Taking a deep breath, I felt the reishi, or should I say the Reimyaku or leylines, of the land and the air flowing through my form, feeling my spirit be strengthen with each breath as I calmed my mind and soothed my body.
'Inner peace~ Inner peace~'
"Are we supposed to do that too?" Unfortunately, my peace was disturbed and I sighed as I looked back at Karin, who stood behind me with her arms crossed while an excited Yuzu rolled on her heels with a happy smile.
"If you want to, you can."
"But what does it do?"
"It will grant you the ability to manipulate your spiritual energy by staying calm despite the situation you are in."
"Hmm…what should we focus on while doing it?"
"Just anything that calms you down." I spoke as I continued taking deep breaths from my seated position, feeling the Reimyaku flowing around and into my body.
"…Mr. Kanonji?"
"Yes, Yuzu?" I asked as I opened my eyes before raising an eyebrow at her sheepish look.
"I, uh…I never had this powers so what do I do with them now?"
"…Whatever you want." I spoke with a shrug and she blinked as Karin snorted.
"I…I don't understand."
"Do whatever you want. If you want to bully the kids at your school or you want to finish your chores earlier or you want to save the innocent and help the weak, you do it. No one, not even I, can dictate and tell you what to do with your powers."
"Wha…what if I wanted to be like you?"
"A dashing exorcist extraordinaire?" I asked with a smirk and she giggled at my words as she nodded, to which I hummed before turning to Karin who gave us a bored look.
Yet, I simply rose an eyebrow at her and she blushed slightly in embarrassment as she couldn't help the curious gaze in her eyes.
"I wouldn't mind teaching you, but I know it's going to be a harsh time. Are you sure?"
"Y-Yeah, if…If I get to be like you or Big Brother Ichi, then I want to do it."
"What of you? You want to do your own thing or learn too?" I asked as I looked at Karin and rolled my eyes while Yuzu giggled as Karin cleared her throat and shrugged.
"I mean, if I have no other choice…"
"You do have other choices." I interrupted and chuckled as she glared at me before huffing.
"Fine~ Can I learn with Yuzu?"
"Why, of course you can, Karin~ Now before we do anything…I'm going to need to see your parents."
"Why?" Karin asked with a frown and I shrugged as I stood up.
"If I'm going to train you two to be powerful enough to exorcise Hollows, I'm going to need to see your parents in case they get mad at me for doing so."
"…Fine, we can go meet goat-chin."
"Stop calling Dad goat-chin." Yuzu grumbled as Karin stood up and I smirked as the twins began arguing while we walked over to where they said their dad was waiting at a cafe.
Time to meet the Kurosaki Patriarch.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
'Damn, I can sense practically nothing from him.' I thought with a mental frown as I followed Karin and Yuzu towards where I saw Isshin Kurosaki sipping at a cup of coffee, a bit cautious as I couldn't even sense the usual spirit energy that I could from the average person I passed.
I know that he only recovered his spiritual energy after the Soul Society incident and that he had lost in it some way, but as I focused on his energy, I felt nothing but a dark void in his soul.
I could feel that void fading away by a millimeter at random times, but here I thought that he would at least have the average spiritual energy of a normal soul by now.
"Dad!"
"Hello, Yuzu~!" I blinked as I watched the man hug his giggling daughter and rub his beard against her before turning to Karin as she stood with her arms crossed.
"I'm guessing that's normal?"
"Yep."
"You don't want to be a part of it?"
"Nope."
"I say you should at least give him a hug. You don't know when you might never get the chance to do so again." I know that I was manipulating a young girl to feel a bit guilty for her dad, but I'd rather her be more affectionate towards her dad instead of her regretting it at a later stage in her life.
I know I did with my mom.
"…I guess it wouldn't hurt." She grumbled before glaring at me as I smirked and pushed her towards him, standing a bit away and watching with a smirk as a blushing and glaring Karin hugged her surprised dad.
The man looked at me before giving me a thankful smile as I shrugged, but the moment didn't last long and I chuckled a bit as he swayed with her from side to side for a bit right before she pulled herself free.
"Nope, never again."
"I'll cherish that moment forever~!"
"I believe you might want to calm down a bit there, Mr. Kurosaki." I spoke up while gesturing with my head towards the other people here and the man gave a sheepish smile as he nodded apologetically to them.
"Why don't you two get us some coffees while Mr. Kanonji and I have a chat?"
"Black coffee, no milk and one sugar, please" I spoke up and Yuzu smiled happily as she nodded before dragging Karin along with her, Isshin waiting until the two of them were inside the shop.
A moment later, I couldn't help my smirk as the man's demeanour shifted entirely, the jovial look in his eyes being replaced by a comforting yet stern gaze while he stopped slouching and sat up straight.
