Fanfic Post: Tell Your Children the Truth [Bleach]
Title: Tell Your Children the Truth
Author: seoinage
Gift for: sophiap at bleach_exchange
Request: Fallout after chapter 186 revelations
Fandom: Bleach
Characters: Various
Word Count: 3,450
Spoilers: Up through manga chapter 210
Disclaimer Disclaimer: BLEACH © 2001 by TITE KUBO/SHUEISHA Inc. and assorted corporations who bought various rights to it.
~*~
"...That's why I said that you're an idiot."
~*~
Chapter 1: Of Distances and Robots
~*~
“Oi, Ishida…” Ichigo started to say, only to trail off in hesitation. His gaze slid down off to the side, the hand holding his book bag over one shoulder clenching down on the handle. “…There’s something...”
Without responding, the other teenager grabbed his belongings, got up fluidly, and made his way out of the emptying classroom. He did not look back once.
“Hey, come back, you bastard!”
The cool distance Ishida radiated kept Ichigo from following, leaving him standing next to the abandoned desk. However, any traces of awkwardness disappeared from the lanky youth, the snub making him fume.
“Kurosaki-kun, Ishida-kun,” their ginger-haired classmate murmured, worry evident in her voice.
Almost a week had passed since the various battles with the six Allankar. Injuries healed and bandages came off, but concern for everyone haunted Orihime. Instances like these added to it.
On that day, when Rukia had returned, Chad had interrupted the healing process so that he could help fight, and it looked as if the three shinigami of captain and vice captain level would lose; Orihime could only wait for news. So she had sighed with great relief when she confirmed that her soft-spoken friend had not compromised the healing of his arm while learning that all but one of the Allankar had been defeated. The one that Kurosaki-kun fought had retreated after a long clash, allowing the temporary shinigami to get his injuries tended to.
Betting on the fact that there should be a temporary lull in attacks, five of the dispatched shinigami went back to report in. Rukia was volunteered to stay in case of emergency. Having cleared the first wave of what must be a bigger front, things should have looked up.
However, something else must have happened, something that had nothing to do with external wounds. She glanced quickly between the orange-haired teen and the brown-haired giant. Otherwise, there would not be this stilling of the normal rapport between those two.
Not only did she worry about Chad and Ichigo, but no one had been with their standoffish teammate during the hectic fighting, even though at that time he had no ability to protect himself.
That did not seem the case now.
Quickly grabbing her things together, she smiled brightly as she passed him. “Kurosaki-kun, I’ll go see if I can talk to him!”
“Ah, Orihime!” Shaken out of her stupor (she had taken to staring out the window lately), Tatsuki could only watch as her friend ran out into the hallway.
Since there was no sign of him in the hallway, Orihime visited the Handicrafts Club room, even though he had abstained from activities for a full week. When the members shrugged and told her that he had not shown up, she made her own apologies and left. Next, she scouted out the locker area where all students kept their school and street shoes. Not seeing him there either, she quickly changed footwear and made her way to the front gate. Luckily, as she stepped from school grounds onto the main street, Orihime spotted her target’s figure disappearing around the far corner. Clutching her bag tightly, she raced after him.
Past the school area and past the small shopping district the two went. One strode firmly along, posture straight. His uninvited companion though, hid behind telephone posts and store sidewalk signs behind him. This went on until he stopped in the middle of the block, next to the only telephone pole there. Not even turning around to face her, he simply said, “Inoue-san.”
She froze behind the cover of her school bag, which she had crouched behind since no other places were available.
“Inoue-san, did you have something to discuss with me?” He pushed his glasses up with one free hand, turning slowly around.
“Ah ha ha ha!” She nervously laughed, springing upright with her bag still held in front of her like a shield. She then crouched down and then popped up again, down and up again. It was like watching a jack-in-the-box. “This is a new exercise I found! It’s very effective for body conditioning! I want to be in shape for my future robot self!”
As she jumped up and down, all the while getting closer to where he stood, she elaborated about the special destructive laser beam eyes, the 20,000 Celsius degree breath, and the top speed of 380 kilometers per hours of her robot body. Ishida blinked.
When she popped up in front of him and tilted her head to one side as if considering what he would be like as a robot, he involuntarily took a step back.
“Ishida-kun, though one part of you seems better now, another part of you isn’t.”
He frowned. She could be remarkably perceptive at times as she had displayed in the past.
“Did you want to talk to me?” Sparkling eyes earnestly searched his own, a small hopeful smile embracing him. “About becoming a future robot?”
