New World, Same Problems (ch2)--Bleach/xxxholic crossover
Title: New World, Same Problems
Author: Reidluver
Fandom: Bleach, xxxholic
Pairing/Characters: Watanuki, Doumeki, Mokona, Yuuko, Ichigo, Urahara
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Before Hueco Mundo Arc, after incident with Jorougomo is resolved
Summary: When Yuuko asks Watanuki and Doumeki to deliver something for a client in another world, Watanuki is excited at first. He should have known that no matter where he is, trouble is never too far behind.
Chapter 2: Karakura 101
Watanuki felt like an oppressive force was pushing him down. There was no pain, but his body felt sluggish and hard to move. He wanted to go back to sleep, but seeing as how he was already awake it was hopeless. Plus, he wanted to know where he was and what happened after he fainted. The last thing he remembered was seeing all those spirit monsters coming towards them and Doumeki trying to defend him-
"Doumeki!" Watanuki shot up into a seated position and closed his eyes against the bright light. His head was swimming from the slight nausea from shifting his position so fast. Once his head cleared he noticed everything was blurry.
"Your glasses are behind your pillow, Watanuki," a voice called out. The fact that a stranger knew his name made Watanuki uneasy. Where was he? Where was Doumeki? Or Mokona? What had happened? He quickly found his glasses and glanced around at his surroundings.
It looked like a traditional Japanese dwelling with sliding lattice doors and sparse interior. There was a man kneeling in front of him, wearing green clothes and a striped hat. He didn't look intimidating, which eased Watanuki's fears somewhat.
"Where am I?"
"Why, in my shop!" the man said. "My name is Urahara Kisuke-the client Yuuko-san spoke of."
Watanuki bowed politely. "You are? How did you find us? Did Doumeki-" It was then that he glanced to his left and saw Doumeki sleeping on a mat beside him. The boy's arms and chest were covered in bandages with a single one wrapped around his head. His shirt was gone and Watanuki was immediately reminded that Doumeki's injuries were sustained while protecting him. He just prayed that Doumeki was all right.
"How is he?"
"Your friend is fine," Urahara said . "He did a fine job taking care of you." Watanuki breathed a sigh of relief. Doumeki was still hurt because of him, but at least it wasn't as bad as he had thought.
"I apologize for your injuries," Urahara continued. "If I had known that you and your friend were being sent I would have arranged an escort. Usually Fuuma handles the delivery."
"That's okay. What were those things that chased us? They're different from any spirit I've seen."
"They are called Hollows," Urahara explained. "I understand you seem quite irresistible to them, even more so than Kurosaki."
"Yeah, I seem to get that a lot," the boy sighed. Though he had no idea who or what a Kurosaki was. "But what happened? How did you find us?"
"I'll explain more in detail once your friend wakes up, but I can tell you a little. You were saved by Kurosaki and Chad, both capable of defeating Hollows. I sensed a battle taking place and went to investigate when I found you."
At that point the door opened and a burly, black-haired man stepped in, carrying a small tray with tea on it. "Ah, Tessai! Thank you very much."
"Watanuki!" Mokona leapt from Tessai's shoulders and hugged the boy. "I'm glad you're awake. Mokona was so worried!"
"Thank you," Watanuki said, unable to keep a smile off his face as he hugged the creature back . "I'm glad you're all right as well." As Tessai leaned forward to give Watanuki some tea, the boy felt his strength draining.
"Oh! I apologize, young sir," Tessai said, backing up quickly. "You must put this on first." With his strength returned, Watanuki frowned as an object was tossed to him. Watanuki caught it and examined it in his hands. It was a necklace-a fine, silver chain with a large, ruby-red heart medallion on it.
"Uh . . . what is this?" Watanuki asked, trying to conceal his disgust. It looked like something a love-struck school girl would wear.
"Why, that's a very special device that will ward off the effects of shinigami reiatsu!" Urahara said. "The silver chain also conceals your scent from any Hollows so there won't be a repeat of what happened when you arrived."
"Shinigami reiatsu?"
Urahara waved his hand. "Nothing to worry about. All you need to know is that you seem to be affected by the powers that allow myself and others like me to be able to defeat Hollows. Without that necklace you would be fainting on us all the time."
