Chapter 100: Kurosaki and Uryu's Ill Fated Relationship
Human World, Karakura Town.
"Chappy, Chappy☆"
"Whoa!"
The moment Ichigo stepped out of the Senkaimon, something vibrated against his chest. A disgusting sound followed, loud enough to make his skin crawl.
Startled, he fumbled for his denreishinki. Only after yanking it out did he realize what was happening.
"That Rukia… She secretly changed my ebook notification sound to this awful thing. When did she even do it?"
Veins bulged on Ichigo's forehead as he grit his teeth and opened the message. Then, after he saw the content, a smile crept onto his face.
It was from Shimiya Takeru.
At the top was a photo of an action report for the request to "retrieve Mebari." The stamp in the lower right showed it had already been approved by the First Division.
He scrolled down.
A map appeared next, showing the area around Karakura Town. Mount Taga's location was marked in red.
Further below were records of Mebari's past killings of Shinigami, along with later battles in the Human World. Everything had been compiled by the Onmitsukido, then analyzed again to determine his abilities.
"An invulnerable body and the ability to absorb spiritual power, huh…" Ichigo muttered. "No wonder the captains back then couldn't deal with him. He really is a pain."
He frowned as another thought surfaced.
"And the old man's one thing, but is his relationship with the Second Division really that close too? Information from four hundred years ago, and they pulled it up just like that."
Still, having approval, a map, and intelligence was already an enormous help.
Ichigo put his denreishinki away, expression turning solemn.
"Even the old man agreed. That seal probably isn't reliable anymore. Better to grab Mebari and bring him back to Soul Society first."
As for going home, that would have to wait.
So this was the helplessness of being a working adult.
Even that rotten old man was not easy to deal with.
Maybe his usual goofy attitude was just an act. Maybe when he first started working, he was diligent too, never causing trouble for anyone.
Ichigo sighed to himself.
Just as he was sinking into that miserable reflection, a light flared behind him.
The Senkaimon opened again.
"?!"
Ichigo turned, startled.
A group of women stepped out, chatting excitedly as if they were walking out of a festival gate instead of a passage between worlds.
"The Mid Autumn Festival is coming soon. How about making some moon viewing dumplings with different flavors?"
"Nanao, that's too plain. If you ask me, we should buy cakes unique to the Human World. Ah, I know a great bakery Orihime recommended. Maybe we'll even see her working there."
"Rangiku, you just want someone to eat desserts with and go shopping!"
"What are you saying? I can't hear you. Nemu, Hinamori, Kuchiki…"
Rangiku was about to rope everyone else into changing the subject, then her eyes landed on Ichigo standing by the roadside like his brain had crashed.
"…Ichigo?"
At her shout, the members of the Women's Shinigami Association all looked over.
"Oh, Ichigo. What a coincidence," Rukia greeted him casually.
"Coincidence?" Ichigo's eyes widened. "What are you all doing here?!"
"Doing? Why ask?" Rukia crossed her arms, looking at him like he was the weird one. "Of course we're going shopping at the mall."
"Sho…pping?" Ichigo's mouth twitched.
"Yes, and it's Shimiya's fault, actually," Rukia said, instantly bitter about a man who was not even present. "The moment he took office, he raised salaries and bonuses for the Ninth Division."
"Other divisions were jealous, but they didn't say anything. Then the Sixth Division, where my brother is, raised their hazard pay too. If we don't do something, it won't do."
"When I brought it up to everyone in the Women's Shinigami Association, we hit it off immediately. So we decided to come to the Human World to investigate. If there are good things to buy, we can purchase them as comfort gifts for our divisions and distribute them at the end of the year."
She pointed a finger at him, eyes serious.
"So you might have to work harder for a while, because I'll be coming to the Human World a few more times. Don't look at me like that. I'm not here to play. This is serious business!"
"…."
Ichigo was about to respond, when a small pink haired menace came sprinting out of the Senkaimon.
"What's everyone planning to play at the amusement park later… Eh? A Ichi, you're here too? Never mind, everyone, let's go. GO, GO!"
"President, please slow down!"
