began to shake in realization as Ganju declared with an uplifting and encouraging smile "Look, we're not always gonna be able to be what others want us to be, just ask my sister what she thinks about me and she'll always tell ya what a dumb and forgetful idiot i am. But i went along with you guys to rescue Rukia because she asked me to do it and i promised her i would do it. Because that's what friends and family do, helping each other out. Those nobles? They aren't your friends. They got no right to tell you who or what to be. And if they wanna force you to be like 'em? You'll just gonna have to say a big NO to 'em and tell 'em that you'll never be the greedy and conceited jerks they are! Why, you may ask?" he paused before wrapping his arm around his nephew's outer neck, pulling him closer, pressing hi right index finger on his chest and telling him "Cause you're a goddamn Shiba. And we Shiba do things our way, without fear and with pride and courage! Remember that and be always proud of your heritage. And always remember that you're not alone. We'll always gonna be here for you from now on to help ya out in your struggles."
Kukaku smiled, heartwarmed to see how far her younger brother had come and how the experience in the Seireitei bettered him as a person "Crazy just how much things can change in just one year. Back then, he would have never been capable of such philosophical and insightful speeches. Perhaps, he wasn't always as dumb as i thought he was….
And indeed, Ichigo shared her same sentiment, for after his initial bewilderment, he smiled, closed his eyes and chuckled for a few seconds and remarked, first jokingly "Heh, never thought i'd hear those words from you, Ganju." then with a warm smile after he reopened his brown eyes "But thank you. I feel more confident now, knowing i have your support. And well, i guess all we can do is wait and see what happens in the next weeks for now." Ganju nodded before extending his left fist towards his nephew, beckoning him to bump his own fist against it. Ichigo obliged and his right fist met Ganju's before the latter happily told him "Welcome in the family, dear nephew."
"I'll never get used to him calling me that way, hehe…." an amused former Substitute mused to himself upon hearing the same man he first came to blows with in the Rukongai, call him "nephew" with such cheerfulness and affection. Things will never be the same again, indeed.
Ichigo and Yoruichi returned to the courtyard of Squad Two via flash-step in the early afternoon and as soon as their feet touched the ground, the Flash Goddess interlocked her fingers with each other and extended her arms up to the sky, stretching them as she remarked "Well, that went about as well as i hoped it would. Can't wait to see what will happen in the n-"
"You were the one who told Kukaku that i was actually her nephew a year ago, weren't you?" Ichigo, who had remained behind her, suddenly interrupted her before she could finish her sentence with his question, one spoken with his usual serious tone as he already suspected that to be the case.
He was proven correct when the former Captain of Squad Two, taken aback slightly, but still unperturped, turned towards him after putting her hands on her hips, smile still on her soft lips and replied nonchalantly "Hehehe…. Who else did you think it was? Does that really surprise you that much, knowing that your father also knew Kisuke?"
"Why?" he asked her again, his expression becoming so sombre it almost seemed…. Resentful.
Yoruichi's smile left her lips, "Mmmmm? Why, what?" she tilted her head to the right and asked, feigning ignorance.
"Why didn't you tell me a year ago before we broke into the Seireitei to rescue Rukia?" Ichigo asked her again, actually causing a look of surprise and bewilderment to make its way on the Goddess's face.
"Seriously? Are you really asking me why i didn't do that? Geez, Ichigo, i thought you were smarter than th-" Yoruichi rolled her eyes and replied, again with nonchalance…..
Only for Ichigo to suddenly flash-step towards her in less than a split-second, now standing mere inches away from her, his cold brown eyes gazing directly into her golden ones, actually shocking her "Stop playing dumb with me, Yoruichi. Those guys were my family all along and they had lost their two older brothers before finding out one of them was still alive, so yeah, you can bet your damn ass i'm asking you that."
