To Protect

Letters


It had happened entirely by accident. Uryuu had been looking for an old reference book from his childhood for some foolish school project when several letters had fallen out from somewhere. Hadn’t seen where they had come from exactly but they had caught his attention. Was a handful of them resting on the floor, they didn’t look strange at all. The only strange thing he would say about them was they were addressed to his father. “As if anyone would want to write to him...” Now all Ishida were bright but they were also curious, that was why he’d opened them.

The first one hadn’t seemed impressive at all, nothing more than colleague from the medical field, professional so he hadn’t even read it through to the end. The second, however, was much more interesting. They kept referring to his father as Ryuu-kun, which Uryuu highly doubted his father would tolerate; all the same it amused him greatly to see the nickname. It was similar to the first letter strangely enough and when he got down to the bottom his eyes almost fell out of his head. “K-Kurosaki?”

Yes before now he had known that Ichigo’s father ran a clinic and had gone to medical school. This letter was proof that he and his own father had been at least on some sort of friendly terms. Ryuuken wouldn’t keep something like this if that wasn’t the case, oddly sentimental for the cold man that he knew.

All in all he was beginning to wonder how in the hell he had missed something like this before now.

Kept on with his reading and he was very much shocked when he came across a letter in different handwriting. One that he had seen off and on and while he couldn’t place it when he saw the name at the bottom of the page Uryuu was almost sure his heart stopped for a split second. “U-Urahara?” His father had been friends with a shinigami? And not just any shinigami a former captain! While he wasn’t that shocked they knew each other, Urahara seemed to know everyone though. They had been friends. The relaxed form of writing on the shop owner’s part made it obvious there wasn’t animosity in anything he heard from his father or he knew better than to take it that way.

“What in the world..?” Sitting back and looking at the six letters on the tabletop Uryuu thought to himself. The letters were older; that he could tell because they were dated. Was before his father had been married and it wasn’t a time period he’d ever heard much about. His mother hadn’t known anything herself and Ryuuken wasn’t the open, sharing kind of man. That was when he decided that he needed to confront his father about these letters. How the man could tell him not to associate with shinigami when he himself had once been friends with at least one was beyond him.

Then again it made him curious why they had stopped being friends as well. Isshin and Kisuke had seemed happy enough in their letters, even if it was beyond him why anyone would want to willingly be associated with his father.

Given the time it would be a few hours before his father got home. The annoyance of waiting weighed on him and he was anxious to find out about these letters. Wasn’t that Uryuu had any hope of learning about his father, maybe even getting a glimpse at a piece of him that was human.

The teen cleared up the letters on the table, folding the pages and putting them back in their envelopes but leaving them out so that even if he didn’t see his father, Ryuuken would know that they had been found. He only took one with him and he hurried out the door intent on visiting the local shop owner to shed some light on the matter. Might even get Urahara to give him some information he could use against his father if he should try to shrug the matter off.

The walk to the shop didn’t take long though on the way he was rather surprised to run into someone. Rukia was visiting it seemed. Now it was not uncommon of her to pop in on occasion just to say hello and catch up but normally she was in a gigai to do that. Right now she was in her shinigami state, invisible to the majority of the living even in Karakura.

What he had anticipated even less was being stopped by said shinigami.

“What’s the matter Uryuu?”

While he had a great deal of respect for Kuchiki for her skills and knowledge sometimes he did damn how perceptive she could be. “Nothing is the matter Kuchiki-san.”

“So you’re that agitated over absolutely nothing? That’s quite the feat you’ve accomplished.” Rukia wasn’t fooled in the least and it was plain to see she thought the attempt to dissuade her had been subpar, particularly from the young Quincy.

Sighing Uryuu lifted a hand up and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose looking away. When she had put it that way it must be obvious something was wrong with him.

“If you don’t want to talk about it that’s another matter entirely Uryuu but it’s not like you to tell such blatantly obvious lies. I advise you not to bother to try again if you run into anyone else, even Ichigo would have seen through that.” Couldn’t help it but her comment caused him some amusement, but other than that she was right. “So are you going to tell me or not?”

At first he had thought it was hardly a matter she should be concerned with but if his present state was as bas she had indicated then perhaps it wasn’t a bad idea to share what was on his mind. “Alright but not here, I don’t need to look like some kind of raving lunatic talking to myself in the middle of the street.” Was already walking toward his small apartment, trying to calm himself down a little on the walk. He dimly was aware that the short shinigami had fallen into step beside him, keeping silent for their trip.

