173A/N: A big thank you to Speed Reader for the review of the last chapter. As well as anyone who put me or it on their lists. This one became twice as long as anticipated. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Inuyasha and Bleach characters, mangas, animes, movies, etc. They belong by copyright laws to Rumiko Takahashi et al, and Tite Kubo et al, respectively.
Secrets Abound
A Real Vacation?
A tired group of fighters rejoined friends and family waiting for them in the penthouse. They were weary and cold, most ready for sleep. Callen took one look at his mate and sighed in relief. "It is finished," he intoned.
"It is," Kirara agreed, walking into his arms. "The children handled things beautifully, and Sesshoumaru ate the spider."
"Gross!" Keigo gagged, voicing everyone's thoughts.
"I see. Should I prepare a bed outside?" the white nekomata asked.
"It might be advisable," Miroku grimaced. "The midnight snack was not setting well when he left the park." The monk didn't add that Kirara had forced him to walk back.
Yoruichi gave the collected company a disgusted look. "Where is Soi Fon?" she asked, trying to veer away from the unpleasant topic.
"Doing a mass memory modification, Shihoin-san," Kagome put in. "Both Naraku and Sesshoumaru transformed, so it was necessary. We were told to leave; no doubt to avoid any accidental modifications of our own memory."
"Ah. Yes, that would just lead to more paperwork. My little bee hates paperwork." The former head of the stealth force rather thought it was because she had to make so many corrections to the paperwork her lazy lieutenant was supposed to complete.
"She wasn't in a good mood as it was," Ichigo added. "I think she blames this all on me and hates me for it."
The ex-captain chuckled. "She has mentioned on occasion that she wishes she'd assassinated you when you first appeared. Of course, you're my student and I told her I'd be very displeased if something were to happen to you."
Ichigo frowned at his mentor. "Great, give her another reason to hate my guts. I'm not the teacher's pet, okay?" The daiko would have added more but he yawned loudly, his jaw cracking at the size of the movement. "I'm beat. Rukia, do you want to shower first?" he asked, looking down at his friend. She had come abreast of him in the living room.
"Thank you, I would. I believe paperwork and reports can wait until tomorrow."
"Absolutely," Sango agreed. "Go rest. You've all had a long day, some more than most." She smiled at Akira who was looked like she was sleeping on her feet.
Gently shooing the children to bed, Kagome put her arm around the younger priestess. "You have nothing to fear now, Watanabe-san. You are under the protection of our clan, and woe be it if anyone tries to harm you again."
"Thank you, Taisho-san."
"Hey, if it's all over, does that mean we can go home now?" Tatsuki asked, guiding Orihime towards their room.
"A splendid idea," Shippou agreed and grinned. His family knew that grin and internally groaned.
"None of you games, runt. They have the right to relax before school starts again." Inuyasha felt that his eldest had something up his sleeve.
"Right, right! They didn't have any fun at Grandma's hotel. I was just thinking maybe they'd like a couple days at the amusement park back in Japan. It's in Okinawa prefecture so it'll be warm, and all of the rides should be up and running, including the water ones. This would be the perfect 'thank you,' wouldn't it? I mean, we did hijack their vacation." The kitsune did his best to look innocent.
"If we can satisfy the Gotei's need for excessive paperwork and reporting, I do not see the issue. We still have a few days left of vacation. Kuchiki-san, do you think your bosses will want more than usual?" Ishida asked.
"You mean more than you guys usually produce? Not at the moment. Besides, we can send our reports in via Soul Pager and allow the seated officers to put it in written form. The captains will call us if they want anything else."
"That's a relief," Tatsuki muttered. She really didn't want to fill out scads of paperwork anyway.
"An amusement park? With beautiful women in small bathing suits?" Keigo asked hopefully. Mizuiro perked up briefly at the thought.
"Uh-huh," Shippou agreed. "A lot of college girls too. Some work there, some come to visit."
"Don't encourage him," Rukia ordered, and walked to the room she was sharing with Ichigo. "I will go, if you are willing," she told them before shutting the door.
Ichigo exchanged looks with the rest of his friends and shrugged. "Whatever. We already have the clothes."
"A rest would do us good…" Ishida contemplated.
"We didn't have nearly enough fun at the hotel," Orihime added.
"I will go if you will," Chad agreed.
"Then it's settled!" Shippou exclaimed. "I'll make the arrangements and let the pilot know you'll be going someplace besides home." He pulled out his cell and wandered into the kitchen so that they couldn't hear him.