Watanuki sighed. He could see the usefulness of such a device, but really? "Why does it have to be heart-shaped?" he mumbled.
"Because the ruby is the best material to channel and withstand the energy, of course!" As the man laughed at his comment, Watanuki found himself wondering if Urahara was related to a certain other shopkeeper who had a thing for making his life miserable.
Suppose it can't be helped. Watanuki slid the necklace over his head but quickly put it out of sight under his shirt. There was an immediate sense of relief and Watanuki was surprised at how much better he felt. It really was effective.
"Here's one for Doumeki as well," Urahara said as Tessai tossed him another object. To Watanuki's annoyance he saw it was just a plain leather bracelet!
"Why does that idiot's have to look so much cooler than mine?"
"Because he's not nearly as affected as you are," the shopkeeper said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "He still reacts to our reiatsu and can attract a Hollow here and there, but not nearly to the extent that you can. That item is sufficient." Watanuki growled angrily but realized there was nothing to be done. He threw the bracelet at the sleeping boy, causing it to land on his chest, but Doumeki didn't even move.
"So, uh," Watanuki began as he sipped the tea that had been offered him, "what would you like as payment? I can cook you a meal."
Tessai and Urahara glanced at each other and laughed. "You're confusing me for Yuuko-san!" Urahara said. "Unlike her, I can do service for others without requiring an equivalent exchange." He then pulled out a fan and held it in front of his face playfully. "But since you've offered, I don't see why not!"
Watanuki blanched. Yes, it was obvious now that he had to be related to Yuuko in some twisted way.
"Doumeki's up!" Mokona exclaimed. The creature leapt from Watanuki's shoulder and landed on the archer's shoulder. The boy was glancing around in confusion.
"Where am I?"
"In my shop," Urahara explained. "You already know me and this is my associate Tessai."
Doumeki just nodded and turned to look at Watanuki, eying the bandages.
"What?" the smaller boy asked. As usual, Doumeki said nothing and instead turned his attention to Urahara.
"Before I begin explaining what those things were," Urahara began, "you should put on that bracelet, Doumeki." Mokona held up the leather armband and Doumeki put it on, his eyes widening in surprise at the instant relief it brought.
"The spirits that plague this world are called Hollows, which are basically souls that have either become devoured by other Hollows, or have become corrupted. Shinigami exist to keep a balance between the pure souls and the Hollows, while keeping human beings safe from them as well."
"So, you two and those people from earlier were shinigami?" Doumeki asked.
Urahara smiled. "Yes and no. Tessai and I are full-fledged shinigami, while Kurosaki is half-human, half-shinigami, and Chad is all human with enough reiatsu that he can fight Hollows. Reiatsu is the spiritual energy that we use to fight them, and with varying degrees a person can see both Hollows and shinigami."
"Then, the both of us have some reiatsu?" Watanuki asked. Urahara nodded.
"You and Doumeki both have high levels of spiritual energy which manifests itself as reiatsu in our world. That is why you were able to see the Hollows, and because yours is so raw and powerful, Watanuki-that is why they were so focused on eating you."
"Well, that's just great!" Watanuki huffed in annoyance. "Can we quickly deliver the box and get out of here?"
The shopkeeper looked surprised and brought the folded fan up to his face once again. "You don't want to stay for a day or two? You're still recovering from yesterday and why not accept my hospitality as an apology? Besides, it's not every day you get to visit another world. Why not enjoy it?"
"Oh, please, Watanuki!" Mokona pleaded. It tugged on Watanuki's white shirt as its lips turned up in a pout. "White Mokona gets to travel all this time, but Black Mokona never gets to go anywhere! Can we stay for a while? Can we? Can we?"
"B-But . . . I-" Watanuki looked over at Doumeki for help, but to his dismay the boy was already standing up.
"Let's stay."
"Aaaaah!" Watanuki pulled at his hair. Why did those two always aim to make his life difficult? And what was with Doumeki moving about anyway? He should be resting!
"Fine," Watanuki sighed. "But one day!"
Mokona jumped up and down happily. "Yay for Watanuki!"
