10Fangtasia21: Gotta be honest, I was a little confused by your review because I didn't realize I published this yet. I hope you enjoy the inevitable that is to come in this chapter.
If anyone has suggestions/predictions about this section of the story, I would love to hear them. Anyway, on with the story.
xXx
The trip was long. It took a few hours for the slow pace of the cart to make it half the distance Ichigo traveled from the academy. He yawned into his hand as he walked next to the cart.
The cart driver sneered down at him. "You could at least look like you're taking this seriously."
Ichigo stopped his yawn and looked up at the driver. "We're fine. I can promise you." He didn't bother to tell the driver he could sense a group standing on the side of the road up ahead. Ichigo was supposed to have the sensing skills of a normal academy student, and after his spiritual pressure had been sealed, he was suddenly able to sense so much more. "Its like weight training," Ichigo mused to himself.
"You're a bit cocky for some first year brat," he said, getting a raised eyebrow from Ichigo "Yeah I heard one of the servants talking about it. I can't believe the master allowed you to take on the job. An underqualified brat…"
Ichigo rolled his eyes when the driver wasn't looking. "He has no idea how overqualified I am."
As the duo drew nearer to where Ichigo knew the probable bandits were hiding, he instinctively put his hand on his sword and straitened up.
"That more like it," the driver scoffed.
Ichigo grit his teeth. He didn't like the driver thinking he could give him orders. He was about to retort when the bushes began to rustle. Ichigo's grit teeth turned into a sneer as he drew his sword. They came out at a bad time. Already being on edge from going to the Sheba Manor, Ichigo wanted to end this quickly.
In his haste, he allowed himself to shunpo, slicing the arms of the bandits. As clumsy as the driver thought he was, Ichigo was very precise in where he cut the bandits, injuring what appeared to be each of their dominant arms by means of straining with hakuda(1) or slicing. When all was said and done, Ichigo looked down on them and gave them a mean look. "Scram."
The bandits ran back into the woods, clutching their arms. One of them tried to run around to the back of the cart and slip in. Ichigo appeared behind him and let out a very un-shinigami like growl as he said, "I said scram." There was a flicker of black in his eye.
Finally getting the message, the bandit ran off into the forest. Ichigo made sure the lock was secure on the back of the cart. He walked back up to the front next to the driver. Still with a mean look in his eye, Ichigo looked at the driver. "It's all set to continue."
The driver felt a chill as he looked at Ichigo. He froze in place for a minute, stunned.
"-should go," Ichigo waved a hand in front of the driver to get his attention. The driver snapped out of it. "Hey, I said we should get going." Ichigo repeated.
"Ah…yeah…" the driver said, breaking eye contact and continuing the cart.
Ichigo continued on his path with a grimace. Eventually, the two came up to the current location of the Sheba manor. The cart rolled up to a docking area where Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko(2) were ready to load the cargo. Ichigo walked to the back and undid the lock and latch. He began unloading the crates of explosives and gun power, handing them off to the retainers.
While Ichigo wasn't particularly afraid of the spell breaking for Koganehiko and Shioganehiko, seeing as he only met them the one time. He still made an effort to hide his face behind the crates he was handing them. When the cart was empty, Ichigo was left with nothing to hide his face.
"Alright, that should be it. Are we ready to go?" Ichigo asked the driver, relived he wouldn't have to see Kukaku or Ganju and he could go home easy.
"Oh no no. We have to go get a signed approval from the head of the house. You've really never done this, have you, boy," he replied.
Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko stood at attention. One of them spoke, but Ichigo didn't know which one, "Thank you very much for delivering our valued explosives."
The other one continued where he left off. "Lady Kukaku-sama is inside this way. We will have Lord Ganju-san check over the cargo."
Ichigo was mentally fuming. "Is there any chance I could wait out here by the cart? I don't really want to go and see a noble," Ichigo asked, barely covering how his voice shook.
One of the retainers replied. "Young delivery boy, I apologize, but we cannot leave you here alone with the cargo. We could wait and you could go with Ganju-san though."
Ichigo stiffened. "I don't really think that's an issue. I'll come along to get the signature…"
The four of them walked inside the manor. Ganju walked by them on one side of the hall, greeting the retainers. "Yo!" They bowed in reply.
Ichigo tilted his head down as they went by. Ganju passed by, not paying note of him. "I'm clear!" Ichigo celebrated in his head.
Inside the Sheba Manor, just moments before…
Ishhin sat in the Sheba manor next to Kukaku. "And you're sure he didn't come this way? This is the only place in the Soul Society he knows of that isn't in the Seireitei."
Kukaku frowned, "No Isshin, I'm sure. I would have told you he was here if he were." She looked down at her glass of sake. "It's really a shame…we never got the chance to tell him about his family. I mean, Ganju doesn't know either, but that doesn't actually make it any better."
Isshin's brow was scrunched with worry. "When he said I could tell him when I was ready, I thought that would be much sooner, but then everyone got caught up in everything and I had to leave to become a captain."
"It really is uncanny though, how much he looks like-," Kukaku was cut off by Shiroganahiko coming into the room.
"Lady Kukaku-sama! The explosives have been delivered!"
"The deliverer's require your signature of approval! Oh hello Lord Shiba! It is good to see you." Koganehiko continued. The duo stepped out of the path of Ichigo and the driver.
