Fire Forged Friendship (Substituting Fire For Rukia) - 2/?
Title: Fire Forged Friendship (Substituting Fire For Rukia)
Author: Ragna (afteriwake)
Pairing: Ichigo & Byakuya friendship, mentions of Isshin, Byakuya/Hisana and Ichigo/Orihime.
Rating: PG
Spoilers (if applicable): Set about six months after the current arc.
Warnings (if applicable): None
Summary: At first, they were only doing it because Rukia demanded it, but once they really got to know each other, it wasn't all that hard to get along.
Authors Notes: I had this all plotted out with thiscanbegin weeks ago and forgot all the stuff we'd come up with, so this will probably be shorter than I'd originally planned. But this part tests out my new pet theory that Isshin was the Tenth Division captain before Hitsugaya. Thanks to thiscanbegin for the idea.
---
Though he had not seen Isshin Kurosaki in battle in Fake Karakura Town, he knew he had been there. Ichigo didn't take after his father completely, and Kurosaki was a very common name in the world of the living, so he had only put two and two together once he saw Ichigo's bankai. It was exactly the same as Isshin's and then he knew there was a connection.
He had mentioned to no one the hurt he felt at being left behind yet again. His hurt was not as much as, say, Sui Feng's feelings at the loss of Yoruichi Shihoun, but being left by both that woman and Isshin...that had not been a pretty time in his life when Isshin left. There were very few people that he had felt he could trust completely. Hisana was one, Isshin was another. With both of them there had been no need for formality. He could be himself.
And it was the awful timing of it that stung the most. Yoruichi had left when he was still young, but Isshin had filled in her place in a lot of ways and was far less annoying. Isshin disappeared around the time Hisana got sick, and within the span of a year he was alone, locked into a world filled with formality and without feeling.
Ichigo had called his house the minute they got to the world of the living and Byakuya got situated in his gigai. He had been talking to one person, but Byakuya could instantly tell when his father got on the phone because there was a short and violent sounding moment and then quiet acceptance. When Ichigo turned to him and told him they were going to be expected for dinner he simply nodded, but his insides were churning. Knowing Isshin was still alive was one thing; being in the same room with him would be another.
“Yuzu's a good cook,” Ichigo was saying when they got to his home. Rukia had already said that while Ichigo's closet was fine for her it was not appropriate for her nii-sama, so he was staying in a classy hotel, due to the fact that he felt that if he had to spend time in the world of the living he should at least have a standard of luxury similar to that which he enjoyed back home. He would talk to Rukia about staying in Ichigo's closet some other time, however. If she had to come back they could surely find better accommodations for her.
Ichigo hesitated for a moment, as though he was preparing himself for something, and then flung the door open. He stood for a moment, then poked his head in and looked around. Then he straightened up, shrugged, and stepped inside.. Byakuya followed, and the first thing he saw was a huge poster of a beautiful woman with red hair. That must be Ichigo's mother, he thought to himself.
“Hey, we're here!” Ichigo called out. He looked around and paused as he looked at the dining room table and saw his father sitting there. “Where's Yuzu? And Karin?”
“At a friends house tonight,” Isshin said, standing up. “Yuzu wouldn't let me order take-out. She insisted she cook, even if she wouldn't be here to enjoy it.” He indicated the food on the table. “She wanted to make sure we ate ourselves silly.”
“Kurosaki,” Byakuya said, inclining his head slightly.
Isshin nodded. “So. We're going to be formal tonight.” He inclined his head as well. “Kuchiki-san.”
Ichigo looked from one man to the other. “Hey, do you two know each other? I mean, Dad, I know you were in Soul Society, but...did you?”
“We were once good friends,” Isshin said. He gestured to the chairs and all three sat. “Serve yourself.” Byakuya reached for some rice, and then some of the other dishes. Ichigo waited until his father kicked him under the table and then began to do the same. Isshin waited until they were done to speak again. “I did not know your wife died until Rukia came the second time and told me more about herself. I am sorry for your loss.” He paused. “I recognized her face instantly. She looks exactly like her. I didn't need to be told she was a member of the Kuchiki clan.”
“The resemblance is remarkable,” Byakuya said. He found that thinking of Hisana had stopped hurting as much now that Rukia knew the truth, but today there was a sting to the thoughts of old pain buried deep.
“I want to apologize for leaving,” he said. “I had not meant to leave at such an awful time.”
“What is done is done,” he replied, taking a bite of his rice.
