There, he found a familiar face.
Sado, the giant teenager who joined him on the mission to save Rukia, was training with a log. He punched the wood a few times, causing a small crack to appear on the surface.
"Morning, Sado." Shirou greeted his friend, "What are you doing?"
Upon hearing him, the giant stopped his fist mid-air. He turned his body to look at Shirou.
"Morning." Sado nodded, acknowledging the greeting. "I am training."
"Is there a particular reason?" Shirou asked curiously. "I thought we're just resting today and will go home this afternoon. You should take a rest and not worry too much."
"I can't sit still." He answered before returning to punching the log, "In this situation, I can't do much at all. I even lost against that Captain in one hit."
He sounded calm, but the fact that he had to be carried to 4th Division barrack for treatment after losing to Kenpachi Zaraki must have affected his morale.
Sado had always been the strongest guy in school before, after all. It was hard for him to accept his loss.
"Even Ichigo and you managed to beat a captain." He stopped and turned his head to Shirou. "I need to work hard and become stronger."
"Well, you can start with a solid foundation. Don't force yourself too hard and hurt your hand."
"No worry."
Seeing Sado wasn't going to stop anytime soon, Shirou left the yard. There was nothing much he could do, but he would just make sure that his friend didn't overdo it. So he walked away, planning to make a quick trip around the 13th Division compound.
One thing he was surprised about when he stayed here was the relationship between Shinigami and Quincy. He saw some Shinigami that openly glared at him upon learning he was a Quincy. But he didn't really pay too much attention to it.
Upon asking Captain Ukitake, he learned the grim reality about the conflict. Apparently Shinigami considered them enemies due to their act in killing Hollows hundreds of years ago.
And it was a fact that Soul Society eradicated all Quincies.
The war between the two was intense and bloody, ending with a massacre. Uryuu, the only Quincy left, had a reason to hate Shinigami for killing all his clansmen.
But in Shirou's eyes, it wasn't really their fault. After all, he understood why Soul Society did what they did. Yet he also felt it was wrong at the same time.
Saving the world by sacrificing lives...
It wasn't something a hero of justice should have done.
And the reason why he thought of that was simple. The conflict reminded him of his father's past.
Kiritsugu's path had ended with a sacrifice of his family to save the whole world. The result of the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki was similar to the Shinigami and Quincies' war.
There was no winner, only sacrifices.
"Maybe that's the real answer." He sighed.
No matter what, a Hero of Justice couldn't exist. There would always be sacrifices to pay.
Heroes didn't exist in this world.
Not a true one.
He had accepted it. No longer was he bound by the ideal to be the next Kiritsugu. He knew he wasn't the same as his old father.
And now he moved forward.
"Yahoo!"
An energetic voice echoed in the compound, capturing his attention. He looked at the source and saw a woman who wore her shihakusho in rather raunchy manners, showing off her cleavage, waving at him from the window while drinking alcohol.
It was Lieutenant of 10th Division, Matsumoto Rangiku.
A very voluptuous and charismatic woman, a type that he couldn't handle very well.
"Walking in the morning, Shirou?" She acted in a pretty friendly manner despite meeting each other only for the second time, "Why don't you drink with me?"
"I am still underage, Matsuomo-san." He smiled wryly as he replied, "But thank you for the offer. I will think about it once I'm old enough to drink."
"You're no fun! But you have a point." Rangiku said, chuckling at herself.
"Hahaha..." He laughed awkwardly and decided to ask something else to get away from this conversation.
There was one thing he was curious about because he knew his father's past.
That gorilla mentioned he was the former 10th Division Captain. Coincidentally, Rangiku was also 10th Division and a Lieutenant on top. Maybe she could provide some information.
"Matsumoto-san, do you know the name Shiba Isshin?"
"Haah?!"
Rangiku's soured expression wasn't something Shirou expected. He wondered what kind of history the man had to get that kind of reaction.
"That perverted lazy leech who always abandoned his paperwork for sake! I know him!" She answered, raising her tone in anger, "That man was my former Captain! He was the worst! Always leaving me to do all his work while he's flirting around! He's lucky I haven't found him in the living world, or I will beat his ass up!"
The worst?
The one he remembered was a silly and lazy man who had a large influence in his new life.
He listened to drunk Rangiku ranting for the whole 30 minutes, and Shirou was pretty sure that his opinion on Isshin had changed for the better or worse.
This was the first time Shirou pitied and knew further about his father outside him being a family man. His father's reputation wasn't a great one.
"He's such a jerk, leaving all of his paperwork to me while he ran away to the Living World." Matsumoto Rangiku finished, taking another swig from her jug. "Not even taking me or Captain Hitsugaya and then disappearing... How dare he?!"
Slamming her jug on the window sill, the content shook and spilled to the floor.
"I am sorry about that." Shirou bowed down in respect.
He didn't know what he should feel or what to say about this, so he just apologized as a courtesy.
"How did you know that name anyway?" She narrowed her eyes.
"He's my father."
Silence came after that.
The air became awkward between them.
