Normal routine had returned to Shirou's life.
Woke up in the morning, kicked Ichigo out of the bed, and then made breakfast for his family. Remembering his mother's advice, he made the meal to suit his father's palate this time.
"Ooh! This soup... It's so amazing! The most delicious soup I have ever eaten before. You're really the best, my dear Masaki!"
Shirou heard Isshin compliment his mother as they ate breakfast. The man's voice was full of happiness and love.
Usually, he would frown and comment about the man's overacting and compliment his food to his mother's, but this time he didn't say anything. Rather, he grinned smugly as Masaki giggled.
"Honey, is that really the most delicious soup you have ever eaten?"
"Yes!"
"But it was made by Shirou."
"..."
"..."
Silence descended on the dining table.
Isshin gulped in dread, knowing he just messed up and dug a hole for his own grave.
Masaki's face turned dark, "Oh? So, it wasn't mine that was the most delicious?" She asked in a low tone. "Huh? Honey, what does that mean?"
"I-I mean, of course it was you, honey! This one can't even match your cooking!"
"But you said that was the most delicious, dad. And Yuzu agrees with it! Shirou-nii's cooking is the best!" Yuzu's innocent and oblivious comment made Isshin grunt in defeat.
He glared at Shirou, sending a silent message to his son.
'Why didn't you tell me about this?! Just wait until Masaki leaves. I will give you hell!' His eyes said.
Shirou only grinned in response, 'What? It's not my fault if you're the one who messed up. Haha, I will laugh so much at you.'
"I agree. Brother's food is indeed better than Mom's, no offense. I still love your cooking, mom." Karin commented in her usual nonchalant way.
"Fufufu, thank you, Karin." Masaki gave her daughter a smile and then turned to look at Ichigo. "What about you, Ichigo? Who cooks better? Me, or your brother?"
The question caused the whole family to turn and look at him.
Immediately became the center of attention, Ichigo couldn't help but tense up.
"U-Uhm..." He gulped in fear as he noticed his father was glaring at him.
'Screw you, dad!' Ichigo screamed internally. "It's you, of course. I can't compare Shirou's food to you. They're too good, haha."
"Oh my, really?" Masaki beamed at him happily, "Then I should start to practice cooking again. Fufufu, I can't wait to try my new recipe. You will love it!"
"No, that's okay!" Ichigo and Isshin exclaimed at once, making her blink in surprise. "Why? I thought you loved it?"
"Y-Yeah, but..." Ichigo scratched his cheek. His father was still sending a message to him, telling him to refuse the idea of Masaki cooking.
For the record, Masaki's cooking wasn't really bad. She could do it if she practiced. But that was where the problem lied. They didn't want to become the guinea pig for her new dishes.
Both of them turned to Shirou for help, but he ignored them.
'I am so going to kill him!' Both Ichigo and Isshin thought at once.
After breakfast, Shirou and Ichigo went to the school, while Masaki would help Isshin open the clinic. The twins walked down the street, each slung their bag over their shoulder.
"Man, we're going to try her new cooking again. And it's all your fault." Ichigo grumbled under his breath, his eyes narrowed in annoyance, "Damn, why can't you just say you would cook tomorrow?"
"It was funny." Shirou grinned in response. He was enjoying himself.
"Shut up, dumbass. I will kick you once I get the chance. Just wait!" The orange-haired brother threatened.
"Whatever, I won't be hit easily." Shirou snorted and waved his hand dismissively.
Ichigo only glared at his twin, not saying anything more.
The rest of the way to the school was uneventful. They talked a bit about school, the life Ichigo had as a Shinigami, and also Rukia's current condition.
Ichigo was worried, but his twin told him not to, that she was fine. It wasn't something to worry about as her punishment would be as light as possible, based on what he heard from the Shinigami he fought.
At first, Ichigo was skeptical about it but he agreed in the end.
However, something was still strange.
"No one remembers Rukia except for our friends." Shirou muttered, thinking about his friends in school.
They all didn't seem to remember Rukia's existence when he mentioned her. Now lunch time arrived, and he chose to stay on the roof to think about it for a moment.
Memory manipulations, he knew Shinigami could do something like that, but the extent of their ability was unknown. They were able to erase human memories easily.
Spiritual power mattered a lot in this, and even he and Ichigo were not exempted from this power. Only people with a strong spirit or those who were involved with Shinigami could remember the erased memories.
That's what he knew.
"Shinigami can use spells or something called Kido. Must be one of those." He reasoned, looking up to the blue sky.