“What's the deal with you and Soul Society, anyway?” Ichigo asked his father. “I mean, I saw a captain's haori when we were fighting. Were you really a captain?”
“I was the Tenth Division captain,” he said with a nod.
“Huh. Toshiro took your place,” Ichigo said, his tone a little awed, his eyes a little wide. “I never knew that. Why did you leave?”
Byakuya paused in eating his food. He had had no idea that Ichigo did not know about his father's time in Soul Society. It had been two years since the end of the Winter War. He had thought that Isshin would talk about it before this. And, he admitted to himself, he was curious to know the reason for his sudden disappearance.
“The Vizard...it took a very long time for Urahara to get them as close to normal as they were going to be. He was an old friend, and I still kept in touch with occasional visits here. I was the only person in Soul Society who knew they were here. And when he asked me to help them...I couldn't refuse. I had been friendly with them as well.” Then he smiled slightly. “And I had taken a liking to the world of the living. I know it was selfish, but I wanted something more than Soul Society could offer.”
“Yes, it was,” Byakuya said quietly before he thought, and he had hoped that he had not been heard. But when he looked at Isshin's face he saw that he had in fact been heard. “My apologizes. I did not mean to say that out loud.”
“It needed to be said, I think,” Isshin replied. “I don't think I can apologize enough. Maybe things would have turned out differently if I'd stayed there.”
“Yeah, but you wouldn't have met Mom, or had me or Yuzu or Karin,” Ichigo said after swallowing a mouthful of rice.
“That is true,” Isshin said thoughtfully. “Still, I was selfish. I should have at least given a proper good-bye to those who were important to me.”
“That would have been nice,” Byakuya said. “But as I said before, what is done is done.”
Isshin nodded. “That doesn't mean we can't start over. The old man has said I am welcome in Soul Society, as are all those who have been exiled. Perhaps we can start over, or at the very least mend this breach.”
Byakuya was quiet, thinking. Yes, Isshin had left for a selfish reason, but if the position had been reversed, and Urahara was his friend, and he needed him, would he have done the same? Even while thinking about it he thought about Rukia. If she was turned into a Hollow/shinigami hybrid and Urahara was the only one who could help her, he knew he would do anything to help, even abandon his position as the head of his clan, just as Yoruichi had to help Urahara. “I think perhaps it would not be a loathsome idea,” he said after a few moments.
“Excellent!” Isshin said with a grin. “Ichigo, go get the sake. Things like this need to be celebrated.”
“Don't get him too drunk. Inoue has some idea cooked up for tomorrow and I don't think he'll be able to handle her optimism with a hangover,” Ichigo said, getting up. “For that matter, I know I wouldn't be able to.”
“Well, I wasn't going to let you drink any,” Isshin said, making a face. “Sake is for men, and you are not yet a man.” Ichigo rolled his eyes and Isshin was out of his seat in a flash, sending a flying kick in his direction. Ichigo grabbed his foot before it impacted with his side and threw his father back down on the floor. Isshin grinned and looked at Byakuya, who merely raised an eyebrow.
“I see your training is still as unpredictable as ever,” Byakuya said with the ghost of a smile as Isshin got up and Ichigo returned with the bottle of sake and two cups.
“But it works,” Isshin said with a grin. “Look at what a fine fighter he's become!”
Ichigo rolled his eyes again and set the sake down on the table. “I'm heading out to go spend some time with Inoue and Tatsuki and Chad and even Ishida if he'll get off his high horse. Anything to keep from getting attacked again. I'll be back to collect him after a while.”
“Rukia intended for us to become friendly,” Byakuya pointed out. “You leaving defeats this purpose.”
“Yeah, well...you guys making up is more important,” Ichigo said with a shrug. “I won't be out too long. Remember, though: no drinking yourselves stupid.” And with that he took one last bite of his rice, grabbed his jacket and walked out the door.
Isshin and Byakuya watched him leave, and then they turned to face each other. “If I remember correctly, you can out drink Shunsui.”
“It has been a long time since I had the occasion to do so,” he replied slowly.
“Then let's see if your tolerance is as good as it used to be,” he said with a grin, pouring the sake. He held up his glass. “A toast. To mending bridges.”
Byakuya tapped his glass against Isshin's. “To mending bridges.”
Three hours later when Ichigo came home the bottle was empty, as well as a second one, Isshin was singing sappy romantic songs, and Byakuya actually had a grin on his face, though other than that he looked perfectly fine. Ichigo stared in wonder and smiled to himself as he watched. Maybe the ice lord could defrost after all. Tomorrow would tell if Ichigo could elicit the same reaction his father could.