It was as if Shirou said something that he wasn't supposed to say, like confessing his undying love to the most beautiful girl in school, only to be rejected in public.
"What?"
"Shiba Isshin is my father."
"..."
"..."
The silence was broken after a while when the Lieutenant started laughing loudly. Her loud voice shook the entire area.
"Shiba Isshin... Your dad... Ha ha ha!" She wiped a tear from her eye, chuckling in disbelief. "Oh my... You are really good at joking. That was funny, Shirou-kun!"
"Sorry to burst your bubble but I'm serious. He married my mother after he lost his Shinigami power and changed his name to Kurosaki Isshin." Shirou replied in a deadpan tone.
"You're actually serious?" She stopped and looked at the red haired Shinigami, her expression turned serious, "That pervert is actually your dad?"
"Yeah."
"Oh... I mean... my condolence?" She said, unsure how to react to the new information. "He's your dad, huh?"
She was at a loss for words. Her former Captain had a child in the Living World. It sounded unbelievable. The image of that gorilla with his son was too different to believe.
"I see..." Rangiku mused as she rubbed her chin, looking thoughtful.
Shirou could only watch from the side as she contemplated this revelation.
"If you meet that idiotic gorilla again, give him my punch, will you?"
"Ha...ha haha..."
***
After talking with the drunk Lieutenant of 10th Division, Shirou went out for a walk.
There were a few more hours until he would return home with everyone else.
While walking around Seireitei and enjoying the sight of a medieval Japan era, he found Ichigo alone sitting on the edge of a bridge. He seemed to be deep in thought. His eyes were closed as he breathed slowly.
He was in his Shinigami's form.
"Yo." Shirou walked up and sat beside his best friend.
"Oh hey." Ichigo nodded and greeted back. He looked like a person who just woke up, but he wasn't sleepy or tired.
"What are you doing?"
"Just enjoying the sight. Nothing else."
"I see." He said.
Both of them enjoyed the silent atmosphere for a while, just relaxing by themselves. Something they rarely could do nowadays with how busy everything was.
"Hey, I never really get a chance to ask you this. But how's Rukia?" Shirou asked in curiosity.
"She's going to stay here." Ichigo said with a tone that showed how complicated his mind was. He didn't know what to do, it was clear. "She's not coming back with us to the Living World. I just met her earlier in Kuukaku's home."
"Oh... That's..." He didn't know what to say in this kind of situation. "Well, we should respect her wishes."
"Yeah, I know." Ichigo sighed, a sad smile on his lips. "And you will visit England after we return?"
"That's the plan." Shirou nodded, "We have summer vacation after this, so I thought I'd use this chance to go. I just need to get a passport, apply for trips and things like that."
"What about the money?"
Hearing that question, Shirou grinned and crossed his eyes, "I have saved a lot from my part-time jobs. Urahara-san paid me properly and so did the restaurant owner. The old lady that runs that shop also gave me more than I was supposed to receive, and she said she was grateful for the extra work I put in the shop. So money won't be a problem for the trip."
"I see."
They talked about various things, mainly about stuff in the Living World.
Such as what they should do after the summer holiday, the upcoming event in their school, or their friends in general. Ichigo was surprisingly easy to talk to when they weren't with the rest of the family. They didn't talk about anything deep and only discussed casual things.
And so afternoon arrived. The time for them to return had come. Everyone was ready and waiting for their time to depart. Kurotsuchi Mayuri prepared the senkaimon, a large wooden gate that connected Soul Society with the world of living.
"I have put the device that converts Reishi to physical matter inside." Mayuri explained in a rather condescending way, as if looking down on them, "And the only thing that will happen is your body will return to normal once you pass through this. Tsk, why should I do this for trash like you all?"
"Kurotsuchi-dono, please." Ukitake coughed slightly and scolded the eccentric Captain.
"Hmph." The mad Captain snorted, turning away from the sickly man. He looked like a child who just got scolded by his mother. "Now get out of my sight. It's open already and you just waste time here by standing still. If you're still here after 5 seconds, I'll close the gate."
Everyone immediately turned and went through the Senkaimon following Yoruichi.
Shirou and Ichigo were at the end.
Before entering, Ichigo looked at Rukia for the last time. He waved his hand, "Bye."
"..."
Rukia was still for a moment and she waved her hand as well, "Bye!"
With that, Ichigo stepped inside the Senkaimon.
Once again, they were greeted by Dangai and the dark space in front of them. This time it felt a bit easier to pass through the path and everyone was more relaxed.
No Kototsu chased them this time, so they could run normally to reach the Living World without worry.
And after a few minutes, they arrived.
The Living World, Karakura Town.
The town was the same as ever, and the night was silent. Not a soul was awake, and only the street lights provided light in the darkness. The stars above them were twinkling brightly.
Sights of a normal town greeted them as they passed through. A familiar sight they missed in their stay in Seireitei.
A familiar looking street, familiar looking house, and a familiar looking roof. Everything was visible from where they were.
"Roof?" Ichigo muttered as he looked around.
They were in the sky.
"Noo!"
And he fell down.