And like she did before, he froze. That is, until a small sound, almost like an abortive laugh, escaped his pursed lips. Shivers wracked his body and he wrapped his arms around himself, trying to hold back. But he recalled her hopping down the street like a rabbit, only to ask him if he wanted to become a robot with 20,000 Celsius degree breath. Ishida lost his composure and laughed out loud.
Orihime smiled, laughing along with him. “I’m so glad! It would be so much more fun being with friends in the future too! I’m so happy that I became friends with you, Sado-kun, Kurosaki-kun, and Kuchiki-san! Don’t you think so too, Ishida-kun?”
Trying to settle himself down, he tucked his bag under one arm and took his glasses off to polish them. A chuckle still escaped him every now and then though. However, he chose his words carefully. “Inoue-san, I think that we accomplished the reason why we agreed to help each other during that time. Though we learned many things, that reason is no longer valid. There’s nothing more between us anymore other than being classmates.”
She fell into step beside him when he started on his way again, not at all rebuffed. “Classmates can be friends too.”
He kept walking.
“Many classmates become friends. Some like to do sports, like Tatsuki-chan! The members of the go-home club are very popular too I’ve heard. Or there’s Kaneda-sensei’s bonsai and Saitou-sensei’s orchid that have become friends over summer!”
He shot a look at her. She was serious.
“Then there are the members of the Power Up Club.” She paused, waiting for his response before continuing. Even though he had never heard of such a club, he made a sound to indicate that he was listening. To do so otherwise would be rude.
Encouraged, Orihime walked along, a bounce in her step. “Now those members are truly friends! They worked hard all summer. Though some powered up more than others, we…err, they still fou…err…worked together! Even when they were separated from each other, they worked together. And after the summer, they should still work together, right? Because they had become friends!”
Ishida coughed lightly. “There are four members in this club, I take it?”
“Don’t you think there should be four members in this club, Ishida-kun?” Her quiet voice warmed the cool evening air.
He wanted to respond to that voice, to her. Instead he stated, “Quincy’s and shinigami can’t be friends.”
She stopped, right before the crosswalk. “Ishida-kun, what’s happened? Why can’t we go back to how we were?”
Somberly, he resolutely kept going, the blinking green walk signal keeping pace. “I’ve regained myself, and all things come with a price. Good evening, Inoue-san.”
~*~
“I’ve seen everyone out and about today. There isn’t any need to inform them of it though, is there?”
~*~
Chapter 2: Of Discourses and Lions
~*~
A small fist thumped into her left palm. “Ah! I know! He’s being blackmailed!”
“Who’s being blackmailed, Inoue?” asked Rukia as she helped herself to the snacks and tea Yuzu had brought up on a tray for them.
Orihime nodded, sure of herself. “Ishida-kun is! That’s why he isn’t being honest with himself again!”
“Who the heck cares about Ishida?” Ichigo slammed the door shut behind him, having just returned home. “What I want to know is why you’re all crammed into my room without my permission!”
Chad kept his gaze on the cute teddy bear cookies on his plate even as he greeted his friend with a small nod.
Kon spared not a glance towards the new entrant. He had just woken up from a nap and his eyes were fixated upon the extra large gift of heaven that had appeared before him. His dream had come true! “Nee-sa-!”
Ichigo dropped his stuff right on top of Kon with a dull thud and plenty of pained exclamations, preventing the stuffed animal from reaching his goal of Orihime’s bosom. “Chad, you’re here too?”
The small commotion drew that one’s attention. “Did that stuffed animal speak?” He could see one tiny fuzzy arm twitching underneath the book bag.
Distracted by Ichigo, Orihime had not seen Kon move towards her. “Oh my, you’ve a talking stuffed animal, Kurosaki-kun? How cute!”
“Ara, Kurosaki-kun!” Rukia sang sweetly, batting her eyelashes at him. “You’ve got more than enough room here. It’s perfect for this meeting.” She finished it up by taking a delicate sip of her tea.
Orange eyebrows came even more together at that, the scowl pinpointing the small shinigami seated in the lone chair in the room. “Ah, so it was you, huh, Rukia? Not only are you a freeloader now, but also inviting people over without my knowledge?”
Jumping up from her kneeling position on the floor, Orihime hurried to defend the other female. “No, Kurosaki-kun! It’s not Kuchiki-san’s fault at all! If anything, this is all my doing! I wanted to call a special meeting of the Power Up Club because Ishida-kun is acting really strange!”
The same question of, “What’s the Power Up Club?” flashed threw the other occupants’ minds. Four of them decided not to ask.
