As expected, Masaki scolded them when she saw their sleeves got wet from rain even though they had umbrellas with them. When they confessed that they argued about something trivial and pulled each other, she was mad at them.
Both twins were devastated at their punishment, and Yuzu laughed at them.
Karin sighed at the sight of her older brothers getting scolded and muttered, "How childish."
Following that was dinner. Kurosaki's dinner was filled with laughter and warmth. Masaki's cooking, a sweet and savory stew. Ichigo's favorite food that was usually only served when something special happened. Isshin's beer and a bottle of sake.
In this house, the three of them knew each other's secret, while one only knew a partial secret regarding his twins. Shirou could feel heaviness from Ichigo, as if he wanted to tell him the whole truth about what was happening but was stopped from doing so.
Shirou, in his part, wanted to respect his parents' decision. There must be a reason why they didn't tell Ichigo about anything and pretended to be oblivious.
He didn't want to pry too much into their secret, that wouldn't be polite. It would also be unfair for Ichigo to not be trusted about it.
But then he also understood that his parents needed time to tell Ichigo while the boy himself still didn't tell them that he was a Shinigami now.
Dinner finished, Isshin helped Masaki to clean the dishes and Yuzu retreated to her bedroom with a smile.
Karin was left sitting in the dining room, playing with her phone and typing some messages to her friend. She didn't seem to pay them any attention to anything.
As for Shirou, he returned to his room and took out a cloth and metal pipe. He sat down and put his hand on top of the cloth, concentrating his mind on the object.
"Beginning synchronization."
Circuits appeared on the surface of his hand, glowing blue and illuminating the dark room.
"Tracing basic structure." Shirou closed his eyes and continued, the circuit glowed even brighter.
He could see the cloth material's information in his head.
"Tracing component materials."
Cotton, linen, polyester. Three layers of fabric, sewn together and folded to create a soft cloth.
"Analysis complete."
The materials were simple enough, not too difficult to reproduce.
"Altering fundamental structure."
What he wanted to do was to reinforce its strength, making the material tougher than the original. A Reinforcement-type magic, the most basic type.
"Strengthening component materials."
Once he was done, his circuits disappeared alongside the bright blue glow. He picked up the cloth, now solid and hard like a steel plate.
Moving it around, it didn't seem like his reinforcement would fail soon. Satisfied, he nodded and deactivated the magic, causing the cloth to regain its original flexibility.
"Great."
This was one of his ideas to protect himself in case of emergency because he couldn't use Blut yet. By reinforcing his clothes, he would be able to reduce the damage he received. Not that it would work against those Shinigami's swords, but at least he wouldn't get hurt too easily.
He also thought about creating some protective gears, but he was still a student. His allowance was not big, so it's not like he had a lot of money.
'I also can't create any magic item like Tohsaka.' He sighed in frustration.
It would be really useful if he could make one, and the Reinforcement he had would work in tandem with it.
"Shirou, are you inside?"
Masaki's voice rang from outside alongside a knock. He quickly stood up and opened the door for her.
"What's the matter, Mom?" He asked.
"Just a little something for my son." She smiled and handed him something, "Tomorrow... You will go, right? I don't think you have anything to wear there, right? This is something for your protection, just in case you get hurt."
Looking down at her hands, Shirou found a black haori with white trim. It had a long sleeve and a long hem, and a diamond pattern decorated the base of its hem.
While the design looked slightly like a Shinigami's robe, the fabric used for the clothing seemed far more durable and tougher.
Shirou looked at it and then at his mother, unable to form words as to why she gave him this.
She giggled seeing her son's reaction, "Surprised?"
"Yes, but... No, thank you. But how did you know?" He asked, taking the robe and wearing it over his clothes.
"I am your mother, of course I know." Masaki replied and put her finger in front of his lips, silencing him from further questions. "Come back safely."
"Right, don't worry. I'll be safe, and so is Ichigo." Shirou said with a confident smile. "I promised you that I will protect our family."
"Good boy. But you also need to protect yourself." Masaki smiled and ruffled his hair.
"Don't treat me like a little kid, Mom." He whined in embarrassment.
"But you're still a child to me. I am always worried about you and your siblings, but I trust you." Masaki replied, her eyes staring at Shirou's own eyes lovingly. "I know you'll make a good decision, so don't make me worried."
"Right, right. Don't worry about me, Mom."
"Fufufu, that's good." She said, "Also, if you meet someone from the Shiba family there, tell them that Isshin is missing them. Keep this a secret from your dad though. I want him to have a surprise."
Shirou nodded. 'Shiba family? Perhaps one of Dad's old friends? I'll need to remember this.'
"Well, then." Masaki turned on her heels and walked away. She turned her head to him one last time and said with a teasing smile. "Oh yes, don't stay up late tonight."
"I know!" He answered with a slightly raised voice, causing his mother to giggle again before leaving.
Somehow, he could never defeat her, just like how he could never handle Taiga. It felt like no matter what he did, she would always have an ace hidden behind her sleeves.
***
The day had arrived. Shirou put on his usual clothes and wore the black haori given by her mother before stepping out the house.
Outside, his brother had already waited in his Shinigami form, ready to depart.
"I thought you're still not awake yet." Ichigo greeted, raising his eyebrow at the haori he was wearing. "Also, new clothes?"
"You know I'm the one that always wakes up early to cook, right? It was given to me last night." Shirou said with an annoyed huff, "Now, let's go, you big oaf."
Both of them went to Urahara Shoten, their steps heavy and full of determination.