His harsh and cold words made Yoruichi's face harden with the same seriousness his former protegee had and thus, she decided to reply "Ichigo…. I know it was wrong to keep it a secret until now. But the simple truth is, it wasn't important for you to know that at the time. You and your friends had to be fully focused on the task at hand which was to rescue Rukia before she was executed and you succedeed in that. Being told about your true heritage before breaking into the Seireitei and the doubts and questions that revelation would have brought would have only interfered in your quest."
Ichigo frowned even more in defeat, his hands balled into fists but no matter how much resentment he could harbor towards her for his perceived unfairness to have had that truth intentionally kept away from him for so long, he knew that, ultimately, Yoruichi was right "It still wasn't for you to decide that, not after everything Kukaku and Ganju had been through, not after everything they had lost." he nonetheless told her, his hurtful tone betraying his stone-cold expression.
"Oh, yeah? Like it wasn't for me to decide to drag your broken, comatose body to the area beneath Sokyoku Hill after Kenpachi Zaraki nearly tore your guts out with his Zampakuto? Like it wasn't for me to go through the trouble of training you and your friends, no more than 16 year old teenagers, who willingly risked their lives to help you in your quest against seasoned warriors who would have had no trouble cutting you down if you were their enemies? Or for teaching you Bankai and the flash-step to give you a chance to beat Byakuya?" Yoruichi sharply countered, making the former Substitute's eyes go wide in realization and all of a sudden, a wave of guilt swept over him for what he had just said to one of his former mentors, ruled over by the emotional toll the revelations of the day had on him "You can scorn me as much as you want, but ultimately, things coudn't have gone any other way, since both Kukaku and your father agreed to keep the truth away from you until the day you'd be finally ready for it. So in a way, i never had any say in the matter." the Flash Goddess explained, her tone now becoming less aggressive and more sympathetic upon seeing him quickly regretting the things he said just moments ago.
Ichigo lowered his head in shame and weakly spoke "I see….." before turning away from her, his lips and eyes trembling as he looked at his hands "I'm sorry…. I should have never said that….. It's just….. It's not fair….. Me being here, a Lieutenant, the son of the former head of one of the Great Noble Families….. This isn't who or what i am….. I'm supposed to be a normal teenager, one that is attending High School….. Not somebody who's gonna have to lead a couple hundred men and women in battle, who all look up and rely on him…"
The sight of the noble and courageous Ichigo like this, in such a deep identity crisis, immediately made Yoruichi's heart ache for him, what little indignation at what he had said to her just moments ago, gone, replaced by nothing but empathy and pity "Ichigo….." she called out affectionately as she tenderly reached out for his cheeks with her slender and soft hands, making him look back towards her beautiful golden eyes, and in that moment she saw him exactly for what he was deep down, in spite of all the power he had gained: a frightened teenager full of doubts and uncertainties, abruptly forced to become an adult by unfortunate circumstances "You and i are more alike that what you think."
With his eyes already blurring with tears, Ichigo wrapped his hands around the Flash Goddess and buried his forehead on her left shoulder. The dark-skinned beauty's heart ached even more as she felt the former Substitute's tears staining her orange shirt, his whole body shaking as he wept softly, and thus she gently returned the embrace while softly hushing "Shhhh…. It's okay…..Let it out, i'm here…."
"I…. I d-didn't want this, Yoruichi….." he weakly let out in between his sobbings "I-I wanted to be a Soul Reaper again so much….. But….. I never wanted to forever leave all the people i knew and loved….. I didn't want my life to be like this….."
"And neither did i want mine to go the way it did." Yoruichi tenderly whispered to Ichigo's ear, making him take his head off her shoulder and look at her with newfound curiosity "Your father is not the only one who loathed his status as a noble. How do you think i felt, more than a century ago, when i had to bail out Kisuke, Tessai and the Vizards after the former two had been framed by Aizen for having almost Hollowfied Shinji and his comrades and sentenced to exile by Central 46 and after the latter were going to be executed for what they had become?" making his brown eyes widen in utter shock, his tears dissappearing entirely.