“So what’s the Power…Ow!” Kon, instead of flying towards the heavenly pillows of womanly charms, went slamming into the sliding closet door. As a recipient of Ichigo’s kick to the head, he left behind a small indentation as he slid down the barrier, turning into a loose puddle of fabric and cotton stuffing on the floor. It would have been better if he had stayed quiet after escaping out from underneath the heavy book bag.
Ichigo snorted. “Serves you right!”
Gasping, Orihime made to go to the stuffed animal’s side, but Ichigo stopped her with a muttered, “Don’t worry about him. He’s just a pervert.”
“But, but Kurosaki-kun, he’s not hurt?”
So while Rukia diverted their attention by explaining about Kon, using her special diagrams of course, Ichigo grabbed the little lion and tossed him into the closet. The grumpy teen closed the sliding door on the indignant shout of, “Hey, how can you treat me like this! I’m the focus of your story!”
Rukia finished and held up her last sketch expectantly.
“Thank you for the wonderful explanation, Kuchiki-san!” Orihime clapped. “Those drawings made it really easy to understand! Don’t you think so, Sado-kun?”
Chad nodded. He was a smart man.
Rukia beamed at the two of them. “Why thank you! I’m glad to have been of service.” She then shot Ichigo a smirk that declared her superiority over him.
Ichigo rolled his eyes. “So, what’s this meeting about again?”
All last night, Orihime had thought about her conversation with Ishida. It led to many comments of her being more dazed than normal while at school today. She only blushingly laughed when caught, and returned to her thoughts afterwards. Hopefully, calling this meeting today will yield something that could help not only Ishida, but everyone else.
“It does seem that something happened to Ishida,” observed Chad.
“It must be because he got his powers back!”
“Inoue. I thought you weren’t going to talk about Ishida with others.”
“But Kurosaki-kun! This is important! And weren’t you going to talk to him about it yesterday after class?”
Ichigo sputtered and tried to deny it, saying that he’d never do something like that in public. At the same time, Rukia put down her tea and crossed her arms, a serious expression on her face. “A Quincy getting his powers back? That means he had to lose it in the first place. What’s going on?”
No one wanted to tell Rukia that Ishida lost his powers while in Soul Society. They didn’t have to.
“It was because of me, wasn’t it?” she flatly asked, though it came out more like a statement of fact.
Orihime fluttered around in dismay, babbling about everything but that. Chad turned his regard to somewhere outside the window and Ichigo hemmed and hawed.
A vein in Rukia’s forehead throbbed ever more. Finally, she got to her feet, slammed her palm down on the desk, and burst out saying, “Idiots! The truth isn’t going to kill me! And it’s not like he didn’t make his own choices back then.” Taking a moment, she closed her eyes and exhaled loudly. Though she calmed down slightly (the others dared not disturb her), when she next opened her eyes, she still glared at Ichigo. Hands fisting on her hips, she continued with, “Each one of you did something that I didn’t ask for…that I REALLY didn’t ask for…but thank you. That Ishida did the same, and he’s strong-willed. He doesn’t seem the type to do something that he didn’t think over and agreed with.”
“Like bull stubbornness more than anything else.” Rubbing the back of his neck, Ichigo dropped down to sit on the edge of his bed. “After we came back, everything seemed fine. But when I tried to sense his spiritual pressure, I couldn’t…It wasn’t there.”
Orihime clasped her hands together sadly. “Kurosaki-kun…”
“But then after those Allankar came, Ishida’s spiritual pressure returned, like they’d never been gone. I just…don’t know what to make of it. I wanted to ask him, but he’s been turning the cold shoulder, even before all that happened.” He scowled. “That bastard.”
“Being powerless doesn’t sit well with some people.” Chad interjected quietly, his low bass voice reflective.
Rukia thought back to when she had passed him on the streets, the tall fighter going away from the Allankar while she headed towards it. She glanced at Ichigo and saw that he was oblivious as always. Her brow furrowed, but she continued with their current discussion.
“The only way Ishida could get his powers back is to have someone with that same ability helping him.” Her eyes shone like darkened amethysts cradled by moonlight. “That means there’s another Quincy.”
~*~
They discussed strategies on how to approach their reticent classmate (Rukia wondered why they wanted to in the first place). They pondered over who the other Quincy could be (“Maybe Ishida-kun was spirited away by a god!” exclaimed Orihime excitedly). They set up different scenarios on how to get at the truth of the matter (Ichigo really wanted to just beat up Ishida and get the information from him that way).
