Familiar Faces Ch 20

The room fell into silence after Urahara finished his summary of Akio's explanation.  Okay, maybe "summary" was too generous of a word.  He'd barely said that Akio had valid worries and they needed to address the situation as soon as possible before informing him that the Royal Court Representative was also from the future.  

Hence the silence.

"This guy destroys everything in the future, and he's after me?" Ichigo asked, looking more than a little shocked.  "Is it 'cause I got rid of that one bad guy way back during the war you guys are always telling me about?"

"We don't know why," Urahara said, bending down and grinning one of his rare reassuring smiles at Ichigo.  "But that's our best guess."

"Wait," Rukia-taichou spoke up, and glaring warily over at Akio, "If you're from the future, why can't you remember anything?"

Urahara spoke up before the future soul could.  "It has to do with how he traveled into the past."

"Time travel erases your memories?" Ishida spoke up, sounding both shocked and thoroughly interested, hardly making an effort to hide it.  

"In some cases, yes," Urahara shrugged.  "Apparently this 'Unmaker' has most if not all of his memories intact."

"Of course," Karin grumbled.  

Yuzu sighed.  "This means that you're taking Nii-s-er, I mean Ichigo-chan," she paused as if those words were particularly difficult to say.  

Noting her sister's problem, Karin put a hand on her shoulder and smiled reassuringly.  Yuzu returned the smile to acknowledge her sister's efforts, but then continued, unable to completely hide the pain behind her words.  "You're taking him to the Soul Society for good," her voice dropped to barely audible, "doesn't it."  She said the question as more of a statement, looking sadder and sadder with each syllable.

"For an indefinite amount of time," Akio replied callously.  "Yes."

Another uncomfortable silence fell over the room.  

"What about the Visored?" Rukia asked calmly.  "What do they think of this?"

Urahara shrugged, and moved his fan in front of his face again, smiling at everyone with his eyes.  "They haven't showed up yet."

"Do you know when they will?"  This one came from Isshin, his voice dropping into a quiet tone that seemed uncharacteristic from what Akio had seen of the man.  

Resident hat-n-clogs shrugged.  "Whenever they feel like it."

"Why am I not surprised?"  The captain muttered.  

"In any case," Urahara continued, "We need to make preparations.  Rukia-taichou," he turned to the dark-haired woman, "please inform the Soul Society at the soonest possible time."

She raised an eyebrow slightly.  "Shouldn't you inform them?"

His fan had suddenly flashed out in front of his face.  "I still don't think they trust me."

//I wonder why, Akio thought.  The man was eccentric, but otherwise harmless as far as he could tell.  Not for the first time, he wondered if he were a good judge in character as the ex-captain continued.  

"It would mean more coming from you."

She still didn't seem completely convinced, but nodded.

"As for Ichigo-san," he started, then paused.  It was the subtlest movement, a relaxing muscle here, and a tensing muscle there, barely perceptible, but Akio saw it.  Apparently so did dark-haired human with glasses and the kid, as all three of them looked over at the door just as someone crashed through it and straight into Urahara's face.  

"Stupid Baldy!"

Ichigo's face fell.  There were even more people behind her, one of them (obviously their leader of sorts) being a man with a bowl-shaped haircut and a creepy smile.  

"You must be Hirako-san,"  Akio stood up.  "Good.  We need to leave as soon as possible, but Urahara-san here insisted we wait and let yo--"

"Who are you?" Hirako interrupted, looking thoroughly unimpressed.  

"I was just about to ask that, Baldy!"  the blond girl growled from the floor where she knelt on Urahara's chest.  

The blond Visored ignored her, instead choosing to keep his studying gaze on the auburn-haired man before him.

"My name is Akio.  I represent the royal court."

"Really?" Hirako asked, sounding both bored and skeptical.  

"Actually, he does," Rukia muttered.  

Hirako glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.   Then he shrugged.  "Whatever.  I don't really care as long as he doesn't interfere with our agreement with the little captain over there," he pointed to Rukia, who said nothing as she sipped her tea, but a large vein did appear on her forehead.  "Ichigo gets to train with us for two days."  He glanced down at the orange-haired boy.  "Come on, kid."

Ichigo went to protest, but saw the look from the fifth-squad captain and sighed, standing up.  

"Wait!" Akio said.  "He needs to return to the Soul Society so we can protect him!  Immediately!"

Hirako paused, turning at the door.  "I'm not surprised the Soul Society's goin' back on their word."

