"Crap! Crap! Crap!" A young boy with slicked-back black hair & cursed as he duck & dove through the streets, his school uniform sticking slightly to his body from the sweat as he had been in a hurry to not be late for school.

"Oi, Kūgo! Wait up!" Kūgo blinked as he heard his friend's voice, looking to the side before grinning as a young boy with silver hair & dark blue eyes quickly caught up to him with a wide grin.

A man with a cart walked out in front of them only for his eyes to widen as both boys leapt over it, bumping fists midair before landing with a roll & leaping up to race once more.

"Late night studies?!" Kūgo asked as he saw the slight hints of red in Jin's eyes, laughing as his friend simply gave a sheepish grin.

"That obvious?" He asked while spinning around a woman walking towards them, Kūgo nodding as he barrel-rolled through the air & in between a group of teenage girls walking past.

"Yep! It's either reading or studying and since we have a test today…" Kūgo trailed off as they turned the corner, Jin nodding before they turned to see their school down the street.

"Shit! Close the gate! Close the gate!" The teacher at the front gate said to the guard with a panicked expression as he saw the two kids rushing towards the school, the guard blinking before his eyes widened as he turned & saw them.

"Double flip?" Kūgo asked as he began to accelerate, Jin nodding with a happy grin as he slowed down the closer they got to the gate before doing a cartwheel into a series of backflips.

Kūgo on the other hand grinned as he skidded to a stop, doing a cartwheel before going into a handstand just as Jin went over him whilst grabbing his ankles.

Swinging his friend over his head, the teacher & guard looked in awe & defeat as Kūgo grabbed the top of the gate & swung his friend over, both boys flipping through the air before landing with a flourish.

"Maybe next time, Otoka-sensei!" Kūgo shouted over his shoulder as he & Jin dusted off their clothes before starting their walk to class, Otoka groaning while the guard shook his head as he went back to reading the morning paper.

"What about you? Did you study?" Jin asked before shaking his head as Kūgo grinned confidently & shook his head.

"Not a single bit! I got distracted with that new manga that came out."

"Wait, you mean that JoJo thing? Is it that good?"

"It's good." Kūgo spoke while emphasising his words with a deep nod, Jin humming as he nodded while turning as they turned down a hallway.

"Huh, I guess I'll give it a read. I've been needing something to read while I'm busy with Dragon Ball after finishing Dr. Slump."

"Really? You're still reading Dr. Slump? You're the one who showed it to me and I finished it a few weeks ago." Kūgo spoke with a raised eyebrow and Jin frowned as he scratched the back of his head.

"Father wanted to do some training and told me that I would need to put down the manga for a while."

"The same secret training you won't tell me about?" Kūgo asked, rolling his eyes as Jin gave an apologetic smile & nodded.

"Yeah, family secrets and all."

"I understand, but that just means I now have some spoiler power over you since you ruined Astro Boy for me."

"Uh-huh! You ruined it for yourself when you read the chapter I was busy with. That's not my fault."

"Your book, your fault." Kūgo spoke with a grin as they walked into the classroom, Jin rolling his eyes before they grinned as one of their friends entered with a baseball.

"You guys want to throw this around while we wait for sensei?" He asked & the two looked at each other with grins before quickly rushing over to their desks to put their bags down.

"I call pitcher!"

"Hey, no dibs!"

"Too late! I already called it!"

"Mom!" Kūgo waved with a happy smile as he saw his mother waiting for them, Jin smiling & waving at ō as the beautiful black-haired woman giggled at her son running towards her.

"Hello, Auntie."

"Hello, Jin. Your father late again?" She asked, shaking her head as Jin simply nodded before the young boy blinked as she held out a hand.

"I swear that man never changes. Come on. I'm not going to let you wait here alone and besides, you left yesterday before you could eat the lunch I had prepared."

"O-Oh, it's okay. I do not wish to intrude."

"Firstly, you're barely 12, so no need for the big words and secondly, I insist. Besides, Kūgo will be mad at me if I leave his friend here all alone, right?"

"I mean, I don't mind." Kūgo answered with a shrug, to which his mother simply rolled her eyes before smiling as Jin smiled & nodded.

