Ichigo sat cross-legged in the center of the living room. It was early and most of the household was still asleep except for the redhead and the two animals sitting in front of him. The Two-Tailed Beast, Matatabi, currently using the alias "Unicorn" while living in the Kurosaki home, looked simultaneously interested and disinterested in the way only cats could. On the other hand, the Three-Tailed Beast, Isobu a.k.a. Sandy, was watching Ichigo intently. The river and the other turtles had been peaceful but very boring, and Naruto's cousin was anything but.
"We need to talk about Kon," said Ichigo firmly.
He didn't miss the way Matatabi bristled. The cat-like biju knew she was in trouble. Isobu and Kon both got along fairly well. The turtle was territorial of his space, but Kon wasn't fond of getting wet, so they talked some but rarely interacted directly. Matatabi was the one terrorizing Kon if he wasn't with Ichigo or the twins.
"I know he's fun to chase and Kon likes to run around," said Ichigo. "It's once you catch him that's the problem."
The Nibi hunched her shoulders. Ichigo winced slightly as the cat's voice echoed in his head. Matabi and Isobu could speak aloud, but they sounded like their larger selves when they tried. It would be a dead giveaway for any listening shinobi, so they defaulted to telepathy the majority of the time.
"I know it doesn't hurt him," said Ichigo. "But sewing him up all the time is inconvenient, and Yuzu isn't as good at it as Ishida either."
"He could fight back," suggested Isobu raising his head.
Matatabi flicked her tail. "Yeah, a little back-and-forth could be fun."
"You cannot expect me to believe that Kon could do any damage to either of you, even when you're like this," said Ichigo flatly. "And Kon won't fight anyway."
"Even male lions fight each other!" protested Matatabi. "It's not like I'm really a girl. Just Yugito was, and I was in her last."
Ichigo sighed and tugged at his hair. "It doesn't have anything to do with that."
"Can you really blame him? I don't want to fight her either," said Isobu.
Matatabi flattened her ears and hissed at Isobu. "That's because turtles are boring."
"No fighting," said Ichigo. "I like this building, and I don't want to explain what happened to it."
Cat and turtle huffed and looked away. Ichigo sighed and studied the biju. He knew what they were supposed to look like. He had heard descriptions of Kurama and seen the lasting damage done to the village on the day of Naruto's birth. Sometimes, it was hard to remember that these two were centuries-old beings of incredible power. Then again, he had a problem remembering the same about the shinigami from home.
"Listen, I'll tell you why Kon doesn't like to fight, but I don't want you to ask him about it because it's very upsetting, okay?" said Ichigo.
The Nibi and the Sanbi nodded vigorously. Ichigo gave them a brief description of gikon, gigai, and how shinigami used them before launching into Kon's personal history, including Project Spearhead and the fate of virtually every modsoul.
"Soul Pills are designed to be able to mimic humans and to do that they have to possess feelings," said Ichigo. "Even though they weren't "real" souls, Soul Society approved the genocide of what was essentially a group of people they had created in the first place. Kon is probably the only survivor, and that was mostly luck on his part. Ever since, Kon has hated the idea of killing, even Hollows, and he doesn't like fighting very much either because he knows what it's like to fear for your life and be unable to do anything about it."
Matatabi had hunkered down and wrapped her tail around her paws for warmth. Isobu looked like he wanted to do something similar but had settled for partially withdrawing into his shell.
"That's sad," he said quietly. Even his mental voice was subdued.
"When humans treated us like beasts, we just killed them. I guess not fighting is harder sometimes," added Matatabi.
"Kon will fight, if he can, if someone else is trouble, but he won't kill, and he won't fight back if you catch him," said Ichigo. "He is very good at running though. He enhances the leg-strength of whatever body he's in three-fold, so you can probably work out something to do if you're bored. I think he was looking at board games or something, since Isobu isn't great with cards."
"They melt," said Isobu sadly.
"Or catch on fire," lamented Matatabi.
"I like Mahjong!" said Isobu. "But we need four players for that."
Ichigo frowned in contemplation. "I think Yuzu said something about one of Kakashi's dogs? We'll work something out." He shook his head. "We can worry about it later. Now, today all three of us are going to practice hirenkyaku. I know Karin and Yuzu have been showing you guys how to control your reiatsu, would you like to see what can be done with it?"
Matatabi's ears perked up and her tail started twitching like a wind-shield wiper. Isobu bobbed his head up and down enthusiastically.
"Yes!"