"So that's why they left….." he mused in his mind, now finally knowing exactly why they had left the Soul Society all those years ago. They ultimately did so to save nine innocent lives who had been tragically turned into monsters by that madman, Aizen, himself. Nonetheless, he remained quiet as Yoruichi told him "I felt liberated, free. I hated being a Captain and a Noble. I hated having all those restrictions and obligations to fulfill in my life all because i just so happened to be the princess of one of the Five Great Noble Families. I hated how an entire generation of young men and women were raised from birth and trained to fight the moment they spoke their first word for the sole purpose of serving me for all their lives, until they would draw their last breath, as if they meant nothing besides that one purpose. If i didn't lose my sanity back then it was only because i had Kisuke, Tessai and Kukaku to keep me company. I gave away everything i had for that smartass's sake and left many people i cared about, but i have no regrets, because now i'm finally living the life i've always wanted to live, free to make my own decisions and not having anyone else to decide for me."
Ichigo could only look at the dark-skinned beauty before him in newfound awe and admiration. She had left everything she had for the sake of her best friend and others, the same way his father, Isshin had done to save Masaki's life "We don't always get to choose our life's path, Ichigo. Sometimes it's preordained from the moment of our birth or sometimes, it chooses us. That's simply the way fate operates. What we can choose however, is who we want to be in that life, despite all its adversities. Tell me…." Yoruichi removed her arms from his body as she asked him "What is it that truly makes you happy, that gives you satisfaction? What is it that your heart and soul truly wish?"
Those last two questions made the former Substitute Soul Reaper's eyes widen in realization that in the end, while he coudn't be with his lifelong friends again, he could still continue to fulfill the goal he set for himself after his mother died and nothing could prevent him from doing that. Steeling himself with newfound resolve, he firmly declared "To protect and help other people, as many as i can. It began with me wanting to protect my mother. And then i wanted to protect my sisters after they were born, to the point i started practicing Karate for their sake. And ever since, that desire of mine kept increasing until i vowed to myself after the death of my mother to protect as many people as i can. And that's what i'll keep doing until i'll draw my last breath, no matter what."
Heartwarmed by his steadfast and sincere words, Yoruichi smiled tenderly and as she caressed Ichigo's left cheek with her right hand, she told him "Never forget that, Ichigo. Be it their own lives, their status, honor, principles or loved ones…. The desire to protect something with all your heart is what gives people their strength. That, is what the will of the heart is all about."
Returning the kind smile, the former Substitute declared "Thank you, Yoruichi, for reminding me once more who i am. I'll never forget what you said to me today." as she let go of his cheek and with her smile now shifting back to her playful one, she turned around and began to walk away from him all the while teasing "Please, don't be so melodramatic. It's not like this'll be the last you'll ever see of me, not by a long shot. I'll definetely pay you more visits in the future to see how you're doing." she then gave him a peace sign along with a wink before bidding him farewell "See ya, lover boy!" and quickly dissappearing in a burst of flash-step.
Ichigo could only chuckle in amusement with his arms folded over his chest and look for a few seconds at the wind that blew by the spot Yoruichi once stood in "Heh, she sure is something, that woman. Makes me really want to know how things were here in the squad when she was in charge." before turning around and returning back to Soi-Fon's office to report.
"I take it that your meeting with your former allies went well, Kurosaki?" the raven-haired Captain inquired, still in the midst of her paperwork, her tone quite stoic, not showing particular interest.
"It was…. Quite informative, actually. I got to learn a bit more about the Nobility of the Soul Society and what their traditional customs and manners are." Ichigo replied, taking great care in choosing his words as to avoid giving any clue that might reveal his true heritage.
Soi-Fon raised an eyebrow "Is that so? Mmph. That is quite suprising, especially from one as uncivilized as Kukaku Shiba. Not that the rest of her Clan was any better, historically. Elegance and civility were never their strong suite. It honestly doesn't really surprise me that they fell from grace after Isshin Shiba left and found themselves in the hands of that w-"
"Look, Captain." Ichigo, slightly annoyed by the Captains's berating of his aunt and her Clan, sighed, shook his head and suddenly interrupted her mid-speech, greatly surprising her with the haste he had "Can you please just cut to the chase and give me the assignment you spoke of earlier? We're already a couple hours behind schedule and if this assignment is about some people needing protection then i have to go there as soon as possible." but also with how eager he was to undertake it.
