UraIshi AU Ch. 6
Title: Unravelling Threads of Fate
Rating: PG-13 for now.
Pairings: UraIshi
Summary: AU. Ishida has had a hard life. With the help of some friends, it finally looks like things are going to work out. When he meets a bizarre and cheerful man named Urahara Kisuke, the two are inexplicably drawn to each other. But when Ishida discovers the truth about Urahara's past and its ties to his own, difficulties arise.
Notes: I keep on forgetting to thank kirstian for her quick beta-read every time. XD
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the genius KT. ♥
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5
The following Monday, Ishida drifted into work, still feeling quite happy. He got ahead on converting Rukia’s sketches, the lines seeming to flow from his pencil more easily, and darted off to pick up a quick lunch during his break. When he returned, a massive bouquet of flowers sat on his desk. Rukia, Ichigo and Orihime were all crowded around it, staring blankly at the explosion of colour.
Ishida felt the blood first drain from his face before returning with a vengeance. He slowly trekked the last few stairs and shuffled over to them.
“Uh…”
“Ishida-kun, do you know who sent you these?” Orihime asked curiously, peering over the plastic wrapping. “They’re very pretty.”
“I…”
”Oh, there’s a little card! Ichigo, read it.”
The orange haired boy rolled his eyes at the short girl beside him but plucked the card off its plastic holder anyways. “You do realize that there’s a nicer way to ask.”
Rukia simply stared at him expectantly until he yanked the card out of the envelope with a noise of exasperation.
“Okay, okay. It says:
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Your kisses are like honey,
And I bet you taste like it too.
P.S. Actually, they tasted like mint, thanks to the little candies from the restaurant.”
A heavy, uncomfortable silence settled over the group of four. Ishida idly wondered if his face would have been able to blend in with a fire hydrant at that moment. A quiet cough broke them away from staring at the blushing boy.
“…so, Ishida-san. Who are these from?” Rukia asked, concentrating hard on keeping her gaze on the flowers.
“Oh, there’s a signature here,” Ichigo added. Glancing at the name, he shrugged and slotted the card back into its plastic holder. “Someone named ‘Urahara’?”
“Urahara? That name sounds familiar.” The raven-haired designer tapped her chin thoughtfully before her eyes brightened in remembrance. “Ah! Urahara Kisuke! I remember him, he was at the show.”
Another silence fell over the group as Ishida shifted nervously.
“‘Him’?”
“Ohh, Ishida-kun likes boys?” Orihime asked brightly, smiling while she tilted forward curiously. “I like boys too!”
“Er, thank you, Inoue-san. And well, I… I do like him…” he trailed off quietly, his face growing an even darker shade of red.
“That’s so cute!” Rukia grinned. A voice called for her help and she huffed a little, turning to leave. “You will explain yourself in more detail later.”
The phone rang in the other room as well and Orihime skipped off. “I’ll get it~”
Ishida shuffled forward to stroke the flower petals lightly, feeling a little touched that Urahara had bothered to send them. He almost didn’t notice that Ichigo was still there, smirking faintly at him.
“So you have a boyfriend, Ishida?”
Behind the glasses, eyes narrowed slightly. “What? There’s nothing wrong with that.”
The orange-haired boy lifted his hands in a placating gesture, laughing a little. “Calm down! I didn’t say there was. Besides, it doesn’t make a difference to me. You’ll still be the smart-ass who beat me on every test.”
“That’s because you rarely studied.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Ichigo snorted, crossing his arms. Orihime bounded into the room then, one hand covering the mouthpiece of the phone.
“Ishida-kun! It’s for you - I think it’s Urahara-san.” The girl held out the phone with a big smile before heading off to her work table again. Ichigo merely smirked at him once more before wandering off to find Rukia.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Ishida-san! Do you like the flowers?”
“They’re very lovely but uh, about the card…”
“Oh~ Did you like my poem?” The dark-haired boy could practically hear the sly grin in the voice as its tone shifted lower. “I do plan on finding out, you know.”