-0-0-0-0-0-
Karin hit the ground with a bang. She flipped onto her back and glared at the sky. It looked peaceful and calm, but there were hazards hidden in every step.
Karin had hoped Ichigo was joking about making them practice hirenkyaku this morning, but he had freaked out when he learned shinobi didn't have any sort of air-walking technique and only pointed arguments from Yuzu had kept them out of the field the minute he got home. That hadn't stopped him from dragging them all out of bed this morning and reviewing the basics of God Step before starting his own practice. Karin, at least, had managed to get into the air after a few hours of practice. Yuzu wasn't having quite as much luck.
A familiar head of silver hair appeared in her line of sight. "What are you doing?" asked Kakashi.
"Collecting bruises," groaned Karin.
"A frequent pastime of shinobi everywhere," said their jounin-minder.
Karin sighed and pushed herself off the ground. "I assume you know about Ichi-nii's stunt with Kurenai on the way back from the Exams."
Ninja, she had learned, were horrible gossips. She had thought she might not have to deal with that sort of thing in a hospital full of medic-nin, but it only meant the chatter was double what she heard from nurses back in Karakura. Kakashi had no doubt heard a dozen versions of the story, and at least one straight from the source. She eyed him curiously and decided it was weird the way he smiled beneath his mask like that.
"I heard something about using a Quincy technique to fly."
He and Karin simultaneously looked up where Ichigo was hovering above the training ground. Then they looked at each other.
"I guess you could call it that," said Karin.
Yuzu let out a little shriek and tripped head over heels. She tumbled across the dirt and landed in an undignified heap. Luckily, her training outfit was mostly gray and green; Karin didn't think most of those grass-stains would come out.
"What are you trying to do?" amended Kakashi frowning in Yuzu's direction.
"Hirenkyaku is a high-speed movement technique sort of like Body Flicker," said Karin. It wasn't as if Kakashi didn't know most of this stuff, and Yuzu had been answering most of his questions anyway. Karin was pretty sure he was closest to figuring out their secret, or he would be if children of a shinigami from another dimension ever became a reasonable guess.
"A Quincy gathers spirit particles beneath his or her feet and uses them to boost his or her natural speed," continued Karin. "Someone who is really good can move faster than with shunpo or sonido, those are the shinigami and Hollow versions."
"And how does that lead to flying?" asked Kakashi.
Karin pointed up. "See that white disc under Ichigo's feet?"
"I do," said Kakashi.
"That's made up of reishi. Quincy can collect spirit particles anywhere, including the middle of the air, and solidify them. It might look like he's flying, but he's really moving from the platform or sometimes from platform to platform," said Karin.
"That sounds similar to the technique the Yondaime Kazekage uses," said Kakashi thoughtfully. "He infuses sand with chakra, but I'm not sure if it's as fast as shunshin."
There was a splash and a wail as Yuzu took a header into the lake. Ichigo swooped down from his perch to investigate. Sandy, who had been sunning himself with Unicorn in that area, directed the resulting wave back into the lake accidentally soaking Yuzu again. At least this explained Kon's desire to stay away until they improved. She wondered how long it had taken Ichigo to get it right. He used to have a lot of trouble controlling his reiatsu.
"I take it you and Yuzu aren't quite there yet," said Kakashi sounding amused.
Karin shook her head. They obviously were not. "I can enhance my speed, but I can't stay in the air very long. Yuzu's still having trouble with the first part. Ichigo's actually training too. He's trying to stabilize the platform so he can carry someone else."
"Is that possible?" asked Kakashi. She could almost see the practical uses mapping themselves out in his brain.
Karin shrugged. Ichigo said it was possible, so it probably was for him. "Ishida did it for Orihime in Hueco Mundo, but he's been training as a Quincy forever. And there's a lot of reishi there."
"And there isn't much reishi here?" asked Kakashi. He wasn't entirely sure what it was yet, and Karin could still tell he was worried about Konoha not having enough.
"Nope," said Karin. "There's some, but it's not as strong as what we had in Karakura and it does weird things sometimes."
Kakashi tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
Karin sighed and stood up. Using hirenkyaku, it only took two steps to reach the three wooden posts at the end of the training ground. On the trip back, she tried collecting the energy in the air again. It took five steps for her to cover the same distance that way, and on the fifth step, the reishi exploded in a burst of red light knocking her off balance.
Karin crashed to dirt with a groan. At least, she was able to try out all those falls Iruka-sensei showed them in taijutsu practice. She was just standing up again when Yuzu, making yet another attempt at crossing the training grounds, ran into her and knocked them both into the ground.