"There's the Shinigami I've been wanting to meet. Do they know?"
"No and they won't find out anytime soon." He added as a warning and I nodded.
"I understand. I'm guessing this Gigai you're in is to hide away your spiritual energy or at least suppress it for another purpose since I can't feel any of it inside of you, right?"
"…Urahara was right. You are one observant guy."
"Blonde guy with a cane, a fan and a bucket hat that also likes to talk in riddles?" I asked and he let out a soft chuckle at my description before nodding as his body relaxed.
"Sorry about the whole interrogation thing. The only things I have to remember of my wife are them and Ichigo so I'm very protective of them as you can see."
"Oh, I do. So, I assume you know why I'm here, right?"
"I've heard their little discussion last night so yes, I do know."
"And?" I asked, not surprised to see the man sigh as he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.
"That depends. Are you training them because you want to or because you need them for something?"
"Because the oldest twin decided to come ask me if I could teach her what I do. She then brought the younger one and I opened up their valves. However, that's all I've done as I wanted your permission before I teach them anything dangerous."
"Hah, I thank you at least for coming to me instead of just teaching them willy-nilly."
"My pleasure. So, what's the answer before the girls come back to try and influence your decision?" I asked with a smirk and we both chuckled as he nodded before smiling.
"I consent to their training, but if I can ask one thing, please just…take it slow with them. Stall as much as you can in training them in the higher-level stuff and make sure they don't partake in any kind of fighting if possible."
"That won't be any problem. Ah, here's my cup of coffee. I see you decided to sneak into the cake section before you two came back." I said with a smirk as I took the cup from Yuzu with a thankful nod, the girl in question blushing slightly as she looked down at her slice of chocolate cake.
"Yeah. Besides, goat-chin's paying so we thought it would be good to spoil ourselves." Karin said as she sat down with her own slice and Isshin blinked at her words before slowly turning to me as I shook my head.
"As thanks for letting me teach them, I'll pay for today."
"Nice~! Then, I'll go and get my own slice!"
"…Get me one too while you're there."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"You know, it's very rude to just intrude on someone's property without an invitation." I said to Urahara even as I didn't look up from the book that I was reading, to which the man snorted as he sat down on one of the chairs in front of my desk and made himself comfortable.
"Your assistant let me in."
"Oh? Decided to use a Gigai this time?" I asked as I closed the book and looked up at the amused smile the man gave me.
"You know a lot for a man that hasn't dealt with that many Shinigami, Mr. Kanonji."
"I do." I answered, the amusement and curiosity in his eyes growing as he chuckled and nodded.
"Not going to elaborate?"
"Don't feel the need to." I said with a simple shrug and he simply nodded with a hum as he leaned back against his seat.
"Very well. However, I am afraid to say that this is not a…friendly visit as one would say."
"I assumed so considering you came in a Gigai instead of just breaking through the walls like I was expecting."
"Haha~ I don't do that anymore, Mr. Kanonji."
"That tells me enough. So, what can I do for you, Urahara?" I asked and his eyes simply narrowed slightly at me with an amused look before he hid his smirk behind a fan and spoke.
"Recently, the friend of the son of a friend of mine was kidnapped by the Shinigami and this son now wishes to go rescue her along with his friends."
"You don't have to talk cryptically. Ichigo already told me everything."
"What~? Urgh, there goes all my fun~!" The man whined with his arms crossed and I rolled my eyes as I lifted the jewel orb around my neck and looked at it.
"Get to what you're here for, Mr. Urahara. I'd rather you not waste either of our time considering you probably have more things to do."
"You…would be right. So, like I was saying, Ms. Kuchiki was taken back to the Soul Society to be executed, but I do not feel that it's safe enough to just let Mr. Kurosaki and his friends storm in with no additional back-up."
"What's in it for me?" I asked immediately and he blinked at the question before snorting as he snapped his fan shut.
"What do you want?"
"Any research you have on how to condense the spiritual energy of souls together without disrupting the barrier between the souls, how to remove any impure energy from the soul itself and finally ways on how to remove objects sealed within souls."
"…Why would you need that research?" He asked with a confused look, but I snorted as I saw the flash of cautiousness in his eyes as I finished my request.
"Do not fear, Urahara. I am a scholar and figuring out new ways to remove the impure energy from Hollows to both purify the soul while also fuelling this thing." I said while letting the Hollow orb drop back and he kept his frown for a few moments before shrugging as he nodded.
"Very well. The second book I could get to you, but the first and the third books will have to take a while before I can get them for you."