"He does not speak for the Soul Society," a smooth, female voice spoke from the Visored, originating from a woman with her long, black hair tied back in a braid.  

"Point," Hirako acknowledged.  "Come on, Ichigo," he smiled down at the boy.  It seemed to do nothing to brighten Ichigo's spirits.  Akio concurred.  He had a rather-no, very-creepy smile.

"You don't understand...!" Akio started, but stopped when Urahara held out the fan in front of the Royal Court member.  

The last one to leave, the blond one who had kicked Urahara so rudely, turned and glared at him, her fanged smile turning somewhat mischievous.  "From the Royal Court, eh?" she asked.  "Bet you don't even know who it is you're supposed to be guarding, do you?"  With that, she turned the corner, calling out to him without facing him.  "If you want to know, come watch."

Akio steamed as he watched the doorway empty.  More stupid idiots that didn't understand just how important this was.

Beside him, the shopkeeper spoke up.  "She never changes," he muttered.  Then he turned to Akio.  "How about I talk to them, Akio-san," he grinned.  "I'll see if I can get them to reconsider."

Akio tried not to look too grateful.

"Thank you."  He missed the mischievous gleam in the ex-shinigami's eye.

xXx

"Hirako-san," Ichigo muttered under his breath, "why did you bring everyone this time?"  He looked around, feeling slightly uncomfortable.  It wasn't that he didn't like the Visored, but there was something about them that really bugged him.

//More than one thing, Shiro grumbled in his mind.

"Why wouldn't we all come?"  the blond asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ichigo shrugged, looking away, rubbing the back of his head slowly.  "You all didn't come last time."

"Berry-tan doesn't think we care!" Mashiro said suddenly, a look of shock and horror on her face.

"We don't," Lisa muttered, walking by and not taking her eyes off of her book (which Rukia-taichou had insisted she cover).  

"Lisa-chan!  You're so mean!" the green-haired Visored said, throwing a miniature (for her) tantrum.

They reached the approximate center of Urahara's training ground, everyone grabbing various seats and settling in to watch.  Ichigo glanced over at his 'friends' and 'family', who had all decided to stay the night.  He actually wondered how they'd talked Urahara into that.  That guy wasn't the type of person to...

His thought process faded off as he realized that that particular train of thought wasn't really his.  It had come from his other self's memories.  Gulping, he shook the thought out of his head, forcing his mind to focus on the people in front of him.  Surprisingly, Hirako was the one who took his sword out and pointed it at Ichigo.  Despite their sparring session the previous time, Ichigo had never seen Hirako fight when other Visoreds were around except at the final...war...

His frustration began to rise several notches.  He'd done it again!  Why was it that now, when he didn't want the memories they came practically every moment?

Grasping the hilt of Zangetsu firmly, he took a ready stance, making sure it was one they'd taught him at least fairly recently.   It didn't feel as natural as his original stance, but he didn't care. It wasn't really his original stance.

"Alright," Hirako grinned, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the man named Akio.  "Mask on."

Ichigo nodded and complied.

Then the fight began.

xXx

"What...is...that!" Akio exclaimed as the two Visored began their training match.  

"That," Urahara said, coming up behind him, "is Kurosaki Ichigo."

"It's a hollow's riatsu!"

The shopkeeper didn't even bother to turn and look at him.  "So you didn't know who you were guarding.  Is this a problem?"  

Akio continued to stare in shock as the fight continued, people yelling out various tips and points (or screaming in some cases) for the boy to follow.  At least, those who could see the fight called out to him.  They moved so quickly Akio barely saw their blurs.  

He'd have to slow down time if he wanted to...

That thought caused him to trail off.  Could he slow down time?  As mind blowing as that thought was, it seemed like a familiar concept.  Perhaps that was his specialty?  Wouldn't surprise him, seeing as most people in the Royal Court had powers that at least related to time.  They found the odd person that didn't, but that was rare.  

One more clue to his past.

He pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked hard at the ex-shinigami.  "As long as he can help to defeat the Unmaker, I don't care."

"Excellent," Urahara grinned and finally turned to face him, smiling at him with his eyes.  "Why don't you stay here and watch while everyone trains today?  I'll speak to Hirako-san when he and Ichigo take a break, alright?"

Akio nodded as he lowered himself into a sitting position on the large rock to watch a good distance away from the 'action'.  Idly, he wondered how he'd gained such a morbid curiosity as to be actually interested in such a fight.

xXx

"Good, Ichigo," Shinji nodded at the boy, a large grin splitting his face.  "You've improved."