"A vivid demonstration," said Kakashi peering down at them. "But I still don't understand the problem."
"The reishi around here is explosive," said Karin with a sigh. Thanks to Yuzu's dip in the lake, they were both covered in mud. "It's such a pain."
"Ichigo doesn't seem to be having a problem," said Kakashi.
Yuzu rolled off of Karin's back but didn't try to stand. "That's because Ichi-nii is a cheater. He's mostly using his own spiritual power instead of the natural spirit particles."
"Can't you do that?" asked Kakashi.
"No," said Karin flatly. She didn't try to move either. They had been at this for almost four hours. Using her spiritual powers constantly was almost as exhausting as constantly picking herself off the ground. She honestly didn't know how Ichigo did it.
"It's like patting your head and rubbing your belly at the same time," explained Yuzu. "It's not impossible, but you have to concentrate really hard to get it right. Neither of us have enough spiritual power to use that method very long anyway."
Ichigo floated down from the sky. "Are you guys ready for a break?"
Karin dropped her head into the grass. "What was your first clue?"
"What's wrong with the spirit particles in Konoha?" asked Kakashi.
Ichigo looked out over the village. "Karakura Town is special. The land there generates spirit particles. That's why Quincy moved into the area in the first place. Konoha has an above-average amount of spirit particles, but they're mostly leftover from the Nine-Tails attack."
"What?" asked Kakashi sharply.
Karin looked up in surprise. Their shinobi protector looked dangerous for a change instead of his usual laid-back self. Karin might have actually been afraid if Ichigo hadn't been standing right there.
Ichigo held up a placating hand. "We talked about this already, remember? The areas of the village that no one can enter because they go crazy if they stay too long?"
"Yes," said Kakashi practically growling. "I remember. But I thought that that bad atmosphere was limited to those areas of the village."
"Spirit particles," said Ichigo. "They can form solid constructs, but otherwise they float around. The wards your priests put up keep most of that energy contained anyway. It can't hurt anyone who doesn't enter those areas."
"You got that close?" asked Kakashi. He was still tense but not as much as before. "When?"
"It was before I got kidnapped that first time," said Ichigo. "I wasn't sleeping too well and the guards weren't that attentive. I wandered all over the place. It's not like I broke the wards or anything. Like attracts like. All that energy would probably go after Naruto or maybe Yuzu and Karin."
"Or you?" asked Kakashi finally reverting back to his normal teasing self.
Ichigo shrugged. "Maybe. I have a lot more resistance though. It wouldn't have been an issue either way."
Karin huffed and nudged Yuzu. "Ichigo's being a moron again."
Yuzu wrinkled her nose. "I'm sure if Ichigo says he'd be fine, then he'd be fine." The air became oppressively heavy. "But you wouldn't do something so reckless like fight off the accumulated rage of a Tailed-Beast, would you brother?"
"I said I wouldn't!" protested Ichigo.
"And since we've been practicing so hard, you'll definitely let us go, so we can clean up in time for dinner at the Hyuugas, right, brother?" asked Yuzu.
Ichigo blanched. "Er…"
"Right, brother?" pressed Yuzu.
Ichigo sighed. "Fine. But you need to keep practicing."
"Yes," groaned Karin. "But not now."
She wobbled to her feet and walked over to edge of the pond where Sandy and Unicorn were lying in the sun. Both biju had expressed interest in watching them practice. She doubted they had expected such an entertaining slapstick comedy routine as the Kurosaki Twins injure themselves repeatedly.
Sandy eyed her warily when she stuck out a hand.
"I won't drop you," said Karin. "I promise."
The turtle climbed onto her hand. Real turtles didn't like to be carried or played with at all. Isobu didn't have much interest in playing, but he didn't mind being carried around every once in a while to check-out the sights of Konoha. That suited Karin's low-key personality just fine.
Sandy wiggled his tail—he usually only had one in this form though he could sprout two additional tiny tails if he felt like it—and a small whirlpool formed briefly at the edge of the pond. Karin checked her chakra reserves and found they were low, not depleted by any means and not as low as her level of spirit energy, but she didn't think she could focus enough to practice jutsu anyway.
"I think we'll have to come back," she told him.
Sandy raised and lowered his front half, the turtle equivalent of a shrug she had been assured, and settled down for the trip back to the apartment. Mentally, Karin despaired of the long walk back to the apartment. She was used to bruises from soccer practice and taijutsu practice and the rare occasions when her father landed a hit with his morning wake-up calls, but she had never exhausted her reiastu at the same time before.
