Due to Kototsu, time shifted slightly and it was already night in the Living World.
Shirou and Ichigo returned to their house after the latter returned to his body. The night was silent and dark, with only a small amount of stars shining above them.
There wasn't much conversation between the two, only about what kind of excuses they had to give their parents once morning arrived.
Shirou didn't even bother thinking about what to do because Isshin and Masaki already knew what they did.
Ichigo, however, was oblivious of his parents' true identity and kept mumbling to himself.
"I guess I will say I went to meet my girlfriend in Tokyo."
"You have a girlfriend, Ichigo? Why didn't you tell me about her?" He teased the orange-haired teen, "Do you think I would hate you or something?"
"Of course not! It's just an excuse!" Ichigo retorted back.
Shirou chuckled, amused at his brother's reaction. It was always funny to tease Ichigo and it never got old.
The two continued their bantering until they arrived at home.
While the clinic's light was completely dark, the main house was lit.
"Let's enter through the window." Ichigo suggested and pointed at his room's window.
"You do that. I will go through the door like a normal person. And good luck."
"Hell no. What's the use of entering through the window secretly if you're just going to enter from the front door?!" Ichigo hissed quietly.
In the end, Ichigo could only follow Shirou.
What was he? The person who came back injured every night through the front door of his house.
If Shirou was asked by someone as to why he got injured, he would always tell them honestly. He was that kind of person.
Not to mention, both his father and mother knew about his little adventure to Soul Society this time. He felt that it wasn't fair if Ichigo was kept in the dark while everyone else was in the know that their parents were part of the world they had been fighting in.
And if Ichigo knew his secret, he wouldn't have to worry anymore. It was a good thing for both of them.
So there was no reason to hide anymore.
"Welcome back, you two." Masaki greeted them from the living room, smiling gently. Her face brightened upon seeing her sons' faces.
Ichigo looked surprised when her mother didn't ask them anything, or worse, get angry at their sudden disappearance. She was smiling warmly.
"Huh?" He was confused at this turn of events. "Mom?"
"We're back." Shirou greeted her, ignoring his twin's dumbfounded look.
"You should take a bath before sleeping." Masaki suggested kindly. "There is also some food in the fridge. Eat after you take a bath. You both must be exhausted from all that fighting in Soul Society."
"Ah."
It seemed that Ichigo had finally noticed something. Shirou could see it in his eyes that he had come to some realizations.
Ichigo's face changed to one of realization.
"You... Know?" Ichigo asked hesitatingly. "I thought..."
"Fufufu, there is no parent that doesn't know their own children's secret." She said, smiling.
Shirou could only agree.
Kiritsugu was a great father in his own ways, despite the lack of bonding. Taiga also knew his secret and accepted his weirdness although she stayed silent.
It was just his fate that he was lucky to be born in a family with a good heart and soul. Or else he would have become a different person.
Maybe a villain like the one from the comic book.
"...Did you forget that I am Quincy? How do you think I got my power?" Shirou stated a fact that was supposed to be known to Ichigo.
"Because of that bow and arrow. You know, the Quincy weapon."
"Yeah, you're right." He admitted. His hand was on the back of his head, looking away. "But Quincy's power is inherited from their parents, not from anyone else. And if my power is inherited, it would be Shinigami, not Quincy."
Ichigo opened his mouth to reply but then he stopped. His mind processed what he heard just now.
"So you mean... Mom is..."
"Yes, your mom was Quincy." She nodded, confirming the truth.
Blinking once and then twice, Ichigo didn't say a word.
"And I am your dad."
Slam!
The shoji door slid open, revealing Isshin in a doctor outfit. The gorilla laughed loudly before Shirou punched him in the guts and knocked him out.
"That's from your former subordinate, dad."
Masaki giggled, smiling in amusement.
Kurosaki's family routine had returned to normal.
***
That night after taking a bath, Shirou sat next to the window in his room and drank tea. He wasn't sleepy at all and wanted to have a quiet time for himself. The night breeze caressed his hair, making his night a bit enjoyable.
The moon shone brightly, and stars twinkled in the sky.