"You poor children," Kirara sighed. "That's enough. You go to bed," she told the ones that hadn't already wandered away.
"I'll wait," Ichigo decided. It was better for his health if he left their shared room to Rukia until she was ready for bed. The kittens that he would eventually be living with wandered up to him and sat at his feet. They all looked at him imploringly and he sighed. "Great, three more females to sucker me into something," Ichigo muttered and crouched so that he could pick them up. They snuggled into his arms and began purring. He took up sentry outside their room and pretended like he'd gone deaf.
"And three less for me," Callen smiled.
"Oh, all of this litter will soon be off our paws," Kirara told her mate. "Did I forget to mention that?"
"You mumbled something about it in your sleep, but most of it was incoherent."
"Ah. Well, yes. Those three will be joining the Kurosaki household, although Noe will one day split her time between this world and the Soul Society, I suppose. The rest have laid claim to various other members of Ichigo-kun's group. We should prepare to return to Japan immediately."
"As you wish, my dear."
"You will not be staying, Kirara-san?" Akira asked. She had not gone to bed like the others.
"I realize that having the place to yourself might be daunting. It would be best if someone occupied this penthouse for the time being anyway. Sesshoumaru would feel better if you were safe, Watanabe-san. Your apartment building did not seem all that secure to me when we were there last."
""No, I guess not. This is closer to school."
"Then it is settled," Sesshoumaru declared, making the humans jump. Inuyasha had smelled his brother long before he saw him. His stealthy footsteps hadn't evaded his ears either.
"So, did the fresh air do you good?" Callen asked, receiving a snarl in reply.
"Indeed. I shall be retiring to my quarters now," the demon lord said and got back into the elevator. It made him feel a little better that he'd managed to surprise Sango, Kagome, and Miroku.
"Where are his quarters?" Akira asked in trepidation. How often did he visit the U.S.?
"Downstairs. He wanted the penthouse, but Kirara won the coin toss," Inuyasha grinned.
"He doesn't come to the States often, does he?" the young miko asked hopefully.
"About once a month. A day or two at most, usually. You'll be fine, kid. We'll give you a head's up. He can be a pain, so we try to warn each other when we can," the half demon chuckled.
"Thanks."
"I wouldn't worry too much, my dear. With your busy schedule, you'll probably never run into him." Kirara smiled reassuringly and watched the girl finally go to bed. Turning to the ones she'd watch grow; she narrowed her eyes. "He's going to become a nuisance with that girl. Try to be on your toes about the forewarnings."
"Yes, ma'am," they chorused. No one wanted a repeat of when Rin was being courted.
They still carried the scars.
Ichigo and his friends found themselves on a private plane the next morning with Shippou. The kitsune regaled them with tales of his family, some of them the daiko was sure he wasn't supposed to be telling. Keigo absorbed it all like a sponge. Rukia was busy typing on her Pager, passing it around to the others when she wanted them to add something in their own words. He kind of felt sorry for the poor sod who had to make sense of the whole thing.
"Kurosaki, you don't seem interested in the tales of wonder our host is showering us with," Ishida prodded. The daiko had been looking out the window at clear blue skies.
"He's a kitsune. Half of what he's saying is probably a lie."
"You hurt my feelings, Kurosaki-kun!" Shippou pronounced, giving a pout.
"Are you really going to try to tell me that your adoptive mother used hairspray to exorcise a toad demon?" Ichigo snorted. It was the one story he had listened to.
"She did! Okaa-san's from this time originally, you know. She fell into the well when she was fifteen and began a wonderful, terrible adventure. One of the first demons she helped slay was a toad demon. Toads don't like fire, mortal, or demon. The hairspray was one of those things that she really didn't need to bring with her to the past, but it was a good thing she did."
"Why didn't she use an arrow?" Ishida asked. He'd been in the restroom when that story had been told.
"She didn't want to hurt the prince the toad demon had possessed. I'm kind of surprised it worked myself. Maybe some of her power leaked into the spray. Don't know. Kind of made Oyaji grumpy, although he did kill the toad after that."
"She got better of the demon before he did?" Rukia asked, one brow raised knowingly. Inuyasha wouldn't be the only male to pout about missing out.
"Ah, you know the type," Shippou nodded, wisely not looking at Ichigo. "Yes, that was it, I think. They were still learning to be a team at that point."
"Che," Ichigo scoffed, giving Rukia a half-hearted glare. "You get that report in?"
"It just needs your input. Try to spell things correctly."