"Karin!" called Yuzu.
Karin looked up. Her sister was clinging to Ichigo's back, Unicorn was sitting on his head, and her brother was holding out an arm.
"I can extended the platform if you stand close enough," said Ichigo. "So how about a ride?"
"Yes, please," said Karin.
She took Ichigo's arm and plastered herself to his side. After a split second decision, she set Sandy on Ichigo's shoulder and grabbed hold with both hands. She didn't want to fall if Ichigo misjudged in own ability.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," muttered Ichigo.
"Hey, even if you do see ghosts, it doesn't mean they're really there," answered Karin.
Ichigo snorted and lifted them into the air. "I can't believe you're still saying that."
"You're the one studying with a genjutsu master," said Karin. "Don't go around trying to fool yourself."
Ichigo suddenly tipped backward as Yuzu unexpectedly took a handoff his shoulder to wave good-bye to Kakashi. Unicorn, Sandy, and Karin all dug their claws and fingers into Ichigo.
Ichigo yelped and righted himself. "Yuzu!"
"Sorry, Ichi-nii."
Ichigo rolled his eyes and leaned forward. They zoomed away from the training ground. Karin grinned. Maybe it wasn't exactly flying, but it was pretty close. The bruises would be worth it once she could do it too.
-0-0-0-0-0-
Hiashi surveyed his guests with an expressionless face. His own daughters and nephew were familiar enough though Neji's wife was unfortunately less so. Tenten had spent a great deal of time at the compound before their marriage, and Hiashi felt mildly disappointed with his Clan that they were no longer so welcoming.
Kurenai and her daughter were a frequent guests of Hinata, and Konohamaru often visited the house to practice with Hanabi—or argue with Hanabi as usually happened. Naruto came and went sometimes on official business from the Hokage and sometimes to chat with Hinata.
The true stand-outs were the three Kurosaki siblings. The light-haired twin, Yuzu, chattered away with Hinata about some aspect of food preparation. Truly, his daughter was the only member of the Main House to express interest in such things, but she was enjoying the conversation, which was enough for Hiashi. The darker twin, Karin, had spoken little but was listening intently to one of Konohamaru and Hanabi's livelier exchanges.
Ichigo had exchanged greetings with everyone and complimented Hinata on the food and said almost nothing else since. Hiashi recalled that he had done the same at their last gathering and only once questioned by Hinata did he start participating. Neither girl seemed particularly bothered by his behavior, so Hiashi suspected it was Ichigo's usual routine.
His gaze drifted to the empty space at Ichigo's back. The redhead had chosen not to bring Zangetsu with him this time instead choosing the bokken he had used during the Chunin Exams. Hiashi kept his face clear, even as he recalled the unfortunate events of his last encounter with the weapon.
Zangetsu had been so light. It was hard to believe it was a weapon that could easily cut through a shinobi. When Hiashi had said as much, the sword became so heavy so fast he had no hope of holding it up. It wasn't just weight either. There had been a feeling of rage emanating from the blade like it had a mind of its own. Hiashi had bruises on his hands and thighs from struggling to keep the sharp edge away from his body. Then Ichigo had lifted Zangetsu away like it still weighed nothing. Perhaps Samehada, the sentient sword currently wielded by Killer B, could choose to attack or not attack its holder, but Hiashi had never heard of another such weapon.
Ultimately, it made Hiashi all the more curious about the land the Kurosakis had come from. Not even the Wandering Sage Jiraiya had traveled beyond the borders of Elemental Countries. Hiashi had consulted the Hyuuga Elders, and though information from the Warring States Period and earlier was lacking in detail, most records agreed that the lands beyond the Elemental Countries were empty of life. There was certainly no trade from that quarter from any of the Elemental Countries.
Given recent discoveries about the history of their people, it was possible that humans in those areas had annihilated themselves in their constant wars or been annihilated by the Rabbit Goddess. If there were survivors, as the Kurosakis' presence seemed to indicate, then it was possible they had never been visited by the Sage of Six Paths and never learned the ways of chakra.
He was curious about the form of energy they used to fight. From Neji's descriptions as well as their names for the energy, it seemed to be a type of Yin Chakra. But Ichigo continued to insist it was not while failing to provide an alternate explanation. It was possible that none of them knew, Hiashi allowed, they were all very young and from what he was able to determine, military recruitment in their country didn't begin until the late teens. Ichigo was an aberration in that regard.