"Then we're off, Ichigo. See you around!"
Yachiru grabbed the group and dragged them away in a chaotic wave, leaving Ichigo and Rukia staring at each other.
"…And you said you weren't here to play."
"That's just Vice Captain Yachiru's personal plan!"
Ichigo clicked his tongue. "So many people coming to the Human World. Even with limiter seals, this could still cause trouble, right?"
"You're worried about that?" Rukia gave a crooked smile. "It's fine. Nobody's here to fight. If they want to buy things, they'll have to wear gigai to be visible to humans."
"Going that far won't have much impact on the souls in the Human World."
She tilted her head, watching him.
"Speaking of which, I rarely see you come back. Even though you're close with your family, you've only returned once."
Rukia's smile faded a little as she studied his stiff expression.
"I hope I'm wrong, Ichigo. Have you been holding back all this time because you're worried your spiritual pressure is too strong, and it might cause trouble for the people here? So you don't visit your family and friends unless you have a mission?"
"Shut up!" Ichigo snapped. "I only knew gigai were for injured Shinigami to recover. Nobody told me gigai could be used like that!"
"…Gigai are tools so Shinigami can move around conveniently," Rukia said flatly. "Resting from injuries and recovering spiritual power are included in that."
She paused, then remembered something and sighed.
"Didn't you learn that at the Spirit Arts Academy? Ah, right. You only attended for half a year, and you definitely didn't have time to read the textbooks."
She waved it off.
"Never mind. It's good you know now."
Rukia's tone shifted, businesslike.
"So what mission did Soul Society assign you? Do you need my help?"
"No need," Ichigo said without hesitation. "It's just apprehending a sealed criminal. He's got a record of beating several captains, but my record isn't exactly bad either."
He smirked, the confidence returning.
"A rare opponent like that? I'm not handing him to someone else."
"…That sounds nice," Rukia said, unimpressed, "but you just don't want to drag me into a dangerous fight. There's a limit to underestimating people. I'm the Thirteenth Division's Third Seat."
"What a coincidence," Ichigo replied. "I'm the Thirteenth Division's Vice Captain."
He lifted a hand as if declaring an order.
"Now I order you to go do your own thing. No matter what kind of commotion you feel, don't come rushing in and causing trouble."
"That's it. I'm leaving."
"Wait… Ichigo!"
Rukia's shout was answered by nothing.
Ichigo vanished in Shunpo, leaving only empty air.
"That idiot," Rukia muttered, clenching her teeth. "Facing someone that dangerous with that kind of attitude."
She pulled out her denreishinki to check the mission details.
When she saw the applicant's name was Shimiya Takeru, she finally exhaled.
"So he's working for Shimiya. Then there's nothing to worry about."
After all, even if it was only to avoid being mocked for incompetence, Ichigo would approach it with full seriousness.
And once he got serious, he was not the type to be easily defeated in a one on one fight.
Rukia had personally seen him train his strength diligently while still handling his division duties. She had complete confidence in him.
Her only concern now was that he might cause too much trouble and get the Thirteenth Division fined.
If that happened, she would not have money to buy comfort gifts for the division.
Mount Taga lay on the outskirts of Karakura Town, close to the highway.
When Ichigo reached the temple at the summit, he unstrapped Zangetsu from his back and gripped it in his hand.
In the next instant, it transformed into a pitch black bow.
He drew, aimed at the Buddha statue inside the temple, and fired.
The seal did not budge.
If he wanted to bring the man back, the seal had to be broken first.
Ichigo did not want to cause destruction like a certain someone, but he understood reality.
Even if he broke the seal cleanly, the moment Mebari was freed, even a small burst of spiritual pressure would level the temple anyway.
So it was better to destroy the seal and the man together, then bring Mebari back in a state too injured to move.
After spending time training with the First Division, Ichigo had become sharper.
He knew how to be efficient.
Boom.
The Buddha statue exploded, pierced through by a crimson edged strike. The entire temple vanished into fire.
"Was that too light?"
Ichigo's gaze narrowed.
In the blazing ruins, a figure stood like a guardian statue.
It was Mebari.