What?! Ishida’s face flamed as he stood there with the phone pressed to his ear, mouth moving but no sound managing to come out. He needed to sit down.
“Well, that wasn’t the only reason why I called,” Urahara said brightly, seemingly oblivious to the lack of response on the other end. “I wanted to know if you would be willing to join me for dinner more often.”
The young designer struggled to find his voice and forced out a reply of, “When?” He didn’t think that was quite what he meant to say but Urahara still appeared to understand.
“Well, I was thinking tonight and tomorrow… and Wednesday… and Thursday…” His voice trailed off into an obvious grin.
A smile crept onto Ishida’s face as the days were listed off. “There aren’t enough days in the week then.”
“I’ll come get you after work?”
“I’ll be waiting.”
“See you then, Ishida-san~”
“Bye, Urahara-san.”
~~~
Medical Operations Department, otherwise known as MOD.
The large research building sat nearly at the heart of the city with busy roads surrounding it. It had grown drastically in the past ten years, two massive additional wings and a third still in construction. Hundreds of scientists were employed and practically lived in the building offices which covered the first, second and third floors. The next three floors were reserved for the patients, those who had volunteered to test the latest cures produced by the company.
From the public view, the things MOD achieved were miracles and they were grateful to have such a place. People were cured and sent back into life through the glass doors, all due to the hard work of all the scientists.
On the inside, things were very different.
Certainly, patients were cured while others remained, still hoping for a medication that would work for them. But it all came at a price. To receive treatment, to remain in the building during treatment, to stay alive when a treatment went wrong… they all required payment. If they could no longer afford the services provided, they were ordered to leave. Naturally, this meant that the majority of patients were wealthy or if not wealthy, providing their entire life savings in hopes of living. MOD was staying far away from doing things for the “sake of research”.
The scientists were indeed very dedicated to their work but only in fear of keeping their jobs… and their lives. Staff members who grew sloppy or those who showed signs of wanting to leave were plucked away from their coworkers and sent to the basement levels.
There were four floors underneath the building, all devoted to a much darker purpose. The President of MOD controlled the workings on these floors personally. Experiments were done here and they had nothing to do with cures. The workers sent to these lower floors were forced to become test subjects because they had no choice. Within twenty-four hours, their very existence was erased from the rest of the world - identification gone, memories of all friends and families erased - and there would be no one to save them.
All of the workers learned they were trapped by the time their first day of work was over. They also learned to fear the President.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri.
From a distance, he seemed like a normal, well-mannered businessman. His hair was an odd shade of grey, almost blue in appearance. But one look at his eyes made anyone suspect his sanity.
He had a daughter who, although attractive and soft-spoken, the staff grew to fear as well. Kurotsuchi Nemu. She was always sent to retrieve the doomed scientists and hearts stopped in fear whenever she stepped into a room.
Nemu was currently going to deliver the news to a middle-aged worker on the third floor. Two security guards followed her - there was always a struggle. Opening the door to room 328, there was a moment’s pause before a dead silence blanketed the people inside, all of them freezing at their work tables. She let her eyes drift before focusing on a weary-looking man named Yamamoto Kenji. He had been with MOD for five years but now, his work was slipping and Mayuri wanted him out.
Her heels clicked as she walked into the room and she cleared her throat quietly. “Yamamoto Kenji. You are to proceed to basement level two.”
Nemu’s face remained blank as a low, keening wail tore out of the man and stepped aside for the two guards. Taking a firm hold, they nodded to her and she led the way out to the elevators. It was here that they parted ways, as she stepped into one elevator and the others took the adjacent one to the basement. Nemu watched the numbers rise impassively, moving precisely at the moment the doors opened onto the seventh floor.
She made her way down the short hallway towards the large oak doors and knocked sharply.
“Enter.”
Striding inside, Nemu moved to stand before her father’s desk and bowed.