Hiashi's understanding of Ichigo's position was limited by the man's willingness to discuss it, but he would have expected a reservist to have less training and experience than a normal member of an army. Ichigo was much too young to be a retiree called back into service the way Clans called on their older members in the past. After the establishment of the Hidden Villages, elders rarely needed to fight though they often volunteered in times of crisis.
Whatever his situation, Ichigo was well-trained in his land's techniques of which there were an annoyingly large variety. Ichigo had even placed some kind of barrier around the shed where he worked that prevented the byakugan from completely viewing the inside. The barrier had a blurring, warping effect that allowed his family to see large objects and movements while fine details were lost.
Many members of the clan were not pleased by this unexpected ability and demanded Hiashi make him leave the compound or remove the barrier. The Clan Head was not about to force the redhead off their lands contrary to his daughters' wishes, but he had asked Ichigo about the visual distortion.
Ichigo explained it was a variation on the barrier that kept unwanted guests out of his apartment—one Hiashi knew was a foil to even members of ANBU—and that he needed it to preserve the secret arts of House Shiba. Hiashi could hardly argue that secret techniques should be revealed to outsiders; the Main House even managed to keep some techniques secret from Branch House within their own clan.
"How is your work on the fireworks show progressing, Kurosaki-san?" asked Hiashi.
All conversation stopped at the unexpected comment and everyone turned their eyes to Ichigo, who pointedly didn't flinch at becoming the center of attention.
"I wasn't able to build all the rigs I wanted, so I had shave a few minutes off the length," said Ichigo. "But that gave me extra time to work on the kido for the finale, so it all evens out."
"Rigs?" asked Tenten. "I thought you borrowed some old cannons from the supply depot."
"I was able to refurbish a few cannons," agreed Ichigo. "But for a good show, you can't use just one delivery system. Artillery shells aren't the be-all-end-all of a pyrotechnics display."
"Kukaku said shorter shows are better anyway," added Karin taking a sip of tea.
"Did you also learn how to make fireworks, Karin-san?" asked Hinata.
"Kukaku only taught me and Yuzu the basics," said Karin sounding bored by the very idea.
"We didn't visit as much as Ichi-nii," explained Yuzu. "And Kukaku was understandably concerned about our safety handling live fireworks."
"It makes sense for your Clan Head to worry about your safety," said Hinata.
"It makes sense because Kukaku's left arm is a prosthetic," muttered Karin.
"Wait, he blew up his own arm?" asked Naruto. "What kind of fireworks expert is that?"
"An inventive one," said Karin deliberately mild. "But I think you're mistaken about something."
"I'm don't think that Kukaku lost that arm to an explosion," said Ichigo abruptly.
Karin and Yuzu both winced and fell silent practically wilting in their seats. Ichigo's expression hadn't budged from his usual impassive scowl all evening, but something about his expression felt mournful.
Obviously, there was a story there. Given Hinata's interest in Ichigo, Hiashi felt responsible for learning as much about the man's history as possible. Hanabi and Konohamaru were both trying to grab Hiashi's attention, but he knew they would only discourage him from asking possibly out of respect for their teammate.
"Is there a reason you think that, Kurosaki-san?" asked Hiashi.
Ichigo sighed. "Well the last three House Heads have been Kaien, Dad, and Kukaku. When Kaien was head, I get the impression there were several hundred people who were part of House Shiba including family members and retainers. By the time Kukaku took over, there were four: Kukaku, Kukaku's brother, Ganju, and their two remaining retainers, Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko."
The reason for the staggering drop was instantly clear to everyone. They were all shinobi, after all.
"You mean they were assassinated," said Hiashi grimly.
Ichigo and his sisters, he recalled from their last discussion, were only recently added to the clan's register because their father had deserted to marry their mother. The Kurosakis' anonymity had been a shield of sorts. Perhaps the reason all three appeared oblivious to the attention they received wasn't because of poor situational awareness but because it was a deeply ingrained survival tactic.
"But, who would have the guts to have an entire noble clan assassinated?" asked Tenten.
Hiashi kept his face clear as he contemplated the fate of the Uchiha. True, shinobi clans weren't nobles in the way of civilians, but the Uchiha had been leaders in the village since its founding. They had been slaughtered by one of their own.
"I know the answer to this one," said Naruto darkly. "It's those Central Forty-Six guys again, right? I bet they ordered the—what was it—onmitsukido to do it."
"Probably," said Ichigo.