In the end, though, nothing got decided. Because first, they had to come up with a way to keep the secretive Ishida from detecting them from their spiritual pressures, something he was very good at if judging from past experiences. So they agreed to keep Ishida under watch without being suspicious about it (if possible), and to meet up again tomorrow night.
Chad asked if he could take some of those cookies home. Ichigo waved his hand agreeably, since it was not like he had made them. Orihime started planning her dinner menu out loud since she would stop by the grocery store on her way home.
Everyone else seemed to turn a dull shade of green after hearing the ingredients list.
Annoyingly for Ichigo, Isshin popped up just as Chad and Orihime were putting their shoes on.
“Ah, friends of my son! I hope that he’s been a good host. If not, just let me know and I’ll set him right!” The doctor beamed down at Orihime as he held her hands, and then nodded in manly acknowledgement while shaking a bemused Chad’s hand firmly. “I know that it’s been hard, what with him not having his mother around. But I’ve taught him manners!”
A raised fist shook in the air as Ichigo gritted his teeth, the air around him vibrating with his rage and embarrassment. “You’re the ones without manners, you bearded geezer!”
His father paid him no mind. Instead, Isshin smiled approvingly at the two about to leave and helped escort them out, somehow talking with Orihime about the wonders of modern healing techniques out of the blue. The good doctor then turned to Chad, reminding him that he should take better care of himself and that one should not run out in the middle of treatment. “It makes us worry, you know.”
A small blush dusted the dark-skinned cheeks of the teen. “Sorry.”
“Ha ha ha! I got serious there for a bit! Anyways, friends of my dim-witted son, you’re welcomed back anytime! Of course, he IS an idiot, so thank you for looking out for him!”
And right before their eyes, Orihime, Chad, and Rukia witnessed the father-son love between the two in the form of a powerful right kick that knocked Isshin into the bushes. Ichigo quickly packed his two classmates off (“But what about your father, Kurosaki-kun?”), and went back inside the house, brushing past Rukia on the way to stomp back up the stairs. “Stupid old dude! What kind of a father is he?”
Rukia’s lips twitched in amusement.
At that moment, Yuzu poked her head around the corner and informed them that dinner would be ready in about half an hour so to please be patient a little longer. Rukia then declared that it was a good time to take a bath, so Ichigo figured he finally got lucky enough to get some peace and quiet. He made his way to the second floor alone.
When the teen reentered his bedroom, he saw Kon in the chest drawer they had made up for the stuffed animal to sleep in. Something red dangled from the fuzzy paws.
Ichigo scowled at the memory of it, and made to grab the charm. That piece of trash should go into the garbage where it belong for all he cared. “Kon, give that over so that I can chuck it!”
Kon’s eyes widened in horror and he wrapped his body around it. “You can’t, Ichigo! It was made for me!”
The exclamation seemed to echo inside the room, crystallizing everything within it.
“What do you mean,” Ichigo gritted out, stormy eyes spearing the stuffed animal, “it was made for you? That old geezer gave it to me, lying that it was something special to mom! How could it have been made for you? He thinks you’re just a toy!”
Kon backpedaled madly, trying to find an escape route. Either way, he would be killed. “Ah, I never said that! You misunderstood, Ichigo! It’s not like your dad protected me that night!”
“WHAT?”
When he realized what he had let slip, the little lion squeaked and ran for it.
“KON! Get back here!” shouted Ichigo as he dove for the stuffed animal before it could hide underneath the bed. Grabbing the struggling plush by the neck, the teen hauled them both upright, shaking his captive with no mercy.
Suddenly, the bedroom door burst open and Ichigo found himself twisting in the air from Isshin’s speed kick. “ICHIGO! Why aren’t you downstairs?”
“Oyaji! What are you trying to do?” He gritted his teeth and counterattacked, Kon forgotten in his ire. “And why do I have to be downstairs right now?”
Isshin grinned darkly, blocking the punches and kicks in turn. “Your cute little sister prepared dinner for you, and you’re not even going to sit down to eat it?” His eyes narrowed as he started an attack of his own. “Shameful! How can you be a son of mine?”
“What? Yuzu just said it wouldn’t be for another…Argh!”
Isshin grabbed a hold of Ichigo’s ear and dragged him off, not allowing him another word. “What would your poor mother say about this? Let’s go!”
Kon looked up in time to catch the wink Isshin gave him before the door closed with a slam. The mod soul was frozen in place, having been dropped on the floor when Ichigo went flying.
“…I’m so dead.” Kon gulped. “Better start packing.”