"If you can't get either, I don't mind a few new books on Kido spells." I said and he simply looked amused as he shrugged.
"You sure you don't want them over the other books?"
"Only if you can't get the first books I mentioned and since I'm actually going to risk my life to make sure the kids get back safe, I'd appreciate it if you do the same."
"…Hah, very well. I will do my best to find those books before I try to find the other ones." The way he worded it made me wonder if he was actually going to look for them before I pushed it to the back of my head as I nodded.
"Then, we have a deal. When are the kids leaving?"
"In about eight days."
"That leaves eight days of refining my skills as well as help both Yuzu and Karin figure out how to manipulate their Reiryoku."
"No progress so far, huh?"
"I would ask why you are spying on us, but at the same time, you have no concept of privacy so I'll let you do as you please." I muttered as I stood up, to which he did with an amused smile before blinking as I held a hand out.
"Deals are usually sealed with a handshake."
"Hmm, a gentleman, eh?" Urahara asked with a smirk even as he shook my hand and I rolled my eyes as I shrugged and escorted him towards the front door.
"Always. Now, time for you to leave so I can start training."
"Of course, of course. Thank you for accepting my offer, Mr. Kanonji~! It was nice meeting you, Nakamura~!"
"You as well, sir!" I smirked at Nakamura bowing his head slightly as Urahara walked out the front door, closing it behind me before shaking my head with a sigh as Nakamura smiled amusedly.
"Got a new request, sir?"
"I do and I want to reject it, but the reward is too tantalizing to do so. Hah, I guess a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do."
"Want me to cancel any of your appointments?" He asked as I began walking towards the back door in the kitchen, to which I stopped in my tracks and frowned slightly in thought for a brief moment before nodding.
"All appointments up until August 20th. Also…get me more straw men and buckets of sands. It appears I may need to start taking my training serious."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
'He's quite the enigma.' Urahara thought with a sigh as he sat at the coffee table inside his room, staring mindlessly at the wall in front of him while thinking of the new 'friend' he had made.
Well, more of an associate if one looks at it through the eyes of Mr. Kanonji, but he'd like to believe that the two of them are quite close friends.
"Yen for your thought, Mr. Urahara?" A tall muscular man dressed in a dark grey overall with a white shirt and boots asked with a hum as he stood besides Urahara, having a thick moustache above his upper lip and wearing a pair of rectangular glasses that hid his eyes from view.
"Just simple thoughts I've been having about my new friend."
"You mean the man who manipulates the Reimyaku, sir? May I ask if you found out just how he's able to do so?"
"I've tried to figure it out, but the man's very hard to figure out and even harder to examine. Trying to sense his soul through the usual method doesn't work with the Hollow Reiryoku he keeps on him at all times and that's not mentioning the fact that his soul is constantly linked to the Reimyaku of the Human Realm."
"That…would be impossible, sir. No human soul is capable of doing so." Tessai spoke with a frown and Urahara shrugged as he took a sip from the cold tea in front of him.
"That is what I'm saying. It appears that Mr. Kanonji is hiding more than we thought, but that's not all. He's also asked for books on how to safely condense souls into one, how to remove impure energy from a soul and how to safely remove objects sealed within a soul. Ring any bells?" Tessai's eyes widened ever so slightly for a brief moment at Urahara's words before his face went back to its usual stoic look.
"That…Impossible. No one knows of what you did other than myself and Yoruichi."
"And I didn't tell anyone." The black cat sitting on the window sill spoke up in a gruff tone as it leapt down, to which Urahara sighed as he placed his fan down and nodded.
"There's no one I trust more than you two, so I know it wasn't you two who told him."
"Then, how did he learn of the Hogyoku as well as where you hid it and the methods needed to safely remove it?" Tessai asked and Urahara frowned as he looked at his black coffee.
"That's the part I'm worried about." Urahara muttered before shaking his head as he finished off his coffee in one gulp and took a deep breath.
"It doesn't matter, though. I can tell he doesn't intent on going back on our deal to keep the kids safe."
"And if he's the same as Aizen?" Yoruichi asked and Urahara smiled before shrugging as he picked p his fan.
"Then we do what we plan to do to Aizen: make sure he doesn't become a threat to the Three Realms by any means needed."
A/N: And Urahara is slowly trying to figure out the puzzle as Don Kanonji trains for his trip to the Soul Society.
Like I said, the Don has his own plans in mind for the Soul Society, but he will also have his own foe to fight in the arc.
I just need to figure out who it's going to be.
Unlike with Devilish Gaming, next chapter is going to be our entry into the Soul Society so no need to worry about me stalling for another chapter or so.
Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories & even some that haven't been released out to this site yet. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next chapter,
Ba-Bye~!