(Ryoto's pov)

After my quality time with Yukima, I finally ate something that didn't taste hollow... hehe... and soon after, I went to take a well-deserved nap. I woke up just before the first person returned, and it was surprisingly Masaru. I was betting on Rangiku.

The moment he noticed me, his eyes went wide open, and he rushed into a hug, similar to his sister.

This repeated more times. Rangiku, Rin, and Isane did the same. Gin wasn't as affectionate, but I could see relief in his eyes... when he opened them... Are we sure he isn't related to me?

In short, the reunion was emotional. If one year of separation was this emotional, I started to worry about my reaction when I get back home.

All in all, the dinner was very pleasant, full of laughter and overall good atmosphere. We were talking about where I was, what I was doing, and how I survived, and I explained everything... most things. I was hiding a small detail about Harribel. I was just waiting for a better moment, but as the dinner was approaching its end and the children were out of the dining room, no such moment appeared, so I decided to just say it.

"By the way, do you remember Tier Harribel that I mentioned before..."

Before I could finish talking, Rin pulled out some money and gave it to Isane. I blinked slowly a few times to make sure I was seeing right.

"What are you two doing?" I finally asked.

Both of my partners turned to me.

"After we all got together, Yoruichi proposed a bet. It was about when we were getting another sister." Rin started explaining. "And knowing you the longest and hopefully the best, I agreed to it, feeling good about my chances, but it seems that I was wrong..." She added grumpily at the end.

"Did you really doubt my loyalty that much?" I raised my eyebrow.

"Not exactly your loyalty, but we all knew that you... have a history of multiple lovers. Before, in one year, you got together with four girls."

"... Fair. So, how much did you bet on?"

"I was sure that it wouldn't be longer than 50 years," Rin answered.

"I said it would be 150-200 years, but I was sure it would be Kiyone." Isane added.

"And just out of curiosity, what was Yoruichi's betting on?"

"10 years, and she was so sure of that. She is going to pay Isane a fortune when we see her again."

"I feel slightly used, but since Isane believed in me the most, she is choosing my homemade meals for a week."

While Isane's expression beamed with joy, Rin was showing fear.

"Y-you don't need to go that far..."

We all know that Isane will choose porridge for all meals. Three times a day for a week, and no matter how delicious I make it, it can get old, but not for my Isane, though.

"I don't know... I think that I need to show my appreciation to Isane more often." I smirked as I teased Rin. How I missed doing that. "But before that, you still didn't answer me about Tier."

"What can we say, Ryoto? We would need to meet her first, but I doubt you would start caring about some psychopath." 

... Let's agree with that.

Suddenly, our talk was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"I'll get that," I said as I walked towards the door and opened it. I was honestly surprised by who the guest was, but not only that. More of a surprise was how Akio was carrying himself. Gone was the air of confidence, superiority, and resentment towards me. It was like looking at old Akio, shy, ashamed even, insecure, and embarrassed by being caught doing something he shouldn't.

What the hell happened in that one year I was gone?

I opened my mouth, ready to ask what was wrong, but I was interrupted by the sound of breaking plates. I turned around to see first shocked but then furious Yukima, who rushed at Akio while releasing some bloodlust.

I frowned as Yukima may enjoy battle at times too much, I may add, but she never was bloodthirsty, especially to family. Something must have happened, but before I tried to learn what had happened between them, I needed to stop Yukima, so I grabbed her by the neck and picked her up like a tiny kitten.

"Calm down, Yukima." My daughter tried to struggle a bit before going limp.

"But dad..." She protested, but as she was now, she wasn't thinking straight, so I wanted her to take a breather or two.

"No buts. Now I'll go talk with Akio, and you'll behave. Understood?"

"... Yes."

I then walked up to Rin and handed her Yukima. After that, I nodded to her, and Isane indicated that I'd handle Akio.

And so I left the house looking for some privacy for our talk.

---

We went for a walk that I didn't call it a walk for obvious reasons.

We walked in silence. I could see that Akio wanted to say something, so I waited patiently until he could gather the courage to do so, and my patience paid off.

"Fa- Dad, can I ask you something?"

I could say that he already did, but I can read the air well enough to tell that it isn't the best time to joke.

"Go ahead."

"... Do you hate me?"

That went from 0 to 100 really quickly. I can guess why he asked me that, but still... Holy shit.

"Are you asking me that because I made you think that I hate you, or do you feel like I should hate you for something you did?"

I hit the nail with this one because Akio's mood immediately became worse.

"You know what I mean... You are aware of what's happening behind the curtains. Everything with what happened to the incident where Uncle Kisuke, Uncle Tessai, and Yoruichi-kaasan were forced to escape to the living world and who is responsible for it, don't you."

