"Is it here?" He looked at the hospital's building in front of him and then checked the address written on the paper his mother gave to him last night, making sure that it matched with this one.
It's correct, then.
Shirou then sighed. He wasn't nervous, only felt a bit awkward that he would meet a classmate's father for a training instead of normal things.
Well, not that he could change anything.
Shirou then entered the hospital.
As soon as he walked inside, the smell of disinfectants greeted his nostrils, causing him to wrinkle his nose slightly.
It's the same old scent, the one that made him remember the incident in the past.
It was a bad memory, bringing him back to the day after the incident.
At the same time, hospital was where Kiritsugu offered him to be his adopted son, changing Shirou's life. He could still remember the moment clearly, a day he could never forget.
Shaking his head, he decided to ask the receptionist about Ishida's office and headed to that location.
Arriving there, Shirou took a deep breath, before knocking on the door and saying.
"Excuse me. I am Kurosaki Shirou. May I enter?"
"Please do."
"Thank you." Shirou said and opened the door. His eyes were immediately drawn toward a handsome middle-aged man sitting behind the desk.
Unlike Isshin, this man looked serious and stoic. He was holding a document and fixing his glasses.
If Shirou had to describe the man, then he looked like the older and more serious version of Ishida Uryu, his Quincy classmate. He couldn't help but see the resemblance between these two.
He was sure this person was Uryu's father.
And Shirou could easily guess that this person was strict in the past, causing their strained relationship.
"You are Masaki's son, I presume." Ishida Ryuken said without even glancing up to Shirou, "Take a seat, I have something to ask you before we begin."
Shirou nodded and took the offered seat, waiting for Ryuken to speak up.
"You wanted to learn Quincy's technique? Why?"
A normal question. If Ryuken refused to teach his own son about Quincy technique, it would be a waste to teach someone else about it, not to mention an outsider.
The only reason Ryuken was willing to meet him and consider teaching him was because of his mixed heritage and Masaki's request.
But he needed to hear Shirou's resolve. He wanted to know why he would be interested in learning Quincy's technique. Or why Masaki reached out to him first in order to teach her son.
And so Shirou answered honestly.
"At first I was not interested at all." He said, "But after returning from Soul Society, I realize that there are more dangers than just the normal hollow that we face every day. So, I thought I need to be prepared for whatever would come."
Hearing that, Ryuken glanced up to the boy. "Getting stronger means having more people to notice and target you. Don't you think it's wise to just have enough strength and hide the rest? You can just leave whatever danger you encounter to other people or your little brother."
"Maybe. I don't really think I will be strong enough to face those who would target me." He said with a small chuckle, "But what about my family? Ichigo is strong and he can protect himself and others, but he can't be at many places at once."
"That's foolish. Staying low would keep you and your family safe." The Director of the Karakura Hospital argued.
"It might be, but that's how it is. It doesn't matter how I think about my actions, because I can't really change my way of life. And I don't even think I am doing the right thing." Shirou closed his eyes, "It's just my selfish decision, nothing more."
Even when he had no power, danger could come to him.
Better be prepared rather than taken off guard like in his previous life. A half-assed power wouldn't cut it against an opponent that aimed to kill.
And in this life, it was the same. He couldn't be as weak as in his previous life. It's impossible for him to just let someone take his place, not again.
His words and conviction were enough to make Ishida Ryuken hum in interest.
"I see. So that's your resolve. You're different from Uryu who wanted to get stronger just to avenge his grandfather." Ryuken said, his expression changed to an interested one.
His gaze was now focused solely on the boy sitting before him.
"Very well, then. Let's start your lesson, but be warned, I will not go easy on you."
Shirou smiled, "I won't complain."
The older man smirked, "That's good. But first, I will have you to learn about Quincy's history. This is pretty important, as it will definitely arrive to the point that you will learn about our ideology. And this will help you know more about our kind."