"Do you have the box, Mokona?" Tessai asked, learning close to the creature. Mokona nodded.
"MEKYO!" His mouth opened wide and the box flew out, only to land delicately in Urahara's arms. He inspected the markings on the box and placed his hand over it as if scanning the contents inside, then nodded in relief.
"Thank you so much you three! This is very valuable to my cause."
Watanuki raised a curious eyebrow. "What's in the box anyway? Yuuko-san said that I couldn't touch it."
"And she was certainly right about that," Urahara said gravely, looking serious for the first time.
"What is it then?"
The grin was back on Urahara's face. "Nothing you need to know! It's simply . . . information for something big and inevitable that will happen in my world. Now, I believe it's time for me to give Yuuko-san the payment?"
As Mokona nodded Watanuki sighed in frustration. Why was it that people like Yuuko always thought that they were doing him a favor by keeping him in the dark? If there was one thing that bugged him, it was not knowing something. It wasn't his fault though-he was just naturally curious. He also didn't like sitting on the sidelines in anything. He had to be doing something.
Urahara withdrew a small scroll from his robe and held it out. Mokona's eyes popped open once again and sucked in the scroll.
"What was your payment?" Watanuki asked. Urahara raised an eyebrow and peered at Watanuki for a moment behind his hand-held fan.
"Information about spiritual shields," he eventually answered. "Our methods are a little different than hers, and I feel that scroll will help strengthen the ones she uses."
Watanuki frowned. What did Yuuko need a spiritual shield for? The shop? He guessed it could be considered a shield of some sorts in light of how it kept people out who didn't have a wish and allowed those who did in, but why would she need help? It was working as fine as ever. Perhaps it was for a different reason?
The door slid open and a small girl poked her head in. "U-Urahara? Um, Ichigo-"
"Ichigo and Chad are here!" A boy with red hair pushed past the girl rudely, resting a broom over his shoulder like a sword.
Urahara sighed. "Jinta, how many times have I told you to be nice to Ururu?" The young boy folded his arms but didn't say anything else. "We'll talk about it later. Come on in!"
Watanuki stared in surprise at the rather peculiar boys who entered. One had bright orange hair and the other was a large foreigner of some sort. So these were the people who fought off the spirits while he was unconscious?
"Hello!" the orange haired one said cheerfully. "My name is Ichigo, and I'm glad you're all right," (He looked straight at Watanuki as he said this), "I kind of feared the worst for a little bit there." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I was afraid that we were too late to help you." The foreigner-Chad-just nodded.
"You fought off those spirits?" Watanuki asked. "How did you do it? Even Doumeki had a hard time exorcising them and he's always been able to do that back home." Everyone's eyes widened at the sudden exclamation, and Watanuki wondered if he said something wrong.
"I was wondering about that!" Ichigo exclaimed, pointing to Doumeki who raised an eyebrow at the outburst. "When we arrived there was a Hollow whose arm was cut clean off! And you were holding some sort of bow." He frowned and stared at the teen quizzically. "Are you some sort of Quincy?"
"Quincy?" Doumeki wondered.
Urahara smiled. "Ah, so you can summon an arrow that exorcises spirits? It's a trait that's been handed down through your family, yes?"
Doumeki nodded. "My grandfather was a Shinto priest and was able to both see spirits and exorcise them."
"Fascinating . . . very fascinating. Perhaps if you had a different bow or were trained to make a bow in the same way you make an arrow, then maybe you could stand a chance against a Hollow," Urahara muttered to himself.
"So, Urahara said you were from another world or dimension. Is that true?" Ichigo was regarding them skeptically and Watanuki couldn't blame him for being so suspicious. If he hadn't seen all he had seen with spirits and the oddities that came from working for Yuuko, he would have found it questionable as well.
"Hard to believe, but it's true. We just came to deliver something to Urahara-san from Yuuko-san. She runs a shop that grants wishes."
Ichigo sniggered. "What, like a genie?"
"A sadistic genie that demands equal payment for everything you do, yeah." As much as she annoyed him, Watanuki felt a little angry at Ichigo for seeming to take Yuuko so lightly. "You don't want to mess with her."
"When are you going back?" Chad asked, speaking for the first time.
