Juushiro/Kisuke & Kaito: Magical Accidents & Time Travel

anonymous

(Hope this suits!)

Jyuushiro struggles to hold back the Vasto Lorde’s blade, arms trembling with effort. An ache is building in his chest, sharp and deadly, and he knows, he knows that he needs to finish this soon, he has to, but his arms are trembling and his chest is aching and Shunsui has been drawn away from his side—

The Vasto Lorde is grinning at him, sharp-vicious-mocking, sensing his flagging strength, mouth opening for another cutting remark and—

“Hey, ugly! How about leaving him alone?” someone shouts as they slam into the Vasto Lorde’s side, knocking it away from Jyuushiro.

Blood scatters from the stranger’s zanpakutou as he flicks it, with more dripping down the Hollow’s chest, staining the creature’s pale skin. The Hollow snarls, wounded-vicious-infuriated, but the stranger just smirks and lifts his chin higher, then spins and darts in, driving the Vasto Lorde back-back-back with unrelenting blows, forcing the Hollow on the defense.

“Huh, you’re weaker than I expected,” the stranger says, sounding almost bored.

“Fool! I am the pinnacle of Hollow existence!” the Hollow roars. Ducks aside. Strikes—

Cuts only air.

“Then prove it,” the stranger taunts. Levels his twin blades at the beast. Grins with the same violent-vicious-mocking edge the Hollow had shown. “Cause frankly I’ve never heard of you before.”

The Hollow roars its fury and lunges, swiping with blade and tail, and Jyuushiro tenses. Gathers himself. Tries to move—

A hand grips his shoulder, anchoring him in place.

“Maa, Kaito-kun can handle it himself,” the second stranger says flippantly, even as he presses a glowing green hand to Jyuushiro’s chest. “My son knows what he’s doing.”

“That’s a Vasto Lorde—”

“He’s dealt with worse,” the stranger says with a shrug, then tugs Jyuushiro a bit closer, pale eyes narrowing. “What in the world have you done to yourself…?” he murmurs absently, brows furrowing and reiatsu gathering in his hand.

Warmth pours into Jyuushiro’s chest, easing the ache and the building tightness. He takes a breath. Another. Coughs—

“Woah, easy, easy… not too fast. Let your lungs adjust.” The stranger’s hand slides up, fingers brushing across Jyuushiro’s neck like a threat, a warning, but—

His cough stops. The man’s hand moves away.

“Better?” the man asks as he steps back, adjusting his ridiculous striped hat and flashing Jyuushiro a bright smile.

“Yes, thank you,” Jyuushiro says with a nod, examining the man in front of him in an attempt to place him.

The man is tall, with flaxen hair and fair skin, wearing a green jinbei with a dark green haori over top; it almost looks like a Captain’s haori, but surely it’s not, surely the man isn’t mimicking their sign of rank… is he? He’s also carrying a cane instead of a standard zanpakutou, a decision that Jyuushiro has only seen the Soutaicho make, and wearing geta instead of a Shinigami’s standard waraji.

And yet even with so many distinctive items, he still can’t place the man.

Nor can he place the man’s son, who has twin zanpakutou just like Shunsui and he do.

(Over a century of looking, of hoping that they’re not the only ones, not strange for wielding two blades when everyone else carries only one…)

(Surely he’d have heard of the young man before now?)

(Especially if he’s strong enough to take on a Vasto Lorde!)

The stranger abruptly steps away and Shunsui appears at Jyuushiro’s side in a burst of shunpo, expression grim and his reiatsu concerned.

Shunsui eyes the stranger suspiciously, then gives Jyuushiro an assessing look, clearly searching for wounds or indications of trouble. “Jyuu-kun…”

“I’m alright,” Jyuushiro reassures Shunsui. “This man and his son stepped in, and he healed me while his son distracted the Vasto Lorde.”

“Maa, just trying to help!” the man says with an awkward smile, rubbing at the back of his head as he looks between them. There’s something in his eyes like wonder, like fascination, and Jyuushiro has no idea why; there’s nothing special about them beyond their weapons, and the man isn’t paying attention to those.

No, his gaze is lingering on their hair, their faces, their stances, as if he can barely believe what he sees.

“Most people wouldn’t bother,” Shunsui says with a touch of suspicion, stepping closer to Jyuushiro so their shoulders brush. “Especially against a Vasto Lorde—”

“Eh, he wasn’t that strong,” the man’s son says as he materializes at his father’s side, shunpo too fast for Jyuushiro to even register. His blades are already sheathed at his hip and he looks markedly unruffled for someone who just took on one of the greatest threats to a Shinigami. He, too, eyes Jyuushiro and Shunsui in surprise-fascination-wonder. “Father…”

(Wait… had the younger man ever released his zanpakutou?)

(Had he fought a Vasto Lorde with sheer brute force?)

“Yes, I imagine that artifact had some… unintended consequences when it overloaded,” the man says almost flippantly, though Jyuushiro can see traces of unease in the man’s expression. “I’m unsure where we ended up, but…” he gestures towards Jyuushiro and Shunsui, as if their existence is enough to explain his words.

Jyuushiro shares a look with Shunsui, then pointedly sheathes his zanpakutou and smiles at the two strangers, attempting to be as welcoming as possible. “Thank you for your help, and the healing. I’m Ukitake Jyuushiro and this is Kyoraku Shunsui, Captains of the Gotei Thirteen. You would be…?”

“Urahara Kisuke,” the man introduces himself, then settles a hand on the younger man’s shoulder and continues, “and my son, Urahara Kaito. We’re unaffiliated wanderers.”

Jyuushiro has never heard of unaffiliated wanderers capable of taking out Vasto Lorde; as far as he’s aware, the Soutaicho recruited anyone that powerful a long time ago. Add in the way the two are looking at him and the comment about an overloaded artifact, and he suspects there’s something strange going on. Something he’s not entirely certain he wants to know about, but…

Urahara Kisuke healed him.

Spoke as if he knew Jyuushiro, as if he expected something different when he pressed his hand to Jyuushiro’s chest. Knew exactly how to ease his cough…

A suspicion niggles at the edges of Jyuushiro’s mind, but he sets it aside.

(He can consider the implications of time travel later.)

“Well then, if you’re wanderers, would you like a place to stay for the evening?” Jyuushiro asks kindly, knowing that if his suspicions are true these two certainly don’t have anywhere to safely rest; and given their reactions to Shunsui and he, they at least know him in whatever future they’re from.

Urahara Kisuke exchanges a look with his son, a wealth of information held in their gazes that Jyuushiro cannot yet parse, then gives Jyuushiro a sheepish smile. “Maa, that’s very kind of you, Ukitake-san,” he says. “If it’s no trouble, we’d certainly welcome a place to rest.”

“It’s no trouble,” Jyuushiro reassures the two, even as he presses slightly into Shunsui’s side in reassurance. His partner doesn’t have all the clues quite yet, but Jyuushiro is confident that Shunsui will reach the same conclusion with only a bit more information. “Come, my home is back in Seireitei itself. I need to report the Vasto Lorde’s death, but I can get you settled in first.”

The two exchange another look, then Urahara Kisuke tips back his odd hat and smiles at Jyuushiro, warm-pleased-surprised, and says, “Thank you again, Ukitake-san, we appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome. I look forward to getting to know you,” Jyuushiro says as he turns to lead the way back.

He has no idea what the future will bring, but… he feels like it will be an interesting one with these two around.

(He almost can’t wait.)