“Is he gone?”
“Yes, Kurotsuchi-sama.”
“Good. Although that totals to five already and it’s only Monday. We’ll need to start hiring people at this rate.” Mayuri’s voice was raspy and managed to cause everyone to shiver except Nemu. “Write up a job posting and send it out next week.”
“Yes, Kurotsuchi-sama.”
“Also, I’ve been hearing rumours of a certain someone in the city. Find out if they’re true.”
“Yes, Kurotsuchi-sama.”
An eerie smile slid across his face. “If they are true, things are going to get interesting.”
~~~
Urahara stood on the patio attached to his penthouse suite, leaning against the railing as he stared down at the city. Letting the breeze blow past him, his mind wandered before finally settling on something that had been bothering him for quite some time. He turned to walk back inside and picked up his cell phone, flipping it open in an easy motion. Settling down onto a couch, he idly counted the rings.
One… two…
“Hello?”
“Yoruichi-san, there’s something I need you to do for me.”
“…is it illegal?”
Urahara let out a short laugh. “I don’t believe so.”
“I was hoping for a more confident answer than that but I suppose it’ll have to do. So what is it?”
“I need you to research something. Or someone to be exact.”
“Ishida Uryuu?”
“Yes,” he replied. “I hate to do it - it feels like I’m checking for a criminal record or something - but it’s not that. I have my suspicions but I need to be certain.”
“Are you sure it wouldn’t be better not to know, Kisuke?”
“No. No, I need to know this.”
“Okay, then,” Yoruichi sighed, “I’ll give you a call when I get all the information organized.”
“Thank you, Yoruichi-san. You know I appreciate it.”
“Yes, yes. I’ll talk to you later.”
With that she hung up and Urahara slowly flipped his phone closed. He stared blankly at the coffee table in front of him, dangling the tiny electronic device between his fingers. Tilting his head back to rest against the top of the couch, he hoped the research wouldn’t take long.
~~~
A tall, pale-haired man stepped off the train into a bustling crowd of people. Adjusting his glasses, he gripped his luggage and made his way out of the station to call a taxi. After a short detour to drop off his suitcases at a hotel, the cab continued on towards the hospital. Paying the driver, he walked through the sliding doors and stood before the receptionist.
“Can I help you?”
“Ishida Ryuuken. This hospital’s new director if I’m not mistaken.”
“Oh!” The girl’s eyes widened in surprise, hastily picking up the phone. “They’re waiting for you upstairs on the eighth floor. Room 801. I’ll page them to let them know you’re coming.”
Merely nodding at her, Ryuuken stepped into an elevator and waited for it to arrive at his floor. He was introduced to the other department heads, followed by a long meeting in which details were explained. By the time he sat down in his office, many hours had passed and the sun had begun to set.
It had been three years since he had last been in this city. Intending to start a medical company on his own in one of the neighbouring cities, instead he joined the staff of their hospital. Upon reaching the highest level of administration, he received an offer back in this city, as their hospital director was retiring by the end of the month. So here he was.
Ryuuken stood before his office window, hands clasped behind his back as he observed the city calmly. The city had grown quite a bit, buildings towering over the streets being fixed to accommodate more lanes. He had noticed that MOD was still under construction but tried not to dwell on it. If he had no reason to, he would not get involved with anything to do with that company.
Finally, he let himself wonder on the whereabouts of his son. He would be twenty years old by now, assuming he had managed to survive on his own. Ryuuken smirked faintly. Uryuu was an Ishida, he would have found some way to make it through the years. If he was still in the city, perhaps they would meet someday.
But just like MOD, if he had no reason, he would not go searching for him. He would let him live however he liked as long as he wasn’t doing something stupid.
Turning back to his desk, Ryuuken sat down to begin the paperwork that awaited him.
A/N: Less fluff, more plot. XD I'm thinking some people may be able to guess what I have planned but we'll see. Mwahaha...