He enjoyed the view and listened to the night sound, the summer crickets chirping.
Sipping his green tea from the cup, he relaxed and let his thoughts wander freely. It was August and his summer vacation was starting.
"Vacation huh..." He muttered.
Shirou already had a plan for the whole holiday.
It was to travel to Glastonbury, England.
How to bring it up to his parents was his first concern. His father was definitely fine with that. It was his mother he worried about. He had to make sure to get permission from them first before he could go.
But then, there were other concerns. The problem was with the method of traveling and his budget.
The problem was, Shirou was too young to travel alone. Someone might have had to come with him if he decided to go abroad to a foreign country.
"Hmm..."
Humming to himself, Shirou continued drinking his tea. He decided to research more to ensure he didn't do anything illegal.
At first it started with a selfish wish, but now he seriously wanted to meet with Arturia, or maybe Saber. That dream just fueled his longing to meet his partner once more.
The thought of meeting her again was too good to pass up. Even though it was just a grave without her being actually there, he wanted to pay her a visit and show her his gratitude.
He didn't want to waste any opportunity, especially if she was involved. She deserved more than that, and Shirou was ready to do anything if it meant meeting her again. He owed her that much after she changed his life.
"Hey, why aren't you asleep?"
The sliding door to his room slid open, revealing Isshin who still wore his white doctor coat. The man was still working despite the late night hour, and Shirou could smell a whiff of cigarette and sake from his clothes.
"Just thinking about something." He replied vaguely. "It's nothing serious. How about you, dad?"
"Ah, I'm done with my job. No patients in the emergency ward tonight so I have a lot of free time."
He flopped on the bed and sat there.
"I was just doing some paperwork and now I'm here, you know? While that Rangiku isn't here, there is my one and only love Masaki taking the reins of me."
His words caused Shirou to chuckle.
Just this morning in Soul Society, he heard the story from Rangiku regarding his dad. And from her perspective, Isshin sounded like a different person.
"Matsumoto-san said hi, dad." Shirou mentioned the blonde Lieutenant.
"Ah, she's doing well. Good to hear." He said with a smile. "She's still the same, I presume. She never changed ever since we first met. Who's the new Captain, by the way?"
"Hitsugaya Toshiro. He's shorter than me, but his Reiatsu is no joke."
"Toshiro? That Toshiro?! Wow, time flies fast!" Isshin looked like he couldn't believe the news. His eyes widened like saucers and his jaw dropped.
"That brat became the new Captain?! I can imagine the mountain of paperwork that she has to do. She would be very busy, heh."
The man scratched his chin in amusement.
"Ah well, it's not like it matters." Isshin sighed as he continued. "It has nothing to do with me now."
"Yeah." Shirou agreed, smiling.
Silence filled the room. It was peaceful.
After finishing his tea, Shirou decided to tell his dad.
"I plan to go to England after this, to visit a grave."
"A grave? Whose?"
"King Arthur." He answered without thinking too hard.
"Why did... Nevermind. Just be safe and take care. Tell your mom to help you with the procedure. I think you need parents' consent or something similar for this." Isshin said. He stood up and stretched a little bit, looking ready to sleep. "I'm going to sleep, son. See ya."
"Thanks dad."
"Don't mention it. Ah, I almost forgot. If you go to England, then be careful with dragons."
"...?"
Dragon?
Did his father just try to joke with him because he said he was going to visit King Arthur's grave?
After all, England was a country famous for their mythical creatures and dragons had always been a staple in European mythology. Even King Arthur had a dragon in his name.
But the problem was...
Shirou had seen many things and had met with a lot of powerful people. His father, who had a lot of secrets that were only revealed after he had his adventure, was definitely not a person he should doubt easily.
After all, the man had been the Captain of Gotei 13 and lived his whole life as a Shinigami. He should have been an experienced man.
But a dragon? That sounded like something that came out of a fairytale.
'There is nothing wrong with being careful though.'
He decided to just take his father's word and not think about it too deeply.
So after his father went to his room, Shirou went to sleep.
The next morning he would ask his mother for advice.
And he would also tell his mother about his wish.