"In a few days!" Mokona shouted, jumping up and down.
"I said one day!" Watanuki grabbed Mokona by the ears. "Don't you go around putting words in my mouth!"
"I thought it would be a good idea if they went with you two to school today," Urahara suggested, turning to Ichigo and Chad. "Figured it would be an interesting experience."
"Sure," Chad said.
"Do you need any extra clothes?" Ichigo asked. He gestured to Doumeki's nonexistent shirt and the ruined remains of his pants and all of Watanuki's clothes.
"Already taken care of!" Urahara said, clapping his hands. "Ururu, if you may." The dark-haired girl walked forward and they noticed for the first time that she had some clothes in her hands. She gave one set to Doumeki and the other to Watanuki. It was rather similar to their school uniform, yet the pants were gray instead of black.
"We'll leave you to get changed and then you can walk to school with Ichigo and Chad!" Urahara said. He held his arms out for Mokona as he stood up to leave, and the black creature eagerly hopped up.
Once everyone left, Watanuki turned to Doumeki.
"Are . . . are you sure you're all right?"
"Huh?" Doumeki looked down at the bandages covering his torso. "Yeah. You?"
"Of-Of course I'm all right!" Watanuki jumped to his feet and shook the shirt Ururu gave him at Doumeki. "You think I need someone like you to worry about me? Geez, it seems that no matter where we are you find a way to piss me off!" He bent down to pick up the pants. "I'd rather not change with you here, but since there's no other option I guess I'll just have to deal with it. You get dressed over there and I'll get dressed over here."
Doumeki rubbed his forehead as if fighting off a headache. "You're so annoying."
"What do you mean I'm annoying? You're the most annoying idiot I've ever met in my entire life! Just listening to your voice makes me angry, and I have to put up with it nearly every day! And then Yuuko has me carry out errands for her with you and-"
"My, my!" Urahara whispered outside the door. He was standing nearby with Ichigo and Chad who looked rather alarmed at all the shouting coming from the room.
"They're more interesting than I thought."
Thanks for reading. Sorry not too much happened here, but I had to set the story. Next chapter is where the problems begin.
Previous | Next
Author: Reidluver
Fandom: Bleach, xxxholic
Pairing/Characters: Watanuki, Doumeki, Mokona, Yuuko, Ichigo, Urahara
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Before Hueco Mundo Arc, after incident with Jorougomo is resolved
Summary: When Yuuko asks Watanuki and Doumeki to deliver something for a client in another world, Watanuki is excited at first. He should have known that no matter where he is, trouble is never too far behind.
Chapter 2: Karakura 101
Watanuki felt like an oppressive force was pushing him down. There was no pain, but his body felt sluggish and hard to move. He wanted to go back to sleep, but seeing as how he was already awake it was hopeless. Plus, he wanted to know where he was and what happened after he fainted. The last thing he remembered was seeing all those spirit monsters coming towards them and Doumeki trying to defend him-
"Doumeki!" Watanuki shot up into a seated position and closed his eyes against the bright light. His head was swimming from the slight nausea from shifting his position so fast. Once his head cleared he noticed everything was blurry.
"Your glasses are behind your pillow, Watanuki," a voice called out. The fact that a stranger knew his name made Watanuki uneasy. Where was he? Where was Doumeki? Or Mokona? What had happened? He quickly found his glasses and glanced around at his surroundings.
It looked like a traditional Japanese dwelling with sliding lattice doors and sparse interior. There was a man kneeling in front of him, wearing green clothes and a striped hat. He didn't look intimidating, which eased Watanuki's fears somewhat.
"Where am I?"
"Why, in my shop!" the man said. "My name is Urahara Kisuke-the client Yuuko-san spoke of."
Watanuki bowed politely. "You are? How did you find us? Did Doumeki-" It was then that he glanced to his left and saw Doumeki sleeping on a mat beside him. The boy's arms and chest were covered in bandages with a single one wrapped around his head. His shirt was gone and Watanuki was immediately reminded that Doumeki's injuries were sustained while protecting him. He just prayed that Doumeki was all right.
"How is he?"