"Then, I think I'll come with you, if that's okay?"

"It's more than okay. Now, do you like pork or hake more?"

"You know you don't have to keep standing. You can sit down." Kūgo spoke with an amused smile as he plopped face down onto his bed, to which Jin simply rolled his eyes.

He, however, did not let his friend's offer go past him as he sat down at Kūgo's desk, turning to look at the contents on it before blinking as he caught sight of the drawings his friend had made.

"You never told me you draw." Jin spoke with a frown as he turned to look at the drawings, Kūgo blinking as he looked up & rolled to sit upright.

"Oh, those? Yeah, I just do those when I feel bored. That and Mom says it's suppose to help calm me down when I'm hyperactive."

"I see. Hey, where did you get the idea for these guys?" Jin asked with a frown as he lifted one of the pictures, noting how the mask of the monster on the page looked eerily similar to something that he has only seen in his family's basement.

"Uh, promise you won't laugh or think I'm crazy?" Kūgo asked, Jin blinking as he turned to see his friend with a nervous look on his face.

"Dude, we've known each other for almost three years. I think I've already laughed at every stupid & crazy thing you've said."

"Yeah, yeah. Hah, I see those all the time."

"…Is this your imaginary friend?" Jin asked with a smirk and Kūgo groaned as he fell backwards onto the bed.

"No, I mean like I see them all the time when I'm outside. Not just them, but these guys in black robes & normal people with chains on their chests as well. There were also this one guy in all-white clothes & I've only seen him once when he was flying through the air, but I was also half-asleep so I might have been dreaming." Kūgo answered with a wave of his hand and if he had still been sitting up, he would have seen his friend's look of shock as Jin looked at him.

"A-And have these…figures ever talked to you? Or tried to attack?"

"No & no. Most of the times, the guys in black & the ones with the chains don't even look at me and the monsters leave me alone as long as I'm not looking at them. Why? Do you want to make some joke about that?" Kūgo asked before blinking as Jin looked deep in thought.

"Can…can you keep a secret?" Jin asked, Kūgo a bit confused before nodding as he sat back up.

He waited for Jin to explain, but a bigger surprise had him scrambling back as Jin lifted his hand & a straight sword nearly his height grew out from it, a large metallic hilt growing around his hand like a gauntlet.

"Can…can you see it?"

"…Did you just grow a sword out of your arm?" Kūgo asked and Jin's eyes widened in excitement as he stood up.

"Wait, you can see it?"

"It's kind of hard not to with you pointing at me. It's a pretty cool sword, though."

"R-Right! Sorry about that." Jin apologized with a sheepish grin as he lowered the sword, Kūgo climbing off of his bed as he walked closer before slowly touching the blade with a look of awe on his face.

"This is awesome~ Wait, can I do that too?! Can you teach me how?!" Kūgo asked in excitement and Jin reeled back slightly at his friend's enthusiasm before giggling as he shook his head.

"No, this is something that only I can do. At least, that's what Father said."

"Wait, your dad knows about this? Is this the secret training you've been doing?" Kūgo asked with a shocked look, his eyes widening further as Jin smiled & nodded while the blade sunk back into his body.

"Yeah, the blade showed up on my arm a few years ago. It's actually the reason why we moved here as I accidentally hurt someone when it first showed and we were forced to move unless he paid some huge money to let us stay at our old town."

"Woah, your life sounds awesome."

"It isn't. If I show too much emotion, this…thing turns on and I might hurt someone with it again."

"So, it's kind of like Hamon or Ki, huh?"

"What's Hamon?"

"Jojo stuff. You'll know when you read it." Kūgo answered with a wave of his hand, to which Jin rolled his eyes before he blinked as Kūgo gave him a sly grin.

"So, you're saying my mom & dad won't be able to see this, eh?"

"I'm not playing a prank on them."

"Come on~ It will be fun~"

"No, your mom has been nothing but nice and I won't return her kindness with shock & terror."

"You know, the more big words you use, the more uptight you sound."

"That is why people say I'm the brains & you're the brawn."

"Yeah, yeah. Hey, think your dad could teach me too?" Kūgo asked with a look of anticipation and Jin looked at his friend's hopeful look before he sighed while scratching the back of his head.

