The sound of ecstatic children screaming filled the soccer pitch, Karakura Elementary facing off against Naruki Elementary.
The pitch was electric as Kaoru moved with the ball, his feet dancing with the practised ease of his stepdad's training methods.
Kaoru's eyes scanned the field before he passed, tearing off against the right sideline as the rest of his team played in the centre.
Running in zigzag patterns, he smirked as a player took their gaze off of him, immediately slipping behind them.
As the player turned, he went right and then left immediately, making the player stumble as he slipped past towards the goal area.
Sliding to a stop, Kaoru trapped the ball with his chest, the defenders trying to catch him as he brought his leg over and drove his right leg overhead.
The ball soared into the top right corner, the ref blowing the whistle for his fifth goal of the match as Kaoru landed with a flip.
"Bwahahahaha! That's what I'm talking about!" he heard his stepdad shouting from the side, looking over with a grin to see both his mom and him cheering for him at the top of their lungs.
Right beside Kanonji was a little boy with headphones and a white hooded cloak, clapping his hands ecstatically.
That was his 'younger brother' Picaro as he liked to say, but according to his stepdad, it was just two hundred of those Arrancar that had fused into one to make life easier.
Apparently, Picaro could easily retake their form of two hundred Arrancar, but Picaro themselves didn't want to do so unless Kanonji asked of them to.
At least, that's what Kaoru remembered them telling him, but the words and sentences they used were way too jumbled up for his brain to keep up. So, he listed it under 'need to know basis if you're smart'.
The final whistle from the ref drew him out of his daydream and Kaoru cheered with his team as Karakura walked away with their 8-3 victory.
"Once again, great work as usual, team!" Their coach declared with a wide grin, which Kaoru matched as he saw his family approaching. "Ah, Mr. Kanonji! Our greatest sponsor! How have you been?"
"Eh, same old, same old. Glad to see that the team's doing as well as ever."
"Ever since you gave us that new set of training equipment, it's been nothing but perfect, Mr. Kanonji," The coach spoke with a grin, but Kaoru just rolled his eyes as Kanonji ruffled his hair with a smirk.
"Of course. Anyway, we have something important to do so we shall see you at the next match?" His mom spoke up and Kaoru all but took that chance, leaving with his family before his coach could try and swindle more money from his stepdad.
"Nice. I was about to lose my patience and just walk away," Kanonji spoke and Kaoru giggled, giving a fist-bump to Picaro as the two of them walked in front of their parents.
"My pleasure, dear," his mom replied and he ignored the sound of them kissing as he looked to Picaro.
"You finished that level yet?" he asked, staring at the Pesstation Portable that they were playing with.
"Nope, the Ravalos is still a shitty monster to fight."
"Language," Ikumi spoke up, to which Kaoru hid his smirk as Picaro gave an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, mama."
"It's okay, sweetie. Just watch it next time," Ikumi replied, a pleased smile on her face as Kanonji looked to him.
"I'm still not ready to call you dad."
"No, I wanted to know if you wanted pizza or burger."
"Uh, a burger and fries sounds good right about now."
"Eh, I want pizza," Picaro added and he watched as their parents shared an amused smile.
"Okay then. We'll have both, then."
"Whoo!" The two brothers cheered before Kaoru looked over Picaro's shoulder as he watched him play.
Kanonji on the other hand looked to his girlfriend with an amused smile, who stared back and shook her head with a giggle.
"Boys will be boys, huh?"
"And I have to deal with three of them. Also, I want sushi," she replied and he chuckled as he wrapped an arm around her, following their sons out towards the car.
"Sure. Pizza, sushi and burgers. Sounds like a fun night."
"Also, make sure to get some for Ichigo," she replied, to which Kanonji gave a hum of realization.
"Ah, right. Remind me to give him a raise for taking work on his day off."
"Didn't you already?"
"Yeah, a bonus, but I'm talking about a raise since he is the district manager of the main Unagiya-Kanonji branch in Karakura Town," he replied, referring to the company he and Ikumi had started together during the time of peace.
It was not a big company, but it was a sorely needed one in Karakura as well as the neighbouring towns, Ichigo and his friends helping out in their part-time.
Of course, he wasn't given an 'official' salary since he was still a minor, but there was nothing that stopped Kanonji from 'paying' him for his services like an uncle would his nephew if they brought him the remote or a beer.