He wore a Shinigami uniform. Armor covered his shoulders, lined with sharp blades. His build was tall and thick, and his spiritual pressure surged with madness, sweeping away the flames like a violent tide.
"Gah…!"
Mebari clutched his blood stained chest, his face twisted in pain and strange pleasure.
Ichigo's opening shot had hurt him.
But it was only a minor wound.
His invulnerable body had been breached, and aggressive spiritual pressure seeped into the injury, actually dulling part of the agony created by his fusion with his Zanpakuto.
"Hahahaha!"
Mebari laughed wildly.
"I didn't expect someone to deliver spiritual power to my doorstep the moment I got out. With your terrifying spiritual power, I'll definitely be able to break free!"
"Sorry," Ichigo said coolly. "I don't know what you mean by break free. My mission is to capture you and send you back to Soul Society."
"So I'm not letting you get close enough to absorb my spiritual power."
He raised the black bow again, making his intention obvious.
He planned to wear Mebari down with long range attacks.
"What? Capture me?" Mebari clicked his tongue, eyes burning. "That won't do. I'm not interested in playing games with the trash of Soul Society."
"If that's what you think, then I'm not staying here to entertain you."
From Ichigo's words, Mebari sensed the danger of being sealed again.
Right now, he only wanted one thing.
Absorb more spiritual power and escape the endless torment of fusing with his Zanpakuto.
Even death was better than being sealed again.
"Damn it," Ichigo muttered. "Don't think you can run."
Mebari opened a Garganta and fled without a word, just like a Hollow.
To cover his retreat, he released a group of Hollows to obstruct the pursuit.
Ichigo's eyelid twitched.
He did not waste time investigating how such an ability worked. He casually loosed an arrow toward the Hollows, then drove Shunpo to its limit and chased after Mebari.
The flash from the arrow swallowed the Hollows whole.
It also extinguished the sea of fire.
All that remained of the temple was a smoking ruin.
Karakura Town, Kitagawase.
Uryu Ishida walked home, carrying a plastic bag filled with sewing materials.
Then a terrifying fluctuation in spiritual pressure hit him.
No, not one.
Two.
Two immense spiritual pressures, each comparable to the kind he had only rarely sensed from Ryuken, locked together in violent battle.
Unfortunately, Uryu recognized one of them instantly.
"Is that guy…?"
The two months of brutal training had not eased the self reproach lodged in his chest.
If he had not been arrogant, if he had not provoked conflict with the Shinigami, things would not have spiraled out of control, forcing the Shinigami to clean up the aftermath.
Worse, one of the fighters was using a Quincy style of combat.
The irony stung.
Even though they had only met briefly, Uryu would never forget that orange haired Shinigami, the way he formed a bow and arrows to erase Hollows, and the spiritual pressure that dwarfed Uryu's own.
"This is… Hollows? Why are there so many?"
As Uryu hesitated, conflicted about whether to intervene, he suddenly sensed a massive surge of Hollow spiritual pressure, like a wave of them surrounding the Shinigami.
That change made his decision instantly.
He rushed toward the source.
The location was close, and using Hirenkyaku, he arrived quickly.
What he saw was familiar.
The orange haired Shinigami held a black bow, his arrows falling like insecticide, instantly wiping out Hollows that the other Shinigami had summoned.
Summoned?
Uryu narrowed his eyes, suppressed the urge to attack, and slipped into an alley to observe the battle along the riverbank.
"That Shinigami who summons Hollows… his spiritual pressure and abilities are strange," Uryu thought. "But the orange haired Shinigami is even stranger."
"He's holding back. He has the upper hand, but there's no killing intent."
"I see. So that's what's going on."
On the other side, Ichigo finally understood the real problem.
Mebari was strong, and Ichigo was confident he could win.
But Mebari had no interest in fighting. He was heading straight toward Karakura Town.
Just as Shimiya had predicted, Mebari was likely planning to target other people with high spiritual power.
Normally, Ichigo would simply go all out and crush him.
But now, to bring Mebari back to Soul Society, he had to hold back.
He could not kill him.
He also could not carelessly close in.