"I'm not the one who uses an outdated version of Japanese." Ichigo snatched the Soul Pager away from her and began tapping at the keys. Occasionally he scrolled up to see what the others had written before continuing on. When he was done, he read it one more time before hitting the submit button. He watched in fascination as another box appeared that told him that the pager didn't have enough data bandwidth to send that size file. "Ah, Rukia, has this ever happened before?" he asked, showing her what happened.
Shippou sat back, smiling and not at all put out that his story telling had gotten interrupted. "Is something the matter?"
"It seems that our report is too large to submit at once. Congratulations, Taisho-san. Your family has succeeded in creating something Urahara's technology can't handle."
"Oh? Do we win a prize?" the kitsune asked.
"No, just more work for me. I hope this 'amusement park' is worth all of this aggravation." The petite Shinigami sighed in annoyance and went about making separate files to send to Department of Research and Development.
"Oh, it is, it is," Shippou assured. "We have all kinds of fun things. Rides, games, mazes, a petting zoo, food, of course. We even have a hotel nearby so that people can stay and play without paying a fortune. There's a pool too. It's a pet project of mine. I got tired of all those big-name companies charging so much. Families can't shell out tens of thousands of yen year after year. One of these days it'll be too expensive for anyone but the rich."
"That's really sweet of you, Taisho-san," Orihime said, taking a sip from the drink she'd been offered. The kitsune had made sure they had as much food and drink as they wanted.
"Thank you. My family is often frustrated with my behavior, but I was raised not to be selfish or greedy. Okaa-san often reminded me how lucky we are to have lived this long and amassed as much money as we have. I don't think I'd have been the same kind of person without her in my life." Shippou got a faraway look in his eye and glanced out the window at some birds. "I was orphaned during The Quest. My birth parents were killed because of a couple of lightning demons. Kagome and Inuyasha Taisho were nothing but kids themselves when they took me with them. I can't say it was all fun and games, especially when we had to battle Naraku."
"Forgive me if this sounds rude, but Kazaana-san told us that demons can live for centuries. How is it that your human family members aren't dead already?" Rukia asked. It seemed the time to get more answers about the clan out of the kitsune.
"Ah, well, that isn't the greatest story either. It's not something we like to talk about it, I'm sorry, Kuchiki-san," Shippou responded. He gave her a soft smile to let her know he wasn't mad at her. "They've made the best of the circumstances and it's turned out to be a good thing. Without us, a lot of terrible things would have happened."
"You mean, worse than the terrible things that have happened?" Tatsuki asked. "All the wars, famine, floods, earthquakes…"
"We can't be everywhere, plus Okaa-san has been pretty strict about messing with history. She was afraid that if we changed certain events from what she knew, we'd tear the fabric of reality apart."
"What about the Quincy/Shinigami war?" Ishida asked. From what he'd learned from his grandfather, the war had only been between the two races.
"I'm sure that if Okaa-san had known of a way to make things better, she would have stuck her nose in that too. Unfortunately, we stayed clear of that because no one knew the spiritual implications. Kept us awake at night, especially after we learned what the Gotei-13 did to your entire race. We're glad the whole race was not destroyed."
"So are we," Orihime said. "Our group just wouldn't be the same without Ishida-kun," she continued, still oblivious to the archer's feelings for her.
"Thank you, Inoue-san."
"You're welcome."
"She's right. I don't think we'd have been able to save Rukia, or Inoue without you. I know you have this thing against the Shinigami, but you're a good person, Ishida." Ichigo's comments made his classmate uncomfortable, and all the Quincy could do was nod.
"Friends come from all walks of life, and we should be grateful for them," Shippou commented. "Sometimes life makes you question what you thought you knew. Hang tight to the friends you have here," the young Taisho said. He wanted so badly to tell them other things, but kept his mouth shut for once. He couldn't spill all of the secrets he knew.
"Ichigo is my best friend in the whole world," Keigo stated. "I'll never give him up!"
The assembled group stared at him, their faces contorting into various expressions. Ichigo groaned and was thankful that there were several people between him and the gregarious class clown. "Great, I'm stuck with you for eternity."
"You probably are," Rukia reminded her partner. "Asano-kun has enough spiritual power that he'll one day be in a squad. He'll sign up for yours if you die before him."
"Duly noted. Tell Gramps not to make me a captain any time soon."
"Baka, there are no captain positions open. Hirako and a couple of the other Vizards returned to their previous posts."
"Good, I don't have to worry about being conscripted anytime soon."
"Kurosaki, you realize that you've pretty much signed yourself up to be on the 'reserved' list for the rest of your human life?" Ishida asked. If they were going to use military terms, he'd go along with it.
