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A Shadow of What Was	By : katami Category: Bleach > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 49594 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 78
- 79
- 80
Author's Notes: Glad you enjoyed the chapter, Irana. You can always drop me a line if you get worried, although I can almost guarantee that delays are either life or the muse conspiring against me.

You really are hooked if you are reading this monster again, PeaKay. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

Many thanks to all those reading this story, it is nice to know my insanity is appreciated - especially when it begins dawning on me that I have been writing this for almost a year now. I can't quite figure out whether to be amazed or frightened at that.

* * *

"So where are you taking me?" murmured Kisuke quietly. He was strolling peacefully in a way that was entirely too reminiscent of Urahara. The brim of his hat hid his eyes and a tiny smile quirked his lips. He was also keeping his own council about the box he had taken from the shouten and the white object he had shoved into it.

"To some friends," replied Isshin, studying the younger man carefully. He had been calmer and more relaxed since the shop. Benihime lay comfortably at his hip in a manner reminiscent of the way he had worn her when he was a captain; and although it had taken him awhile, the younger man had finally stopped caressing her hilt every few minutes. Isshin had almost wanted to chuckle at the display, so reminiscent of every young Shinigami when he first summoned his zanpakutou. He had restrained himself though, knowing how much new Shinigami clung to their swords, trying to build their bond and understand each other.

"Are we ever going to get there, because we've walked this block three times already?" asked Kisuke with a sly smile.

"Our contact is suppose to meet us here. Now, I need you trust me about this..."

"Because following you around in the dead of night when it feels like half the world is after me has not demonstrated a willingness to trust," interrupted Kisuke with a wry twist of his lips, a hint of something shinning in those silver eyes.

"I'm just warning you, these people will be odd...and...it might be hard, Kisuke." Hard, there was an understatement, though Isshin. It there was one thing besides Ichigo sure to rouse Urahara it would be this.

"This him?" demanded a contemptuous voice from the shadows of the quiet residential street. Kisuke stiffened and somehow the light caught his eyes - eyes that were filled with anguish and staring off at something far away and long ago. Isshin felt a momentary flutter of unease go through him as deep, heady despair poured over Kisuke for a second. A moment later those gray eyes slid closed and a shudder went through the blonde; his hand went to Benihime's hilt before falling to hang limply at his side. A towheaded little girl stepped from the shadows, giving Kisuke a disdainful once over. Kisuke stared at her before he shook his head and straightened minutely, relaxed and casual. And a complete lie, thought Isshin as one of Urahara's more annoyingly bland smiles settled on the younger man's lips.

"I'd be careful of him, Hiyori. He's more dangerous than he looks," warned Isshin, hoping the girl wouldn't antagonize Kisuke too badly. Their relationship had always been a rocky one, at least from Hiyori's side, and this new Kisuke didn't have years of patience to temper his responses to her. Frankly, he would rather not have to get between them - Hiyori was as stubborn as Ichigo and Kisuke was...had been, simply brutal. A fight between the two of them would only end badly.

He watched as long fingers fell into blonde hair, ruffling it fondly while Isshin blinked in disbelief. "I was sure you would have beaten some manners into her by now, Shinji. I'm going to owe Shunsui a month's pay," murmured Kisuke jovially.

"She's not very amiable to it," countered the Vaizard with a grin as he stepped from the opposite side of the street. Hiyori shrieked in outrage and growled at them both, clearly not sure who to kill first.

"Shut up, you bastard!" she finally screeched at Kisuke, kicking him in the shin and blinking angrily when he just grinned at her. She turned her ire on Shinji when he chuckled, whacking him with her shoe. For just an instant Isshin thought the little Vaizard might attempt retribution on him, but after taking one look at his grinning face she contented herself to calling him a bastard and glaring at the three of them.

"Now that we've handled the greetings, can we get this one under shields?" asked Isshin, tossing am arm around Kisuke's shoulders. "Aizen and that son of mine are showing entirely too much interest in him."

"Yeah, yeah," grumbled Hiyori, stomping down the street three houses and tossing open the front door to an innocuous looking home. "Well, get your butts inside."

Isshin shrugged and followed her in, glancing around the mostly empty interior. There was no furniture but several of the Vaizard were curled up on the floor of the living room asleep. It was impossible to say exactly who just from the dim light of streetlamps, but any Vaizard would prove a harsh deterrent to Aizen and his Arrancar.

"Who did you bring?" he asked Shinji quietly.