~*~
Constructive comments and critiques are welcomed and adored. :)
--
Unfortunately, this doesn't mean I'm back yet. -_-; Stupid internet problems. *glomps onto you all*
Author: seoinage
Gift for: sophiap at bleach_exchange
Request: Fallout after chapter 186 revelations
Fandom: Bleach
Characters: Various
Word Count: 3,450
Spoilers: Up through manga chapter 210
Disclaimer Disclaimer: BLEACH © 2001 by TITE KUBO/SHUEISHA Inc. and assorted corporations who bought various rights to it.
~*~
"...That's why I said that you're an idiot."
~*~
Chapter 1: Of Distances and Robots
~*~
“Oi, Ishida…” Ichigo started to say, only to trail off in hesitation. His gaze slid down off to the side, the hand holding his book bag over one shoulder clenching down on the handle. “…There’s something...”
Without responding, the other teenager grabbed his belongings, got up fluidly, and made his way out of the emptying classroom. He did not look back once.
“Hey, come back, you bastard!”
The cool distance Ishida radiated kept Ichigo from following, leaving him standing next to the abandoned desk. However, any traces of awkwardness disappeared from the lanky youth, the snub making him fume.
“Kurosaki-kun, Ishida-kun,” their ginger-haired classmate murmured, worry evident in her voice.
Almost a week had passed since the various battles with the six Allankar. Injuries healed and bandages came off, but concern for everyone haunted Orihime. Instances like these added to it.
On that day, when Rukia had returned, Chad had interrupted the healing process so that he could help fight, and it looked as if the three shinigami of captain and vice captain level would lose; Orihime could only wait for news. So she had sighed with great relief when she confirmed that her soft-spoken friend had not compromised the healing of his arm while learning that all but one of the Allankar had been defeated. The one that Kurosaki-kun fought had retreated after a long clash, allowing the temporary shinigami to get his injuries tended to.
Betting on the fact that there should be a temporary lull in attacks, five of the dispatched shinigami went back to report in. Rukia was volunteered to stay in case of emergency. Having cleared the first wave of what must be a bigger front, things should have looked up.
However, something else must have happened, something that had nothing to do with external wounds. She glanced quickly between the orange-haired teen and the brown-haired giant. Otherwise, there would not be this stilling of the normal rapport between those two.
Not only did she worry about Chad and Ichigo, but no one had been with their standoffish teammate during the hectic fighting, even though at that time he had no ability to protect himself.
That did not seem the case now.
Quickly grabbing her things together, she smiled brightly as she passed him. “Kurosaki-kun, I’ll go see if I can talk to him!”
“Ah, Orihime!” Shaken out of her stupor (she had taken to staring out the window lately), Tatsuki could only watch as her friend ran out into the hallway.
Since there was no sign of him in the hallway, Orihime visited the Handicrafts Club room, even though he had abstained from activities for a full week. When the members shrugged and told her that he had not shown up, she made her own apologies and left. Next, she scouted out the locker area where all students kept their school and street shoes. Not seeing him there either, she quickly changed footwear and made her way to the front gate. Luckily, as she stepped from school grounds onto the main street, Orihime spotted her target’s figure disappearing around the far corner. Clutching her bag tightly, she raced after him.
Past the school area and past the small shopping district the two went. One strode firmly along, posture straight. His uninvited companion though, hid behind telephone posts and store sidewalk signs behind him. This went on until he stopped in the middle of the block, next to the only telephone pole there. Not even turning around to face her, he simply said, “Inoue-san.”
She froze behind the cover of her school bag, which she had crouched behind since no other places were available.
“Inoue-san, did you have something to discuss with me?” He pushed his glasses up with one free hand, turning slowly around.
“Ah ha ha ha!” She nervously laughed, springing upright with her bag still held in front of her like a shield. She then crouched down and then popped up again, down and up again. It was like watching a jack-in-the-box. “This is a new exercise I found! It’s very effective for body conditioning! I want to be in shape for my future robot self!”
As she jumped up and down, all the while getting closer to where he stood, she elaborated about the special destructive laser beam eyes, the 20,000 Celsius degree breath, and the top speed of 380 kilometers per hours of her robot body. Ishida blinked.
When she popped up in front of him and tilted her head to one side as if considering what he would be like as a robot, he involuntarily took a step back.
“Ishida-kun, though one part of you seems better now, another part of you isn’t.”
He frowned. She could be remarkably perceptive at times as she had displayed in the past.
“Did you want to talk to me?” Sparkling eyes earnestly searched his own, a small hopeful smile embracing him. “About becoming a future robot?”