"I like the daiko status. I get to help people, but I don't have to follow all of their rules."
"The soutaicho would like it if you did," Rukia commented.
"Yeah, but then I couldn't do all the stuff that he really wants me to," Ichigo grinned. "And you know he likes it when I do my own thing."
"He hates it when you go off half-cocked."
"We hate it when you do too," Ishida added. Chad had to nod in agreement. The rest of their friends gave other noises in the affirmative.
"Ah, the advantages of youth. Don't worry, you'll grow out of it," Shippou consoled.
"So I've been told." Rukia was looking forward to the day.
"On that note, let me call for lunch… Or dinner. I forget what we're supposed to call it at this point in the journey." Shippou was glad that they'd stopped asking questions. He didn't know how much they should be told at this point. Plus, they were supposed to be on vacation. His parents would kill him if they'd didn't have at least some fun. It was only fair.
He was about to have a lot of fun.
The Foxhole Hotel was somehow on the same level as the hotel in the Nara Islands, yet it also exuded a sense of home. There was nothing about it that screamed extreme wealth, even though everything was of the highest caliber. Japanese simplicity mixed seamlessly with Western convenience. Bamboo and other plants were planted throughout the lobby, a giant koi pond in one corner. There was a small waterfall connected to the pond, a pump no doubt helping water circulate so that it could be reused and produce oxygen for the fish.
A couple of shops were tucked into another corner, one for food and another for sundries that may have been forgotten in someone's haste to catch a plane. The smell of fresh ramen permeated the air, making everyone's stomachs growl. "Food!" Keigo groaned.
"In a minute, I promise." Shippou laughed, his stomach telling him it was just as empty as the teenagers.' Grabbing the attention of a clerk, he smiled hugely and went to check the kids in. Strictly speaking they weren't supposed to be there without an adult, so he'd pitch hit until the real chaperones arrived.
Ishida glanced around, approving of the décor and atmosphere. His friends seemed much more relaxed than they had at the other hotel. Then again, the reason for them being here was completely different to them being at the youkai luxury retreat. While pulling along some of the luggage they had acquired in New York City, he felt something skitter down his spine. Glancing at Ichigo, he saw that the daiko had stopped short and was suddenly looking around frantically.
"What is it?" the Quincy asked. He knew what that feeling down the spine meant.
"Ichigo…! My beloved progeny! Daddy's here!" Isshin grinned insanely and waved at the group.
"Kuso," several of the teenagers swore under their breaths. Those that knew the elder Kurosaki well knew that his being here was not a good thing.
"Ichigo…"
"I did not call him," Ichigo declared. He wasn't taking any responsibility for his father's presence. Inhaling sharply, he turned towards the entrance. Yuzu and Karin were next to Isshin, their expressions a mix of interest and resignation.
"I informed him that we were going to be delayed in returning, but I did not mention why," Rukia admitted. What was he doing here?
"Oh, Kurosaki-san, what a delight! Please, please, come in. I'm so glad you could join us," Shippou said. The group of spiritually aware teenagers turned glares his way. Even Orihime gave him a dismayed look.
"What did you do?" Ichigo growled. "You can't invite the old goat. He'll embarrass us all."
"Now, now. Relax. You need some chaperones, per the rules of the park. I can't be with you one hundred percent of the time, so I asked a couple of adults I thought would let you have whatever fun you wanted to while still giving the appearance of being supervised." Isshin certainly fit that description.
"Dare we ask who the second adult is?" Tatsuki asked. It couldn't have been one of her parents. They would take the job seriously. Besides, they knew nothing of the spiritual or demon worlds.
Ishida was busy trying to run through a list of possibilities when a new voice echoed through the lobby. Byakuya Kuchiki glided towards them in a gigai, dark hair pulled back in a low ponytail. For once there was no sign of the noble hair pieces. "Lovely. I think you missed the mark, Taisho-san."
"Nii-sama!" Rukia cried, a mix of delight and dread in her voice. She was happy to see her brother, but he wasn't one to let them do whatever they wanted.
"Rukia." Her brother came abreast of them and nodded cordially.
Keigo and Mizuiro stared in wonder at the Shinigami captain. They had heard stories, both good and bad about this man. "Hello, Kuchiki-san, I mean Taicho." Keigo stumbled over the words, hoping the man knew nothing about his attraction to Rukia. Ichigo had a healthy fear of the man for a reason.
"Asano-kun," Byakuya intoned. "Shiba-taicho and I were informed that you needed the appearance of being chaperoned for this little vacation. I was happy to oblige."