If Ichigo smiled back, the Visored couldn't see it through the mask.   The kid was probably exhausted.  They'd come well into their second day of training, straight.  He'd refused to do more than take the occasional break since they'd started.  Now that he knew someone was after him, and that said person could hurt a lot of people getting to him, he seemed more motivated than ever.

Then again, he wouldn't expect less from Ichigo.

"Nice job, kid," Shinji said as he landed, his own mask dissipating at his will.  

"Are you trading out again?" Ichigo asked, moving his mask to the side.  A few of the Visored had taken to tag-teaming in their training.  Sometimes all of them wold come at Ichigo, sometimes they'd just trade out.

The former captain grinned.  "Actually, I just thought we'd take a break."  After all, the annoying Kuchiki-captain had finally taken a short break herself upstairs with several other members of Ichigo's family.  He may not get another chance at this.

"No!"  Ichigo practically growled.  "I need to get stronger, now!"

Shinji couldn't help but deadpan.  "You never change, do you?"

The scowl on the boy's face returned with full force.  He glared at Shinji for several seconds before bringing up his sword to rest on his shoulder.

"Fine," he muttered, stomping by.  Was that a tantrum?  From Ichigo?  Shinji almost let out a snicker.  Almost.   The carrot-top plopped down on a rock with a force that screamed he was in protest.  

Shinji flash stepped to the place they'd set their water bottles down, and grabbed them.  Knowing Ichigo, he'd better have a peace offering.  

It only took moments to reappear beside the boy and hold the transparent container in front of him.  Scowl deepening, Ichigo grabbed the bottle and unscrewed the lid, taking a short drink.  Shinji flopped down beside him.  

"So, Ichigo, I was wondering," he started, sounding as casual as he could.  He was not used to interrogating children.  "About the conversation we had last time..."

He didn't think it possible for Ichigo to be any colder towards him.  He was wrong.  Somehow, just those words sparked him into an even deeper anger.  Vaguely, Shinji wondered what he'd done to tick the boy off so drastically.  He'd have to proceed carefully.  Even earlier that day taking a break wouldn't have elicited this deep of a reaction.  Must have been something he said.

"What about it?"

"Eh, not much," Shinji shrugged.  Best to put him at ease.  "I was just wondering, you know what a shinigmi does, right?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes.  "Of course I do.  I'm not dumb!"  

Shinji raised his eyebrow and avoided that opening with no small amount of restraint.  "No, you're not.  So tell me what they do."

He continued to scowl, but answered none the less.  "Rukia-taichou said they purify hollows and send souls to the soul society."

"And you know what a hollow is, right?"

Now the boy started to look bored.  "They're souls that have lost their heart."

"So you know they're mortal enemies, right?"

Ichigo didn't answer, looking somewhat confused.  "Hollows and Shinigami?"

Shinji nodded absently, taking a drink of water.  "Yeah," he said.  "That's what makes Visored so feared.  We're an abomination, not to be trusted."

The orange-haired boy continued to look displeased and puzzled.  "But," he started, "why do we have to be enemies?"

The ex-shinigami raised an eyebrow.  "It's in their nature to kill.  It's in our nature to protect.  Of course we'd be enemies."

Ichigo thought for a moment, still looking defiant. "So if you came across a hollow that wasn't like that, would you just kill them anyway?!"

And there was the opening Shinji had been probing for.  Suppressing a triumphant, if worried smile, he turned and looked Ichigo in the face.  "Ichigo," he said seriously, "All hollows are like that."

"How do you know?" He growled right back.  

"Personal experience."

Ichigo's face started to turn red with anger and frustration.  "You haven't met every hollow out there!"

"I've met a lot," Shinji countered smoothly.  "And I've never once met an exception to the rule."

"What about Nell-chan?"  Shinji raised an eyebrow at Ichigo's use of the Arrancar's name. Ichigo had only met her as Neliel.  He didn't point it out, not wanting to distract from the current conversation.  

The older Visored shrugged.  "She's an Arrancar, which means she's gained back her reasoning.  However," he interjected before Ichigo could say anything, "I don't think you're talking about every other hollow out there."

That shut him up.  Fast.  Ichigo snapped his jaw closed and turned to look away, still upset and defiant, but slightly guilty.   Shinji pressed on.  "You told me you let your hollow speak to you.  Why?"

"Why not?" Ichigo shot back, looking more flustered.  "He's a part of me.  Why shouldn't I listen to what he says?"