And like she did before, he froze. That is, until a small sound, almost like an abortive laugh, escaped his pursed lips. Shivers wracked his body and he wrapped his arms around himself, trying to hold back. But he recalled her hopping down the street like a rabbit, only to ask him if he wanted to become a robot with 20,000 Celsius degree breath. Ishida lost his composure and laughed out loud.
Orihime smiled, laughing along with him. “I’m so glad! It would be so much more fun being with friends in the future too! I’m so happy that I became friends with you, Sado-kun, Kurosaki-kun, and Kuchiki-san! Don’t you think so too, Ishida-kun?”
Trying to settle himself down, he tucked his bag under one arm and took his glasses off to polish them. A chuckle still escaped him every now and then though. However, he chose his words carefully. “Inoue-san, I think that we accomplished the reason why we agreed to help each other during that time. Though we learned many things, that reason is no longer valid. There’s nothing more between us anymore other than being classmates.”
She fell into step beside him when he started on his way again, not at all rebuffed. “Classmates can be friends too.”
He kept walking.
“Many classmates become friends. Some like to do sports, like Tatsuki-chan! The members of the go-home club are very popular too I’ve heard. Or there’s Kaneda-sensei’s bonsai and Saitou-sensei’s orchid that have become friends over summer!”
He shot a look at her. She was serious.
“Then there are the members of the Power Up Club.” She paused, waiting for his response before continuing. Even though he had never heard of such a club, he made a sound to indicate that he was listening. To do so otherwise would be rude.
Encouraged, Orihime walked along, a bounce in her step. “Now those members are truly friends! They worked hard all summer. Though some powered up more than others, we…err, they still fou…err…worked together! Even when they were separated from each other, they worked together. And after the summer, they should still work together, right? Because they had become friends!”
Ishida coughed lightly. “There are four members in this club, I take it?”
“Don’t you think there should be four members in this club, Ishida-kun?” Her quiet voice warmed the cool evening air.
He wanted to respond to that voice, to her. Instead he stated, “Quincy’s and shinigami can’t be friends.”
She stopped, right before the crosswalk. “Ishida-kun, what’s happened? Why can’t we go back to how we were?”
Somberly, he resolutely kept going, the blinking green walk signal keeping pace. “I’ve regained myself, and all things come with a price. Good evening, Inoue-san.”
~*~
“I’ve seen everyone out and about today. There isn’t any need to inform them of it though, is there?”
~*~
Chapter 2: Of Discourses and Lions
~*~
A small fist thumped into her left palm. “Ah! I know! He’s being blackmailed!”
“Who’s being blackmailed, Inoue?” asked Rukia as she helped herself to the snacks and tea Yuzu had brought up on a tray for them.
Orihime nodded, sure of herself. “Ishida-kun is! That’s why he isn’t being honest with himself again!”
“Who the heck cares about Ishida?” Ichigo slammed the door shut behind him, having just returned home. “What I want to know is why you’re all crammed into my room without my permission!”
Chad kept his gaze on the cute teddy bear cookies on his plate even as he greeted his friend with a small nod.
Kon spared not a glance towards the new entrant. He had just woken up from a nap and his eyes were fixated upon the extra large gift of heaven that had appeared before him. His dream had come true! “Nee-sa-!”
Ichigo dropped his stuff right on top of Kon with a dull thud and plenty of pained exclamations, preventing the stuffed animal from reaching his goal of Orihime’s bosom. “Chad, you’re here too?”
The small commotion drew that one’s attention. “Did that stuffed animal speak?” He could see one tiny fuzzy arm twitching underneath the book bag.
Distracted by Ichigo, Orihime had not seen Kon move towards her. “Oh my, you’ve a talking stuffed animal, Kurosaki-kun? How cute!”
“Ara, Kurosaki-kun!” Rukia sang sweetly, batting her eyelashes at him. “You’ve got more than enough room here. It’s perfect for this meeting.” She finished it up by taking a delicate sip of her tea.
Orange eyebrows came even more together at that, the scowl pinpointing the small shinigami seated in the lone chair in the room. “Ah, so it was you, huh, Rukia? Not only are you a freeloader now, but also inviting people over without my knowledge?”
Jumping up from her kneeling position on the floor, Orihime hurried to defend the other female. “No, Kurosaki-kun! It’s not Kuchiki-san’s fault at all! If anything, this is all my doing! I wanted to call a special meeting of the Power Up Club because Ishida-kun is acting really strange!”
The same question of, “What’s the Power Up Club?” flashed threw the other occupants’ minds. Four of them decided not to ask.