However, when they arrived at the shop, a surprise had been waiting for them.
Two people Shirou never expected to meet in this place were standing in the entrance. Their backs turned against the twin, and their face was unseen.
"Inoue? Sado?" Shirou exclaimed, surprised.
The girl with hair reminiscent of the sun turned around, smiling at the twins. Beside her, a tall man with brown skin and silent demeanor also turned around and nodded.
Ichigo gawked, his mouth open. Shirou was no different, his eyes wide like a plate.
"Inoue? Sado? What the hell are you two doing here!?" Ichigo asked with a raised voice. His eyes were still wide open, unable to comprehend why these two would be here.
"Hehehe, we also want to help, you know?" Orihime smiled, scratching her cheek.
"Yeah, we have to help you too." Sado added, his voice low as usual.
Shirou could feel a headache coming.
Why would these two suddenly decide to join? No, perhaps it was something that had been planned from the beginning by Urahara. After all, both Sado and Orihime had witnessed Ichigo and Rukia fight those monsters, they had spiritual power.
In a wild guess he asked both of them, "Did you awaken some kind of power?"
"Ah, I guess you can say that." Orihime answered with a smile, raising her hands to the air and flexing her finger.
"Right, me too." Sado said.
Shirou sighed and Ichigo growled.
"You know that it will be dangerous, right?" Ichigo asked.
"We know that already. But, you are our friends. Also, Rukia-chan is also our friend. I can't stay silent if I heard that my friend would be executed!" Orihime protested with a pout.
Ichigo was taken aback. He was surprised to see how strong-willed Orihime was.
"Me too." Sado nodded in agreement, his voice firm.
"Guys..."
While the younger twin was moved, Shirou couldn't help but sigh tiredly.
'Okay, it's Urahara-san's fault.'
That grinning shopkeeper's face popped up in his mind.
Stopping them would be useless at this point. They were dead set on joining, and no one could stop them from going.
The orange-haired teen looked at Shirou and he nodded, agreeing with his brother's decision.
Ichigo turned his attention to his friends and sighed.
"Fine, just... Don't blame us if you get into trouble."
"Alright! We're going!" Orihime cheered with her fist raised, while Sado only nodded, satisfied with Ichigo's answer.
Shirou took the lead and entered first. The group of four walked to the basement, where the shady owner of the shop was waiting for them with a shit-eating grin on his face.
When they had reached their destination, they found Urahara and Tessai had finished preparing everything. The giant portal-like wooden door had been reinforced, the talisman all around the place glowed ominously, creating a foreboding aura.
"Now now, all the actors are here." Urahara chuckled and fanned himself, "Shall we begin? Or do you have anything to ask?"
"What do we need to do after we enter?" Shirou asked.
"The rest will depend on you. Just do everything you think is right." The shady shopkeeper replied.
"And I will be the guide."
"Kyaa!"
Yoruichi suddenly appeared behind the others, startling Orihime. The tanned beauty wore what seemed to be an orange ninja grab with white scarf and white bandana, hiding her purple hair beneath.
"Oh, Yoruichi-san." Shirou greeted.
Shirou had a feeling the mysterious beauty would tag along. There was no way Urahara didn't put her into the loop, an assurance just in case something unexpected happened.
After all, it would be safer to have a veteran to help them rather than just a bunch of rookies and inexperienced newbies. It's like a field trip, you need a chaperon to watch over you.
"Just follow my instructions. You need to get inside Soul Society within four minutes or else you'll get stuck inside Dangai forever."
"Forever!?"
Orihime shrieked in horror and Ichigo clicked his tongue in frustration.
Urahara waved his fan to calm everyone down, "Don't worry. Just as she said, just follow her instructions. You will have 18 days to try and save Kuchiki-san from being executed. I hope for the best."
Shirou narrowed his eyes at that. 18 days would be more than enough to save someone from execution. However, he was sure it was not just about saving someone from the guillotine, but it was about something else entirely. Something much more complicated.
"I know what's on your mind." Urahara turned to Shirou and smiled mysteriously. "I have no advice for you. Do your best. You have to choose which is the best for you. When the gate opens, just rush forward at full speed."
He didn't answer. Instead, he nodded. Shirou knew the man had more than a few things he wanted to tell them.
Urahara turned away, facing his assistant. With a silent signal, he commanded the large man.
"Right."
"Open!"
As the spell was activated, the door opened, creating a path toward another dimension.
"Let's go!" Urahara shouted, his voice reverberated through the entire basement.
They dashed forward, their speed increasing each step they took.
"Wait for me, Rukia." Ichigo murmured.
"Rukia-chan!" Orihime followed after the orange-haired boy.
"Hm." Sado grunted, and he followed the two teens in front of him.
Shirou was the last, he turned his head slightly and said, "We're leaving."
The five of them stepped into the door, disappearing into the light.
What greeted Shirou on the other side of the door was another world entirely.
A long tunnel made from gray stones, with slimy and sticky substance dripping from the ceiling and pooling on the floor. Strange purple mist covered the ground, giving an impression of being inside a swamp.
They stood on a long path, a dirt path with no end.
"What are you standing for? Let's run!" Yoruichi's voice sounded, and everyone snapped out of their thoughts.
***Chapter End!***
Finally we're going to Soul Society
Some POV changes will happen here, only focusing on Shirou when it's really matter!
Bribe me with stones for more chapters.
And if you're curious about Soul Society arc (Almost finished) and don't want to wait, visit my pat -reon / ShuviLily.