"Your friend is fine," Urahara said . "He did a fine job taking care of you." Watanuki breathed a sigh of relief. Doumeki was still hurt because of him, but at least it wasn't as bad as he had thought.
"I apologize for your injuries," Urahara continued. "If I had known that you and your friend were being sent I would have arranged an escort. Usually Fuuma handles the delivery."
"That's okay. What were those things that chased us? They're different from any spirit I've seen."
"They are called Hollows," Urahara explained. "I understand you seem quite irresistible to them, even more so than Kurosaki."
"Yeah, I seem to get that a lot," the boy sighed. Though he had no idea who or what a Kurosaki was. "But what happened? How did you find us?"
"I'll explain more in detail once your friend wakes up, but I can tell you a little. You were saved by Kurosaki and Chad, both capable of defeating Hollows. I sensed a battle taking place and went to investigate when I found you."
At that point the door opened and a burly, black-haired man stepped in, carrying a small tray with tea on it. "Ah, Tessai! Thank you very much."
"Watanuki!" Mokona leapt from Tessai's shoulders and hugged the boy. "I'm glad you're awake. Mokona was so worried!"
"Thank you," Watanuki said, unable to keep a smile off his face as he hugged the creature back . "I'm glad you're all right as well." As Tessai leaned forward to give Watanuki some tea, the boy felt his strength draining.
"Oh! I apologize, young sir," Tessai said, backing up quickly. "You must put this on first." With his strength returned, Watanuki frowned as an object was tossed to him. Watanuki caught it and examined it in his hands. It was a necklace-a fine, silver chain with a large, ruby-red heart medallion on it.
"Uh . . . what is this?" Watanuki asked, trying to conceal his disgust. It looked like something a love-struck school girl would wear.
"Why, that's a very special device that will ward off the effects of shinigami reiatsu!" Urahara said. "The silver chain also conceals your scent from any Hollows so there won't be a repeat of what happened when you arrived."
"Shinigami reiatsu?"
Urahara waved his hand. "Nothing to worry about. All you need to know is that you seem to be affected by the powers that allow myself and others like me to be able to defeat Hollows. Without that necklace you would be fainting on us all the time."
Watanuki sighed. He could see the usefulness of such a device, but really? "Why does it have to be heart-shaped?" he mumbled.
"Because the ruby is the best material to channel and withstand the energy, of course!" As the man laughed at his comment, Watanuki found himself wondering if Urahara was related to a certain other shopkeeper who had a thing for making his life miserable.
Suppose it can't be helped. Watanuki slid the necklace over his head but quickly put it out of sight under his shirt. There was an immediate sense of relief and Watanuki was surprised at how much better he felt. It really was effective.
"Here's one for Doumeki as well," Urahara said as Tessai tossed him another object. To Watanuki's annoyance he saw it was just a plain leather bracelet!
"Why does that idiot's have to look so much cooler than mine?"
"Because he's not nearly as affected as you are," the shopkeeper said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "He still reacts to our reiatsu and can attract a Hollow here and there, but not nearly to the extent that you can. That item is sufficient." Watanuki growled angrily but realized there was nothing to be done. He threw the bracelet at the sleeping boy, causing it to land on his chest, but Doumeki didn't even move.
"So, uh," Watanuki began as he sipped the tea that had been offered him, "what would you like as payment? I can cook you a meal."
Tessai and Urahara glanced at each other and laughed. "You're confusing me for Yuuko-san!" Urahara said. "Unlike her, I can do service for others without requiring an equivalent exchange." He then pulled out a fan and held it in front of his face playfully. "But since you've offered, I don't see why not!"
Watanuki blanched. Yes, it was obvious now that he had to be related to Yuuko in some twisted way.
"Doumeki's up!" Mokona exclaimed. The creature leapt from Watanuki's shoulder and landed on the archer's shoulder. The boy was glancing around in confusion.
"Where am I?"
"In my shop," Urahara explained. "You already know me and this is my associate Tessai."
Doumeki just nodded and turned to look at Watanuki, eying the bandages.
"What?" the smaller boy asked. As usual, Doumeki said nothing and instead turned his attention to Urahara.