"I don't know, man. It's pretty hard training and you're not the hard-worker."

"That's school work. Do you know how awesome I would be if I could do something as cool as you did? Ooh~I can just imagine the mayhem & chaos that I could cause." Kūgo spoke with a distant look of bliss and Jin sighed before shaking his head.

"I could ask, but don't come crying to me if he says no."

"Eh, if he doesn't, you can just teach me behind his back. Now, I need to give you Jojo to read. You're going to love it." Kūgo said with a grin and Jin watched as his friend walked over to his manga cabinet before shaking his head as he sat back down on the chair.

'Hopefully, Father doesn't mind.'

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"Enter." Jin took a deep breath as he heard his father's calm yet commanding voice echoing from behind his office's door, the young boy taking a deep breath before opening the door & walking through.

Not saying anything as he closed the door behind him, Jin turned & walked towards his father's dark oak desk that stood in the far middle of the office, standing in silence next to the two chairs as he waited for his father's command.

"You can sit, Jin." His father spoke as he finally finished the last of his paperwork, the man's spiky silver hair gleaming in the moonlight that shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows behind him while his azure blue eyes looked like sapphires as he stared at him.

"How was school, Jin?" Kazuya Kariya, father of Jin Kariya, asked his son with a stoic look and Jin smiled slightly as he nodded.

"It was good."

"Just good?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and Jin nodded, to which Kazuya looked at him with a soft hum before frowning slightly as he glanced to his son's right arm.

"Any trouble?" He asked and Jin noticed his gaze as he looked at his hand.

"Um, that's…actually why I wanted to speak with you."

"Did something happen?" Kazuya asked as his gaze snapped back to Jin and the young boy froze as he felt his father's Reiatsu leaking into the air, his father noting his frozen state before Jin let out a shaky sigh as Kazuya swiftly pulled his Reiatsu back.

"Apologies for that. Now, did anything happen?"

"N-No, nothing happened. It's just…I showed it to Kūgo."

"Oh? And what did he see when he saw you cutting up his belongings with an invisible sword?" Kazuya asked with a raised eyebrow before he froze as Jin smiled & shook his head.

"Actually, he said that he could see it and on his desk, I found drawings of Hollows, Shinigami & Pluses. That and he mentioned something of seeing someone in all-white clothing flying through the air, which sounded a lot like the stories you told me of the Quincies."

"…He said he saw it? Are you certain?" Kazuya asked after snapping out of his surprise a second later, Jin nodding before blinking as his father turned to look at the bookcase.

"Y-Yes, he pretty much poked at it and wanted me to help him pull a prank on his mother."

"I hope you didn't."

"I did not, which disappointed him because he went back to reading manga instead of pestering me about it." Jin answered and Kazuya nodded as he looked away from the bookcase and back at his son, Jin glancing at where he was looking before being confused as he couldn't figure out what the man was looking at.

"So, did he show you anything to show that he knows of what you did or not?"

"N-No, he didn't."

"Pity. Hmm, do you think you could ask for a playdate this weekend? I would like to see if he truly knows or not."

"Uh, I will. A-Are you going to train him if he does?" Jin asked and Kazuya looked at his son before Jin's eyes widened with happiness as his father smiled & nodded.

"Usually, I would not, but the fact that he was able to see you means that he has some potential in using it and I don't want him to do it all on his own & cause some disaster down the line."

"R-Right! I'll ask him tomorrow! Good night, father."

"Good night, Jin." Kazuya spoke with an amused smile as he watched his son bow before turning & racing out of his office, a soft chuckle escaping his lips as he shook his head & stood up.

"It appears my Jin has finally found someone that could stand alongside him." Kazuya muttered with a smile as he stood up & walked over to the bookcase, reaching out & picking out the book that he was looking at earlier before slowly running his fingers across the bold lettering that made up the title of the book.

Fullbringers: Fractured Bonds of the Soul King

"S-So, what do I need to know?" Kūgo asked with a shaky smile as he followed Jin to his house, his friend blinking before shrugging with a smile.

"Nothing at all. Father's just going to do a simple test and if you pass, you'll get to train with me. If you don't, then he'll leave you alone and you'll still get to hang out with me."