He didn't sound particularly concerned about the injustice his ancestors had suffered. Hiashi honestly couldn't tell if it was a front or if Ichigo was truly unmoved. The girls were more upset but not as much as he expected. Then again, unlike the situation with the Uchiha, the Kurosakis had been almost grown before they knew they had other relatives.
"But Yoruichi is friends with Kukaku. She wouldn't have done something like that," protested Yuzu.
"Yoruichi was in exile with Hat'n'Clogs and the Visored by then, remember?" said Karin.
Hiashi wasn't quite sure what that meant. He had heard the name Yoruichi in some report. He was teacher of Ichigo's, if Hiashi recalled correctly. But Hiashi wasn't entirely sure what this Yoruichi had to do with the onmistukido or what hats, clogs, or visors had to do with anything.
Konohamaru, who also came from a clan reduced by death, was frowning. "But the government in Soul Society is different, right? I mean, they're all nobles like the Fire Daimyo's Court not like the military rule here in Konoha. And they don't have any closely competing neighbors, right? Would they really risk ordering assassins against another noble clan? What about their own positions?"
It was a fair question but to Hiashi's surprise, Hanabi glared at Konohamaru, who gave her a regretful look. For some reason, Kurenai also looked uneasy though her daughter, also a Sarutobi, was seemingly ignoring the conversation entirely—only seemingly she was almost a genin now; she knew to listen when adults talked politics.
Ichigo didn't respond at all only changing his scowl from neutral to disgusted for a brief moment before regaining control of himself. On the other hand, Yuzu and Karin both looked extremely discouraged when they answered.
"The Shiba weren't nobles anymore by then," said Karin.
"After Kaien died, the Central Chambers claimed the Shiba were illegally experimenting on Hollows, stripped their title, and banished them from Seireitei," explained Yuzu. "The new Forty-Six reinstated their title after the Winter War ended and everyone learned what really happened, but that didn't really make-up for what happened."
"And Kukaku didn't move the clan back into Seireitei after that anyway," said Yuzu.
Hiashi frowned. It sounded like the Kurosakis' situation was more complicated than he previously believed. It also explained why they had resorted to fleeing to Konohagakure rather than leaning on their position as nobles to keep them safe. Once again he was reminded of the Uchiha, specifically of Uchiha Sasuke's decision to contribute to the village by leaving it for most of the year.
"Aren't Hollows those cannibals shinigami fight?" asked Neji. "Why was the former head accused of experimenting on them?"
"He didn't!" said Yuzu instantly jumping to her feet. "He and his wife were killed by a Hollow someone else experimented on, and he was blamed for it. No one even bothered to figure out what really happened!"
Hiashi knew that Yuzu's mentor was Mitarashi Anko, who had been treated with suspicion by many Konoha shinobi due to her association with Orochimaru and her missing memories. According to rumor, Yuzu had also been falsely imprisoned for a time requiring her brother's aid to escape. It was no wonder that she felt strongly about the matter.
Yuzu abruptly realized they were staring at her and blushed bright red. She buried her face in her hands and sat down.
"Please excuse me," she said quietly.
"What did happen, Yuzu-chan?" asked Hinata.
Hanabi and Konohamaru both looked pained. Kurenai was pinching the bridge of her nose, and Neji and Tenten both looked wary. Naruto just looked anxious. Obviously, he knew more about the situation than the rest of them but had been worryingly quiet this whole time.
Yuzu was still too embarrassed to talk. Ichigo was clearly uninterested in answering, even if Hinata was the one to ask. So Karin sighed and took over the explanation.
"There was this guy that Ichigo fought," Karin began then eyed her brother, who had gone stiff in his seat. Hiashi recognized the signs of suppressed rage—he had seen it on Neji's face often enough—and decided against asking for a name.
Karin continued, "This guy set up everything. Everything. To him, we were all pieces on a chess board. All of us, the Central Chambers, the shinigami, the Hollows, everybody. When he was still in Soul Society, he experimented on a bunch of Hollow and made it so this one could absorb its victim's powers. It could hide inside its victim like it was wearing a person-suit."
"This Hollow, Metastacia, attacked Kaien's wife to get close to Kaien. When he tried to kill it, it took over Kaien's body. Rukia-san had to kill him, even though she admired Kaien a lot," finished Yuzu
Hiashi felt ill. That sounded too much like Madara and Zetsu and the whole Ten-Tails affair for comfort. Neji had very nearly died and every Hidden Village had lost valuable members in the Fourth Shinobi War. A great deal of the suffering in the past half century could be attributed directly to Madara's interference. To imagine another person having similar influence was a nightmare.