“So what’s the Power…Ow!” Kon, instead of flying towards the heavenly pillows of womanly charms, went slamming into the sliding closet door. As a recipient of Ichigo’s kick to the head, he left behind a small indentation as he slid down the barrier, turning into a loose puddle of fabric and cotton stuffing on the floor. It would have been better if he had stayed quiet after escaping out from underneath the heavy book bag.
Ichigo snorted. “Serves you right!”
Gasping, Orihime made to go to the stuffed animal’s side, but Ichigo stopped her with a muttered, “Don’t worry about him. He’s just a pervert.”
“But, but Kurosaki-kun, he’s not hurt?”
So while Rukia diverted their attention by explaining about Kon, using her special diagrams of course, Ichigo grabbed the little lion and tossed him into the closet. The grumpy teen closed the sliding door on the indignant shout of, “Hey, how can you treat me like this! I’m the focus of your story!”
Rukia finished and held up her last sketch expectantly.
“Thank you for the wonderful explanation, Kuchiki-san!” Orihime clapped. “Those drawings made it really easy to understand! Don’t you think so, Sado-kun?”
Chad nodded. He was a smart man.
Rukia beamed at the two of them. “Why thank you! I’m glad to have been of service.” She then shot Ichigo a smirk that declared her superiority over him.
Ichigo rolled his eyes. “So, what’s this meeting about again?”
All last night, Orihime had thought about her conversation with Ishida. It led to many comments of her being more dazed than normal while at school today. She only blushingly laughed when caught, and returned to her thoughts afterwards. Hopefully, calling this meeting today will yield something that could help not only Ishida, but everyone else.
“It does seem that something happened to Ishida,” observed Chad.
“It must be because he got his powers back!”
“Inoue. I thought you weren’t going to talk about Ishida with others.”
“But Kurosaki-kun! This is important! And weren’t you going to talk to him about it yesterday after class?”
Ichigo sputtered and tried to deny it, saying that he’d never do something like that in public. At the same time, Rukia put down her tea and crossed her arms, a serious expression on her face. “A Quincy getting his powers back? That means he had to lose it in the first place. What’s going on?”
No one wanted to tell Rukia that Ishida lost his powers while in Soul Society. They didn’t have to.
“It was because of me, wasn’t it?” she flatly asked, though it came out more like a statement of fact.
Orihime fluttered around in dismay, babbling about everything but that. Chad turned his regard to somewhere outside the window and Ichigo hemmed and hawed.
A vein in Rukia’s forehead throbbed ever more. Finally, she got to her feet, slammed her palm down on the desk, and burst out saying, “Idiots! The truth isn’t going to kill me! And it’s not like he didn’t make his own choices back then.” Taking a moment, she closed her eyes and exhaled loudly. Though she calmed down slightly (the others dared not disturb her), when she next opened her eyes, she still glared at Ichigo. Hands fisting on her hips, she continued with, “Each one of you did something that I didn’t ask for…that I REALLY didn’t ask for…but thank you. That Ishida did the same, and he’s strong-willed. He doesn’t seem the type to do something that he didn’t think over and agreed with.”
“Like bull stubbornness more than anything else.” Rubbing the back of his neck, Ichigo dropped down to sit on the edge of his bed. “After we came back, everything seemed fine. But when I tried to sense his spiritual pressure, I couldn’t…It wasn’t there.”
Orihime clasped her hands together sadly. “Kurosaki-kun…”
“But then after those Allankar came, Ishida’s spiritual pressure returned, like they’d never been gone. I just…don’t know what to make of it. I wanted to ask him, but he’s been turning the cold shoulder, even before all that happened.” He scowled. “That bastard.”
“Being powerless doesn’t sit well with some people.” Chad interjected quietly, his low bass voice reflective.
Rukia thought back to when she had passed him on the streets, the tall fighter going away from the Allankar while she headed towards it. She glanced at Ichigo and saw that he was oblivious as always. Her brow furrowed, but she continued with their current discussion.
“The only way Ishida could get his powers back is to have someone with that same ability helping him.” Her eyes shone like darkened amethysts cradled by moonlight. “That means there’s another Quincy.”
~*~
They discussed strategies on how to approach their reticent classmate (Rukia wondered why they wanted to in the first place). They pondered over who the other Quincy could be (“Maybe Ishida-kun was spirited away by a god!” exclaimed Orihime excitedly). They set up different scenarios on how to get at the truth of the matter (Ichigo really wanted to just beat up Ishida and get the information from him that way).
In the end, though, nothing got decided. Because first, they had to come up with a way to keep the secretive Ishida from detecting them from their spiritual pressures, something he was very good at if judging from past experiences. So they agreed to keep Ishida under watch without being suspicious about it (if possible), and to meet up again tomorrow night.