"Before I begin explaining what those things were," Urahara began, "you should put on that bracelet, Doumeki." Mokona held up the leather armband and Doumeki put it on, his eyes widening in surprise at the instant relief it brought.
"The spirits that plague this world are called Hollows, which are basically souls that have either become devoured by other Hollows, or have become corrupted. Shinigami exist to keep a balance between the pure souls and the Hollows, while keeping human beings safe from them as well."
"So, you two and those people from earlier were shinigami?" Doumeki asked.
Urahara smiled. "Yes and no. Tessai and I are full-fledged shinigami, while Kurosaki is half-human, half-shinigami, and Chad is all human with enough reiatsu that he can fight Hollows. Reiatsu is the spiritual energy that we use to fight them, and with varying degrees a person can see both Hollows and shinigami."
"Then, the both of us have some reiatsu?" Watanuki asked. Urahara nodded.
"You and Doumeki both have high levels of spiritual energy which manifests itself as reiatsu in our world. That is why you were able to see the Hollows, and because yours is so raw and powerful, Watanuki-that is why they were so focused on eating you."
"Well, that's just great!" Watanuki huffed in annoyance. "Can we quickly deliver the box and get out of here?"
The shopkeeper looked surprised and brought the folded fan up to his face once again. "You don't want to stay for a day or two? You're still recovering from yesterday and why not accept my hospitality as an apology? Besides, it's not every day you get to visit another world. Why not enjoy it?"
"Oh, please, Watanuki!" Mokona pleaded. It tugged on Watanuki's white shirt as its lips turned up in a pout. "White Mokona gets to travel all this time, but Black Mokona never gets to go anywhere! Can we stay for a while? Can we? Can we?"
"B-But . . . I-" Watanuki looked over at Doumeki for help, but to his dismay the boy was already standing up.
"Let's stay."
"Aaaaah!" Watanuki pulled at his hair. Why did those two always aim to make his life difficult? And what was with Doumeki moving about anyway? He should be resting!
"Fine," Watanuki sighed. "But one day!"
Mokona jumped up and down happily. "Yay for Watanuki!"
"Do you have the box, Mokona?" Tessai asked, learning close to the creature. Mokona nodded.
"MEKYO!" His mouth opened wide and the box flew out, only to land delicately in Urahara's arms. He inspected the markings on the box and placed his hand over it as if scanning the contents inside, then nodded in relief.
"Thank you so much you three! This is very valuable to my cause."
Watanuki raised a curious eyebrow. "What's in the box anyway? Yuuko-san said that I couldn't touch it."
"And she was certainly right about that," Urahara said gravely, looking serious for the first time.
"What is it then?"
The grin was back on Urahara's face. "Nothing you need to know! It's simply . . . information for something big and inevitable that will happen in my world. Now, I believe it's time for me to give Yuuko-san the payment?"
As Mokona nodded Watanuki sighed in frustration. Why was it that people like Yuuko always thought that they were doing him a favor by keeping him in the dark? If there was one thing that bugged him, it was not knowing something. It wasn't his fault though-he was just naturally curious. He also didn't like sitting on the sidelines in anything. He had to be doing something.
Urahara withdrew a small scroll from his robe and held it out. Mokona's eyes popped open once again and sucked in the scroll.
"What was your payment?" Watanuki asked. Urahara raised an eyebrow and peered at Watanuki for a moment behind his hand-held fan.
"Information about spiritual shields," he eventually answered. "Our methods are a little different than hers, and I feel that scroll will help strengthen the ones she uses."
Watanuki frowned. What did Yuuko need a spiritual shield for? The shop? He guessed it could be considered a shield of some sorts in light of how it kept people out who didn't have a wish and allowed those who did in, but why would she need help? It was working as fine as ever. Perhaps it was for a different reason?
The door slid open and a small girl poked her head in. "U-Urahara? Um, Ichigo-"
"Ichigo and Chad are here!" A boy with red hair pushed past the girl rudely, resting a broom over his shoulder like a sword.
Urahara sighed. "Jinta, how many times have I told you to be nice to Ururu?" The young boy folded his arms but didn't say anything else. "We'll talk about it later. Come on in!"
