Bridge bit – Visiting

~ crossovercreativechaos

“So what did you see?” Isshin asked.

It hadn’t been seeing so much as hearing; the sky was overcast, everything cast in murky twilight. But sound… sound carried clear.

Crunch. Scrunch. Crssh, shhh, crunch….

Booted feet, trying to sneak through soft snow. Loki knew the sound. And how to reply.

Snickering and eager, a horde of snowballs leapt for their prey.

Black spattered with white, a dark-coated figure stood in the snow. Raised a black brow at Loki’s laughter. Carefully wiped snow off of amber lenses.

Gathered it into a soft ball, and tossed it back.

It could be a weapon!

The dodge was pure reflex. With a puff, loose snow scattered inches away.

…Not a weapon. And there was an ache in his chest as Loki realized that. Someone… someone had offered to play, and his own suspicion had slammed yet another door-

“I am not so easily dissuaded.”

A dark voice, still as the air before an oncoming storm.

“I, too, know pain.”

A bow, that let a swift hand scoop up downy snow, fingers reveling in the texture of water like frozen starlight.

“Perhaps another night.”

Smiling, he vanished.

“And then I woke up,” Loki concluded. “And there was power leading from the boy to me. Not a great deal, but… what on earth is he doing?”

“Older guy, you say?”  Isshin’s grin had a thoughtful edge. “Look like anyone you know?”

“Hogun the Grim, a bit,” Loki said, startled into answering before he thought. “If he’d ever lower himself to a Midgard coat. And shaving. Why?”

“And he took some snow?” Isshin said, half to himself. “Guess that’s fair. He already left some of his power with you.”

Loki looked at him askance. “Are you saying that man was Ichigo?”

“Noooo,” Isshin drew it out. “Not exactly.” Grinned. “He’s visiting.”

“What?”

“It’s something young shinigami do, when their sword-spirits start getting stronger,” Isshin shrugged. “The spirits start poking around. Kind of like little kids. Finding out who’s friendly, who’s not. Whose souls let them in, and whose stay closed.” He paused, and gave Loki a look. “Who’s family.”

 

27 thoughts on “Bridge bit – Visiting”

  1. I’ll be over here in the corner. Screaming and wriggling in utter glee. Because this was precious and adorable in all the best ways.

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  2. See, Loki, we told you that you’ve been adopted. 🙂

    I see Zangetsu is just as curious as Ichigo . . . which would make sense . . .

    Hmmm Ichigo with a touch of Loki’s power and Loki with a touch of Ichigo’s power . . . *evil grin* I foresee this biting someone (or several someones) in the rear later on (couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy).

    Maybe Aizen targeted the Shiba Clan because they cannot resist the urge to poke things . . . and are like a dog with a bone once something has gotten their attention as “needs to be checked out.”

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    1. Sneaky is good. Ichigo needs more sneaky. But likewise, Loki could use a little buzzsaw in his approach to life!

      And yes. I think that’s exactly why Aizen targeted them – that and the constant explosions probably grated on his sense of “I will rule over everything.”

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      1. Aizen: I will rule over- *explosion*
        Aizen: I will *BOOM*
        Aizen: SHIBA! STOP THAT!
        Isshin as Head of Shiba: What? I can’t hear you. The atmosphere is so depressing that we’re letting off fireworks to brighten everyone’s night!
        Aizen(to himself): That’s it. He dies first and his troublesome family will be exiled.

        And that’s the story of why Azien attempted to go after Ishin first. … his children upped this exponentially and Loki /cannot/ resist the poking of things.

        I see Loki tying himself up trying to plot/solve a puzzle and Ichigo walking up, watching for at bit, then suggesting The Most buzzsaw approach. In Loki telling him all the ways that “Won’t Work! Why Would You Even?!” He realizes it is brilliant and perfect and just stares at Ichigo for a second, reevaluating this whole “straightforward/blunt/buzzsaw” thing that, on perhaps very special occasions, might just be useful.