"Have you ever considered that it might be hurting you?  That it's trying to seem nice on purpose to gain your trust?"

The carrot-top shook his head.  "Why would he do that?"

Shinji leaned forward.  "Hollows consume, Ichigo.  It's in their nature.  They consume anything and everything they possibly can.  The less resistance, the better."

"That's not true!"  Ichigo protested leaning away and looking angrier than ever.  "The harder something is, the more you grow when you defeat it!"

"Did your hollow tell you that?"

Ichigo blinked, and looked away again.  "No," he said.  Shinji didn't believe him for a second.

"Do you listen to it?"

The boy refused to respond at all.  By this time, a few others had come around, and were standing casually within hearing distance, but the two ignored them completely.

"Ichigo," Shinji continued quietly, "do you trust it?"

Ichigo scowled up at the blond man, not backing down an inch.  "Yes," he said finally, "I do."

xXx

He should have expected the reaction he got.  In some small corner of his mind, he did.  Shiro practically yelling at him the whole time didn't help much either (//Idiot!  Don't say that!  They'll never let you leave!  They'll lock you up or something!).  He didn't care; backing down in this case was not an option.

Exclamations sounded from the group around him.

Hirako, however, just sat back, rubbing the bridge of his nose.  "I was afraid of that," he said.

"Why shouldn't I trust him!  He's a part of me!  He's always looked out for me!"

//Not helping, Shiro muttered.  

"Of course it looks out for you, baldy!" Hyori bellowed at him.  "If you die, it dies!"

"Shiro's not an 'it'!  He's a him!"

//Really not helping!

"You named it?" Hirako asked before Mugurume butt in.

"It'll kill you, kid," the silver-haired man shot fiercely.  "Eventually, it will try to take over and absorb your consciousness!"

Ichigo shook his head in defiance.  "No he won't!  Why would he?!"

"Because that's how hollows gain power; by absorbing other beings," Lisa answered, her voice as cold as ice.  

//Ask them why I haven't killed you so far then, Shiro said, a tone of rage touching his thoughts.  

"Yeah, why hasn't he killed me already?" Ichigo said.  

"Waiting for more power to absorb, waiting for a better moment, or he's been working on you for a while," Hirako answered.  "There could be any number of reasons.  Maybe you're just stronger than him."

//Psh.  Not likely.

//Hey! Ichigo shot silently.  

"We don't know why," Rose broke in quietly, his voice deadly serious.  "And that's one thing we'd like to find out."

"We want you to ask him for us," Lisa said.  "Tell us exactly what he says."

That's when it hit Ichigo.  He'd been set up.  They'd been planning on this kind of a situation the whole time.  The thought of him being manipulated like that really irked him.  "Look, why don't you just ask him yourself?!" He yelled, finally losing his patience.  A stunned silence fell over the group.  

"No, don't--" Hirako started as he jumped up off of the rock, but stopped as Ichigo's riatsu changed.  

"Che," Ichigo's now multiple, high-pitched voice caused all of the Visored to drop into a defensive stance.  

For several extremely long seconds, no one dared move, as if anyone breathing too loudly would break some sort of stalemate.  "Do you know what it's like?" the boy's voice said again, looking around with his now black and gold eyes.  "Having the memories of a 28 year old and being stuck in a child's body?  Caffeine can't touch this!"

"Grab him!" Someone yelled.  Instantly, he'd shunpoed off into the training grounds, bouncing off of the mountains as the mask began to form across the side of his face.  Scrambling to catch up, several Visored gave chase, obviously hoping to subdue him.  

"Our specialty is speed, you morons!  Just try to catch us!" Shiro yelled, turning around and stepping backwards.  Love suddenly appeared behind him, and for just a moment, Ichigo thought they'd caught him, but Shiro just smiled and added a touch of Sonido to his step.  He avoided the afro-styling man easily, dancing around Hyori and Mashiro.  

After a few minutes of tag, he stopped atop a boulder and turned back towards the advancing Visored.  

"You're pathetic," he taunted.  No one answered, now as serious and focused as ever, although they still seemed to be holding back.  Obviously, they didn't want to hurt the kid.  

//Ironic, Shiro muttered silently.  

//Why? Ichigo asked.  Shiro didn't respond.

"Pathetic hypocrites," he said, voice hissing just a little more than he'd intended.  "If you're gonna come after me, then come after me!"

"Ichigo!" a new voice behind him took his attention away from his pursuers for just a moment.  Rukia-taichou had come back down into the training grounds and looked on with worry.  Which only served to tick Shiro off more.  