It was more of a statement than a question, and I confirmed with a simple nod.

"If that's the case, why didn't you do anything for the last few decades?" 

Akio asked surprisingly calmly.

"You are a smart boy, Akio. You should already know it. The reason that you are questioning me is because you sensed something was wrong." My son nodded. "Then you should be aware that Mr. 'I'm a very kind captain' Aizen isn't as nice as he likes people to think. I don't know how much you were part of his plan, and I don't know how much about the man you are calling captain, but I am sure that you are aware that he is smart, scarily so. If I tried to outsmart him, I would lose 99 out of 100 times, and that one win in my name would be because of luck.

I knew for a long time that you had a grudge against me because of him, but knowing Aizen, he mixed truth and lies in a way that it would be difficult to unravel. Every way I would try to defend myself would probably backfire. That's why I was waiting for some kind of chance to come, but it seems that I underestimated your deduction abilities."

I messed with his hair a bit.

"But I must apologize to you for not doing more. Because of my weakness, I couldn't do more without risking a lot." Then I hugged Akio suddenly. "But I'm glad that despite all of that, you are alright."

Akio stiffened at the sudden contact, but he slowly relaxed and soon buried his face in my shoulder and started quietly sobbing as I patted his back.

---

"You know, Dad, I can't take credit for figuring everything out. I... kind of was boasting to Yukima and Masaru about how I sent you to Hueco Mundo. It was mostly out of frustration, but then Yukima punched me, and I don't know how, but some things clicked as I lay on the ground."

I shook my head in disbelief, but it would explain why she was so angry at Akio earlier.

"She really is her mother's daughter. Yoruichi did something similar to me years ago. But going back on topic, Aizen is probably aware that you aren't under his spell, but he won't do anything with it."

"Why?"

"Either you go ballistic and try to kill him. In that case, he would just remove a piece from his chessboard, or you would pretend to be still on his side, and then he has entertainment in the form of your futile efforts. I know that it would happen because despite all his intellect, Aizen is very curious at his core, and I'm sure he would want to see what way you would try to kill him.

That's what most people are to him, entertainment and pieces to use. Now that you know it, what are you planning to do? Are you still planning on being in his squad, or do you want to leave his division and distance yourself from Aizen as much as possible? To be honest with you, I would rather have you be as far away from this glasses-wearing traitor in the making, but you are an adult, and I'll respect your choice to some extent."

Akio, with his newly founded motivation, looked me straight in the eyes.

"I'll stay with ca-, with Aizen. He may know that I don't believe his lies anymore, and if he wants to observe me like some kind of experiment, then I'll make him regret it."

I solemnly nodded.

If that is what he wants, if he really wants to be part of this whole thing, then I won't stop him, but I won't let him be alone anymore.

At least I have my son back.

---

Once again, years went on without much happening, although things changed for the better for once. Akio became closer than ever to me and the family, although there is still some tension between him and his siblings. Even when I tried to explain to them that it wasn't his fault and he had already apologized to me and them as well, I couldn't entirely blame them as well.

It's a difficult situation to be in, and I can't do much with it. The only thing Akio can do is to show his sincerity through his actions.

It's easy to lose trust, but it's immensely difficult to get it back.

Also, Aizen, just as predicted, didn't do anything to Akio and acts like his usual fake self, but I can't let my guard down just yet. I have been trying to be vigilant for the past 200 years or so, and I can't let myself be careless for the last 10 years. I don't want it all to go to waste.

However, I still worry about Akio. I can't help it despite my awareness of Akio's abilities, but Aizen is on another level, and even I don't believe in winning the fight if I don't give it my all and destroy everything around me.

The only positive thing is that while Akio made a huge mistake, at least it wasn't as irreversible as my mistakes. Why do my children must be so similar to me and make similarly dumb mistakes? The pain of being a parent, seeing your children do the same stupid things you wish you never did.

Speaking of parents, I couldn't sit around while Aizen was playing Cupid for Ichigo's parents. I observed everything from very far away, so even he wouldn't be able to sense me, and if anything happened, I would be able to step in. After all, I'm fast, and if I push myself, I will be able to combine Sonido and Shunpo, but that's only in an emergency.

Surprisingly, once in my life, everything went smoothly and just like it was supposed to. You could even call it a Canon event. Still, the big difference was that the Shiba family didn't drop out from the Five Great Noble families, as the presence of Kaien Shiba didn't allow for it to happen even after Isshin became missing in action.

I secretly take credit for that because no one would acknowledge it, as they wouldn't know what would happen. I tell that to Kukaku every time I visit her, and it annoys her to no end, but she is still grateful to me for saving her brother's wife.

Speaking of wives, today is June 17, 1994, and I'm going to save yet another wife.

I kill one and save three. That makes it OK, right?