Mebari understood that, and his behavior grew more reckless. He even provoked Ichigo deliberately.
"Hahaha! Still not using your full power? If you keep dragging your feet, I'll just go find someone else. Is that really okay?"
"Before I figured out your movement patterns, you had plenty of chances to escape," Ichigo said calmly. "Even if you couldn't teleport far instantly, you could have created distance."
"But you didn't."
He leveled the bow, voice even.
"That means you haven't given up hope."
"You're using this to make me anxious, trying to force me to rush in, expose an opening after I catch up, and give you a chance to seize my spiritual power."
"You're just a brat," Mebari sneered, "and you look talented, yet you're not arrogant at all."
"But do you realize that saying that makes me give up on you completely, and I'll attack others instead?"
He laughed coldly.
"You exposed my intent earlier and missed your best chance. Make the same mistake twice, and that's all a brat can be."
"Spare me," Ichigo said, growing calmer by the second. "I don't know what you plan to do by absorbing spiritual power, but I can feel your urgency."
"And think about Karakura Town. Sure, there are people with high spiritual power. But do they really meet your needs?"
"If I weren't here, you'd go after them."
"But what if I am here?"
Ichigo's eyes sharpened.
"I suspect your real goal in running wasn't other people at all."
"You were luring me to Karakura Town so I'd assume your targets were elsewhere."
"When in reality, your target has always been me."
"That's why, once you realized you had no chance after I caught up, you started provoking me."
Mebari's sneer vanished. His face tightened with caution.
"Boy," he said, voice low, "who are you?"
"Vice Captain of the Thirteenth Division," Ichigo replied. "Kurosaki Ichigo."
"…I suspected it since you weren't wearing a captain's haori," Mebari said. "But I didn't expect someone like you to really be just a vice captain."
"That's what I'm called," Ichigo said, lips curling. "But I basically do the captain's job."
"Is that so?" Mebari's eyes narrowed. "You're the successor Ukitake chose. No wonder you're so cunning."
"Who's the cunning one here?" Ichigo scoffed.
"Enough. I've lost interest in you," Mebari said, decision made.
But Ichigo raised the black bow again, clear and unmoved.
He had already formed several capture plans.
He was ready to test them one by one.
Whether Mebari liked it or not.
"Tch."
Mebari activated his power again.
Hollows poured down, spreading out in a wave, forcing Ichigo to stop the pursuit and prioritize protecting humans.
But in the next moment, a rain of azure arrows shot up from below, halting the Hollow spread.
"?!"
Mebari and Ichigo both turned.
Following the spiritual pressure, they spotted Uryu standing by the riverbank road.
"I have no intention of involving myself in Shinigami internal conflict," Uryu said, holding his spirit bow, "but as a Quincy, I cannot stand by and watch you use Hollows to endanger the residents of this city."
His bow was formed from long and short crosses and octagons, arranged like an exquisite crest.
Its name was Ginrei Kojaku.
It was one of the results of his recent training.
A few days ago, he had been severely injured by the Bount, but that had been due to overwhelming numbers.
Now there was only one enemy.
With his mind, there was no reason to fail.
"A Quincy?" Mebari's eyes flickered with strange light as he sensed Uryu's considerable spiritual pressure. "So you're one of those special humans who form bows and arrows from spirit particles and erase Hollows completely."
Before either of them could react, Mebari's body was swallowed by a black vortex.
"Watch out!" Ichigo shouted, pupils shrinking.
Too late.
Mebari appeared directly in front of Uryu, seized him by the throat, lifted him off the ground, and began frantically absorbing his spiritual power.
"Hahaha! Power, power is pouring in!"
He laughed like a madman.
"This spiritual power… Quincy spiritual power!"
"With power that can manipulate spirit particles freely, I can definitely escape this form!"
"That's hard to say," Uryu forced out, a strained smile appearing.
A silver tube slipped from his fingers.
At the same time, a spell formation he had prepared activated.
A pentagram pattern bloomed beneath their feet.
"Ooooh!"
The formation flared. Spirit particles converged along its markings toward the center, surging like electric current and wrapping around Mebari's body, freezing him in place.