He saw flashes of color, and barely avoided several hands grabbing for him.  He wasn't about to let them catch him though.

"What do you want?"  He heard Hirako's strained voice somewhere behind him.

"What," Shiro shot back, venom lacing his words, "you're gonna listen to me now?"  He looked over his shoulder to see the blond Visored had stopped.

"Depends on what you have to say."

Shiro snorted at that, but paused despite his skepticism.  Around him, all the movement stopped as they watched him warily, no doubt looking for their opening.  

"Psh," he snorted.  "Why would you listen to what I have to say when you hate hollows so much?"  The blond man didn't respond.  Shiro didn't care, continuing on anyway.  "All of you hypocrites, looking down on hollows because they're hollows and hating the soul society for doing the exact same thing!  We never really trusted you.  Me, this Ichigo and the old Ichigo.  Probably the one smart thing he ever did."

"We were the ones going out on a limb helping his sorry, bald butt and you're telling us he never cared?!"  Hyori shot, looking murderous.

"You never cared about him," Shiro's voice dropped, an insane smile touching what they could see of the boys lips.  "You only wanted to strengthen your numbers.  And now you," he turned an inclusive, narrowed eye on Rukia-taichou and then Urahara, "all of you, want to kill Ichigo off!"

"That's not true!" Rukia-taichou shot, seething.  "How can you say that?"

"It's a hollow," Rose muttered as if the answer were obvious.  

Shiro's glower darkened.  "What do you think will happen when the idiot  comes back?"

"Who?" Mashiro asked, putting a finger to her lips in confusion.

"I believe he means the old Ichigo," Urahara commented, looking somewhat grim.  

"Of course I mean the old Ichigo! What do you think will happen when he comes back?  You'll all get your stupid, reckless jerk back, but what'll happen to this Ichigo?"  He gestured to his body.  

Rukia-taichou paused, looking confused.  "The personalities will merge," she turned to look at Urahara.  "Right?"

The green-clad man didn't answer at first, never taking his gaze off of Shiro.  

"Why don't you tell them the truth, for once," Shiro asked, his grin widening, looking all the more creepy on the 8-year-old face.  

"Theoretically, yes," the man shrugged.  "The personalities should merge if he regains all of his memories."

"Theoretically," Shiro mocked.  "Don't give them that crap.  The idiot had 26 years of experience.  This Ichigo has only two.  Which personality will be stronger?"

Urahara didn't answer.  Several eyes turned and stared at him, then turned to look back at the small, but challenging figure of Ichigo, his face now almost completely covered in the mask.   "You won't answer?  Fine, then let me tell you.  I've been in here watching the memories come back little by little.  And little by little, this Ichigo is disappearing."

//I am?! Little Ichigo yelped inside their head, fear clearly evident in his words.  Shiro made a mental note to 'discuss' that with him later.  

The royal court boy  blinked several times, glancing back and forth between the different, various people throughout the room, confused.  He was the only one with that expression.  Some of the Visored looked startled.  Most looked resigned.  Rukia-taichou's face had gone deathly white, but Urahara didn't so much as flinch.   Of course he wouldn't.

"And you knew," the hollow continued, hands tightening around Zangetsu.  "You just wanted the old, easily manipulated Ichigo back.  Doesn't matter who you'd kill in the process, does it?"

"And you," Urahara finally spoke, no hint of humor in his voice, "are no mere hollow, are you?"

That took Shiro by surprise and he narrowed his eyes  at the green-clad shopkeeper. "What are you going on about?"   

Urahara glanced at him out of the corner of his eye before turning his gaze back to Shiro.  "I think you know what I mean, Shiro-kun."

//What's he talking about? Little Ichigo demanded.

//I have no clue, brat, Shiro said back harshly.

"He's too intelligent," a new, familiar voice spoke up.  From the direction of the ladder, Neliel came walking confidently over.  "Hirako-san is right," she said to Shiro.  "Hollows consume everything they possibly can.  It's the most basic instinct; devour, gain strength, survive."

Shiro scowled at her words, feeling slightly betrayed to hear a hollow, of all people, say those words.  Despite that, he didn't deny anything she said.  "

So why haven't you?"  She continued, looking up at him curiously.

"What are you saying?" Rukia-taichou asked, regaining a bit of color in her cheeks.  

"I'm saying," the green-haired woman smiled warmly up at Shiro, "that his inner hollow is just like me; an Arrancar."