THE ONEby rukia
Ichigo followed silently as the young woman led him down a corridor of the derelict building. The woman was much shorter than him, but her stature was rigid and unyielding, as if ready for anything. She wore a black haori jacket and black hakama pants in a traditional style which, along with her sleek black sunglasses, gave her a surreal appearance. However, Ichigo didn’t care about that. He was more concerned about the sword strapped to her side and the fact that he'd seen her use it to cut through his pursuers earlier today.
He wasn’t sure if he should be grateful that she rescued him or not. For all he knew, she might try to kill him too.
The woman looked back at him for a moment and seemed to be sizing him up behind her dark lenses. Then, she opened the weather-beaten door beside her and stepped back, "Enter. Urahara will see you now."
Ichigo was clueless about his current situation, but he wasn’t about to be intimidated by anything. Without hesitation, he walked into what seemed to be a barren front room which long since fell into disrepair. The furniture was sparse; there were 2 chairs in the middle of the room, but no more than that.
Ichigo paused mid-step, disturbed. A man who sat in one of the deteriorated chairs was staring at him.
The man wore black clothes as well, but it was a different style than that of the woman. He was unarmed, but had a walking stick in front of him. His hands were curled around the top of the stick, with his thumb and index fingers steeped together thoughtfully. The man’s eyes were shaded by the brim of his striped hat, but Ichigo could see one clear eye peek through the dark shadow, watching him intensely.
"At last," the man smiled expectantly. He beckoned Ichigo closer with a flick of his fingers, "Welcome, Ichigo. Please, come sit."
Ichigo made no move to walk towards the man until he felt a firm hand press against his back, pushing him forward. He looked over his shoulder and saw the expressionless woman meet his gaze stonily.
She led him to the cracked burgundy leather seat which faced the strange man and said, "Sit down."
Without forgetting the sight of her slaying masked creatures with holes in their chests earlier today, Ichigo sat without protest and watched as she stepped away.
"Thank you, Rukia," the man inclined his head in the woman’s direction. She took it as a cue to bow, turn on her heel, and wordlessly leave the room.
The man returned his attention to his guest, "As you may have guessed by now, I am known as Urahara." He looked behind him and nodded in the direction of the black cat lounging on the window sill, "This is my associate, Yoruichi-san." Urahara turned back with a knowing grin offset by shadowed, unseen eyes, "But you needn’t concern yourself with him. He’s merely here to observe. Today, this business is just between the two of us."
Ichigo nodded slightly, wondering if this guy was nuts or, worse, perfectly sane. He wanted answers, but he was willing to let his host speak at his own pace. Pushing for answers might cause him more trouble than it was worth.
"I imagine, right now," Urahara leaned towards him, "you must be feeling a bit like Alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole?"
"You could say that," Ichigo conceded.
"I can see it in your eyes," Urahara’s smile was razor thin. "You’re a man who accepts what he sees because he’s grown accustomed to the strange."
"I’ve been able to see ghosts for as long as I can remember," Ichigo said warily, "but those... things... that were after me today – those weren’t ghosts."
"That is correct."
"What were they?"
"Unfortunately," Urahara sighed, "they are the ones who rule this world."
"That can’t be," Ichigo insisted. "Those – those monsters –"
"Control this world," Urahara finished for him and sat back in the old leather chair. "Ah, I’m saying too much too soon. It’s alright if you don’t understand. You probably don’t believe a word I say, yes? It’s too outrageous, isn’t it?"
"I’m... not sure," Ichigo said, wavering between uncertainty and annoyance. "Those creatures – the fighting – this whole mess – shit! You can’t say this stuff out of the blue and just expect me to believe!"
"Do you deny it?" Urahara spoke the challenge quietly. "If so, then you have the order all wrong. The monsters with holes in their chests who targeted you... those are Hollows, the ones in control. If you wish to deny this conversation, Ichigo, then first you must deny the pain and fear you experienced earlier."
Ichigo turned his head away. Across the room behind Urahara, he saw the black cat studying him silently with its oddly intelligent eyes. Disturbed, he returned his attention to Urahara.
"Tell me, Ichigo, do you believe in fate?"
"Not really."
"Why is that?"
That wasn't a difficult question, "Because I’d like to think I have control of my destiny."
"Indeed, as would I," Urahara’s grin returned in full force.