"Shiba…?" Chad asked Ichigo in an aside.
"It was my old man's last name before he married my mom; and yes, we're related to Ganju and Kūkaku." It wasn't something Ichigo liked to remember.
"Ah."
"Now then," Shippou interrupted. "I've taken the liberty of checking you all in. Kuchiki-taicho will room with the girls, as his sister is one and propriety must be maintained. The Kurosaki family will stay together. I couldn't bear the thought of separating you. I will take the other boys so there's an adult in all the rooms."
"Ah, shouldn't there be a woman in with the girls?" Ichigo asked. It wasn't that he didn't trust the captain, he just thought it might appear odd to the public.
"Well, as to that, there is one coming, but she's a little late to the party and has never been known for her promptness. If you feel uncomfortable, we can always switch when she arrives." Shippou grimaced, hoping they wouldn't ask who it was.
"I don't mind, if Orihime doesn't," Tatsuki said. Byakuya was an upright noble, and uptight at that. Plus, he was still mourning Rukia's sister, so he'd never look at them as anything but his sister's friends.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Ishida groaned.
"If it's who I think it is, I believe we'll be finding out how well I can barbeque fox," Ichigo growled, his eye twitching in aggravation.
"I don't mind," Orihime said. "Captain Kuchiki will be very respectful of our privacy."
"Thank you, Inoue-san." He was a little hesitant himself, however. "I believe we should wait for this woman you say is coming. I do not think it appropriate for me to room with anyone other than my sister."
Shippou hadn't really seen that coming but shrugged. "Fine with me. Let me just give her a jingle and…"
"There you are, Grandson. What has kept you?" Hisana asked, coming from the bank of elevators. "I've been here for hours already."
"Grandmother," the kitsune greeted and felt his fur stand on end. Glancing at the daiko, he cringed. A ball of kido was in the kid's fist and Ichigo clearly hadn't been kidding about the barbeque.
"You've assigned rooms?" the dog demoness asked.
"We were just sorting that out, my lady," Orihime explained with a smile. "Taisho-san was going to have us room with Kuchiki-san's brother, but…"
"Absolutely not. That wouldn't be appropriate. No, you shall stay with me. Captain Kuchiki can have his own room. That way, propriety will really be maintained."
"Excellent. Kurosaki, I expect that my sister's clothes will be in separate containers from here on out. Sharing with you is unacceptable." The captain snatched a key out of Shippou's hand and went to the elevators. They watched as he calmly pushed the button for up and wait for the doors to open.
"How is it that your brother knows what an elevator is?"
"He does his research," Rukia answered. She was just relieved that she wasn't sharing a room with him. "Lady Taisho, if you would show us the way. I assume you have a room already picked out."
"I do indeed. Shippou, I can smell your thoughts. Get these children some food already. They're old enough to go to a hotel room by themselves."
"Yes, ma'am," he yelped and passed the remaining keys out. "My siblings must have done more damage. I never thought she'd be here first."
Ichigo snatched the key handed to him and glanced between his dad, who had kept quiet so that he could study the dog demoness and Hisana as she led Rukia, Tatsuki, and Inoue away. "Your choice in chaperones is horrible. I will be learning how to roast fox."
The boys left the kitsune to stare after them, Yuzu and Karin running to catch up to their brother. Isshin sidled up to Shippou and slapped him on the back. "So, how's that idea of yours working out?' the doctor inquired.
"Well, it sounded good at the time."
"A piece of advice. There are few people my son would willingly tolerate as a chaperone. The three you picked do not fall under that category. Do not be surprised if he really does try to roast you with kido when this is all over."
"My tails just got back to normal," the kitsune bemoaned. The first time Ichigo had used kido on him he'd returned home charred and the fur on his tails had crumbled into ash each time he'd touch them.
"I'm sure Inoue-san could heal them without trouble. Now then, shall we go see what kind of mischief we can get into? I bet your grandmother is a great one for tricks."
"We try not to encourage her." Even Shippou wasn't foolish enough to get Hisana in on anything. The dog demoness just didn't know when to quit.
Isshin laughed and escorted the fox demon to the elevators. He probably should mentioned that he'd already talked to Hisana about a little plan of their own. There were some children that could use a little push. Doing it all under Byakuya's nose would add a little something extra to the whole thing. "Relax, have fun. Isn't that why we're here?" The doors closed on their elevator to bring them to the correct floor. Shippou was starting to get the feeling he'd been played. Glancing at the grinning man next to him, the kitsune almost growled.
He been outfoxed!