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      2. I can so. So. See that as why Aizen decided to bust up the Shiba Clan. How can you properly rule and terrorize the world when some unruly subjects keep cackling and exploding things?

        (Huh. On that note, Mayuri was on thinner ice than he ever realized – Aizen would have had him down as a secondary priority….)

        And yes. Some things do deserve the Alexandrian (Ichigo) Solution. Or as they say on Schlock Mercenary, “If you’re leaving scorch marks, you need a bigger gun….”

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    2. >But Mayuri terrorized other Shinigami, Shibas were loud, annnoying, clever bundles of cheer and togetherness. They had to be delt with. <

      I think Aizen was glad Mayuri and Kenpachi were around. Whoever would suspect him or even Gin as long as a bona fide Mad Scientist and a completely battle crazy Blood Knight are creeping everyone out.

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  3. Zangetsu just wanted to poke the interesting thing a /little/. He’s decided they’re keeping it. Snowball fights are fun.

    In this universe, can we blame Ichigo’s magnetic attraction to Ice/Snowflake types on early exposure to Loki? I mean it’s /wrong/, but no one would know otherwise. (I don’t know what it is in canon, but blue is now Karin’s favorite color. Exactly the shade of Frosty! Loki’s skin.)

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    1. *G* Especially snowball fights with Loki. Once he’s a little more comfortable, Loki’s going to realize he has a very interesting mindscape. Intruders beware!

      And *Snrk*. I don’t know how it goes in canon, but in this AU Ichigo has at a very young age made the mental note of “Ice users are cool and also Very Bad at looking after themselves. I must protect them, and make them realize they’re too serious and should be ridiculous more often.”

      I mean, given Rukia and Toushirou, he’s not exactly wrong….

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      1. That, that’s perfect. I just have this image of Ichigo snagging Toushirou and having this good long gripe about why are you Ice types so serious! Who handed out the depression candy and why was it to the Ice types? Cheer the hell up already, you guys are not going to cause the end of the world, nor are you going to wreck half of it. Oi! Loki, finish that bento, Yuzu will cry at you if you don’t.

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      2. I see Toushirou and Rukia sitting shell-shocked, looking at their lunches.

        Loki: “Brace yourselves. He hasn’t even begun to start cheering you up yet. Somehow, he has the impression that locating worthwhile candidates for inflicting mayhem upon should be a group project.” Beat. “It has a certain direct charm about it.”

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      3. “Ice users are cool and also Very Bad at looking after themselves. I must protect them, and make them realize they’re too serious and should be ridiculous more often.”

        Undoubtedly . . . and I think that with Toushirou, Ichigo might have a very willing accomplice in the form of Rangiku Matsumoto.

        Hitsugaya Toushirou has repeatedly curses and blesses the day those two meet each other and realized they agreed on certain issues . . . like how certain people are entirely too serious.

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  4. Awww poor Loki, the Kurosaki family will turn that frown upside down! Or at least give you different things to frown over. Does Isshin have Masaki’s memorial poster up yet? 😈

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  5. So now we know why clan members are so similar, even adopted ones. I wonder if they encourage Captains (including Aizen) to visit the Academy.

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      1. I foresee certain pamphlets about adoption being delivered to the Kuchiki manor and the certain office spaces in the barracks in the 6th and 13th divisions. And Ichigo claims he didn’t put them there . . .

        Just because he thinks Byakuya needs some serious lessons on being a good big brother and things of that nature, especially since now that his head out of his rear they might actually have a chance of sinking in past his hair and he’s tired of seeing Rukia hurt because her big brother doesn’t have a freaking clue is no reason to accuse him. At all.

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      3. Yes. Byakuya’s grown up in a Spirit Society that has already been contaminated with Aizen’s manipulations. I wouldn’t be surprised if the older captains (Oh, hi there, Juushirou, Shunsui!) are aware of these, but perhaps don’t realize just how bad it’s gotten.

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