Cloud drifted above him as he thought of his previous life. His last life as a magus.
Last night, he had a short dream.
The same burning city—the familiar sight.
Standing in the middle of that was the sarcastic, future self that managed to reach his old ideal.
That man told him something.
Archer had said that Shirou hadn't traced any weapon in this world. While annoying, his standard was pretty high, knowing that he had amassed and saw thousands of Noble Phantasm and swords.
What he clarified as a weapon that was worth being replicated wasn't a normal one. Shirou was sure about it, that he would be disappointed to see any sword here. They would be just like any sword he ever saw, the swords here were nothing special.
But, what about Zanpakutou?
He knew how it worked from what he heard from Rukia. They had a name, a unique name.
A name that Shinigami called when they unleashed their power. A unique ability for every Shinigami.
They weren't normal swords, they were more like a manifestation of a Shinigami's soul. Their power.
However, in the end, Zanpakutou was a sword. Something that he could analyze.
If he could trace a construct like Excalibur, Rho Aias, and even Gae Bolg, what stopped him from tracing Zanpakutou?
His eyes widened at the realization.
Why didn't he think of that? Was he bound to the past too much?
Something was there, preventing him from tracing them. As if they were a danger to him. A safety device.
At that moment, he felt a familiar presence arriving. Footsteps approached him, and then a shadow appeared, blocking the sunlight. A boy was there, glaring at him.
"Kurosaki Shirou." Ishida Uryu spoke, his expression cold, "We have a score to settle. I will not back down from our agreement. If you refuse, I won't hesitate to force you."
Shirou smirked at the boy's remark, standing up and facing the blue-haired boy.
"You didn't have to be this serious, you know? You made it sound like we're going to kill each other or something."
"I have investigated your family."
The bespectacled Quincy ignored him, his face remained expressionless as he adjusted his glasses.
He looked at Shirou and continued, "I have confirmed that you and Kurosaki Ichigo were twins. He has no Quincy power, so that means you're a mixed blood."
"Congratulations." He said sarcastically, clapping his hand in mockery, "You got the correct conclusion. So? You're some sort of genius detective now?"
"That's not what I- Anyway, that doesn't change the fact that I am the last Quincy, so we can put aside that. I am curious about something though. I have never seen your ability before, what was it?" Uryu asked, ignoring the sarcastic comment from the orange-haired boy.
"None of your concern." Shirou snorted in disdain, not bothering to explain about himself. "Just think of it as my version of bow and arrow. I can't use Quincy Cross, so I use my own method."
Ishida looked at him and nodded, "So be it then, if that's what you want." He said. "I don't hate you, but I still hate your brother who is a Shinigami. That's all."
With that, he left.
Shirou watched his figure retreating back to the school. The boy was cold but kind, and he couldn't say anything against it. They had just met after all.
Still, after seeing the cross' memory two days ago, he couldn't help but feel strange, especially after he met Uryu once again.
'Mom was once a part of Ishida family, an Echt Quincy which translates to pure-blooded.'
He was surprised when he realized it. However, his life has always been surprising, so it's nothing to be shocked about.
But then, the cross' memories stopped at the moment she gave birth to her son.
It was Uryu's father, the one who was supposed to become the head of the family, who helped his birth. They were related since he was born, yet his mother never bothered to visit her family. Even Isshin didn't say anything.
'My life sure is full of surprises.' Shirou thought, smiling wryly as he looked at the blue sky above him. 'But, it's fine. It won't change anything, anyway. It doesn't matter who my real family is, who my real father is, who my real mother is. I know who to protect.'
To do that, Shirou had to get stronger. He wanted to try doing what Archer hinted him in the dream. Something that could even change the tide of battle. He knew it was something that would make him more powerful than before.
So after school, he immediately went to Urahara Shoten and met with the shopkeeper.
With a serious look, he said, "Urahara-san, let's fight seriously."
Looking back at him, Urahara's smirk disappeared as his expression became serious.
He looked at the determined look in Shirou's eyes and answered, "Alright. Tessai, please put on protective barriers. There might be some earthquake."
The bespectacled assistant only nodded.
"Follow me, Shirou-kun." Urahara ordered, leading him down to the training area.
***Chapter End***
Give me stones and I shall update faster!
Nothing to say, just exploring possibilities.
Over the years, Ichigo's trust toward Shirou is unshakable, that's why he trust him easily. But yeah, the boy still have some doubt, explored in the future!
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