His hand was forced open.
"Cough…" Uryu dropped to the ground, throat burning and flecked with blood, but a relieved smile still surfaced. "Now you can't escape."
"Helping the Shinigami capture you counts as repaying part of the favor."
That was right.
Uryu had used himself as bait, lured the enemy close, and attempted to capture him in one strike.
The orange haired Shinigami could not easily use such a risky method alone.
Uryu could.
Even if he failed, he could create an opening.
But it looked like he would not need that now.
"Ah!"
Mebari roared toward the sky.
The spirit particles restraining him were sucked into his body.
"What?" Uryu's eyes widened. "He can even absorb the spirit particles of the formation?"
No, he realized instantly.
"It's because he absorbed my spiritual power first. That let him seize the formation's spirit particles."
He understood the key point in an instant.
But it was too late to respond.
"Hahahaha!"
Mebari surged back toward peak strength, fueled by the power he had stolen.
This was also the terrifying strength of a Quincy.
The ability to gather external spirit particles and unleash power beyond what their own spiritual pressure alone would suggest.
Uryu's spiritual power by itself was not enough.
But combined with the formation, it became enough.
Mebari's body began to crack.
Fissures split across his skin, leaking light as if his shell contained an endless lamp.
Uryu could feel Mebari's spiritual pressure rising sharply.
But it was wildly unstable.
"Wait," Uryu shouted, panic breaking through, "if you keep this up, you'll…"
"Bankai!"
Mebari ignored him completely.
He forced all his power outward, attempting to tear his Zanpakuto away from his body and form the correct Bankai posture, mimicking the way a Quincy controls spirit particles by relying on natural dominance over them.
But it was not true Quincy power.
That opportunistic method only made the cracking worse, like trying to peel off a sticker and ripping off the entire arm with it.
The instant before Mebari exploded and reduced everything nearby, including Uryu, to ash, a phantom like figure appeared above him.
"You… calm down!"
Ichigo, already in Bankai, slammed Mebari down with his left hand, smashing his head into the ground.
In front of Uryu's stunned eyes, Ichigo suppressed the self destruction with an even more terrifying spiritual pressure.
By all logic, it should have been impossible.
"Phew."
Ichigo let out a long breath, staring at the scarred, unconscious Mebari.
"Finally done."
He looked at Uryu.
"Hey. Are you alright?"
"…I suppose so," Uryu answered stiffly.
His eyes stayed locked on Ichigo's Bankai form, which felt strangely familiar, and on the light bow in Ichigo's hand.
"What do you mean, I suppose so?" Ichigo frowned. "You barged into someone else's fight without asking. But you helped a lot, so I can heal you."
"Do you know the Shinigami's Bakudo? That's my specialty."
"Helped a lot… did I?" Uryu's voice turned complicated. He stood and dusted off his pants. "I appreciate the kindness, but I'm fine."
"Even if something were wrong, it would be because my training is insufficient. Appropriate suffering motivates improvement."
"You're a weird guy," Ichigo muttered.
Then he pointed at Uryu.
"Oh, by the way, I'm Kurosaki Ichigo. And you, white clothes."
"At least call me a Quincy," Uryu said sharply. "Ishida Uryu."
"If you don't die, we'll be classmates. Maybe even in the same class."
"Then you must know Inoue too."
"…Inoue san? I know her," Uryu said, expression stiff. "But we're not close."
He turned slightly.
"The fight is over. I should go."
"Going back to do homework?" Ichigo said. "Yeah, that can't be delayed."
He clicked his tongue.
"I'm not like you. I have to take this guy back and report."
"Tsk. Is this the mindset of a working adult?"
Ichigo deactivated Bankai, shrugged, hoisted Mebari onto his shoulder, opened a Senkaimon, and disappeared.
"…"
Uryu stood there, speechless.
A guy who died in a car accident and came back was acting like the mature one.
But then again.
"Kurosaki… huh?"
Uryu murmured.
He had stepped in to help, to reclaim the dignity he had lost that night.
In the end, it was useless.
He had nearly owed another life.