Ichigo shifted irritably; this conversation was going next to nowhere as far as he was concerned, "What do you want from me, Urahara? Why were those creatures after me?"
"I’ve been watching you, Ichigo. You are an exceptional young man," Urahara tilted his head to the side. "You can communicate with spirits and see the world as most others do not. Your very nature is a threat to their control – that’s what I like best about you."
"I don’t have to sit here and listen to this," Ichigo scowled. "I only came with that woman, Rukia, because she saved my hide earlier – I don’t have any duty to you."
"True, but I’m not here to ask anything from you. I’m here to offer you an important decision," Urahara delved both hands into his pockets. "Today, you have been given a key to a door that has appeared before you."
Urahara held out his left hand in front of Ichigo, "With the key in your hands, it depends on you whether you want to open the door in front of you with this, the kaizon konpaku," he uncurled his right fist, revealing a round, red pill nestled in his upturned palm, "or whether you want keep the door closed by taking this, the memory chikan." His other hand opened, presenting a blue pill.
Ichigo looked at the red pill, "And if it the door is opened?"
"It depends on whether you set foot in there or not," Urahara’s wide smile could make the Cheshire cat jealous, "but I assure you that once you step in, there's no other exit."
"And if it’s kept closed?"
"Then you won’t remember this conversation and you’ll never hear from us again," Urahara's smile didn’t waver, but it felt far more menacing. "Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the Hollows. As I’ve said before, you’re a threat to their control."
In that case, Ichigo’s choice was simple. He couldn’t leave here and unwittingly subject his father and sisters to more danger. If there was a way to keep those monsters from harming his family like they attempted to do today, then there’s no room for doubt.
Ichigo took the red pill.
~*~*~
Well, about 70% of the dialogue isn’t even mine. It’s all from either the first Matrix movie or from Urahara’s conversation with Orihime and Chad in volume 6. I didn’t write this crack AU to join the bandwagon – I just did it to make the voices in my head shut up long enough for me to write Shinjuku Wild and the Rukia-choco story in peace. ^_^;;
The moral of this story: Crack AU plot bunnies are EVIL.
Now, who will write me an Orihime=Oracle and Ichigo=Neo scene? You know, the one involving cookies? ^_~
Ichigo followed silently as the young woman led him down a corridor of the derelict building. The woman was much shorter than him, but her stature was rigid and unyielding, as if ready for anything. She wore a black haori jacket and black hakama pants in a traditional style which, along with her sleek black sunglasses, gave her a surreal appearance. However, Ichigo didn’t care about that. He was more concerned about the sword strapped to her side and the fact that he'd seen her use it to cut through his pursuers earlier today.
He wasn’t sure if he should be grateful that she rescued him or not. For all he knew, she might try to kill him too.
The woman looked back at him for a moment and seemed to be sizing him up behind her dark lenses. Then, she opened the weather-beaten door beside her and stepped back, "Enter. Urahara will see you now."
Ichigo was clueless about his current situation, but he wasn’t about to be intimidated by anything. Without hesitation, he walked into what seemed to be a barren front room which long since fell into disrepair. The furniture was sparse; there were 2 chairs in the middle of the room, but no more than that.
Ichigo paused mid-step, disturbed. A man who sat in one of the deteriorated chairs was staring at him.
The man wore black clothes as well, but it was a different style than that of the woman. He was unarmed, but had a walking stick in front of him. His hands were curled around the top of the stick, with his thumb and index fingers steeped together thoughtfully. The man’s eyes were shaded by the brim of his striped hat, but Ichigo could see one clear eye peek through the dark shadow, watching him intensely.
"At last," the man smiled expectantly. He beckoned Ichigo closer with a flick of his fingers, "Welcome, Ichigo. Please, come sit."
Ichigo made no move to walk towards the man until he felt a firm hand press against his back, pushing him forward. He looked over his shoulder and saw the expressionless woman meet his gaze stonily.
She led him to the cracked burgundy leather seat which faced the strange man and said, "Sit down."
Without forgetting the sight of her slaying masked creatures with holes in their chests earlier today, Ichigo sat without protest and watched as she stepped away.
"Thank you, Rukia," the man inclined his head in the woman’s direction. She took it as a cue to bow, turn on her heel, and wordlessly leave the room.
