Wind's Calling

Friend

"Hello, I am Third Seat Yamamoto (Y/n) of division one. Thank you for allowing me to stay here," (Y/n) bowed to the man in the striped hat, glancing up to see the wide blue eyes.
"I'm sorry," he laughed, "Could you repeat that please? I swear I heard Yamamoto in that sentence."
"You heard right," the disbelief made her question his credibility. Her grandfather had suggested the blond man himself but there was something off.
"That can't be. She went missing decades ago," he laughed.
"I did go missing a few decades ago," (Y/n) nodded. "And I came back."
"Not possible," he pointed at her face, his now serious. "Her spiritual energy vanished one night and no one found her body. It's believed she was killed by a-"
"I am here to assist with the bount investigation," (Y/n) sighed. "And I'll let you believe what you want to about my disappearance."
"Did we get another moocher Mr. Urahara," a boy called. (Y/n) flinched a bit and then scowled.
"I have an apartment thanks," she sniffed. "Who knew this bount stuff was happening so close."
"No, no new moocher," Urahara laughed. "Just an imposter with the name of a dead woman!"
"I'm sorry, what," she asked.
"An imposter," a red headed boy and a girl in pigtails peeked from behind Urahara, staring at her intently. (Y/n) grit her teeth and smiled at them as kindly as possible.
"Please call me (Y/n)," she hummed.
"Hey, you don't mind taking the moocher do you," the boy asked.
"Who is it? Because I'd be fine if it was Hanataro," she snorted.
"Abarai is living here currently," Urahara chuckled. The name sounded familiar and (Y/n) scowled. His name was in the report as one of the soul reapers on the bount case but it hadn't registered before. Her hand hit her palm as she remembered, a smile on her face.
"Renji? The red head with a stupid short temper and dumb tattoos on his face," she asked.
"That's the one," Urahara chirped. She started laughing, nodding a bit as she stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets roughly.
"Sure, I'll take your free loader," (Y/n) nodded. "It'd be nice to see an old, dumb face."
"Who's old and dumb," (Y/n) turned around, staring at a group of people. It was silent for a moment before a small, black haired woman stepped out, her eyes wide.
"It can't be," she gasped. It took a minute to register, (Y/n) blinking before she remembered Rukia's name and face. It really had been too long and it reminded her of just how much she still didn't remember.
"A tit for a tat," (Y/n) nodded. She glanced behind the group at Renji and raised an eyebrow. He had gotten more tattoos and it made her cringe slightly, "You can't make an ugly face pretty with ugly tattoos." A blade was at her throat, (Y/n) watching Renji move. He was trying to move quickly using a flash step only to blink when (Y/n) wasn't in front of him anymore.
She tapped his shoulder, standing next to him, "Renji, I promise it's me. I'm not a fake." He looked down his shoulder at her, his eyes wide as his mouth open and closed.
"How did you move like that," he snapped. (Y/n) pursed her lips, feeling a bit down at the old friend's reaction to her.
"We don't have time. All of you come inside, we have a lot to talk about," Urahara stated.

Whoever Ichigo was, it left (Y/n) unnerved, her heart rate picking up as his role was revealed to her. The other humans in the room were the same in making her uneasy. She mindlessly followed Ichigo and Renji to the training ground below the shop, standing and watching them. She didn't know if it was just because she was tired or if it was the reminder of her blunder when the two began to fight but they were blurry. She was left leaning against a rock until the males stopped.
"Hey, why don't you join in," Renji barked. "What? You think you're better than us or something?"
"I'm- I'm tired," (Y/n) sighed and pulled her hands from her jacket pockets. "I'm going home."
"Hey, why do you look so depressed," Ichigo asked. (Y/n) stopped and looked over her shoulder at him, the human flinching. She turned slowly and let out a long breath.
"Fine, but you're both against me," (Y/n) muttered. She pushed out of the gigai that was given to her, catching it by the back of the jacket before setting it down out of the way.
"That wasn't what I-"
"Ichigo, why don't you take a break real quick," Renji cut in, glaring at (Y/n). It was clear he didn't trust her but why would he? She disappeared and hadn't been heard from. Urahara was right in suspecting her an imposter she concluded after a while. Why would someone who vanished suddenly come back?
"Is it just me versus you then," (Y/n) asked him.
"I don't know who you are but I have to know what you're capable of," Renji sniffed. He prepped his stance as (Y/n) grabbed the hilts of her blades.
"Renji, I told you who I-"
"She died years ago," he snapped.
"Wait, Renji," Ichigo held his hand up only for Renji to glare at him.
"Stay out of this one, Ichigo," he ordered. "I lost a friend years ago and I can't stand imposters. There were too many of them when she first disappeared. No one could match her trump card though."
"Because none of them had a triple zanpakuto," (Y/n) cut in. Renji's eyes widened as she drew Kamaitachi, holding it up and aiming it at him. "I promised it was me." He launched at her, his shikai released. She blocked it, slowing her flash so he could see and keeping her blades together.
Deep down there was worry over what had happened before. What if she had that thought again? Or worse, what if she acted on it? Her strikes would barely hit and his barely scraped by her, anger on his face. He wouldn't understand it if she said her limitation out loud.
Whatever was causing her to block out her power however, only made the red head angrier as his blows became even heavier.
"Fight for real," he barked. "If your zanpakuto was really a triple you'd be using them by now! Single sword fighting wasn't her specialty!"
"No, flash stepping was," (Y/n) snapped her arm to the side, activating shunko. It didn't hurt the jacket, leaving it to flap in the open. She had made it herself; a fabric that was meant to stand the massive reishi output the technique gave off. Renji reinforced his stance as she launched at him, her blade clanging against his. It dragged, hooking and pulling by one of the teeth to his zanpakuto.
She continued to do that, swinging him in circles with each pass before skidding to a stop and waiting for him to catch his momentum. Her vision was blurry now, her body craving a rougher fight. She stopped herself, dropping her zanpakuto as her vision tunneled. She pulled at her face, the mask following it as she fought against the urge that it brought. Renji was on her, fury on his face as he struck at her.
She barely blocked, skidding back as the laughing started in her head. She grimaced, her skin beginning to burn and a roaring in her ears sounded.
"What are you doing," Renji roared. "I thought you were good at-"
"Stop," (Y/n) panted and Renji jumped back. She couldn't breath, couldn't get ahold of herself as she launched at him for more.
"Hey, hey, hey," Renji yelled. "What's your problem?" (Y/n) unhinged the blades, fighting with all three. Renji was scowling but somehow seemed worried as he changed to the defensive, watching her movements.
"Renji," Ichigo blocked a blade as (Y/n) stood on one planted into the ground, her chest heaving. They were blurred shapes in (Y/n)'s vision, her eyes failing to focus in on them as their voices muffled.
"(Y/n)," Renji yelled. "Get ahold of yourself! What the hell is wrong with you?" (Y/n) shifted and kicked the blade she stood on up, connecting the zanpakuto once more before turning and walking.
"I'm tired," that gravel in her voice, did it always sound like there were three of her? "I'm retiring."