"Isn't Rukia the name of the first shinigami you met?" asked Naruto breaking the silence. "Other than your father, I mean."
"Kuchiki Rukia, yes," confirmed Ichigo gazing down at his plate.
For some reason, the atmosphere grew even more oppressive. Hiashi resisted the urge to withdraw from the room. He wouldn't be driven out of his own house by bad memories.
"Rukia-san is a really wonderful person," said Yuzu delicately. "She was one of the shinigami that helped us escape, but she was wounded very badly. We don't know if she survived or not."
Hiashi could practically see the gloom settle over Ichigo's shoulders. Hanabi was muttering to herself about asking questions, and Hinata was drooping in her seat. Hiashi cast about for a safer topic.
"Returning to our earlier conversation," he said at last. "Kurosaki-san, you mentioned having to build additional…rigs. A cannon wasn't sufficient?"
"Cannon mounts are only good at firing a few types of fireworks," said Karin when it became clear her brother still wasn't up for making conversation. "They're not bad. But for a dynamic show you need lots of different set-ups."
"Kukaku has all sorts of platforms at the house," added Yuzu. "There's even a cannon big enough to launch people out of it."
"Oh, like at the circus?" asked Konohamaru.
"More like, to sneak into Seireitei," said Karin with a smirk.
She received a blank stare from everyone. Yuzu ducked her head in embarrassment, but Karin didn't seem to notice. Hanabi's muttering grew louder.
"What?" asked Konohamaru automatically.
"There is a barrier around the Court of Pure Souls that destroys anything that touches it," said Yuzu brightly. "The only way inside is to create a super-thick shield of reiatsu in every direction and punch through the barrier before you're vaporized. Ichi-nii and his friends had to break in to rescue Rukia from execution."
This time the silence was stunned rather than horrified.
Naruto cleared his throat. "Why—"
"Enough!" roared Hanabi slamming both hands onto the floor, breaking the tatami mat, and sending her food flying. "Haven't you learned by now that asking only makes it worse? No more questions."
Hinata winced. "Hanabi-chan—"
"No more!"
-0-0-0-0-0-
Kakashi stared at the apartment door. The Kurosakis were back from the Hyuuga Compound, so it was theoretically safe to knock. He really needed to retrieve Pakkun too. But there was an ominous feeling emanating from the apartment that made him leery of entering. He could always summon the dog to him, but if he didn't go in, then he couldn't ask questions. Decisions, decisions.
The door opened on its own. Ichigo stared at him. "Don't just stand there. Come get your dog."
"Mah, you sound so enthusiastic," said Kakashi. "Weren't you the one that invited him over?"
Kakashi had been surprised when Ichigo tracked him down this afternoon to negotiate a "playdate" with some of his ninken. Kakashi had the impression that Kurosaki went out of his way to avoid him. He was also curious about how the man had found him so easily. Kakashi hadn't been hiding, but he hadn't been at any of his usual haunts at the time either, so he couldn't have used advice from Naruto or Gai. If Ichigo had a tracker-ability too, then Kakashi wanted to test it.
Ichigo grunted and walked away from the door. Kakashi trailed after him, slipping off his shoes, and proceeding into the living room.
Four small creatures were gathered around a low table. Pakkun, Kon, Sandy, and Unicorn glared at each other over their tiles. Each one had a small collection of match-sticks.
"Kakashi's here for Pakkun," said Ichigo. "This is last hand guys."
All four whipped their heads around to stare indignantly at Ichigo.
"What?" protested Kon. "We're not even half-way through this game!"
"I told you not to start a new one," said Ichigo. "You'll have to put it away for next time if Pakkun wants to come back and if he has time. He has a job you know."
Kurosaki's collection of animals hung their heads. Karin appeared at Kakashi's shoulder as they played out the last hand and started counting their winnings.
"You're coming tomorrow, right?" she asked.
"If you'll have me," said Kakashi.
Karin rolled her eyes. "You're the one who's been in charge of our security since we got here. It's not like you wouldn't be there anyway."
Kakashi smiled innocently. He had lots of practice at it and knew the guileless expression translated through the mask. He was a bit surprised they had identified him as the person-in-charge when, as far as they knew, it could have been any nameless ANBU or even Shikamaru, whom Ichigo had met more than once.
Karin scowled irritably at his deflection. However, she wasn't as practiced at the expression as her brother, and some of her amusement shone through. Still, she huffed and looked away first.
"Yuzu wants to know if your pack will be there because Naruto invited some Inuzuka friend of his, so she's making a few dog-friendly dishes anyway," said Karin as an explanation for her presence.