... Wow, that was dark even for me. I'm glad that I didn't say it out loud, not that anyone would hear me at the moment since I was hiding and stalking said wife...

Jesus, what is wrong with me today? I'm just saying things without thinking.

Let's just focus on my target or, rather, targets. Masaki Kurosaki and Ichigo Kurosaki were walking next to the river at the moment. I was following them the whole day just in case, and I was having someone observe them for the last few years if anything changed, but today, I wanted to be here personally because if there is fate in this world, then today is the day Masaki would die, and I would like to prevent it.

She still didn't detect me, but few could, even if they tried. Even while hidden, I could see how much Masaki cared about little Ichigo, but it was normal for a mother, although I've seen many who didn't share this. It was mainly in the slums but also in noble families. They are, thankfully, a minority, but it doesn't make me like humanity more.

As I was deep in my thoughts, my senses flared up because of the arrival of a Hollow. It wasn't particularly strong, Hollow, but it was stronger than canon fodder, so I looked at the source of it to see Masaki trying to defend Ichigo and using Blut Vene against Grand Fisher, but just before she was hit, something happened to her that deactivated her Quincy ability, showing her in the process.

It was my time to cue, and I killed the Hollow before he could even register what happened to him. He couldn't even scream in pain as his death was instantaneous. Whether I like it or not, I got pretty good at killing.

"Hello there, Miss Quincy. As you can see, I'm just a friendly Shinigami passing by."

She looked at me with her face still full of shock. I can't blame her that much. She just escaped the jaws of death, which is ironic since I am kind of a death god myself.

"T-thank you." She finally spoke up while still holding to her son, who seemed dazed and not entirely with us.

"Don't worry about it. I'm Shinigami, and it's my job to kill Hollows, and you would kill it if not for the unexpected issue that you encountered." 

Hearing that, she instantly put the guard up.

"Now, now, if I wanted to do something to you, I would already have done it, and even if you didn't have this issue, I doubt you could do me much harm. I don't want to boast, but I'm pretty strong. This white haori on my back should tell you that much. I'm also a family friend... in a way. I'm friends with Kukaku, and Kaien is in my debt even when I'm telling him that it's alright. In short, I'm a friend of your husband's niece and nephew."

"I see... I don't want to sound ungrateful, but what someone like you is doing here?" She was still on edge because of this near-death experience, and she was probably suspicious of me or at least was thinking of her son's safety above all else.

"I don't want to be the bringer of the bad, but it's significant for you to know. The Quincy King has awakened."

Masaki's eyes shot wide open.

"But that's -"

"Impossible? Just a story? Something along these lines, right? But the reality of this situation is that you just experienced the first sign of his awakening."

"... Auswählen."

"Bingo. I'm surprised that you even know this name, but you are correct. Quincy King has returned, and he started a Holy selection. All not pure-blooded Quincies experienced something similar to you. Not many are as lucky, though. I suspect that many Quinces with health problems have already died or at least went into a coma."

Before she could start to worry, which she was on the verge of doing, I eased her concerns.

"Don't worry though, I have a solution." I took out a bag that was hidden until now. "Inside this bag are lollipops with mysterious effects. You could even call them a healing candy." I took out one and gave it to her. "All you need to do is put it in your mouth, which should prevent any after-symptoms. If you don't believe me, you can ask Isshin about Ryoto Yuuki's lollipops. They are pretty famous in the Soul Society."

Masaki softened her expression.

"No, I'll believe you."

That was my turn to be surprised.

"I like to think of myself as someone who has a good judgment of character, and you seem trustworthy."

... Is she blind? I couldn't look more sketchy even if I tried. Maybe if I had a white van...

Before I go off topic again, I have a few things to say before I need to return. The shorter I'm here, the better my chance to remain unnoticed by Aizen.

"I hate to say it, but I would also like to ask you a favor if you don't mind. Please give one of the lollipops to Uryu's mother, and I have one other that is only for her."

I may not have contact with the Ishidas anymore, but it didn't mean that I didn't keep an eye on them. I'm aware of Kanae's condition and have prepared a lollipop that would be able to help her to some extent.

"Kanae-chan? I understand!" She smiled at me gently. The smile that only a mother could have, but I should start leaving now.

I nodded.

"As a thank you, I'll give you some advice. You should prepare your son for a storm that is approaching. In a few years, he will be the center of it, whether you like it or not. Sorry for that. It's outside my control at this point."

And with that, I left, but I could still notice young Ichigo opening his eyes slowly to see my white haori with the number 2 on it.

---

(A/N In the next chapter, canon is starting. Boy, it took longer than I thought it would, but we are finally here. Prepare yourself for some butterfly effects down the line.)

(E/D: You took... way... too long. Also, where is Potatochu?)

END

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