• Chapter 1: Those Daft Punks

    An arrow grazed Uryu Ishida's face. Behind him, a crater had been carved into the wall. Blood dripped from his wound, mixing with his sweat. It was a warning shot. He knew that if his opponent had wanted to hit him, his head would be splattered on the wall. This was just a reminder.

    A flash of light.

    Uryu quickly side stepped. Another arrow flew past him. It was one more crater in the basement wall.

    Uryu panted. A centimeter closer and the arrow would have impaled him through the chest. Concrete dust billowed around him, obscuring his view. Out of the cloud his opponent's voice echoed.

    It sounded like death.

    "I thought I told you to keep moving."

    Uryu knew the voice well. He had heard it all his life. It was his father's. It was his enemy's.

    Ryuken's figure emerged from the dust cloud. His face was emotionless, while staring at Uryu's fragile body. His bow was aimed at Uryu's head.

    "Do you want to die?" His voice was as cold as his visage. Ryuken's arrow grew bigger. He had no remorse for what he was doing.

    Uryu didn't budge. The arrow's glow encompassed the room.

    "Start running Uryu. This time I'm not going to miss." Ryuken released his arrow. A second later, he could see nothing but dust.

    Ryuken brought a cigarette to his lips and lit it. Its fumes wafted over him. Parts of the wall had crumbled into the ground. Walking over to where the debris lay, Ryuken let out a puff of smoke. Uryu was already gone.

    Uryu ran alongside the wall, counting his steps. He needed to be precise, or his plan wouldn't work. The last attack had given him an idea. Unfortunately it also required him to be in a lot of pain.

    Too late, he could sense three arrows following him. He took a breath.

    The first one was aimed at his knee. He jumped. The arrow collided with the wall. Another crater.

    Here he had to be careful. He landed, leaping back. The second one dashed in front of him, piercing the same wall. Bits of debris shot out of the wall, tackling him in the chest.

    The third arrow was set on its objective, Uryu's head. He ducked. The arrow smashed into the wall, dropping some debris on his skull.

    A fourth arrow hurtled into the wall. He didn't expect that one. Barely eluding it, he fell onto his stomach. Air escaped him.

    Uryu picked himself up, grabbing the indents on the wall. He pulled his arm back. A bow materialized before him. Through the dust he could see his father, calmly walking towards him.

    Three arrows flew at his enemy. Ryuken responded with three of his own. They swallowed Uryu's arrows, and zeroed in on his head. Uryu dropped out of the way at the last second. Three more craters formed on the wall.

    Another four arrows, all pointed at his heart. He whirled around, sprinting in the opposite direction. The arrows crashed into the wall one by one.

    Two more aimed for his chest. He jumped up. A seventh one plunged for his head. He forced his body to fall. The arrow collided with the wall. Uryu collided with the ground.

    He cursed, picking himself off the floor. His body ached. Somewhere he was bleeding. He could taste it. Uryu wouldn't last much longer. Luckily, he only needed a few more shots. Uryu hurdled himself back up into the air.

    Six arrows soared after him, each one slightly higher than the next. They were targeted for every vital organ in his body. Uryu had been waiting for a shot just like this. Edging his foot on the side the wall, he threw himself across the concrete. He heard his head smash before he hit the ground.

    Regardless of the pain, he smiled. It was all part of the plan. Grabbing onto the dents in the wall, he pulled himself up. His arms ached. His head throbbed. And he was going to win the fight.

    For a brief second, his enemy stopped attacking. He realized what Uryu had done. A silver tube knocked off his foot.

    "Tilt the goblet to the west - Emerald Grail!" Uryu yelled.

    The room shook. Volcore exploded near the base of the wall. Cracks linked between all of its imperfections, trembling at the seams. Uryu watched as it collapsed on his father's head. Rubble covered the ground where he once stood. Smoke blanketed the battlefield.

    Uryu frowned. He couldn't sense Ryuken's spiritual pressure. It was impossible. Either he was hiding or he was dead, and Ryuken didn't die so easily.

    Uryu stared at the ruins. Chucks of concrete littered the floor, obscuring anything underneath. He could still hear the rocks settling. Uryu didn't dare approach it. That was exactly what Ryuken expected him to do.