The man returned his attention to his guest, "As you may have guessed by now, I am known as Urahara." He looked behind him and nodded in the direction of the black cat lounging on the window sill, "This is my associate, Yoruichi-san." Urahara turned back with a knowing grin offset by shadowed, unseen eyes, "But you needn’t concern yourself with him. He’s merely here to observe. Today, this business is just between the two of us."
Ichigo nodded slightly, wondering if this guy was nuts or, worse, perfectly sane. He wanted answers, but he was willing to let his host speak at his own pace. Pushing for answers might cause him more trouble than it was worth.
"I imagine, right now," Urahara leaned towards him, "you must be feeling a bit like Alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole?"
"You could say that," Ichigo conceded.
"I can see it in your eyes," Urahara’s smile was razor thin. "You’re a man who accepts what he sees because he’s grown accustomed to the strange."
"I’ve been able to see ghosts for as long as I can remember," Ichigo said warily, "but those... things... that were after me today – those weren’t ghosts."
"That is correct."
"What were they?"
"Unfortunately," Urahara sighed, "they are the ones who rule this world."
"That can’t be," Ichigo insisted. "Those – those monsters –"
"Control this world," Urahara finished for him and sat back in the old leather chair. "Ah, I’m saying too much too soon. It’s alright if you don’t understand. You probably don’t believe a word I say, yes? It’s too outrageous, isn’t it?"
"I’m... not sure," Ichigo said, wavering between uncertainty and annoyance. "Those creatures – the fighting – this whole mess – shit! You can’t say this stuff out of the blue and just expect me to believe!"
"Do you deny it?" Urahara spoke the challenge quietly. "If so, then you have the order all wrong. The monsters with holes in their chests who targeted you... those are Hollows, the ones in control. If you wish to deny this conversation, Ichigo, then first you must deny the pain and fear you experienced earlier."
Ichigo turned his head away. Across the room behind Urahara, he saw the black cat studying him silently with its oddly intelligent eyes. Disturbed, he returned his attention to Urahara.
"Tell me, Ichigo, do you believe in fate?"
"Not really."
"Why is that?"
That wasn't a difficult question, "Because I’d like to think I have control of my destiny."
"Indeed, as would I," Urahara’s grin returned in full force.
Ichigo shifted irritably; this conversation was going next to nowhere as far as he was concerned, "What do you want from me, Urahara? Why were those creatures after me?"
"I’ve been watching you, Ichigo. You are an exceptional young man," Urahara tilted his head to the side. "You can communicate with spirits and see the world as most others do not. Your very nature is a threat to their control – that’s what I like best about you."
"I don’t have to sit here and listen to this," Ichigo scowled. "I only came with that woman, Rukia, because she saved my hide earlier – I don’t have any duty to you."
"True, but I’m not here to ask anything from you. I’m here to offer you an important decision," Urahara delved both hands into his pockets. "Today, you have been given a key to a door that has appeared before you."
Urahara held out his left hand in front of Ichigo, "With the key in your hands, it depends on you whether you want to open the door in front of you with this, the kaizon konpaku," he uncurled his right fist, revealing a round, red pill nestled in his upturned palm, "or whether you want keep the door closed by taking this, the memory chikan." His other hand opened, presenting a blue pill.
Ichigo looked at the red pill, "And if it the door is opened?"
"It depends on whether you set foot in there or not," Urahara’s wide smile could make the Cheshire cat jealous, "but I assure you that once you step in, there's no other exit."
"And if it’s kept closed?"
"Then you won’t remember this conversation and you’ll never hear from us again," Urahara's smile didn’t waver, but it felt far more menacing. "Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the Hollows. As I’ve said before, you’re a threat to their control."
In that case, Ichigo’s choice was simple. He couldn’t leave here and unwittingly subject his father and sisters to more danger. If there was a way to keep those monsters from harming his family like they attempted to do today, then there’s no room for doubt.
Ichigo took the red pill.
~*~*~
Well, about 70% of the dialogue isn’t even mine. It’s all from either the first Matrix movie or from Urahara’s conversation with Orihime and Chad in volume 6. I didn’t write this crack AU to join the bandwagon – I just did it to make the voices in my head shut up long enough for me to write Shinjuku Wild and the Rukia-choco story in peace. ^_^;;
The moral of this story: Crack AU plot bunnies are EVIL.
Now, who will write me an Orihime=Oracle and Ichigo=Neo scene? You know, the one involving cookies? ^_~