Still, she was no fool. She realized something was up, something he was quite keen on keeping others from finding out and whatever that was, her dear Yoruichi was also involved. Nonetheless, she leaned back on her chair and explained "Very well. In that case, i shall brief you: we were reported several days ago, that people suddenly began to dissappear from one of the villages in the West Rukongai under our jurisdiction, Inuzuri. It soon became apparent that something was wrong when the watchman from the Executive Militia i had assigned to watch over the village, failed to report yesterday. That can only mean one thing: that a Hollow made that village its hunting ground. And to have succesfully dispatched a member from the highest ranked branch of the Stealth Force can only mean that it's no ordinary Hollow, but indeed, one stronger than the average."
Ichigo listened very carefully, taking in every little detail she said while his Inner Hollow spoke to him in his mind "Oh, finally some action! I thought i was gonna die out of boredom with all those tear-jerking meetings!" he ignored it as he asked "And let me guess: you want me to track down this Hollow or whoever's behind all of that and eliminate him?"
With a smug smile, Soi-Fon folded her arms over her chest and replied "You catch on quick, don't you, Kurosaki? I have already instructed Ensign Saido to assemble five of the most capable currently available Patrol Corps members. With your great power, i'm sure it won't be too difficult to dispatch that Hollow, however powerful it may be, since your strength rivals that of Captains. But you will be accompanied nonetheless, not only because they know the Rukongai like the back of their hand, but because they will instruct you on how Hollow hunts are usually handled. They are waiting for you as we speak."
"I understand." Ichigo nodded, agreeing with her reasoning behind assembling a hunting party "Then, if that is all, i guess i'll just take my leave and go join them right away so that we may head over to that village." he spoke, earning Soi-Fon's approving nod, but just as he turned around and prepared to take his leave, the Supreme Commander of the Stealth Force warned him "Take heed, Kurosaki. Unless, they travel in packs, Hollows rarely cross over from Hueco Mundo to the Soul Society because even the most ravenous ones know that the risks of hunting in our own realm, were our reprisal is almost always immediate far outweigh the benefits." making him stop in his tracks and turn slightly towards her "But when a single Hollow comes to the Rukongai to feed, it often more than has the strength to escape retribution unscathed. That is why-"
"- you and the other Squads send seated officers to deal with them. Because they are Menos Class Hollows." Ichigo finished what she was about to say, earning another nod "Exactly. Normally, my men are more than capable of taking out normal Hollows without much difficulty. But even they cannot hope to stand up against an Adjuchas, who can rival or surpass a Lieutenant in strength. That is why i'm sending you in. I cannot risk losing more of my men against something they cannot hope to defeat on their own." Soi-Fon explained, surprised to hear that he had a bit of a knowledge on Hollow Classification.
"Then don't you worry, Captain. I'll see to it that this Hollow won't hurt anymore people than it already has. You can count on it." he smiled confidently as he took his leave, leaving the raven-haired Captain alone once more. Soi-Fon retreated back into her silence and resumed her paperwork as she mused to herself in her mind "He's hiding something from me, alright. Otherwise, he woudn't have reacted like that when i talked about the current Head of the Shiba Clan. And what did Lady Yoruichi mean when she said "your true heritage?" She and him are most certainly up to something."
Yet at the same time, in the grand scheme of things, as long as what Ichigo was hiding from her woudn't have interfered in his service in the Squad, it woudn't have mattered at least, for the time being "You're free to keep your little secret to yourself for now, so long as it won't interfere in your duties, but be assured, Kurosaki: sooner or later i will find out. Your renown won't protect you forever, for truths inevitably, always come out. It's only a matter of time."