"Everyone. It's safer to stick together. We put Kisuke by himself in the last room on the right upstairs," explained Shinji, stealing a cautious look at the blonde who had stepped away and was staring into the living room, his eyes once more haunted and a much more vulnerable look on his face. Isshin gave the other man a tiny nod and gently recaptured Kisuke's attention, something telling him that only the frailest of margins stood between the blonde and some sort of breakdown.

"Why don't you go grab a shower and have a lie down," he suggested softly, steering Kisuke toward the stairs. "Last room on the right," he told the younger man, giving him a push to get him going.

"He okay?" asked Shinji quietly as the younger man disappeared up the stairs.

"People have been pushing at him and it's got him unsettled," explained Isshin softly, not wanting to alert Kisuke as to how worrisome his behavior was.

"For a moment on the street there..."

"I know," murmured Isshin. For a moment on the street it had been Captain Urahara Kisuke. "That's what I was telling you about - the fracturing. He needs to be left alone to remember it all at his own pace or he's going to hurt someone."

"I noticed Benihime at his hip," murmured Shinji. "Can he wield her?"

Isshin shrugged. "No clue. He seems to know her though. That isn't what you have to worry about. According to my sources he handed that whack job Kurotshuchi his ass without a hint of a sword. This Kisuke seems to have a tendency of resorting to kidou when annoyed."

"He always did like a nice explosion," grinned Shinji.

"Yeah, well it seems Tessai was telling tales out of school as well because he's picked up more than a few of the uncleared spells. Kisuke's always been a little dangerous, it's part of his charm; but you don't have Kisuke on your hands here, Shinji. You have a scared kid with a captain's power. A kid that everyone has been poking at, trying to make into something he's not ready to become yet," warned Isshin, all hints of merriment gone.

Hiyori was frowning up the stairs at the way Kisuke had gone. "He knows or remembers more than he lets on."

"It's Kisuke. When has he ever not held something back?" muttered Isshin, earning nods from both of the blondes. "He's been calmer since the shouten and getting Benihime back, but tread carefully. All he really needs is space and some time to get himself sorted out. Give him a cot, feed him and otherwise let him handle himself. If he wants to spar or something go for it, but let him come to you. Same goes for talking about Urahara."

"Got it, Chief. So where is the supreme Quincy bastard?"

Isshin grinned from ear to ear and Shinji rocked forward just a little, when Isshin grinned like that it meant the news would be good. "Ryuuken got a call from a friend - a lady friend - and had to go meet with her." Shinji's eyes grew wide, as did Hiyori's and both started cackling madly, each trying to shush the other so they didn't wake those sleeping in the living room.

"So when is the official interrogation and can we buy tickets?"

"Unfortunately, we get to skip the preliminary fun. Her name is Kuchiki Rukia, she's a Shinigami with the Fifth," began Isshin before both Shinji and Hiyori collapsed against each other whooping with glee, all thoughts of the Vaizards in the next room forgotten.

"Ryu...Ryu..."

"It gets better," grinned Isshin. "Kuchiki....As in baby Byakuya's little sister." The peels of laughter grew louder and four groggy heads peeked up. Love, Kensei, Rose and Mashiro, noticed Isshin, a tiny burst of sadness going through him. He had known all of them. He had trained Kensei and Love and had even socialized with them. It pained him to think that they, like he, would never go home. They had no place in Soul Society anymore. Even if they were allowed back, they had changed too much for the place to ever again be home.

Kensei trudged over to glare at them, giving Isshin a tiny nod of greeting. "Ryuuken's dating," Isshin murmured by way of explanation, earning a nod and a smirk from the silver haired man.

"Urahara here yet?"

"Upstairs. They can fill you in."

"We might be getting another poker night going, any of you want in?"

Kensei seemed to consider it, "Yoruichi in or not?"

"Haven't asked yet, but probably not. Poker's not really her game and frankly two cheats is enough. Three if Uryuu is anything like Ryuuken," muttered Isshin, not bothering to mention that Uryuu might as well have been a carbon copy of Ryuuken. For all their differences, the two Quincy were remarkably alike in all the ways that mattered.

"I'm in and I'll tell Love," said Kensei around a yawn.

�Good. Tessai or one of the kids will be by with clothes for Kisuke later today. I'm going to go break the news to Ichigo and then open the clinic."

"Are we taking bets on your chances of survival?" asked Shinji with a delighted grin.

"I'll just tell him it was your idea," quipped Isshin, earning chuckles from Hiyori and Kensei and a yelp from Shinji. "Call me if Kisuke gives you any problems."
- 78
- 79
- 80
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A Shadow of What Was