"Hah, okay." Kūgo spoke with a nod after taking a deep breath, Jin nodding with a smile before they turned the corner & walked towards the suburban neighbourhood in front of him.

'Wait, what are those?' Kūgo asked with a frown as he saw thin blue threads stretched out throughout the streets, doing his best to move out of their path as they made their way towards Jin's house.

As they continued walking, the environment changed from the suburban neighbourhood to that of a rich neighbourhood, Kūgo looking around in awe at the numerous mansions & luxury cars all around him.

However, he would have been more impressed by them if not for the blue threads growing denser & denser the closer they got to Jin's house, a few of the threads sticking despite his best efforts to dodge them.

It wasn't until they had finally left the rich neighbourhood & gone past the boundaries of Karakura Town that Kūgo finally caught sight of Jin's house, as surprised as always to see the large & grand estate seated on the large hill that Jin's family had occupied for the past few centuries.

However, now he was greeted by a sea of threads as well, Kūgo groaning before turning as he heard Jin's giggles.

"You can see them, can't you?"

"I can, but when you've been dodging them on a daily basis, it's pretty easy to move around them." His friend answered with a shrug as he made his way up the hill, Kūgo grumbling as he slowly followed after him to try & copy his path.

The copying did not work as not only was Kūgo not used to moving about like Jin was, but the threads had the tendency to randomly move about the moment Jin walked past them, leaving Kūgo to make a quick stop & try to move around them.

However, he was as glad as ever to finally move past the final thread, falling to the floor with a relieved groan while Jin smirked as Kazuya waited for them with an amused smirk.

"Kūgo. I see you're still as eccentric as ever."

"Hi, Mr. Kazu. Yeah, these stuff are a pretty good way to keep the intruders out." He said while pointing at the threads with his thumb, Kazuya simply smirking at his son's smug look before nodding as he turned back to Kūgo.

"So, you can see them as Jin said? Then, can you see this?" Kazuya asked as a flash of azure appeared behind him, Kūgo looking in awe at the large flamingo-like figure standing behind Kazuya.

Well, it was a flamingo, but just a dark blue one with two heads instead of one, its body covered in the feathers that were the same colour as the threads that Kūgo had to dodge.

"You mean the giant flamingo? I thought they were pink?" Kūgo asked before blinking as he saw the flamingo giving him a death-glare, Kazuya chuckling as he reached back & rubbed its left chin.

"You'll have to forgive him. Stahlvogel is not one for the colour pink so being told that he should be pink can set him off at times."

"O-Oh, uh…sorry?" Kūgo offered with a sheepish smile, the flamingo simply rolling his eyes before vanishing with a flash of azure once more.

"Now then, I hear from my Jin that you wish to learn the ways of our family."

"T-That is correct, sir." Kūgo answered with a nod, Kazuya humming as he looked at the young boy before taking a quick glance at his son.

Seeing the hopeful look on Jin's face, Kazuya took a deep breath before both boys cheered as he smiled & nodded.

"Very well, I shall teach you. However!" He cut them off before they could cheer any further, both Kūgo & Jin looking at him before both froze as Kazuya decided to let a bit of his Reiatsu leak out.

"If I find you you two are abusing your powers for your own benefit, I will stop both of your lessons and will personally take you both out. Am I understood?"

"Y-Yes sir!" Both exclaimed with a shaky salute, finally able to breathe as Kazuya nodded with a frown whilst retracting his Reiatsu before a smile appeared on his face as he turned around.

"Good! Now come, Koga made lunch and I don't wish to keep him waiting."

"J-Jin, your dad's a scary guy."

"Tell me about it."

A/N: And there we go! The start of the Flashback arc! This one is about four to five chapters long I believe so if you want to not read until all four to five chapters have been uploaded, it's no worries.

Anyway, next chapter, some training, more information on Fullbringers & meeting with some special beings!

Also, for those wondering why I'm even doing the flashback, a bit of world building never hurt no one and I'm a guy that likes world-building.

Also, yes, that is Jin Kariya being Kugo's friend as I wanted to do with his character and this was how I figured I could add him without doing the whole Bount Arc.

As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…

Ba-Bye~!