Ichigo froze like a deer caught in the headlights. His breathing sped up and he considered running. "No…play it natural theres a chance…"
"Kaien?!" Kukaku cried.
"Ahh….I'm sorry. I-I don't know who that is…" Ichigo replied, trying to play off his failing plan to remain hidden. Despite speaking to Kukaku, Ichigo's eyes never left his father.
Isshin was screaming on the inside. "Its Ichigo. I can't blow his cover, he's clearly hiding from something. Is that an academy uniform?" Isshin coughed, breaking the tension. "I have to play this off to get him to speak with us alone."
"I apologize for my niece's outburst. You look like someone we are familiar with." Isshin could see Ichigo visibly grow more shocked at the mention of "niece". He made a line of eye contact matching his son's.
"He knows…hes not blowing my cover…" Ichigo thought to himself. "But what if I just really look like this Kaien guy. Saying anything would blow my cover…but I want him to know…"
Ganju came in at that moment. "Yo guys, its all checked and good…what's with the faces? You see a ghost?"
Ichigo turned around to look at Ganju. "Kaieennn!?" Ganju dropped his clipboard and ran up to Ichigo. He clung to his neck like a lost puppy. "H…how…You're dead…Rukia killed you."
Ichigo stood, stunned, unable to make any words. He tentatively put a hand on Ganju's back. "I-I'm sorry. I thin-"
He was cut off by Isshin coughing to get attention. "I think we need to run a bit of damage control. Ganju propably wont let go until we convince him you aren't Kaien…please," he turned to the driver, "Here is the signature. I hope mine will do. Kukaku seems to still be stunned." Isshin handed the driver a note.
"Y-yes of course, Captain Sheba," the driver replied, taking the note.
"Would you give us a bit of privacy, this is a family matter?" Isshin asked kindly, with a face that said "I'm sure you can understand?"
The driver nodded and backed out of the room. Shiroganahiko closed the door behind him.
Once the door was closed, Ichigo got an irritated look in his eye he had been stifling for hours. "Get the hell off me Ganju!" He roared, pulling Ganju off and kicked him away, throwing him quite a ways towards the far wall.
Ganju rolled over, a tear remaining in his eye. He stared, not noticing Isshin getting up and striding over to Ichigo.
Isshin grasped Ichigo in a tight hug. "I thought you might be dead…" He whispered.
"I'm sorry dad, I didn't mean to worry you," Ichigo said, feeling more relaxed.
Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko looked between each other with a raised eyebrow.
Kukaku stared at the two of them a moment. It took her a second, wondering why Isshin would have such a response to a guy who looked like his dead nephew…and then it clicked. She burst out laughing. "See Isshin! I told you you would know if he came by here!" she fell backwards onto the floor, off the pillow she was sitting on.
"I don't understand…" Ganju said miserably.
"We don't have much time to sit and chat. You have to go back to your job before they get suspicious or you don't get paid," Isshin said happily, clapping his son on the back. "When's the soonest you can meet up?"
"Actually tomorrow, since weekends are free at the academy," Ichigo replied with a relaxed air. "Can we just keep it between those of us in the room for now? We can discuss more tomorrow."
"Sure thing. Just be here tomorrow morning ok? And don't ever worry me like that again."
Ichigo walked to the door and gave a mock salute. "I can't make any promises, but at least not until we next meet. See ya…and you'll have to explain that whole "niece and nephew thing"," Ichigo said with a grin.
"Alright, tomorrow then, Ichigo," Isshin said with a smile as Ichigo walked out the door.
Ichigo luckily closed the door by the time Ganju roared "IIICCCCHIIIIGOOOOO?!"
Ichigo smiled as he walked back outside the manor. The driver raised an eyebrow at Ichigo's good mood. "Whats with you?"
Ichigo scratched the back of his neck. "Nothing much. Its just nice to see such a tightly knit family."
"Whatever, anyway we should go back to my lord's manor," he replied.
They turned the cart around and made the return journey to the manor.
xXx
Ichigo walked into the office where he met Narobi the first time. He bowed. "The transportation was completed without much of a hitch." Ichigo handed Narobi the paper with Isshin's signature. "I apologize for not getting Kukaku-sama's signature, but there was a family issue." Ichigo noted how wrong it felt to call Kukaku "Kukaku-sama".
"Ah, yes sir. I can confirm this," the driver said.
"Very well," Narobi replied. He pulled out a bag with Ichigo's pay in it and handed it to him. "I take it the Shiba's weren't as scary as you thought them to be?"
Ichigo laughed nervously, "Well they certainly gave me a good scare."
"Oh well, you did your job," Narobi waved Ichigo out.
xXx
Back at the dorms…
Nagi looked up from his comic at Ichigo. "You seem in an oddly good mood."
"Got paid," Ichigo said simply.
"Oh come on man, money can't put that kind of look on your face…was it a girl?"
"What? No, ew," Ichigo cringed. Kukau didn't count. "And apparently we're related."
"Then what is it?"
Ichigo glared lightly, "I don't want to talk about it."
Nagi put up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright."
Ichigo sat down at the desk on his side of the room to do his homework for the weekend, allowing himself a small smile as he remembered the day's events.
xXx
(1) Hand to hand combat
(2) Shiba family retainers
If you don't quite get why Kukaku knew before Ganju, it's 1) because he's stupider, and 2) because she knew Ichigo was missing.
-SK