    "This is so unlike you, father!" Uryu crept backwards, "I thought you told me it's cowardly to hide from your opponent!" His voice echoed around the room. What was left of it. There was no response.

    He spun around. Where could Ryuken be? The shadowy room was vast and complex. Paths ran into other. Stairs ended with no purpose. Inaccessible platforms hovered over them. He could be hiding anywhere. He took another step backwards.

    "I was never hiding, Uryu."

    Ryuken's spiritual pressure returned. Uryu gulped. He was directly behind him. He felt a foot plunge into his back. Uryu smashed into the ground. He scrambled to his back, holding out his bow with three arrows ready. Ryuken scoffed.

    "You useless fool." Ryuken threw a Seele Schneider at Uryu's tattered clothes. It lodged his arm to the floor. Uryu tried to rip the sword from shirt. He was too slow. Another one flew at his remaining arm, pinning him to ground. He struggled, twisting and turning in place. It was to no avail, the Seele Schneiders kept him in place.

    Ryuken stepped on his chest. Uryu felt the sole of his shoe stab into his ribs. His father drew a blinding arrow. It was aimed directly at Uryu's head. It was over. He had lost.

    Ryuken took his foot off Uryu.

    "If I had been an arrancar, you'd be dead." Ryuken said. He pulled the Seele Schneiders out of Uryu's clothes, dropping them onto the floor. Uryu watched him turn his back and leave.

    "I would have to disagree," Uryu countered. He was standing up with his bow drawn. Ryuken kept walking.

    Uryu released an arrow, slicing a piece of Ryuken's hair. For a moment there was silence between them. Uryu blinked. When he opened his eyes, Ryuken held a Seele Schneider at his throat. He could feel the blade vibrating spirit particles. He was being threatened with a chainsaw.

    "That's too bad," Ryuken replied. Uryu watched the sword drop from his hand. It clanged against the ground. The echo ran through Uryu's mind. He was still recovering.

    His father lit another cigarette and sat on a piece of debris. He glared at Uryu, watching his astonished face. He let the smoke out of his mouth.

    "You're pathetic." Ryuken coughed. Uryu strengthened his resolve. He was tired of suffering his father's endless tirade, a world of constant insults. He wasn't about to let this one go. His eyes grew fierce.

    "Then what the hell are you?" Uryu yelled back, "You're an introverted freak! Your wife and father are both dead, and all you ever do is wallow in your own bile! What makes you any better than me, Ryuken!"

    "Get out," His father bit into his cigarette.

    Uryu stormed out of the hospital basement. His scars bled as he walked, marking his clothes. He had had enough of his father.

    Ryuken watched his son walk along the path leading out of the facility. His back staggered as he walked. Hearing the entranceway doors bang shut, Ryuken took another puff of his cigarette. It became another echo. How little he understands, Ryuken lamented.

    He looked at what remained of his training ground. The place was barely recognizable. The walls were scarred, the ground had been levelled and debris littered the ground. He grumbled. He was going to need a wrecking crew to fix this place.

    He let out another breath of smoke. It was inconsequential. He would fix it somehow, and Uryu would find a way to break it. He was beginning to loathe these training sessions. They always ended the same way. He knew he was going to regret agreeing to train Uryu at some point. But, he had promised, and Uryu had made a promise in return. It was his bargain, he would at least hold his end.

    He let his body rest on the concrete. He couldn't get Uryu's accusing eyes out of his mind. Even he could feel their gaze, trying to see right through him. Ryuken had seen them many times before. He had been their target long before Uryu was even born. Those fierce eyes, it wouldn't be the first time he had made them a promise. It was so many years ago, in the very same hospital he lay in now. It was first promise he had failed to keep. He tried not to think about it. Promises of the past should stay there.

    The door creaked back open. Ryuken could hear footsteps approaching him from behind. Only two people knew about the hospital's basement: himself and Uryu. Whoever had entered was neither. Ryuken already knew who it was. He just didn't know how it was possible. Ryuken took another puff of his cigarette, and prepared himself for what came next.

    "That's a dirty habit you know" Ryuken heard a voice boom.