Author: Ragna (afteriwake)
Pairing: Ichigo & Byakuya friendship, mentions of Isshin, Byakuya/Hisana and Ichigo/Orihime.
Rating: PG
Spoilers (if applicable): Set about six months after the current arc.
Warnings (if applicable): None
Summary: At first, they were only doing it because Rukia demanded it, but once they really got to know each other, it wasn't all that hard to get along.
Authors Notes: I had this all plotted out with thiscanbegin weeks ago and forgot all the stuff we'd come up with, so this will probably be shorter than I'd originally planned. But this part tests out my new pet theory that Isshin was the Tenth Division captain before Hitsugaya. Thanks to thiscanbegin for the idea.
---
Though he had not seen Isshin Kurosaki in battle in Fake Karakura Town, he knew he had been there. Ichigo didn't take after his father completely, and Kurosaki was a very common name in the world of the living, so he had only put two and two together once he saw Ichigo's bankai. It was exactly the same as Isshin's and then he knew there was a connection.
He had mentioned to no one the hurt he felt at being left behind yet again. His hurt was not as much as, say, Sui Feng's feelings at the loss of Yoruichi Shihoun, but being left by both that woman and Isshin...that had not been a pretty time in his life when Isshin left. There were very few people that he had felt he could trust completely. Hisana was one, Isshin was another. With both of them there had been no need for formality. He could be himself.
And it was the awful timing of it that stung the most. Yoruichi had left when he was still young, but Isshin had filled in her place in a lot of ways and was far less annoying. Isshin disappeared around the time Hisana got sick, and within the span of a year he was alone, locked into a world filled with formality and without feeling.
Ichigo had called his house the minute they got to the world of the living and Byakuya got situated in his gigai. He had been talking to one person, but Byakuya could instantly tell when his father got on the phone because there was a short and violent sounding moment and then quiet acceptance. When Ichigo turned to him and told him they were going to be expected for dinner he simply nodded, but his insides were churning. Knowing Isshin was still alive was one thing; being in the same room with him would be another.
“Yuzu's a good cook,” Ichigo was saying when they got to his home. Rukia had already said that while Ichigo's closet was fine for her it was not appropriate for her nii-sama, so he was staying in a classy hotel, due to the fact that he felt that if he had to spend time in the world of the living he should at least have a standard of luxury similar to that which he enjoyed back home. He would talk to Rukia about staying in Ichigo's closet some other time, however. If she had to come back they could surely find better accommodations for her.
Ichigo hesitated for a moment, as though he was preparing himself for something, and then flung the door open. He stood for a moment, then poked his head in and looked around. Then he straightened up, shrugged, and stepped inside.. Byakuya followed, and the first thing he saw was a huge poster of a beautiful woman with red hair. That must be Ichigo's mother, he thought to himself.
“Hey, we're here!” Ichigo called out. He looked around and paused as he looked at the dining room table and saw his father sitting there. “Where's Yuzu? And Karin?”
“At a friends house tonight,” Isshin said, standing up. “Yuzu wouldn't let me order take-out. She insisted she cook, even if she wouldn't be here to enjoy it.” He indicated the food on the table. “She wanted to make sure we ate ourselves silly.”
“Kurosaki,” Byakuya said, inclining his head slightly.
Isshin nodded. “So. We're going to be formal tonight.” He inclined his head as well. “Kuchiki-san.”
Ichigo looked from one man to the other. “Hey, do you two know each other? I mean, Dad, I know you were in Soul Society, but...did you?”
“We were once good friends,” Isshin said. He gestured to the chairs and all three sat. “Serve yourself.” Byakuya reached for some rice, and then some of the other dishes. Ichigo waited until his father kicked him under the table and then began to do the same. Isshin waited until they were done to speak again. “I did not know your wife died until Rukia came the second time and told me more about herself. I am sorry for your loss.” He paused. “I recognized her face instantly. She looks exactly like her. I didn't need to be told she was a member of the Kuchiki clan.”
“The resemblance is remarkable,” Byakuya said. He found that thinking of Hisana had stopped hurting as much now that Rukia knew the truth, but today there was a sting to the thoughts of old pain buried deep.
“I want to apologize for leaving,” he said. “I had not meant to leave at such an awful time.”
“What is done is done,” he replied, taking a bite of his rice.
“What's the deal with you and Soul Society, anyway?” Ichigo asked his father. “I mean, I saw a captain's haori when we were fighting. Were you really a captain?”