Watanuki stared in surprise at the rather peculiar boys who entered. One had bright orange hair and the other was a large foreigner of some sort. So these were the people who fought off the spirits while he was unconscious?
"Hello!" the orange haired one said cheerfully. "My name is Ichigo, and I'm glad you're all right," (He looked straight at Watanuki as he said this), "I kind of feared the worst for a little bit there." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I was afraid that we were too late to help you." The foreigner-Chad-just nodded.
"You fought off those spirits?" Watanuki asked. "How did you do it? Even Doumeki had a hard time exorcising them and he's always been able to do that back home." Everyone's eyes widened at the sudden exclamation, and Watanuki wondered if he said something wrong.
"I was wondering about that!" Ichigo exclaimed, pointing to Doumeki who raised an eyebrow at the outburst. "When we arrived there was a Hollow whose arm was cut clean off! And you were holding some sort of bow." He frowned and stared at the teen quizzically. "Are you some sort of Quincy?"
"Quincy?" Doumeki wondered.
Urahara smiled. "Ah, so you can summon an arrow that exorcises spirits? It's a trait that's been handed down through your family, yes?"
Doumeki nodded. "My grandfather was a Shinto priest and was able to both see spirits and exorcise them."
"Fascinating . . . very fascinating. Perhaps if you had a different bow or were trained to make a bow in the same way you make an arrow, then maybe you could stand a chance against a Hollow," Urahara muttered to himself.
"So, Urahara said you were from another world or dimension. Is that true?" Ichigo was regarding them skeptically and Watanuki couldn't blame him for being so suspicious. If he hadn't seen all he had seen with spirits and the oddities that came from working for Yuuko, he would have found it questionable as well.
"Hard to believe, but it's true. We just came to deliver something to Urahara-san from Yuuko-san. She runs a shop that grants wishes."
Ichigo sniggered. "What, like a genie?"
"A sadistic genie that demands equal payment for everything you do, yeah." As much as she annoyed him, Watanuki felt a little angry at Ichigo for seeming to take Yuuko so lightly. "You don't want to mess with her."
"When are you going back?" Chad asked, speaking for the first time.
"In a few days!" Mokona shouted, jumping up and down.
"I said one day!" Watanuki grabbed Mokona by the ears. "Don't you go around putting words in my mouth!"
"I thought it would be a good idea if they went with you two to school today," Urahara suggested, turning to Ichigo and Chad. "Figured it would be an interesting experience."
"Sure," Chad said.
"Do you need any extra clothes?" Ichigo asked. He gestured to Doumeki's nonexistent shirt and the ruined remains of his pants and all of Watanuki's clothes.
"Already taken care of!" Urahara said, clapping his hands. "Ururu, if you may." The dark-haired girl walked forward and they noticed for the first time that she had some clothes in her hands. She gave one set to Doumeki and the other to Watanuki. It was rather similar to their school uniform, yet the pants were gray instead of black.
"We'll leave you to get changed and then you can walk to school with Ichigo and Chad!" Urahara said. He held his arms out for Mokona as he stood up to leave, and the black creature eagerly hopped up.
Once everyone left, Watanuki turned to Doumeki.
"Are . . . are you sure you're all right?"
"Huh?" Doumeki looked down at the bandages covering his torso. "Yeah. You?"
"Of-Of course I'm all right!" Watanuki jumped to his feet and shook the shirt Ururu gave him at Doumeki. "You think I need someone like you to worry about me? Geez, it seems that no matter where we are you find a way to piss me off!" He bent down to pick up the pants. "I'd rather not change with you here, but since there's no other option I guess I'll just have to deal with it. You get dressed over there and I'll get dressed over here."
Doumeki rubbed his forehead as if fighting off a headache. "You're so annoying."
"What do you mean I'm annoying? You're the most annoying idiot I've ever met in my entire life! Just listening to your voice makes me angry, and I have to put up with it nearly every day! And then Yuuko has me carry out errands for her with you and-"
"My, my!" Urahara whispered outside the door. He was standing nearby with Ichigo and Chad who looked rather alarmed at all the shouting coming from the room.
"They're more interesting than I thought."
Thanks for reading. Sorry not too much happened here, but I had to set the story. Next chapter is where the problems begin.
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