To Chapter 7
X-posted places
Rating: PG-13 for now.
Pairings: UraIshi
Summary: AU. Ishida has had a hard life. With the help of some friends, it finally looks like things are going to work out. When he meets a bizarre and cheerful man named Urahara Kisuke, the two are inexplicably drawn to each other. But when Ishida discovers the truth about Urahara's past and its ties to his own, difficulties arise.
Notes: I keep on forgetting to thank kirstian for her quick beta-read every time. XD
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the genius KT. ♥
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5
The following Monday, Ishida drifted into work, still feeling quite happy. He got ahead on converting Rukia’s sketches, the lines seeming to flow from his pencil more easily, and darted off to pick up a quick lunch during his break. When he returned, a massive bouquet of flowers sat on his desk. Rukia, Ichigo and Orihime were all crowded around it, staring blankly at the explosion of colour.
Ishida felt the blood first drain from his face before returning with a vengeance. He slowly trekked the last few stairs and shuffled over to them.
“Uh…”
“Ishida-kun, do you know who sent you these?” Orihime asked curiously, peering over the plastic wrapping. “They’re very pretty.”
“I…”
”Oh, there’s a little card! Ichigo, read it.”
The orange haired boy rolled his eyes at the short girl beside him but plucked the card off its plastic holder anyways. “You do realize that there’s a nicer way to ask.”
Rukia simply stared at him expectantly until he yanked the card out of the envelope with a noise of exasperation.
“Okay, okay. It says:
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Your kisses are like honey,
And I bet you taste like it too.
P.S. Actually, they tasted like mint, thanks to the little candies from the restaurant.”
A heavy, uncomfortable silence settled over the group of four. Ishida idly wondered if his face would have been able to blend in with a fire hydrant at that moment. A quiet cough broke them away from staring at the blushing boy.
“…so, Ishida-san. Who are these from?” Rukia asked, concentrating hard on keeping her gaze on the flowers.
“Oh, there’s a signature here,” Ichigo added. Glancing at the name, he shrugged and slotted the card back into its plastic holder. “Someone named ‘Urahara’?”
“Urahara? That name sounds familiar.” The raven-haired designer tapped her chin thoughtfully before her eyes brightened in remembrance. “Ah! Urahara Kisuke! I remember him, he was at the show.”
Another silence fell over the group as Ishida shifted nervously.
“‘Him’?”
“Ohh, Ishida-kun likes boys?” Orihime asked brightly, smiling while she tilted forward curiously. “I like boys too!”
“Er, thank you, Inoue-san. And well, I… I do like him…” he trailed off quietly, his face growing an even darker shade of red.
“That’s so cute!” Rukia grinned. A voice called for her help and she huffed a little, turning to leave. “You will explain yourself in more detail later.”
The phone rang in the other room as well and Orihime skipped off. “I’ll get it~”
Ishida shuffled forward to stroke the flower petals lightly, feeling a little touched that Urahara had bothered to send them. He almost didn’t notice that Ichigo was still there, smirking faintly at him.
“So you have a boyfriend, Ishida?”
Behind the glasses, eyes narrowed slightly. “What? There’s nothing wrong with that.”
The orange-haired boy lifted his hands in a placating gesture, laughing a little. “Calm down! I didn’t say there was. Besides, it doesn’t make a difference to me. You’ll still be the smart-ass who beat me on every test.”
“That’s because you rarely studied.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Ichigo snorted, crossing his arms. Orihime bounded into the room then, one hand covering the mouthpiece of the phone.
“Ishida-kun! It’s for you - I think it’s Urahara-san.” The girl held out the phone with a big smile before heading off to her work table again. Ichigo merely smirked at him once more before wandering off to find Rukia.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Ishida-san! Do you like the flowers?”
“They’re very lovely but uh, about the card…”
“Oh~ Did you like my poem?” The dark-haired boy could practically hear the sly grin in the voice as its tone shifted lower. “I do plan on finding out, you know.”