“I was the Tenth Division captain,” he said with a nod.
“Huh. Toshiro took your place,” Ichigo said, his tone a little awed, his eyes a little wide. “I never knew that. Why did you leave?”
Byakuya paused in eating his food. He had had no idea that Ichigo did not know about his father's time in Soul Society. It had been two years since the end of the Winter War. He had thought that Isshin would talk about it before this. And, he admitted to himself, he was curious to know the reason for his sudden disappearance.
“The Vizard...it took a very long time for Urahara to get them as close to normal as they were going to be. He was an old friend, and I still kept in touch with occasional visits here. I was the only person in Soul Society who knew they were here. And when he asked me to help them...I couldn't refuse. I had been friendly with them as well.” Then he smiled slightly. “And I had taken a liking to the world of the living. I know it was selfish, but I wanted something more than Soul Society could offer.”
“Yes, it was,” Byakuya said quietly before he thought, and he had hoped that he had not been heard. But when he looked at Isshin's face he saw that he had in fact been heard. “My apologizes. I did not mean to say that out loud.”
“It needed to be said, I think,” Isshin replied. “I don't think I can apologize enough. Maybe things would have turned out differently if I'd stayed there.”
“Yeah, but you wouldn't have met Mom, or had me or Yuzu or Karin,” Ichigo said after swallowing a mouthful of rice.
“That is true,” Isshin said thoughtfully. “Still, I was selfish. I should have at least given a proper good-bye to those who were important to me.”
“That would have been nice,” Byakuya said. “But as I said before, what is done is done.”
Isshin nodded. “That doesn't mean we can't start over. The old man has said I am welcome in Soul Society, as are all those who have been exiled. Perhaps we can start over, or at the very least mend this breach.”
Byakuya was quiet, thinking. Yes, Isshin had left for a selfish reason, but if the position had been reversed, and Urahara was his friend, and he needed him, would he have done the same? Even while thinking about it he thought about Rukia. If she was turned into a Hollow/shinigami hybrid and Urahara was the only one who could help her, he knew he would do anything to help, even abandon his position as the head of his clan, just as Yoruichi had to help Urahara. “I think perhaps it would not be a loathsome idea,” he said after a few moments.
“Excellent!” Isshin said with a grin. “Ichigo, go get the sake. Things like this need to be celebrated.”
“Don't get him too drunk. Inoue has some idea cooked up for tomorrow and I don't think he'll be able to handle her optimism with a hangover,” Ichigo said, getting up. “For that matter, I know I wouldn't be able to.”
“Well, I wasn't going to let you drink any,” Isshin said, making a face. “Sake is for men, and you are not yet a man.” Ichigo rolled his eyes and Isshin was out of his seat in a flash, sending a flying kick in his direction. Ichigo grabbed his foot before it impacted with his side and threw his father back down on the floor. Isshin grinned and looked at Byakuya, who merely raised an eyebrow.
“I see your training is still as unpredictable as ever,” Byakuya said with the ghost of a smile as Isshin got up and Ichigo returned with the bottle of sake and two cups.
“But it works,” Isshin said with a grin. “Look at what a fine fighter he's become!”
Ichigo rolled his eyes again and set the sake down on the table. “I'm heading out to go spend some time with Inoue and Tatsuki and Chad and even Ishida if he'll get off his high horse. Anything to keep from getting attacked again. I'll be back to collect him after a while.”
“Rukia intended for us to become friendly,” Byakuya pointed out. “You leaving defeats this purpose.”
“Yeah, well...you guys making up is more important,” Ichigo said with a shrug. “I won't be out too long. Remember, though: no drinking yourselves stupid.” And with that he took one last bite of his rice, grabbed his jacket and walked out the door.
Isshin and Byakuya watched him leave, and then they turned to face each other. “If I remember correctly, you can out drink Shunsui.”
“It has been a long time since I had the occasion to do so,” he replied slowly.
“Then let's see if your tolerance is as good as it used to be,” he said with a grin, pouring the sake. He held up his glass. “A toast. To mending bridges.”
Byakuya tapped his glass against Isshin's. “To mending bridges.”
Three hours later when Ichigo came home the bottle was empty, as well as a second one, Isshin was singing sappy romantic songs, and Byakuya actually had a grin on his face, though other than that he looked perfectly fine. Ichigo stared in wonder and smiled to himself as he watched. Maybe the ice lord could defrost after all. Tomorrow would tell if Ichigo could elicit the same reaction his father could.