"That would be Inuzuka Kiba. He graduated the same year as Naruto and was on the same genin team as Hinata," said Kakashi. "He and her other teammate, Aburame Shino, are both very protective of Hinata and her happiness."
Karin looked unimpressed. "Ichigo can't be anything other than Ichigo regardless of who he's meeting. You'll all figure it out eventually. Now about my actual question?"
"I have eight ninken in my pack, and Pakkun is the smallest," said Kakashi. "They don't have to come if it will be too much."
Karin shrugged. "Should be fine. Yuzu likes to cook. And Ichigo will help out once the party clears out."
Kakashi didn't think four animals counted as much of a party, especially since three of them lived there. But that reminded him of the reason the Kurosakis had been away in the first place.
"How did it go at the Hyuuga Compound?" he asked.
"It was going fine until we started talking about the fireworks show. Then we ended talking about Kukaku's missing arm. And Hanabi freaked out for a minute," said Karin. After a second's thought she added, "It was kind of cool overall."
"Hanabi freaked out?" asked Kakashi. Neji was touchy and Hinata was sensitive, but Hanabi had never struck him as particularly emotional either way. She wasn't as stiff as her father, but she wasn't one to lose control either.
"She said something about how asking Ichigo questions always leads to tears," said Karin stretching her arms and linking her hands behind her head. "I didn't really get it. But it killed the conversation for a while."
Kakashi considered some of his own interactions with Ichigo. Conversations with the girls were confusing at times but never very troubling. The oldest Kurosaki sibling dropped every revelation like an emotional grenade sometimes doing quite a lot of damage in the process. It was strange since Ichigo didn't seem like the type to enjoy people fussing over him.
"I can see where she's coming from," admitted Kakashi. "But Kukaku is the head of your clan, right? The House Shiba part, I mean. And isn't he the one who taught your brother to make fireworks?"
Karin raised a brow. "You too, huh? About Kukaku—"
"We gotta go," said Pakkun butting into the conversation.
"Huh? Why?" asked Kakashi looking down.
Pakkun glanced worriedly over his shoulder. "Unicorn lost, and she's spitting mad. Sandy's distracted her, but Kon already made a break for it."
"Is that so," said Kakashi. "Well, we'd better leave before restarting the war between cats and dogs. See you later, Karin."
"Bye," said the taciturn twin.
Kakashi and Pakkun quickly left the apartment. The sound of yowls and hisses followed them out. Kakashi didn't stop running until he was halfway to his own home. Pakkun even outpaced him by a few rooftops and had to turn around.
"She's got a temper," said Pakkun. "We're lucky those tiles weren't flammable."
"Did you have a good time?" asked Kakashi.
Pakkun smirked. "It was good getting away from the guys. Kon's a little weird. Smelled a bit spooky to be honest. And there wasn't much conversation from the other two, but they played a tight game."
"How did you play when Sandy and Unicorn don't talk?" asked a curious Kakashi.
It was difficult for a dog Pakkun's size, but he managed to look down his muzzle at Kakashi. "Honestly, humans are the only animals that need words to communicate."
"So you're saying we're the inferior species," said Kakashi thinking suddenly of Ichigo, who apparently needed no such thing.
"I've always said that," said Pakkun. "Your paws are never cute. Even when you're small."
Kakashi automatically checked his hands. His earliest memory of them was learning the proper way to hold a kunai so it wouldn't fall out of his grip when he stabbed someone.
"I guess you're right," he said stuffing his hands into his pockets.
"I'm always right," said Pakkun. "There was something weird about Unicorn and Sandy though. They had a similar sort of smell."
"A similar smell?" asked Kakashi. "Isn't that from living together?"
Pakkun shook his head. "No, I don't think so. They smelled like each other. The way relatives do."
"Sandy is a turtle and Unicorn is a cat," said Kakashi unless one of them was spectacularly talented at henge.
"I said it was something weird," said Pakkun.
"Like they're related," mused Kakashi. "A cat and a turtle that are related." He froze. "Pakkun, do you think the Tailed-Beasts can reproduce with regular animals?"
Pakkun coughed. "You should probably ask Naruto that one, but I think there might be a size issue."
Kakashi hummed thoughtfully and abruptly changed direction. "Well, I wanted to know what happened at the dinner anyway."
"I'm going back to the kennel," said Pakkun. "But say hello to the kid for me. And try not to scar him too badly."
"Too late for that," said Kakashi. "Much too late."