The Bonds Between Us (Bleach Fanfic)

Chapter 5

It was difficult telling how much time had passed down here, with the ceiling only having the daytime sky painted on it. I didn't have my phone on me, so I couldn't even check that. It had to have been a couple of hours by now.

"Oi, Jinta?"

"What?" The redhead grumbled at me, laying somewhere against a rock.

"How long has it been?"

He groaned in annoyance, but raised his hand to check the timer he had on him. "Eighteen hours"

Eighteen hours, huh? Time really goes by when you're bored out of your mind. I turned onto my side, facing towards the hole on who's ledge I was laying on. I peered down at Ichigo, who was taking a break since the encroachment had temporarily stopped.

"How are you doing kid?" I yelled down at him, I saw his head lift up to look at me.

"Great!" He was lying, of course. Encroachment was a draining process, on top of trying to climb out of a hole with his hands behind his back.

"Why don't we pass the time?"

He looked a bit more curious now, or I think he did. Ururu really did a good job with this hole.

"How?"

"How about I let you ask a couple of questions? I'm sure you're dying with curiosity" Oh, I could feel the irritation radiating from him. Probably not the best choice of words.

"And you'll answer all of them?"

".. No. It's not entirely my story to tell, after all. But I'll answer as much of them as I can"

I could see his head bob, and after a couple of seconds, he asked his first question. "Are you a shinigami?"

"I thought it might be obvious, but yes"

He pondered a bit longer for the next one, but when he asked, I realized why. ".. is dad a shinigami?"

"No" That wasn't a lie. Isshin hadn't been a shinigami in twenty years. He was as powerless as Ichigo was right now"

"But you are siblings, right? Then how can only one of you-"

"It's a long story, Ichigo. And not entirely mine to tell, remember? All you need to know is that I'm a shinigami, and Isshin isn't"

He was irritated, I could tell. But he was too tired to really fight me on it. "Are you a human with shinigami powers?"

"... No. I was never human. I was born a soul, in Soul Society"

His head snapped up so fast I'm surprised the kid didn't get whiplash from that. "Soul Society?!"

"Yep" I confirmed, popping the p. "I only came here twenty years ago, to be with Isshin"

It as quiet for a while after that. I'm pretty sure finding out about all of this was something hard to process, so I was content to let him take the time he needed. It's not everyday you learn your aunt is a shinigami from another realm, after all.

"Is that why Rukia was so weird when you two met?"

Right. That day over a month ago, when I couldn't dodge the Kuchiki anymore. I had obviously tried to play my part of Ichigo's boozy human aunt, but I could tell Rukia recognized me. She always was too observant.

"Partially" I sighed. "Rukia and I use to know each other back in the day"

"What?" The surprise in his voice was clear.

"Yeah. We use to be on the same squad. We were even friends..."

"You were friends?" He put emphasis on the 'were'