Unlocking the door he let Rukia enter first and he slipped his shoes off at the door. There wasn’t much to his apartment but living on his own he wasn’t that well off. He managed so he didn’t see the need to complain. Still visited home on occasion, as he had been earlier, and he carried a key to his father’s home with him normally though it was rarely used. Only advantage to having so little was it was much easier to keep tidy. “Would you like some tea?”

“Thank you but I can’t eat or drink without a gigai.”

“I keep forgetting you’re not in one.” Didn’t miss the look of amusement on her face at that either. Okay so he was a little more frazzled than he’d originally though. Offered her a seat and they both settled in for a long conversation. “I found some letters that were addressed to my father.”

Now Rukia knew that the relationship between Uryuu and his father was not good. Ichigo had once told her that the way Uryuu got along with his family was “really fucked up.” What harm could a couple of letters be though? Was the man having some kind of scandalous affair to her friend’s mother? Was he planning to have someone killed?

“They were older, from before my father was married to my mother. It appears from the content of the letters that Ryuuken was friend with Kurosaki and Urahara.”

Still not quite following she looked puzzled. “Ichigo and Urahara?”

“No Isshin Kusosaki and Urahara. That means that he was friends with shingiami.” Felt he was making the point very obvious there.

“So…?”

Uryuu looked over at the girl like she must have been ignoring what he was saying. “So? Ryuuken has been telling me for years never to associate with shinigami! He has some vendetta against them and his…his was not to the same cause as mine.”

It was easy to forget the old grudge that Uryuu had once held against shinigami because he’d shown them no real contempt for quite some time. The cause she had been sympathetic to once she’d heard. Souken Ishida had been killed before his very eyes by hollows and no one had come to help the old man until it had been far too late. Of course there was more to the story that just disgusted her more but Uryuu had come to realize not all of them were like that. They were friends after all.

“They aren’t?”

“Ryuuken has always hated Teacher.”

A wave of sympathy rose in her for the boy sitting across from her. To have your father look upon his own blood so distastefully must have been painful. That and she had heard a little about the disagreement it had spurred between the two living Ishida men. Not to mention the matter of being Quincy as well. Ichigo was quite right about that family like being fucked up. “I’m sorry.”

Sighing blue eyes drifted closed. “You don’t need to apologize. I’m not mad at you, I didn’t mean to get so...”

“It’s perfectly understandable. If I was in your place I’d be rather incensed myself.” Honestly she was a little upset for him where she was sitting.

“Thank you.” A small smile filtered onto Uryuu’s face at that. Another thing he found admirable about Kuchiki was that she was that understanding without being false. Her actions and words on behalf of those around here were sincere and meant out of well intentions even if it didn’t always work out as she wanted. Rukia was a remarkable woman, particularly with how well she managed Ichigo. Now he was glad she had stopped him to talk because he could just imagine what Urahara would have said if he’d just stormed into his shop. Not that the former captain was not friendly, but facing him when emotional led you to give that man a mile when you meant only to offer an inch.

“So what do you plan to do about it?”

“I planned to confront him about it. I mean I think I should after all the grief he gave me to do with Ichigo and everyone, including you.”

She nodded. “I didn’t stop you on the way did it?”

“No, thought it might have been a better idea to confront Urahara first to see if I couldn’t get anything out of him.”

“Not likely but it’s probably better to just go to your father directly. If he and Urahara were friendly once I can see him giving your father a heads up about something like that. He’s a rather loyal man despite how he may act.” Rukia said and looked over to him.

Hated to admit it but she was right. Maybe he was just too emotionally attached to this to think it through properly. “You’re right.” Uryuu hadn’t been expecting to hear her laugh and he looked puzzled. “What’s so funny?”

“You look like you just had soap put in your mouth. That bad for you to admit I was right about something?”

Yes, he indeed hated just how perceptive she could be.

“Besides if you wanted to go to someone other than your father to try and get some information Urahara isn’t the man. Kurosaki would be the better choice.” Rukia offered. Then again she knew the family a little better with all the time she had spent with them by now. “He can be father foolish though so maybe neither option would be wise.” Was not terribly difficult for her to imagine Uryuu getting fed up with the man and firing arrows at him. Then again she might pay to see that…

“You know you make a very good point.” She’d made several in fact.

“Don’t want to wait that long to get answers do you?”

Incredulous, the Quincy stared at her. “How on earth could you know that?”

“You’re just the type.” It came as a great surprise to Rukia the restraint Ishida could show despite how much it appeared he wanted to murder her then and there.