Saying so, he took out an old book from the bookshelf behind him and handed it over to Shirou.
"Read this while I work. We will begin when you're done. I will explain the difficult part to you." The man said while glancing back to his document, "You may use that sofa to read. Take your time and ask me if there's something you don't understand. And I expect you to finish that in 3 hours."
"Yes, thank you."
With that, the first day of the lesson started. Shirou read the book that was handed over to him while Ryuken worked, ignoring him in favor of working.
It's not really an ideal situation for a mentor and a disciple. However, this kind of teaching was also not bad for Shirou who always learned by himself.
No one really taught him anything before, after all.
Silence enveloped the room as Shirou read the book.
The book explained the whole history of Quincy and the origin of their power.
King of Quincy, the father of all Quincy and the origin of their power, Yhwach was the first one to gain the ability to absorb reishi into himself. And the blood that flowed through his vein was what granted other people this power.
Every Quincy in the world was his descendant.
He's the one that created the very foundation of the Quincy power, and he was the one who could take them away.
A poem was written in the book.
"The confined Quincy King...
Regains his pulse after 900 years.
His mind after 90 years.
His strength after 9 years."
9 years...
Auswählen, a ritual where Yhwach sacrificed Quincy to regain his strength.
That happened a few years ago, when Shirou was 9 years old.
Learning about this, his eyes widened a little bit.
Was that the reason why his mother lost her power? Because it was taken by the Quincy King?
Was he also a target? But he still had his power, so what was the meaning of that?
What happened at that time, and why did Shirou regain his power when many Quincy lost theirs? He couldn't make any head or tail of this information.
Shirou had to ask Ryuken about it, but the Director didn't even bother to answer.
"What's written in that book is the truth. Just read more."
He only said that without giving him a satisfying answer.
It's obvious he didn't have the heart to answer him about it, maybe because he was the one who survived when other Quincies died from Auswählen.
Then how did his mother survive? It was said that those who underwent the ritual were almost all dead. But Masaki was still alive.
Shirou would need to learn about this by himself, it seemed. There's a chance Ryuken refused to answer.
So he turned the page to read more.
The history of the war between Soul Society and Quincy, and how they were eradicated.
How the Quincies used the power to eradicate hollows rather than sending them to the afterlife like what the Shinigami did.
Shirou frowned as he remembered his own ideology. The Quincies destroyed souls without giving them salvation, which was against what Shirou had in mind.
But at the same time, this method could be the fastest way to get rid of the hollow before they did more damage. He couldn't deny that.
The idea to save everyone was just an ideal, and couldn't be reached.
That's if he hadn't met Shinigami yet. The balance of the world was pretty much very fragile. Hunting too many hollows and eradicating their soul could tilt that balance and destroy the cycle.
In the end, nothing was correct. Everything had pros and cons, so to decide which one was the best, he had to see from his point of view.
"Done with reading? It's been three hours."
Ryuken finally spoke after a while, pulling Shirou out from the thought and his reading.
Shirou looked at the clock, it's indeed been three hours since he began the reading.
"You have a good concentration. Not many people can stay focused on their reading for that long."
"Thanks. So, how should we continue?" The boy said while closing the book.
"We will start your practice now. Come with me."
Shirou nodded, following him outside.
He thought that Ryuken would lead him somewhere, but instead the man stopped right outside of his office and faced him.
"Do you have a Quincy Cross yet?" He asked with a serious face, his eyes looking at the boy intensely.
"I don't need one. My... technique allows me to create my own weapon without using it."
"I see. Then show me how you activate your power."
"Like this." Shirou raised his hand and traced a nameless sword.
A blue fire came to life and the weapon formed in his hand. The heatless fire then turned into the cold blade, the tip pointing at the ground.
It's a plain-looking sword. A long, straight, double-edged blade.
No marking, nor any sign that would make it stand out from the rest. It was the plainest, the simplest, and the most normal sword anyone would see.
"This is how I make my weapon."