As one would expect, there were other companies in their line of work that tried to 'take' them out, but against someone who possessed a suppressed fragment of a god in their soul, it was very easy to teach them to error of their ways.
"He's gonna kick you in the chin if you try to give him more money," Ikumi replied and Kanonji scoffed, the small family climbing into the SUV that was their family car.
"Eh, I'll just pay it into Yuzu and Karin's accounts again or in Isshin's account."
"Speaking of Isshin, have you guys spoken or something?"
"The Fullbringer group are busy with their security firm Xcution," Kanonji began with a smile. "The Visored in the human world are lounging about while the ones in the Soul Society send a letter now and again. As for Isshin, he's helping Macy adjust to the life of his assistant."
"She's not going back home?" Ikumi asked and Kanonji shook his head.
"She said that there's nothing waiting for her at her past home so she's going to stay here and build a new life. The Kurosaki family doesn't seem to mind as she helps Yuzu cook, plays with Karin and helps around to ease the workload on Isshin and Ichigo."
"Huh, that's good. A change in pace and surroundings will do her good," Ikumi replied and Kanonji nodded before looking to the two in the rearview mirror.
"So, what kind of pizza and burger are we looking for?"
"Pepperoni, triple extra cheese, stuffed crust/ Jalapeno Deathtrap, extra jalapeno," Picaro and Kaoru replied respectively, to which Kanonji looked at the mother of the latter with a raised eyebrow.
"If he wants to have stomach problems, let him," That made the man laugh as he turned the key, the car turning off with a rumble before he began pulling out of the parking lot.
Well, time to go buy some food for the family.
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A soft sigh escaped my lips as I sat atop the rooftop of my manor, Ikumi and the kids fast asleep in the rooms below. I would be too if not for the presence I felt near the house, letting out a soft sigh as Isshin's spiritual energy stopped beside mine.
"Shirtless again?" he asked softly and I shrugged, looking down at the pajama pants that were the only thing I was wearing.
"Eh, it's a hot night."
"That it is," he responded, the two of us staying silent before I spoke.
"How goes the patrol?"
"All good for the past month. You know, you don't have to do any of this, right?"
"Eh, it helps keep my mind clear and on alert, especially since we haven't had an incident since the Aizen fiasco," I replied and the man did not deny my words as he sat down.
To be truthful, the only reason I was so on edge was because it was getting closer and closer to the time that the Fullbringer Arc happened in the original show.
I was not worried for that, no, but for the arc that came after, the one I missed since I arrived in this world before it could come out.
A 'Thousand Year Blood War' or something along those lines.
'What does that even mean? I know it's about Quincies, but that's it,' I thought with a sigh, leaning back on my hands while looking up at the sky.
"What's on your mind?" Isshin's voice pierced through my thoughts, making me turn to see the inquisitive look on his face.
"Honestly, just boredom. Ever since I left the fighting to you guys, I've got nothing to do other than sit around all day."
"I can relate to that. When I gave up my Shinigami powers to help Masaki, it took me a while before I managed to get something to pass the time for me."
"And what was that?"
"Studying," he replied and I rolled my eyes. "Seriously. You don't know how much studying can help pass the time until you're trapped in that people of intense research."
"Well, I'm not looking to replace work with more tedious work," I replied and he chuckled, looking up at the stars.
"Have you finished high school? You could always do that."
"I have and I have a Bachelors in Art and Languages."
"There you go. Now, turn that Bachelors into a Master's Degree. You got all the time in the world now, right?" he replied and I paused, realizing that the bearded man was right.
Still, though...
"I don't really feel like studying," I mumbled with a groan, ignoring Isshin as he patted my shoulder with a burst of laughter.
"Hahahaha! I didn't either, but it was either that or get bored so I choose the former over the latter," he responded, standing up while dusting his pants off.
"Where you off to now?"
"Home. Macy's finished her sector and I have to go to sleep early if I don't want to miss Yuzu and Karin's initiation ceremony for their first year in Junior High."
"Damn, they're already at that point?"
"Time waits for no man," he answered with a smirk, making me chuckle as I watched the Shinigami vanish. Tracking his spiritual energy as it crossed Karakura and reached his home, I took one final scan of the city before dropping back to my balcony with a soft sigh.
"Isshin?" Ikumi asked, nearly making my heart stop as I looked over to see her open eyes staring at me with a mixture of knowing and bemusement.
"Yeah, wanted to give a report on the patrol. Sorry, did we wake you?"