What?! Ishida’s face flamed as he stood there with the phone pressed to his ear, mouth moving but no sound managing to come out. He needed to sit down.
“Well, that wasn’t the only reason why I called,” Urahara said brightly, seemingly oblivious to the lack of response on the other end. “I wanted to know if you would be willing to join me for dinner more often.”
The young designer struggled to find his voice and forced out a reply of, “When?” He didn’t think that was quite what he meant to say but Urahara still appeared to understand.
“Well, I was thinking tonight and tomorrow… and Wednesday… and Thursday…” His voice trailed off into an obvious grin.
A smile crept onto Ishida’s face as the days were listed off. “There aren’t enough days in the week then.”
“I’ll come get you after work?”
“I’ll be waiting.”
“See you then, Ishida-san~”
“Bye, Urahara-san.”
~~~
Medical Operations Department, otherwise known as MOD.
The large research building sat nearly at the heart of the city with busy roads surrounding it. It had grown drastically in the past ten years, two massive additional wings and a third still in construction. Hundreds of scientists were employed and practically lived in the building offices which covered the first, second and third floors. The next three floors were reserved for the patients, those who had volunteered to test the latest cures produced by the company.
From the public view, the things MOD achieved were miracles and they were grateful to have such a place. People were cured and sent back into life through the glass doors, all due to the hard work of all the scientists.
On the inside, things were very different.
Certainly, patients were cured while others remained, still hoping for a medication that would work for them. But it all came at a price. To receive treatment, to remain in the building during treatment, to stay alive when a treatment went wrong… they all required payment. If they could no longer afford the services provided, they were ordered to leave. Naturally, this meant that the majority of patients were wealthy or if not wealthy, providing their entire life savings in hopes of living. MOD was staying far away from doing things for the “sake of research”.
The scientists were indeed very dedicated to their work but only in fear of keeping their jobs… and their lives. Staff members who grew sloppy or those who showed signs of wanting to leave were plucked away from their coworkers and sent to the basement levels.
There were four floors underneath the building, all devoted to a much darker purpose. The President of MOD controlled the workings on these floors personally. Experiments were done here and they had nothing to do with cures. The workers sent to these lower floors were forced to become test subjects because they had no choice. Within twenty-four hours, their very existence was erased from the rest of the world - identification gone, memories of all friends and families erased - and there would be no one to save them.
All of the workers learned they were trapped by the time their first day of work was over. They also learned to fear the President.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri.
From a distance, he seemed like a normal, well-mannered businessman. His hair was an odd shade of grey, almost blue in appearance. But one look at his eyes made anyone suspect his sanity.
He had a daughter who, although attractive and soft-spoken, the staff grew to fear as well. Kurotsuchi Nemu. She was always sent to retrieve the doomed scientists and hearts stopped in fear whenever she stepped into a room.
Nemu was currently going to deliver the news to a middle-aged worker on the third floor. Two security guards followed her - there was always a struggle. Opening the door to room 328, there was a moment’s pause before a dead silence blanketed the people inside, all of them freezing at their work tables. She let her eyes drift before focusing on a weary-looking man named Yamamoto Kenji. He had been with MOD for five years but now, his work was slipping and Mayuri wanted him out.
Her heels clicked as she walked into the room and she cleared her throat quietly. “Yamamoto Kenji. You are to proceed to basement level two.”
Nemu’s face remained blank as a low, keening wail tore out of the man and stepped aside for the two guards. Taking a firm hold, they nodded to her and she led the way out to the elevators. It was here that they parted ways, as she stepped into one elevator and the others took the adjacent one to the basement. Nemu watched the numbers rise impassively, moving precisely at the moment the doors opened onto the seventh floor.
She made her way down the short hallway towards the large oak doors and knocked sharply.
“Enter.”
Striding inside, Nemu moved to stand before her father’s desk and bowed.
“Is he gone?”