    "Isshin," Ryuken sat up and brushed the dust off his coat. He could see the man moving towards him from the corner of his eye. His doctor's coat hung on his shoulders, sporting a pink shirt underneath. A black tie dangled round his neck. He smiled, waving to Ryuken as he walked. Isshin Kurosaki was obviously fresh from his clinic. Ryuken forced a sigh. It was bound to be a long day.

    "You should learn to knock before entering someone else's property" He said. Isshin grabbed him by the shoulders. Ryuken shrugged him off, "I can tell you to leave that way."

    "Come on! You wouldn't do that to me, now would you?" Isshin joked, pulling at his jacket. Ryuken coughed indifferently. Isshin sat down beside him, fanning the smoke with his hand. He looked around nervously.

    "Wow, Uryu really did a number on this place," Isshin laughed, patting Ryuken on the back. Ryuken turned away, staring at some distant piece of debris. He never liked being reminded. Isshin's smile wavered. He dropped to his back and glared at the ceiling much like Ryuken had done earlier.

    "I haven't seen you in a while, Ishida," Isshin pushed his hands behind his head as if he were gazing up at the stars. Ryuken gave a subtle nod. For a while, neither of them said anything. They didn't need to. It was scene of mutual understanding.

    Ryuken broke the silence.

    "Why are you here?" Ryuken asked.

    "I can't be here to talk to an old friend?" Isshin replied. Ryuken could see Isshin shifting towards him, trying to guess his response. Ryuken pushed his glasses up with his thumb. He hated when Isshin tried to patronize him.

    "Isshin, we haven't talked face to face for three years. Why are you here?" This time it was a demand. Ryuken did not want to be taken lightly.

    "You got me," Isshin said. He smiled again, and crossed his arms over his waist as if someone had caught the punch line to the joke he hadn't finished. Remembering his purpose, his face went grim. "Urahara said to keep a close eye on Uryu,"

    Ryuken said nothing. He wasn't about to follow the advice of some dead crackpot, who spent his time running an outdated convenience store, let alone allow him to give him parenting advice.

    "Uryu can take care of himself," Ryuken said. He leaned his head back . "If he gets into trouble it's not my problem,"

    "What if Urahara has a point?"

    "Then it's up to Uryu to keep himself alive. Why would I waste my time?"

    "You're terrible,"

    "Yeah. He told me as much."

    Isshin sighed, closing his eyes against the concrete. Ryuken let the silence settle in once again. He never liked to keep a conversation for too long. He always found that they became pointless quickly.

    This time it was Isshin who was the first to speak.

    "I think I should head out, it's getting late." Isshin pushed himself off the rock, jumping to his feet. Ryuken gave a sign of acknowledgement. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the concrete. After a few minutes, he could hear Isshin's footsteps approach the chamber's doors. There was one thing he needed to ask. It had been disturbing him since Isshin arrived.

    "How did you get in here?"

    "The same way you did. I took the stairs," Isshin laughed. Ryuken heard the door slam shut. It became another echo. Echoes, echoes, that's all he seemed to hear today.,

    Ryuken scoffed at the absurdity of that statement. The stairs, it couldn't be that simple. He would've had to find them first. The walls were lined with soul-synthesized glass and silver, making it impossible to know the room even existed unless one looked at the original blueprints. The only possible way that came to mind was tunnelling under the foundation of the building. Ryuken considered it for a moment. He immediately pictured a laughing Urahara slicing a hole through his wall. He wouldn't put it passed the old bat.

    Ryuken took a drag from his cigarette. He sighed, it was almost completely burnt up. He reached into his pocket. Damn, none left. He would have to buy another pack on his way home.

    He inhaled his last for the day, coughing slightly. He surveyed the room, instantly wondering why he bothered to get up in the morning. He was going to have to deal with Urahara and this mess at some point. Deciding to put it aside for the night, he walked over to where he had left the Seele Schneiders. He frowned. He needed to have a serious talk with Uryu.

    Omake!

    Ichigo: "Hey, Dad! Do you have a secret training ground too?"

    Isshin: "A sign of weakness! Falcon Kick!"

    Later

    Uryu: "I guess some people aren't deserving of such things."

    Ichigo: "What are you saying...?"