Bleach: Stirring Up a Storm

Shiba Isshin. Unless it was just someone in the World of the Living who coincidentally shared the exact same name, he was indeed an old acquaintance. Hirako didn’t think Kōe would lie to him about something like this, especially since it would be far too easy to verify.

”That really is a name from a long time ago. So, that unfamiliar Reiatsu that suddenly appeared a while back was him? Does this have something to do with his sudden disappearance back then?”

”No. Urahara gave me a brief rundown. Even though Isshin was in a sorry state when he escaped from the turbulent space-time currents, he still had some residual Reiatsu left in him.”

”Then?”

Kōe seemed to chuckle softly on the other end of the line. ”Uncle Isshin is an old magnet for bad luck. Right after escaping the space-time turbulence, he just so happened to run into Aizen conducting experiments in Karakura Town. He almost died an inexplicable death in the World of the Living, but fortunately, a Quincy stepped in and saved him. And you know how bad luck is contagious—the Quincy who saved him was injured by a Hollow, and as a result, she began undergoing Hollowfication herself.”

”And this Quincy is?”

”Kurosaki Masaki. Ichigo’s mother.” Kōe confirmed Hirako’s suspicion and continued, ”Of course, those two didn’t have any sort of relationship back then. After Urahara rescued them and brought them back, Uncle Isshin did consider returning to the Seireitei, but then an unexpected accident occurred.”

”I don’t know if it was due to the unique constitution of a Quincy, or if the Hollow Aizen created was just too special, but Kurosaki Masaki’s Hollowfication couldn’t be suppressed at all. Shinigami and Hollows are two diametrically opposed entities, so fundamentally, the only way to suppress Hollowfication is through Shinigamification.”

Quincy, Hollowfication, Shinigamification. Connecting all this to the fact that Shiba Isshin stayed in the World of the Living to start a family, Hirako looked up at the cloudless night sky. ”In the end, Isshin used his own Shinigami powers to help that Quincy suppress the Hollowfication, didn’t he.”

”Exactly. According to Urahara, Isshin was incredibly eager when the plan was proposed. He kept saying things about feeling guilty toward the Quincy and wanting to repay her kindness, but in the end, he just went and married her. So, if you ask me, it was a classic case of a beauty saving the hero, and the hero falling in love at first sight.”

Hirako had no interest in paying attention to Kōe’s gossip. ”So, the reason Ichigo can undergo Hollowfication is likely because of his mother, Kurosaki Masaki, and the root cause is a Hollow that Aizen created back then?”

”If it wasn’t triggered by his training to enter Soul Society, then it could only have been inherited from his mother. But just as you said ’likely,’ we have no way of knowing for sure if something like Hollowfication can even be inherited.” Kōe’s voice over the phone sounded slightly displeased. ”Therefore, it’s an inherently uncertain and irrelevant matter. What difference does it make whether you know about it or not?”

Right, what difference did knowing any of this make? Hirako closed his eyes and fell silent for a moment before that familiar grin resurfaced on his face. ”Sorry about that, Shihōin. But... has anyone ever told you that you’re a guy who makes it very hard for people to let their guard down around you?”

On the other end of the line, Kōe had been right on the verge of saying, ”It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” but Hirako’s second sentence forcefully choked the words back down his throat.

”Sorry, but you’re the first person to ever say that,” Kōe replied.

”It’s fine, don’t worry about it!” Hirako shot back.

”...” Kōe stared at the phone in his hand. Was this guy seriously not just trying to pick a fight? Just as he was about to hang up, Hirako’s voice drifted from the receiver once more. ”It’s just, I can’t shake the feeling that you and Urahara are hiding a lot of things from me.”

”Hm?”

”Your situation in the Seireitei is pretty delicate too, isn’t it? That’s why I’ve been thinking since last night. A smart guy like you should know—right now, you are Shihōin Kōe. But if Aizen were gone, in the eyes of others, you would just be the next Aizen Sōsuke.” Hirako’s face was full of smiles, as if he were merely teasing Kōe on the other end, but there was an indescribable resolve in his eyes. ”You really don’t want Aizen to die, do you, Shihōin?”

Kōe didn’t hesitate for a second, unceremoniously scoffing back, ”Someone as smart as me should understand even better that a man like Aizen cannot be controlled. Being the next Aizen Sōsuke in the eyes of others is still far better than a tombstone engraved with the name Shihōin Kōe.”

”Hahaha, as long as you understand. You need to know that no matter what happens this time, we will not let Aizen go. It has nothing to do with the greater good; it’s purely a personal vendetta. Anyone who stands in our way is our enemy. Do you understand, Shihōin?”

”Then you guys better put in some real effort when the time comes. Don’t make fools of yourselves.”

Put in some real effort? That was a given. Hirako hung up the phone and slipped it back into his pocket, his gaze unconsciously drifting toward the direction of the Urahara Shop. *’But do you really understand, Kōe?’*

...

Soul Society, the Seireitei. Nearly a week had passed since Kōe led his group to the World of the Living.

For a small minority of people, the feeling that war was steadily approaching—even if they didn’t know exactly when it would strike—made them feel anxious. They didn’t even know whether they wanted time to move faster or slow down.

However, the march of time would never alter its pace based on human desires. With its unhurried, steady strides, the things one wished to avoid would inevitably arrive right at their doorstep.

”The reason I have gathered everyone here is because Ukitake has discovered Aizen Sōsuke’s next target...”

”Yes. I will now provide a brief explanation for everyone...”

As if it had been deliberately left behind as a declaration of war, Aizen’s impending actions were relayed through Ukitake to the highest echelons of the Seireitei’s military power.

Hitsugaya had thought his hatred for Aizen had already reached its absolute peak, but now, he found that this peak had been effortlessly pushed even higher.

And as he was the last to walk out of the captain’s assembly hall, he spotted a figure waiting not too far away. The smile that had just managed to surface on his face gradually turned bitter.

”Hinamori... You only just woke up not too long ago. Didn’t I tell you not to walk around so much!” Hitsugaya deliberately acted nonchalant, feigning dissatisfaction as he spoke. ”You really are a handful to worry about.”

”I’m already doing much better, Tōshirō.”

*’How could she be doing much better?’* Hitsugaya looked at Hinamori’s complexion, which was somehow even worse than when she had been comatose. Rather than saying her body had recovered and she had woken up, it was more accurate to say that Hinamori had been startled awake by an endless nightmare—a nightmare called her memories...

”Alright, alright. You’ve used up your walking quota for the day. Now, come back to the squad barracks with me and get some proper rest.” Hitsugaya walked past Hinamori, putting on an authoritative air. ”This is a captain’s order. No disobeying.”

”Tōshirō... Wait, Tōshirō.”

Hearing Hinamori call his name, Hitsugaya didn’t stop; instead, he walked even faster. When Hinamori was unconscious, he had visited her almost every single day. Yet, when the news of her awakening finally arrived, he actually found himself too afraid to go see her.

He didn’t know how to tell Hinamori the whole truth. Or perhaps he was just terrified—terrified that even if he told her the truth, she would still hold out hope for that bastard Aizen...

”Tōshirō!”

A hand gently grabbed his wrist. There was no force behind it at all; it felt like he could break free just by shaking his arm. But it was this very hand that made Hitsugaya instantly stop in his tracks.

”Can you tell me? Please. Any news about Captain Aizen. You were all just talking about him, weren’t you?”

”You guys... are going to war with Captain Aizen, aren’t you?”