After that, Uryu had no mind to go home. He headed straight to Karakura General Hospital.
"What's wrong, Uryu?"
Inside the director's office, Ryuken stood in front of a bookshelf, flipping through documents.
He did not look pleased to see his son.
He did not look surprised either.
His tone was cold enough to frost glass, and he did not even bother to turn his head.
"There's a reason I'm asking."
"Didn't you say you learned all Quincy techniques and didn't want to see my annoying face again?"
"…Those words were mine," Uryu replied after a brief silence. "And I don't believe they were wrong."
"I learned everything you taught me. Maybe you have techniques you never taught, but you don't seem to intend to teach them."
"When the same training continued for three days, I understood your meaning."
"If that's the case, why waste each other's time?"
"Then why are you here?" Ryuken asked, still cold. "Don't tell me you came back crying because you suffered a defeat and felt your weakness."
"How could I!"
"Good," Ryuken said. "Then it's settled."
"I've lost interest in guiding a foolish son. I don't have patience for it anymore."
"…Alright," Uryu said, jaw tightening. "Ryuken, I admit it. I need your help."
"Even if it's only for basic training."
Clap.
Ryuken closed the notebook in his hand.
For the first time, he turned and looked directly at Uryu, as if seeing him anew.
"For you to say that," Ryuken said, "you must have taken a serious blow."
"It's a pity I still don't intend to agree."
"Is that so."
Uryu was quiet for a moment. Disappointment surfaced, but it did not linger.
"Then forget I said anything."
He drew in a slow breath.
"Actually, it's better this way."
"I intruded on a battlefield, helping the Shinigami, the people Quincy despise the most."
"I thought I could be useful, but the self sacrificing trap I set not only failed, I nearly died to the enemy's self detonation."
"I'm the one who owes Kurosaki a life."
"I should be the one to figure out how to repay it. I can't always rely on you."
Uryu lifted his eyes, voice steady.
"Thinking about it, you've already helped me a lot. I should thank you."
"I might as well take this opportunity to do so."
"Ryuken, I…"
"Hold on."
Ryuken cut him off.
His gaze was not sharp, not outwardly vicious, yet it carried an inexplicable pressure that pinned the room in place.
"I've changed my mind," Ryuken said.
"Save that thank you for later, when you repay his favor."
"I don't need a loser's thanks right now, and I certainly don't want to see you in this pathetic state."
He stepped closer, tone colder.
"Go back and prepare."
"This training will be even more difficult."
"It won't stop until your heart stops beating."
"I… I understand," Uryu answered quickly, swallowing hard.
He did not know why Ryuken changed his mind so suddenly, but he would not retract his words now.
And judging by Ryuken's expression, it was far too late to retract anything anyway.
Uryu left.
The door shut.
The office chair at the desk suddenly spun around.
A man in a Shinigami uniform complained loudly, as if he had been holding it in the entire time.
"What are you competing over? My brat saved your son once, that's all."
"Given our friendship, it's only right. It's only right that he helped. You two father and son are really something, making such a big deal out of such a small matter."
He leaned forward, voice turning nostalgic.
"By the way, didn't what he described sound familiar? Masaki used to be the same way back then…"
Whoosh.
A light arrow split into five and pierced the office chair.
Isshin froze mid sentence and raised both hands in surrender, cold sweat instantly beading on his forehead.
One arrow sat beside each cheek.
One hovered above his head.
One pinned beneath each armpit.
Together, they formed a perfect pentagram.
"Who gave you permission to sit in my chair," Ryuken said, staring at him coldly.
"…Uh," Isshin said carefully, "I was just hiding to give you two some space to talk. If you don't like it, I'll move. Really."
He tried to laugh it off.
"Making such a fuss. No wonder your own son can't stand you. You should learn more from me. At home, I…"
"Should?" Ryuken cut in.
His eyes narrowed.
"What I should be doing right now is getting you out of my office."
"?!"
Outside the hospital, Uryu paused at the entrance and looked up, confused.
For a moment, he thought he sensed the commotion of a battle again.
But…
"It must be my imagination."
.....
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