Chad asked if he could take some of those cookies home. Ichigo waved his hand agreeably, since it was not like he had made them. Orihime started planning her dinner menu out loud since she would stop by the grocery store on her way home.
Everyone else seemed to turn a dull shade of green after hearing the ingredients list.
Annoyingly for Ichigo, Isshin popped up just as Chad and Orihime were putting their shoes on.
“Ah, friends of my son! I hope that he’s been a good host. If not, just let me know and I’ll set him right!” The doctor beamed down at Orihime as he held her hands, and then nodded in manly acknowledgement while shaking a bemused Chad’s hand firmly. “I know that it’s been hard, what with him not having his mother around. But I’ve taught him manners!”
A raised fist shook in the air as Ichigo gritted his teeth, the air around him vibrating with his rage and embarrassment. “You’re the ones without manners, you bearded geezer!”
His father paid him no mind. Instead, Isshin smiled approvingly at the two about to leave and helped escort them out, somehow talking with Orihime about the wonders of modern healing techniques out of the blue. The good doctor then turned to Chad, reminding him that he should take better care of himself and that one should not run out in the middle of treatment. “It makes us worry, you know.”
A small blush dusted the dark-skinned cheeks of the teen. “Sorry.”
“Ha ha ha! I got serious there for a bit! Anyways, friends of my dim-witted son, you’re welcomed back anytime! Of course, he IS an idiot, so thank you for looking out for him!”
And right before their eyes, Orihime, Chad, and Rukia witnessed the father-son love between the two in the form of a powerful right kick that knocked Isshin into the bushes. Ichigo quickly packed his two classmates off (“But what about your father, Kurosaki-kun?”), and went back inside the house, brushing past Rukia on the way to stomp back up the stairs. “Stupid old dude! What kind of a father is he?”
Rukia’s lips twitched in amusement.
At that moment, Yuzu poked her head around the corner and informed them that dinner would be ready in about half an hour so to please be patient a little longer. Rukia then declared that it was a good time to take a bath, so Ichigo figured he finally got lucky enough to get some peace and quiet. He made his way to the second floor alone.
When the teen reentered his bedroom, he saw Kon in the chest drawer they had made up for the stuffed animal to sleep in. Something red dangled from the fuzzy paws.
Ichigo scowled at the memory of it, and made to grab the charm. That piece of trash should go into the garbage where it belong for all he cared. “Kon, give that over so that I can chuck it!”
Kon’s eyes widened in horror and he wrapped his body around it. “You can’t, Ichigo! It was made for me!”
The exclamation seemed to echo inside the room, crystallizing everything within it.
“What do you mean,” Ichigo gritted out, stormy eyes spearing the stuffed animal, “it was made for you? That old geezer gave it to me, lying that it was something special to mom! How could it have been made for you? He thinks you’re just a toy!”
Kon backpedaled madly, trying to find an escape route. Either way, he would be killed. “Ah, I never said that! You misunderstood, Ichigo! It’s not like your dad protected me that night!”
“WHAT?”
When he realized what he had let slip, the little lion squeaked and ran for it.
“KON! Get back here!” shouted Ichigo as he dove for the stuffed animal before it could hide underneath the bed. Grabbing the struggling plush by the neck, the teen hauled them both upright, shaking his captive with no mercy.
Suddenly, the bedroom door burst open and Ichigo found himself twisting in the air from Isshin’s speed kick. “ICHIGO! Why aren’t you downstairs?”
“Oyaji! What are you trying to do?” He gritted his teeth and counterattacked, Kon forgotten in his ire. “And why do I have to be downstairs right now?”
Isshin grinned darkly, blocking the punches and kicks in turn. “Your cute little sister prepared dinner for you, and you’re not even going to sit down to eat it?” His eyes narrowed as he started an attack of his own. “Shameful! How can you be a son of mine?”
“What? Yuzu just said it wouldn’t be for another…Argh!”
Isshin grabbed a hold of Ichigo’s ear and dragged him off, not allowing him another word. “What would your poor mother say about this? Let’s go!”
Kon looked up in time to catch the wink Isshin gave him before the door closed with a slam. The mod soul was frozen in place, having been dropped on the floor when Ichigo went flying.
“…I’m so dead.” Kon gulped. “Better start packing.”
~*~
Constructive comments and critiques are welcomed and adored. :)
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Unfortunately, this doesn't mean I'm back yet. -_-; Stupid internet problems. *glomps onto you all*