“Yes, Kurotsuchi-sama.”
“Good. Although that totals to five already and it’s only Monday. We’ll need to start hiring people at this rate.” Mayuri’s voice was raspy and managed to cause everyone to shiver except Nemu. “Write up a job posting and send it out next week.”
“Yes, Kurotsuchi-sama.”
“Also, I’ve been hearing rumours of a certain someone in the city. Find out if they’re true.”
“Yes, Kurotsuchi-sama.”
An eerie smile slid across his face. “If they are true, things are going to get interesting.”
~~~
Urahara stood on the patio attached to his penthouse suite, leaning against the railing as he stared down at the city. Letting the breeze blow past him, his mind wandered before finally settling on something that had been bothering him for quite some time. He turned to walk back inside and picked up his cell phone, flipping it open in an easy motion. Settling down onto a couch, he idly counted the rings.
One… two…
“Hello?”
“Yoruichi-san, there’s something I need you to do for me.”
“…is it illegal?”
Urahara let out a short laugh. “I don’t believe so.”
“I was hoping for a more confident answer than that but I suppose it’ll have to do. So what is it?”
“I need you to research something. Or someone to be exact.”
“Ishida Uryuu?”
“Yes,” he replied. “I hate to do it - it feels like I’m checking for a criminal record or something - but it’s not that. I have my suspicions but I need to be certain.”
“Are you sure it wouldn’t be better not to know, Kisuke?”
“No. No, I need to know this.”
“Okay, then,” Yoruichi sighed, “I’ll give you a call when I get all the information organized.”
“Thank you, Yoruichi-san. You know I appreciate it.”
“Yes, yes. I’ll talk to you later.”
With that she hung up and Urahara slowly flipped his phone closed. He stared blankly at the coffee table in front of him, dangling the tiny electronic device between his fingers. Tilting his head back to rest against the top of the couch, he hoped the research wouldn’t take long.
~~~
A tall, pale-haired man stepped off the train into a bustling crowd of people. Adjusting his glasses, he gripped his luggage and made his way out of the station to call a taxi. After a short detour to drop off his suitcases at a hotel, the cab continued on towards the hospital. Paying the driver, he walked through the sliding doors and stood before the receptionist.
“Can I help you?”
“Ishida Ryuuken. This hospital’s new director if I’m not mistaken.”
“Oh!” The girl’s eyes widened in surprise, hastily picking up the phone. “They’re waiting for you upstairs on the eighth floor. Room 801. I’ll page them to let them know you’re coming.”
Merely nodding at her, Ryuuken stepped into an elevator and waited for it to arrive at his floor. He was introduced to the other department heads, followed by a long meeting in which details were explained. By the time he sat down in his office, many hours had passed and the sun had begun to set.
It had been three years since he had last been in this city. Intending to start a medical company on his own in one of the neighbouring cities, instead he joined the staff of their hospital. Upon reaching the highest level of administration, he received an offer back in this city, as their hospital director was retiring by the end of the month. So here he was.
Ryuuken stood before his office window, hands clasped behind his back as he observed the city calmly. The city had grown quite a bit, buildings towering over the streets being fixed to accommodate more lanes. He had noticed that MOD was still under construction but tried not to dwell on it. If he had no reason to, he would not get involved with anything to do with that company.
Finally, he let himself wonder on the whereabouts of his son. He would be twenty years old by now, assuming he had managed to survive on his own. Ryuuken smirked faintly. Uryuu was an Ishida, he would have found some way to make it through the years. If he was still in the city, perhaps they would meet someday.
But just like MOD, if he had no reason, he would not go searching for him. He would let him live however he liked as long as he wasn’t doing something stupid.
Turning back to his desk, Ryuuken sat down to begin the paperwork that awaited him.
A/N: Less fluff, more plot. XD I'm thinking some people may be able to guess what I have planned but we'll see. Mwahaha...
To Chapter 7
X-posted places