"No, I was awake the entire time, expecting you to go off gallivanting."
"Hey, I made a promise not to do that. Besides, patrolling is a lot more fun than risking my life," I whispered, climbing into bed and smiling as Ikumi rested her head on my chest.
"What? It's a lot more comfortable than my pillow."
"I'm sure," These were fiber-sleep silk pillows, the softest yet most comfortable ones on the market. There was no way my scarred chest was more comfortable than that.
Was I going to say that out loud? Hell no. Who wouldn't want a curvaceous woman to use them as a body pillow?
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"Hey, boss. Hey, Kanonji."
"Hey, Ichigo. Early morning fight with your old man?" I asked, smirking at the scuff marks and bruising on his knuckles.
" 'Early practise fights' as he likes to call them. Should be glad I haven't knocked his teeth out."
"I'm sure he is. Anyway, I thought I gave you the day off," Ikumi spoke with a frown, to which Ichigo held up his hands in surrender.
"You did, but I got nothing to do back home and after losing my spiritual energy, I can't go Hollow purifying to help with my boredom."
"You could always go and help Ginjo and the others at their security firm," I offered, chuckling at the way he scrunched his face at the news.
"Nah, Ginjo doesn't like it when I go and help. Something about how every delinquent I used to fight sees it as an opportunity to try their shit with me."
"That's what you get for being a delinquent," Ikumi replied with a smirk, making Ichigo roll his eyes as he helped the two of us unload the boxes of papers and ink for the printers.
My gaze moved to the large industrial building in front of us, Unagiya-Kanonji Services written in gold atop the sign on the front building.
It sat in the heart of Karakura's central sector, close to both Karakura and the various apartments of their younger workers so as to make travel easier for everyone.
"Hey, boss lady!" Keigo greeted with a grin, him and Chad taking the boxes from them while Ichigo led them to the storage room.
"Ah, Mr. Kanonji, Ms. Unagiya! You've finally arrived," Urahara greeted with a smile, walking out of my office and making me roll my eyebrows.
"Great, Hats 'n Clogs is here," Ikumi spoke with a smile, walking past Urahara with a pat on his shoulder that made the man snicker.
I on the other hand gestured for him to follow, walking into my office while giving Ikumi a soft kiss.
"I'll be in my office if you need me."
"That's okay. We're going to be busy with deliveries today, anyway," she replied, to which I nodded and escorted Urahara into my office.
The moment we entered, though, the man's smirk faded away, leaving a stoic expression in its wake as the two of us sat down in the chairs in front of my desk.
"What happened this time?"
"You know Tier Harribel, yes?"
"The Queen of Hueco Mundo and Las Noches? I remember you telling me about her, yeah. Why? What's happened?" I asked, Urahara fanning his face with a sigh before he replied.
"Well, she has been informing that her scouts have been noticing groups of white-cloaked figures near their borders."
"Any symbols on them that showed who they are?" Urahara raised an eyebrow at my question before shaking his head. "Great. Well, what do you want me to do about it?"
"Nothing much. I just came to inform you just in case something happens."
"Yeah, bullshit, Urahara," I replied with a smirk, not missing his own smirk as I crossed my arms. "We both know that you won't say something like that without an ulterior motive. So, what do you want?"
"Well, it wouldn't hurt to send someone that can scan the borders and make sure that Tier is not needlessly concerned."
"Uh-huh, nope. I've had enough of Hueco Mundo and I'm out of the game for the foreseeable future."
"I know. I was referring to someone else. Is Picaro here?"
"You want me to send my 'son' to go and hunt down someone on a hunch of yours?"
"Yes."
"...Fuck no," I replied and he gave a shrug before standing up.
"Hey, never said I would force you to do it. Just wanted to bring it to your attention."
"Yeah, you're just trying to play on my sense of chivalry."
"And is it working?"
"Not in the slightest. Get the Gotei 13 or someone else to do it."
"Eh, sure thing," He spoke with a thumbs-up, vanishing out of the office and leaving me alone.
I just stared at the spot where he stood before shaking my head, standing up and walking around my desk to sit behind it.
I just know this was gonna come back to bite me in the ass, but right now, I just want to make sure that my life is perfect for the future to come.
'Will there be a future to come? Who knows?'
A/N: A bit of a shorter one that sets up the next arc. Next chapter will be different as we change the POV.
Next chapter: A War.
As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one...
Ba-Bye~!